Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

This is WONDERFUL! 

(picture to come in the future)

1 large eggplant, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds

1/2 pound medium fresh mushrooms, cut

2 zucchini, cut into rounds

1 red pepper

1 green pepper (cut peppers lengthwise into strips)

3  tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper plus some

1 (15 ounce) ricotta cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1egg

approx. 35 oz meatless spaghetti sauce

12 no-boil lasagna noodles

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

basil

1. Coat two 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pans with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Place eggplant and mushrooms in a bowl toss with 1.5 TBS olive oil and 1 clove garlic.  Then place eggplant and mushrooms on a prepared pan.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Place peppers and zucchnini in a bowl toss with 1.5 TBS olive oil and 1 clove garlic.  Then place peppers and zuchini on a prepared pan.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper
4. Bake, both pans uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes. Turn vegetables over. Bake 15 minutes longer. Remove eggplant and mushrooms. Bake zucchini and  peppers 5-10 minutes longer or until edges are browned.
5. In a bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese and egg.
6. Spread about 1/4 cup pasta sauce in a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray.
7. Layer with 3 or 4 lasagna noodles, half of ricotta cheese mixture, half of vegetables, a third of pasta sauce and 2/3 cup mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with of basil and more pepper.
8.  Repeat layers.
9. Top with the remaining noodles and pasta sauce.
10. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes.
11. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until edges are bubbly and cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Sweet Potato Fries

We love sweet potato fries!  You can't mess them up!  They are delicious!  They are easy!

Wash and cut up sweet potatoes.  Toss sweet potatoes in a bowl with a couple tablespoons olive oil and your choice of seasonings.  Jeremy is the sweet potato fry maker at our house.  He uses: cumin, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, garlic salt and pepper.  Spread fries out on a pan covered in foil.  Broil on low or hi (keep an eye on them) 10 - 15 minutes.  Flip/stir then cook 10 - 15 minutes longer.  Enjoy!

Swiss Chard and Spinach Pasta Bake

This week we had a huge bag of spinach and swiss chard from our CSA.  I found a recipe that called for spinach and pasta; I added swiss chard.  This was pretty decent.  We ate it as the main course; I think it would be better as a side dish.

• 8 ounces pasta
• 8 - 10 oz baby spinach
• 1-2 bunches swiss chard
• 3 Tbs butter
• 3 Tbs flour
• 1 1/2 cup low fat milk
• 14 tsp dried basil leaf
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups shredded mozerella
• 1 piece of break torn into bread crumbs
• 2 Tbs melted butter

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a 8 in square baking dish.  Cook pasta and drain.  Meanwhile in a large saucepan, heat butter over medium - low heat.  Stir in flour until smooth and bubbly.  Add the milk and contine cooking, stirring until thickened.  Add basil and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in spinach leaves and swiss chard until wilted; stir in hot drained pasta.  Stir in mozerella until blended well.  Spoon the pasta mixture into baking dish.  In a bowl toss bread crumbs and melted butter; sprinkle on pasta.  Bake for 20 - 30 minutes or until nicely browned and hot.

Thanksgiving Day

I saw a picture in a magazine of a pumpkin pie with leaves on top.  I thought it looked super fun.  So, when Jeremy and I were at Westlakes the other day and I saw a turkey cookie cutter I, of course, had to buy it.  My friend, Gretchen, had given me some homemade pie crust. I let the crust thaw, rolled it out, cut the turkeys out, and placed them very carefully on top of the unbaked pumpkin pie (I used the recipe Libby's pumpkin can).  Now I have a very festive pumpkin pie to take to Thanksgiving dinner!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bok Choy Soup

This week we got lots of leafy things from our CSA: beet greens, bok choy, oak leaf lettuce, swiss chard, cabbage, and another type of lettuce.  As I stared at the mountain of green stuff on my counter, I was a bit at a loss of what to do with all of it.  After looking at recipes for an hour, I came up with a plan for the week.  Tonight was the beginning of that plan: bok choy soup.  Jeremy and I both liked this soup and want to make it again, but there are a couple important things you should know.  1) The recipe claims this serves 4-5, but it was barely enough for two big bowls. 2) 1 tsp red pepper flakes is TOO MUCH.  I put in a little less than a teaspoon and it was still almost more than Jeremy could do to eat it.  3)  You will likely want to add more water.  I think I added an additional 1.5 cups of water and the soup was still very flavorful.  Next time I will double the recipe or serve the soup as an appetizer.

