Kalakopita = Kale+Spanakopita

The first week of school is brutal for me.
After 15 years of first weeks as a teacher,
I know this to be true.
It's exhausting.
Learning all the new names, constantly talking for hours each day,
parent night, endless questions...whew!
See why it's tiring?
Yep.  I thought you would.
So in addition to preparing breakfast ahead of time,
I'm also looking for quick and healthy meals for lunch too.
I like salads, but I like something warm at lunch.
It's like a warm hug.
And the first week of school definitely deserves a warm hug at lunch.

Kalakopita = Kale+Spanakopita
Recipe modified from The Wednesday Chef
Make one 9" pie

2 pounds Kale, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, minced
8 ounces feta cheese, chopped into small chunks
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper (I just add a couple twists on the grinder)
8 sheets- one package phyllo dough
4 to 5 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the minced onion. Sauté for a couple minutes then begin adding kale in small batches to wither the kale.  Keep adding kale until it's all withered and the onions are beginning to caramelize.  Your house is going to smell amazing at this point!

3. In a bowl crack 3 eggs and whisk together. Then add the cheese, onions, kale, oregano, and salt and pepper. Mix everything together really well.

4. Lightly oil a 9-inch springform pan. Open the package of phyllo dough and lay a damp towel over the phyllo sheets. Working quickly, line the pan with one sheet of phyllo dough, then brush it lightly with some vegetable oil. Layer another sheet on top and oil that. Repeat with all the sheets of phyllo until the springform pan is fully lined. Scrape the spinach mixture into the phyllo-lined pan and smooth the top. Fold the phyllo dough over the top of the pie (see photo above). Brush a little oil on the tops of the phyllo dough sheets.

5. Put the pan in the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.  The filling will be set and the phyllo golden-brown and crackling when the pie is done. Plus, you will be able to smell the feta and your stomach will start grumbling.  

Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before removing the ring of the pan. Cut into slices and dive into the deliciousness.  Let the remaining slices cool completely, then wrap them.  The slices freeze well and will stay nicely for several months.

Happy Greek Week!

Cabbage, you scare me...

I don't like cole slaw...and I'm really not a fan of any type of slawy-type thing, so when I received cabbage in my Farmer's Market box, for the 2nd week in a row...I knew that I was going to need to find something to do with it.  sigh.  Cabbage...why?

Some people might think of Little Shop of Horrors when they think of cabbage....

...I do too.  But that wasn't my first thought...

It looks like a head.  A decapitated head.

It's creepy.
 It looks like Uncle Fester from The Addams Family...

 He might be smiling, but he's a creepy smiling cabbage head.

 Like I said...creepy.

 So, this is an attempt at making something with my creepy cabbage heads...I mean heads of cabbage.

Tasty Roasted Cabbage

Adapted from Aubrey Dunnuck -Eat. Repeat Blogspot December 19, 2009,

using comments from readers of the blog.

Ingredients:

1 Cabbage, small to medium size

2 teaspoons Soy Sauce

2 tablespoons Sesame Oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Salt + Pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.  Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

2.  Remove any  dirty or yucky outer leaves of the cabbage. Halve the cabbage then slice each half into quarters.  Leave some of the stem to hold the sections together.  I didn't do this and they fell apart during the roasting process. Oops!

3.  Whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, and lemon juice.

4.  Grease a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil.

 

5.  Place wedges on the baking sheet, brush with mixture, then season with salt and pepper on both sides. Roast for 40 minutes, flipping the wedges over halfway through so that both sides get nice and crispy.

6.  Serve while hot...especially if they are sceptical like ME.

Surprisingly delicious.  It's true...I'm not as scared when it looks like this.

Uncle Fester isn't as creepy like this either.

Empty plate = Tasty

Still trying to be adult and eat my veggies...

I know that I'm an adult. 

I can sit up straight in my chair...all adult like,
but most of the time I slouch. 
I'm slouching right now.
No, I'm not...yes, I really am.

Growing up

I have definitely learned how to act in public...most of the time.

Though I've been and adult for quite a while now.
But there are certain things that I still need to approach with kid gloves. 

I know that as an adult, I should always eat balanced meals. 

Cake

Charlotte and I must have grown up with the same mom.
Love you Momma and your cake!

I do know a few things...
Most of my plate should be veggies and
my protein size should be small...
...like the size of my fist or a deck of cards. 

I know all of this.  I've seen and memorized the charts...

I know that cereal is not a balanced meal.
It should not be dinner.  But sometimes it is. 
I figure that if that cereal is Heart-to-Heart, at least it's okay.  Right?!

Kashi Heart to Heart

It's not like I choose a really sugary cereal for dinner. 
Sugary cereal are for snacking only..
Yikes! That would be bad or REALLY BAD or REALLY GOOD!

Especially if it's Captain Crunch...with Crunch Berries.  It has to have the berries. 

I love the Captain...see that's not very adult of me. 

capn-crunch-cereal-crunch-berries-cereal

Adults aren't suppose to like Captain Crunch. 

For the record, I don't buy Captain Crunch, but I do tell my students that I love the Crunch Berries and somehow, boxes magically appear. Shockingly, my students understand my love...

Crunch Berries

...but they're 13. 

Adults are suppose to like whole wheat flakes, high in fiber, and low in sugar. 

Okay, maybe they don't like them, but adults are suppose to eat them. 

Reality is that I love this too...it's tasty, healthy, and organic. 

All of the things that the adult in me is proud to say that I love. 

(The little girl likes it too...but she won't admit it.)

So, to continue my education on becoming an adult and eating more veggies, I tapped into my inner child and remembered a yummy, nutritious snacks.

Bing Images

Ants on a log...do you remember these? 

Have you tried it recently? 

If not, you really need to try it again, because surprisingly, it's delicious.

I don't have kids, so the moms out there might be laughing at me,

but I really forgot how much I loved these.

It's just the right amount of sweet and savory bits, all in one bite!

Ants on a Log:
It's so simple!  All you need is celery, peanut butter, and raisins.  That's it!

 Aren't they cute? It's amazing, because if they were real ants I would freak-out!

Jumping up and down, screaming and wanting to light the house on fire kind of freak-out.

 So, let's try a more adult approach...there.

 Now, I'll dunk this...like an adult.

Nah...I like it better like this.

And I'm going to eat it in front of the TV watching cartoons too.

HA!