Kale and Ricotta Ravioli with Red Wine Marinara



 I love filled pastas, they're one of my favorite foods! They, however, take forever to make, especially if you're making your own pasta! I have done that in the past, I make some rocking whole wheat fetucchini and ravioli, but I'm not always in the modd for that! This time, I was not in the mood, so I decided to use wonton wrappers! Guess what? My store was all out! My solution was to buy eggroll wrappers and quarter them! They came out the same size as wonton wrappers, and they are both made of the same kind of pasta, so there was no difference! Filling the ravioli takes some time, especially if you're like me and are particular about it lining up perfectly! If you're wanting to make this for a week day, you could make the ravioli on the weekend and either refrigerate for a couple of days or freeze if you won't be making them until later in the week! You could also make the marinara ahead of time and refrigerate, or make a huge batch and freeze in ice cube trays for future use! All you would really need to do, then, is boil the pasta and warm the sauce when you're ready to serve! These would be great for big batch cooking, so you could eat some fresh and freeze the rest for when you're too busy to cook!

You're trying to eat the computer,
aren't you?

This is a really great way to get kids to eat veggies, with the kale inside the pasta and the tomato based sauce! My son was convinced this was made with broccoli instead of kale. Broccoli is his favorite and he devoured them, so I just let him think that! :)



Rarely does my son clean his plate,
this night, he did!



To make the ravioli, you need:

salt and pepper

6 oz (about 6 cups if you can only get it chopped in a bag like I do), tough stems and ribs removed

3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp part skim ricotta

2 Tbsp grated parmesan

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

40 wonton wrappers or 10 eggroll wrappers, quartered

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook kale until tender, about 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a colander to cool and drain, reserving the water. When cool enough to handle, squeeze kale to get as much of the liquid out as you can and finely chop.

In a medium bowl, mash together the kale, ricotta, parmesan, nutmeg, and garlic. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble the ravioli, lay out a wonton wrapper on your board and cover the rest with a damp paper towel. Spoon a teaspoon of the kale mixture a little left (Or right, your choice!) of the middle of the wrapper. Dampen the edges with a wet finger and fold the wrapper over into a triangle, pressing the edges to seal. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.

If necessary, add more water to the pot you cooked the kale in and return to a boil. Reduce down to a simmer and drop in the ravioli in batches (I cooked 10 at a time, then filled more ravioli while they were cooking to speed the process along). Cook at a bare simmer (Small bubbles rising and bursting slowly) until al dente, about 3 minutes, gently stirring occasionally so they don't stick. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel lined baking sheet or large plate, in a single layer, and let drain while you cook the remaining pasta. Serve topped with the marinara and extra parmesan, if you wish!

This recipe serves 10!

Do this for the sauce:

Olive oil cooking spray

3 cloves garlic, minced

1, 16oz can diced tomatoes (You can use crushed if you like, but diced don't splatter as much!)

1/2 cup red wine (You could also use white wine, chicken stock, or water)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp Stevia

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

6 leaves fresh basil, torn, or 1/2 tsp dried basil, crushed between your palms

Spray a small saucepan with oil and heat over low heat and saute garlic for about 2 minutes, until starting to become tender but not brown. Add tomatoes, wine, salt, sugar, pepper flakes and dried basil, if using. Cook over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, 20 minutes to an hour. Transfer to a food processor and whirl around until it is the consistancy you like. If you want it thicker, add back to the pot and simmer with the lid slightly tilted (So your kitchen doesn't look like someone was brutally murdered) until it is the thickness you desire. If it's too thick for your tastes, add a little water or chicken stock to thin!

This recipe makes anywhere from 2 cups to 3, depending on how thick or thin you like it!

Cuban Black Bean Wrap

*For some reason, I'm unable to upload pictures from my computer, the browse box isn't coming up. I will add the images when I can figure out what's wrong. In the meantime, all of these recipes, along with the corresponding photo, are being posted to my Beachbody coach "like" page: www.facebook.com/bondgrlfit. I apologize for any inconvenience.*
This is a recipe I used with some of the leftovers from last night's Cuban Black Beans and Rice. I had saved half of the beans for burgers I will make later in the week, but had some leftover from what was left of the portion I reserved for us to eat, and decided to make a wrap for lunch! This actually made far more filling than fit in my tortilla, so I served myself the extra in a small ramekin and just ate it with a spoon. It was delicious!! If you have rice leftover, you could add that, as well! You could make it vegan, of course, by omitting the sour cream and eggs.

