Crowd-Pleasing Foods

Meat Lasagna with Spinach & Goat Cheese
Serves 8

Ingredients:
12 spelt lasagna noodles
1 teaspoon 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 tablespoon chopped fresh basil (or 1 teaspoon 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)

Directions:
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.

Recipe from Nicki Rubin






Sweet and Sour Chicken
Serves 8


Ingredients:
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 lbs. boneless cubed chicken
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1⁄2 cup soy sauce
2 cups pineapple, cut into small chunks
1⁄2 cup pineapple juice
6 tablespoons vinegar
6 tablespoons Rapadura (a sweetener found in natural health food stores)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 cups brown rice

Directions:
Prepare brown rice as directed on package. Heat coconut oil in a large skillet and stir-fry chicken until well browned. Add peppers and cook another 2 minutes. Mix cornstarch and soy sauce. Pour into skillet. Add pineapple and juice, vinegar, Rapadura, ginger and garlic powder. Bring to a full boil. Serve chicken over brown rice.

Recipe from Nicki Rubin