Here’s a great entrée you can whip up easily and then freeze for an emergency dinner type of night. I made a double batch of this spinach lasagna to do just that.

This is the deal: although you may be freezing it, fresh ingredients are a must. You’ll be glad you didn’t go for jarred spaghetti or dried herbs. The exception to this is the spinach. Frozen works better than the fresh stuff. Why all these contradictions when it comes to making lasagna, I don't know.

No need to thaw the lasagna before baking, but obviously it will need a little longer in the oven.

For a nice homemade marinara, just cook a little minced garlic on the stove top in some olive oil, and add a can of diced tomatoes. I usually use the ones pre-seasoned with Italian herbs. Add your own fresh herbs to taste, letting the sauce simmer until thickened.

This recipe mixes cottage cheese with ricotta to reduce the fat, and also calls for part-skim mozzarella. You can use all cottage cheese for even greater calorie reduction, but I would use the fat-free mozzarella. It’s pretty gross and just not worth it. With the part-skim, however, you’ll never notice the skimp.

Spinach lasagna
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2, 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
marinara sauce (homemade or jar)
1 ½ C. water
1 C. fat-free cottage cheese
1 C. ricotta cheese
1, 8-ounce package mozzarella cheese, grated
½ C. fresh parsley
1 egg
1 package, 8 ounces lasagna noodles

Directions:
Over medium heat, sauté spinach, oregano, basil and garlic in olive oil. Add half of the marinara and water. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, mix cottage cheese, ricotta, half of the mozzarella, parsley and egg.

Place a layer of remaining marinara in bottom of a baking pan, reserving the rest for the top. Place a row of uncooked noodles on top and add spinach-marinara mixture and then cheese mixture. Repeat, ultimately finishing with a row of noodles. Add remaining marinara and remaining shredded mozzarella as final top layer.

Bake covered in foil for 50 minutes at 350 degree. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes or until cheese is slightly browned.

Posted by · July 28, 2007 7:07 PM · Comments (0)

Summertime means lots of fresh veggies, which we eat to balance out all the ice cream that is also associated with this (and in my case, every) time of year.

Sure we can grill them, sauté them, and also, well, ... I’m out of other ways to prepare them. But thankfully I’ve stumbled across this interesting recipe that’s pretty good, so I’m sharing it. One downside: the leftovers are not great re-heated later.

This veggie casserole can be a side dish to something like grilled chicken, but since I don’t miss meat, I served it as an entrée. Like any casserole, it’s loaded with cheese. I guess that’s what we think we have to do to make veggie taste good. Feel free to use a little less. I did and doubt it mattered. Except as a trade-off for more ice cream. You decide.

Summer veggie casserole
Ingredients:
2 C. water
4 Tbsp. butter or margarine
8 ounces dry stuffing mix (e.g. Stove Top)
1 large eggplant, diced
1 large zucchini, diced
1 large squash, diced
1 bunch asparagus, pieces halved
2 C. shredded Colby cheese

Directions:
Microwave water, margarine and stuffing mix covered on high for about 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Place veggies in a little olive oil over medium heat and cook for 15 to 10 minutes. In a large casserole dish, layer veggies, cheese and stuffing, ending with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Posted by · July 22, 2007 7:02 PM · Comments (0)

Here’s an interesting recipe that’s worth a shot. It’s quick and easy to make, and probably a nice twist to the dinner rut you may have fallen into. Who among us has served pear, walnuts and cheese a top noodles? That’s what I thought.

Hesitant to combine fruit and pasta? Once cooked, the pears no longer taste like, well, pears. Tossed with walnuts and cheese, this unique sauce makes the meal light and delicious, but a little nutty and creamy, too.

A big warning: gorgonzola cheese is strong. Very strong. A little goes along way, although you may want a small dish of the cheese crumbles on the table to garnish individual plates.

Use the pasta of your choice. I used bowties – my favorite. Just be careful not to overcook it. The noodles should be served firm.

Pear and walnut pasta
Ingredients:
10 ounces pasta
1 large can pears, diced (with juice)
1 C. chicken or vegetable broth
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
¼ C. walnuts, chopped
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/3 C. gorgonzola cheese crumbles

Directions:
Place pears (cut into bite-sized piece) and pear juice in a large skillet; add broth and poach over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or so. In a separate skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté garlic for a few minutes. Add walnuts and oregano. Stir in pear mixture. Cook over low heat while preparing pasta according to package directions. Toss pasta and sauce; top with gorgonzola and serve.

Posted by · July 14, 2007 6:57 PM · Comments (0)

Here’s a recipe for my dad, who wanted to know, “Where’s all the chocolate stuff?”

If you’re in need of a chocolaty fix in a hurry, this is the treat for you. I describe it as a cookie that’s also little fudge-like, but similar to a brownie. With some oatmeal (which means it's healthy).

And to make this even more perfect, it’s quick and easy to make. You’re simply spreading dough, pouring chocolate filling and then adding more dough here and there on top of the filling before baking. (The idea is to achieve a marbled look with this dough and the filling beneath, but there’s no right or wrong way. Just throw some dough pieces haphazardly on top; half or more of your filling will still be showing.)

A little trick: when you’re flattening little balls of dough for that top layer, wet your hands with cold water. It will make handling the dough easier and not so sticky.

Cookie bars
Ingredients:
Dough:
1 C. butter
2 C. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 ½ C. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 C. quick oats
Filling:
Melt the following in microwave until nearly smooth.
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp. butter
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 oz. butterscotch chips

Directions:
Mix dough ingredients well. Spread 2/3 of dough mixture in bottom of greased cookie sheet with sides/ large jelly roll pan. Spread filling mixture evenly over dough. Use remaining dough to make flatten “patches” over the top, so end result is somewhat marbled looking. Make sure top is smooth and flat for even baking. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Posted by · July 7, 2007 9:59 PM · Comments (0)