Crockpot Red Beans and Rice

By: Co+op, welcome to the table

Recipe Information
Total Time: 7 hours,15 minutes; 15 minutes active
Servings: 4-6

Laissez les bons temps rouler! Mardi Gras is just around the corner, so you couldn’t ask for a better time to brush up on your cajun-style cuisine. In the mood to get creative? Swap collard greens in this recipe for organic chard - on sale right now at your Co-op for just $1.99 per bunch.

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried kidney beans

• 1/2 cup long grain brown rice

• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped

• 1 large carrot, chopped

• 1 bunch collard greens, chopped

• 5 cups water

• 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning

• 1 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. Heat a pot of water to boiling, add kidney beans and boil beans for ten minutes. Drain beans.

2. Combine 5 cups water, drained kidney beans, brown rice, bell pepper, carrot and Cajun seasoning in a slow cooker. Cover and set on low, and cook for 6 hours.

3. Open the cooker, add the salt and collard greens, and stir. Cover and cook for another hour.

4. When the beans are tender, serve or transfer to containers to refrigerate or freeze.

Serving Suggestion

Serve as a side dish to roasted chicken, or feature it as an entrée with a slice of cornbread.

Hearty Beef and Sausage Lasagna

By: Robin Asbell

Recipe Information
Total Time: 2 hours; 1 hour active
Servings: 12

So you’ve been building your skills in the kitchen, working on new recipes and developing your palate. It’s the perfect time to try a classic: old-fashioned lasagna with meat and tomato sauce. We suggest Alderspring organic, grass-fed ground beef for this recipe. It’s on sale now at a dollar off per pound at your Co-op’s Meat department!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• 1/2 pound Italian sausage, crumbled

• 1/2 pound ground beef

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 25 ounces tomato puree

• 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 2 pounds part-skim ricotta cheese

• 3 ounces (1 1/2 cups) grated Parmesan cheese, divided

• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

• 1 pound lasagna noodles, uncooked

• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400⁰F. Put on a large pot of salted water to boil for cooking the noodles.  Prepare a 9 x 13-inch baking pan by lightly oiling it. In a large pot, heat the olive oil and add the onions. Cook over medium high heat until softened and golden, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, sausage, beef and salt, and increase the heat to high, stirring to crumble and brown the meat. When the meat is cooked, add the tomato puree, diced tomatoes and oregano. Bring to a boil, stirring, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until thick, about 10 minutes.

2. Cook enough noodles to make four layers of pasta in the pan—either 12 or 16 noodles, depending on their size. Undercook the noodles by 3 minutes; they will finish cooking when the lasagna is baked.

3. Meanwhile in medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 1 cup Parmesan cheese and eggs. Mix well.

4. Spread 1 cup sauce over the bottom of the 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Arrange 3-4 lasagna noodles in single layer. Spread 2 cups of the ricotta cheese mixture over noodles; dollop on 1 1/2 cups of spaghetti sauce. Arrange more noodles in single layer; press lightly into sauce. Top with 2 cups ricotta mixture, and 1 1/2 cups sauce, then place remaining noodles on top, pressing to make the noodles level. Spoon the remaining 2 cups of ricotta mixture over the noodles, cover with noodles, then cover with the remaining sauce, making sure to cover all the pasta completely. Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan over the sauce.

5. Bake 45 minutes or until the cheese is browned and the sauce is bubbling.  Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Serving Suggestion

Serve this hearty lasagna with steamed broccoli and a green salad.