Kale and Bean Lasagna

Kale and Bean Lasagna w/ Tofu

Sorry spinach, I needed a change. Hello to the Queen of Greens: kale

I wasn't planning on making a lasagna post simply because it's one of those "duhhh" recipes, but I thought I'd share my way of making a healthier version packed with nutrients that tastes just as good as your typical/boring ground meat, ricotta/cottage cheese, etc combo. Well, I cheated a little with the feta, but that's because I secretly love feta cheese. A lower-fat cheese probably would've been a healthier option, but feta was in my fridge...so now it's in my lasagna.

While I was making the cheese layer mixture, I realized that I'd have to put a LOT of feta cheese to cover 2 layers. Well, since I didn't want my mom's blood pressure to spike from all that sodium (thanks, feta cheese), I ended up using some leftover silken tofu from last night and added it into my cheese mixture. Actually, that worked out very nicely because it almost resembled ricotta cheese! Almost. I also wanted to use a mixture of beans (red, black, pinto, garbanzo, etc) because my family buys a ton of beans to store away and use when making rice. The beans replaced my ground meat because I love the taste and texture of beans, and my mom is on the verge of claiming meat as evil. Either way, beans were the perfect "meaty" substitute and is definitely a nice change. I did not miss the cow at all.

Nutrition Rant: Kale is a nutritional powerhouse and an excellent source of vitamins K, A, and C. Research has proven that kale converts glucosinolates (also found in broccoli) into cancer preventive compounds. In short, Kale = Amazing.

Let sit for 5-10 minutes

Kale and Bean Lasagna:

4 whole wheat lasagna noodles 
(Depends on size of baking dish and noodles)

Sauce:
2 1/2 cups of tomato (or pasta) sauce
1 tbs red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tbs sriracha
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1 cup cauliflower, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cup uncooked beans
Salt & pepper to taste

Tofu & Cheese:
1 1/2 cup silken tofu, mashed
1/2 cup feta cheese (or parmesan), extra for topping
6 Kale leaves, stems removed
1 egg white
1/4 tsp garlic powder


1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2) Soak beans overnight (at least 8 hours). Boil water, add beans, and reduce to medium-low heat for about 25-40 minutes.  
*Since I used mixed beans, I just bit into a few beans as they were cooking to see if they were soft enough (but not mushy)
3) Cook whole wheat lasagna noodles, al dente. Set aside
4) Sweat onions over medium heat; add garlic and cauliflower. Add pasta sauce (was too lazy to make my own), oregano, chili powder, cayenne, sriracha, and vinegar. Stir in cooked beans and let them soak up the sauce. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
5) Steam kale for about 5 minutes. Remove excess water and chop.
6) Medium bowl: Mix mashed tofu, feta cheese, egg white, kale, and garlic powder. Set aside
7) In casserole dish, spray non-stick on bottom. Layer in order: noodle, bean sauce, tofu mixture, repeat for second layer. Sprinkle top with feta cheese (or mozzarella)
8) Bake covered for 40 minutes; uncovered for another 5-10 minutes.

M&M Pretzel Kisses

M&M Pretzel Kisses

Just thought I'd share a quick snack that's super cute and fun to eat! It can be made using different types of Hershey kisses (dark chocolate, milk, striped, white chocolate, seasonal, etc...maybe not the filled ones) and can be topped with either M&Ms or Reese's Pieces for some peanut butter action. You can also play around with different types of pretzel shapes (regular, circle, square), but I just stuck with my mini pretzels because they were all I could find at the moment.

Anyway, have fun with all of the different options! They're adorable and SO easy to make!

All you have to do is this:

Shiny kisses after 2 minutes in the oven

Pressed

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2) Lay out pretzels on baking sheet, top each of them with a hershey kiss, and bake in the oven for 2 minutes

3) After 2 minutes, they should be shiny (but still holding their kiss shape) and ready to be pressed with an M&M

4) Take your M&M, lightly tap the tip of the hershey kiss to push the pointy tip down, then place the M&M on top and lightly push down. The hershey kiss will easily sink in.

5) Let cool for at least 1-2 hours or put in fridge to harden up faster. The kisses stay "fudgy" for a few hours, so if you like them softer, make them a few hours before serving.

Tip: It may take 2 or 3 trys, but once you get it down, you'll be pressing like a machine! The hershey kisses stay soft  and mushy for a long time, so you can do a LOT all at once!

Brown Rice Medley

Brown rice, Green Lentil, Red and White Quinoa

Here is an easy way to cook your brown rice right out of the oven. Not to mention, the lentil and quinoa amp up the nutritional value as well as the overall taste of this dish.

Brown rice has this wonderful nutty taste and chewy texture that I absolutely love. It does take longer to cook than white rice, but it is definitely worth the wait.  Since brown rice is a whole grain and still has its bran intact (unlike white rice), it contains more fiber, protein, manganese, and selenium. So stop being lazy! Just cook a large batch and keep it in the fridge because it stores well.

However, if you are in a hurry, skip the white rice and try substituting it with oatmeal. I have done this plenty of times and it works out great (unless you're making stir fry or something fancy...hmm). I usually make old fashioned (rolled) oats and beat an egg into it after about 3.5 minutes, but steel cut oats would also be a great alternative because it's chewier like brown rice AND it takes 25-30 minutes to cook.

In this recipe, I really wanted to dress up the brown rice with more fiber, protein, texture, and color. I used Alton Brown's method of baking brown rice in the oven at 375F, but I did not use the same ingredients because it was boring and had butter. My family usually makes brown rice with a mixture of beans, but I forgot to soak them so they did not make it into my recipe. Barley would also be a great addition to this brown rice medley. Sadly, I ran out of vegetable stock and had to omit that as well. Next time!!

***EDIT: See picture of rice baked with beans at bottom!

Rinse and drain

Pour boiling broth and mix

After 1 hour in the oven

Brown Rice Medley:
1 1/2 cup brown rice
1/4 cup red quinoa
1/4 cup white quinoa
1/2 cup green lentil
5 cups vegetable broth (low sodium)

1) Preheat oven to 375F degrees.
2) Rinse and soak brown rice for at least 2 hours (6-8 hours if possible), then drain
3) Rinse quinoa (unless package says it's not necessary) and lentil. Drain and mix with brown rice in casserole dish
4) Boil vegetable broth. Pour into casserole dish and stir.
5) Cover with foil and bake in oven for 1 hour. Let it sit for a few minutes before serving. Can store in fridge after cooling or transfer to rice cooker to keep warm.

I had to post a picture of the rice with beans because it tremendously
elevates the taste and texture of the rice. Soaked 1 to 1.5 cups of uncooked
beans for 2-3 hours and did not add any extra water/broth to my recipe.
Came out perfectly!