• 1 bunch bok choy (about 10 leaves)
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp Asian sesame oil
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 3 cups chicken broth

Bring chicken broth to a boil in medium saucepan. Stir in garlic clove, soy sauce, sesame oil and red pepper flakes.  Add the bok choy.  Simmer 10 minutes until bok choy leaves turn dark green and are tender.

Today I learned that bok choy is very high in vitamin C, calcium and vitamin A.  It is also believed to reduce the risk of many cancers.

Veggie Quesadillas

Quesadillas and salad tend to be my default when I have a bunch of vegetables I don't know what to do with.  This Friday we had a mish mash of veggies in the fridge that needed to be used up.  Quesadillas are great because you can put anything in them and they are pretty impossible to mess up.  Jeremy likes to eat his with avocado and salsa on top (Hy-vee Health Market is my favorite salsa).

• yellow squash
• zucchini
• mushrooms
• onion
• garlic
• red pepper
• yellow pepper
• spinach
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• shredded cheese
• wraps

1. Saute veggies in a pan with olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper. Put spinach in last (or wait to add spinach until you stuff the wraps).
2. Place a separate pan on the stove over medium heat.  Fill half of the wrap with veggies, spinach, and cheese.
3. Close wrap and let cook then flip.
4. Cut in triangle wedges and serve with avocado and salsa.

Taco Salad

My aunt gave me this taco salad recipe; it was hit with Jeremy the first time he had it.  Tonight I had a bunch of lettuce (CSA) that needed to be used up and chips left over from a baby shower...it seemed like a good night for taco salad!

• lettuce (tonight I used 3 small bunches from our CSA and a little bit of spinach)
• 1 can kidney beans drained (I was out.  So I used red beans)
• black or green olives
• tomatoes
• hamburger
• 1 pkg taco seasoning
• french dressing
• chips
• green onion (the original recipe didn't call for them.  But they were a nice addition)

1. Cook and scramble hamburger and add seasoning according to directions on seasoning packet.
2. Slice tomato, olives and whatever else you want.
3. Mix together lettuce, beans, tomatoes, hamburger, olives and green onions.
4. Add as much or as little French Dressing as you'd like.  Mix well.
5. Serve with chips!

Cooked Carrots

This was our first time with carrots from our CSA.  I wanted to make cooked carrots without a ton of brown sugar and butter.  I found this recipe and altered it a little.  They were really easy to make and I liked them a lot.  Jeremy, on the other hand, was disappointed by their lack of sweetness.  I think he missed the brown sugar and butter he was used to.  I also have to admit that I over cooked the carrots a little so they were a bit mushy...but still good if you ask me :)

• carrots
• 3 chicken bullion cubes
• salt
• basil
• 1 Tbs butter

1. Wash carrots. and cut into slices.
2. Boil water and allow bullion cubes to dissolve
3. Cook carrots in boiling water 10-12 minutes (12 minutes was too long for my carrots)
4. Drain carrots.  Mix in a bowl with butter, salt, and basil

Swiss Chard Pasta

This week we got Swiss chard from our CSA.  I've never cooked with Swiss chard before, so this recipe was an experiment.  I read that you should boil Swiss chard for 3 minutes before cooking with it because it frees up the acid in the leaves and allows the acid to seep out into the water.  Boiling it also brings out a sweeter flavor. I was pleased with the results of the pasta.  It was simple, easy, and very healthy.

• 3 small bunches Swiss chard
• whole wheat pasta (or rice pasta)
• turkey bacon
• 1 yellow pepper (from CSA)
• 2 large green onions (from CSA)
• mushrooms
• 3 cloves garlic
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• Parmesan cheese

1. Wash the Swiss chard and tear into pieces.  Put in a pot of water and boil for three minutes.  Drain and set chard aside.
2. Tear or cut bacon into small pieces and cook in skillet (approx. 10 minutes). Set aside.
3. Saute olive oil, garlic, onion, pepper, mushrooms and Swiss chard.  Add salt and pepper
4. Cook pasta
5. In a large bowl combine: pasta, vegetables, and turkey bacon.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and add more olive oil if you desire.

