Ritz-Topped Vegetable Casserole

Original Recipe HERE

 

The amount of mayonnaise in this recipe made me cringe, but I thought it was worth trying because the bulk of the dish was straight-up vegetables.  And I'm not above smothering veggies in sauces, condiments, whathaveyou in order to get my kids to eat them...as I pretend that I'm not negating their health benefits by doing so.

 

I couldn't find American cheese in a block, so I diced up several of the individually-wrapped slices.  The pieces stuck together, so I was worried that it would mean pockets of cheese in the finished product instead of a uniform distribution.  Whatever ended up happening with the cheese wasn't an issue, but I would take more time to do it properly.

 

Next time, I will mix the melted butter with the crushed crackers before spreading them over the top.  The coverage was uneven doing it as the original recipe instructed.  Also, I bet this would be even better with the French's fried onions on top (because most things in this world would be).

 

Each kid asked for multiple rounds of this and told me to make it again.  It was super easy, and the original post said that it can be made up to a day ahead.  I'm sure that this convenient meal will be repeated.  Also, I learned that my kids like lima beans (from the frozen veggie medley)...they've been lucky to be spared the dreaded legume thus far, but it turns out it was for naught.

 

Ingredients

1/4 cup salted butter, divided
1 cup finely-chopped celery

1/2 to 1 cup finely-chopped yellow onion

2 to 3 cloves finely-chopped garlic
1 bag (32 oz) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 cup (or 4 oz) finely diced American cheese
¾ cup mayonnaise [I used 2/3 cup mayo and the rest Ranch dressing]
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

 

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

(2) In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt half of the butter over medium heat.

(3) Saute celery and onion until softened, 8 to 10 minutes.  Add garlic toward the end.  Remove from the heat and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

(4) Add mixed vegetables, corn, American cheese, mayonnaise, and Ranch (if using) to the bowl.  Combine thoroughly.

(5) Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish.

(6) In a small bowl, mix together crushed Ritz and melted butter.

(7) Evenly sprinkle the crushed Ritz over the top of the casserole.

(9) Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

 

Kid Participation:

* Mix vegetables and sauce

* Measure mayo and Ranch

* Crush Ritz

* Sprinkle Ritz

Veggie Pizza Appetizers

This is a dish for which I pulled inspiration from several sources...several years ago.  It's a "make it up as you go to suit your own taste" kind of thing.  But it's always a hit at parties because people feel good about themselves for eating something loaded with vegetables.  It justifies going back for seconds (or fifths) of the queso dip or barbecue meatballs.  Using a variety of colorful vegetables - and chopping them very small so no one veggie dominates a particular slice of the pizza - draws attention to this appetizer.

Ingredients for "Sauce"

2 tubes crescent rolls

8 oz low-fat cream cheese [or to taste]

4 oz low-fat sour cream [or to taste]

bottled ranch dressing [or powdered ranch dressing mix]

1/4 cup salsa [optional]

grated parmesan [optional]

seasonings [garlic powder, salt, pepper, chili powder, cayenne, smoked

paprika etc.]

Ingredients for Toppings

green onions

broccoli

carrots

red onion

radishes

peppers [red, green, yellow, or orange]

shredded Mexican cheese [optional]

Directions

1) Put cream cheese in mixing bowl and allow to soften slightly.

2) Unroll crescent rolls and spread onto baking sheet.  Distribute as evenly as possible and seal all seams.

3) Bake crescent rolls according to package directions.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely or until just slightly warm.

4) Add sour cream and ranch (and optional salsa) to cream cheese in several increments.  Mix thoroughly each time until desired consistency is reached (should be spreadable but not runny). 

5) Mix in optional parmsean and seasonings.  Evenly spread cheese mixture over crescent rolls.

6) Finely chop vegetables into smaller-than-bite-size pieces.  Toss together to mix well.

7) Scatter chopped vegetables over cheese mixture.  Top with shredded cheese (optional).  Gently press toppings to ensure they stay in place.

8) Cut pizza into pieces of desired size.  Refrigerate until serving.

Notes: None.

Kid Participation:

* Seal crescent roll seams

* Mix sauce ingredients together

* Spread sauce over crescent rolls

* Add toppings to pizza

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Original Recipe HERE

Chicken dishes are a staple in my house (much to Husband's chagrin; I've been told, "Chicken...again?" when he asks over the phone what's for dinner). Ideally they're good for me, but I usually end up smothering or dipping them in a sauce that negates any inherent health benefits. This is one of those kinds of recipes. It starts out with plain baked chicken, but the topping adds a lot of (1) flavor, and (2) calories. I don't think there's a way to health-ify it, other than perhaps using reduced fat dressing and cheeses. Oh well. In the flavor versus health match-up, flavor always wins out.

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

seasonings / spices for chicken [I used pepper & galic salt]

1/2 cup creamy Ranch dressing

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon jarred minced garlic

1/2 cup provolone cheese, divided [I couldn't find shredded, so I bought it sliced and diced it up pretty small. I also approximated the amount]

3 oz panko bread crumbs [approximate amount]

Directions

1) Season chicken & bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.

2) While the chicken is baking, mix together ranch dressing, parmesan cheese, garlic, and 1/8 cup of provolone cheese.

3) Toast bread crumbs (enough to cover tops of the chicken breasts) and set them aside.  (Note: be careful not to burn them).

4) When chicken is cooked through, remove it from the oven and turn broiler on. Spread creamy cheese mixture on each piece of chicken. Sprinkle the remaining provolone cheese on top. Top that with the toasted bread crumbs.

5) Place chicken under the broiler until the cheese is melted and browned a little on top.

Notes: I halved the topping recipe for two chicken breasts, and it probably should've been cut in thirds instead.  Next time I'll try seasoning with dill as well.  I served it with Cheddar Biscuit Cups.

Kid Participation:

* Mix topping ingredients together.

* Sprinkle provolone and bread crumbs on top of cooked chicken.