Pepper and Cheese Lasagna

Pepper and Cheese Lasagna

So I came home and on the counter was an old yellowed recipe that we haven’t seen for years. Lyn was having a craving and laid out the dish, box of lasagna pasta and had already prepared the spinach and broccoli. This is an interesting recipe everything but the initial pasta cooking is made in the microwave. You can tell the age by the one step that was rotate pan half way through, if you remember way back there was either no tray and it never rotated during cooking.

Ingredients

6-9 lasagna noodles

2 carrots shredded

1 small onion chopped –Steve Note: I used red I had half of one left over

1 red or green pepper, cut into thin strips

10 ounce of frozen chopped broccoli or spinach thawed and drained. Steve Note: Lyn had prepared a combo of each but used fresh.

I added 4 mushrooms sliced.

1/2 tsp of salt

15 ounce container of ricotta cheese

Optional 1 egg beaten Steve Note: like to add this to ricotta binds it together.

2 cups of shredded Fontina, Swiss or other cheese. Steve Note: Did not have enough mozzarella or provolone so I grabbed a stick of cheddar and shredded it. BTW take minutes and is way cheaper than buying already shredded. The cheddar turned out a nice choice went well with the veggies.

Lyn’s pasta sauce Steve Note: The recipe did not call for but I put small amount on bottom and top (before the last topping of cheese).

How

  1. Prepare noodles conventionally as package directs; drain, separate and set aside.
  2. in 12×8″ backing dish cook carrots, onion and pepper covered on high 6-8 minutes until tender-crisp stirring half way through. Spoon into bowl and add broccoli. In separate bowl combine egg, and salt and a real good pinch of dried basil.
  3. thin layer in baking dish then top with three noodles. top that with half the ricotta cheese mixture and top that with 1/3 veggie mixture then 1/3 shredded cheese.
  4. Repeat except except set aside the shredded cheese
  5. Cook covered on high for 7-10 minutes until hot through
  6. Sprinkle remain cheese cook 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted
  7. Let stand for 10 minutes and serve

Makes 8 servings

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Meatball Ragu

Meatball Ragu

This was a cook from the gut meal, I had three large meatball in freezer, some of Lyn’s leftover pasta sauce and some green pepper and sweet onion. I rough/fine chopped the meatballs.

Saluted the onions add to sauce with the sliced green pepper then heated until the green peppers were slightly tender.

<strong>Fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce</strong>

Fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

 These Vietnamese spring rolls are fresh, not fried! They’re the perfect party appetizer or light meal. The peanut sauce sends them over the top. Recipe yields 8 spring rolls.

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INGREDIENTS

Spring Rolls

  • 4 ounce rice vermicelli or maifun brown rice noodles*
  • 2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 cup torn butter lettuce, ribs removed
  • 2 cup very thinly sliced red cabbage
  • 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks or sliced into strips with a julienne peeler
  • 4 Persian (mini) cucumbers or 2 small cucumber, thinly sliced or sliced into strips with a julienne peeler
  • 4 medium jalapeños, ribs and seeds removed, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh mint
  • 16 sheets rice paper (spring roll wrappers)

Peanut Sauce

  • 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 4 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 4 tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
  • 4 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
  • 4 to 6 tablespoons water, as needed
Sesame Peanut Sauce Spaghetti

Sesame Peanut Sauce Spaghetti

INGREDIENTS

serves 3-4

  • 8oz gluten free spaghetti or ramen noodles
  • 3 Tablespoons peanut butter
  • 3 Tablespoons gluten free Tamari or soy sauce (dish will not be GF if using traditional soy sauce)
  • 1 Tablespoon coconut sugar
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon Siracha chili sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 small clove garlic, pressed or minced
  • 1 lime, sliced in half, one half sliced into wedges
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • Green beans in bite size pieces
  • 3 Tablespoons roasted peanuts, minced
  • Toppings: chopped cilantro, minced peanuts, chopped green onions, toasted sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil then add gluten free spaghetti or ramen noodles and cook until al dente. BEFORE DRAINING, carefully scoop out 1 cup pasta cooking water then set aside. Drain pasta then return to pot.
  2. Meanwhile, combine peanut butter, gluten free Tamari, coconut sugar, sesame oil, Siracha chili sauce, ground ginger, garlic, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice in a small bowl then stir to combine – it’s ok if the sauce isn’t completely smooth.
  3. Add sauce, green onions, and minced peanuts to the hot pasta, plus a few Tablespoons pasta cooking water, then stir until noodles are coated and the sauce is completely smooth. Add more pasta cooking water as needed to reach a smooth consistency.
  4. Scoop into bowls then serve with lime wedges and toppings.

