Healthy Vegetable Strata Food

VEGETABLE STRATA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat. Add asparagus; cook and stir until crisp-tender. Transfer to a large bowl., Repeat with an additional 1 teaspoon oil and zucchini; add to asparagus. In same pan, cook and stir corn, shallots and garlic in remaining oil until shallots are tender; stir in herbs, salt and pepper. Add to asparagus mixture; stir in bread cubes., Place half of mixture in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with 1-1/2 cups cheese. Repeat layers. In another bowl, whisk eggs and milk; pour over casserole. Sprinkle with pecans. Refrigerate, covered, at least 1 hour., Bake, uncovered, 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Freeze option: After assembling, cover and freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake strata, covered, 45 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

ROASTED VEGETABLE STRATA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Toss zucchini and peppers with oil and seasonings; transfer to a 15x10x1-in. pan. Roast until tender, 25-30 minutes, stirring once. Stir in tomato; cool slightly., Trim ends from bread; cut bread into 1-in. slices. In a greased 13x9-in. baking dish, layer half of each of the following: bread, roasted vegetables and cheeses. Repeat layers. Whisk together eggs and milk; pour evenly over top. Refrigerate, covered, 6 hours or overnight., Preheat oven to 375°. Remove casserole from refrigerator while oven heats. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown, 40-50 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes before cutting. Freeze option: Cover and freeze unbaked casserole. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 375°. Bake casserole as directed, increasing time as necessary to heat through and for a thermometer inserted in center to read 165°.

EASY STRATA AND VARIATIONS

Steps:

• Saute mushrooms in 1 tablespoon of oil. Season with salt and set aside.
• Whisk half-and-half, eggs, salt and pepper until smooth. Spray a 9-by-13-inch Pyrex or ceramic baking dish with vegetable cooking spray.
• Line bottom with 6 slices of bread. Scatter half of the ham, and half of the mushrooms over the bread, then sprinkle with half of the scallions and cheese. Pour 1 cup of egg mixture over the top. Repeat layers with remaining bread, ham, mushrooms, cheese and scallions. Slowly pour remaining egg mixture evenly over top. Cover with plastic wrap, then weight down casserole with 3 16-ounce cans for at least 15 minutes to submerge ingredients. (Can be refrigerated overnight, but return to room temperature before baking.)
• Adjust oven rack to middle position. Bake in preheated 325-degree oven until custard is just set, about 50 minutes. Turn on broiler and broil until strata is spotty brown and puffy (watch carefully), about 5 minutes longer. Let stand for 8 to 10 minutes, then serve immediately.

HEALTHY VEGETABLE AND CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, and garlic, and saute vegetable mixture 6 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat and stir in artichoke hearts. Set aside.
• Arrange italian bread cubes in a 13 x 9 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spoon zucchini mixture evenly over cubes, and sprinkle with cheeses.
• Combine egg substitute and remaining ingredients (except oregano sprigs) in a large bowl; stir with whisk. Pour egg mixture over zucchini mixture. Cover with foil; chill in refrigerator for 8 hours.
• Preheat oven to 325.
• Bake strata, covered, until bubbly. Garnish with oregano sprigs if desired.

VEGETABLE AND CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• In a large skillet cook the onion, the scallion, and the mushrooms in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until the onion is softened, add the bell peppers and salt and pepper to taste, and cook the mixture over moderate heat, stirring, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until all the liquid the mushrooms give off is evaporated and the peppers are tender. Arrange half the bread cubes in a buttered large shallow (4 1/2-quart) baking dish, spread half the vegetable mixture over them, and sprinkle half the Cheddar and half the Parmesan over the vegetables. Arrange the remaining bread cubes over the cheeses, top them with the remaining vegetables, and sprinkle the remaining cheeses over the top. In a bowl whisk together the eggs, the milk, the mustard, the Tabasco, and salt and pepper to taste, pour the egg mixture evenly over the strata, and chill the strata, covered, overnight. Let the strata stand at room temperature for 15 minutes and bake it in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until it is puffed and golden and cooked through.

VEGGIE-PACKED STRATA

Steps:

• In a large skillet, saute peppers and onion in 1 Tbsp. oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain; pat dry and set aside. In the same skillet, saute the yellow squash, zucchini and mushrooms in remaining 2 Tbsp. oil until tender. Drain; pat dry and set aside., Preheat oven to 325°. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, cream, salt and pepper until smooth. Beat in eggs. Stir in vegetables, half of the bread cubes and Swiss cheese. Arrange the remaining bread cubes in a greased 10-in. springform pan. Place on a baking sheet. Pour egg mixture into pan. , Bake, uncovered, until set and a thermometer reads 160°, 80-95 minutes. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before serving. Run a knife around sides of pan to loosen; remove sides. Cut into wedges.

BASIL VEGETABLE STRATA

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; cook and stir until tender, 8-10 minutes. Remove from pan., In same pan, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir until golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Remove from pan and add to the mushrooms., Add remaining oil to pan. Add peppers, leek, salt and pepper; cook and stir until leek is tender, 6-8 minutes. Stir in sauteed mushrooms and onion., In a 13x9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray, layer half of each of the following: bread cubes, vegetable mixture, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, egg whites and milk until blended; pour over layers. Sprinkle with basil. Refrigerate, covered, overnight., Preheat oven to 350°. Remove strata from refrigerator while oven heats., Bake, covered, 50 minutes. Bake, uncovered, until lightly browned and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 10-15 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.