I think many of the recipes we indulge in over the Holidays have been
passed down for generations. The problem is this: Our Grandparents
and Great-grandparents did not eat the way we eat YEAR ROUND! Prior to
the 1970′s High Fructose Corn Syrup did not even exist…now almost any
food you purchase from the middle aisles of your grocery store have HFCS
in it! The preservatives, additives, chemicals, food-dyes and so forth
were not abundant in the American diet like they are today. As all of
these ingredients have gone into our foods, our scales have GONE UP!
The point I am trying to make is that all of the indulgences that the
generations before us relished in over the Holiday’s were just
that-indulgences. Today we over-indulge the majority of the time.
In our family Christmas morning has always meant an egg casserole,
and let me tell you it is DELSIH! But with sausage, cream, cheese,
butter, and whole milk it is a killer. The version I was able to find
online that ADMITTED to the calories had a small piece with 600
calories, 178 mg cholesterol, and about 30 grams of fat! And who eats a
small piece? Add in eggnog, mimosas and hot-buttered rum and I have
gained a pound before 11am!
This year our Christmas Breakfast will be our traditional egg casserole, but I've cleaned it up a little with the help from Tosca Reno, yummy toast, fresh fruit, and yes mimosas
(listen, even I have limits)!
I am sure this version
will be gobbled up by all and at 400 calories a piece, 55 mg of
cholesterol, and 14 grams of fat, it will leave a lot more room for more
cocktails, and I know we all need those!!!
Eat Clean Egg Strata
INGREDIENTS
- 1 LB lean ground turkey or chicken sausage
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 9 egg whites and 3 whole eggs
- Dash of Tabasco sauce (optional)
- 2 C skim milk
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 8 pieces of Bimbo whole wheat white bread with crust removed
- 1 C low-fat Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 C diced fresh mushrooms (You can also add diced tomatoes, other veggies, and a can of diced chilies-all of it yummy!)
DIRECTIONS
- Coat a 13X9 baking dish with cooking spray.
- Heat oil in pan and cook turkey until no longer pink. Season turkey
with poultry seasoning, garlic powder, and ½ tsp sea salt. Pour into a
sieve and allow any fat to drain from the meat.
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix eggs, ½ tsp sea salt, Tabasco, milk,
Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and pepper. Using a wire whisk, beat egg
mixture well until frothy. Set aside.
- Arrange one layer of bread slices on the bottom of the baking pan.
Make sure to cover all places with bread. Place half of the crumbled
meat mixture on the bread. Top with one half of the grated cheese and
half of the onion and asparagus. Repeat layer starting with bread.
There will be only two complete layers and will end with the grated
cheese, onion, and asparagus.
- Pour egg slowly over contents of the pan allowing the egg to absorb into the bread. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
IN THE MORNING:
- Preheat oven to 350. Remove tin foil from strata. Place in oven on
center rack and bake for 60 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes
before serving.
1/8 of casserole =serving size
If you are at all worried this will not be AS good, then sprinkle
yellow cheese over the whole thing…TRUST me you will still be coming in
MILES ahead of the old version!
Remember it is hard for our kids to eat healthy foods if they are not
available, so regardless of what your serve make sure there is plenty
of fresh fruit and pitchers of ice-water available throughout the
Holidays!
Original Recipe adapted from Tosca Reno.
Labels: breakfast casserole, casserole recipe, clean egg casserole, egg recipes, egg strata, healthy egg casserole
