Amaranth Casserole

I had some amaranth in my cabinets but didn't know what to do with it. I bought it about six months ago and cooked it once, but I didn't know what to expect - it cooks up a bit like polenta. So, feeling creative, I thought I'd attempt a layered casserole. I based a lot of the recipe on one for lasagna that I found at the Fat Free Vegan website. My recipe is pretty tasty (I think the soy sausage makes it), but made a mess out of my kitchen because I had to use so many pots, pans and bowls.

Amaranth Casserole
Layer #1
3 cups water
1 cup amaranth
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

Bring water to a boil. Add all other Layer #1 ingredients. Cover; lower heat to medium low. Cook for 30 minutes. Stir thoroughly when done.

Layer #2
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lb. fresh sliced mushrooms
4 soy breakfast sausage links, sliced thin
1 jar pasta sauce
1 can sliced black olives, drained

Cook oil, mushrooms and soy sausage in frying pan. When mushrooms are beginning to soften, add pasta sauce and olives. Warm through.

Layer #3
10 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 lb. firm tofu, drained
2 tbsp. plain soymilk
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Mash all Layer #3 ingredients together.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray and layer ingredients as follows: 1/3 of Layer #1, 1/2 of Layer #2, 1/2 of Layer #3. Repeat once again, then top with remaining 1/3 of Layer #1. Cover casserole dish with foil, bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil; bake an additional 15 minutes.

Mean Greens

For dinner last night, I had leftovers - sauteed spinach and mushrooms wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla and leftover roasted cauliflower and carrots. I love spinach, but it's probably the only green I eat and not really that often. Essentially, if its leafy-greens-in-a-bag (spinach, iceburg, romaine), I'll buy it every once in a while. Then it usually goes bad before I get it all eaten. I know that kale is a super-green I should be eating, but I don't like it. I've tried it twice (once steamed, once sauteed), and it was just too bitter for my tastes.

When I step back and try to evaluate my veggie intake, it centers on the red/orange spokes of the color wheel - pumpkin, squash (winter and summer varieties), tomatoes, red bell peppers. For green, I'll defrost some frozen broccoli or green beans. But no matter how good it is for me, leafy greens are few and far between on my plate.