Lasagna Lovers!

Lasagna!  Yay!  This recipe came from my magazine "Cooking Light."  The latest edition was full of pasta dishes, including about 4 or so different lasagna recipes.  I decided to try the classic one first with just a few minor adjustments.  It turned out extremely well and has been a great meal for leftovers.  I'm almost finished with the entire pan!

** After preparing this recipe, I think when I make it again in the future, I will cut the crushed red pepper back to maybe just 1/2 teaspoon or even 1/4 teaspoon.  While it did add a great kick of flavor, sometimes I thought it was too overpowering.  It was a surprise ingredient that I've never used before in a lasagna that you should try before scaling it back, too.

Classic Light Bolognese Lasagna

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped onion
3/4 cup coarsely chopped celery
1/2 cup coarsely chopped carrot
4 garlic cloves
EVOO
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 lb. ground turkey breast
1/4 cup white wine
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup milk
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes, undrained
1 1/2 cups ricotta
6 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
6 uncooked lasagna noodles

1.  Place onion, celery, carrot, and garlic cloves in a food processor; pulse until coarsely ground.

2.  Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add EVOO, swirl to coat.  Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Add turkey and cook for 4 minutes.  Add win; cook for 2 minutes or until liquid evaporates.

3.  Add onion mixture, salt, crushed red pepper, dried oregano, and black pepper.  Cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add milk; cook for 3 minutes.  Stir in tomatoes, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

4.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

5.  Combine ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and egg in a small bowl.

6.  Spread a good portion of turkey mixture/sauce in bottom of a 13x9 inch glass baking dish (sprayed with Cooking Spray).  Arrange 3 noodles over turkey mixture.  Top with half of the remaining sauce mixture and then half of the ricotta mixture.  Repeat with layers, ending with ricotta mixture.  Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese over top.

7.  Bake at 425 degrees for 35 minutes.

8.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Bon appetit!  This one is delicious!

Tasty Trail Mix

I've been trying to cut back on frivolous spending and as I've kept better track of money, I realized that much of my wasted money was going towards snack foods throughout the day.  Most days a week I'm out the door by 7:00am and as hard as I try, I never find time to pack snacks.  Then I end up eating junk food all day and spending money that I wouldn't have needed to spend had I prepared a little better.

I decided to make my own trail mix and put it in Ziploc Bags the night before and see if my tastebuds would get tired of the same salty/sweet snack day after day.  I'm on my second batch of the stuff and it works great!  Just a few basic items that come in bulk so just one purchase for a few weeks of snacks.  Love it!

I didn't want to simply mix chex mix, cheerios, pretzels, nuts, etc... and have that be my snack.  I researched Trail Mix recipes and found this one.  Tweak it to your own desires but I really love the butter and seasonings over it.  

Original Chex Party Mix

3 cups rice chex cereal

3 cups honey nut chex cereal

2 cups cheerios

1 cup mixed nuts

2 cups cheezit crackers

M&M's

craisins

6 tablespoons butter, melted

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1.  Preheat oven to 225 degrees.

2.  Melt butter.  Mix in Worcestershire sauce, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.

3.  In a large bowl combine all cereals, nuts, and crackers (don't include the M&M's or craisins).  Pour butter mixture over dry ingredients and toss well to coat.  

4.  Bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 45 minutes.  Stir every 15 minutes.  In the last 15 minutes of baking, add the craisins.  

5.  Let cool and add M&M's.  

Bon appetit!

Soup with an Asian Flare

Butternut squash has become my new favorite thing these days.  I love it roasted, mixed with pastas, in salads, and now I have a second soup recipe for this blog!  If you remember, I posted a butternut squash soup recipe back in September 2011 but this latest recipe is equally has good!  If you are in the mood for some Asian flare soup this is the recipe for you.

***  So, as I was typing the recipe out, I realized I made a big mistake.  Instead of 4 teaspoons of curry paste, I added about 3 huge spoonfuls thinking it said tablespoons.  Oops!  The flavor is tremendous so if you want to kick up the punch, feel free to add more curry paste.  It doesn't ruin it!

Curried Butternut Soup

1 (2 1/2 lb) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed

4 teaspoons canola oil, divided

salt

1 cup chopped onion

3 cups chicken stock (preferably with no-salt-added)

4 teaspoons red curry paste

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk

fresh cilantro leaves

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place squash on pan and drizzle with oil.  Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and toss to coat evenly.  Bake at 450 degrees for 35 minutes or until golden and tender.

3.  Heat remaining oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion, cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add roasted squash, stock, and curry paste.  Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.  Stir occasionally.

4.  Remove from heat.  Stir in lime juice and coconut milk.  Let stand for 15 minutes.  

5.  Blend mixture in a blender until smooth.  Top with cilantro. 

Bon appetit!!

Couscous

Couscous is the younger, more hip version of rice and pasta for your side dish.  I LOVE how easy couscous is to prepare and it tastes great!  Enjoy this recipe -- I've made it twice now in two weeks.

Fried Couscous Salad

2 cups chicken broth (or some water if you don't have the right amount!)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/4 cups couscous

1/4 cup EVOO

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

freshly chopped basil leaves

for the dressing:

1/4 cup EVOO

zest and juice from 1/2 large lemon

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1.  In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken broth and salt to a boil over medium-high heat.  Remove pan from the heat and stir in the cousous.  Cover until the liquid has been absorbed and couscous is tender, about 5-6 minutes.  Fluff with a fork.

2.  In a large skillet heat 1/4 cup EVOO over heat.  Add the garlic and cook until golden, about 1-2 minutes.  Watch carefully so you don't burn the garlic!  All we are doing is flavoring the oil with a hint of garlic... not burnt garlic.  Remove garlic and discard.

3.  Add the couscous to the skillet.  Cook, stirring constantly, for 6 minutes.  Continue to cook the couscous, stirring every 5 minutes until toasted.  I got it to have a just a hint of browning.  Transfer to large serving bowl and let cool for 5 minutes.

4.  Add the cucumber, sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan, and basil.

5.  For the dressing:  In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper until smooth.

6.  Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until coated.  

Bon appetit!!