Roasted Vegetable and Spinach Lasagna

I've only tried one other lasagna recipe and I don't remember it taking NEARLY as long to prepare.
This is delicious, but be warned: it takes almost 2 hours to prepare and another hour in the oven. It's definitely a good option to provide lunches/dinner for over a week (for one), but make sure you have your head in the game before you get started. I made this on a really lovely Sunday afternoon, and the whole time I was wishing I was outside.

Notes:
I just used mozzarella cheese instead of a mix, but only because I couldn't find the one called for - the mix sounds delicious though.
I don't really see any need to use frozen spinach, it was more annoying than anything - feel free to chop your own.
I did my layers: sauce, noodles, cheese mixture, veggies, sauce. I got confused. I only ended up using half of my noodles. Didn't matter in the end - do the layers however you want!

2 zucchinis, sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 red peppers, seeded and cut into thick slices (4-6 slices each pepper)
1 (375g, 13oz) package of uncooked oven ready lasagna noodles
2 cups of parmesan, mozzarella, and provolone cheese mix
1 medium onion, finely chopped
5-6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
16 oz mushrooms
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme
1 (156 mL, 5.5 fl oz) can of tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 (739mL) jar of roasted red pepper and garlic tomato sauce
475g ricotta cheese
2 300g packages of frozen chopped spinach, thawed with water rung out
2 eggs
Extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper


In a small bowl, mix the zucchini with a small amount of olive oil and salt and pepper. Place the zucchini and red pepper slices on a baking tray and bake at 450F for 25 minutes. Half way through, turn the zucchini and red peppers so that they are evenly cooked on both sides. Let cool, and roughly chop the zucchini and red peppers.

In a pan, saute the onions and garlic with some olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add the mushrooms, basil, oregano, and thyme and continue to saute until the mushrooms are cooked. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, paprika, zucchini, and red peppers and saute for another 10 minutes. Add some water if the mixture is too thick.

In a bowl, mix the ricotta, eggs, spinach, and a large handful of the cheese mixture. Layer the lasagna: coat the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish with the sauce mixture, place the lasagna noodles on top of the sauce until the dish is covered, spread a thin layer of the spinach mixture over top of the noodles, sprinkle the cheese mixture over top, and cover with a layer of the lasagna noodles. Add a layer of the tomato sauce mixture, sprinkle the cheese mixture over top, and cover with a layer of the lasagna noodles. Repeat until the baking dish is full and your ingredients used up. The last layer should be the tomato sauce with some cheese sprinkled over top.

Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 50 minutes at 350F. Remove foil about 10 minutes before done cooking. Let it sit for 8-10 minutes before serving.


Original recipe here 

Taco Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

My sister sent me a link to this recipe and a few others as part of a weekly dinner planning menu for 2 people/vegetarians. It has a bunch of good recipes, so I'd encourage you to check out the link below.

I am not one to cook every day after getting back from work (I probably cook only one weekday per week) so I just chose two of these to try. I also made the Risotto Primavera, which was interesting but didn't have much flavor. I had never made risotto before, and I'm glad I tried it, so now I know that it's a lot of effort! (Not difficult, but a lot of time standing over the stove.)

Anyway, this recipe was really easy and has a lot of my favorite foods. So, win-win!


2 flour tortillas
3 cups of romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup black beans
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
½ avocado, chopped

Vinaigrette Ingredients:
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
½ tsp salt
Pinch of pepper


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using an oven safe, glass bowl, place bowl upside down on a baking sheet. Use hands to mold flour tortilla to bowl and bake for 10 minutes or until tortilla is golden brown. Repeat with second tortilla (or use two bowls).

While tortillas are baking, whisk together lime juice, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper to form cilantro lime vinaigrette. Once tortillas are baked, fill shell with beans, corn, lettuce, tomatoes, pepper, cheese, avocado, and top with vinaigrette.


Original recipe here

Sugar Snap Pea & Cherry Tomato Pasta Salad

Unfortunately I didn't get a very good photo of this - I had to take this at work, on my desk! Sad face. Had to post this though, because it's totally delicious. I'll try to get a better photo next time. This is another pick from the Eating Well in Season cookbook.


1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk (or sour milk - add 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1/2 cup milk)
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2.5 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or however much you like!)
1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper
8 oz whole-wheat bowtie pasta
8 oz fresh sugar snap peas, trimmed
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes (I used orange), halved
4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced (I left these out)

I did all of these steps at about the same time, so start wherever!

Puree cottage cheese until smooth in a blender or mini food processor. Add buttermilk and oil; process until smooth. Stir in dill, parsley, Parmesan, lemon zest and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta in boiling water until just al dente, about 10 minutes. Add peas and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Drain and rinse under cold running water.

Toss pasta and peas with tomatoes and scallions, and toss with dressing just before serving.

Spinach Soup

This recipe is written to include making rosemary croutons...but, who has the time to do THAT?! It's from the cookbook "Eating Well in Season," and of course this is a Spring recipe. You might think spinach soup would be really brothy/watery, but the potatoes give this good thickness. I made this at Dave's place, without thinking, and did my first pureed soup in a regular blender. It's always scared me to do that; that's why I have an immersion blender and no regular blender! Good news: it's not nearly as scary as it sounds.


1 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 cups diced peeled red potatoes
4 cups reduced-sodium broth or water
6 cups fresh spinach, tough stems removed

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Pour in broth (or water). Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes. Stir in spinach and continue to simmer until tender, about 10 minutes more. Puree the soup with an immersion blender or regular blender, leaving it a little chunky if desired.