Savory Asparagus Bread Pudding

Heidi's head notes: Best to use stale bread, leave it out a day or two. Be careful with those serrated knives, I've cut myself w/ the serrated knife on stale bread more times than I can count.
One 1-pound loaf sourdough or other crusty bread
3 cups milk
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
1 pound asparagus
3 to 4 ounces oyster mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan or casserole with nonstick cooking spray (hs note: I greased the pan w/ butter).
Using a serrated knife, cut the bread into 3/4-inch slices, then stack 4 or 5 slices of bread. Cut them into 3/4-inch cubes. Repeat with the remaining bread and put all of the cubes in a large bowl.
In medium bowl, whish together the milk, broth, eggs, salt, pepper, and dill until combined. Pour the mixture over the bread.
Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus and cut the spears into 1-inch pieces. Add them to the bread along with the mushrooms and shallots. Fold everything together well to combine the ingredients. Spoon them into the prepared pan and pat down the top to compact the ingredients. Sprinkle the cheese evenly ever the top.
Bake the pudding for 45 minutes, or until the top is browned and crisp and there is no liquid in the center. Let sit for 10 minutes before cutting into portions.
Ann's Stress Saver Tip: Look for frozen asparagus tips and bags of unseasoned bread cubes to save some prep time.
Ann's Eye Appeal Tip: Instead of mushrooms, ad 1 cup sliced pitted black olives for color contrast and a flavor complement to the asparagus (hs note: I went this route).
Serves 6-8.

From here http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001571.html

It says it serves 6 to 8 people! I did half the recipe and it served us 6 times. So deffo halve the recipe if you're not feeding the 5000 and only have "normal" sized baking dishes! Otherwise it's lovely! Oh and I did find that there wasn't enough liquid when I halved the recipe, but it could've been the bread I used, I ended up using 3 eggs and a little bit more than half the milk.

This is devine served with cheddar cheese, or melted cheese, and is also very good on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th days!

For those asking about the French Fried Onions in the Green Bean Casserole dish..

You can replace the french fried onions with the same amount of the Onion Ring crunchy snack you can buy in tescos, they are commonly known as Funyuns in the USA. My grandmother did this one thanksgiving, and it turned out spectacularly. French Fried Onions and Onion Ring Cruncy Snacks contain about the same nutritional values (both not very healthy for you!) But the amount you use within the recipe can be cut by adding real onion bits into the casserole itself

By folding the crunchy snack into the casserole, and then 5 mins before the casserole is finished, sprinkling them on the top, you get a nice crunch and a satisfying creamy side dish.

When you get the onion rings, dont smash them into dust!! Try for small pieces, about the size of a 5p to the size of a 20p coin.

(btw, clydegirl, I was born and raised in Illinois, myself )

You were, whereabouts?

How did you end up back in the UK? Military by any chance.

Born in Illinois, but I've lived in quite a few different places in that state, due to, yes, my dad is a master sarge in the Army National Guard.

I've lived in Pekin, Peoria, Bloomington, Romeoville (chicago suburb), and a few other places. All in ye olde Illinois

I'm actually living in the UK because feb of last year, I got engaged to a Welshman

very basic, get some salmon, chopped up lettuce, and sweetcorn.

Really tasty, low in caleries, about 210, and fills you up

More courgettes than you can shake a stick at?????

Try this from Celia Brookes Brown - who has an allotment.



Honey-Roasted Courgettes and Feta
Preheat oven to 220 C. Cut 500g courgettes in to chunky batons. Place in a baking dish large enough so that they form a single layer. Add 3 cloves of garlic, sliced. Drizzle with 2-3 tbsp olive oil and toss with your hands to give each piece an even coating. Spread out evenly in the dish. Scatter 200g crumbled feta over them and drizzle with 2 tbsp runny honey, more olive oil, and plenty of pepper. The feta is salty enough without extra salt. Roast for 20-30 minutes, until deep golden all over. Serves 4

This recipe also works well with cocktail sausages!!! You can substitute the honey for Grape Jam and it makes it even better!

Good thread ..especially as I am mainly veggie these days because of it being easier to fill up with out the bad fats.

Anyway, I will toss one in here (which or course now isn't veggie after saying that). I have this when I really want to fill up for lunch but be healthy. It would make two really good servings but I would be lying if I didn't say that sometimes I just eat it all.

Tropical Prawn and Carrot Salad

1 small can pineapple rings
3 tablespoons pineapple juice, reserved from can
1/4 cup extra light mayonnaise
1/4 cup 0% Greek yogurt
250g carrots, grated
50g raisins
2 tablespoons Splenda
2 cups cooked cold king prawns

Method:

1. Take pineapple rings out of can and chop up into sizable chunks. Set aside and reserve the required 3 TBS of pineapple liquid.

