Italian Inspired – Simple Summer Supper

 

Did that eggplant catch your eye?

 

The shiny purple spheres look so inviting, but then what to cook with them?  How ‘bout layering it in a pie with ricotta cheese and Italian sausage? It is a meal that takes 20 minutes of your time and costs only  $2.31 per serving.

 

This recipe has been the hit of the summer!  The key ingredient is the flavorful Parmesan crust and the crumble topping.  To keep it simple, it is a press-in-the-dish crust with the same recipe used for the crumble.   The use of Southern Biscuit ® All-Purpose Flour is perfect to keep the crust light, but give it enough structure to hold together when you slice the pie.

Save time

Save money

Eat well

Active time 20 minutes

Cost per serving = $2.31

Italian Strata with Parmesan Crumble

Serves 6.

Crust and Topping

2 cups Southern Biscuit® All-Purpose Flour

½ cup butter, softened

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 large egg

Cheese Layer

1 cup (1/2 pound) ricotta cheese

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

6 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese

Filling

1 small eggplant, sliced in rounds ¼-inch thick

1 medium zucchini, sliced ¼-inch thick

1 pound Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled

1 cup (8 ounces) prepared pizza sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the crust:

Combine flour, butter, and Parmesan cheese.  Mix with your hands until the mixture is very crumbly.  Measure ¾ cup of the crumbs and set aside.

Stir into the remaining mixture one egg.  Mix well.  (Mixture will be dry, but will hold together when pressed with your hands.)  Press evenly into the bottom of a 10-inch round, 3-inch deep pie dish or casserole dish.

Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until set.   Remove and allow the crust to cool while preparing the filling.

 To make the cheese mixture:

Combine the ricotta cheese, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning blend and Parmesan cheese, set aside.

To layer the strata:

Layer one layer of eggplant, overlapping slices, over the cooled crust.  Then layer the zucchini slices.  Spoon the ricotta cheese mixture over the zucchini, then top with the mozzarella cheese, press slices slightly to spread the ricotta.

Spoon  the cooked and drained Italian sausage over the cheeses, then spread the pizza sauce evenly over the meat using the back of a spoon.

Squeeze the reserved Parmesan crumble to make sure it clumps, then sprinkle it over the pizza sauce.

Bake for 1 hour or until crumbles are lightly browned and the casserole is bubbly hot.  Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

 

 

 

Summer Vegetable Casserole

Free Up Your Summer With EASY and Healthful Main Dishes

Summer is time to take it easy…and to enjoy all those fresh summer vegetables.
We have some tips for an easy on the budget, time saving, and healthy summer meal! That’s a lot to pack into one recipe!

START WITH CORNBREAD:
One batch of cornbread made using Tenda-Bake® Corn Meal Mix costs less than 20 cents a serving! It is the perfect bread to go along with any meal without breaking the bank, and your family won’t know you are stretching the budget, they will only thank you for the bread that tastes go good with summer vegetables.

COOK TODAY NOT TOMORROW:
One-dish meals mean the bread, meat, vegetables, and dairy are all in one. There is not a single thing to add – so clean up and preparation is super easy.
You can even do the prep work on the weekend when you have more time, so dinner is just simply warmed up and served on weeknights.
Cook once, and eat twice – since this recipe serves 8.

DON’T PUT CASH IN THE TRASH:
Consider using leftovers from other meals to make this casserole, your leftover two grilled chicken breasts today could be a casserole tomorrow. The rest of the tomatoes sliced at lunch for a BLT will be part of this dish. You get the idea. We throw away about 1/3 of food purchased. Toss away less by using it!
When you cook bacon, save the drippings. Two tablespoons make a casserole with a terrific flavor, without adding much more than a ½ teaspoon of bacon fat per serving.

HEALTHY ON A BUDGET:
Most of us get more meat than we need, bulking up on more vegetables and less meat is good for you. Stretch your meat by making casseroles.
Eat fresh vegetables in season. Watch for what is on sale in the supermarket. Or better yet, wait until the summer squash and zucchini begin to overpower home gardeners. Most of the time, there’s plenty of free squash around if you are lucky enough to be a grower or a friend of a grower.
Eat out less. Did you know most of the time we consume more calories when we eat out as compared to eating at home? It costs less and is better for our waistline to cook!

WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR BUDGET SAVING IDEAS!

COST TO MAKE THIS RECIPE:
One batch of Tenda-Bake Cornbread (the whole pan!) $ 1.25
Chicken Thighs 2.99
Tomatoes 1.99
Onion 1.29
Zucchini 0.80
Milk 0.36
Sour Cream 0.99
Cheese 1.80

TOTAL $ 11.50
COST PER SERVING $ 1.43

Think about that next time you are ordering off of the dollar menu!

Makes 8 servings

Cornbread Base
2 cups Tenda-Bake® Self-Rising Corn Meal Mix
1 ½ cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
¼ cup vegetable oil
¾ corn, about two ears of fresh corn cut from cob

Filling
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or bacon drippings
1 ½ cups chopped onion (1 medium)
2 cups chopped zucchini (I medium)
4 chicken thighs, sliced thin
4 tablespoons Southern Biscuit ® All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sour cream
½ cup milk
2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese (about 8 ounces)

2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (about 2 medium tomatoes)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9×13-2-inch glass-baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Combine corn meal mix, milk, egg, oil, and corn. Pour into baling dish and bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Heat oil in a skilled over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add the chicken and cook just until chicken turns white. Stir in the zucchini and cook for about 2 minutes or until slightly tender. Add flour and stir until flour is completely absorbed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in sour cream, milk and 1 cup of Monterey Jack cheese. Remove from heat and very gently fold in the tomatoes just to combine.

Spoon the filling over the cornbread. Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese and bake until cheese has melted and casserole is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Remove casserole from oven.

Allow casserole to sit for 5 minutes before serving. Cut into squares and enjoy.

Independence Day – Freedom Celebration

Since we are celebrating freedom…

It is time to be – Free from the same old side dishes
It is time to be- Free from spending the holiday cooking
It is time to be- Free from high priced meals

Here it is – The answer to a fun and frugal holiday cookout.

Entertain for the holiday without breaking the bank or spending the day working in the kitchen – with a simple side dish that takes 15 minutes to put together (not counting the time spent baking). And this dish only costs about 82 cents per serving. See cost table below.

We have found some budget friendly entertaining tips for your July 4th or any gathering.

• Make this recipe when tomatoes are least expensive or better yet pick some from your plants in your own backyard.

• To save money, buy solid cheddar cheese and shred it yourself. You pay 10 to 20 cents less per ounce than buying the cheese already shredded and the pre-shredded cheese has added cornstarch, so you are not even buying 100% cheese.

• Look for the Tenda-Bake® Corn Meal Mix on sale. (It is on sale now in many stores!) Stock up while it is on sale.

• When you are entertaining offer plenty of side dishes that are usually less costly than the meats you have on the grill.

• Find simple recipes- like this one and cook from scratch, rather than paying high prices for prepared foods from grocery store delis or frozen food sections.

• About a third of food in this country is thrown away, but you won’t have to worry about any of this recipe going to waste. This recipe will be one of the first dishes to disappear at any gathering.

Cost of this recipe: Tomatoes $4.00
Onions 1.29
Butter 0.19
Corn Meal Mix 0.25
Eggs 0.30
Milk 0.36
Cheddar 1.84

TOTAL $8.23 = 82 cents per serving!

 

Cornmeal Tomato Pie

Makes about 10 servings.

4 cups (5 medium) ripe tomatoes, cut into bite size wedges
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter
1 ½ cups (1 medium) sweet onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Southern Biscuit® All-Purpose Flour

Topping

2 cups Tenda-Bake® Buttermilk Corn Meal Mix
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
1 ½ cup milk
1 ½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 12-inch cast iron or ovenproof skillet with nonstick cooking spray.

Place cut tomatoes in a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let bowl stand while preparing other ingredients.

Melt butter in a skillet and cook chopped onions until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Gently pour tomato mixture and liquid into casserole. Spoon the onion mixture over the tomatoes evenly. Do not stir.

Prepare the topping by combining corn meal mix and baking powder in a large bowl. Stir in eggs and milk. Add 1 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese.

Pour batter over the tomatoes. Do not stir. Sprinkle top with Cheddar cheese.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until golden brown. Serve warm.