I have been really loving watermelon this season.  I have been loving it so much that more than once I have eaten an entire watermelon in one week.   Something about the sweetness, freshness, coolness, crispness, and color are so appealing. It is such a pleasant fruit!

A few weeks ago I came across a recipe for Watermelon Sangria in one of Tosca Reno’s clean eating cookbooks and it could not have been better timing. I have been really digging the mocktail lately and pair that with being super hot and thirsty all of the time and it was as if this drink was created just for me!

Note #1: If you prefer a cocktail to a mocktail add one bottle of dry sparkling white wine in place of the seltzer.

Note#2: If watermelon isn’t your thing, give POM-gria a try! (That’s pomegranate sangria!)

Watermelon Sangria:

• Half of one large fresh watermelon, rind removed and cut into chunks
• 3 limes, thinly sliced
• 2 oranges, thinly sliced
• 1 bottle of peach flavored seltzer

In a food processor, puree watermelon chunks in batches. Over a bowl strain each batch of watermelon liquid through a mesh strainer. Dispose of pulp.  Pour the watermelon juice into a large pitcher.  Add lime and orange slices and stir. Refrigerate until completely chilled.  Add seltzer just prior to serving.

Adapted from recipe found in Tosca Reno’s Eat Clean Cookbook.

I love the versatility of pasta salads made with olive oil instead of mayonnaise.

They:

• are delicious both at room temperature or cold
• are great sides for BBQ fare
• can be eaten as a main dish
• make for excellent leftovers

While I was on the prowl for a new olive oil-based pasta salad, I came across this recipe in July’s issue of Bon Appetit magazine. It spoke to me for two reasons:

• I was intrigued by the Olivada. (I had never heard of that before.) 
• I love Gemelli. 

It turns out olivada is a Mediterranean version of tapenade–minced olives blended with oil and spices.  (Think olive pesto.) 

Gemelli are chewy little braid-shaped macaroni. They are easily found in most grocery stores.  That said, however, I don’t find them to be commonly used.  Using them adds some visual and textural interest to what might have been a typical pasta dish.

As I read down the ingredient list for this recipe, I noticed a component I don’t frequently use in my kitchen: Anchovy paste. Interesting. While it’s not often that I cook with anchovies, I did happen to have a tin of anchovies in my pantry. I decided I could benefit from the fatty acids and calcium that anchovies pack so I added them in place of the recipe’s anchovy paste. 

The outcome? Truthfully, it was basically like adding salt. They blended into the olivada so smoothly that I would never have known they were there if I hadn’t added them myself!  (In fact, I served this to my sister-in-law, who does not eat fish, and she loved it! That is, until I let out my little secret! )

If you are wary of small salty fish but interested in the health benefits of a Mediterranean diet, I definitely recommend this dish as a way to ease in. 

It is a delicious and versatile salad for summer and yet I can see bringing it to an apple picking picnic this fall.       

Pasta Salad with Cherry Tomatoes and Green Olivada:

• 3 garlic cloves peeled
• 1 jar pitted green olives
• 3 tablespoons capers, drained
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 small tin of anchovies
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound of gemelli macaroni
• 2 pints of fresh cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tablespoons fresh chives. roughly chopped

Add garlic to food processor and process until finely chopped. Add 1 cup of the chopped olives, capers, red wine vinegar, anchovies, mustard, and crushed red pepper. Turn processor on and off six times or until mixture is coarsely chopped. With machine running, gently and gradually add 1/2 cup of olive oil. Use a rubber spatula to transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Stir in remaining chopped olives. Season to taste using salt and pepper. This is your olivada. Cover and refrigerate.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well. Transfer pasta to a bowl and drizzle with about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add olivada and halved tomatoes. Toss well to coat. Garnish with chopped chives and serve.

Adapted from recipe found in July 2010 issue of Bon Appetit magazine.

I don’t think I am alone when I say that as much as I adore cooking, the heat of the summer can really test that love.  I don’t find myself extremely hungry when it is hot and humid and since it is my hunger and cravings that usually prompt a wild rendezvous in the kitchen I am less and less likely to be inspired to get in there and get busy. That said, however, there are nights when I am really hungry and the physical heat of the kitchen becomes my deterrent.  That is when the grill out back becomes my hero. And what goes better with a grilled protein than a cool fresh summer side? Enter this White Bean and Asparagus Salad.

Not only is this superfood-packed salad a perfect accompaniment to grilled steak tips, lamb kebabs, or burgers, but also it stands up on its own just perfectly.  I really enjoyed eating the leftovers for lunch.  This is one of those salads where the flavors actually improve after a few days. And because asparagus is nice and fibrous it doesn’t get mushy. 

