Chicken, Spinach and Quinoa Lasagna

I like that I can hide behind my blog and you have no idea what a fruitcake I am at times. Hyperbole?  Love it.  Absolutely and obviously ridiculous thoughts and comments? Yep, those too. The very smell of rubbing alcohol and overall aroma of a medical office ?  Forget about it.  I sit there looking as calm as can be all the while fighting inclinations to run screaming out of the room in a full panic.   I almost told the  nurse after my first shot that I was pretty sure I could actually feel all of the toxins spreading through my system and killing me.   But alas, I sat quietly for the entire round of shots because while I'm half mental freakazoid, I'm also half awesome.  

Yep, I am fully immunized for an upcoming trip to Cambodia and Thailand with one of my very favorite organizations --LightBridge International.    This trip opportunity came up quickly and it feels like a bit of a scramble to get everything ready and in place in such a short time.  We'll be heading to Minefield Village in Cambodia first to spend time with families living in areas once filled with land mines  from the Khmer Rouge regime.  We are then heading over to the Burmese Refuge Camp on the Thai-Burmese border and after that, visiting with the kids (and my sponsor boys) in Chiang Mai.  It's a crazy packed two weeks and I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful opportunity. 

I do not feel so blessed to have been stuck multiple times with killer bacteria today.  

Brooklyn says "suck it down drama queen--I get them every year".

Lasagna is great comfort food after an afternoon spent as a pincushion.   I can't actually remember the last time I made lasagna. Shocking right?  Lasagna is really one of those foods that should be made often. 

I've had some success and a lot more failures when it comes to making homemade pasta but I am determined to master it.  I read an article that the extra gluten in bread flour helps the pasta stick together better and after trying bread flour, I'm a convert. The pasta made with bread flour holds together nicely while running through the pasta roller. 

And of course the quinoa--it's pretty phenomenal in lasagna.  With the quinoa, you can get away with fewer layers of lasagna noodles and the quinoa makes a nice hearty lasagna.

Lasagna is a little bit of work to throw together but you can make a couple at the same time and freeze the extras (unbaked) in the freezer for a little lasagna love anytime you feel like it. 

Chicken, Spinach and Quinoa Lasagna

Pasta Ingredients

2 cups bread flour

1 tsp salt

3 eggs

1 tbsp olive oil

1 10 oz frozen package spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove excess water

3 cups ricotta

2 eggs

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp garlic powder

1 cup grated parmesan

8 oz mozzarella (sliced or shredded)

1 lb ground chicken

2 tsp minced garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

24 oz  favorite tomato pasta sauce

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup red wine

Directions:

1. Add all pasta ingredients to Kitchenaid mixer with dough hook attachment.  Turn power to 2 and mix for 6-7 minutes or until dough is smooth and indent pressed into dough bounces back.  Cover and let rest 30 minutes.
2. While dough is resting prepare the chicken ragu.  Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium.  Add chicken and garlic and cook through. Add tomato sauce, balsamic vinegar and red wine to the chicken and simmer over medium low heat while pasta dough is resting. 
3. Flour a working mat and place dough on mat.  Sprinkle flour on top and roll out to 1/4 inch thickness.  Switch to pasta roller and roll dough through until desired thickness.  I used # 8 for my final thickness.
4. Add ricotta, spinach, eggs, quinoa, salt, pepper, basil, garlic powder and parmesan to large bowl and mix thoroughly. 
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
6. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce in a baking dish in an even layer(will make enough for 9x13--I split into two smaller pans). 
7. Cut lasagna noodles to correct size and layer over sauce.  Spread spinach quinoa mixture evenly over noodles, cover with another layer of ragu and a layer of mozzarella.  Repeat 1-2 more times ending with a  topping of mozzarella. 
8. Bake for 30 minutes.  Let rest for 5 minutes before cutting.