Crockpot Pesto Lasagna

{photo and recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking}

1 (26-ounce) jar prepared pasta sauce
1 (10-ounce) box lasagna noodles
1 (11-ounce) container pesto
1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 (12-ounce) bag baby spinach
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
16 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced
1/4 cup water

Put a spoonful of pasta sauce (about 1/4 cup) into the bottom of your slow cooker and swirl it around. Add a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles (you're going to have to break them to make a layer). Smear ricotta cheese and pesto onto the noodles. Add a handful or two of baby spinach, and top with a layer of Parmesan and slice mozzarella cheeses. Repeat layers until you've run out of ingredients. The spinach is fluffy, so you're going to have to squish it down to make it all fit.

Before closing the pot, put 1/4 cup of water into the empty pasta sauce jar and close and shake. Pour this saucy water over the top of everything.

Now cover up and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for about 3 to 4. You'll know it's done when the top layer begins to brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly. It will also pull a bit away from the sides. Taste-test a noodle to check texture.

Uncover, and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

I love how fast and easy this is! Last Sunday I had Max assemble it right before we left for church, and it was ready to eat when we got home. I whipped up some super-fast breadsticks and we had a delicious dinner.

Sweet Potato and Brie Flatbread

(Recipe from Real Simple website)

1 pound frozen pizza dough, thawed (I used Marc's fast & easy dough)
1 medium sweet potato, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
2 shallots, thinly sliced
8 sprigs fresh thyme
4 T. olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper
4 oz. Brie, sliced (I removed the rind)
2 t. red wine vinegar
4 cups mixed greens (I used arugula)

Heat oven to 425º. Shape the dough into a large oval or rectangle and place on a cornmeal-dusted baking sheet.

In a medium bowl, toss the sweet potato, shallots, thyme, 3 T. of the oil, 1/2 t. salt, 1/4 t. pepper. Scatter over the dough and top with the Brie slices. Bake until gold brown and crisp, 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, remaining T. of oil, and 1/4 t. each salt and pepper. Toss with the greens and serve with or atop the flatbread.

So delicious!

Seared Chicken with Squash Quesadilla

A friend in Seattle saw this on Martha Stewart, and her little boy who was watching with her insisted that they make it that very night. She shared the recipe with me, and it became an instant hit. I have made this so many times, I now have to let some time elapse in-between so it can seem fresh to me again. (I usually make just the quesadillas, which is a meatless meal, but the chicken is good as well.)

2 T. e.v. olive oil
1 butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded and sliced crosswise into 1/4" slices
salt and pepper to taste
red pepper flakes
4 chicken breasts
2 T. plus 1/4 t. garlic, minced
1 lime, cut into 8 slices
1 t. unsalted butter
1/4 t. ground cumin
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno pepper, sliced into rounds
8 oz. goat cheese
6 12" tortillas
2 sprigs cilantro (I use much more)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Drizzle 1 1/2 t. olive oil on a baking sheet. Place the squash pieces on top. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Roast until fork tender, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Meanwhile prepare the chicken; season with salt and pepper. Place 1/4 t. garlic and 2 slices of lime under the tender of each breast. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and 1 t. olive oil. Place the chicken in the skillet, tender-side up. Add the remaining 1 T. minced garlic, cumin and the juice from half a lime to the pan. Cook until firm and golden brown, about 6 minutes per side; after the first 6 minutes, squeeze the remaining lime half over the chicken and turn.

In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook the jalapeno slices for 4 minutes on each side. Set aside. Prepare the quesadillas: arrange squash slices on half of tortillas, top with jalapeno slices, goat cheese and cilantro. Heat until cheese is melted. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

Black Bean, Corn, and Avocado Salad

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 c. corn kernels (fresh or canned shoepeg is great)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/4 c. fresh lime juice
2 t. grated lime zest
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 t. salt

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and serve at once with tortilla chips.

(6 points for 1 1/2 c. of salad)

Cream of Artichoke and Pecan Soup

Chantal served this to us once at dinner and it was sublime.

3 T. butter
4 medium yellow onions, quartered
1/2 c. pecans, chopped
1/2 c. fresh basil, chopped
1/2 c. fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c. heavy cream
4 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. chopped artichoke hearts (rinse if canned)
additional fresh basil for garnish

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add onion; cook 15-20 minutes. Add pecans; cook, stirring ocassionally, over medium heat for an additional 10-15 minutes. Watch carefully, as onions caramelize easily and burn. Add basil, parsley, salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes.

Remove from stove and purée mixure in blender.

