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.

Pasta Della California

This is another recipe from my friend, Christine. It's delicious! I think we made it about the same way she did, but using spinach instead of arugula, because that's what we had on hand.

This is the recipe according to Christine:

"here is the recipe for the pasta with avocado...this is the original recipe (with a few of my modifications) that is supposed to serve 4....i halved it and i think it would be fine for 2 people (i had leftovers). i like this recipe because it uses 3 different vegetables, and is easy. the cookbook authors said they called it "california" because "avocado pasta" would scare people away haha.

1/2 pound linguine (i just used penne because...that's all i ever buy)

3 cups sliced broccoli (tops cut into small florets, stalks sliced thinly)

2 Tb olive oil

6 cloves garlic, minced (original recipe said 8...i thought that would be too much so i reduced)

1/4 tsp grated lime zest (i omitted this)

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 cup veg broth

2 Tb lime juice or juice of one lime (definitely do not omit...i just buy the lime juice in a bottle)

1/2 tsp salt

several pinches of black pepper

4 cups loosely packed arugula leaves*

2 avocados, peeled and sliced into 1-inch chunks

1. Bring water for pasta (and broccoli) to a boil and start prepping other ingredients. Add pasta (you will add the broccoli to the pasta in the last minute of cooking).

2. Add oil to skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, lime zest, and red pepper flakes. Heat for 2 mins, don't burn garlic.

3. Add vegetable broth, lime juice, salt, and pepper to skillet. Bring to a boil.

4. Reduce to simmer and add arugula. By this point pasta should be almost done. Add the broccoli to the pasta and cook 1 minute, then drain all.

5. When arugula is wilted, add broccoli and pasta and mix all together, heating for a few mins. Then add avocado and turn off the heat. Gently toss to incorporate avocado, until it is heated through (if avocado gets too hot/stirred, it will mush...it should remain in chunks).

*i think it would be fine with spinach instead of arugula (or any other leafy green?). I actually had arugula on hand because I used it in another recipe. but i think it is kind of expensive."

Feta Salad

This is a GOOD salad. The amounts of all the ingredients don't really have to be exact, so I'll just kind of explain how to make it. Cook about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of cooked orzo, drain, and rinse with cool water. Let all the water drain from the pasta. Meanwhile, chop up some olives, basil, spinach, tomatoes, and roasted red bell peppers, and mix them all with the orzo. Also mix in a couple of handfuls of crumbled feta cheese. For the dressing, whisk together 2 TBS of olive oil with 1 1/2 tsp of cider vinegar and some black pepper. Pour that over the salad and mix. The salad is the best at room temperature. It's important that the pasta is cooled so it doesn't melt the feta cheese.

Beef Strogonoff

A yummy cold-weather comfort food! I was craving it when I was about 3 months pregnant.

1 lb ground beef or turkey, or stew meat
1 tsp salt and pepper
1/2 cup minced onion
1 clove (or 1/4 tsp dried) garlic
1/4 cup butter
2 TBS flour
1 cup sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 tsp Lawry's seasoning salt
Small can of mushrooms or 1 cup fresh mushrooms

Brown meat. Add salt and pepper and minced onion. Cook until onion is transparent. Add garlic and stir. Add butter and flour and mix. Add sour cream and soup. Stir and add seasoning salt and mushrooms. Simmer 5-10 minutes. Serve over noodles or rice.