Did you know...1 serving of Swiss chard is 716% of your RDA of vitamin K and 109% of your RDA for vitamin A.  Swiss Chard is also high in many other nutrients and is believed to help with bone health, inflammation and blood sugar regulation.

Salmon, Pear and Gorgonzola Salad

I love this salad.  I am not normally a fish fan of any kind but this salad is wonderful.  Jeremy made it for me when we were engaged.  Now we make it at least once or twice a month.  It is so easy and so good.  Here is what you need:

• spinach
• salmon (wild caught Alaskan)
• Gorgonzola cheese
• pear
• dried cranberries
• almond slivers
• Dressing of your choice.  We love Brianna's Poppy seed.

Move salmon from freezer to fridge the day before.  Cook salmon in skillet on stove until done.  Combine the rest of the ingredients on a plate and Voila a wonderful, beautiful, omega-3 and vitamin D filled salad!

Vegetable Pizza

Veggie pizza has been a standby at our house the last 2 months.  Jeremy loves it and so do I.  We make our own crust (which is surprisingly easy), spread some sauce, saute vegetables and sprinkle with cheese. Yum! 

Whole Wheat Crust

• 1 pkg active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water.  Allow to rest 5 minutes.  Stir in whole wheat flour, sugar, salt, oil and 1 cup white flour.  Knead in remaining white flour (about 5 min).  Spray a medium sized bowl with cooking spray.  Place dough in a ball and turn to coat thoroughly.  Cover and allow to rest in warm place for 15 min.  Spray 14 inch pizza pan and spread dough.  Bake crust for 10 minutes at 425 before adding topping.

Have fun experimenting with the crust. We've tried substituting whole wheat flour and rice flour for the white flour.  The rice flour is healthy...but gives a different texture (not Jeremy's favorite).

Sauce

• option 1: red sauce.  We like to use Newman's Own marinara sauce
• option 2: basil pesto (a little lighter and very good)

Toppings (any combination of the following)

• tomatoes
• squash
• zucchini
• mushrooms
• pepper
• okra
• eggplant
• onion
• garlic
• black olives
• shredded free-range organic chicken
• anything else your heart desires

Saute onion, garlic, and olive oil in pan with vegetables of your choice.  After removing crust from the oven add sauce.  Load up the crust with lots of veggies and sprinkle with the cheese of your choice.  Return to oven and bake another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Halloween

I love all holidays.  I love the anticipation, the preparation, the festive moods, the friendly people...  Although Halloween is one of my least favorite holidays, I still love it.  I love that today we worked outside in our yard, carved a pumpkin, cooked the seeds, prepared the candy bowl for trick-or-treaters and now we answer our door as dozens of kids come to our house dressed in costumes such as: Spiderman, Batman, The Man in the Yellow Hat, Curious George, Minnie Mouse, Tron, Harry Potter... (by the way, Man In the Yellow Hat you are my favorite:).
Here is our expertly carved Jack-o-Lantern by Jeremy

Last year was the first time I cooked the seeds of our pumpkin and I was quite pleased with the result.  However, last year we covered them in honey which was a little bit of a sticky mess.  So this year I went for something a less messy :)

1. Remove seeds from pumpkin and clean as much as possible
2. Pat seeds dry with paper towel
3. Put seeds in a bowl and sprinkle with a little bit of olive oil, garlic salt and pepper and mix.
4. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 250 for 45 minutes

***Pumpkin seeds are believed to:

• promote prostate health
• improve cholesterol levels
• decrease inflammation related to arthritis
• be a good source of magnesium, manganese, zinc, iron, copper and protein

P.S. Our summer CSA ended last week, so we didn't have any vegetables this week.  But next week we start our CSA winter edition!

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Quesadillas

A Guest Post from Jeremy:

After months of laboring in our kitchen as Erin's sous chef, I was granted the opportunity to take the lead on a meal the other night, and have now been invited to share that experience as a guest blogger. She's a taskmaster, that Mrs. Brown, but at least she's cute. One of our favorite meals from way back when we were dating, Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quesadillas are always a big hit in the Brown household. Erin's first response when I told her about them? "Well, I like black beans and I like sweet potatoes, but I just don't know about them mashed together." She almost broke my heart. I adapted this recipe, so I can't take all the credit, just most of it.