*A Note about Raw Garlic: I am a garlic fiend. I love eating chunks of fresh raw garlic in foods, therefore, in salads like this one, if I am preparing it for myself and my family, I only roughly chop the garlic. However, chunks of raw garlic aren’t pleasant for most people. If you are preparing a dish containing raw garlic for a crowd, I recommend always finely mincing it or passing it through a garlic press.

White Bean and Asparagus Salad:

• 2 bunches fresh asparagus, trimmed and rough ends snapped off
• 7 sundried tomatoes (not in oil)
• 3 cloves of garlic*, roughly chopped or minced
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• a pinch or two of crushed red pepper
• 1 (19 ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 teaspoons capers, drained
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated parmesan cheese

In a steamer basket over boiling water, place asparagus and dried tomatoes. Cover and steam until asparagus is crisp and tender–approximately 4 minutes. Remove tomatoes and set aside. Using tongs, remove asparagus from basket and place into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain the water. Cut asparagus into 1-inch pieces and set aside.  Roughly chop the tomatoes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together garlic, oil, vinegar, mustard, salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper. Add asparagus, tomatoes, beans, and capers. Toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Adapted from recipe found here on MyRecipes.com.

I was a bit wary about the combination of strawberry and lime in a cupcake but I decided to give it a go anyway. What a fantastic surprise! The freshness of the two flavors is a winning combination! The lime flavor was not overpowering and really complemented the strawberries nicely. I kept these in the fridge just until serving time, which turned out to be a great move. I served them on one of these excruciatingly hot Boston days and the coolness of the cake and the frosting really enhanced the freshness of the flavors.  The cream cheese frosting continues to speak for itself.  If you haven’t tried it yet I have only two words: you must!

Here are some other recipes using cream cheese frosting. (I promise–your friends and family will thank you!)

• Oatmeal Cake (the first)
• Oatmeal Cupcakes
• Oatmeal Cake (again!)
• Oatmeal Cake (and again…) 
• Mini Pina Colada Cupcakes
• Brownie Cupcakes
• Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Strawberry Lime Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1/2 pound (1 stick) butter at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pint fresh strawberries, chopped into bite size pieces
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice (about one lime)
• 1 teaspoon grated lime zest (about one lime)

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Fill one cupcake pan with liners.

In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 5-7 minutes.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, alternating with the milk. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the vanilla, strawberries, lime juice, and lime zest into the mixture.

Fill the cupcake liners 1/2 – 3/4 full. Bake for 26-30 minutes, or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in pan for ten minutes and finish cooling on wire rack before frosting.

Adapted from recipe found in Crazy About Cupcakes by Krystina Castella.

I’ve been slacking a bit in the dinner department lately and I haven’t liked it one bit!  A combination of plans filling the last couple of Sundays, very hot weather that makes me a bit lethargic and less than eager to hang out behind the stove, and a myriad of other excuses have prevented me from doing my usual weekly shopping and meal planning.  Therefore, weeknight dinners have been pulled together by combining a little of this and a little of that.  

This weekend I decided enough was enough and we did our shopping on Saturday.  I filled the cart with all sorts of fresh fruits and veggies and outlined some meal ideas so that we could eat well for both lunch and dinner all week.  Man do I find that gratifying!

The thing about meal planning that I find tricky is I don’t love setting a strict schedule. Tuesday:  chicken Marsala, Wednesday: rice and bean burritos, Thursday: baked fish etc. makes me feel restricted and who likes that? I don’t like being pigeon-holed that way. Every time I have tried to do something along those lines I end up coming home from work not feeling like whatever it was that I had planned. I much prefer to set up some loose ideas at the start of the week and then just kind of “go with it” during the week. So that’s what I did!

I found this Chicken Picadillo recipe in Tosca Reno’s Eat Clean Cookbook. While the methods and actual recipe instructions in this book aren’t exactly perfect, her ideas for fresh clean meals composed of wonderful flavors and ingredients are very inspirational.  And even more exciting is the fact that the photos in the book are stellar.

While I am sure this recipe is not a traditional picadillo (I wasn’t even sure what a picadillo was until I Googled it), it is a wonderful, hearty, delicious, and flavorful dinner. I made a few adaptations and I have included them in the recipe below. 

The garlic, peppers, cumin, and cilantro pack lots of fresh flavor punch. And the combination of fresh and canned tomatoes really boosted the texture freshness factor.

I served this over brown rice the first time we ate it and over baked potatoes the second time. (With the baked potato I added a small scoop of sour cream and a few extra tablepoons of fresh cilantro–wow was that a delicious dinner!)

