Recipe of the Day: Maple Sausage and Waffle Casserole

Love It: I so have been craving some American country breakfast sausage lately. I like to smother it in maple syrup, too, so this recipe sounds about perfect. The sweet, salty, and savory, all coming together for a party in my mouth.

Fear It: Buuuuuuut . . . that maple and sausage combo is high in calories. Add in eggs, waffles, and cheese — oh, dear. Turkey sausage would help cut the greasiness, as would reduced-fat cheddar. You could even use whole-wheat frozen waffles and egg substitute from a carton, and of course, you should opt for the low-fat milk. But my goodness, don’t even think about swapping out the real maple syrup for some high-fructose corn syrup nightmare.

Teach It: So much to learn. First, we must learn to accept the combination of sweet items such as syrup and waffles with savory items such as cheese and eggs. It’s not so odd — people eat cheddar on apple pie, after all. Second, check out the weighting technique used to keep the whole dish compact and sliceable, as well as ensuring the waffles absorb the liquid.

Eat It: With a tall glass of orange juice and maybe some fruit salad. It’s pretty hearty on its own.

Maple Sausage and Waffle Casserole
Source: Cook’s Country
Yield: 6 servings

Depending on their size and shape, you will need 6 to 8 waffles. Belgian-style frozen waffles are too thick for this recipe. To double the recipe, use a 13 by 9-inch baking dish and increase the baking time by 30 to 40 minutes.

• 6 – 8 frozen waffles (1/2 inch thick)
• 12 ounces maple breakfast sausage, crumbled
• Unsalted butter (for dish)
• 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 6 large eggs
• 1 ¼ cups whole milk or low-fat milk
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• ¼ teaspoon table salt
• ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange waffles in single layer on baking sheet. Bake until crisp, about 10 minutes per side.

2. Brown sausage in nonstick skillet over medium heat, breaking it apart with spoon, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain on paper-towel-lined plate.

3. Butter 8-inch-square baking dish. Add half of waffles in single layer. Add half of sausage and 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat layering of waffles, sausage, and 1/2 cup cheese. Whisk eggs, milk, maple syrup, salt, and pepper in medium bowl until combined. Pour egg mixture evenly over casserole. Following photos A or B, cover baking dish with plastic wrap and place weights on top. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

4. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Let casserole stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. Uncover casserole and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese over top. Bake until edges and center are puffed, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Cut into pieces and serve.

Notes:

STEP BY STEP: The Weighting Game–Weighting a Casserole

A. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the casserole, top with another 8-inch-square baking dish, then weight with heavy canned goods.

B. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the casserole, then place two 1-pound boxes of brown sugar on the plastic wrap and top with a cast-iron pan.

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Eggcellent Eggs!

Tonight, I made some huevos rancheros that demonstrate three great properties of eggs.

1. I used up some sausage grease and the last bit of a jar of hot salsa that had been kicking around the fridge for a while to make the scrambled eggs. Eggs are great for binding together whatever you have left over into a tasty meal that doesn’t feel like leftovers.
2. By mixing them with leftovers and fats rendered from any meats you might have cooked recently, eggs are both filling and cheap. Where other proteins are expensive (including tofu here in Slovakia, which goes for about $10-15 a pound), eggs are mercifully easy on the grocery budget.
3. Eggs cook fast. It took less than five minutes to cook the suckers to a nice soft set.

Eggs also add richness and binding power to dishes that don’t feature them as the star player, but we’ll save that discussion for the next time I make stir-fry. For now, let’s marvel at the wonders of eggs with a whole collection of egg recipes. Here’s a frittata recipe I like to get you started — keep an eye on it as it cooks, as I found that eight minutes is more a guideline than a rule.

8 Minute Frittata
Source: Kraft
Yield: 2 servings

• 4 eggs
• 1 Tbsp. water
• ½ cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• ½ cup chopped green pepper

SPRAY 8-inch microwavable pie plate with cooking spray. Add eggs and water; beat with wire whisk until well blended.

SPRINKLE with cheese and green pepper.

MICROWAVE on HIGH 6 min. or until eggs are set and cheese is melted.

Notes:
Round Out The Meal
Serve with a garden salad topped with your favorite Kraft Dressing and a fresh fruit cup.

