Feeding colleagues a family favorite

“Family Favorites” was the theme of a recent work potluck. Some of my mom’s top dishes are of the casserole variety, including the deliciously filling bake I recreated for my colleagues using my mom’s recipe.

Green Chile and Cheese Rice Bake
8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack
2 cups light sour cream
8 ounces canned diced green chiles
2 teaspoons garlic powder
4-5 cups cooked white rice (this dish works best when using day-old, cold rice)
1/2 cup grated cheddar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine first four ingredients in a bowl until blended. Alternate layers of rice and chile-cheese mixture in a greased 8-by-8-inch glass baking dish, starting and ending with rice. Top dish with grated cheddar and bake for 30 minutes.

Trimming the fat with turkey stroganoff

Here’s another recipe inspired by “On Rice,” the cookbook I mentioned in my previous post.
I took the author’s cream sauce recipe and lightened it up, swapping out heavy cream for milk and fat-free sour cream, which I think gave the meal a tangy, sort-of-stroganoff kind of taste. Something I might try the next time around is using only half a cup of wine, and adding ½ cup chicken broth.

Turkey Stroganoff
Adapted from “On Rice” by Rick Rodgers
Steamed rice
¼ cup flour
1 pound turkey cutlets, cut into ¾-inch squares
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
½ cup finely chopped shallots
10 ounces brown mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 cup dry white wine
½ cup lowfat milk
½ cup fat-free sour cream
Salt and pepper

Combine flour, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper in medium bowl. Toss turkey in the flour, shaking off excess. Heat oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add turkey to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is lightly browned, about 5 or 6 minutes. Transfer turkey to a plate; set aside.

Melt butter in skillet. Add shallots, cooking and stirring often until softened, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms, lemon juice and thyme, stirring well. Cover and cook until mushrooms give off their juices, about 3 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to high and cook an additional 2-3 minutes, until mushroom liquid evaporates.

Pour wine into skillet and boil for a couple minutes. Add milk and cook for 7-8 minutes, until liquid has reduced slightly. Bring heat back to medium and stir in sour cream. Return turkey to the skillet and cook until sauce is slightly thickened, just a minute or two. Season with salt and pepper, and serve over steamed rice.