I have been a horrible blogger lately.  It’s not as if I haven’t been cooking  – quite the opposite.  I’ve been on overdrive in the kitchen actually.  We hosted a graduation party for our last high school student, Michael, over the long weekend.  I am still in recovery mode from preparing for it  and working to use up leftovers and find space again in the refrigerator.  I am so grateful for three of my neighbors who loaned me a healthy amount of space in their extra refrigerators to store all of the food.  We had a lively bunch of family, friends and lots of graduates to help us celebrate. I wish I had taken the time to take photos of my prep and the food.  We presented a nice mix of mostly Lebanese fare that all three of our kids have requested at their parties.  Even though I enjoy cooking, it is just too much work to prepare it all so we catered grape leaves, rice pilaf and Ara-Yes and prepared chicken and beef kabobs with a tangy yogurt sauce , hummus, fatoosh plus plenty of cheese, fruit and feta dip.  Of course, there was cake and cookies to satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth.

Beginning of the graduation party

As we worked through most of the leftovers during the few days following, I found myself with a few cups of leftover rice tonight.  I was in the mood for something comforting but not too heavy.  So, I searched for a recipe to use some power greens I purchased at Sam’s Club yesterday to go with the rice.  I found a blog with a Mooswood recipe dating back to 1977 that used some cheese and eggs and spices to mix with the greens and rice.  It was just what I was envisioning. I tweaked it just a little bit.  The recipe does state that all quantities are approximate – and I cut the recipe in half since it was just me eating tonight – and I will gladly have the rest for lunches in the next few days.

rice and green mixture ready to bake

The recipe calls for tamari or soy sauce.  I did not add it but I believe it would be a nice addition.  It would add a layer of salt and depth.  I did not have sunflower seeds but used a handfull of salted pepita seeds that I had in the freezer.  The nuttiness and the crunch were a nice addition. My leftover rice had chunks of carrots in it – and the power greens mixture I bought also had shredded carrot – so both size pieces of carrot added some nice color along with some sweeetness.  If you have never purchased or cooked with nutrional yeast, I highly recommend it.  It adds a cheesy flavor and good protein.  It looks more like breadcrumbs but doesn’t get quite as crunchy,

finished product! Browned and crispy on top.

My favorite little serving dish from Eric Strader, our family potter (www.ericstraderpottery.com). I ate right out of the little dish!

I feel like we have been in a whirlwind and am trying so hard to take some time to enjoy the beautiful weather and all of the work we did to prepare for a big party.  Even though Dave does not like birds and the messes they make, we have had a robin nesting in a bush just next to our back patio and I have enjoyed it.  The babies have hatched and are beginning to learn to fly and fend for themselves.  On Friday afternoon, one of them was perched on a chair on the patio and stayed there for the longest time.  I was able to get outside and take a few photos of the baby and mama.  It makes me smile but sad to think of my last baby getting ready to leave for college this fall.  I have been happy so far with Michael’s milestone- but I think its finally hitting me…

mama and baby robin

baby robin ready to fly!

I was lucky enough to get out to pick some local strawberries with Katy last week.  We visited the organic farm that we are a CSA partner with.  It was nice to meet the farmers in person after 3 years of partnering and I wanted to make strawberry shortcake for dessert.  The vegetarian greens and rice dish paired beautifully with the shortcake.  It was a good way to end another weekend.

There is really something special about fresh picked strawberries with a little bit of sugar.

homemade shortcake biscuits

There aren’t a lot of photos of the dish for dinner- but you get a few extras of the robins and the strawberries and our party~

Sunset at the end of the graduation party

Greens and Rice Casserole

Serves 4 to 6

Preparation time if rice is cooked about 45 minutes

Ingredients

4 cups cooked brown rice (white rice can be used but its not as chewy)

2 lbs raw baby greens (spinach, mustard greens, turnip greens, kale, swiss chard) or chopped greens

1/2 cup grated or cubed carrots (optional)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves minced garlic

3 Tbs olive oil

4 beaten eggs

1 cup milk

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese – or a mixture of cheddar and asiago (less cheese works too)

1/4 cup chopped parsley

2 Tbs tamari or soy sauce (Optional)

1/2 tsp salt – or more to taste

a few dashes cayenne pepper, nutmeg and black pepper to your liking

1/4 cup sunflower or pepita seeds

paprika and  nutritional yeast (optional but a nice addition!) to sprinkle on top

 

 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350′

Saute the onions in the olive oil for about 3 minutes, add the garlic and continue to saute over mediume heat for another minute.  Add greens and saute for about 5 more minutes until all the greens are beginning to wilt.  Set aside to cool.

Combine eggs, milk, cheese, parsley, tamari or soy, salt spices and seeds together.  Mix in the greens.  Place mixture into a buttered baking dish.  Sprinkle top with paprika and nutrional yeast.

Cover dish and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes until it is browned on top.

 

Notes

I found this recipe  on Pete’s Greens website and blog.  The original recipe was from Mollie Katzen’s 1977 Moosewood Cookbook.  When I made it, I actually cut the recipe in half and baked it in an 8 x 8 dish.  It was a way to get some good greens and use up leftover rice.