Other fillings:
Bacon, cheddar and hot sauce
Sautéed sweet onions and tomatoes with mozzarella

Milk can be used instead of water.

Nutritional notes:
Calories 270 Total fat 19g Saturated fat 9g Cholesterol 450mg Sodium 330mg Carbohydrate 4g Dietary fiber 1g Sugars 1g Protein 19g Vitamin A 20%DV Vitamin C 25%DV Calcium 25%DV Iron 10%DV

Eggcellent Eggs recipe collection

Omelet Sandwich

Note: I wrote this on June 21, 2005, for another food site I was toying with. It’s still one of my favorite recipes! If you’re looking to lighten it further, you can use turkey bacon, although it lacks something in unctuousness. Also, if you have trouble digesting hot sauce (cayenne often does a number on me these days), try picante sauce (which is a finely chopped salsa).

With a wedding to prepare for, it’s imperative that I start to clean up my eating habits. I’ve read that a wedding is often the only thing that kicks people into gear as far as healthy eating goes. The key will be keeping those habits after the wedding is over, naturally; the same article also noted that married people are heavier than single people. I have plenty of time (two years), but it’s healthiest to lose weight slowly anyway.

I’ve decided to try TV chefs’ recommendation to alter some of my favorite recipes to cut calories. My omelet sandwich seemed like the natural choice. I replaced the egg with a couple of egg whites (a savings of fat and calories without losing most nutrients) and the full-fat cheese with reduced-fat cheese (low-fat dairy products are supposed to enhance weight loss — at least the government is telling us so now).

Original recipe:
Two thick slices bacon: 80 calories, 6g fat
Two slices whole-wheat bread: 160 calories, 2g fat
Dash hot sauce: 0 calories, 0g fat
1 slice American cheese: 80 calories, 7g fat
1 egg: 70 calories, 4.5g fat
1 tbsp butter: 100 calories, 11g fat (8g saturated)
Total: 490 calories, 30.5g fat

Modified recipe:
Two thick slices bacon: 80 calories, 6g fat
Two slices whole-wheat bread: 160 calories, 2g fat
Dash hot sauce: 0 calories, 0g fat
1 slice 2% Milk American cheese: 60 calories, 4g fat
1 tsp spreadable butter with canola: 34 calories, 3.7g fat (1.5g saturated)
2 egg whites: 34 calories, 0g fat
Total: 368 calories, 15.7g fat

That’s a savings of 122 calories and 14.8g fat. I don’t generally like using unnaturally reduced in fat products, but the cheese here is still considered real cheese (albeit processed, but still real). It’s part of Kraft’s Deli Deluxe line, not the Singles line. As for the spreadable butter, it has as much fat and calories as butter but less saturated fat due to the canola oil. It has an advantage over margarine in that it has no partially hydrogenated oils, so it’s not an unnatural fat.

Also, the bacon in the lighter sandwich may have less fat and calories than stated, as I microwaved it rather than baking or pan-frying it. The paper towels soak up a lot of rendered fat.

Omelet Sandwich
Source: Colleen Fischer
Yield: 1 serving

• 2 slices whole-wheat toast
• 2 slices bacon
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 egg
• Hot sauce, to taste
• 1 slice American cheese

Cook the bacon, preferably by baking in a 400-degree oven for 10-15 minutes. Break each cooked slice in half. Toast the bread and put on a plate.

Meanwhile, heat a small skillet over medium-low flame. Melt the butter in the pan. Whisk the egg until foamy, then pour into the skillet. Stir the egg. As it begins to set, lift up cooked portions with a silicone spatula and tilt the pan to allow uncooked egg to flow underneath. Cook for about two minutes or until the egg is set. It may still look moist on top. Flip the omelet and slide it onto one of the bread slices.

Sprinkle the omelet with hot sauce if desired. Top with cheese slice and the bacon.

Notes:
Lower-fat version:

Substitute 1 teaspoon of butter or spreadable butter for the 1 tablespoon of butter (make sure you use a very slick nonstick pan), two egg whites for the egg, and reduced-fat 2% milk cheese for the regular cheese.

Nutritional information per serving:
Regular sandwich: 490 calories, 30.5g fat
Lightened sandwich: 368 calories, 15.7g fat

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