Skillet Lasagna

I tell you, I’ve had it with these “no-bake” lasagna noodles. This is the second time I have cooked with them, and they are just NOT more convenient! Both times they were undercooked and crunchy! Argh! Oh well. This recipe is good in theory. I would make it again, but using regular old lasagna noodles. I DID have problems with the tomato sauce as well. I had planned to use my trusty immersion blender, but once I started using it, tomatoes were flying all over my kitchen! So I decided to dump it all into the other attachment for my immersion blender, which is like a little Cuisinart thing. Turns out I put too much in there, and tomatoes were flying all over my kitchen again! So I had to dump some out and try it again, and they still came flying out, so I said to hell with it, and just dumped all the tomatoes back into the pot. A pureed sauce we will not have. Whatever. Besides the crunchy noodles, this was pretty tasty. This was served with garlic bread on the side.

rating: 7

Skillet Lasagna
(from the Aug./Sept. issue of Food Network magazine)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1.5 pounds ripe tomatoes, diced
4 tbsp chopped fresh basil and/or parsley, plus more for garnish (I used dried parsley)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 large egg
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
6 sheets no-bake lasagna noodles
1 carrots, peeled into ribbons
3.5 cups baby spinach
1/3 pounds mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

1. Heat the 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic; cook until golden, 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, 1 tbsp herbs, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper to taste; cook until saucy, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender and puree. Return 1 cup of the sauce to the skillet and reduce the heat to low; reserve the remaining sauce.
2. Meanwhile, mix the ricotta, egg, Parmesan, the remaining 3 tbsp herbs, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper to taste in a bowl.
3. Place 2 lasagna noodles over the sauce in the skillet. Layer half of the carrot and zucchini on top; drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover with half of the spinach, half of the ricotta mixture, a few pieces of mozzarella and 2-3 tbsp of the reserved tomato sauce. Repeat the layers, ending with the noodles. Top with the remaining sauce and mozzarella. Cover and simmer until the lasagna is cooked and the cheese melts, 20-25 minutes.
4. Let rest for a few minutes before slicing. Garnish with more Parmesan and fresh herbs.

Fresh Mozzarella BLT with Pesto

I needed kind of a quick meal tonight, since Toby has a soccer game at 7:30. This one takes no time to make, and is GREAT! Toby would have eaten a whole other sandwich if he didn’t have to be active so soon! I used Morningstar Farms fake bacon in place of the real thing, and then some greenleaf lettuce instead of the romaine (just what I happened to have in the fridge). I think the “bacon” and the pesto-mayo make it. Oh, and get a really good bread. The bread I got was a little too big for a sandwich, but it was good and messy! With these sandwiches I just served some good potato chips (you know, the expensive kind!).

rating: 9

Fresh Mozzarella BLT with Pesto
(from the Aug./Sept. 2009 issue of Food Network Magazine)

1 4″ [piece baguette
2 slices low-sodium applewood-smoked bacon (I used Morningstar Farms fake bacon)
1.5 tsp store-bought pesto
1.5 tsp low-fat mayonnaise
1 spear romaine lettuce (I used green leaf)
2 thick slices heirloom tomato
1 thick slice fresh mozzarella
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Slice the baguette open, leaving one side attached to form a hinge. Cook the bacon in  a skillet until crispy; drain on paper towels.
2. Combine the pesto with the mayonnaise and smear on the bottom part of the bread. Layer the romaine on the bread, then the tomato, bacon and mozzarella. Season with salt and pepper; close the sandwich.

Makes 1 sandwich

“Chicken” Parmigiana & Pasta

Here’s another recipe that I saw and thought, you know, I could totally make that vegetarian. And I did! For the chicken I used Quorn Garlic & Herb Chik’n Cutlets. You just bake them in the oven for about 20 minutes. After I did that, I topped them with some sliced fresh mozzarella and put them back in the oven so that could melt some. Mmmmm. For the tomato sauce, I put the olive oil in the pan and added the garlic, then the wine, tomatoes, and parsley (I used dried). I put the cooked pasta into the sauce and mixed it all up, then served that alongside the “chicken” cutlet with cheese. Good stuff! I couldn’t believe how tasty that tomato sauce was, since it was so simple! With this we enjoyed a salad. Toby said “this was a good meal all around.”

rating: 9

“Chicken” Parmigiana & Pasta
(from the latest issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray)

8 ounces whole wheat penne pasta
4 5-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I used Quorn)
salt and pepper
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup dry red wine
1 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (I used dried)

1. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente, 8-10 minutes; drain.
2. Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until browned, about 8 minutes; transfer to a plate.
3. In the same skillet, cook the garlic over medium heat until golden, about 1 minute. Add the wine, bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes and simmer until thickened, 8-10 minutes. Return the chicken and any juices to the skillet, turning to coat. Top each piece of chicken with some of the mozzarella and 1 tsp Parmesan, cover and cook until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes; transfer to a platter.
4. Add the pasta and parsley to the skillet, toss and season with salt. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and serve alongside the chicken.

