Zucchini Lasagna

Zucchini has long been out of season in my garden. But, did that stop me from making a zucchini lasagna? Nope. I've been craving comfort food. I made chicken and noodles last night. Lasagna tonight. I have a great recipe for a completely from-scratch lasagna that takes several hours to make. This, on the other hand, is quick. It uses a store-bought sauce that you just doctor up a bit. Replacing the noodles with zucchini is a nice way to add vegetables and leaves you feeling less heavy than when using noodles. Sadly, my children have caught on to my scheme...I'll have to find a way to hide the vegetables better. (I suppose peeling the zucchini would be one way). But, Wayne and I really like this, and I like having leftovers for quick lunches throughout the week. So, it all works out. :)

 

Zucchini Lasagna

Adapted from dashingdish.com

 

 

(I know, not the greatest picture, but you get the idea...I couldn't wait to take a picture until after we had already eaten).

 

 

1 onion, finely chopped

1.25 lb ground beef (or sausage, turkey)

1 jar (25 oz) spaghetti sauce

2 cups frozen spinach, optional

2 garlic cloves

Salt, pepper, seasoning (Italian, etc)

16-oz cottage cheese

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

2 tsp dried parsley

3 zucchini, sliced into 1/8" pieces 

    (or 1 home-grown zucchini) OR eggplant OR lasagna noodles

8 oz shredded mozzarella (at least)

 

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Arrange zucchini slices and lightly season with salt and pepper. Bake for 5 minutes per side. Then remove from onion. Reduce oven heat to 375 degrees.

2. Saute onion in a little oil. Add ground beef and brown. Drain.

3. Add spaghetti sauce, spinach, garlic, and seasonings. Simmer for at least 10 minutes.

4. Mix cottage cheese, eggs, Parmesan, and parsley. Set aside.

5. In a 9x13 casserole dish, spread meat sauce to cover the bottom. Next a layer of zucchini, then a layer of cottage cheese mixture. (Optional: sprinkle a layer of mozzarella on top). Continue to layer until all ingredients are gone and casserole is full. Top with mozzarella. Cover with aluminum foil.

6. Bake at 375 for 1 hour.

7. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.

8. Let rest for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

 

Low-Carb Focaccia-Style Flax Bread

Starting in January, 2011, Wayne suggested we start a diet. He had been reading The Four Hour Body by Timothy Ferriss and asked that I read the diet chapters so I'd know what I needed to buy for us. I reluctantly skimmed a chapter about the diet. It reminded me a lot of the South Beach Diet that I had briefly tried in the past, only with less restrictions and a built-in cheat day. Basically avoid sugar/simple carbohydrates and instead eat beans, vegetables, meat, cheese, nuts, eggs... One day a week, take off to eat whatever you want (including the forbidden foods - pizza, ice cream, etc). I thought it couldn't hurt so I gave it a try.

The first three days (of sugar withdrawal, I'd guess) were pretty tough, but it definitely got better after the first month to the point that I don't think of it as a "diet," it's just the way I eat. Recently, I have also been trying to learn more about how to get more sources of Omega 3 fatty acids in my diet.

I'm probably late to the party, yet again, to discover that flax seeds are an excellent source of Omega 3s. Lucky for me they are also low-carb and high in fiber. Perfect! With just a little looking around, I found this recipe for low-carb flax bread. I'm excited about this "bread." I can have sandwiches again! Toast! And I'm always on the lookout for easy recipes to add variety to our food routine.

I wanted to share this recipe in case anyone else out there is trying to do something similar. And if you come across any other interesting low-carb recipes, please send them my way!

Low-Carb Focaccia Style Flax Bread

Slightly adapted from Laura Dolson, About.com Guide

Ingredients:

•2 cups flax seed meal
•1 Tablespoon baking powder
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1 Tablespoon Truvia
•5 beaten eggs
•1/2 cup water
•1/3 cup oil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare pan (a 10X15 rimmed cookie sheet) with oiled parchment paper or a silicone mat.

1) Whisk eggs. Mix in water and oil.

2) Add dry ingredients, and stir until well combined. Make sure there aren't obvious strings of egg white hanging out in the batter.

3) Let batter set for 2 to 3 minutes to thicken up some (leave it too long and it gets past the point where it's easy to spread.)

4) Pour batter onto pan. Because it's going to tend to mound in the middle, you'll get a more even thickness if you spread it away from the center somewhat, in roughly a rectangle an inch or two from the sides of the pan (you can go all the way to the edge, but it will be thinner).

5) Bake for about 20 minutes, until it springs back when you touch the top and/or is visibly browning even more than flax already is.

6) Cool and cut into whatever size slices you want. You don't need a sharp knife; just cut it with a spatula.

* I keep my sliced bread in the freezer and pull out what I want to defrost or to toast. Otherwise, it will start to mold in a few days.



Fiesta Egg Casserole

At Christmas, I made this egg casserole for our family. I'd say it was a hit. Sorry I don't have a picture for it.

