Kale Almond Wild Rice Gratin

Kale Almond Rice Gratin

Adapted from 101cookbooks.com

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 cups leftover/pre-cooked wild rice, room temp
• 1 1/2 cups cups finely chopped kale
• 4 ounces firm organic tofu, crumbled
• 10 black olives, chopped
• 1/2 medium red onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup 1% cottage cheese
• 1 cup egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Rack in the top third. Grease a 10-inch round baking dish (or equivalent) with a bit of olive oil.
2. In a large bowl combine the rice, kale, and tofu. Now, reserving a bit of each for garnish, stir in the olives, garlic, red onion, almonds and olive oil. Now stir in the cottage cheese.
3. In a small bowl whisk together the egg whites, nutritional yeast, and salt.
4. Fold the eggs into the rice mixture and pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until the casserole is set, and the top toasty and golden.
5. Remove from the oven, and sprinkle with remaining onions, olives, and nuts. Sprinkle with a bit more salt before serving - or taste and get a sense of whether you need any.

Spinach & Havarti Casserole

Spinach & Havarti Casserole

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INGREDIENTS

• 5 - 10oz. packages frozen spinach
• 16 oz. container 1% cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup nonfat evaporated milk
• 2 egg whites
• 1 bunch green onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp onion powder (I would suggest substituting with minced garlic.)
• 1 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp Lawry's seasoned salt
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 8 oz. grated havarti cheese
• 2 Tbsp grated parmesan
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

1. Defrost spinach and squeeze out excess liquid.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and spread into a large casserole dish.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
4. Serve alone or with pita chips as dip.

Blueberry Cottage Cheese Muffins

So I've had a lot of dairy products sitting in the fridge lately, as a result of organic cottage cheese and sour cream being on sale, and I knew that I would not be able to devour all of that cheese in its raw form. Too much, and I can get tired of it very quickly. So when I saw Cooking from A to Z's raspberry cottage cheese muffins on Tastespotting, I knew I had to make them. I also had some blueberries that were on their last leg, so this was perfect! These were extremely moist and flavorful, perfectly spiced and gushing with tart blueberries and the occasional speck of cheese curd. Yum...

Blueberry Cottage Cheese Muffins
Adapted from this recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese (I had 2%, but I would normally prefer fat-free)
• 1/4 cup organic 1% milk
• 1/2 cup organic unsweetened soymilk (Silk brand)
• 3 tablespoons Smart Balance Light
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (out of necessity, I used dark brown)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1-2 cups blueberries (I say the more, the better)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a 12-cup muffin tray with paper cups.
2. Cream the Smart Balance and sugar in a bowl until well blended and smooth.
3. Add the cottage cheese and 1% milk and mix a bit more.
4. Stir in the cinnamon along with the vanilla extract and beat for 2-3 minutes till well blended.
5. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Mix the flour mixture into the butter/sugar mix, about 1/2 cup at a time.
6. Once the ingredients are well blended, stir in the blueberries. Spoon the batter into the lined muffin tray and smoothen the surfaces. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 F.Stick a toothpick into the muffins to make sure they're baked before taking them out of the oven. Once removed, let them cool in the tray for 10 minutes before removing the muffins and setting them on a cooling rack. Once they're at room temperature, stick them into an airtight container or eat.

I chose this muffin to photograph specifically because you can clearly see the cheese curds and blueberries on the top of the muffin. Yum yum. By the way, those round little things are my ceramic pie weights. I had them out to air-dry and thought that they might make a nice display.