Meatless Monday - Veggie Lasagna

Welcome to Meatless Monday week three!
I have to say that we actually looked forward to today.  Though there are plenty of days where we don't eat meat & not notice we have made Mondays into "Get-some-more-veggies-into-your-belly Meatless Mondays!". 
Jeff actually got excited when I told him what we are having for lunch ... is this the same pizza every night guy I married?

Breakfast

• Oatmeal with honey and cinnamon

Lunch

• My Super Green Sandwich

Dinner

• Veggie Lasagna

For this I make my Mama's Lasagna just like normal except where there is meat I sauté grated onion, minced garlic, thinly sliced zucchini & squash, grated carrot, and chopped broccoli.  Add all the tomato sauces when the veggies are softened and simmer for 10 minutes.  For the ricotta mixture I substituted half cottage cheese and added spinach that has been steamed & drained.  Cram more vegetables in if you want, there can never be too much!

Lentil, Walnut, & Mushroom Burger!

I think I have a solution for when hubby tells me he really hates certain foods that are good for you ... grind them till they are unrecognizable and make into burgers! Everything is made better with burgers.
Yes the evil healthy wife has dominated this week, but don't worry the Butter Princess will probably return soon with a vengeance :) 

Doesn't the picture make you hungry though?  The only problem is I made the burger really too thick (I wanted to take a nice picture) and as soon as I took a bite it squashed out the sides of the bun a little.  Whoops!  So for the rest of the batch I made thinner patties and they were perfect.  We both enjoyed this even after I revealed what was in the burger.  Score one for the super-food burger!

Lentil, Walnut, & Mushroom Burger

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup dry lentils
• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup chopped fresh spinach
•  1 cup walnuts
• 1/4 cup whole grain oats
• 8 oz container of whole white mushrooms, cleaned
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp olive oil + 3 more for the pan
• 1/4 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp fresh ground pepper

1. Bring water to boil in a small saucepan.  Add lentils and lower heat.  Simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed.  In a small skillet saute the onions in 1 Tbsp olive oil till tender.  For the last 30 seconds stir in the fresh spinach and let them wilt a little. Set aside in a bowl.

2. In a food processor combine the walnuts, oats, mushrooms, vinegar, thyme, salt & pepper and pulse till thoroughly chopped (if you have small food processor like me you can just chop it all separate). Add the lentils and give just a couple more pulses so that some lentils are still whole. Add to the bowl with the onions and mix well.

3. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.  Form mixture into patties with your hands (skinny patties!) and cook on each side 7-8 minutes till brown & crispy.  Serve while still nice and hot.

Spaghetti Squash Toss

Spaghetti squash is just so much fun to make.  I get such a silly kick out of flaking the insides with a fork, maybe in my past life I was a squash farmer.  I'm trying to get more creative but besides this recipe below and just eating it plain with loads of butter that's about it for now.  One day I will be more than a 2 trick pony with my fun squash!  :)
What I do really like about this recipe is that it makes tons, enough for leftovers, and it tastes great next day.

Spaghetti Squash with Feta & Veggies

Ingredients:

• 1 large Spaghetti Squash
• lots of Olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 cup Broccoli, broken in bite size pieces
• large handful fresh spinach
• 4oz pkg crumbled Feta cheese
• Salt & pepper to taste 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice squash in half and remove seeds with a spoon.  Drizzle lots of olive oil, salt and pepper on the cut portions.  Place cut side down on a large baking sheet and bake for 45-60 minutes, until squash is tender and you can stick a knife in its side easily. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

2. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat.  Add garlic, cook for 1 minute, then add tomatoes and saute till tomatoes become tender, about 5 minutes. 

3. While the tomatoes are cooking you need to steam the broccoli to get it tender.  Place in microwave in a safe bowl with 1/8 cup water.  Cover and cook on high for about 3 minutes.

4. Get out your favorite fork and begin to flake out the inside of the squash away from the skin.  Place in bowl and toss with tomatoes, broccoli, spinach, and feta cheese.  Add more salt & pepper to your liking.

Brussels Sprouts (& cute baby ducks!)

