Lasagna Toss with Spinach and Ricotta

There is no better comfort food than lasagna- but it can take quite some time to create! So toss in some noodles with all the fixings- and here you have our lasagna toss! 

Ingredients

1 package of lasagna noodles                       1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 package of frozen chopped spinach          2 garlic cloves, crushed with press

1 cup ricotta cheese                                      roma tomatoes 

1 tbsp. olive oil                                             Spices: salt, ground pepper

Grated parmesan cheese                               basil leaves

Process   

In pot, cook lasagna noodles, extending cooking time to 12-14 minutes. 

In skillet, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until tender for about 10 minutes. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, salt, pepper, breaking up tomatoes with the side of the spoon- heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, for about 8 minutes. Add frozen spinach and cook until spinach is tender, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in basil.

Drain noodles and return to pot. Add the tomato mixture and parmesan, toss well. 

Spoon into bowls- add ricotta cheese and extra parmesan. 

Eat. Share. Enjoy. 

Red Curry and Noodles

The kitchen was on fire last night! Not literally- but the curry sure did come out hot and spicy. It was a flavorful and savory delight that I am excited to share. 

Ingredients

Asian noodles 
sliced peppers: green, red, yellow
sliced onion
2 large tomatoes, sliced

Spices: curry powder, garlic, turmeric, sea salt, cumin

Thai Kitchen: Roasted Red Chili Paste (omit if you do not like it spicy, or use sparingly)

Process

This is what I call a two-dish meal, which means you will need to cook two separate dishes at the same time: noodles and vegetable curry. The first step is to get the water boiling for the noodles and heat up a frying pan with a small amount of oil for the vegetables. Slice the vegetables while waiting. 

Once the frying pan is hot, put in multi-colored pepper and onion slices. Saute the veggies but be cautious to not over-flip or stir so the fruit becomes mushy. After about 4-5 minutes, turn heat down and begin to spice. So this is where every kitchen is different, so flavor this to your own tastes. If you like it spicy, add 2 small spoonfuls of red chili paste. Then ample garlic, turmeric, and curry powder. Just a little sea salt and some cumin (let the smell guide you) and you are ready to add in your tomatoes. This should only cook for a minute or two longer once the tomatoes are in the pan- and keep on low heat. Again, in a buddhist kitchen you use what you have, and so I added some left-over barbecued Gardein Chick'n to the pan right after I put in the tomatoes. I was unsure of how the two distinct flavors would mesh, but the barbecue sauce blended quite nicely with the red curry. 

Don't forget to add the noodles to the boiling water- and add some sea salt and curry right to the water. Follow the directions on the package- asian noodles usually only cook for 4-5 minutes. Once cooked, drain and serve noodles on plates.

Serve the vegetable curry on top of a bed of noodles. Drizzle with soy sauce and top with cilantro leaves. This recipe makes plenty for a large table or left-overs for lunches the next day. As it is spicy, I whipped up some simple chocolate pudding for dessert. I love to make curry and would love to hear any variations you try in your own kitchen.

Enjoy the zen moment in your kitchen!

Quick Weeknight Meal: Gardein Chick'n

There are so many meatless products out there- it can be overwhelming trying to decide which brand to buy. On the other hand, there is not enough of a variety to keep those weeknight meals interesting- just how many chick'n patties can one eat?!

Here is one variety and many more on the way!

Gardein Mandarin Orange Crispy Chick'n is available in the frozen aisle of most grocery stores (we buy ours at Market Basket DeMoulas). This pack comes with an orange sauce that I have never used. I did cook the chicken once with orange juice- and it was pretty tasty.

The best thing about this product is it is fast! and cheap- less than $4 a pack! It is also about 250 calories a serving- not including any sauces. Heat a frying pan with a little oil- then add the chick'n. The trick is to over-cook the chick'n so it is really crispy- but be careful because it will burn easily! It's not real chicken- there are no juices or fat to burn through. Keep at it with a spatula and it takes about 8 minutes or so.

Variations:

*Cook with broccoli and add teriyaki sauce. Serve with steamed white or Jasmine rice.

* Break away from the Asian flavor and cook with barbecue sauce- we LOVE Sweet Baby Ray's.
Add just a touch of liquid smoke while cooking for some extra flavor! Serve with new potatoes cooked with a little butter, garlic, dill, salt, parsley, and cilantro. Top chick'n with cilantro for an extra kick!

So here is the beginning of my 'Quick Weeknight Meals' series- sharing from my own experiences in the meatless food products world- when life moves too quickly to prepare everything the way you'd like it! Please comment and share your ideas and experiences too! This is a journey that us vegetarians are on together!

