Vegetarian Lasagna

This one goes out to my vegetarian readers.  Just like the meaty lasagna, it's inspired by Gayle's recipe.  The basic ingredients are the same; however, this version is meatless and the sauce is made from scratch (we usually use a pre-made spaghetti sauce).

Vegetarian Lasagna

15 whole wheat lasagna noodles

1 (24 oz) container cottage cheese

1 (8 oz) bag shredded mozzarella cheese

1 (4 oz) bag of shredded Parmesan cheese

Tomato Sauce:

1 T olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, chopped

1 medium zucchini, chopped

1 t. sea salt

1/2 t. crushed red pepper

1/2 c scotch 

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

6 oz water

2 green onions, sliced

1-2 T fresh basil, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

To make the tomato sauce, heat the oil in a large skillet.  Once hot, saute the onion, bell pepper, and zucchini with sea salt and crushed red peppers for 2 minutes.  Add the scotch and diced tomatoes.  Simmer for 2 minutes.  Then add the tomato sauce, paste, and water.  Simmer for another 2 minutes.  Finally add the green onions, basil, and garlic.  Simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease the bottom and sides of a 9"x13" cake pan.  Spread a thin layer of the sauce on the bottom of the pan.  Start the first layer by placing a layer of lasagna noodles (5 noodles) on the sauce.  Spread cottage cheese on noodles.  Cover the cottage cheese with the tomato sauce.  Sprinkle some mozzarella and Parmesan cheese over the sauce.  Repeat the layering process twice, for a total of three layers.

Once all three layers are made, bake the lasagna in the oven for 45-50 minutes, or until a fork can easily pierce through the noodles.  Let cool for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.   

Ultimate Grilled Quesadilla

Mexican food - mmmm!  One of my favorite genres.  I like to eat it at least once a week.  Hahah.  I generally succeed at that.  :)  Ryan and I made these grilled quesadillas the same night he made the Fire-Roasted Salsa.  To the right is a picture of how he arranged everything on our awesome charcoal grill!  I love cooking on charcoal grills.  I think they are easier to control than gas grills, but maybe I just don't have enough practice with gas.  The quesadillas were a bit messy.  We probably shouldn't have put the salsa inside of the tortilla, which is why I listed it as a topping below instead.  When we were grilling them, it kept dripping down into the coals.  Lesson learned.

Ultimate Grilled Quesadilla

• Chicken
• Silva's Taco Spice
• Salt and Pepper
• Onion
• Red Pepper
• Cheese
• Flour Tortillas (try wheat ones)

Toppings:

• Fire-Roasted Salsa
• Sour Cream
• Guacamole
• Pickled or Fresh Jalapenos

Heat grill.  Season chicken with Silva's Taco Spice, salt, and pepper.  Cut red pepper and onion into quarters.  Stick a toothpick through each onion quarter to help hold in tack.  Grill chicken until no longer pink inside.  Grill onion and red pepper until tender.  Cut pepper into slices.  Sprinkle half of the tortilla with Silva's Taco Spice and cheese.  Top with chicken, onion, and peppers.  Place on grill; cook for a few minutes on both sides until crispy.  Serve with Fire-Roasted Salsa, Sour Cream, Guacamole, and Pickled or Fresh Jalapenos.  

Rosemary Red Sauce on Pasta

The following recipe was created by H.  He made me edit it.  Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of my plate before gobbling it up, so all I got was a picture of the next day's lunch.  Sorry, it's not as presentable as I'd like, but at least you can kind of see what it looked like.  Vicky (aka - the reason this blog exists) recently informed me that she is a visual person and really likes the pictures, so I'm trying a bit harder.  :)  Please pretend this meal is on a silver platter with rosemary springs decorating the edges...or something pretty like that.

Rosemary Red Sauce on Pasta:

• 1 to 2 T Olive Oil
• 1/4 Onion (any variety), chopped
• 1/2 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
• about 1.5 sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped. (equivalent to 1.5 tablespoons)
• 1 can Diced Tomatoes
• 2 or 3 Garlic Cloves
• 1 t Fresh Ginger, minced (optional)
• 1 T Red Pepper Flakes (use less if you don't like spicy food)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 Zucchini, sliced
• 1 T Sun-dried Tomatos in olive oil
• Whole Wheat Pasta, try Penne Rigate or Rotini, prepared
• Fresh Parmesan

Heat 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large nonstick pan on medium-low heat.  While oil is heating, chop the onion, red pepper, and rosemary.  Sauté for a couple of minutes.  Add the garlic and ginger. Sauté for 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Add the diced tomatoes and stir.  Crank up the heat to medium.

Add some salt and pepper. Somebody once said it was a good idea to season at each stage of cooking. Also, add the red pepper flakes if you like it spicy.  

Let the sauce cook for 3-5 minutes.  While the sauce is cooking, slice the zucchini.  Place all your zucchini slices on top of the tomato mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Let them cook/steam for about 2 minutes, then flip them over.  Sprinkle this side lightly with salt and pepper.  They'll need to cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until tender.  

Once the zucchini is done, you're finished.  Serve on the pasta; add a little Parmesan.  Enjoy!