Tip: I think grilled tofu would be a great vegetarian substitution for the chicken in this recipe!

Chicken Picadillo:

• a few glugs of olive oil
• 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts (If you have time marinate the chicken in some olive oil, a splash of vinegar and some salt and pepper before cooking. If not, rinse the breasts, pat dry and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a few dashes of ground cumin before cooking.)
• 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 large red pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
• 1 large yellow pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
• 1 large orange pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
• 1.5 Tablespoons chili powder
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, each one sliced in half
• 1 14.5 ounce can of chopped tomatoes with jalepenos (I like Delmonte brand)
• 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Cook chicken using your preferred method. Poaching or grilling both work well in this recipe. Once it is done cooking, cut into cubes.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and add onion and peppers. Cook until soft.

Add chili powder, tomatoes, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Continue cooking until veggies reach desired texture (we like them a bit soft but still with a little crunch).

Stir in chicken cubes and stir until mixture is heated through. Stir in fresh cilantro.

Peppers, tomatoes and spices simmering

I love using my grill pan to cook chicken breast

Adapted from Tosca Reno’s Eat Clean Cookbook.

My husband requested some white fish for dinner and as always, I am happy to oblige his cravings! Baked white fish is one of my favorite meals so I looked forward to making this delicious weeknight dinner.

The basis of this fish recipe is something my mom has been making for years. It’s a favorite dinner of hers and mine and whenever dinner ended up just being the two of us, this is what she would make. I believe it is something my grandmother used to “throw” together when my mom was young. It is almost too simple to call a recipe, but I think it is definitely worth sharing. This is actually the first time I have made it and it came out almost as good as when my mom makes it! 

I decided to serve the fish with rice and roasted broccoli for a satisfying, colorful, healthy and complete meal.  Rather than plain old rice, I pumped up the flavor and nutrients by caramelizing some shallots and onions along with some fresh garlic and then fluffed it in to the cooked rice. (This is explained below.)   

Enjoy!

Italian Style Baked White Fish with Flavorful Rice:

• 2 white fish filets, approx. 3/4 lb. each
• 2.5 cups of water, chicken broth, or vegetable broth
• 1 cup long grain brown rice, rinsed under running water
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 clove fresh garlic, minced
• 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 1  (14.5) ounce can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, oregano (I like using Del Monte brand)
• 2 fresh scallions (green onions), chopped

Bring the water or broth to a rolling boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in rice. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes (or according to package directions).

Meanwhile, warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small saute pan over low heat. Add the onion, shallot, and garlic and cook over very low heat.  (You can leave this mixture over low heat, stirring occasionally, the entire time the rice is cooking. Doing so will really sweeten the onions and shallots bringing out their wonderful flavors.)

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

In a small mixing bowl combine Italian breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup of olive oil, and fresh chives. Stir well. Rinse fish with cold water and pat until completely dry. Place fish in a glass baking dish.  Spread a thick layer of crumbs over the fish and pat them down.  Spoon the diced tomatoes over the fish.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake fish uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until fish is done.  (How long you cook the fish will depend upon the thickness of the filet.) 

When the rice is done, fluff with a fork and use a wooden spoon to stir the onion mixture into the rice.  Stir in chopped scallions. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve fish with rice.

Here I spread a thick layer of breadcrumbs over the fish.

Here I spooned the diced tomatoes over the breadcrumbs.

A Kitchenbelle.com original!

When I made the Mushroom and Wild Rice Casserole I wasn’t thinking straight! The recipe called for about 2 cups of cooked wild rice but I didn’t account for the fact that rice nearly triples its size when cooked. I ended up with quite a bit of extra cooked wild rice in my fridge. Not a problem, though, because I LOVE WILD RICE!

There was no way I was going to waste the extra so I did some online searching for a quick and easy wild rice salad recipe and I was immediately drawn to this recipe on Simply Recipes.

Until Kelly mentioned it, I had no idea that Wild Rice is a “Minnesota thing.” When I served this salad to my family, my brother-in-law, who is also from Minnesota, was quite vocal about how much he loved this salad! He had no idea about my infatuation with wild rice and said if he had known, he would have asked his dad to bring some out with him this weekend. Unfortunately, his dad had already departed Minnesota so I won’t be tasting any authentic Minnesota wild rice any time soon!  Next time Ed!

In my opinion, the quality that makes this salad so great is the texture. There is quite a bit of satisfying crunch.

Remember to chop each component to uniform size so that each bite includes a little bit of each ingredient. You don’t want one bite to contain nothing but a giant chunk of celery and the next bite to contain a giant piece of green onion. (I talk more about the importance of chopping uniformly here.)