Ok, cheap trick to try to get you to read about brussels sprouts but honestly how can I not show pictures of the baby ducks at our pond.  I have a new hobby of "duck watching" and reporting what cute things they are doing at the moment to Jeff who in turn is obligated to oooh and awwww with me.   :)  I just want to cuddle them all!
Now back to that vegetable that is so feared amongst my friends....
When I say that this simple recipe might change your mind if you are not a fan of brussels sprouts I really mean it.  The first time I made them I had it as a side dish with a thick steak and potatoes to try to soften the presentation to Jeff.  After one bite he was hooked and even the little crisp leaves that fell off were gobbled like potato chips.
If being rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid, and dietary fiber doesn't convince you to try to include this in your diet a research study reveled eating brussels sprouts may help prevent colon cancer. Now that's what I'm talking about!

Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:

• Brussels sprouts
• Olive oil (enough to evenly coat)
• fresh ground black pepper
• sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Rinse off brussels sprouts.  Using a small knife, trim off a little of the the stem end and remove any dark or damaged outside leaves and discard.  Place in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, salt & pepper to taste, coating completely. Pour out on a large baking sheet and bake in oven for 45 minutes, shaking occasionally.

3. Add more salt & pepper if desired and serve immediately.

 now back to my duck watching... 

Broccoli and Spinach Soup - Happy Birthday to me!

Yesterday was my birthday and Jeff created a feast for me!  I also received the most awesome birthday present from my sister, a brand new KitchenAid Classic Mixer, and had to take it for a test drive (I've wanted one of those for sooooo long). She included in the present all the ingredients for bread so it was a no-brainer what we would make - Jeff took the reins on making the bread and it came out so good with such a smooth texture.  Needless to say the bread slowly disappeared while the rest of dinner was cooking.  Next time bread gets made last :)

 

Must....Eat.....Bread....Now....

Jeff also wanted to cook me something all on his own with no help from me, I admit it's hard for me to sit still when he is in the kitchen.  For those of you who know Jeff he is definitely not someone who likes or wants to cook. Before we met his idea of slaving in the kitchen for dinner was making boxed Mac-n-Cheese. So I was thrilled he wanted to try and make something on his own. My friend Jen gave me the cookbook Therapeutic Chef so we chose the Broccoli-Kale Soup, which of course the store was out of kale so we substituted spinach. Below is the recipe as we adapted it to what we had in the house :) . I have to say that if you make this be ready for it to taste healthy, hee hee, which I guess is the point of the book.
(forgive my obsession with taking pictures of Jeff cooking - had to preserve this precious moment)

Broccoli & Spinach Soup

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
•  3 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into pieces
• 1 bunch of broccoli, cut into pieces
• 1/4 cup cashews
• Handful of fresh spinach
• 1 lemon zested and the juice from half

1. In a large heavy soup pot saute the onions in the olive oil over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1-2 minutes more.

2. Slowly add the vegetable broth while stirring and bring to a boil.  Add cauliflower, broccoli, and cashews and cook covered for about 10 minutes till all tender.

3. Remove from heat and let cool before blending.  Add lemon juice and spoon about 1/4 of it into a blender. Puree and repeat with remaining soup.  Serve hot with a small sprinkle of lemon zest.

For the main dish we also had the "Jacob" meal I made a while back.  Mmmmm....meat & potatoes, homemade bread, & soup.  What a wonderful evening!

Chicken Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons

Its been a while since I've made this...dont know why, I must be crazy! Seriously you can not go wrong with homemade croutons, they really make this such a good salad. We like to pile them on to where you almost can't see anymore lettuce, kinda takes the "salad" out of this meal but you can't help it.  I like the big chunky pieces of croutons so I buy either a french loaf or store bread uncut.
We went through a testing period of Caesar dressings to find one that was really good.  We prefer Cardini's Light Caesar Dressing, nice and creamy with a good flavor.  And the word "light" makes us not feel guilty about dumping it on in massive amounts  :)

This recipe makes two adult meals or several side salads (and really this makes a filling meal all by itself).  Cook it all up fresh, the warm croutons and chicken make a nice contrast to the cold lettuce and dressing.  drooool....

Chicken Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp butter or margarine 
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp parsley, slightly crush in the palm of your hand with your thumb
• 1/2 tsp basil, slightly crushed also
• Loaf of uncut bread
• 6 chicken tenderloin pieces (or 2 chicken breasts)
• 2 heads of Romaine Lettuce
• grated Parmesan cheese
• your favorite Caesar salad dressing

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Heat a large skillet over medium/ med high heat with a little bit of oil.  Lightly season chicken with salt and ground pepper and place in skillet. Cook till done, about 3-4 minutes each side.

