In an effort to repent from my years of indulgence, I have started to incorporate “super foods” into my diet. For those of you who don’t spend vast amounts of time reading magazines in the grocery store check-out line, super foods are foods that deliver the most vitamins, minerals and antioxidants per serving. This sounds like a good idea to me, but my kids and husband aren’t so keen on the idea. I’ve tested
several recipes and I think this one is the most kid friendly. The quantity may seem a little large, but I like to make it in a deep Pyrex dish and give the other half to a friend, or freeze it for a hectic day.
RECIPE
“Super Foods” Lasagna
2 boxes lasagna noodles
2 boxes frozen chopped spinach
2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 box (6- to 8-oz.) shittake mushrooms
2 eggs
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
2 (8-oz.) packages low-fat ricotta cheese
2 (6-oz.) packages feta cheese (Not low fat)
1 bunch parsley, chopped fine
2 jars vodka tomato sauce
8 to 10 oz. shredded mozzarella
Boil the noodles according to package directions. (Though many people opt for the no-boil variety. Rumor has it that you don’t have to boil any of them because the moisture from the other ingredients will cook them perfectly.) Boil water and add spinach; cook to package directions. If you haven’t done so already, chop the bell peppers, onion and mushrooms while spinach is boiling. Drain spinach, pushing out excess moisture with a bowl, then scramble in eggs and garlic while spinach is still hot. In a separate bowl, mix together feta cheese, ricotta cheese and parsley. (You may not want to use the whole bunch of parsley.) Sauté onions, peppers and mushrooms, and place to the side. Once you have your mise en place (things in place), you can begin to layer your ingredients, starting with the tomato sauce, then a noodle, spinach, another noodle, the cheese mixture, the bell pepper/onion/mushroom mixture, then start all over. (I have found that my kids love it if I put in lots of layers of noodles and keep the veggie layers very thin.) Top the finished product with mozzarella and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes.
It’s not a bird or a plane, it’s super food!
Below is a list of “super foods,” to which I would add shiitake mushrooms and apple-cider vinegar.
• Beans
• Blueberry
• Broccoli
• Oats
• Orange
• Pumpkin
• Salmon
• Soy
• Spinach
• Tea (green or black)
• Tomato
• Turkey
• Walnut
• Yogurt
This week’s recipe comes to you from New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles.
