TASTE
Prepare light brunch dish ahead by going easy on eggs
| • | Classic crab diversified |
By Elaine Magee
Q. I really want you to see if the enclosed brunch dish can be lightened. It is good and can be made ahead and cooked the next morning.
A. Clearly with a name like "El-egg-ant Brunch Dish," this recipe was going to feature the infamous oval, but I was not prepared to see "three dozen eggs" in the ingredient list. I don't even have three dozen eggs on hand during Easter! The dish serves 12 and uses a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, but that still sounds like a lot of eggs. I ended up making a half recipe, using a 9-inch deep-dish pie dish, along with eight large eggs and 1 1/2 cups of egg substitute. I also reduced the salt by half.
To make this casserole, you layer scrambled eggs with a mushroom-sauce mixture (cream of mushroom soup, sherry, a stick of margarine, canned mushrooms) and shredded cheddar cheese. I'm not a big canned-mushroom fan, so I sauteed sliced mushrooms in a wee bit of canola or olive oil and then stirred them into a lighter condensed soup (Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup) blended with sherry (or you can use chardonnay or a dry white wine). No margarine need apply; I cut it completely out. As to cheese, use less cheddar or use a reduced-fat version, whichever works for you. Either cheese option will cut some calories and fat grams from the grand total.
This still-delicious brunch dish now has 100 fewer calories and half the fat, saturated fat and cholesterol per serving.
Original recipe contains 370 calories, 25 grams fat, 10 grams saturated fat and 660 milligrams cholesterol per serving.
To make a 9-by-13-inch version of this, double ingredients.
EL-EGG-ANT (AND LIGHT) BRUNCH DISH
Blend eggs, egg substitute, fat-free half-and-half and salt together in large mixing bowl.
Heat a large, nonstick frying pan over medium heat and cover the bottom of the pan with 2 teaspoons canola or olive oil. Add the egg mixture and cook, stirring gently until slightly undercooked scrambled eggs form. Place half of the egg mixture in a 9-inch round or 9-by-9-inch square baking dish.
Meanwhile, add 2 teaspoons of canola or olive oil to the bottom of a medium-sized, nonstick saucepan. When the oil is hot, add the sliced mushrooms and stir and cook frequently until mushrooms are lightly browned. Stir in the condensed cream of mushroom soup and the wine or sherry. Cook until bubbly and well blended.
Top the scrambled eggs with half of the mushroom sauce. Sprinkle half of the cheddar cheese on top of the sauce. Repeat, layering with the remaining scrambled eggs, covering with remaining mushroom sauce and shredded cheese.
Cover, refrigerate, and bake the next day, after bringing casserole to room temperature. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Bake for 1 hour, and serve.
Makes 6-8 servings.
Elaine Magee is a registered dietitian; her latest book is "Comfort Food Makeovers." Find out more at www.recipedoctor.com.