2. Cut bread into large chunks.

3. Melt butter. Add olive oil, garlic powder, parsley, and basil and mix thoroughly.

4. Slowly pour half the butter mixture over half the bread, tossing with your fingers to get evenly coated. Add remaining bread and butter mixture and toss it all around till lightly coated.

5. Pour coated bread out in one layer on cookie sheet and bake in oven 10 minutes or until browned, shaking pan midway through cooking.

6. Wash and chop lettuce into pieces. Chop chicken into pieces. Place lettuce, chicken, and croutons in a large in bowl. Grate Parmesan cheese all over. Pour your favorite dressing and dig in!

Kale Soup with Sausage and Chickpeas

This is my first attempt at making Kale Soup and I was surprised at how easy and versatile this dish can be.  My initial fear was that the tomatoes would come out too chunky and overpower the rest of the soup but they cooked down to be tender and delicious.  The original recipe is from Kalyn's Kitchen and I only did slight modifications. Its worked out great too cause I had enough of the ingredients to make this soup again a couple of days later...and trust me it was wanted again!
This was a great lunch, I went for seconds and Jeff went for thirds!

Kale Soup with Sausage and Chickpeas

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary or 1/2 tsp dried rosemary (if using dry kinda crush the big pieces)
• 2 tsp fresh sage or 3/4 tsp dried sage
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups chopped sausage links (I found a wonderful Italian seasoned Chicken sausage)
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 1 (14.5 oz) can of diced tomatoes (no salt added preferred)
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce (save the rest of the can for spaghetti later)
• 1/2 tsp seasoning blend, like Mrs Dash (optional)
• 1 small bunch of Kale
• 1 (15 oz) can of Chickpeas (Garbanzos)
• fresh ground pepper to taste
• sprinkle of Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)

1. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in heavy frying pan over medium heat.  Add chopped onion and saute for 3-4 minutes until onions are soft (not browned).

2. Lower heat a little and add minced garlic, rosemary, and sage and saute 2-3 minutes more.  Pour mixture into large soup pot with chicken stock and start to simmer.

3. Return frying pan back to medium heat and add sausage, cooking till browned. Add to soup pot.

4. Add to soup pot canned tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, black pepper, and seasoning blend. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes over low heat.

5. While soup simmers wash kale and cut into bite sized pieces.  Drain chickpeas in colander and rinse very well, removing any loose shells.

5. After soup simmers for 30 minutes add kale and chickpeas and simmer for 45 minutes more until kale is completely softened.  Serve hot with grated parmesan.

Kale and Avocado Salad

Kale........ sigh
I wish I knew more about you... you sweet, tough kale but I don't.  I wish I knew a way to make you more appealing towards my husband (yes we have that kind of relationship ;) and give him the nutritious powerhouse he needs.  But noooooooo I cant seem to do it short of dipping you in chocolate.  Any chocolate/kale recipes out there please let me know!
My current food obsession has turned to kale, and with all the delicious nutrition it provides I really want to be able to make it part of our diet.  Tons of vitamin A, C and K and low in calories it is something that we should be eating more of, but somehow we are not.  Its a total winter green and I have decided that I will buy tons and try to make Jeff looooove it.
This recipe has been showing up, in its various forms, on many of my search inquiries for kale and has been sloshing around in my head for a while.  I adjusted some of the measurements to my particular tastes but feel free to make this your own.  I have to say the massaging process breaks down the kale nicely (check out the difference from pic 1 to pic 3 below) and the cayenne pepper gives it a kick.  I was licking my fingers after I finished prepping ... it was sooo good.
Unfortunately "the man" was not too thrilled at the taste and texture and he only ate a couple of bites before calling it quits.  Oh well, I really enjoyed this recipe and playing with my food.... I'm a kid again!

