Lasagna with Yellow Lentil Noodles

 I have been asked to post my lasagna recipe, although I will tell you that this will only be the actual construction of the lasagna.  I make my lasagna with whatever sauce I happen to have made.  This latest version uses a fresh sauce with ground turkey, red and yellow peppers, and yellow squash.  I of course used some fresh tomatoes and some of the fresh basil I have been maintaining over the winter, but that is a different recipe.

Lasagna with Yellow Lentil Noodles

4 cups Spaghetti sauce (I used turkey vegetable sauce)

24 oz low-fat cottage cheese

2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded parmesan

2 eggs

1 pkg Simply Nature Yellow Lentil Lasagna Sheets (from Aldi)

Filling: Mix Cottage cheese, eggs and 1/2 cup shredded parmesan until will mixed.  Set aside.

To construct the lasagna, spray a baking dish (I used a half pan banquet pan, or you could use a 9 x 13 x 2 baking pan).  Spread 1 1/2 cups sauce in the bottom of the baking pan.  Place one layer of lasagna sheets over the sauce.  Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture over the noodles.  Sprinkle with 1/3 of the Italian cheese blend and a handful of the parmesan.  Spread 1/3 of remaining sauce over cheese.  Repeat layers ending with a layer of noodles.  Spread the remaining sauce over the noodles and sprinkle with the remaining cheeses.  Cover and bake 30 minutes covered.  Remove the foil and bake 25 minutes longer uncovered.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

To be honest, I do not know why I don't make lasagna more often.  As you can see, it is very simple and you no longer have to cook the noodles before putting it all together.

Ratatouille, At Last!!!!

It has been the strangest summer for me.  Usually, by this time, I would have made several batches of ratatouille, given that I would have had 2-3 weeks of eggplants from the CSA.  However, between moving and traveling, I have not had time to do any major cooking.  So, today, I decided it was time.  I made a roasted ratatouille today (my favorite type because roasting gives another layer of flavor).  To make it acceptable to my diet, I then took a bunch and made a quiche (the cheese, milk and eggs give me protein).  Here are both recipes:

Oven-Roasted Ratatouille

• 1 medium eggplant*
• 1 medium zucchini*
• 1 small yellow squash*
• 5 small local Amish tomatoes*
• 1 red pepper*
• 1 orange pepper*
• canola oil
• Italian seasoning
• Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 400F.  Wash all vegetables.  Trim ends of eggplant. Quarter the eggplant lengthwise and then slice into 1/4" slices.  Trim ends of zucchini and squash. Cut in half lengthwise and then slice into 1/8" slices.  Quarter tomatoes and the coarsely chop. Roughly chop the peppers.  Place all vegetables into a zip bag (2 if needed).  Drizzle oil over vegetables and then sprinkle with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.  Shake bag(s) until the vegetables are evenly coated with oil and seasonings.  Pour into a prepared roasting pan and roast for 45-60 minutes, stirring the vegetables every 15 minutes to cook evenly.

 Ratatouille Quiche

• 1 1/2 cups Roasted Ratatouille (see above)
• 1 cup Italian Cheese blend
• 5 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cup 1% milk
• salt & pepper
• dried basil

Reduce heat of oven to 350F.  Drain 1 1/2 cups of roasted ratatouille on paper towels.  Press out as much moisture as possible as the vegetables will likely release more moisture during baking.   Place the vegetables into the bottom of a prepared round baking pan.  Beat eggs with milk and seasonings.  Sprinkle the cheese over the vegetables and then pour the egg mixture over the filling.  Bake for 35 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.

*Farmers market ingredients

Summer Quinoa Salad

Today is our "annual" lab picnic.  My boss is celiac, so I decided to create a gluten free quinoa salad with all those beautiful vegetables we received this week in the CSA share.  I got a lot of input with my friends on Facebook and here is the final result:

Summer Vegetable Quinoa Salad

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 1/2 cups water
• salt
• 1 medium yellow squash*
• 1 medium tomato, seeded*
• 1 cup spinach leaves*
• 3 basil leaves
• 4 oz quark*
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp grainy mustard

The night before, wash squash and dry.  Dice into 1/4-1/2-inch pieces (whatever size you prefer).  In a large container, whisk together sugar vinegar and mustard.  Add squash and mix well.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Bring salted water to a boil.  Add quinoa and reduce heat to simmer.  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Turn off heat and allow to steam for another 5 minutes.  Fluff with a fork; set aside.

Wash all remaining vegetables; dry.  Add olive oil to squash mixture and mix well.  Dice tomatoes and add to squash; mix well.  Add quinoa and mix well.  Chiffonade (see note) spinach and basil leaves.  Stir into quinoa mixture.  Crumble quark (see note) over entire mixture; mix well.  Cover and return to refrigerator and chill at least 2 hours before serving.

*CSA ingredients


Notes:

1) Chiffonade refers to a very thin slicing.  Wash leaves and dry very well.  Stack leaves and roll together.  Using a very sharp knife, so you will not bruise the leaves, thinly slice across the roll.  When finished, fluff the slices.  This makes a very pretty garnish for salads or even main dishes.

2) Suggestions were made to use Feta in this salad.  I did not have Feta, however, I did have Quark.  Quark is a dry savory cream spreadable cheese of German origin.  I had never tried it before, but for those who think that Feta is a bit too sharp, this would make a nice substitute.