March 2008 Recipes

March 3rd, 2008

Inspire your aspiring gourmet chef to create a tasty recipe by letting him or her warm up with our kid-friendly recipes. By involving children in the cooking process, kids learn necessary life skills while spending quality time with their parents. March’s recipes include Mac and Cheese Casserole Cups, Easyc Cheesy Calzone, Cheesy Chicken Crunchers and Buncha Banana Pudding!

Mac and Cheese Casserole Cups

Recipe created by Chef John Folse, cheesemaker and owner of John Folse & Company, Gonzales, La.

Makes 10 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

    3 cups fat-free milk
    2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    6 ounces (1 1/2 cups) reduced-fat, mild shredded Cheddar cheese
    3/4 cup light shredded mozzarella cheese
    1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
    8 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked and drained

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In medium saucepan, slowly add 1 cup of milk to flour, stirring constantly until all lumps have dissolved. Add the remaining milk, stirring thoroughly. Place on stove and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens. Add 1 cup of the Cheddar, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses; stir until blended. Add macaroni, stirring gently to coat well. Line muffin tin with paper muffin cups and place one scoop of macaroni and cheese mixture into each muffin cup. Top with reserved 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar. Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Facts per serving

Calories: 260; Total Fat: 10 g; Saturated Fat: 6 g; Cholesterol: 30 mg; Sodium: 440 mg; Calcium: 40% Daily Value; Protein: 18 g; Carbohydrates: 22 g; Dietary Fiber: 1 g


Easy, Cheesy Calzone

Recipe created by Elizabeth Ward, M.S., R.D. and mother of three

Makes 8 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

    16 ounces prepared pizza dough
    1/2 cup pizza sauce
    2 cups shredded part-skim Mozzarella
    3 cups cooked, chopped broccoli, drained
    1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a baking sheet.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to form a 9-inch by 14-inch rectangle, about ¼-inch thick. Transfer to prepared baking sheet.

Spread pizza sauce over half of the dough. Sprinkle cheese over entire piece of dough to within half inch of all of the edges. Layer broccoli on one half of the 14-inch side (the long side) of the dough. Fold dough in half over the cheese and broccoli filling. Seal edges of the calzone by pressing with the tines of a fork. Prick top. Brush top with butter.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until crust is lightly browned. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before cutting.

Nutrition Facts per serving

Calories: 325; Fat: 10 g; Saturated Fat: 4 g; Cholesterol: 20 mg; Sodium: 271 mg; Calcium: 20% Daily Value; Protein: 20 g; Carbohydrates: 38 g


Cheesy Chicken Crunchers

Recipe created by Chef John Ashton of Orlando, Florida

Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

    1 cup all-purpose flour
    Salt
    Pepper
    4 egg whites
    1/2 cup reduced-fat milk
    1 1/2 cups cornflakes
    1 cup (4 oz.) reduced-fat, shredded Cheddar cheese
    6 chicken breast filets; cut into strips
    Non-stick cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Set up three bowls with the following: 1) flour mixed with a pinch of salt and pepper; 2) an egg-wash, made by beating the eggs and milk together; 3) cornflakes mixed with cheese.

Coat a 13-inch by 9-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Dip chicken pieces in flour, then into the egg-wash, then roll in the cheesy-flakes mixture, coating the entire piece of chicken and place on the baking pan. Discard any unused cornflake mixture after coating chicken. Bake for 25 minutes, turning halfway through to ensure even browning. Serve with ketchup or barbeque sauce, if desired.

Nutrition Facts per serving

Calories: 320; Total Fat: 8 g; Saturated Fat: 4 g; Cholesterol: 90 mg; Sodium: 320 mg; Calcium: 20% Daily Value; Protein: 37g; Carbohydrates: 24 g; Dietary Fiber: 1 g.


Buncha Banana Pudding

Recipe created by Chef John Folse, cheesemaker and owner of John Folse & Company, Gonzales, La.

Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

    2 (3-ounce) packages vanilla instant pudding mix
    4 cups lowfat milk
    20 vanilla wafer cookies
    3 bananas, sliced
    Whipped cream (optional)
    Graham cracker crumbs (optional)

Directions

Prepare pudding with lowfat milk as directed on package. Spoon one cup of pudding into a 2-quart serving bowl and top with 10 cookies and half of the banana slices. Continue layering with 2 cups of pudding, remaining cookies and bananas. Top with remaining pudding, cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Garnish with whipped cream, graham cracker crumbs or banana slices, if desired.

Nutrition Facts per serving

Calories: 290; Total Fat: 4 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Cholesterol: 10 mg; Sodium: 350 mg; Calcium: 20 % Daily Value; Protein: 6 g; Carbohydrates: 60 g; Dietary Fiber: 3 g.