Labels

Tuesday 24 May 2011

Portobello and Kale 'Bake' by Andrea Lussing


Reposted with permission by Andrea Lussing

This was a creative little baked mixture I made using leftover brown rice and Parmesan cheese as a 'crust' on top and some healthy veggies inside with some crumbled organic tofu for some protein.


For the topping, I used a food processor to blend previously cooked brown rice, olive oil to bind it together and salt and pepper.  I put that aside and started working on the filling.

In a frying pan I sauteed in olive oil chopped onions, and 5 min. later, some chopped garlic. (Garlic takes a short time to cook so it's best to always add it a few minutes after your onions are in.  You never want garlic to burn so don't cook it on high heat. As well, if you chop garlic a few minutes before you need it and let it rest for a bit, more of the beneficial enzymes and compounds are readily available for your body to use...so the experts say.)

To the onions and garlic, I added chopped kale (I used purple kale, and I almost always use only the greens and leave the stems behind). After letting the kale soften for a few minutes, I added cubed potobello mushrooms, chopped rosemary and thyme and a veggie stock cube.  After this cooked for a couple minutes, I added about half a cup of water and let the mixture steam and soften for about 10 minutes on low heat.  When it was finished, I added roughly half a cup of hand crumbled, firm tofu and mixed it together.

I put the mixture into a square baking pan and topped it with the 'crust' I had already prepared, patting it down with my hands. I baked it in the oven for about 15-20 min at around 350oF.  About 5 minutes before it was done, I sprinkled on Parmesan cheese and returned it to the oven until it was golden brown.  This meal comes out with a bit of sweetness from the herbs and a really warm, fall/winter feeling. It was a really nice creation!

As an alternative, you could put this in a pie crust and add a whisked egg and some milk to make a quiche type pie, topped with some feta or goat's cheese.  Lots of options!  Have fun!  

No comments:

Post a Comment