Spinach Lasagna

This is my favorite lasagna ever! I don't love lasagnas with tons of meat; I think vegetables are a lot more interesting and flavorful (and healthy!). I use whole wheat lasagna for it. I know that sometimes you can tell if pasta is whole wheat or not, like in spaghetti dishes for example, but you will have no idea that these noodles are whole wheat.

9 dried whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (or more, if you love mushrooms like me!)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBS butter
1 7-oz jar roasted sweet red peppers, drained and chopped. Don't you dare rinse those puppies! (I usually omit this since roasted red peppers are pretty expensive, but if you can buy them...it's so worth it.)
1 10-oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained--important!
1 15-oz container ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 beaten eggs
1 tsp dried basil, crushed
1/2 tsp dried oregano, crushed
1 30 1/2-oz jar meatless spaghetti sauce (one with veggies already in it, like zucchini, is great!)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook lasagna noodles for 10-12 minutes (or according to package directions) till tender but still firm. Drain noodles; rinse with cold water. Drain well.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook onion, mushrooms, and garlic in hot butter till tender but not brown; stir in sweet peppers if using. Set aside.

Pat and squeeze spinach dry with paper towels. In a medium bowl stir together spinach, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, the 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, oregano, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Stir mushroom mixture into spinach mixture.

Spread 1/2 cup of the spaghetti sauce evenly in a 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles over sauce. Layer with half the mushroom-spinach mixture and 1 cup of the spaghetti sauce. Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Spoon remaining spaghetti sauce over the top. Sprinkle with the 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

Bake, covered, in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake about 10 minutes more or till heated through. Let stand 10 minutes before serving to let everything set.

Bruschetta

1 cup pitted black olives
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 tsp capers, drained
1 tsp olive oil
1 1/3 cups chopped tomatoes (2 medium)
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 TBS freshly snipped basil or oregano, or 1 tsp dried basil or oregano, crushed
1 TBS olive oil
1/8 tsp pepper
Loaf of French bread
2 TBS olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Ricotta cheese

For olive paste, in a food processor bowl or blender container combine olives, garlic, vinegar, capers, and the 1 tsp olive oil. Cover and process till a nearly smooth paste forms, stopping and scraping the sides as necessary.

For the tomato topping, in a small bowl stir together chopped tomatoes, green onions, basil or oregano, the 1 TSB olive oil, and pepper.

For the toast, cut bread into 1/2-inch thick slices. Use the 2 TBS olive oil to lightly brush both sides of each slice. Place on an ungreased, foil-lined baking sheet. Bake in a 425 degree oven about 5 minutes or till crisp and light brown, turning once.

To assemble, spread each piece of toast with a thin layer of ricotta cheese, then a thin layer of olive paste. Top each with about 2 TBS of the tomato topping and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Return slices to the baking sheet. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 2 to 3 minutes or till cheese starts to melt and toppings are heated through. Serve warm.

Kale Soup

We found this recipe last fall and it is one of our favorites now! It's easy, healthy, and really tasty!

1 TSB olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 cups chopped fresh kale
4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1/8 tsp crushed dried thyme
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp pepper
1 15-oz can white beans (cannellini, white kidney, etc), drained and rinsed
4 1/2-inch think slices french bread
1/2 cup shredded Fontina cheese

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and mushrooms and cook and stir 2-3 minutes. Add kale; cook 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add broth and bring to a boil. Stir in thyme, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in beans. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 20-30 minutes or until kale is tender.

Preheat broiler. Place bread slices on baking sheet and top with shredded cheese. Cook under broiler 1-2 minutes until cheese melts. Serve bread slices on top of soup.

Christmas Yams

A yummy Thanksgiving and Christmas favorite from Jordan's mom!

6-7 large yams
1 stick butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg and cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 cup (or more) brown sugar
2 beaten eggs
3/4 cup half and half
Baby marshmallows
1/2 tsp orange peel (optional)

Wash, rinse, and quarter yams. Cook by bringing to a boil, turning the temperature down to low and simmer 15-20 minutes, just until tender but not mushy. Drain. Peel yams and put them in a big casserole dish. Mash the yams while still hot. Add the stick of butter. Mash together, melting the butter. Add salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, and brown sugar. Mix. Add the beaten eggs and half and half and stir. Top with baby marshmallows. Bake at 325 degrees F for 20-25 minutes until marshmallows are a light golden brown.

*When I made these on Jordan's birthday, he suggested adding some crushed, drained pineapple. We added about 1/2-3/4 cups, and it was a great addition!

Meatballs and Orange Gravy

The only meatballs I really like. They are delicious!


Two handfuls of white rice

4 T. flour

1 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

2 T. minced onion

1 lb. lean ground beef

Two cans tomato soup

Scant two soup cans of water

Mix rice, flour and seasonings together in large bowl. Add ground beef and mix with your hands. Form into balls about the size of walnuts. Try not to overmix or pack the meat together too tightly or else you end up with hard and chewy meatballs.

Put the soup and the water in the pressure cooker over high heat. After soup boils, carefully drop meatballs into pot. Make sure the meatballs are covered with soup and distributed evenly in pot. Immediately cover with the lid and lock into place. When the steam thing pops up, put the rocking thing on the lid. When the rocking becomes consistent, turn heat to medium or medium high and cook for 20 minutes. (You want the rocking to be gentle.) After 20 minutes turn the heat off but don't open the lid. Let the meat rest until the steam indicator drops down. You can speed up the process by putting the pot under running hot water in the sink after the 20 minutes of cooking, and that will make the steam indicator drop faster, but I prefer to let it sit because it makes the meatballs more tender.

Voila! You have meatballs and instant gravy. The gravy is excellent over mashed potatoes.

No Meat Chili

This is my mom's recipe for chili, which is my favorite chili recipe ever. I actually don't like chili with lots of meat, only lots and lots of veggies! So this has a lot of beans for protein instead of meat. This can also be made in a crock-pot. Yummy, healthy, comfort-food.

1 15oz. can red kidney beans

1 15oz. can Great Northern beans

1 14oz. can diced tomatoes

1 8oz. can tomato sauce

3/4 cup green pepper, chopped

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

2 cloves of garlic, minced (or equivalent of garlic powder)

Drain and rinse beans. Do not drain tomatoes. Saute onion and garlic in a bit of butter for five minutes. Put all ingredients into large pot*. Simmer over medium/low heat until green peppers are soft, approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The longer you let this simmer, the tastier it becomes.

*This picture is chili made in a crock-pot instead of over the stove. We just put it on low all day, and it turned out delicious!!

Pumpkin Pie Crunch

This is a recipe from my mom that has become one of Jordan's favorite desserts. It tastes great in the fall, since it's like pumpkin pie. We like to use a spice cake mix instead of the yellow mix, and omit the pumpkin pie spice.

1 can (16 oz.) solid pack pumpkin

1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp. salt

1 pkg. yellow cake mix

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of 9X13 pan. Combine first six ingredients in large bowl. (This will be very soupy.) Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over pumpkin mixture. Top with pecans. Drizzle melted butter over all. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes or until golden. Cool completely. Serve with whipped cream. Makes 16-20 servings.