Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Phyllo Wraps

Yesterday, I was at the grocery, pondering what to make for dinner. Strolling through the freezer section, my eye caught a box of Spinach and Ricotta stuffed Phyllo wraps.

The picture looked very appetizing, and I was enticed. Then I saw the price, $8 for 6 wraps..."Hmmm, is that the best way to spend my money?" I thought. When I turned the box over, to ponder my choice a bit more, the list of ingredients were long and ugly.

When you are in a moment like this one, make things simple. When it comes to reading ingredients, follow this a rule of thumb; short list is best and you should be able to recognize EACH item as a food.

Corn Syrup Solids, Sulfates, Sodium Benzoate, and Propionic Acid are definitely words to stay away from. These are chemicals and preservatives that are harmful to your health. I put the box back where I found it, and walked myself over to the produce area. I bought an organic Spinach bunch, some Phyllo dough, and some Ricotta cheese. I still spent about $8, but got enough for dozens of wraps. But more importantly, peace of mind, knowing each ingredient that was going into my dinner was benefiting my health.

As it turns out, the wraps were fun and easy to make, and they were AMAZING!

Try it out for yourself at home.

You will need:

1 bunch of organic Spinach, steamed quickly, then cooled

1 small container of Ricotta cheese

1 roll of Phyllo Dough

1 Cage Free Egg

Pure, organic Butter, melted

Sea Salt and fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Set up a cookie sheet with a foil covering

In a large bowl, mix equal parts Spinach and Ricotta, stir in Egg,

Sea Salt and fresh ground Pepper

Unroll your Phyllo Dough, have your bowl of melted butter ready

Quickly cover your Dough with a damp cloth

As you are ready, carefully peel off a stack of 5 or so strips of dough at a time.

(Luckily I had my friend Veronica's help for this part, you want to move quickly, otherwise the dough will dry out and break to the point of unusable,so invite a friend over for dinner)

Dip your fingers in the melted butter, and spread it up and down the dough strip

Place a spoonful of the cheese at one corner of the dough strip

Then, fold it in the same manner you properly fold a flag

Wrap up your triangle, and seal it with more melted butter

Place each wrap on the cookie sheet, don't let them touch

Slide your sheet in the oven and let cook until golden brown

Let them cool, and enjoy!

We had ours with Wild Rice and Capressi Salad, delicious!

Spicy Summer-Garden Pasta Primavera

Summer is here and the garden is bursting! Squash, Eggplant and Basil were hand picked for this meal, although, even my Early Girl Tomatoes are not quite ready here in June. I got mine at Whole Foods, where I can find them Organic, maybe you have an organic Farmer's Market in your area.
Here is an easy way to use those veggies for tonight's dinner.

Spicy Summer-Garden Pasta Primavera

3-4 Squash of your choice sliced
2 Eggplants sliced
2 ripe Organic Tomatoes, chopped
1 Red Onion, chopped
1 Clove of Garlic, diced
1 splash of red wine
1/2 cup spicy roasted red peppers
(get them fresh at the Olive Bar in Whole Foods)
Small handful of Chili Pepper Flakes (for garnish)
1/4 cup water
Coat a large skillet with a quality Olive Oil, I use a local brand, which I will always encourage.
Add first the Onion, then the garlic, then the Squash, then Eggplant then the remaining ingredients. Watch your skillet and add each part after a few moments. You will be stirring occasionally. Once everything is added, cover over low heat for about 4 minuets. Then uncover and stir. You may add more wine/water if the sauce is too thick. If it is too thin, add some corn flour.
For the pasta I used a Spinach and Chive Linguine, but your favorite will work just fine.
Arrange on plate, top with Parmigiana(real, not the one in the green can,or any that have a bunch of ingredients known as preservatives. Get the mis-shappen block from the fine cheese area) and the Chili Pepper Flakes and MANGI!