Kale and Avocado Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 large bunch of kale
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• pinch of sea salt to taste

1. Wash Kale and shred into pieces

2. Half, pit, and remove avocado from skin.  Add all ingredients in a large bowl.

3. Using both hands massage all ingredients together till kale is wilted. This will take about 10 minutes to get the kale really tender so set the timer and put a show on to watch  ;)

4. Try it with chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, or any salad veggie.

Even Better Potatoes Gratin

So our month of trying to get back on track and be healthy went pretty good.  Yesterday I was able to run 2 miles which its been a while since I've gone that far.  My goal is to get back into the 5k I was doing a year and a half ago, preferably without feeling like my heart is going to explode and knees collapse at any moment.
With all this talk about health you would think I would be posting my super-duper healthy recipe........nah. 
We had our day off and I wanted to experiment more with the potatoes I did before.  I think this recipe is more of your normal gratin...but made so much better with condensed milk.  Wow!  This one is way better than the first one I did, and it stayed together nicely when cutting from the pan. Leftovers are going to be my breakfast...hows that for healthy!  :)
Enjoy!

Even Better Potatoes Gratin

Ingredients:

• 5 medium Russet potatoes
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 1 (5oz) can of Evaporated Milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 3 slices of turkey bacon, chopped (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and thinly slice potatoes, making sure slices are the same size.

2. Over medium heat, melt the butter.  Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute.

3. Add in the regular and evaporated milk, salt and pepper, nutmeg, and garlic, whisking till well blended.  Heat till it just starts to bubble (thicken) stirring constantly.

4. Add the cheese and stir till melted.  

5. Remove from heat and add in the chopped turkey bacon.

6. Spray a 9x9 in casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Place a layer of potatoes in dish and spoon out about 4 Tbsp of sauce over potatoes, trying to spread a thin layer.  Repeat layering potatoes and little bits of sauce making sure you leave enough sauce to cover the entire dish at the end.

7.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes in the oven, removing foil for the last 15 minutes to brown potatoes.

Super Green Sandwich

Check this bad boy out:

Talk about a healthy sandwich!  After eating this you just feel so good.  And don't you go sticking your nose up at the fact that it has tofu and alfalfa sprouts in it...trust me it tastes really good and is super filling.  After one bite Jeff was hooked on it and he hates almost all the ingredients.  The secret is the flavor combination and how you stack it. So give it a shot, you will surprise yourself ... if not then I will make sure to make this the next time you are over at my house to convince you.  :)
Jeff even has his own name for it, "Captain Tofu"!

Super Green Sandwich

Ingredients:

• A nice soft, nutty Whole wheat bread (we love to use Arnold's Oatnut - very tasty) 
• Avocado
• Juice from 1/2 lime
• Alfalfa sprouts
• Cucumber, thinly sliced
  
• Provolone Cheese
• Tofu (extra firm - I like to mix it up and use different seasoned tofu)
• Fresh Spinach

1. Slice the avocado and place it on one or both sides of the bread. (If you are new to slicing avocado just cut in half, remove the pit, and using a small knife slice into slivers while it is still in the skin - making sure you don't cut thru the skin. Push it out and voila!). Add a little crushed ground pepper to jazz it up if you want.

2. Place a layer of alfalfa sprouts on top of avocado on one slice of the bread.

3. Squeeze lime juice all over sprouts.

4. Place a layer cucumber on top of the sprouts.

5. Place cheese on top of cucumber.

6. Drain liquid and cut tofu* into thin slices and lay on top of cheese.

7. Finish with fresh spinach on top of tofu.

* store leftover tofu in an airtight container with a little water. Change out water daily.

Potato Hashbrowns

awww the potatoes want to go outside and play

Day two of Copper Chef America....the secret ingredient is........ still potatoes!  dummmdum dummm

Alright maybe I'm still giddy from the holiday gorging and that's why I'm talking to giant bags of potatoes now, but there they sit in mass quantity staring at me... daring me to to something with them.  Going to try something a little less cheesy and more crunchy.  We actually ate this with ketchup on the side.  What a lunch!

Potato Hashbrowns

Ingredients:

• 4 potatoes
  
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup  flour
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil, plus a little extra for the pan

1. Peel the potatoes and grate using a cheese grater on the larger side.

2. Place in bowl and mix in eggs.  Add flour, onion powder, salt, pepper, and 2 Tbsp oil and mix well.

3. Add several Tbsp of oil to a large frying pan and turn to medium/ med heat.  When pan is hot carefully scoop potato mixture in pan, flattening it out with a spatula into more of a pancake.  Cook till brown, scraping under with the spatula to loosen from the pan, for about 2 minutes each side.