Penne Pasta with Mozzarella Tomato sauce

Ingredients

2 pints cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 package penne pasta 
12 ounces of mozzarella or bocconcini (cut in half)
Fresh spices: parsley, basil, dill (leaves chopped)
1 garlic clove, crushed with garlic press
about 1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

Process

Make sauce in bowl- stir in everything but cheese and pasta. Mix well. Let tomatoes stand for 1-4 hours for optimum flavor. 

Cook pasta as directed on package Drain. 

Add past to tomato mixture and toss well with the mozzarella. 

Serve. Eat. Enjoy. 



*Another bonus to this pasta is it also tastes great cold- so leftovers are a fantastic lunch for the next day, or a side dish for tomorrow's dinner!

Mini BLT's: Vegetarian Style!

It is time to enjoy the flavor of bacon without the meat! In listing the ingredients below, I include my personal preference for specific brands or varieties. In my kitchen, we are looking for ways to cut calories without cutting flavor, and keep costs minimal. 

Ingredients

pint of grape tomatoes 
1/4 c. mayo (made with canola)
1/4 c. vegetable cream cheese (1/3 less fat- Philadelphia)
          chives, diced
          Bacon-flavored pieces (McCormick)
Spices: heavy on garlic and dill, light on cilantro (gives it a kick), salt, pepper, parsley
 (recommend Himalayan Pink Sea Salt- freshly ground)

Process


Cut grape tomatoes length-wise in half and scoop out the middle of each piece. This will leave you with two "canoes" from each tomato. Place tomato face down on a paper towel to drain additional juices.

Meanwhile, mix other ingredients together- creating the filling. I do not measure my spices as I make this, I look at the color and smell. I like to see a lot of green on top before I mix it all together. 

Once the mix is finished, stand up the tomato "canoe" and scoop the mix into the tomato. As I was eating this deliciousness, I decided the next time I make this I will try something crunchy to top it with- such as a bagel chip or croutons. 

This platter was devoured in less than five minutes after placing it on the table.

Egg Noodles and Cabbage

This is a fantastic, inexpensive comfort food that makes plenty for leftovers and sneaks in the greens (green=healthy).

Ingredients

1 package egg noodles                        Spices: salt, black pepper, thyme,
1 tbsp. butter                                                   parsley, dill, garlic
1 tbsp. olive oil                                    Grated parmesan cheese
1 thinly sliced onion
1 thinly sliced head of cabbage (savoy)
1 package of frozen peas
1 cup vegetable broth
         
Process                 

Simple.
Cook the egg noodles as directed on package.

Heat butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until melted. Add onion and stir occasionally until onion is tender and golden (about 20 minutes). Turn heat up to medium-high and add cabbage, salt, pepper and spices. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender-crisp and golden. Stir in frozen peas and broth and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Drain noodles and add cabbage mixture and parmesan cheese- toss well. Serve and enjoy!

Pizza: Banana Curry

This is a completely different way to make a pizza! The banana curry pizza is a traditional dish in Sweden. So we tried it- and it is delicious! I cannot wait to share this recipe with others!

Here is my tried-and-true pizza dough recipe:

Combine all ingredients in bowl with heavy spoon.     Ingredients:

Mix firmly until a soft, sticky dough ball forms.          2-3 c. all-purpose flour

Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead          1 pkg. active dry yeast

using flour for 6-8 minutes until dough is smooth       1 c. warm water

and elastic. Cover, let rest for 10 minutes.                   1/4 tsp. salt

Roll out dough to size and place on greased                2 tbsp. oil
baking sheet. Bake 425 degrees for 10 minutes 
or until brown.

Directions for Banana Curry Pizza: 

Take out hot dough and spread sauce. Cut bananas into thin slices and place evenly on pie. Sprinkle curry powder over pizza- be generous and let your smell guide you. Grate smoked cheese and mozzarella cheese. Distribution should be 20% smoked cheese and 80% mozzarella. If you use too much smoked cheese, the flavor gets too overpowering. Place pizza in oven and bake at 425 for 10 minutes or until bubbly.

The traditional Swedish pizza includes smoked ham and a non-smoked cheese. Being vegetarian, this was a substitute, with the smoked cheese providing the smokey flavor.

Cookies: Chinese Five-Spice

Ingredients:

Sugar cookie recipe, or pre-packaged mix

3 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder

½ c. butter softened

1 egg

 ½ c.  sliced almonds

Process:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In bowl, combine sugar cookie recipe and five-spice powder until blended. Stir in egg and butter until soft dough forms. Fold in almonds.

Roll dough into balls and place on cookie sheet.

Bake 10-12 minutes until edges just turn brown.

It is a Chinese tradition to create the cookie as a thumbprint cookie with an almond in the center.

Chinese five-spice is a mix of 5 ground spices used in traditional Chinese cooking: cinnamon, clove, fennel seed, star anise, and Szechuan peppercorns.