Creamy, Cheesy Potato Leek Casserole & Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing

Serves 5 (I should say this serves 6, but no freaking way. It's so good, you will definitely want a bigger serving.)

1 large potato, thinly sliced
1 leeks, thinly sliced and chopped
1/2 large carrot, grated
1 cup chopped celery
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 tablespoon butter & oil
Olive oil cooking spray

Sauce:
2 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 cup light whipping cream
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella or jack cheese
1/4 cup panko
1 teaspoon dried oregano

1. Preheat oven to 400*.

2. Place sliced potatoes in a bowl of cold water until ready to use. This will prevent them from browning.

3. Place all vegetables (except potatoes) in a large bowl. Add one tablespoon olive oil, and toss to coat. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray. Saute vegetables until tender, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

4. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream and whipping cream. Mix into vegetable mixture thoroughly.

5. Spray non-stick cooking spray onto casserole dish. Add potatoes to the bottom of the dish (overlapping is ok). Top with vegetable mixture, cheeses, panko and sprinkle with dried oregano.

6. Bake, covered, for 40-50 minutes, until hot and bubbly and potatoes are tender when pierced with fork. Finish by placing the casserole under the broiler to brown the top, about 5 minutes.

Served with Creamy Lemon Salad Dressing
1/2 cup reduced-calorie mayonnaise
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp dill, chopped
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt

In a food processor, combine all ingredients. Process until smooth. Yields 6 servings, about 1 1/2 tablespoons dressing per serving. (Leftover dressing can be refrigerated for up to one week.)

Results: I'm not going to lie to you...this was not an easy casserole to make. You aren't going to come home after a busy day and say "I'm really in the mood to stand in the kitchen for a couple of hours!" There was a TON of chopping. But, trust me when I tell you this is un-freaking-believably good. I did all the prep earlier in the day, so all I needed to do at dinner-time was pop it in the oven.

With a name like "Creamy, Cheesy Potato Leek Casserole", you know the original was full of fat (FLAVOR!) and richness (FLAVOR!) I changed the ingredients to make them lower fat, and I don't feel like we missed anything. DELICIOUS! This is a definite keeper, and a perfect recipe for serving to dinner guests, even vegetarian ones!

The salad dressing was good too. It was a little watery (maybe I'll leave the water out next time), but the flavors were light and perfect with this casserole. Chris and I both LOVED this meal.

Dressing recipe from Weight Watchers. Casserole recipe from FOODjimoto. I need to spend some time checking out that blog...looks like some amazing recipes there!

Chicken, Leeks & Brown Rice Slow Cooker Casserole

Serves 8
Prep Time: 20 minutes (includes browning the chicken), Cooking Time: 7 hours

cooking spray
8 skinless chicken thigh(s)
2 cups canned chicken broth, reduced-sodium
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced (I forgot to buy these, but we didn't miss them)
3 leeks, white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced
1 cup carrot, thinly sliced
1 cup celery, thinly sliced
3/4 cup uncooked brown rice
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

1. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; warm over medium heat. Add the chicken thighs and brown, turning once, about 6 minutes; set aside.

2. Combine the remaining ingredients in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker; nestle the chicken thighs in the mixture. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.

Results: Delicious! I am not a fan of brown rice, but this tasted awesome! The leftovers were great too. I forgot to buy the mushrooms, but this dish doesn't need them. Henry & Chris loved this, but of course Steven wouldn't look at it.

Chicken with Leek and Almond-Poppy Muffin Stuffing

Serves 4 (with a bit of leftovers)

2 medium leeks, sliced and cleaned
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
2 celery ribs, chopped
4 almond-poppy seed muffins (the original recipe calls for lemon-poppy seed, so you could use either)
3 to 4 fresh thyme sprigs, chopped
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning (I didn't have this, so I used salt & pepper and fresh sage, chopped)
2 cups chicken stock
8 chicken breast cutlets
salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
a handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish

1. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, then transfer it to a platter and cover it with foil to keep it warm. Add the 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan and when it melts, sprinkle the flour into the pan. Stir and cook for 1 minute, then whisk in 1 cup of the chicken stock. Cook for 2 minutes, or until thickened. Whisk in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

2. While chicken is cooking, heat a nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat with the olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter. When the butter has melted, add the leeks and celery. Saute the vegetables for 5 minutes, then crumble the muffins into the pan. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Season the stuffing with the fresh thyme, lemon zest and poultry seasoning. Moisten the stuffing with 1 cup of the chicken stock and reduce the heat to low.

