New Lenten Dish

After stuffing my face with desserts on Fat Tuesday (hello sprinkles cupcakes and Frozen Yogurt piled high with toppings) - Ash Wednesday was here! I love lent as it prepares us to better understand and appreciate the sacrifice that was made for us on Good Friday.

With that being said - Fridays can be problematic for the Mueller Household. We abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent as a reminder of Jesus's sacrifice and fasting. This is not a major problem for most families as they have fish fry's and seafood...however...I DO NOT eat seafood of ANY kind. This leaves us with cheese and peanut butter as our main source of protein on Fridays. Doug gets pretty tired of cheese pizza and cheese ravioli for dinner on Fridays. Luckily - my friend Mindy made our book club this AWESOME lasagna that just so happens to be vegetarian! YIPPEE! I made it for us last night for dinner and in Doug's words "it wasn't bad". This is major for him as he considers any meal without meat as a total failure - see Europe blog about Doug's meal requirements...

I thought I'd post the recipe as I know there are quite a few Catholics and others who abstain from meat during lent, so I thought it'd come in handy. It is SUPER YUMMY and very easy! Thanks Mindy!!!

Spinach and Black Bean Lasagna

A

2 Large Eggs

1 (15oz) Ricotta Cheese

1 (10oz) package frozen chopped spinach (cooked)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese

B

2 (16oz) cans black beans (rinse, drained and mashed)

1 Large can Hunt's Tomato Sauce

1/2 tsp cumin

I package NO bake lasagna noodles (no need to cook them before you use them)

2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese

2 cups Shredded Mexican Style Cheese

Mix A in a medium bowl. Mix B in a large bowl. In a 13X9 baking pan (sprayed with cooking spray) layer the following....

1/3 B

Noodles

1/2 A

1 Cup Mexican Cheese

Noodles

1/3 B

1/2 A

1 Cup Monterrey Jack Cheese

Noodles

1/3 B

Cook for 1 hour covered with foil at 350. After 1 hour, remove foil and sprinkle 1 cup of Mexican Cheese on top. Bake for 5 more minutes until cheese is melted. Serves 8-10 people.