BAKED VEGGIE LASAGNA

It's lasagna, what more can I say?   A favorite in households the world over.   But, it can also be a "hip enlarger" there are ways to trim the fat and not lose the flavor and this is the favorite recipe at our house hope you like it too!

Here is what you will need:

1 small zuchinni 1/4 inch slices
1 small yellow squash 1/4 inch slices
1 lb. button mushrooms sliced
1/2 large red onion sliced
3 cloves garlic chopped
1 lb. frozen spinach thawed and drained
1 lb. cheese (your favorite) shredded
1 cup of ricotta or "mockotta" cheese You can find the recipe for the "mockotta" in my no bake lasagna recipe http://thisandthatwithjax.blogspot.com/2010/04/no-bake-veggie-lasagna.html
1 package of oven ready lasagna sheets (I love this stuff!)
26 oz. jar of spaghetti sauce or homemade
1 cup water
garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Sautee veggies individually making sure you use a couple pinches of salt to help release the water (this is important or your lasagna will be watery) add a couple sprinkles of garlic powder & pepper to taste and be sure that all the liquid has evaporated.   Set aside to cool.  You can prepare the veggies the day before if you need too.

Combine 24 oz. of sauce and 1 cup of water.
Start with spraying pan with non-stick spray, spread 3/4 cup of sauce on bottom of pan and lay down first layer of pasta.

Spread a thin layer of "mockotta" or ricotta on pasta and layer with veggies.   Sprinkle a hand full of shredded cheese (don't use too much, you want to save most of the cheese for the top).

Continue layering the "mockotta"/ricotta, veggies, pasta, cheese and sauce finishing with a layer of pasta, sauce and cheese.   Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes then remove foil and continue to bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until top is browned.

Remove from oven and allow to set for 10 minutes before cutting and serve.


Enjoy!


Jacqui Allen

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HOME MADE PASTA

We all love pasta and it is not all that expensive, but have you checked the ingredients?   I don't even know why most of those things are in there (other than the obvious, PRESERVATIVES).   Well you can make your own pasta and know exactly what is going in it.   I like to make my own as much as possible and really it does taste so much better.   So, I thought I would share this simple basic egg noodle recipe with you and it is versatile for fettucine, linquine, spaghetti, lasagna sheets and if you have a fancy machine you can make macaroni, twirly noodles, penne ect. ect. I don' have a fancy machine, but I do love the manual roller/cutter that I have. It is very easy to use, even the kids like to crank the handle.   But if you dont' have either one you can simple roll out the dough with a rolling pin and cut them yourself or just for fun let the kids cut out shapes with cookie cutters.   Either way let's get to the recipe shall we?

for the basic egg noodle recipe you will need:

2 cups flour

2 eggs beaten

1 tsp. salt

water as needed

Mix all ingredients together until it forms a ball, if the dough is too sticky add a little flour 1 tbsp at a time but not too much the dough shouldn't stick to you like gum, but it shouldn't be too dry either if dry add water 1 tbsp at a time.   Once you have a nice soft ball of dough, wrap in plastic wrap and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes ( you can freeze it in an airtight container for about 3 months, be sure to allow to defrost slowly in the fridge.)  Once the dough has rested you can roll and cut it in whatever shape you wish.   Once cut lay out flat or hang on a pasta hanger until all the dough has been cut and cook it on up.

Enjoy!

Jacqui Allen

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There's something about couscous

COUSCOUS SALAD

I am not really sure why I like couscous so much, but you may have noticed I use it alot.   It is a nice change from regular pasta and offers a different texture, absorbs the flavor of what you are pairing it with and just tastes incredible.   So, this is one of my other favs:

1- 10 oz. package of couscous (prepare as package directs)

1 cup of sliced black olives

3 diced roma tomatoes

1/2 of a small red onion diced

1 cucumber seeded and diced

2 oz. feta cheese crumbles

1 glove on minced garlic

1/8 tsp. dried mint

1/8 tsp. dried basil

salt and pepper to taste

3/4 cup of basic vinegraite (you'll find this in the archives)

Mix all ingredients together and refridgerate for at least 2 hours before serving.   Makes a great side dish or add grilled chicken for a main dish.

Enjoy!

Jacqui Allen

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NOT JUST PLAIN OLD PASTA

Here is a recipe for pasta that my family absolutely LOVES! Hope yours enjoys it too. You can use any veggies you want, but these are the ones I use.

PASTA PRIMAVERA

16 ounce package of pasta cooked (Linguine, fettucine or angel hair.)

2 med. carrot peeled and sliced diagonally 1/4 inch thick

2/3 cup fresh/frozen peas

2 small zucchinis peeled, cut in 4 lengthwise and slice 1/4 inch thick

1/2 red onion small dice

1 lb. mushrooms sliced

2 cloves garlic chopped

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

Bring to a boil salted water in appropriate pan, cook pasta and drain.
Heat a 2 quart pan over med high heat with 2 tablespoons of canola oil. Saute the onion and mushrooms about 5 minutes (add a couple pinches of salt to help release the fluids in mushrooms so they cook faster) , add zuchinni and saute for 5 more minutes. Add carrots and garlic cook an additional 3 minutes, add peas and cream simmer until the cream reduces and thickens about 5 minutes or until cream is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add salt and pepper to taste turn off heat and add parmesan. Toss in cooked pasta and serve.

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