What I used:
3 egg whites, beaten
salt and pepper
1/2 cup beans, drained from liquid
1/4 cup chunky salsa
a few dashes of hot sauce
1 tablespoon low fat sour cream
1 whole wheat tortilla (Mine was also low carb and low fat, only 60 cals per tortilla)
1 wedge lime
1/2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1/4 cup shredded green cabbage
1 roma tomato, diced

Beat egg whites with a little salt and pepper to taste and scramble over medium-low heat until cooked but not dry. Add beans and salsa, cover, and cook until warmed through. Remove from heat and stir in hot sauce and sour cream.

Meanwhile, toast tortilla over a gas burner or warm in a large skillet over medium heat. Line the middle with cabbage and tomato, squeeze a little lime juice over, and top with as much bean filling as you can. Squeeze more lime juice over and sprinkle with some hot sauce, cilantro, and more lime juice. fold up the bottom and then the sides. I needed to use a tooth pick through where the tortillas overlapped to hold it together!

Serve any extra beans in a small bowl, garnished with more cilanto and lime, if desired. If you have extra cabbage and tomato, you can make a little salad dressed with a little lime. You could garnish the beans with some of the extra cabbage and tomato, as I did, as well!

This recipe made enough for me, although there was enough extra filling that I could have made 2!

Cuban Black Beans and Brown Rice

*For some reason, I'm unable to upload pictures from my computer, the browse box isn't coming up. I will add the images when I can figure out what's wrong. In the meantime, all of these recipes, along with the corresponding photo, are being posted to my Beachbody coach "like" page: www.facebook.com/bondgrlfit. I apologize for any inconvenience.*

Once upon a time, I worked at a Latin restaurant, and we served Cuban black beans with rice, and served the same beans with the liquid as a soup drizzled with lime juice and sour cream. It was sooo good, I ate it every evening before my shift! With rice, this is a complete protein, and is full of protein and fiber, so really filling! You can do the same thing we did at the restaurant, scoop the beans out with a slotted spoon and serve it over rice like I did this evening, or ladel it out and serve as a soup! If you aren't vegan, I love to add a small dollop (About 1/2 a tablespoon) of low fat sour cream (Don't buy fat free, they pack that version full of chemicals and stabilizers to give it flavor and texture. I'll take a little fat), lime juice, cilantro, and diced tomato! This makes a TON of beans, roughly 8 cups! I reserved 4 cups of the beans to use later this week for black bean burgers, and divided the remaining beans into one cup servings!

Here is how I made it:
Olive oil cooking spray
1 yellow onion, diced medium
2 celery stalks, diced medium
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
26 oz bag black bean soup mix, seasoning packet discarded or saved for later use, soaked overnight
1 dried bay leaf
1 small bunch cilantro, stems and leaves seperated, stems tied with kitchen twine
3/4 cup brown rice
1 roma tomato
1 lime cut into wedges
sour cream

In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, saute onion, celery, and garlic and cook until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add carrots and cumin and saute until fragrant, about a minute.

Add black beans, 8 cups of water, bay leaf, and cilantro stems, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer, tilt lid, and cook until beans are tender and liquid is slightly reduced, 1 1/2 to 2 hours (I like mine still a bit firm, so I stay with 1 1/2 hours, if you like soft beans, aim for 2). Taste for seatoning and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Remove bay leaf and cilantro stems.

Meanwhile, cook rice with 2 cups water, bring to a boil and reduce until tender, 30-45 minutes.

Serve beans over rice, or omit rice and serve as a soup! If you'd like, serve topped with tomato, cilantro leaves, sour cream, and lime wedges to squeeze over top!

Tacos with Refried Beans and Salsa Rice

Sooo, I kinda really love tacos! Growing up in Texas, I crave Mexican food a lot. Most of my favorites are not the most healthy, so when I'm craving the flavors, I go for tacos! This is another great way to sneak in veggies, you can chop up and saute whatever you like, I like to add mushrooms and zucchini, because they kind of have a similar texture to the beef. It stretches out the meat, too, so you can feed more people on less meat, which we all know is the most expensive thing in the grocery cart! I didn't do that this time, because this was last minute and I didn't have them on hand, but it's really so good!

