VeggieSue...the Chickpea Broccoli Casserole....

[SandyW]

Hi VeggieSue...I made this casserole yesterday and did what you did regarding the oil...just used extra vegetable broth instead. It makes a nice casserole and my husband and I both loved it, but we both agreed it still needs a little something extra...and I noticed in the book she says it is a bland tasting recipe and that to make it this way the first time and then experiment with your own spices or whatever you want the next time you make it. Wondered if you've ever added something else to yours? It seemed like it needed extra salt or some kind of extra spice...nothing much at all, just a little something...I just don't know what that something would be! Any ideas? Thanks!

[VeggieSue]

Wondered if you've ever added something else to yours? It seemed like it needed extra salt or some kind of extra spice

I make it without any extras because I like bland things. I even leave out half the spices when I make a Mary McDougall recipe because I find them too strong, even though many other McDougallers say her recipes are too bland.

If I want a different taste to the casserole I use different flavored cracker crumbs - that's flavorful enough for me! I even put some crushed crackers on top now and then like a crust, too. Much less calories than using those canned deep fried onions or potato chips, right?

But hubby likes things with a little more pep to them, so for him I keep a shaker of salt on the table and he makes liberal use of it. We also have a wide variety of salt-free herb and spice mixes around, like Spike and Mrs. Dash, and a concoction I copied from an email message that claims it's one of Emeril's secret mixes when he really wants to kick it up a notch.

So, experiment! Maybe look over a few cookbooks or do web searches for ethnic spice combinations so you cna change the leanings of a dish one way or another, like a combo of oregano, basil and garlic powder for Italian.

[SandyW]

Thanks VeggieSue...will have to play around with it next time I make it. Like I said, it just needs a little something...my husband also used salt on his but I'd like to figure out something else to use in place of salt that would do the trick. I never used so many spices as I have since starting to McDougall so I'm sure I'll figure something out...thanks, again.