Potatoes Gratin with Bacon

Have you ever woken up one morning just craving potatoes?  Not just one potato but loads, covered in cheese, all bubbly....mmmmmm.  That's not usually how each morning starts for me but that was the case yesterday.  I made the mistake of going to walmart which of course the only potatoes they had were in 10 lb bags ( I guess there was an after holiday rush) so hopefully now we have enough to satisfy this craving.  If you look closely at my recipe you will see that its just basically my Alfredo sauce with lots of cheese - its Gratin on a dime!
Now I just need to figure out what to do with the rest of the potatoes.....

Potatoes Gratin with Bacon

Ingredients:

• 6 russet potatoes
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 2 cloves grated garlic
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• pinch of nutmeg
  
• 2 cups cheddar cheese
• 4-6 pieces of cooked turkey bacon, chopped
  

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 9x9 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Peel potatoes and thinly slice them making sure all are same thickness (around 1/4 in).

3. Melt butter in saucepan.  Whisk in flour, salt, pepper, and garlic.  Add milk and nutmeg stirring constantly till it just starts to bubble.  Remove from heat and stir in cheese till completely melted (taste cheese mixture and add more salt & pepper if desired). Stir in bacon.

4. Make one layer of potatoes in casserole dish, pour a little of cheese mixture over top, make another layer alternating cheese and potatoes till ending with cheese mixture. (be careful not to fill to the brim as it may bubble over in your oven).

5. Cover with foil and bake for about an hour.  Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes till top is brown and bubbly.  

Roasted Root Veggies and Chocolate Truffles

Christmas Day we had our tradition of going over to the Jackson's house for feasting and visiting.  With my sister's family included there is usually close to 20 people so it makes for a really nice celebration of the holiday.  There is always tons of good food and the delicious opportunity of stuffing yourself to where you can't move....ahhhhh i love it!
I decided to bring over a batch of my homemade eggnog since it was so additively yummy.  My personal preference is the non rum version so I made it without and just let people add rum if they wanted it.  About 5 minutes after we brought out the eggnog it was gone so I am thinking that it was a success.  :)
I also brought a veggie dish and in my grand tradition of being weird I decided to make roasted root vegetables: parsnips, carrots, rutabagas, & turnips.  I saw someone cook with them on TV and it looked good so why not!   Jeff summed it up perfectly when he saw me chopping them up -  "who even uses those vegetables anymore?".  Exactly!   That's why I gave him specific instructions to not tell people what they were - these veggies have a bad rap.  (even I didn't know what a rutabaga looked like).  I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty the turnips turned out  - they were really good and had the look and texture of roasted potatoes.

Carrots,   parsnips,   turnips,   rutabagas 

The veggies were half gone before I told anyone what they were eating.  This turned out to be a good healthy recipe that was really simple - and Jeff went for seconds so cheers!

Roasted Root Veggies

Ingredients:

• Parsnips
• Carrots
• Rutabagas
  
• Turnips
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Olive Oil
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Peel and cut the vegetables into same size pieces. Sprinkle the salt, pepper, and garlic powder evenly over the veggies.  Drizzle olive oil over and toss to coat.

3. Pour out veggies in either a casserole dish or cookie sheet - using two if necessary to make a single layer.  Roast in oven for about 45 minutes till tender, turning them a couple of times during cooking.  Add a little more olive oil if they seem to be getting too dry.

The last thing I made came from the Food Network's Giada's Everyday Italian.  The recipe looked too good to pass up: Balsamic Chocolate Truffles.  I know, balsamic vinegar in chocolate?  But it really worked well.  This is something that you eat one of and your sweet tooth is cured for the rest of the year, very rich!

Balsamic Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:

• 8 1/2 oz dark chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup cream
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder

1. Slowly melt chocolate and cream in a double boiler over hot but not boiling water. 

2. Place chocolate in bowl and add vinegar mixing well.  Cool in fridge for at least one hour.

3. Put cocoa in bowl (I did a chopped walnut mixture too).  Scoop out chocolate and form into little balls.  Roll chocolate in cocoa power or nuts and set in a single layer.  Place back in fridge for at least 15 minutes to set.  Store in airtight package