Meatless Monday: Spinach Mushroom and Cheese Bread Strata and Chilled Asparagus Soup

Spinach Mushroom and Cheese Bread Strata
 
5 cups thick bread such as Challah or Brioche cut roughly into cubes
5 eggs
2 1/4 cups low fat milk or soy creamer (or if you want to be decadent, 1 cup half and half and 1 1/4 cup low fat milk)
10 oz. cooked spinach, steamed or sauteed and lightly seasoned
10 oz. container of mushrooms, sliced (I used baby portabellos)
1 1/2 cups of your favorite cheese (Asiago, Parmesan, Gruyere, Swiss, Cheddar, or a blend would be nice)
2 tbs. Earth Balance or olive oil (or 1 tbs. each)
1-2 tbs. fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp. salt or to taste
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper or to taste
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/8th tsp. fresh grated or ground nutmeg

Steam or saute spinach and season with a bit of garlic, salt, and pepper. Drain any liquid and set aside.
In a skillet, heat Earth Balance and/or olive oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and saute 1-2 minutes, then season with salt, pepper, and about 1/2 tsp. garlic powder. Cook another 3-4 minutes or until tender.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk or cream, onion powder, garlic powder, and nutmeg. Add mushrooms, spinach, basil, and 1 cup of the cheese. Stir to combine. Add the bread cubes and completely coat them with the egg custard mixture. Let sit 10-15 minutes or up to an hour. Pour into a well-greased casserole dish and top with remaining cheese. Can be refrigerated at this point and baked later. Cook for 30-35 minutes until puffed up and golden on top.

Makes a delicious dinner, lunch, or brunch item - either as a side or the main attraction!

 
Chilled Asparagus Soup with Basil Cream

For this recipe, you can use defrosted frozen asparagus - but since this healthful veggie is in season in New Jersey, I was happy to use fresh. 

1 lb. asparagus cleaned, cooked (sauteed or steamed), and chopped

1 cup Imagine No-Chicken broth or vegetable broth

1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup soy creamer, half and half, or heavy cream (depending how indulgent you want to be)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1-2 small cloves garlic

3 tbs. chives, roughly chopped

1 tbs. butter, Earth Balance, or herb butter (optional)

1/2 tsp. salt or to taste

1/2 tsp. pepper or to taste

Cook asparagus until tender, either steaming, sauteing, or microwaving. Drain any excess water, then refresh under cold water to retain bright green color.

In a blender or food processor, add asparagus, garlic, chives, butter, broth, lemon juice, wine, cream, yogurt, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth and adjust seasonings to your taste. Chill in the refrigerator for a few hours until cold and serve topped with basil cream. 

Healthy hint: instead of half and half/cream, you can use all nonfat Greek yogurt and omit the butter.

Basil Cream 

1/2 cup creme fraiche, nonfat Greek Yogurt, or sour cream

2 tbs. fresh chopped basil leaves

1/8th tsp. garlic powder

Sprinkle of salt

Combine ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth and well combined. Serve atop asparagus soup.

Shortcut: If you have any leftover basil pesto on hand, you can mix 1 tsp. of it with the creme fraiche, nonfat Greek Yogurt, or sour cream and combine by hand.