Kale, Rice, and Cheddar Pie

It's no secret that I love kale. I'm particularly fond of lacinato kale, or by another name, dinosaur kale, as its scaly leaves bring to mind.  But, if the weather is any indicator, I better send this winter vegetable a dear kale letter and say hello to asparagus and rhubarb.  Goodbye, kale.  I'll see you again in the fall.  But, before I bid you well, let's have another go around.  Shall we?

When I came across this recipe in Eating Well, it called for spinach.  I like spinach, sure, but not as much as I like kale, so I made an executive decision Mitt Romney-style and fired the spinach from this dish.  The recipe is below.  The only thing I changed is the kale substitution.  To prepare the kale I sauteed it for about 15 minutes in chicken stock until the bitterness was gone.  Then I drained it, added a squirt of lemon, and then added it to the rice mixture (as described below).  This is a hearty vegetarian meal.  Serve it with a light salad with a red wine vinaigrette.  

I included the nutritional information because while this dish looks like a trip to a fat farm, it's not so bad as long as you don't eat half of it in one sitting.  Good luck with that one.

 

Rice, Cheddar & Spinach Pie

From Eating Well:  March/April 2012

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 3 cups cooked instant or quick-cooking brown rice
• 1 cup diced extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup nonfat milk

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Generously coat a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and spinach; cook, stirring, 1 minute more. Transfer to a large bowl. Add rice, cheese, pepper and salt to the bowl and stir to combine.
3. Whisk eggs and milk in a medium bowl. Stir into the spinach-rice mixture. Transfer to the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
4. Bake the pie until lightly browned in spots, about 25 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting into wedges.

NUTRITION

Per serving: 340 calories; 18 g fat ( 6 g sat , 8 g mono ); 144 mg cholesterol; 30 g carbohydrates; 0 gadded sugars; 14 g protein; 3 g fiber; 309 mg sodium; 300 mg potassium.