Recipe for Hash Brown Strata

Hash Brown Ingredients:

¾ cup hash brown potatoes with onions and peppers, diced (frozen loosely packed)
¼ cup broccoli florets, medium size
¾ ounce turkey ham or turkey bacon, chopped finely
¾ tablespoon all-purpose cooking flour
1/8 cup fat free evaporated milk
1 six ounce frozen egg product, thawed
¾ ounce or 1/8 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Canola nonstick cooking spray
Salt to taste
1/8 teaspoon black pepper, ground
¼ teaspoon dried crushed basil or ½ teaspoon fresh basil, snipped
Basil springs, fresh for garnishing

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit. Coat a square baking dish lightly with canola cooking spray.
2. Spread the potato pepper mixture at the bottom of the baking dish. Top it with finely chopped turkey bacon or ham. Leave aside.
3. Take a medium bowl and stir all-purpose flour with evaporated milk gradually. Add dried or fresh basil, half the amount of cheese, salt, black pepper and egg product to it and stir well. Pour this flour egg mixture over the vegetables and turkey ham.
4. Place the dish in the oven and bake for about 40 to 45 minutes. To make sure that the dish is done, insert a clean knife in the center. If the knife comes out clean then it is done but if the contents stick to the knife then it needs more cooking.
5. After done remove from the oven and sprinkle the remaining cheese on the top. Let it stand for 4 to 5 minutes before serving. You may garnish hash brown strata with basil springs if desired. This recipe serves two.

Health tip:

• Use preferably reduced fat cheddar cheese to make the recipe healthier and low in calories.
• If you prefer fresh vegetables over frozen you may substitute fresh potatoes, peppers and onions for frozen ones.
• Use only lean cuts of turkey ham or turkey bacon. Trim all the fat before chopping the ham or bacon to reduce the cholesterol and saturated fat content of the recipe.
• Modification for this recipe – Arrange the ingredients as mentioned above before baking. But instead of baking it immediately in the oven cover the dish with a plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator for 4 to 24 hours. When you plan for a meal, remove the plastic cover and bake as mentioned above.
• This is a low calorie recipe that provides around 152 calories and 4 gm fat.