Fiesta Egg Casserole

10 eggs
1 pound ground pork sausage, browned and fat drained

4 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 cups cottage cheese
1 can green chilies
½ cup butter, melted
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 13"x9” casserole dish. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into prepared dish. Bake until edges are golden brown and center is set, 35-45 minutes. Serve with Pico de Gallo or salsa.

Smoky Beef and Black Bean Chili

I ran across this recipe and since I had a can of chipotle chilis in adobo sauce sitting around I decided to try it. I like it. But, I am a sucker for that smoky flavor. It's a bit spicy for my kids, so you may want to take the seeds out of your chiles. I also read a tip today suggesting that you freeze your chiles, making them easier to chop up without the mess - and also keeping them from spoiling before you can use them.

Smoky Beef and Black Bean Chili

-Adapted from Cooking Pleasures/Melanie Barnard

1 pound ground beef chuck

1 large onion, chopped

1 large orange bell pepper, finely chopped

2 chipotle chilis in adobo sauce, finely chopped

1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons adobo sauce

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 30-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes

3 cups water

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Cook beef, onion and bell pepper over medium heat until the beef is browned. Drain off any excess fat. Stir in chiles, chili powder, adobo sauce and cumin; cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in beans, tomatoes and water; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer at least 10-15 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally. Stir in cilantro.

Garnish with shredded cheese, cilantro and sour cream if desired. I served it with mini cornbread muffins and broccoli in cheese sauce.

Sausage and Lentil Soup

Today was rainy and cool and called for a simmering pot of soup. We started making this soup last winter, and it quickly became a favorite of Wayne and mine, and I'm surprised to see that I haven't shared it yet. If you like it a little less spicy, you can omit the red pepper flakes and use a less spicy sausage.

Sausage and Lentil Soup

Adapted from Heather Gingerich/Siloam Fellowship cookbook

1 pound Italian sausage, sliced and casing removed
1 T oil
2 carrots, diced
1 lg onion, chopped
2 cloves crushed garlic
3 stalks celery, diced

In a stock pot, brown the sausage, then remove from the pan. Add a little oil, about 1 T, to the pan. Add the carrot, celery, onion and garlic. Saute until tender. Add the sausage to the vegetables.
Add:
8 c chicken broth
2 large cans (28-oz) petit diced tomatoes
2 c dried lentils (rinsed and drained)
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf

Simmer until lentils are tender, 30-45 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Remove 1/3 of the soup and puree it, then return it to the pot. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Carnitas

We've been eating a lot of Mexican food around here. Mostly taco/fajita salads. When we go out to eat, I usually order carnitas as my meat, and this spring, decided that I'd like to try to make it.

I found a recipe on epicurious.com that I've tweaked a bit and Wayne and I both love it. If you also like carnitas, give this a try.

Carnitas
4 pounds pork shoulder/butt  (Discard large pieces of fat that are easily removed).
3 cups water
1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup lime juice (or one whole lime halved - if you use this, remove after 1 1/2 hours of simmering)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
8 garlic cloves, peeled
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk (or substitute with 1 tablespoon
  cream and 1 tablespoon honey)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons table salt
Put all the ingredients in a wide 6-to 7-quart heavy pot and bring the water to a boil, skimming the surface as necessary. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pork is fork-tender and the liquid has completely evaporated. (Epicurious says to simmer vigorously 1 1/2-2 hours). However, I have found that letting it slowly simmer for a lot longer (all afternoon, for example) helps the fat to separate, the meat falls off the bone eliminating the laborious task of cutting the meat into small pieces.  Discard the bay leaves.

Crockpot: Put in all ingredients except water. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Transfer the pork to a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil and lightly spray with cooking oil. Brown the pork, uncovered, for approximately 15-20 minutes. There's no need to stir.

Enjoy!

French Chicken in a Pot

I made this for lunch today. It was juicy and delicious (and easy).

French Chicken in a Pot - America's Test Kitchen

4 ½-5 pound whole fryer chicken, giblets removed
1 small onion, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
Rosemary sprig (I used close to a tablespoon of dried rosemary)
1 bay leaf
6 whole garlic cloves, peeled
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Pepper

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Prepare the chicken – tuck wings back and remove fatty bits from the cavity. Place breast side down in the Dutch oven. Add onion, celery, rosemary, bay leaf, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook for five minutes, or until lightly browned. Turn over onto the back and cook for eight minutes. Turn heat off. Cover with foil and lid. Place in a 250 degree oven and bake for between 1 hour 20 minutes and 1 hour 50 minutes or until the breast side reaches 160-165 degrees and dark meat side reaches 170-175 degrees. Remove from pot (do not discard the juice). Rest the chicken 20 minutes then carve. Meanwhile, strain juices and warm in a saucepan on the stove. Add a little lemon juice, salt and pepper. Serve on the side with the chicken.

