Cousin Betsy's Green Chile Breakfast Casserole

The first time I tasted this recipe, we had spent the night at a cousin's house that we were visiting. The next morning as we sipped our coffee, this pre-prepped casserole was simply put in the oven and before long we had a tasty and satisfying breakfast that filled us for our long drive home. While we enjoyed the recipe, what struck me more was the practical simplicity of her making this the day before and simply sticking it in the oven on Sunday morning as her guests were waking up and getting dressed. The work of preparing the breakfast dish was invisible to us since it was done before our arrival. 

It was the perfect reminder (as the home cook) of the beauty of having some "make ahead" simple recipes so that the cook doesn't have to stress and can interact more with the guests.

This recipe is hardly unique nor is it a creation of mine. And it doesn't have to be a "breakfast casserole." It could be served for a brunch or even a dinner or lunch. 

You can easily search the title below and find an endless number of variations. The ingredients are simple and are made up of items that can easily be found in supermarkets across the country. I followed my cousin's recipe but I also tried some of the variations out there on the Web (including the cottage cheese version!). I blended her recipe with a few others to create this version. I've made it a number of times and the results are consistent. But, this is another recipe that you can tweak to make something that's just "yours." 

Oh, and don't buy the bags of pre-shredded cheese. Buy a block and shred it yourself at home. The bags of pre-shredded cheese are treated with an additive to prevent it from clumping. This additive causes the cheese to not melt the same as cheese you shred at home. For this recipe, the melted cheese topping is essential. Plus, whole cheese is less expensive by weight. 

Green Chile Egg Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:

• Eggs - 8
• Green chopped chiles - 7 oz., drained (or try two 4 oz. cans for a bit more spice)
• Monterey Jack cheese - 6 oz., grated
• Sharp Cheddar cheese - 8 oz., grated
• Milk - 1/2 cup
• Flour - 2 Tbsp.
• Baking soda - 1 Tbsp.
• Garlic salt - 1/2 tsp.
• Black pepper - 1/2 tsp.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray some non-stick oil in an 11 x 7 rectangular baking dish.
3. Sprinkle a thin layer of the cheeses on the bottom of the baking dish. Use more of the jack cheese but include some cheddar. 
4. Evenly cover the cheeses with the green chiles. 
5. 
   In a large bowl, add the flour. Using a whisk, add a tiny bit of the milk and whisk it into a paste. Slowly, add more milk and continue to whisk. The goal is break up any clumps of flour. Whisking constantly, slowly add in the rest of the milk. 
6. One at a time, break the egg into the same bowl and whisk each one to mix them up before adding the next egg. Continue until all eggs are in and mixed.
7. Add the baking soda, black pepper, and garlic salt. Whisk to combine.
8. Pour the egg mixture into the casserole covering all of the cheese and chiles.
9. 
   Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheeses (heavier on the cheddar) and bake in the middle rack for 30-35 minutes. If this is prepped the night before and kept overnight in the refrigerator, increase cooking time to 40-45 minutes. You want to look for a topping of golden cheese that is ever so slightly browned on top.
10. Remove from the oven and let sit for at least 5 minutes.  

You can serve this with salsa, sour cream, or a hot sauce like Tabasco or Crystal on the table and let each person decide what they want to add, if anything. Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated and will last about four or five days.

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Leek and Potato Day

The leeks have been coming at us with a steady pace from the box. They were piling up in the fridge, so today was a day of action. Get through those leeks! It started with:

Potato and Leek Frittata

 

This frittata could have been just a basic leek and potato frittata but I also added some leftover ingredients to help clear out the fridge

• Get some herbed butter melting in a professional medium skillet (one that can go directly into the oven)
• Preheat oven to 400 degree
• Peel some potatoes, dice them, and get them started in the skillet. I used 3 medium red skin potatoes that came in the box
• Clean and slice the leek and add them to the potatoes and butter
• Chop up some onion or shallots
• Chop up a leftover Tofurky sausage
• Dice a leftover bell pepper half
• Toss everything in the skillet with the potatoes and leeks
• Add some salt and pepper along with some Foxpoint Seasoning
• Add some freshly chopped basil
• Crack four eggs into a bowl and mix well along with some parsley and black pepper and a generous splash of milk
• Add egg mixture to the skillet
• Let it start to set on the fire for about 5 minutes or so
• Sprinkle the top with some cheese. I had some leftover feta
• Transfer to the oven and cook until the top begins to brown. Around 15 minutes.
• Remove from the over and let it cool for a few minutes
• Quarter the frittata and serve 