Return puréed mixture to saucepan; add cream, chicken broth and artichoke hearts. Bring to a slow boil; remove from heat at once. Garnish with more fresh basil, if desired.

yields about 7 cups of soup

Marc's Algerian Couscous

Marc learned to make this while on his mission to Belgium and France, and fine-tuned his recipe along the way. (He doesn't use actual recipes, so I forced him to write down his proportions one time when we were teaching a cooking class for Enrichment.) Each time I eat this, I feel like my body is thanking me, and it's very tasty as well!

1 large onion, chopped
3 T olive oil
3/4 t. turmeric
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
dash of cinnamon
3-4 whole cloves
1 1/2 t. black pepper
1/2 t. salt
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 small can tomato paste
3 medium zucchini
4 small yellow summer squash
4 large carrots
4 medium yellow potatoes
1 red or green bell pepper
1 can garbanzo beans, drained

Sauté onion in olive oil over medium heat until translucent. Add all spices, including bouillon, and cook for a few more minutes, stirring as needed. Add tomato paste, stir and simmer 2 minutes.

Cut all vegetables into large chunks and add to the pot. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for at least an hour.

Add the garbanzo beans about 5 minutes before serving. Serve vegetable ragout over couscous.


Preparing couscous:

Put couscous in a bowl. Boil water with a bouillon cube. (use a 1 1/2:1 ratio of water to couscous) Put a pat of butter on dry couscous. Pour boiling water over the grain and wait about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

**My friend Gayle who lived in Morocco for several years makes her couscous differently: she first cuts up a chuck roast into about 6 sections, browns the meat, and then cooks it with the onion, spices, and 2 cans tomato sauce. After cooking the meat for about an hour, she adds the vegetables and cooks about an hour more. She also adds sweet potatoes to the vegetable mixture and steams cabbage on the side, and of course, serves it all over couscous. Hers is delicious, and we make it sometimes as well.

Marc's French Potage

This is about the fastest, easiest, most filling Winter meal imaginable.

3 Russet potatoes
1 bunch leeks
3 carrots
salt and pepper

Peel potatoes and carrots. Cut into large chunks.

Cut off ends of leeks. Cut again where the light green stalks turn dark green. Cut a slit lengthwise and wash leeks well under cold water to remove grit. Cut into large chunks.

Place vegetables in a large stockpot and cover with water. Add a couple of chicken bouillon cubes and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until vegetables are tender.

Ladle out most of the cooking water and reserve. Purée soup with a hand blender, adding reserved liquid if desired.

Stir in a dollop of heavy cream or creme fraîche just before serving and serve with hearty bread.

Jenn's Cheese Fondue

1/2 c. chicken broth
2-3 c. grated cheese
(cheddar with swiss, jack, or mozzarella -- I use whatever I had on hand, most recently sharp white cheddar, jarlsberg, colby jack, and a little blue)
a few tablespoons of flour
dash of garlic salt or tobasco
a little finely-chopped artichoke

Toss grated cheeses with flour.
Heat the chicken broth in fondue pot.
Gradually stir in cheese until melted.

Serve with chunks of hearty bread, apples, and vegetables for dipping.

Ultimate Quick & Easy Pasta Sauce

1 t. olive oil
1 c. chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c. red wine or 2 T. balsamic vinegar
1 T. sugar
2 t. dried basil
2 T. tomato paste
1/2 t. Italian seasoning
1/4 t. black pepper
2 14-oz. cans diced tomatoes, undrained

Heat oil in a saucepan or large skilled over med. high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in wine or vinegar and remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, uncovered, about 15 minutes. Stir in chopped fresh parsley, if desired.

Yields 3 cups.

Tortellini with Cherry Tomatoes and Corn

One of my favorite things to eat in the summertime!

10 oz. cheese tortellini
10 oz. frozen corn
1 clove garlic, halved
2 c. quartered cherry tomatoes
1/4 c. sliced green onions
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
2 T. grated parmesan
2 t. olive oil
1/4 t. pepper

Cook tortellini in boiling water for 3 minutes. Add frozen corn and cook another three minutes. Drain well.

Rub the inside of a large serving bowl with the garlic halves; discard garlic. Add tortellini mixture, tomatoes, and remaining ingredients, tossing gently to coat.

Serves 6.

Pasta with Carrot/Shallot Sauce

This is something I really like, and I frequently make it when I haven't planned or shopped for anything because I usually have all the ingredients on hand. It's also quick and easy!

5 or 6 carrots, diced fairly small
4 or 5 shallots, minced (I have used 1/2 an onion in a pinch)
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 c. white wine
1 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
salt
pepper
1/3 c. parmesan cheese
evaporated milk or fat free half-and-half
1 pound fettuccine

Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Saute the carrots and shallots until they start to get soft and lightly browned. Add the tomatoes (undrained) and the wine. (You can omit the wine if you wish -- it will still be good, but there won't be as much depth to the flavor.)