Crash Hot Potatoes

My mom sent me this blog, and this was the first recipe I saw. It looked pretty fool-proof, so I tried it tonight. At first, when I was smashing the potatoes onto the cookie sheet, I thought, “this isn’t working”. The potatoes would stick to my masher and they just didn’t look as “pretty” smashed as in the pictures. BUT. Let me tell you. These are wonderful! I kept telling Toby, “oh my god, these are SO good! Don’t you like them??!” And he would say,  yeah, they’re good, and then he would go back to eating his corn! So I guess he wasn’t as awe-struck by them as I was. But the whole meal, as Toby was yapping away about something, I was just thinking, wow, only 5 ingredients (potato, olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary) and I have created the most perfect food ever. We enjoyed these with a (faux) meatball sub and grilled corn on the cob.

rating: 10

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/06/crash-hot-potatoes/

Zucchini & Feta Pasta

This recipe is from my mother-in-law. She has made versions of this every time she comes to visit. What’s funny is, Toby doesn’t like zucchini and he likes this. What up with that?! So, I had two leftover zucchini in the fridge (I was going to make faux crab cakes last week but didn’t), so I thought I would give this a try. This is really quick and really good. It’s one of those recipes that you can kind of make with whatever veggies you have in your fridge. I should have thrown some tomatoes in here too (a gift from a neighbor), but didn’t. I didn’t write down the measurements, but just use however much you want to use. With this we enjoyed the leftover French bread from the night before, and a green salad.

rating: 9

Zucchini & Feta Pasta
(from my mother-in-law)

2 zucchini, sliced into small pieces
olive oil
garlic, minced
parsley
oregano
egg noodles
veggie broth
feta

1. Heat up olive oil in pan. Add garlic and parsley. Add zucchini, and saute until brown. Add oregano.
2. If you want to make zucchini a little more tender, add veggie broth and saute until broth is gone. Set aside.
3. Prepare egg noodles according to package. Once noodles are done, drain, and add back to pot.
4. Combine noodles and zucchini together, and add feta cheese to taste.

Golden Tomato Soup

I have never really cooked with yellow tomatoes before, so I thought I would try them in this recipe. They didn’t really taste any different to me, but they sure make a pretty soup! Once again my handy-dandy immersion blender came into use. The recipe confused me a little- I was not exactly sure what to do with half of the tomatoes, so I just threw them all in the pot. Also, I added the cream directly into the soup at the end, instead of whipping it up and basically using it as a garnish. This was really good and light (even with the cream!). We didn’t have too much left over! I served this with a green salad and a warmed-up baguette. Perfect for the rainy day we had.

rating: 8

Golden Tomato Soup
(not sure what magazine this is from)

2.5 lbs. yellow tomatoes, cored and quartered
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 cups chicken broth (I used vegetarian chicken broth)
1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
salt
3/4 cup heavy cream, chilled
1 tsp coarsely ground pepper

1. Place a fine strainer over a bowl and seed the tomatoes into the strainer. Scrape the seeds against the strainer, extracting as much liquid as possible; discard the seeds. Chop the remaining tomato flesh; add half of the chopped tomato to the tomato liquid.
2. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining chopped tomato and the brown sugar; cook, stirring, until the tomatoes break down, 10 minutes. Add the chicken broth and 2 cups water. Whisk in the breadcrumbs and simmer for 5 minutes; season with salt.
3. Using a food processor, and working in batches, puree the soup. For cold soup, refrigerate until chilled.
4. In a bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Fold in the pepper. Dollop on top of the soup.

Grilled Veggies

We don’t grill out that often. Maybe 2 times a year. We found this little grilling pan at Wegman’s and thought that maybe we could give grilling more attention. Last night we used it for the first time. All you do is spray some cooking spray on it, then just put whatever you are going to grill right in the pan. We chose to grill some corn on the cob, several crimini mushrooms, asparagus, and some zucchini. I googled how to grill vegetables, and it said to soak the corn on the cob in water for an hour prior to grilling, so I did that. Also, I bought some Basting Oil at Wegman’s, and brushed all the vegetables with that before grilling. Oh my word, people. This basting oil is wonderful! I had read that it was really good and was the one thing you should buy at Wegman’s, and that is so true. Toby tasted the corn when it was ready, and he said that it was the best corn he had ever had. He rated his favorites as the corn, the mushrooms, the asparagus (it was too crunchy for him), and then the zucchini. I thought it was all good. We also had some Morningstar Farms Chicken Tenders. We will definitely do this again.

http://www.ehow.com/how_989_grill-vegetables.html

Whole Grain Thin Spaghetti Caprese

Fresh mozzarella is in the top five of my favorite foods list, that’s for sure. I saw this recipe while flipping through a magazine and decided to try it. Hey, I love a good Caprese salad, so why not this? Recipes don’t get much simpler, and this one was very tasty. One thing though, I couldn’t figure out what to do with the olive oil. I just threw it into the tomato mixture. This was very flavorful, and Toby said it was “nice and light-tasting”. Good stuff. I forgot to add in the basil, and I hate mint, so I left that out, too. We enjoyed this with a salad and some garlic bread. Mmmmm.