Here what you need:

• 3 organic sweet potatoes (organic does matter since non-organic sit in the ground soaking in chemicals)
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 1 medium red onion
• 1 can of drained black beans
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• Spices: chili powder, cumin, ginger, salt, pepper, cinnamon, red pepper flakes (you decide how much)
• 8-10, 8-inch tortilla (we like Tumaro's Gourmet Tortillas, low in fat, carbs and artificial junk)
• Shredded cheddar or mexican blend cheese
• Sour cream, salsa, and/or avocado (for a topping)

And here's what you do:

1. Stab the sweet potatoes with a fork until they're full of holes, then microwave them for 8 minutes or bake them for approx 45 min at 450. They should be soft and starting to bubble, but don't let them get tough.
2. Dice one large red bell pepper and one red onion.
3. Mince 2-3 cloves of garlic (I love our garlic press and hate chopping garlic).
4. Toss the pepper, onion and garlic into a pan with some olive oil, then add chili powder, cumin, ginger, and salt and pepper (I just estimate how much).
5. Sautee over medium heat until the onions are translucent and the peppers are kinda soft.
6. Turn heat down to medium low and toss in one can of drained black beans and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
7. Meanwhile, scoop all of the sweet potato sweetness out of the skin, and make sure to burn your fingers a lot while doing so. In a mixing bowl, mash up the sweet potatoes with some cinnamon and red pepper flakes.
8. Add the sweet potato mixture to the veggies and beans in the pan, stir to heat and combine.
9. Grab your tortillas and put about 1/2 a cup of the mixture onto half of each tortilla, then sprinkle with cheddar or mexican cheese. Fold in half.
10. Brown the quesadilla in a pan with a little bit of olive oil. Our panini press works great for this.
11. Serve with some sour cream, natural salsa, or slices of avocado.

Only cook as many as you think you'll eat. These make better leftovers if you do. This time of year, these go down nicely with a bottle of Oktoberfest beer. Paulaner is my favorite.

Now back to washing dishes for Erin . . .

Black Bean Soup

I can't take credit for the creation or discovery of this recipe.  I had this soup several years ago at my friend, Abbey's house.  I remember loving it that first time I had it.  Ever since then I look forward to the coming of cold weather...soup weather!  So today, on this last day of October, I make my first of many pots of black bean soup for the winter.

Abbey's Black Bean Soup

• 10 slices finely chopped bacon (I use turkey bacon)
• 2 medium onions
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth (I buy organic free range broth and I use closer to 25 oz)
• 1.5 c. canned tomatoes (I like to buy diced)
• 2 Tbs ketchup
• 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 Tbs chili powder
• 4 cans black beans - drained
• salt and pepper (salt not needed)
• 1 bunch cilantro
• juice of 1/2 lime
• scallions and/or cheddar cheese for a garnish

1. Cut bacon into small pieces and put into a large heavy pot and place over medium heat.  Cook until bacon starts to give up its fat...about 4 minutes (for turkey bacon I let it cook about 10 minutes).
2. Stir in the onions and cook until they turn translucent...about 4 minutes
3. Stir in garlic until you smell it...1 minute.
4. Add the rest.  Boil gently 10 minutes.
5. Stir in cilantro after 10 minutes. Cook until thickened.  Stir in lime juice.

Fresh Green Beans

When I was little I loved green bean casserole (with the mozzarella cheese and onion rings on top...yum!).  I used to ask for my mom to make it on birthday along with strawberry pretzel jello.  Sometime in the past 15 years I have also learned to appreciate and enjoy fresh green beans. In addition to the taste, there is something about washing and snapping the green beans that I enjoy (weird I know).   This is the way my mom always makes them; They are delicious.

Fresh Green Beans with Mushrooms

• green beans
• mushrooms
• garlic
• onion
• butter
• salt and pepper
• optional: add some bacon for more yummy goodness (and less healthiness)

1. Wash and snap beans. 
2. Put beans in boiling water for approximately 20 minutes
3. In the meantime saute mushrooms, onion, garlic,salt and pepper in a skillet.
4. Drain water and mix the beans and mushrooms together.

