Love this good use for leftover broccoli bunch

Surveying my fridge after our big family weekend I found almost two full heads of broccoli that we hadn't touched while all the company was here. Other than chopping off a handful for a mixed vegetable tossed salad, the broccoli bunch that I purchased was fairly intact. My little grandperson who visited us loves veggies, but her munchings barely had put a dent in the broccoli supply. What to do now with this veggie that makes every list of "super food" any time any expert compiles one?

As it often does, my handy "Celebrating a Healthy Harvest" booklet zoomed in to the rescue with a listing for "Brocco-Corn Swiss Casserole" which called for, conveniently enough, two heads of broccoli, cut to bite-sized pieces. Mixed with corn and brown rice (another super food), this looked as though it would stir into a colorful, healthy dish.

Only problem with this recipe is that the prep, while not complicated, had to be started WAY IN ADVANCE. The brown rice needed to be pre-cooked before it even was dished into the casserole mixture. That meant adding an extra 25 minutes to the already 50 minutes required for the casserole to bake. I always could have subbed minute rice for the far-more-healthy brown rice, but Hubby would shriek, since he hates to waste any opportunity that a healthy ingredient is called for.

In the end, however, the process wasn't too time-consuming (the cook can do something else during the 50 minutes the dish is cooking in the oven. I even could ask Hubby to divide and conquer and himself cook the rice in advance while I prepare the other part). I liked the end result because it produced a healthy broccoli casserole without the usual additives of heavy soups and sauces found in most recipes of this nature.

Best of all, the dish was green and gold--the colors of my university--and the colors of health as well.

Brocco-Corn Swiss Casserole

2 heads broccoli, cut to bite-sized pieces

1 (14-ounce) can cream-style corn

1/2 cup pre-cooked brown rice

2 tablespoons onion, diced

1 egg, beaten (I use egg substitute)

3/4 cup grated Swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease casserole dish. Combine first five ingredients and pour into casserole dish. Add grated Swiss cheese on top. Bake uncovered for 50 minutes or until bubbly. Don't overcook, since this can dry out the casserole. Makes 4 servings.