rating: 8.5

Whole Grain Thin Spaghetti Caprese
(from a Barilla ad in a magazine)

1 garlic clove
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 lbs. heirloom tomatoes, assorted colors and sizes
12 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (I omitted)
1.4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (I omitted)
1 13.5 oz. package whole grain thin spaghetti

1. Crush and chop the garlic with 2 tsp salt and the red pepper flakes. Cut the tomatoes into 1-2″ pieces. If small, simply halve or quarter. Toss the tomatoes with the seasoned garlic, mozzarella and herbs. (This can be prepared up to 2 hours ahead).
2. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain and toss with the tomato mixture. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Seitan with Lemon Caper Sauce

I get Gwyneth Paltrow’s email newsletter called Goop. I like it. It’s full of recipes, fashion tips, tips on parenting, etc. I saved this recipe, and I am glad I did! Seitan basically is wheat gluten. This recipe calls for 1/2″ wide medallions, but the seitan that I found (at Wegman’s) came in little chunks. It still turned out great. The only white wine I had was Sangria, so I just omitted it. It still turned out great. If you can find seitan, try it! With this we enjoyed a baked potato, some jazzed-up green beans, and some rolls. Delish!

rating: 9

Seitan with Lemon Caper Sauce

(from www.Goop.com)

*  8 ounces seitan
* ½ cup flour, plus 1 teaspoon
* 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
* 2 pinches salt
* 4 tablespoons olive oil
* ½ scallion or 2 garlic cloves
* 1 onion, sliced thin
* 2 lemons, juiced
* 2 tablespoons capers, drained
* 1/3 – ½ cup white wine (I omitted)
* 1/3 – ½ cup water or light vegetable broth (I used veggie broth)
* salt and pepper

Slice the seitan into ½” wide medallions. Fill a covered dish or a baggie with flour, breadcrumbs and salt. Shake the seitan around. Sprinkle off the excess flour mixture as you put them in a pan with two tablespoons of the olive oil and garlic. Fry till golden. Set on a plate and cover to keep warm.

Add the onion, garlic and two more tablespoons of olive oil to the pan you just used to cook the seitan. When the onions soften, add the lemon juice, capers, white wine and broth. Add the liquids slowly and reserve a little in case you need to add more. Cook for a few minutes and then thicken with a teaspoon or so of flour.

Top the seitan with the lemon caper sauce and serve with a grain and a vegetable for a complete meal.

Open-Face Pesto-Chicken Burgers

I saw this recipe and thought that this would be a nice change on the typical “Chicken” sandwich that I usually make. I normally use the Quorn patties (which are breaded), and just have mayo and tomato slices on a white bun. For this recipe, I used a new product to us, the Morningstar Farms Grillers Chik-n. I mixed up the pesto mix as the recipe says, and then just kind of spread a dollop on each side of the “chicken” patty as I fried it in a pan. It turned out kind of neat this way- the pesto actually stayed on the patty and got a little crusty! I halved the ciabatta and sprayed a little olive oil cooking spray on them, then put them in the oven with my tater tots. They got warm and a little brown. Then when the patties were done, I put them on the bread and put the mozzarella on top until it melted. These were really good! I made mine into a regular sandwich instead of open-face, so it be a little too big for some. I did find, though, that the Grillers were a little too salty for me. Toby really liked his. But, I swear, fresh mozzarella and some pesto would be good on just about anything. I served these sandwiches with some tater tots.

rating: 8

Open-Face Pesto-Chicken Burgers
(from the latest issue of Better Homes & Gardens magazine)

1 lb. uncooked ground chicken or ground turkey (I used Morningstar Farms
Grillers Chik-n)
4 tbsp basil pesto
1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp kosher salt or salt
2 3″ slices ciabatta or four 3/4″ rustic Italian bread
2 tbsp olive oil
4 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
2 cups fresh basil leaves, arugula, or spring garden mix (I omitted)
8 small tomato slices
ground black pepper

1. In bowl combine chicken, half the pesto, the Parmesan cheese, garlic, and salt. Shape in four 1/2″-thick oval patties (to fit bread).
2. Horizontally halve ciabatta. Brush cut sides of ciabatta or both sides of Italian bread with olive oil; set aside.
3. For charcoal grill, place patties on greased rack directly over medium coals. Grill, uncovered, 10-13 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (165 degrees F), turning once halfway through grilling. Top each patty with mozzarella cheese. cover grill; grill 1-2 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Add bread to grill rack; grill 1-2 minutes each side or until toasted. (For gas grill, preheat grill, Reduce heat to medium. Place patties on grill rack over heat. Cover; grill as above.)
4. Arrange basil or green on toasted bread. Top with chicken patties, tomato slices, and remaining pesto. Sprinkle coarsely ground black pepper.