3. To serve, place stuffing on plate, top with two chicken cutlets and ladle gravy over the top. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Results: This was really, really, really good! The stuffing had a great taste, and was really easy to make. If you have any extra stuffing, the leftovers were great on a sandwich the next day. Will make this one over and over...adding it to my favorites!

Chicken & Leeks with Couscous

First, let me share my lovely new kitchen with you:



I love cooking in it. And I've done it all of once. Now onto the dish:



Serves 4

1 & 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 & 1/2 cups plain couscous
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 chicken breasts, cut into large bite-size pieces
Salt & black pepper
1 large (or 2 medium) leeks
1 cup white wine
a handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1. Heat the chicken stock and 1 tablespoon butter in a medium pot with a tight-fitting lid. When the liquid boils, add the raisins and couscous. Cover and remove pan from heat. Set aside.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add the chicken in a single layer and season it with salt and pepper. While the chicken browns on all sides, trim the rough tops and the root ends off the leeks.

3. Cut the leeks in half lengthwise, then cut them into 1-inch half moons. Place the leeks in a colander and run them under cold water. Separate the layers to release the dirt and grit. Rinse well, then drain well.

4. Add the leeks to the chicken and wilt, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine and let it cook down by half, 3 to 4 minutes. The leeks should still have some color but should be tender and the chicken should be cooked through. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and swirl into the sauce.

5. Fluff the couscous with a fork and stir in the parsley. Place a bed of couscous on each dinner plate and top it with the chicken and leeks.

Results: This was delicious, but I love anything with leeks. There is something so satisfying about preparing leeks. Normally, I think most recipes that use wine could substitute chicken broth, but in this one, the wine really added a lot of flavor, so be sure to use it. This was a perfect meal for a summer day, and the couscous was really flavorful. I don't think I'll ever prepare couscous with plain old water again. Will make again!

Butternut Squash and Leek Gratins

Serves 6

1 (2-pound) butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon butter
4 cups finely chopped leek (about 6 large)*
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash of ground nutmeg
4 large eggs
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

*I've left the ingredients list as the original recipe, however, I bought three large leeks (because that's all they had at the grocery store) and one of those leeks made 4 cups chopped. Go figure. I guess I had some genetically mutated leeks. Now I've got two leeks I need to use. By the way, if you've never used leeks before, you'll need to know how to clean them. This site has a great tutorial, and the pictures make me want to eat leeks everyday: David Lebovitz

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Place squash halves, cut sides down, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes or until tender. Cool 30 minutes. Scoop out pulp, and mash with a potato masher or fork until smooth.

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; coat pan with cooking spray. Melt butter in pan. Add leek; cover and cook 20 minutes or until tender, stirring once. Reduce heat to medium-low; uncover and cook 10 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly.

4. Preheat oven to 325°.

5. Combine sugar and next 4 ingredients (through eggs) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add squash and leek; stir until well combined. Divide the squash mixture evenly among 6 (6-ounce) ramekins or custard cups coated with cooking spray. Place ramekins in a 13x9-inch baking pan; add hot water to pan to a depth of 1 inch. Cover pan with foil; bake at 325° for 25 minutes. Uncover and cook an additional 15 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven, and place the ramekins on a baking sheet.

6. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons Parmesan cheese over each ramekin.

7. Preheat broiler.

8. Broil gratins for 2 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.

Served with: chicken noodle soup, which wasn't the right dish. Make with a grilled pork chop next time.

Results: This was so yummy. It was very labor-intensive and time consuming, which is why I served it with something simple, but it was oh-so-good. Henry ate a ton of this while we were mashing it, but wouldn't touch it when we served it for dinner. Steven (obviously) wouldn't try it. It's got the consistency of mashed potatoes, so I would think most kids would like it. My kids are just insane. We had plenty of extras, which I put in the freezer. They froze well, and were just as tasty.