Low Fat Broccoli Cheese Casserole

Oh my goodness, whoever invented Laughing Cow cheese is a miracle maker.  This cheese is not only so damn delcious, it's low fat and the perfect cheese to melt over a broccoli casserole.  I was hankering for a cozy broccoli dish tonight to serve with shrimp stuffed salmon and mashed cauliflower...here's what I made:  Put cut up washed broccoli in a casserole dish (I added about four bunches and broke them up).  Then add a chopped up onion over the broccoli.  In a pot add 2/3 cup of low fat milk (I actually used 2%), then four wedges of laughing cow, 1/3 cup of low fat Philly Cream Cheese, and finally four tbsp. of low fat dried parmesan and simmer over a medium heat until all of the sauce is blended.  I then added a pinch of nutmeg, a pinch of herbed parmesan spice, 1 tsp. of powdered garlic, and some white pepper.  Taste and adjust spices to your liking.  Then pour over the broccoli/onion casserole and bake at 350 degrees for about 1/2 an hour or until the broccoli is cooked as you like it.  Bon Appetit!

Fresh With Anna Olson - Blueberry Corn Toss and Beet and Goat Cheese Terrine

I looked at Anna Olson's cookbook everytime I went through the Thrifty's cashier line up.  It wasn't cheap, $30, but I couldn't stop thinking about it.  The cookbook is loaded with delicious gorgeous unique recipes.  I bought it and folded over page after page of incredibly good looking recipes.  I was having my aunt, mom, sister, and cousins over for lunch so I thought I'd make a couple of Anna's thumbs up recipes:

Corn Blueberry Toss:  This is a super delish recipe, but I like it better made the day before and served the next day.  I used what I had on hand so didn't follow the recipe to a t, but I do recommend Anna's cookbook.  1 can of crispy summer corn, 2 tbsp. of olive oil, 3 chopped up green onons, 1/2 red bell pepper chopped up, 1 cup of fresh blueberries, 1/2 juice of lime, a handful of cilantro leaves and a little sweetener (one packet), and 1/2 tsp. of ginger, salt and pepper.  Anna's recipe calls for candied ginger and jalapeno which I wished I added.  Mix everything together and put in the fridge overnight.  Very yummy and beautiful to look at.

Beet and Goat Cheese Terrine:  This is amazing.  Line muffin tins with plastic wrap so terrines will be easily removed later on.  Boil up 1 1/2 pound of fresh beets with 1 lemon cut in half******leave the beets untrimmed and boil for 45 minutes.  There will be lots of pink flowing out of the beets, but keeping the stems on and adding a lemon to the pot will help.  Drain, discard lemon, cool and then peel.  Slice the beets as thinly as possible and set aside.  Beat the goat cheese with 2 tbsp. of whip cream and add 1 tbsp. of chopped chives, 1 tbsp. of finely chopped mint, and 1 tsp. of lemon zest.  Fill the goatcheese mixture in a pipping bag.  To assemble, place a single beet slice in the bottom of each prepared muffin cup.  Line the sides of each cup with beets, bending them gently to fit into the edge if necessary so that each cup is entirely lined with beets.  Pipe goat cheese filling into each and top with the cheese with beet slices.  Chill for at least 2 hours.  To serve, gently pull out each terrine, unwrap, and turn out onto a serving plate.  The terrines can be served on a bed of baby greens and a little cucumber with a simple vinaigrette.  Alternatively you can add an extra layer of smoked salmon or chooked shrimp inside or on top for a lunch entree.  ****You know, that's what I didn't do and should have...added a vinaigrette.  Next time. These are very impressive.