The evening focused on a new soup that we think we saw in a Sunset magazine. It's a healthy and tasty take on the potato and leek soup that has no cream but uses spinach "making it a beautiful electric green and good for your waistline."

It was a tasty soup and definitely one I'd make again. It's quick, easy, and healthy.

Spinach, Leek, and Potato Soup 

 

Ingredients:

• 2 large leeks
• 2 tablespoons of butter or herbed butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups broth
• 1 large golden or white potato - I used the last 4 red skin potatoes from the box
• 1 8 oz bag spinach
•  Croutons - optional

Preparation:

• In a saucepan melt butter over medium heat
• Add leeks and salt and cook until limp stirring often, about 5 minutes
• Peel and dice potatoes and add to pan
• Add broth and bring to a boil
• Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork
• Add spinach and cook until wilted
• Puree with an immersion blender

Final score: 4 leeks gone; 1 still to go.

Breakfast from the Box

Something cool occurred to me as I was making our Sunday breakfast: I knew the source of just about every ingredient. Most of it came from our weekly CSA box but for those that didn't I knew where it came from. Here's how it went.

I began by cutting up a couple of fingerling potatoes and sweet potatoes (leftover from last week's box). I got them started in the skillet with some butter, black pepper, and a dash of salt.

Then I decided to go for a Southwestern egg scramble given the ingredients in this week's box. I started by dicing half of a yellow onion (from the box) and got it started in a skillet with some EVOO. While the onion cooked down, I diced half of a green bell pepper (from the latest delivery) and added it to the skillet. Four eggs (from a friend's backyard chickens) were whisked together along with some of Penzey's Southwest seasoning and into the skillet they went. I chopped up some cilantro leaves (from the box) and added them into the eggs. A diced avocado (finally ripened from last week's box) got added and then some grated cheddar cheese (OK, this was from Trader Joe's).

Oranges and tangerines (from this week and last) were juiced.

After plating, I sprinkled some dried parsley (from the backyard) over the potatoes and served.

All in all, an enjoyable locavore breakfast.

Lemon Pancakes

Sunday is egg day. We always have eggs for breakfast on Sunday. But as we approached this last Sunday I noticed that we only had three eggs left. One short of our usual pair of two-egg omelettes. What to do?!? 

 I remembered a memorable breakfast that was served to us when we spent a weekend at our friend's house near Chicago. They made us a wonderful pancake breakfast one morning. We're normally not big pancake fans but these were unique, fluffy, and flavorful. Fortunately, I got the recipe and it called for three eggs. A plan was falling into place! A Saturday afternoon trip to the store provided any missing ingredients. 

  Lemon Pancakes 

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs, separated
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cottage cheese
• 1/2 stick melted butter
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest (just do the zest of 1 small to medium lemon)
• raspberry or maple syrup

Preparation:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees
• Separate the eggs into two bowls
• Beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks
• Add flour, cottage cheese, butter, sugar, salt, and lemon zest to the egg yolks
• Beat the mixture until well mixed
• With a large spatula, fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture
• Stir until they are well mixed with no clumps of white or yellow
• Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat
• Grease lightly and spoon 2-3 tablespoons of batter for each pancake
• Cook slowly for about 90 seconds to two minutes and then flip and cook on the other side for 60 seconds
• Keep the pancakes warm in the oven until ready to serve

Serve with warmed raspberry or maple syrup and powdered sugar on top. The original recipe calls for some berries on top of the pancakes. I added a ripe banana this time just because it needed to be eaten. Any good fruit will work. Use what you have on hand. It will all be good. Oh, and those are Morningstar veggie sausages.