Even my husband who 2 months ago claimed he didn't like green beans, looks forward to eating them now.

Baked Butternut Squash

I've always enjoyed eating healthy and have tried to eat as many fruits and vegetables as I can.  However, I have learned, by being a part of our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), that there are a variety of yummy things that grow from the earth that I have been oblivious to.  Butternut Squash is one of those things.  This is the first recipe my husband and I made from the many butternut squashes we have had this season.  Jeremy and I give it 2 thumbs up!  I  love how easy it is!

BAKED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

• 2  small butternut squash or 1 large
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1/3 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
• pepper

1. Peel butternut squash (with a knife or with a peeler...I haven't decided which is easier).
2. Cut squash in half and remove seeds
3. Cut squash in about 1 in cubes
4. Mix squash, olive oil, pepper, garlic in a baking dish
5. Sprinkle with cheese
6. Bake at 425 for 50 -55 minutes.
7. ENJOY!

*** Winter squash are an excellent source of Vitamin A!  They are also high in dietary fiber, vitamin C, potassium and maganese.

Acorn Squash Cheesy Bake

We’ve had 2 acorn squash sitting on our kitchen counter for a week from our CSA.  A month ago I tried to bake an acorn squash in the oven with butter and cinnamon.  It didn’t turn out very good (due to the fact I didn't cook it long enough).  Therefore I’ve not been excited to do anything with these two acorn squashes.   After looking at a variety of recipes on-line I combined a few to make what I call Acorn Squash Cheesy Bake :)

Acorn Squash Cheesy Bake

• 2 Acorn Squash
• 1 cup celery
• mushrooms
• ½ onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 small yellow peppers
• fresh rosemary
• cooked shredded chicken
• cheddar cheese
• salt
• pepper

1.      Cut both acorn squash in half.  Remove seeds.  Place all four halves face down in a glass baking dish.  Cook in the microwave for 20 minutes.

2.      Sautee celery, mushrooms, onion, garlic, yellow peppers in skillet with olive oil, salt and pepper. 

3.      Shred cooked chicken and add to sautéed veggies.

4.      Take cooked acorn squash and scrape out the insides into a baking dish.  (Be careful it is HOT!)

5.      Spread squash in the bottom of greased baking dish. 

6.      Spread sautéed veggies and chicken on top of squash

7.      Sprinkle fresh rosemary and shredded cheese on top.

8.      Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

My husband and I both really enjoyed this dish.  I served it with brown rice and a green salad.  This is for sure something we will make again. 

Roasted Pumpkin with Applesauce

• Cut a mini-pumpkin in half
• Remove the seeds
• Place the two pumpkin halves in a baking dish
• Fill the pumpkin halves with applesauce
• Sprinkle with cinnamon
• Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 45 minutes

I love pumpkin and wanted to find a use for the mini-pumpkins we received from our CSA.  This dish is interesting, although I found it somewhat disappointing mostly because I didn't think the pumpkin tasted much like pumpkin.  Not sure if I would make it again.  But, it was fun for something new and different.

Grandma's Applesauce

We've had a lot of apples the past few weeks from our CSA.  After several weeks of making apple crisp, I decided to make my grandma's applesauce this week.  I've never made applesauce before. In fact I am not really a fan of applesauce...except for my grandma's.  It has been years since I have had it, but I got excited just thinking about it.  My mom was able to find her recipe (as seen below).  It wasn't very specific so I wasn't exactly sure of the details.  However, after about an hour of peeling, chopping, cooking, and mashing...I had something very similar to the applesauce I remember having as a child at my grandparents house.

Grandma's Applesauce

• 4 quarts apples peeled & chopped
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 and 1/3 cup sugar and honey combined
• 1 and 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt

Cook in a large pot for 10 minutes. Remove from heat 10 minutes.

 

My grandma had made a note to use less sugar.  So, I put in just 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup of honey.  I put all the apples and other ingredients in a large pot on the stove and cooked over medium heat for 10 - 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. I then took it off the heat and allowed it to stand 10 minutes.  I tried to chop the apples up a little but eventually decided to pour it in a mixing bowl and beat it for a couple minutes with my hand mixer.  I left the applesauce fairly chuncky because that is how my grandma always made it...that is the way I liked it.