2. Combine pineapple liquid, extra light mayo, 0% Greek yogurt and Splenda in bowl.

3. Add carrots, pineapple, prawns and raisins and mix until the wet mixture is mixed all the way through.

4. Cover in cling film and put in the fridge for an hour or more.

5. Give a quick stir before eating.

quick curry beans/

1 onion
1 red or green apple
tablespoon sultannas
3 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon olive oil
tin baked beans

add olive oil to pan , add finely chopped onions and curry powder. heat for 2 min. add chopped apple with skin on. heat for 2 min. add tin of beans and sultannas. heat for 2 min. enjoy.

Serves 4
Per Serving
169 cal/ 6g fat
Preparation Time
10 mins
Cooking Time
5 mins

1llb lean steak (rump or sirloin)
1 beef stock cube dissolved in 1/4 pint of boiling water
4 tbsps light soy sauce
1 tsps ground coriander
300ml (1/2pint) tomato passata
1 small red chilli, finely sliced
1 tsps finely chopped lemongrass
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsps chopped fresh coriader
salt & freshly gound black pepper

1. Remove any fat from the meat and discard. Slice the meat into thin strips and place into a shallow dish. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

2. Combine the remaining ingredients except the fresh coriader, and pour over the beef. Leave to marinate for at least 1 hour, mixing periodically.

3. Strain the marinade from the beef and reserve. Preheat a non-stick frying pan and stir-fry the beef quickly over a high heat for 1-2 mins until cooked to your liking. Add the reserved marinade and heat through.

4. Stir in fresh coriander and serve on a bed of rice.

(The trick is to leave this dish marinade as long as possible

Calories per portion 150Kcals
Fat content per portion 5g


4 fresh chicken breast fillets, skinless and boneless

FOR THE MARINADE MIX TOGETHER :

1 150g pot low-fat natural yogurt

5-10ml (1-2tsp) hot or medium curry powder

15ml (1tbsp) fresh coriander, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

Juice of 1/2 lime

Method
Make three incisions in the top of each chicken breast.

Place the chicken in the marinade, evenly coat, leave for at least one hour or overnight.

Place under a preheated grill and cook for 15-20 minutes until beginning to char and completely cooked through.

Slice each breast, lay on a bed of cooked rice with diced red pepper and chopped coriander stirred through.

Serve with a green salad.

serves 4
cals per serving 145
fat per serving 4.2
toast will be extra


25g butter
300g chopped onion
300g peeled and diced potatoe
2 large heads broccoli
12g chicken bovril in 800ml boiling water or veg stock cube
1 heaped tbps bgty creme fraiche

melt butter in pan add pots and onion and season cover with lid let sweat for about 10 mins
then add chopped stalks from broccoli cook for about 5 mins
then add stock boil for 5 mins then cover and simmer till tender
add chopped broccoli florets do not cover
when everything is tender take off heat and stir in creme fraiche
blitz all down
serve with parmesan /normal cheese toast cut into fingers to dip


this is so easy and really lovely fave at the minute

4 skinned chicken breast fillets
huice of 2 lemons plus 1tbsp finely grated zest
1tbsp ground cumin
2tbsp paprika
for the salad
2 ripe plum tomatos diced
1/2 cucmber diced
1 red onion diced
2tbsp white wine vinegar

place chicken breasts in a bowl cover with all the ingredients (apart fom salad)
mix well cover and leave to marinade for 4-6 hours or overnight if poss
meanwhile mix all salad ingredients together season well set aside
heat a griddle pan until very hot and cook chicken for 8-10 mins on each side or until cooked through
serve with the salad

serves 4
per portion
194 cals
2.4 fat

Serves 4 Per portion 184 cals Fat 5g

450g boneless chicken
120ml orange juice ( better if fresh oranges )
4 tablespoons soya sauce
4 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon pepper

combine altogether and pour over chicken, bake uncovered at 180 c or 350 f

Serves 4 ( ONLY 142 Cals and 2.5g Fat )

400g pack of Beef Stir Fry Strips
4 tbsp of Fish Sauce
2 tsp of chopped red chillis
2 tsp of Thai 7 spice powder
Juice of 1 Lime.
1- 2 large red onion, chopped
2 x packs of herb salad
Half a large cucumber, chopped into slivers.

*Place the Beef, Fish Sauce, 7 spice, lime juice and chilli in a bowl and leave to marinade for at elast 30 mins and up to 4 hours.
* Put the beef and marinade in a preheated wok and stir fry.
* arrange the herb salad, red onion and cucumber between 4 plates.
* pour the beef strips and marinade over the top.

You can add rice noodles to this dish-per 100g serving cooked adds 119 cals and 0.3g fat.