Name: Savory Rice Cheese Cake Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 62 min
Total time: 72 min
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons cornmeal; 1 1/2 cups brown rice; 3 cups water; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 4 cups fresh spinach (stems removed); 3 eggs; 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar; 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 2 teaspoons olive oil; 1 medium onion (finely chopped); 2 cloves garlic (minced); 2 roasted red peppers (4 halves, chopped); 6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese (drained and chopped); 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese; 1/4 cup minced Italian parsley

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This vegetarian savory rice & cheese cake recipe is a great option for Meatless Monday. It's loaded with spinach, roasted red peppers and gooey mozzarella cheese.

I've discovered that winter running pants are not terribly forgiving. It appears that mixing spandex with holiday eating is a very misled notion. It's kind of like drinking while dating. It sounds like a good idea at the time, but it never ends well. That's one of the benefits of running at 5:30 in the morning. It's so dark that no one can witness my spandex offenses.

After a holiday weekend of some serious eating, I'm feeling the need to consume nothing but salads and light soups for the rest of my life. Well, at least for the next week. Let's not get crazy here. And it's mandatory that I review my tried and true Healthy Eating Tips & Tricks for the Holidays to keep my jeans happy.

This vegetarian entree is high in fiber (filling!) from brown rice and rich in flavor from roasted red peppers, balsamic vinegar and spinach. Diced pieces of fresh mozzarella produce pockets of gooey, melted goodness. The beauty of this dish is that you can make the brown rice ahead of time, then mix it with the other ingredients before pouring the mixture into a springform pan.

The recipe:

In a medium saucepan, combine brown rice, water and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Cook according to package directions. Fluff with a fork.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare an 8-inch springform pan by coating it with cooking spray and sprinkling the cornmeal on the bottom and along the sides.

Rinse the spinach leaves under water and put the wet leaves in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Cover and let the spinach leaves wilt, about 2 minutes. Drain, but don't squeeze out the extra water.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the wilted spinach, nutmeg, salt and pepper, and stir to combine.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and tender. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.

Add the rice to the onions. Stir in the roasted red peppers, mozzarella, Parmesan cheese and parsley, along with the spinach and egg mixture.

Transfer the rice mixture to the prepared pan and level the top with a spatula.

Bake until the "cake" is set and golden brown on top, 35 to 40 minutes. Let it sit in the pan for 10 minutes.

Invert the pan onto a large plate and carefully remove springform pan ring and bottom. Cut into wedges and serve.

Other entrees for Meatless Monday:

Cookin' Canuck's Southwestern Breakfast Quesadilla with Eggs, Black Beans & Salsa
Cookin' Canuck's Quinoa Salad with Apple, Chickpeas, Toasted Almonds & Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Cookin' Canuck's Healthy Mushroom, Orzo & Swiss Chard Soup
Aggie's Kitchen's Two-Bean Vegetarian Mexican Lasagna
Kalyn's Kitchen's Vegan Farro & Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Tahini-Sumac Vinaigrette

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