Each bite should contain a little bit of everything. Doing so allows for each bite to be a little dance party in your mouth!  The peas pop, the pine nuts snap, the celery crunches (and so on) and they are all united by the chewy grains of wild rice. Oh the fun!

Wild Rice Salad:

• 2-3 cups cooked wild rice
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 4 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 4-6 green onions (scallions), finely chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas*
• 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 -1/2 cup olive oil
• 2-4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1-2 teaspoons sugar

In a medium bowl combine rice, dried cranberries, celery, green onions, frozen peas, and pine nuts. Use a wooden spoon to gently combine.

In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, vinegar, sugar and salt and pepper. Pour over salad and toss gently to evenly distribute dressing. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed.

*If you plan to serve this dish immediately, use thawed peas. If you are storing overnight in the fridge, frozen peas will defrost by the time you serve.

Adapted from this recipe found on Simply Recipes.

As I mentioned, my husband ran the Boston Marathon on Monday and I am incredibly proud of him!

This was his first marathon and he ran with the Dana Farber team as part of the Dana Farber Marathon Challenge (DFMC).  He raised more than $5,000 towards Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research.

While I didn’t participate in the weekly Dana Farber team runs or the training sessions with 1976 Boston marathon winner (now coach) Jack Fultz, I did meet him and other team members here and there and I did attend the pasta party on Sunday evening prior to the race.

I cannot say enough about this organization. I am incredibly impressed and inspired by what a wonderful group of kind individuals that they are. The pasta party was perfectly touching and inspiring. It felt like we (well, really my husband) and all of the other runners really made an impact and contributed toward the group’s goal of a world without cancer. I left the evening feeling touched, emotional, uplifted, and inspired.

Race day was GORGEOUS! There was such a wonderful BUZZ in the city. My husband did incredibly well and cheering for him was so exhilarating. All of his hard work paid off. I am proud of his accomplishment and feel so lucky to live with someone who inspires me every day.

Now on to the cake!

As you know, I spend quite a bit of time researching new and creative cake recipes/flavors/frosting combinations, sometimes to the point where my head feels like it is going to explode! (Remember how hard it was for me to decide what I should make for my nephew’s birthday cake?  And remember when I could not for the life of me settle on which  fruit-flavored cupcakes I should make?) What’s funny is whenever I ask my husband what kind of cake he wants the answer is always the same: yellow cake with vanilla frosting. I always dismiss it thinking it is too plain and too simple. 

This time, however, I didn’t even ask. This cake was in honor of his tremendous commitment to fundraising and training and if he likes plain on plain, that is what he should get!

Of course, I didn’t want it to be too plain. So, even though I usually try not to make a habit of eating or serving fluorescent-colored foods, I went out on a limb here and matched the frosting to the Dana Farber team shirts.

This isn't my husband--this photo is taken from the DF site.

Like the race, the cake was successful. It was moist and simple.  The key to the frosting is the perfect balance of milk and sugar. (I think this batch of frosting actually turned out a tad dry–it needed a touch more milk.) 

What a wonderful occasion it was for cake, celebration, and time with family!

Yellow Cake:

• shortening
• 1  tablespoon  all-purpose flour
• 1/2  cup  butter
• 8 oz.  sour cream
• 1 1/2  cups  granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2  teaspoons  vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2  cups  all-purpose flour
• 1  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 3/4  cup buttermilk

 Rub shortening on the bottom of two 9-inch round cake pans.  Sprinkle with flour.  Set aside.

Combine 1/2 cup butter and sour cream in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add sugars and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat with a mixer at medium speed 3 minutes or until well blended. Add eggs; beat 2 minutes or until well blended.

Lightly spoon 2 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 2 cups flour, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix after each addition. Pour batter into prepared pan. Sharply tap pan once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350 F for 27-30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

Quick Vanilla Frosting:

• 8 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• 5-6 cups of confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 1/2 cup milk (more or less depending on desired texture)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• a pinch of salt

Whip the butter in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment. Slowly add confectioners’ sugar, one cup at a time, while the mixer is on low. Add milk a few splashes at time until desired consistency is achieved. Add vanilla and salt and mix until fully incorporated.

My husband is running the Boston Marathon on Monday and I could not be more proud! He has worked so hard training over the past several months and as great of a runner he was when he started training he has improved quite a bit and shown serious promise for race day.

