Light-hearted casseroles - low-fat main dishes - Recipe

Sunset, April, 2000 by Andrew Baker

Magnificent low-fat main dishes that satisfy appetite and good intentions at once

* Childhood food memories, for many Westerners, come in the shape of casseroles--lasagna, enchiladas, baked stew with dumplings. These comfy dishes often fueled growing bodies with a generous helping of fat. Readers tell us they still crave the familiar flavors but--having no desire to keep growing--wish we could come up with recipes for hearty, low-fat versions.

Our readers' wish is our command--or challenge, in this case. And it was surprisingly easy to meet. We've shed fat calories and added fresh twists to a cosmopolitan collection of casseroles: The lasagna tiers are layered on potatoes instead of pasta; the meat loaf starts with lamb and conceals a core of seasoned bulgur wheat, Each is hearty enough to serve eight generously. All you need to add is a salad (we've provided a simple one that goes with practically everything) and a fat-shy dessert like crisp meringue cookies or fresh berries.

Cheese-stuffed Chicken with Wild Rice

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 1/2 hours

NOTES: Assemble through step 3 up to 1 day ahead; chill airtight.

MAKES: 8 servings

3 cups fat-skimmed chicken broth

1 1/4 cups wild rice

1 tablespoon grated orange peel

2 cups red pearl onions (about 3/4 in. wide) or coarsely chopped red onions

8 boned, skinned chicken breast halves (5 to 7 oz. each)

1 package (about 5 oz.) garlic-herb-flavor Boursin or Alouette cheese

3/4 cup orange marmalade

About 1 teaspoon fresh-ground pepper

2 tablespoons minced fresh chives or green onions

Salt

1. In a 3- to 4-quart pan over high heat, bring broth, rice, and orange peel to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer until rice is tender to bite, 50 to 60 minutes. As rice cooks, peel onions. Add onions (whole or chopped) to rice for the last 10 minutes of cooking.

2. Rinse chicken and pat dry. With a sharp knife, cut a horizontal slit about 2 inches long on the side of each breast, then wiggle knife back and forth to form a pocket as long and wide as possible without piercing the exterior of chicken. Spoon l/8 of the cheese deep into each pocket.

3. Spoon rice mixture (including liquid) equally into 2 shallow casseroles (each 3 qt., about 9 by 13 in.). Lay 4 chicken breast halves, smooth side up, on rice in each casserole.

4. Bake, covered, in a 350[degrees] oven for 15 minutes.

5. In a bowl, mix marmalade and pepper. Uncover casseroles, brush chicken evenly with marmalade mixture, and continue to bake until chicken is no longer pink in center of thickest part (cut to test), about 20 minutes.

6. Sprinkle with chives. Spoon rice and chicken breasts onto plates. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Per serving: 421 cal., 21% (87 cal.) from fat; 41 g protein; 9.7 g fat (5.8 g sat.); 43 g carbo (2 g fiber); 249 mg sodium; 103 mg chol.

Chile Verde Enchiladas

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 1/2 hours

NOTES: Assemble through step 7 up to 1 day ahead; chill airtight.

MAKES: 8 servings

2 red bell peppers (3/4 lb. total)

2 onions (about 3/4 lb. total)

1 1/2 pounds fat-trimmed pork tenderloin

1 cup fat-skimmed chicken broth

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seed

1 tablespoon minced or pressed garlic

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

2 cans (19 oz. each; 4 cups total) green enchilada sauce

2 cups nonfat milk

1/2 cup cornstarch

16 corn tortillas (6 in.)

2 cups (1/2 lb.) shredded jack cheese

1 cup tomato salsa

Salt

1. Rinse peppers and discard stems, seeds, and veins. Cut peppers into 1/4-by 2-inch pieces. Peel onions and cut into 1/4-by 2-inch pieces.

2. Rinse pork, pat dry, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices not more than 2 inches long. Set a 10- to 12-inch nonstick frying pan over high heat; add meat and stir Just until no longer pink, about 2 minutes. Pour from pan into a bowl. When cool enough to handle, in about 5 minutes, tear meat into strips about 1/2 inch wide.

3. Meanwhile, add peppers, onions, broth cumin, and garlic to frying pan. Stir often over high heat until liquid has evaporated and vegetables are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Pour mixture into bowl with pork; add cilantro.

4. Pour enchilada sauce into frying pan and add juices from meat mixture. In another bowl, blend milk with cornstarch until smooth, and add to enchilada sauce. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring often. Remove from heat.

5. Stack tortillas and enclose loosely in microwave-safe plastic wrap. Heat in a microwave oven at full power (100%) just until hot, 1 to 2 minutes.

6. Pour about 2 cups enchilada sauce mixture into each of 2 shallow casseroles (each 3 qt., about 9 by 13 in) Turn 8 tortillas, 1 at a time, in sauce in 1 casserole and stack at 1 end. Distribute 1/16 of the pork mixture and 1 tablespoon cheese down center of each tortilla, 1 at a time. Roll to enclose filling; set tortillas, seam down and side by side, in sauce. Repeat to fill tortillas in remaining casserole.

7. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over tortillas, coating them evenly.

8. Bake, covered, in a 375[degrees] oven until enchiladas are hot 140[degrees] to 150[degrees]) in the center, 40 to 45 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle remaining cheese evenly over enchiladas, and bake until melted, 2 to 3 minutes longer.