Zucchini Rice Casserole

Weigh-in was great on Saturday.  I was only expecting to be down about half a pound, but I ended up being down 1.2!  That makes 13.8 pounds gone since January 8th, and 66.8 pounds to go for goal.  Not bad for 14 weeks.  Now I just need to keep the scale moving in that direction.

I tried a new recipe tonight from EatingWell.com.  They actually have some pretty good recipes but you need to check the nutritional info on them.  Some of them may sound healthy but are really high in fat or carbs.  This one is very healthy, called Zucchini Rice Casserole.  A 1 cup serving may seem small, but it's so rich and creamy that a cup is more than enough!

• 1 1/2 cups long-grain brown rice
• 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups diced zucchini, and/or summer squash (about 1 pound)
• 2 red or green bell peppers, chopped
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
• 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups shredded pepper Jack cheese, divided
• 1 cup fresh or frozen (thawed) corn kernels
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 ounces turkey sausage, casings removed
• 4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped pickled jalapenos

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Pour rice into a 9x13 baking dish.  Bring broth to a simmer in a small saucepan.  Stir hot broth into the rice along with zucchini, bell peppers, onion, and salt.  Cover with foil.  Bake for 45 minutes.  Remove foil and continue baking until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, 35-45 minutes longer.
3. Meanwhile, whisk milk and flour in a small saucepan.  Cook over medium heat until bubbling and thickened, 3-4 minutes.  Reduce heat to low.  Add 1 1/2 cups jack cheese and corn and cook, stirring, until the cheese is melted.  Set aside.
4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add sausage.  Cook, stirring and breaking the sausage into small pieces with a spoon, until lightly browned and no longer pink, about 4 minutes.
5. When the rice is done, stir in the sausage and cheese sauce.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup jack cheese on top and dollop cream cheese by the teaspoonful over the casserole.  Top with jalapenos.
6. Return the casserole to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.  Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 12 1 cup servings - 6 points
248 calories, 9g fat, 5g saturated fat, 34mg cholesterol, 29g carbs, 13g protein, 2g fiber, 491g sodium

I ended up adding another 4 ounces of the cream cheese to the top because I didn't want to waste the entire brick I bought.  It only adds a minute amount of calories and fat per serving.  Add 1 more point per serving if using the extra cream cheese.  I also left off the jalapenos because neither my husband nor I are big fans.

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/zucchini_rice_casserole.html

Enjoy!