Bulgur, Chicken and Salsa Verde Casserole

The next time you feel like cooking a cozy dinner without spending too much time in the kitchen, give this delicious casserole a try. Use an oven-proof skillet or frying pan if you’ve got one to save yourself some time when cleaning up!

Bulgur, Chicken and Salsa Verde Casserole 
1 cup dried bulgur
2 cups water
1 pound cooked chicken breast, shredded
8 ounces canned diced green chiles
12 ounces salsa verde
2-3 cups shredded cheese (I used a mix of aged white cheddar and pepper jack)
Possible garnishes: avocado, cilantro, green onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring water and bulgur to a boil in a pot. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until tender. Drain off any extra liquid.

While bulgur is cooking, combine combine chicken, salsa and chiles and in a skillet or frying pan. Warm the chicken mixture up over medium heat. Stir in cooked bulgur until everything is mixed. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to an ovenproof dish if needed. Top with shredded cheese, cover with aluminum foil or an oven-proof lid, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove dish from oven, top with garnishes, and serve.

Make-Fast Mondays: Egg and Sausage Muffin-Tin Scrambles

Some people eat breakfast before heading to work, but I’m not really hungry until after I’m at my desk and checking email. This make-ahead breakfast is great whether you’re eating at home in your jammies or between morning meetings. They also hold well in the fridge for a day or two and take just about a minute to reheat and enjoy.

Egg and Sausage Muffin-Tin Scrambles 
8 ounces breakfast sausage (I used Jennie-O Lean Hot Turkey Breakfast Sausage)
1 large red bell pepper, diced
6 large eggs
¼ cup whole milk
½ cup grated pepper jack

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a skillet or frying pan, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink. Stir in bell pepper and continue to cook for a couple more minutes to soften the pepper. Remove from heat. Beat eggs and milk together in large bowl. Stir in sausage, peppers and cheese. Grease muffin pan with cooking spray or butter. Divide mixture evenly among muffin cups (it’s about ¼ cup per muffin if you’re using a 12-cup pan). Bake for 20-25 minutes until knife inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

Tuna Melt with Tomatoes

Combine my hankering for something cheesy and a produce drawer full of the neighbor’s homegrown tomatoes and you’ve got a tasty take on the tuna melt, one of my all-time favorite sandwiches.

The pepper jack and chipotle mayonnaise add some sass to this sandwich.

Tuna Melt with Tomatoes
5 ounce can chunk light tuna in water, drained
2 teaspoons mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (I use Cholula Chipotle Hot Sauce)
Two slices whole grain bread
Two slices pepper jack cheese
One medium tomato, sliced thin

Place pepper jack on each slice of bread. Cook in frying pan at medium heat until cheese melts and bread is toasty. Mix tuna, mayonnaise and hot sauce together with a fork and place on one slice of bread, followed with tomato slices. Place second slice of bread, cheese down, on top of tomatoes and allow sandwich to cook for another minute or two more. Slice in half and serve.