 For the tacos:
1 Box of taco shells (I don't normally buy packaged stuff, but this I do. Frying my own tortilla shells (Which, honestly, I like more), results in a load more fat, so I buy the shells.
1/2 onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeno, minced (optional, I would add more, but my house mates don't like food as hot as I do)
1 pound 97% lean beef
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne (Look! You've made taco seasoning! Now stop buying the expensive salt loaded crap! lol!)
shredded lettuce (Please, don't use iceburg, it has no nutrition. Go with green leaf or romaine for some iron and vitamins.)
chopped tomato
diced onion

Warm shells in oven according to package directions.

In a large pan, saute onion, garlic, and jalapeno until softened, 3-5 minutes. Crumble in ground beef, season with the spices, and cook until brown, draining fat if necessary (The most effective way to do this, I've found, is to line a mesh seive with paper towels, pour the beef in, fold the paper towel over the top to blot, wipe the skillet with another paper towel, and add meat back in the pan to dry off the excess). You can sauce the meat one of two ways, you can make the sauce in the pan with the meat, like I do, or you can make it in a seperate pot to drizzle over your tacos. It's up to you! Top with lettuce, tomato, and onion. If you want, top with a half tablespoon of crated cheese per taco (I add mine on top of the meat so it melts). If you're like me, top with hot sauce! :)

Taco sauce:
1 8oz jar tomato sauce
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne (optional, if you like it with a little heat)
1 1/2 tsp oregano, crushed
1/2 tsp worcestershire

Combine all ingredients into a small saucepan, or in the pan with your cooked meat, and simmer for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to marry.

Refried beans:
3/4 cup dry pinto beans (Or you can use a can of beans. However, it's cheaper and you save sodium cooking dried beans)
1 onion, one half whole, the other chopped
2 cloves garlic, one smashed, the other minced
1/2 jalapeno, minced (Seeds out if you want it milder, leave them if you want it spicy)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
salt
pepper
chicken stock, at least 1/2 cup

Soak beans in enough water to cover overnight. Drain, rinse (Rinse them well, it cuts the gassiness of the beans), and add to a pot with enough water to cover by an inch, along with the whole onion half and smashed garlic clove. Boil beans, reduce heat to simmer, cover with a tilted lid, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until tender. Drain and rinse again.

Saute chopped onion, garlic, and jalapeno until tender, add beans, seasonings, and stock. You can either mash the beans with a potato masher for courser beans, or puree in the food processor (That's what I do, I like them smooth), adding as much stock as necessary to reach desired consistency. Taste for seasoning and adjust as desired. I like to top mine with cotija cheese, which is not always available, so, instead, I'll use fat free feta (This is one of few fat free dairy products I'll use, as they don't add chemicals to compensate, and you can't taste the difference), which is very similar.

Salsa rice:
I don't have a recipe for this, lol! I had about a cup of leftover rice from a stir fry my husband made the night before, so I nuked it in the microwave with a few tablespoons of salsa. Easy, yummy, score!

Steak and Eggs with Creamed Spinach in Tomato Cups (Bonus! Leftover Idea!)

My husband made a stir-fry a few days ago and used all but three of these little steaks, and I needed to use them up. I needed a recipe that included more protein, since these steaks are small, I also love breakfast, it's my favorite meal of the day, so I like to make breakfast for dinner from time to time! I was thinking of maybe doing a hash or... a breakfast casserole, but with steaks, I like them to be front and center, not hidden. I would ordinarily have used sunny side up eggs, but I wanted to squeeze in some more vegetation, so I went with scrambled, since I could incorporate them right into the egg. When thinking of an accompanying veggie side, I thought of how my favorite steakhouse side is creamed spincach, but how it has too much liquid for a plate, and how yummy spinach is with tomatoes! Voila, dinner was now a concrete idea, just to get it cooked (I only made this for three, but I'll post the amounts for four):


For the steak and eggs:
4 small, lean steaks, extra external fat trimmed (I can't remember what cut we used, I think it was eye of round)
grill seasoning
worchestershire sauce
1/4 to 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped (Depending on how many eggs you use)
1/4 onion, chopped
1/4 jalapeno, minced (optional)
4-6 eggs (However many you want. I made one egg for me, one for my son, and two for my husband)
1 tablespoon evaporated skim milk

