As you have probably noticed during the summer I seem to only cook with the following items – tomatoes, corn on the cob, zucchini, summer squash, basil, eggplant and bell peppers. I was feeling a bit guilty about this the other day but after reading Cooking Light’s August issue I noticed that they seem to do the same thing - yay! Then Christina, one of my best friends from home, mentioned that she cooks with all the same veggies and after reading some of my articles she felt better too. Here is a great lightened up casserole recipe that is from Christina’s repertoire. Enjoy!

Zucchini and Corn Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
• 2 ears corn on the cob, kernels removed
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 3 egg whites, slightly beaten
• 2/3 cup 2% Greek yogurt
• ½ cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese plus 1 tbsp
• 2 tbsp of breadcrumbs plus 1 tbsp
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• Cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan and add onion and zucchini. Sauté for about 10 minutes until onion is translucent. Then add corn kernels and sauté for another 5 minutes. Place vegetable mixture in a large bowl along with cooked brown rice and put aside to cool. In a small bowl combine the egg whites, Greek yogurt, mozzarella cheese, 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs, salt and pepper and mix well. Once the veggies and rice have cooled add the egg mixture. Be careful not to add the egg mixture to the rice and vegetables while they are still hot because the egg whites will immediately cook upon hitting the heat.
Spray an 8x8 baking pan with a cooking spray and add the mixture. Place in oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until bubbly. About 5 minutes before you remove the casserole from the oven, sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs for an extra crunch! Makes 4 meal sized servings or 8 side servings. 5 points per meal sized servings, 2 points per side serving.

Notes
You can exchange one cup of the zucchini for 2 cups of fresh chopped spinach to give it a healthy boost of iron. Try swapping the mozzarella for cheddar, peas instead of corn or use sour cream rather than the yogurt!