Sunday, April 3, 2011

Simply Sweet Sunday Ingredient Cooking Challenge: Kale

Yay! It's been two weeks since I posted my last ingredient challenge... And here is the fruits (or maybe veggies is more appropriate!) of our labor! I had four people participating this time (a couple forgot their kale at the grocery store, so next time!) and I'll link up to them in this post after I finish my recipe for you!

Kale Sausage Lasagna with Sun-dried Tomato Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients:
  • One package of spicy Italian sausage (or sweet if that is more your style) 
  • One bunch of kale
  • One jar of sun-dried Alfredo sauce
  • Two tablespoons of tomato paste
  • One clove minced garlic 
  • 1/2 of a white onion, minced 
  • 2 cups ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 package of whole wheat lasagna noodles 
  • 2 cups of grated mozzarella cheese. 
  • Salt and pepper to taste 
Directions:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350f. 
  2. Boil a pot of water and cook the lasagna noodles until just tender, not completely done. 
  3. Drain noodles and run under cool water. Set aside. 
  4. Boil sausages in a pot of water until cooked through, about 12 minutes. 
  5. Remove from water and slice into 1/2 inch thick coins. 
  6. Remove big stems from the inside of the kale.
  7. Place two tablespoons of water in the bottom of a frying pan and toss kale inside of it. 
  8. Taste with salt and pepper as you like. 
  9. When kale becomes warmed through and tender, remove from heat. 
  10. Mix Alfredo sauce, garlic, onion, and tomato paste in a sauce pan. 
  11. Stir over medium heat until well-combined. 
  12. Spray inside of 9x9 pan to prevent sticking. 
  13. Cover bottom of pan with a layer of sauce. 
  14. Layer with noodle. 
  15. Layer with ricotta cheese (you'll need to use a spoon to spread it around). 
  16. Layer with sausage coins. 
  17. Layer with sauce. 
  18. Layer with kale. 
  19. Noodles. 
  20. Sauce.
  21. Ricotta. 
  22. Sausage. 
  23. Kale. 
  24. Sauce. 
  25. Cover the top with the grated mozzarella cheese. 
  26. Cover the lasagna with tin foil. 
  27. Cook lasagna in the oven for 40-45 minutes (or until cheese is melted and bubbly). 
  28. Let stand for five minutes before serving. 
  29. Enjoy! 
And for my favorite part, the link up!



And our next Simply Sweet Sunday Ingredient... 
Coconut Oil 

This can be found in your local grocery store's organic foods section. 
The oil has MANY health benefits: 
It's high in saturated fat which is good for athletes and also great for baking. 
(that's the good fat, remember?) 
It has wonderful heat tolerance so it'll withstand a greater temperature than other oils. 
It's also great for your hair and skin! 
My jar of it says to put it in your hair for an hour and wash out for moisturized clean hair!
If you're a baker, this one's right up your alley!

The next Simply Sweet Sunday Ingredient Challenge 
will be due on April 17th. 
Can't wait to see what my new friends come up with! 

Are you interested in joining? 
Leave a comment or send me an email and I'll fill you in! 

2 comments:

Zoe said... Best Blogger Tips

I loved seeing what recipes we all came up with! Your lasagna sounds so good - I love the substitution of italian sausage instead of ground beef. You really threw me for a loop with the coconut oil. I have never tried cooking with it before, but I am excited to try :)

michelle said... Best Blogger Tips

Sorry I'm late! I was out of town until last night! Looks like the link up is already gone, but I'll leave my link here. Yours looks good! My husband was NOT a fan of the Kale, but I didn't mind it! :)
http://thetwittykitchen.blogspot.com/2011/03/creamy-linguine-pasta-with-kale.html