Instant Pot Slow Cooker Beef Paprikash for Two with Kale Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 medium onion, diced

1 pounds cubed beef stew meat (about 1- to 1 1/2-

inch pieces)

1 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 green or red bell peppers, coarsely chopped

1 cloves garlic, minced

Fresh mushroom about 9-12

1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth

2 tablespoons sweet paprika (smoked would be interesting)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon caraway seeds, crushed

1/2 cup sour cream

1 Tablespoon Cornstarch dissolved in water to thicken at end

Boiled egg noodles, for serving

How

  1. Spread the onions in the bottom of an 8-cup slow cooker. Toss the beef with the flour, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and place on top of the onions. Top with the bell peppers and garlic. Stir together the broth, paprika, tomato paste and caraway and pour over the beef. Add mushroom Cover and cook until the meat is very tender, using slow cooker setting for 4 hours.  Uncover turn to sauté when bubbling add cornstarch mixture and let stand at least 5-10 minutes until thickens.  Serve over egg noodles add a dollop of sour cream.
Pasta With Roasted Pepper and Manchego Pesto

Pasta With Roasted Pepper and Manchego Pesto

Makes 4 servings

Melissa, my pseudo adopted daughter,  and family sent us a nice cheese package for Xmas and one was manchego cheese. Lyn saw this recipe in the Boston Globe and we tried and will try again and again. Of course, I cut it in half since there were only two of us but here is the complete recipe for 4.

From Milk Street: The idea for this pesto came from Spanish romesco, a heady sauce that counts nuts, olive oil, smoked paprika, and dried ñora peppers among its ingredients. In keeping with the Spanish theme, we use manchego cheese, a semi-hard aged sheep’s-milk cheese with grassy notes, a subtle piquancy, and a salty-savory finish. A generous dose of oregano adds bold herbal flavor and freshness.

2¾ ounces manchego cheese (without rind), chopped into rough 1-inch pieces

1/3 cup whole roasted or raw almonds

2 tablespoons fresh oregano

Note: I used a heaping tablespoon of dried, since my fresh is buried under 15″ of snow

1½ teaspoons smoked paprika                

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

¾ cup drained roasted red peppers, patted dry

1 pound Fusilli pasta (you could use whatever pasta you like)

In a food processor, pulse the manchego to the texture of coarse sand; transfer to a bowl. Process the almonds, oregano, paprika, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper until finely chopped, scraping the bowl. Add the manchego and half the oil, then process until smooth. Add the peppers and remaining oil; pulse until creamy.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup water, then drain. Toss the pasta with the pesto, adding cooking water as needed to help the sauce cling. Season with salt and pepper.

What is Fusilli (foo-SILL-ee) it is a type of Italian pasta shaped like curly spirals or little springs. Fusilli is often served with thicker sauces like meat sauces and heavy cream sauces, since the grooves in the pasta trap sauce. The word fusilli comes from “fuso” meaning spindle—a spindle rod is traditionally used to spin the strips of pasta into a spiral shape.

Easy Italian Purple Cabbage Rolls

Easy Italian Purple Cabbage Rolls

I got a red cabbage with my Misfits Market order thinking it would be a small head that I could add to my salads, but it turned out to be huge. I like stuffed cabbage and figure why not.  If your interested in trying Misfits use my code (COOKWME-FG1DCQ) that way we can both save some $$. This is a quick, easy and pretty good. I have made other recipes like sweet and sour but I kind of like this one.

Ingredients

  • 1 large head purple cabbage
  • 3 cups water or unsalted chicken broth
  • 1 cup brown rice, cooked and cooled
  • 1 ¼ pounds ground sirloin
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
  • 2 teaspoons ground sage
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (optional)
  • Sea salt and black pepper
  • 2 ½ cups low-sodium marinara sauce (my mother in-law used to use tomato soup)

How

Carefully cut or remove 6 large leaves from a head of cabbage—the bigger, the better; they are your vessels in this recipe. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then drop in the leaves. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until soft and malleable.

Bring the 3 cups water or broth to a boil, then add the rice. Cover and cook until the farro has softened and can be fluffed with a fork, about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 400˚F.

In a large bowl, mix turkey, egg, garlic powder, onion, bell pepper, sage, Italian seasoning (if using), salt, black pepper, 2 tablespoons marinara sauce, and rice.

In a baking dish, spread 1 cup marinara sauce over the bottom.

Take a scoop of the meat mixture ( I used my medium ice cream scoop) and roll into a cylinder or ball. Place at the bottom of a cabbage leaf; roll up the bottom, fold in the sides, then continue rolling the leaf to seal. Repeat. Depending on the size of the leaf, I had some left over so I just made small meatballs with leftover and placed in pan. I think they are called porcupine balls, I call it chef’s treat.

Place the rolls side by side on top of the sauce in the baking dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the rolls Cover the baking dish with tin foil and bake at 400˚F for 55 minutes. 

You could also use this for stuffed peppers, acorn squash

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