Weekly recipes for August 17, 2011

Chicken Curry Casserole

Preparation time: 15 minutes; cooking time: about 1 hour; makes 8 servings

4 cups cooked (leftover) rice
8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen broccoli florets, thawed and drained
3-4 cups cooked (leftover) diced chicken breast or thigh meat
2 (10 3/4-ounce) cans condensed reduced-sodium and reduced-fat cream of mushroom soup
1 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1 cup skim milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread rice evenly in dish. Microwave mushrooms on high 3 minutes; drain. Scatter mushrooms and three-quarters of the broccoli over rice; top broccoli with chicken. In a medium bowl, blend soup, mayonnaise, milk, juice and curry powder until blended and smooth. Pour evenly over casserole. Sprinkle remaining broccoli and almonds over top. Cover; bake 45 minutes or until bubbly. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes.

Per serving: 353 calories, 25 grams protein, 9 grams fat (22 percent calories from fat), 1.2 grams saturated fat, 44 grams carbohydrate, 48 milligrams cholesterol, 604 milligrams sodium, 4 grams fiber.

Greek Eggplant with Tomato Sauce and Feta

Preparation time: 20 minutes; cooking time: about 20 minutes; makes 6 servings

2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 medium chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added or regular fire-roasted diced tomatoes
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 peeled eggplant (about 1 1/4 pounds)
1/2 cup crumbled fat-free or low-fat feta cheese
8 sliced kalamata olives
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped flatleaf parsley

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high. Add onion; cook 5 minutes or until softened and just starting to brown. Add garlic; cook 1 more minute. Do not let garlic brown. Add tomatoes, oregano and cinnamon; simmer 4 minutes. Set aside. Heat broiler. Slice eggplant lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices. Lightly coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Arrange eggplant in a single layer on sheets. Coat the eggplant lightly with cooking spray. Broil about 8 minutes, or until tender and very lightly browned. Layer half the eggplant in 2-quart serving dish or 8-by-8-inch baking dish. Top with half the tomato mixture. Repeat. Top with cheese, olives, lemon zest and parsley. Serve hot or at room temperature. (Adapted from Flavor First, Cheryl Forberg, RD; Rodale, $21.99.)

Per serving: 82 calories, 4 grams protein, 3 grams fat (31 percent calories from fat), 0.4 gram saturated fat, 11 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 292 milligrams sodium, 4 grams fiber.

Pasta with Chickpeas, Tomatoes and Herbs

Preparation time: 10 minutes; cooking time: about 10 minutes, plus pasta; makes 4 servings

2 cups penne pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large clove minced garlic
1 (14.5-ounce) can undrained no-salt-added petite diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons each dried basil and oregano
1 (19-ounce) can rinsed chickpeas
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to directions; drain and transfer to a large bowl. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat oil on medium. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, dried basil, oregano and chickpeas; simmer 5 minutes. Add fresh basil; simmer 5 minutes. Pour over hot pasta; toss to mix. Sprinkle cheese over each serving.

Per serving: 383 calories, 15 grams protein, 7 grams fat (17 percent calories from fat), 1.5 grams saturated fat, 64 grams carbohydrate, 4 milligrams cholesterol, 391 milligrams sodium, 7 grams fiber.

Grilled Strip Steak

Serves: 4. Preparation time: 10 minutes. Total time: 35 minutes (plus marinating time)

4 strip steaks (or other favorite steak), about 6 ounces each

For the marinade:

1/2 cup canola or olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced or crushed garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Cut several slits on the fat side of the strip steaks so they don't curl when grilling. Place the steaks in a plastic bag. In a small bowl, whisk together all the marinade ingredients. Pour half of the marinade over the steaks in the bag. Seal the bag and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight. Cover and refrigerate the other half of the marinade.

Preheat the grill to medium-high.

Remove the steaks from the marinade and discard the marinade. Let steaks sit at room temperature while you make the topping.

Oil the grill grate. Place the steaks on the grill and grill 5 minutes or until you get good grill marks. If desired, turn on an angle and cook 1-2 minutes to get nice cross-hatch marks. Turn and continue grilling until the steak is cooked to the desired degree of doneness.

Adapted from Grilling Basics: A Step-by-Step Guide to Delicious Recipes by Linda Johnson Larsen (Larsen, $19.95).