Simmer until the carrots are just soft (not mushy). Use an immersion blender to puree most of the sauce -- you still want it to be a little chunky (or not, depending on your preference!). If you don't have an immersion blender, just puree 2/3 of the sauce in a regular blender and then return to the skillet. Add the butter to smooth out the sauce, and salt and pepper to taste.

Stir in the parmesan cheese and maybe 1/4 c. of evaporated milk. (How I love a good rosy-colored sauce!) Serve over al dente fettuccine or angel hair pasta.

Katrina's Authentic Italian Lasagna

(Katrina is my best friend from Seattle. She learned to make this from a friend who served a mission in Italy. It's totally different from American-style lasagna, and it's also one of my very favorite dishes.)

sauce

Mince the following ingredients to a pulp: (I do it in my mini food processor)

1 onion
4-5 cloves garlic
3 carrots
3 stalks of celery

Cover the bottom of a large, heavy stockpot with good-quality olive oil. Add the minced vegetables and saute. Add:

1 c. white wine
1 t. oregano
1 t. basil
salt and white pepper to taste
1 lg. can crushed tomatoes
2 cans tomato sauce

Simmer for a good long time. When sauce is finished, turn off the heat and add 1 jar of good-quality alfredo sauce (Classico is good). (By the way, I've tried making my own alfredo sauce for this recipe and you really can't tell the difference.)

spinach lasagna noodles

2 eggs
1 can or 1 pkg. frozen spinach, drained and sqeezed dry (juice reserved)
about 2 c. flour?

Mix eggs and spinach with enough flour to make a stiff dough. (Add a little of the spinach juice if it gets too stiff.) Knead well, until dough is nice and elastic. Make flat lasagna noodles with a pasta maker. (I suppose you could do this with a rolling pin, but I'm really not that committed.)

Layer sauce, noodles, and good shredded parmesan cheese in a 9" x 13" pan. Continue the layers until 1) you're out of pasta, or 2) your pan is full. End with sauce and another layer of cheese. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour. Enjoy!

Peanutty Noodles

Peanutty Noodles (from Cooking Light)

2 carrots, peeled
1 T. vegetable oil, divided
2 t. grated peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 c. fat-free chicken broth
1/2 c. natural-style peanut butter
1/4 c. soy sauce
3 T. rice or white wine vinegar
1 t. chili garlic sauce
1/4 t. salt
2 c. red bell pepper strips
1 pounds snow peas, trimmed
8 c. hot cooked linguine (about 1 lb.)
1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro, optional

Shave the carrots lengthwise into thin strips using a vegetable peeler; set aside.

Heat 1 t. oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add chicken broth and next 5 ingredients (broth through salt); stir until well-blended. Reduce heat, and simmer 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and keep warm.

Heat 2 t. oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers and snow peas; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat. Combine carrot, peanut butter mixture, bell pepper mixture, and linguine in a large bowl; toss well. Sprinkle with cilantro if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature (I even like it cold).

Yield: 10 1-cup servings.

296 calories
8.8g fat
11.7g protein
3.4g fiber

Pasta with Grilled Vegetables

10 oz. short pasta (I used whole wheat penne -- Target makes ww pasta that is both inexpensive and tasty)
2 bell peppers (I used yellow and orange), cut in large chunks
1-2 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1" pieces
3 t. crumbled blue cheese (I used 3 tablespoons!)
1/4 c. white wine vinegar
1 t. sugar
1/2 t. minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

The recipe calls for grilling the vegetables, but since we still have snow, I just sautéed them in a little olive oil. Either way, cook the peppers and asparagus while the pasta is cooking.

In a medium bowl, mix the vinegar, garlic, sugar, salt, pepper, blue cheese, and tomatoes. Add the drained pasta and the cooked vegetables and mix well. Add a little of the pasta cooking water if necessary.

Fast, easy, good. Enjoy!

Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

(from Everyday Food Great Food Fast)

serves 6
prep time: 25 minutes
total time: 1 hour

4 flour tortillas
1 T. canola oil
1 large onion, diced
1 jalapeno chile, minced (remove ribs and seeds for less heat)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t. ground cumin
coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
12 ounces beer or 1 1/2 c. water (I used water)
10 oz. frozen corn
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2 1/2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese (I used colby jack)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Trim the tortillas, if necessary, to fit into a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, jalapeno, garlic and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 5-7 minutes.

Add the beans and beer or water to the skillet, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium; simmer until the liquid has almost evaporated, about 10 minutes. Stir in the corn and scallions, and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Fit a tortilla in the bottom of the springform pan; layer with 1/4 of the beans and 1/2 c. cheese. Repeat three times, using 1 c. cheese on the top layer. Bake until hot and the cheese is melted, 20-25 minutes. Unmold the pie; sprinkle with scallions if desired. Slice into wedges, and serve immediately with salsa and sour cream.

Quick, easy, and delicious!