Classic Remake: Corn Casserole

Pin It Happy Thanksgiving! ...I know it's technically the middle of the summer, but who says we can't celebrate Thanksgiving year round?  It's not like we are only thankful in the month of November...right?  Just go with me here for a second... I'm thankful for the beautiful sun, the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables available at the Farmer's Market, spending the day on the lake, being done with organic chemistry, my family and friends, my new job, and so much more! 

What's with all this Thanksgiving talk you might ask?  I recently saw a recipe for Lightened Up COrn Casserole that one of my favorite blogger's posted and just had to make it!  But as always I can't get myself to simply make a recipe exactly as it was written.  I love adding my own tweaks, additions, and substitutions!  I do have to give her some of the credit though, so if you want to see the original recipe head on over to Chocolate Covered Katie's site.  Her site is seriously amazing and she has thousands upon thousands of viewers. 

Once again I am off topic...back to the recipe!  Katie had posted a recipe for Lightened Up Corn Casserole, which is my absolute favorite part of Thanksgiving/Christmas/Easter dinner.  I don't know what it is about it, but I could eat a whole plate of it and skip the rest of the meal and be completely satisfied.  The only problem is...it's far from healthy. It's ok to indulge a little on holiday's, but why not make it healthier if it tastes just about as good?  Once again this goes right back to my blog's slogan, "Finding the delicious in nutritious." 

CORN CASSEROLE

Inspired by CCK.

I didn't have any shredded cheddar cheese at the time, but I think sprinkling a little on top would really put this recipe over the edge!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Yellow cornmeal*

1 cup Skim milk

2 cups Frozen corn

1/2 cup Red pepper, chopped

1 cup Chicken broth, low sodium

1/2 cup TVP**

1/4-1/2 tsp Salt

1/4-1/2 tsp Turmeric***

To taste: onion powder, basil, and garlic powder

1/4-1/2 tsp Salt

2 packets Stevia (or other choice of sweetener)

6 oz. Plain nonfat yogurt

*Make sure to use yellow cornmeal instead of white cornmeal because yellow cornmeal has a much higher nutritional value according to the NuVal system.

**You can omit the TVP all together if need be, but be sure to reduce the broth to only 1/2 a cup.  If you want to know more about TVP feel free to ask me any questions! 

***Turmeric is optional, but it gives the casserole a nice yellow color if you are worried about appearance.

Directions:

1.  Add the cornmeal, milk, frozen corn, and red peppers to a pot and turn the stove on to medium heat.  Make sure to stir this occasionally to avoid sticking on the bottom of the pot.

2.  In a small bowl mix the TVP and chicken broth together and let sit for about 5 minutes.

3. Add the TVP/chicken broth to the pot and stir to incorporate.

4. Whisk in the salt, turmeric, onion powder, basil, and garlic powder.  Make sure to taste it every once in a while to see how it tastes and whether or not you need to add more seasonings.

5.  Let the casserole cook until it is as thick as you want.  I like mine really thick!

6. Remove pot from the heat and whisk in the stevia and plain yogurt.

7. If it becomes too runny you can always put it back on the heat.  Or if you find it's too thick for your liking add some water.

8. Serve the casserole with a little shredded cheese on top and enjoy!

Makes 9 (1/2 cup) servings.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 100

Total Fat: 0.5 g

     Sat. Fat: 0 g

Cholesterol: 1.7 mg

Sodium: 134.7 mg (Salt not included in this because I didn't measure mine...)

Potassium: 213.9 mg

Total Carbs: 17.6 g

     Dietary Fiber: 2 g

     Sugars: 4.7 g

Protein: 7 g

Vitamin A: 6.9 %

Vitamin C: 28.4 %

Calcium: 6.8 %

Iron: 4.7 %