Vegetable Lasagna

I knew going into making this lasagna that I may have some haters from the get go.  First the mushrooms, I knew these wouldn’t go over well.  Preston doesn't hate very many things, but he hates mushrooms (he says they make him gag, so sad that he hates mushrooms, not gags).  Noah is pickier and I was pretty sure that when he looked at the lasagna that he wasn't going to like it (I was right).  Stella said she didn't want to eat, but she doesn't count because she's sick.  Todd was the big question mark.  He loves mushrooms, but doesn't love zucchini and squash.  His favorite lasagna of all time is full of meat and so I wasn't sure if this lasagna would win his heart or stomach.  He loved it!  In fact he said that he liked it as much as his favorite sausage lasagna (sweet!).  And for me...I wouldn't go to the effort of making something that I wasn't pretty sure I would like and this lasagna did not disappoint.  It was delicious and will make it again and again (even though I am pretty sure my kids will either fall over dead in their chairs or die of moaning if they see this lasagna sitting on our dinner table again).

Vegetable Lasagna

9-ounce package oven ready lasagna noodles (I used barilla and there will be leftovers)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 whole red bell pepper, seeded and diced
12-ounces mushrooms, chopped
1 yellow squash, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 (14-ounce) can petit diced tomatoes
1/4 cup white wine or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
15 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and garlic and cook for a minutes.  Add diced red peppers and sauté for another minute.  Add mushrooms, yellow squash and zucchini and cook for a few minutes.  Pour in wine (or vegetable broth), 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.  Stir.  Pour in diced tomatoes and stir to combine.  Let simmer for 20-30 minutes.  Stir in chopped parsley.  

In a medium sized bowl combine ricotta cheese, egg, Parmesan cheese and 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt.

Butter an 8x8 baking dish.  To assemble, spread a little of the vegetable sauce in the bottom of the baking dish.  Lay 3 oven ready lasagna noodles, slightly overlapping, over the sauce.  Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture on the noodles.  Top with a 1/3 of the shredded mozzarella cheese.  Spoon a little less than 1/3 of the veggie sauce mixture over the mozzarella.

Repeat the layering two more times, ending with the vegetable sauce and a good sprinkling of Parmesan.

Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes.  Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.  Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.

*Because I was trying with all of my heart to get my kids to like this lasagna, I made my own ricotta.  I know they love it and I was hoping it would be a selling point for the lasagna.  Sadly, my ricotta plan didn't work.  But, I will say that even though it was an extra step, I would do it again.

This lasagna made great leftovers (dinner and a couple of lunches).

Recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman

Toasted Walnut & Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

I don't make oatmeal cookies with nuts very often because those I live with prefer them without.  Today, those people may be out of luck (more cookies for me).  My kind of oatmeal cookie is full of toasted walnuts, golden raisins and given a sprinkle of coarse salt after they come out the oven.  Today it's my kind of oatmeal cookie!

Toasted Walnut & Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

2/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped and toasted walnuts

Stir together flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and dark brown sugar until fluffy.  Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined.  Add flour and oat mixture and mix until combined.  Stir in toasted walnuts and raisins.

Chill cookie dough in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.  Scoop the dough and shape into balls (about 2 tablespoons of dough).  Place on parchment lined baking sheet and bake in 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.  Remove from oven and lightly sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

Roasted Cauliflower with Salsa Verde

I love roasted cauliflower and may have eaten most of this pan for an afternoon snack.  While the cauliflower was roasting in the oven, I told my husband that I didn't want to waste any of the  cauliflower, but that I wasn't going to eat a whole head of cauliflower for a snack and then I did (minus a couple of pieces).  It really was that tasty!

Roasted Cauliflower with Salsa Verde

Salsa Verde

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves
2 medium cloves garlic, minced with a pinch of salt
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste

In a medium bowl, combine the jalapeno, cilantro, garlic, fresh lime juice and olive oil and whisk to combine.  Add a couple of pinches of salt, to taste and whisk to combine.  Set aside at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour.

Roasted Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Wash and dry cauliflower.  Put on a cutting board, stem side down, and slice vertically, top to bottom, into 1/4-inch slices.  Put the cauliflower on a baking sheet and toss with two tablespoons of olive oil.  Spread the cauliflower in a single layer on the baking sheet.  Use two baking sheets if the cauliflower seems too crowded.  (Too much cauliflower on the pan and the cauliflower will steam rather than roast.)  Salt lightly.  Bake until the cauliflower is golden, 20 to 30 minutes, turning once with a spatula.  Salt lightly again.  

Serve cauliflower with salsa Verde on the side for drizzling.

Recipe from A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg

Winter Minestrone & Garlic Bruschetta

It has been quite cold around here lately (more like I'm cold down too my bones freezing).  Every day for the past week, I've looked forward to lunch because I've had a big bowl of this soup and I'm still not sick of it!  (I've just about finished it off and I may need to make more because warmer temps. are not in the forecast.)

Winter Minestrone and Garlic Bruschetta

Olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
2 cups (1/2-inch) diced carrots
2 cups (1/2-inch) diced celery
2 1/2 cups (1/2-inch) peeled and diced potatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
6 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups cooked orzo
8 to 10-ounces fresh baby spinach leaves
2 tablespoons pesto
Garlic Bruschetta (recipe follows)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

To cook the orzo pasta, put 1 cup of orzo into a large pot of salted boiling water.  Cook until al dente, drain and set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven.  Add onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, garlic, and thyme and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.

Add the crushed tomatoes, 6 cups of chicken stock, the bay leaf, 1 tablespoon kosher salt and 1 1 /2 teaspoons pepper to the pot.  Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer uncovered until the vegetables are tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Discard the bay leaf.  Add the beans and cooked pasta and heat through.  Just before serving, add the spinach and toss with 2 big spoons (like tossing a salad).  Cook until the leaves are wilted.  Stir in the pesto.  Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.  Serve with garlic bruschetta and a good sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese.

Garlic Bruschetta

1 baguette or a loaf of good crusty bread
Olive oil
1 garlic clove, cut in half lengthwise

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Slice the baguette at a 45-degree angle in 1/2 inch-thick slices.  Brush both sides of the bread with olive oil and bake for 6 minutes, until lightly toasted.  Take the slices out of the oven and rub the surface of each one with the cut clove of garlic.

*I like to tear of piece of the Bruschetta and let it sit in the soup for just a bit to let the bread soak up some of the broth and then I eat the bread with a bite of soup.  Yum!

*When I reheat the soup for lunch, I add a little water to thin the soup down a bit.  The soup may need to be reseasoned.

Recipe Adapted from Ina Garten