[Ilene]

I thought I'd start a recipe thread... Hope no one minds... I found this on another site and tried it today... I was shocked at how good it was... Because let me warn you it LOOKS aweful ...

'Creamed' Spinach

2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen leaf spinach (do not thaw)

1½ cups low-fat cottage cheese

2½ tablespoons unsalted butter

In a large saucepan with a cover, combine ½ cup water and ½ teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Add the frozen spinach and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring several times, for 10 minutes. Drain thoroughly in a colander, being sure to shake out all of the water. Pat dry with paper towels.

Transfer the hot spinach to a food processor. Add cottage cheese and all but 1 teaspoon of the butter. Process until very smooth. Return to the saucepan. Add salt and white pepper to taste. Heat gently and transfer to a warm bowl. Place the remaining butter on top and serve. Makes 8 servings.

I modified it a bit by using fresh spinach and not as much margarine/butter, now that I think of it I only put in 1 cup of cottage cheese....

It was delicious... Tonite I had it on ww pasta with ground beef ... Very good indeed...

[WaterRat]

Yum, that sounds good Ilene. I love spinach, and have from my garden in the freezer, and some cottage cheese, might have to make this soon!

My favorite low cal pasta sauce is made by sauteeing onions and zuchinni which has been chopped into teeny tiny pieces, then when they're softened, add a can or two of Italian seasoned stewed tomatos - the kind that are chopped fine is better - and let it cook down so there's not a lot of liquid left. Eat. You can doctor this lots of ways. If you use plain tomatos, just add seasonings to taste. I like lots of garlic. Mushrooms are a good addition too.

[Elanajel]

2 cups of dried lentils--rinse them, cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer until soft. In a separate pan (I use cast iron), saute chopped onion and assorted spices (tonight I used cardamon and cumin). When onion is soft, mix in the lentils. Good with kale, collards or spinach. Kale and collards are good non-dairy sources of calcium.

Have a good week!

[WaterRat]

Elana, very similar to a dish I made last night. I saute the onions, then put in a cup of raw brown rice and saute it a few minutes. Then I add 2.5 cups of water, 1/4-1/2 cup of lentils, a TBSP of tomato paste, 1/4 tsp of cinnamon, and bring to boil. Reduce to a simmer and let it cook til the liquid is absorbed, about 35-40 minutes. The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup of raisins after the rice mixture is done, and their sweetness is good, but it's fine without too.

We had Ilene's spinach on Sat night - very good!! THough I won't tell you what my DH likened the sight of it to!

[Ilene]

Oh Pat, I hear you on the colour ... But it's quite tasty!! I love it !! DH, who is not a picky eater at all, had to pass on it ...