Cauliflower And Turkey Sausage Casserole

I had some good friends over last night but I didn’t want to stray from Dukan too much because I’ve been doing so well.  This casserole was wonderful and I loved having the vegetables again after a long week of Attack last week.  The egg whites gave the dish a bit more consistency and protein.  It was just what I needed.

1 medium head cauliflower, about 2 lbs
1 cup egg whites, scrambled
1 lb Turkey Italian sausage, casings removed
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups fat free cottage cheese
2/3 cup oat bran bread crumbs
2 T Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and red pepper flakes

Spray a casserole dish with a bit of cooking spray.  Core and chop cauliflower roughly into bite-sized florets.  Add the cauliflower to salted boiling water for about 3 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.  In a large saute pan add the sausage.  Once the meat is halfway cooked,  add the onion and garlic. Saute for another 7-8 minutes, or until meat is fully cooked and onion is soft.  Add the tomatoes and cook off the extra liquid, about 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir in cauliflower.  Spread half the cauliflower mixture into the baking dish, top with the egg whites, cottage cheese and basil. Top with the other half of the cauliflower.  Mix the bread crumbs and Parmesan and sprinkle over the top. (There is an easier breadcrumb method here.) Give the whole dish a spray of cooking spray.  Bake for 35 minutes at 350. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 6

OAT BRAN ITALIAN BREADCRUMBS

6 T Oat Bran
3 T nonfat cream cheese
3 eggs or 3/4 cup egg whites
1 t dried basil
1/2 t dried oregano
1 T dried parsley
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t red pepper flakes
3-4 T water

Whisk the first three ingredients together and add  a tablespoon of water at a time until you get it to crepe batter consistency.  Pour 1/4 cup of the mixture into a large non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray. Tilt the pan until the batter has made a large thin circle and brown both sides.  After I made all the wraps I toasted them to get them nice and brown.  Then I put them in a food processor after they cooled and processed to breadcrumb consistency.