French Onion Soup

Today's weather was gorgeous. But, this weekend's rain and wind put me in the mood for some fall cooking. I must admit, before tonight, I had never made French Onion Soup. But it just sounds like fall. I remember my Mom making it when we were growing up. I always thought of it as "hard to eat" soup. Those croutons and stringy Swiss cheese just got in my way. But, Wayne had told me of his love for French Onion Soup and I wanted to give it a try. And, I must admit, eating it tonight, I appreciated the stringy Swiss cheese and loved the crunchy salty bits of the croutons. But even better was the delicious, comforting onion broth! Enjoy! (Just make sure you have several hours to make it before you want to eat it). :)


French Onion Soup with Shaved Swiss Cheese
Emeril Lagasse

1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
3 pounds yellow onions, peeled and julienned
1/3 cup bourbon whiskey
2 quarts beef stock
1 quart chicken stock
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup freshly grated Swiss cheese

In a Dutch oven or large, heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add half of the onions and cook, stirring, until dark golden brown and caramelized, about 15 minutes. Add the remaining onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until a deep caramel color, about 1 hour. (I turned down the heat - on my stove, that would have been too hot).

Add the bourbon and cook, stirring occasionally, until evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients except the cheese, and stir well. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick and fragrant, about 1 hour. (I then added a little more salt and a little sugar, to taste).

Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
To serve, sprinkle each portion with grated Swiss cheese. (I also made some croutons and sprinkled them on top).

Gyros and CousCous with Marinated Artichoke Hearts

Thursday and Friday of this week was our staff training in the Nonviolent Crisis Intervention program. I was one of 6 trainers, and for all but one of us, it was the first training we had performed. I had fun doing it, but it was also very tiring. We trained nearly 60 staff members. Having such a large group makes it harder to make sure everyone "gets it" and I think it changes the comfort level for everyone. I'm happy that from here on out, we'll have smaller trainings with only me and the school psychologist.


Tyler had another cold this week, but by the end of the week was feeling better. On Thursday, he and Wayne met up with Michelle, Patty and their children at the zoo.

Here's Tyler with Julian and Abe.

Here is Tyler with Leo

On Saturday morning, Tyler woke up and was saying so many funny little things, but I couldn't them remember except for one. I was asking him whether he needed to potty before we got going with his morning routine.
"I didn't like to poop when I was a little boy." Why?
"I don't know... I do know." Why didn't you like to poop?
"I can't tell you. It's not a good idea."

Here he is, being is usual silly self.

Today is Wayne's 32nd birthday. Last evening we celebrated with friends, Matt and Michelle over a Greek/Mediterranean meal. We all ate too much then enjoyed a game of Trivial Pursuit followed by watching the KU, K-State game. Man we're so crazy.

We tried making Gyro sandwiches with Tzatziki sauce for the first time. We also had one of Wayne's favorite salads, CousCous with Marinated Artichoke Hearts. Michelle brought Hummus and flat bread. Our dessert was Mini Strawberry Napoleans. (Using the recipe from the Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry box). Yum. Here are some recipes. If you like Gyros, give this recipe a try. They're so easy and yummy. I accidentally doubled the amount of meat in the gyro but not the spices. I guess that was because most of the recipes I checked out called for 2 pounds of meat and perhaps had something to do with the fact that the recipe was printed in something like size 6 font. It was still very good, but I'm excited to try it the right way next time. I halved the Tzatziki and CousCous recipes because they make such a big batch.

Gyro Meat

2 lb ground lamb meat (I used 1/2 ground chuck and 1/2 buffalo meat).
4 cloves garlic, crushed
3 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1. Combine ingredients and shape into 1/2 inch-thick patties.
(For better texture, mix in food processor or stand mixer with paddle attachment).

2. Broil for 8-10 minutes or until no longer pink.
I turned them halfway through cooking.

3. Remove from oven and let rest at least 5 minutes. Slice thinly.

Serve with pita bread/flat bread, sliced tomatoes, thinly sliced onions, crumbled feta cheese and cucumber yogurt sauce (tzatziki). Low carb option - Serve over lettuce instead of on bread.

I made the meat ahead of time and just reheated in the microwave with a little water in the bowl right before serving.

Tzatziki Sauce
1 c Greek yogurt
1/2 cucumber, peeled, grated, salted lightly for 5 minutes and squeezed between hands to remove excess moisture.
1 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 T (1 1/2 t) red wine vinegar
1/2 T minced fresh dill or 1/2 teaspoon dried (optional)
Salt, to taste

1. Mix everything together.
2. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours before eating.


CousCous with Marinated Artichoke Hearts
1 3/4 cups couscous
2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups coarsely chopped marinated artichoke hearts
1/2 cup minced green onions
1/2 cup minced fresh Italian parsley
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill (1 t dried)
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts *
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

1. Place couscous in large bowl; cover with 2 cups boiling water. Stir; let stand 10 minutes or until water is absorbed. Stir in oil, salt and pepper.

2. Stir in artichoke hearts, green onions, parsley, dill, lemon juice and garlic. Transfer to serving bowl. Cover. Let stand at least 30 minutes. (Salad can be made to this point up to 4 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving). Just before serving, sprinkle with walnuts and cheese.

* To toast walnuts, spread on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool.

16 (1/2 cup) servings