I know how important diet is for athletic performance so I was sure to stock up on loads of lean proteins, fresh fruits and fresh vegetables at the grocery store this weekend. For this meal I decided to give him his fill of nutrients (as well as a few carbs!) to keep him healthy for race day.  He loves red peppers, peas, and mushrooms so I created this meal around those. I LOVE arugula and what could be better or more nutritious than combining it with omega-laden walnuts?! 

This meal was very delicious and enjoyable. The freshness of the arugula, vegetables, and chives was what stood out for me. I know it sounds dorky (but I’ll say it anyway): I have been cooking for years, yet still I continue to be amazed by the PUNCH and ZEST of the flavors in fresh vegetables and herbs.  Mother Nature is pretty incredible if you ask me.

Spring Pasta with Fresh Arugula Walnut Pesto:

• 12 ounces of fresh pasta (I used Capone Foods Fresh Pasta  Spinach Linguine from the Whole Foods refrigerated section)
• a few tablespoons of olive oil
• 6 ounces of sliced portabella mushrooms
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 2 scallions, sliced
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• fresh chives, roughly chopped

Pesto

• 2-3 cups fresh baby arugula
• 2 cloves fresh garlic
• 2/3 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup shredded cheese (you could use fresh parmesan for a strong flavor, mozzarella for a mild flavor or anything in between)
• salt to taste

Make the pesto:

In a food processor combine the arugula, garlic, and walnuts. Pulse until combined. Slowly pour in the oil while continuing to pulse. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula if necessary. Add the cheese and continue to pulse until desired texture is reached.  Add salt to taste.  Set aside.

Prepare vegetables:

Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to a medium pan over medium heat. Add the mushroom and a few pinches of salt. Cook stirring frequently until browned. Add the garlic, scallions, and chopped pepper. Continue to cook until peppers are tender but still crunchy.

Meanwhile boil pasta in salted water according to package directions.

Add peas to sauce pan and cook until warmed through. Then add  tomatoes. Stir to combine and let the heat soften the tomatoes, about 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper.

Drain pasta and return to pot. Add pesto to pasta and toss gently. Then add vegetables and gently toss again to fully disperse vegetables and sauce.  Garnish with fresh chives. Serve immediately.

A Kitchenbelle.com original!

I am crazy about wild rice and I always have my eye out for recipes that incorporate it. I was reading this recipe over at 101 Cookbooks where Heidi suggests trying any of your favorite grains in her mushroom casserole recipe. I saw it as great opportunity to use some wild rice! 

This recipe calls for three cups of cooked rice–I replaced that with two cups of cooked wild rice plus one cup of cooked brown rice. (For added flavor cook your rice in chicken or vegetable broth instead of water.) 

One mistake I made that I will warn you against is this: When I was making the rice to use for this recipe I was not thinking straight and I measured out two cups of DRY wild rice plus one cup of DRY brown rice and then cooked them in two separate pans according to their respective package directions.  Well, DUH.   Rice expands while cooking and nearly triples its volume! So, unless you want to have lots of leftover rice, only prepare enough dry rice to yield a total of three cups cooked!  (I see some new wild rice recipes in my immediate future!)

I intended to serve this as an accompaniment to some flank steaks I purchased from Whole Foods, however, as I was about to put the steak onto the grill pan I realized I wasn’t that hungry. My husband wasn’t that hungry either so we decided to eat this as a main dish.  We both really liked it! It is a very lightened-up version of the old school cream of mushroom soup recipes that we all love so much.  (Don’t expect that canned-soup level of moistness, though.)  The flavors were great and I plan to eat the reheated leftovers for lunch this week!

Mushroom and Wild Rice Casserole:

• 2 cups of cooked wild rice
• 1 cup of cooked brown rice
• 8-10 ounces of mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup of grated cheese (you could use Parmesan, mozzarella, or a combination of the two)
• a few tablespoons of fresh chives, roughly chopped
• 2 scallions, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Coat a 9 x 13 glass baking dish or casserole with olive oil and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat saute the mushrooms in a tablespoon or two of olive oil.  Sprinkle with some salt. Stir every few minutes and cook until the mushrooms have browned a bit and released their liquid. Add the onions and cook for 4-5 minutes or until they are transluscent.  Add the garlic, cook for another minute then remove from the heat.

Add the brown rice and wild rice to the skillet. Stir until combined.

In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream and salt.

Combine in the rice/mushroom mixture with the cottage cheese mixture. Stir until well combined and pour into the prepared 9×13 dish. Sprinkle with 2/3 of the grated cheese. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 20 more minutes or until bubbly and golden around the edges. Sprinkle with chives, scallions, remaining cheese.  (Add some chicken or vegetable broth if you’d like some additional moisture.)

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks.