A reminder that “comfort food” doesn’t have to make you feel guilty afterward. This rollatini is not only creamy and filling, it’s also free of  cholesterol, obscene amounts of sodium, and very low in saturated fat.

Perfect for weeknight or date night, this meal comes together in 1/2 the time of traditional lasagna. If your trying to impress someone special for Valentines Day, try this paired with a simple salad.

Creamy Chard Rollatini

Ingredients:

1 recipe almond ricotta
1 bunch swiss chard (or other green)
8 lasagna noodles
2 cups of your favorite marina sauce. *I used my sauce, below, pureed until velvety smooth.
1 tbsp. oil (or use spray or water )

Almond Ricotta:
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 cup water
1 lemon
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano

Soak almonds in water for at least 1 hour.

Prepare ricotta: In a food processor, puree the the almonds and water until smooth. Add lemon juice, cornstarch, salt/pepper, oregano & basil.

Heat the almond mixture in a saucepan, stirring often until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cook for an additional 2 minutes and remove from heat. Pour into a bowl, cover, and place in refigerator until chilled.

Wash chard leaves, stack on one another and thinly slice into ribbons. Heat oil in a saute pan and add chard. Cook until greens are wilted, set aside.

Cook the lasanga noodles until just al dente. Remove from water and set onto a cutting board.

Pour 1/2 cup of marinra sauce into the bottom of an 8X8 pyrex baking dish. Remove the ricotta mixture from the fridge and mash with a fork. Add the swiss chard, 1/8 cup marinara sauce and stir to combine.

Starting with 1 noodle, place ~2 tbsp. mixture on the wide end of the noodle. Roll up and place the rollatini seam side down in the baking dish. Continue with the other lasanga noodles.

Pour the remaining sauce over the top and bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Per Serving (2 rolls): 570 calories, 14 g fat, 92g CHO, 9.2g fiber, 19g protein

Enjoy! What do you plan on making for Valentine’s Day?

Lasagna – noodles + Spaghetti Squash= my new favorite comfort food.

It sure is dreary here in California, nothing but rain and wind for the last few weeks. Thinking of the glass half full, I’ve used this week to turn out my cold-weather favorites before Spring rolls in. Different soups and roasted vegetables have been on the menu lately as has this gem: baked spaghetti squash. Similar to baked spaghetti or lasagna, I combined the squash strands with my ricotta filling and topped it with crunchy herbed breadcrumbs. Easing into the seasons has never been so delicious!

Ingredients:

1 large spaghetti squash
1 recipe DK’s Spaghetti  Sauce
3/4 cup bread crumbs. (Store-bought or get crazy and make your own!)
1 bunch parsley
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 bunch spinach leaves
4 carrots
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced into 1/2 moons
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. red pepper flakes

Ricotta filling:

1 pound firm tofu, pressed
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic (or more!), minced
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
handful basil leaves, chopped
handful parsley, chopped
small handful chopped oregano , or 1 tsp dried oregano
salt, pepper to taste

Mash tofu with fork or potato masher until crumbled. Add remaining ingredients and mix completely to combine. Let sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Wash and chop the spinach and carrots. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, place the whole spaghetti squash in the boiling water for 10 minutes until skin softens. Remove from water, halve and place back in the water for an additional 10 or so  minutes until the inside is fully cooked. (This to me is the easiest way to prepare it. I know you can also use a microwave to cook the squash but I don’t have timing info as I don’t own one!)

Remove the cooked squash and let cool while you prepare the filling. In a large skillet heat 2-3 tbsp. of vegetable broth or oil. I like using broth in place of oil,  it works beautifully! You can also use 2 tbsp. vegetable broth and 1 tbsp. oil. Add the thinly sliced onions with 1/4 tsp. salt and cook for 10-15 minutes. Add the sliced carrots, sliced garlic and cook until tender. Add the spinach, thyme, red pepper flakes and cook an additional 5 minutes. 

With a fork, remove the strands of squash. Keep the squash halves and place the strands in a large bowl. Add the cooked vegetables and 2-3 cups sauce. The mixture should be wet but not soupy. Depending on the size of your squash, you might need to add less/more. Place a large scoop (about 1/2 cup) of the filling in the bottom of one of the emptied shells. Layer a 1/4th of the ricotta filling ontop. Place another 1/2 cup of squash filling and another 1/4 of the ricotta filling. Do the same with the other squash half.

For the crunchy topping combine the bread crumbs, finely chopped parsley and garlic powder. Sprinkle the crumb topping on top and bake at 375 for 45-60 minutes until hot.

Serve with a glass of red wine because baby… it’s cold outside!

Serves 4. 520 calories, 16g fat, 15g fiber, 24g protein.  High in manganese, niacin, vitamin A, vitamin C

I’m off to Phoenix for the weekend, see you with a new breakfast recipe next week!

Thank you for looking around my new website. I am really excited about being able to share my knowledge and passion for food, nutrition and exercise with you.

I have had a few questions asking about my beliefs on plant-based diets. Let me be clear, this website is not to solely promote veganism or vegetariansim. Yes, I follow these diets myself, but my goal as a dietitian is to help YOU find what works for you. In posting recipes that don’t contain animal products, I hope you will try them, but I don’t expect anyone to completely convert to this way of eating. My hope is that you find new ways to use tofu, tempeh, whole grains, fruits and vegetables and include these items in your diet each week. By substituting even a few meatless meals you will experience some of the benefits of a low-fat vegetarian diet  (proven to be helpful to individuals with high cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, ect). Now, onto the cooking…

I recently made this lasagna for a dinner party of meat-eaters and everyone loved it! Spicy, creamy, saucy, this lasagna is definitely one you are going to want to make over and over again.

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