Preheat a large skillet (Or a grill, if it's not freezing death cold where you live!) to medium-high heat. Season one side of the steak with grill seasoning and add, seasoned side down, to the heat, then season the other side. Cook for 2-4 minutes (Depending on how you like it, I like mine mooable, so I went with 2, my husband likes his medium, so his was on for three), flip, sprinkle with worchestershire, and cook for an additional 2-4 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, saute bell pepper, onion, and jalapeno until just slightly tender but still crisp. Beat eggs with milk and a little salt and pepper, then add to pan. Reduce heat to medium low, and let cook slowly, gently folding eggs occasionally (This will result in moist, fluffy eggs. If you cook them too quickly, they'll be dry). When cooked to your preferred level of doneness, remove onto plates (If you're like me, here is where you would generously give the gift of hot sauce!), and top with a steak. Enjoy!

For the creamed spinach:
1, 16 oz bag frozen chopped spinach
1/4 cup onion, chopped (Half of a medium)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup evaporated skim milk
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (I gave about 10 grates)
4 roma tomatoes, halved and scooped out (I saved the insides to chop up and add to my frittata in the morning)
freshly grated parmesan cheese

In a microwave safe bowl, thaw spinach in the microwave on high for about three minutes, scoop into a clean dish towel, and squeeze all of the water out until no more comes out.

Meanwhile, cook the onion and garlic in a small pot sprayed lightly with cooking spray until tender, stir in milk and seasonings, bring to a boil, then simmer until thickened. Add spinach and simmer, uncovered, until milk has reduced to desired consistancy, stirring occasionally.

Spoon into tomato cups and sprinkle with parmesan cheese! I've made this before with blue cheese, and broiled the stuffed tomatoes for a couple of minutes, which is excellent, as well!

 

Leftovers??

If you happen to have extra creamed spinach and tomatoes, what do you do with them? For me, the answer to any leftover veggie dilemma is a breakfast frittata! My breakfasts are always a cup of veggies with an egg, in various forms, but frittata is my favorite!

I had two stuffed tomatoes leftover from when I made the steak and eggs. I first sauteed about a tablespoon or two or diced red onion, then added the tomatoes, diced up, and sprinkled the spinach filling over the top (I also topped the spinach with a quarter of a jalapeno, chopped, because I need my food to be spicy!). I then poured a beaten egg over the top, covered, and let it cook over medium-low heat until it was cooked through, about 5 minutes, and sprinkled parmesan cheese over the top!! Yummmmmm!!

Chuck Steak Stir Fry

This recipe came from my trying to use up the meat we have in the house! We're moving soon, and I hate food waste, so I'm trying to use all I have around! I had two chuck steaks leftover in my freezer from something I made a while back, so I figured I'd stretch the protein with a veggie packed stir fry! This was awesome! The only downer is that now when my son sees corn he starts asking for baby corn! I guess I need to start keeping some on hand, he loves them!!

To put this hot bowl of awesome in your belly;

This recipe takes about 45 minutes to prepare.

1 cup brown rice

2 cups beef stock

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

6 scallions, sliced thinly on the bias

1/2 pound chuck steaks (2 steaks, roughly), cut into thin strips

2 teaspoons Chinese 5 spice

salt

3 tablespoons orange juice

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons beef stock

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

2 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon Splenda

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, crushed

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 carrot, diced

2 handfuls sugar snap peas

1 can baby corn, drained and rinsed

1 can water chestnuts, drained and rinsed

1 can bamboo shoots, drained and rinsed 

In a small pot, combine rice and beef stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes, until rice is tender. Toss with one teaspoon sesame oil and  2 green onions.

Meanwhile, season beef evenly with 5 spice and salt. In a large skillet or wok sprayed with cooking spray, cook over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until just seared outside and still pink in the middle. Drain on paper towels.

For the sauce, in a small bowl, combine orange juice, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons beef stock, hoisin, ginger, 2 teaspoons of the garlic, cornstarch, Splenda, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.

In the skillet or wok sprayed with cooking spray, lower heat to medium. Add 3 green onions and the remaining garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until beginning to soften, 2 minutes. Add bell pepper and carrot, season again, and saute until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add snap peas, baby corn, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots, and warm through. Add meat back to pan and stir in the sauce. Toss well and simmer until thickened.

Serve in bowls over rice. Drizzle the tops with the 1 remaining teaspoon sesame oil, and top with the remaining green onion. Enjoy!!

This recipe serves 4.