Food Vines and a Manicotti

Here are two food Vines for your enjoyment. I know not everyone is impressed by the wonderment that is Vine, but I sort of love it. I can watch a seven second video on a loop for a ridiculous amount of time. While much of it is full of cats, I'm going to try and fill it with more food. Seven seconds of dripping chocolate would be hypnotizing.

How much do you want that bubbly manicotti? The recipe is a mash-up of two recipes and my own additions. The bulk of it comes from Health Magazine (don't be mad) with cooking time in the oven hurried up by Giada De Laurentiis. I have a family that cooks some amazing Italian meals, please don't tell them (especially my grandma) that I used cottage cheese and kale in this, everyone would be ashamed of me. But this manicotti has only mild levels of guilt and plenty of deliciousness.

Ingredients

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided (I skipped this to be healthier and used more cottage cheese) 

1 (16-ounce) carton fat-free cottage cheese (I used 24 ounces)  

Huge bunch of kale, they used spinach, but I like kale much better 

1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese  

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano (I used Penzey's Tuscan Sunset) 

1/4 teaspoon salt  

1/4 teaspoon black pepper 

1 (8-ounce) package manicotti (14 shells)  

1 (26-ounce) jar fat-free tomato-basil pasta sauce 

Cooking spray  

1 cup water

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Combine cottage cheese, and the next 5 ingredients (through black pepper) in a medium bowl. Spoon about 3 tablespoons cheese mixture into each uncooked manicotti. I tried to use a piping bag to do this and it was a bit of a mess, but totally worth a try! 

Pour half of tomato-basil pasta sauce into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange your stuffed shells in a single layer over sauce, and top with the remaining sauce. Pour 1 cup water into dish. I had some of my favorite Trader Joe’s Toscano cheese in the refrigerator, so I put a nice blanket of that over the top. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Hurry up and get your phone so you can Vine the bubbles before they’re gone!

Now, I know we're nerdy, but here's a bonus one of my husband making pickles after a visit to the St. Paul Farmers Market last Saturday (don't mind the large vinegar splash).