Recipes From Nicki Rubin’s Kitchen
Meat Lasagna with Spinach & Goat Cheese
Yield: 8 servings
12 spelt lasagna noodles
1 tsp olive oil
1-2 lbs. ground chuck, venison or buffalo
3 cups pasta sauce (or tomato sauce)
3½ cups ricotta cheese
4 oz. crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil (or 1 tsp dried)
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Herbamare® (or salt and pepper)
4 cups raw baby spinach (or regular chopped spinach)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place lasagna noodles in a large shallow dish and cover with boiling water for 15-20 minutes in order to soften. Cook meat in a large skillet for 10 minutes or until brown, stirring occasionally. Drain fat and return to skillet. Reduce to low heat and add in pasta sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes.
In a bowl, mix ricotta, goat cheese, eggs, basil, parmesan and Herbamare to taste.
Spread 1 cup of sauce on bottom of 9x13-inch baking dish. Place one-third of softened noodles on top of sauce. Add half of the spinach, pressing down to make a flat layer. Spread half of the ricotta mixture as the next layer. Top with meat mixture, and then another third of noodles. Add remaining spinach as a layer, and then the remaining ricotta mixture as a layer. Top with remaining noodles and last cup of sauce. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour on the middle rack at 400 degrees. Pour mozzarella cheese over sauce the last 10 minutes of baking.
May be prepared and refrigerated up to 24 hours or frozen.
Spinach Soufflés
Yield: 8 servings
2 packages frozen spinach
1 onion, chopped
¼ cup butter
¼ cup spelt or kamut flour
1¼ cup milk
2/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
5 eggs, separated
1½ tsp salt
¼ tsp minced garlic
Cook spinach in a very small amount of boiling water for 5 minutes, and drain. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add flour, and whisk until smooth. Still whisking, gradually add milk. Cook until thickened and bubbly. Add cheese, stirring until it melts. Remove from heat.
Beat egg yolks on medium with an electric mixer until thick and pale. Add cooked spinach, salt, garlic and lemon juice until all are blended together. Gradually stir in hot cheese mixture, stirring mixture constantly.
Beat egg whites on high until stiff. Gradually fold egg whites into spinach mixture. Pour into eight buttered individual soufflé dishes or 6 oz. custard cups. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 35 to 40 additional minutes or until puffed and golden. Serve immediately.
Banana Bread
½ cup coconut oil
½ cup honey
½ cup Rapadura (a sweetener found in natural health food stores) or Sucanat
2 eggs, beaten
5 ripe bananas mashed
2 cups spelt or kamut flour
1tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
3 Tbsp whipping cream (may substitute milk)
½ tsp vanilla
½ cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat coconut oil and Rapadura. Add eggs and mashed bananas. Add dry ingredients. Add cream and vanilla. Stir in walnuts. Pour in greased 9x13 loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. This is really the best banana bread!