Showing posts with label spinach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spinach. Show all posts
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Slow Cooker Pesto Spinach Lasagna Recipe
I didnt grow up eating lasagna. I first heard of this dish while reading a comic book---although Jim Davis always spelled Garfield and Odies favorite dish "lasagne." I remember asking my mom what it was and she said it was a layered pasta casserole with cheese.
I ate my first plate of lasagna when I was 12 or so at a friends house during a sleepover. It was from Stauffers. It was delicious, and I was hooked.
Its really not hard to make a good lasagna. I make it quite a bit, either in the crock or out. I like that I can shove extra veggies in without too much notice, and I like that I can use the odds and ends of bags of pasta---if Ive only got a few traditional lasagna noodles, no problem---I throw in a layer of penne! If Ive got the bits of a few different kinds of cheeses, who cares? Ive even used the individually packaged string cheeses. Its all good.
There are very few vegetarian lasagnas worth eating. Ive probably offended a bunch of people.
Im sorry. But I stand by this claim: I havent found a vegetarian lasagna (even in restaurants) where I havent walked away wishing for meat and more flavor.
but Ive found the secret to worthwhile vegetarian lasagna: Throw in pesto!
The Ingredients.
serves 8
1 (26-ounce) jar prepared pasta sauce1 (10-ounce) box lasagna noodles (I like tinkyada brown rice)
1 (11-ounce) container pesto (or by all means, make your own!)
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
The Directions.
Use a 4 quart slow cooker. Put a spoonful of pasta sauce (about 1/4 cup) into the bottom of your cooker and swirl it around. Add a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles (youre 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 youve run out of ingredients. The spinach is fluffy, so youre 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. Youll know its 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.
The Verdict.
This recipe was a complete surprise. I was on the phone with my friend Danielle, and Adam walked in the door with 2 packages of pesto (I had asked him to pick up one, and it was buy 1 get 1 free). Instead of being a gracious wife, I began to whine about having too much pesto in the house to Danielle, and she told me to put it in lasagna.
She was right. I shouldnt have complained, life is good, lasagna rocks, its fun to get the kids to eat spinach without them realizing it, and there are DEFINITELY worse things in the world than extra pesto.
Lesson learned.
Head held in shame.
more vegetarian main dish options:
end of summer harvest soup
sweet potato chili
borscht
honey lentils
jamaican pumpkin soup
potato leek
vegetarian no noodle lasagna
ratatouille
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Recipe for Penne Pasta with Spicy Italian Sausage Mushrooms and Spinach
I love this Penne Pasta with Spicy Italian Sausage, Mushrooms, and Spinach. (You can make this or any pasta dish lower in carbs by using less pasta and more vegetables and meat.)
(Updated with better photos and thoughts about Dreamfields Pasta, May 2014.) I first made this Penne Pasta with Spicy Italian Sausage, Mushrooms, and Spinach back in 2010, and when I found out it was World Pasta Day I posted the recipe right away, even though I didn't like the original photos much at all. Now my photo skills have definitely improved and it wasn't a hardship at all to make this again to get better photos. Scroll down to the bottom of the step-by-step pictures to see the original photo that still makes me wince a bit when I think about it being on the blog all those years.
Click to continue reading
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Indian Spiced Slow Cooker Red Lentil Soup Recipe with Spinach and Coconut Milk Vegan Gluten Free
 |
| We swooned over this Indian-Spiced Slow Cooker Red Lentil Soup with Spinach and Coconut Milk |
I know some of you are going to take one look at the title of this recipe and veto it because you think the Indian spices, the red lentils, or the spinach is just not going to appeal to you. But that would be truly sad, because the entire time we were making this easy slow cooker soup, Jake and I just couldn't stop tasting it and remarking on how good it was! Admittedly Jake is an Indian food lover, and I'm a fanatic for red lentils, but still we're pretty picky about what we consider to be "blog-worthy" and this delicious soup more than made the cut. If you're not vegan you might like it with a dollop of fat-free Greek Yogurt, and I loved it with a generous squeeze of lime.
Click to continue reading
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Crock Pot Parsnip and Lamb Curry with Spinach
Ingredients
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 large parsnips, peeled and chopped into 1.5-inch pieces
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 pounds lamb stew meat
- 1 14-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 cup Saffron Road Lamb Broth
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground corriander
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 teaspoons fresh turmeric, peeled and grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
- 1 cup whole milk Greek yogurt, plus more for serving
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1.5 cups quinoa (or rice of choice)
- 3 cups Saffron Road Lamb Broth
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
- Small pinch saffron threads (optional)
- 1 cup dried cranberries or golden raisins
Parsnip and Lamb Curry with Spinach:
Aromatic Quinoa For Serving:
Instructions
- Add everything but the yogurt and baby spinach to a large (6-quart) crock pot, and stir very well (dont worry, the spinach will cook down).
- Place the crock pot on the lowest heat setting, secure the lid, and allow curry to cook for 6 hours.
- Add the Greek yogurt and spinach to the curry and stir well. Place the cover back on the crock pot and cook 1 more hour (still on the lowest setting).
- Add the lamb broth to a medium-sized pot and bring to a full boil.
- Add the quinoa and salt, reduce the heat to low, and cover. Allow quinoa to cook for 25 to 35 minutes, or until most of the broth is absorbed.
- Remove pot from heat, add the saffron threads and cranberries, and stir well to combine. Place the cover back on the pot and allow quinoa to sit for 10 minutes, allowing the quinoa to absorb any remaining liquid.
- Serve Lamb curry with fresh chopped cilantro and aromatic quinoa. Enjoy!
Prepare the Lamb Curry:
Prepare the Aromatic Quinoa:
By Julia Mueller
Source: http://www.theroastedroot.net/crock-pot-parsnip-and-lamb-curry-with-spinach/
Friday, March 6, 2015
Raw Vegan Spinach And Strawberry Salad With Almonds And Orange Vinaigrette
Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Orange Vinaigrette
[serves 4]
For the salad
6 cups raw baby spinach, cleaned
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1/4 cup raw sliced almonds
12 thin red onion slices
For the dressing
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoons sea salt (more or less to taste)
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
Combine all salad ingredients in a large salad bowl except for the onion slices. Make the vinaigrette by mixing the dressing ingredients. Pour on salad, toss well and serve. Place 3 onion slices on each salad.
Per serving: 159.1 calories, 9.8 g fat, 1.2 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 3.4 g protein, 15.6 g carbohydrates and 3.7 g of fiber.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)