Savory Vegetable Cheese Strata Food

SAVORY ROASTED-VEGETABLE STRATA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450°F. In large bowl, stir biscuit ingredients until soft dough forms. Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden. Meanwhile, in ungreased 15x10- or 13x9-inch pan, toss roasted vegetable ingredients until evenly coated with oil; arrange in single layer.
• After removing biscuits from oven, bake vegetables 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender. Cover vegetables; refrigerate until needed. Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat eggs, milk, oil and pepper with wire whisk or electric mixer on low speed until blended.
• Break biscuits into random-sized pieces; spread in ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. Pour egg mixture over biscuits. Sprinkle with onions and cheese. Cover; refrigerate at least 8 hours but no longer than 24 hours.
• When ready to bake, heat oven to 350°F. Stir biscuit mixture in dish. Top with vegetables. Bake 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 25 minutes or until top is golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm.

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.

SAVORY STRATA

Steps:

• Whisk together milk, eggs, 1/4 teaspoon salt, Tabasco and nutmeg. Strain through a fine mesh sieve.
• Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add leeks, and toss to coat with oil. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes or until leeks are soft. Season with 3/4 teaspoon salt. Cool.
• Mix together ricotta, Parmesan, pepper and herbs. Stir in the cooled leeks.
• Grease a roasting pan 9 by 12 by 2 1/2 inches with 1 teaspoon butter. Lay 6 slices of bread in the bottom of the pan. Top with half of the ricotta-leek mixture. Repeat with a second layer. Place the last layer of bread in the pan, and spread the top with the softened butter.
• Pour the custard over the bread, gently pressing top slices into the mixture. Place on a cookie sheet, wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove plastic, and sprinkle the top with the cheese. Place in a larger pan, and put on the middle rack of oven. Fill the larger pan with boiling water to come up about halfway on the smaller pan. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until puffy and brown. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

SAVORY VEGETABLE CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a medium non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened and beginning to brown, 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute. Transfer the onion mixture to a medium bowl and let cool.
• Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat and cook the mushrooms; stirring a few times, until their water evaporates and they begin to brown, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.
• Coat a 9x13" baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange the bread cubes over the bottom. In a large bowl, beat the whole eggs, egg whites, milk, and mustard together until incorporated. Add the mushroom, onion, garlic mixture, broccoli, both cheeses, the sun-dried tomatoes, thyme, salt, and pepper and stir to incorporate. Pour the mixture over the bread, making sure the liquid saturates the bread. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours.
• Preheat the oven 350 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap from the strata and bake until the top forms a light brown crust, 60-70 minutes.