Light and Delicious Spinach Lasagna

Here's a great recipe for a spinach lasagna that is really delicious and only has 272 calories per serving. I can't remember where I got this, but it's a good recipe for lasagna with not a lot of calories. Enjoy!

Light and Healthy Spinach Lasagna
1 cup onion, minced
1 tsp canola oil
salt/pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups low-fat, 1 percent milk
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 (10-oz) packages frozen, chopped spinach, squeezed dry
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated
8 oz whole milk cottage cheese
1 large egg
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
1/2 cup Fontina cheese, shredded

To make the sauce:
Combine onion, oil and 1/8 tsp salt in large saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring until softened. Stir in garlic and cook 30 seconds. Stir in 2 3/4 cups milk, bay leaves and nutmeg. Bring to simmer. Whisk in cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup milk. Simmer til thickened. Remove from heat, discard bay leaves. Stir in spinach and1/2 cup parmesan. Season with salt/pepper.

Process cottage cheese, egg and salt with immersion blender till smooth. Set aside.

Pour 1 inch boiling water over noodles to soften, about 5 minutes. Drain and dry with paper towels.


Assembly:
Spread 1/2 cup sauce over bottom of 13X9 baking dish. Lay 3 noodles on top, spread with 3/4 cup more sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan. Layer 3 more noodles, sauce, parmesan, Fontina cheese. Continue creating layers will all noodles and sauce are used, ending with Fontina cheese and parmesan on top.



Cover, bake on middle rack at 425 about 20 minutes. Remove foil and heat broiler. Transfer to upper rack and broil til cheese is melted, about 4 minutes.

Lavender Tea Cakes

I have a healthy lavender plant among my herbs and wanted to try cooking with lavender. Most of the recipes I found used the flower, but since I only had one lovely flower, I searched till I found a recipe that used the leaves.

So glad I was persistent because I came upon this lovely recipe for Lavender Tea Cakes!


I have this great mold that a friend gave me a while back (thanks, Lisa!) and I decided to use this instead of the loaf pan the recipe called for. I mixed up the batter ingredients, poured into the mold and baked for about 30 minutes. Then, I doubled the glaze recipe and added it to both the top and bottom of the cakes. I also added more lavender leaves into the glaze.



These cakes were delicious....moist and very flavorful. I'll definitely make these again and really glad I found a use for my lavender plant.


I changed the original recipe a little, so below is my adapted version....enjoy!

Lavender Tea Cakes

For the Cake:
1 cup granulated sugar
5 tbsp softened butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg plus 1 egg white
1 3/4 cups AP flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup plain fat-free yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
2 tbsp fresh lavender leaves, finely chopped

For the Glaze:
1/3 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp water
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh lavender leaves

Preheat oven to 350. Spray mold with cooking spray.

Beat sugar, butter and 1/2 tsp vanilla until well blended, about 5 minutes. Add egg and egg white one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with yogurt, beginning and ending with flour. Stir in lavender. Pour into molds and bake about 30 minutes.

Remove cakes from oven and spread with glaze. When cakes are cool enough to remove from mold, spread more glaze on top.

Key Lime Pie

Last week I made a key lime pie and took it as our dessert for our monthly knitting night. I bought a bag of Key Limes at the Buford Highway Farmers market....the whole bag was only .99 Cents! I found a recipe by Emeril Lagasse and it was very easy and very delicious. I needed one cup of lime juice for the pie and I got that much from the bag and had about 4 limes left over.

You make a basic graham cracker crust and the pie filling is just lime juice, eggs and sweetened condensed milk. The most time-consuming part is squeezing all the juice but it's well worth it because the tartness of the key limes combined with the sweetness of the milk is divine.

Mix it all up, pour it in and bake.

For the topping, the recipe suggests sour cream. I had this Mexican sour cream on hand and used that. This sour cream is really, really good. It has a slightly thicker, creamier texture than regular sour cream and has great flavor.

Enjoy! Here's the full recipe:
Key Lime Pie

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) butter, melted
2 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
1 cup key lime or regular lime juice
2 whole eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tbsp lime zest for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Press mixture into 9-inch pie pan and bake until brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees.
Combine milk, lime juice and eggs. Whisk until well blended and pour into cooled pie shell. Bake for 15 minutes, then chill in fridge for at least 2 hours. Once chilled, combine sour cream and powdered sugar and spread over top. Decorate with lime zest.

Cooking With Fava Beans

I've been trying new recipes lately. This one is from the April 2011 issue of Bon Appetit, page 14. Although I did switch it up a little (the ** are changes/additions I made to the recipe).

Their original title is Garganelli with Asparagus, Artichokes, Favas and Peas. This recipe is a great Springtime recipe and uses a ton of green vegetables. And is very yummy!

I had corkscrew pasta on hand so I used that. I also did not use fresh artichokes, I used marinated in a jar instead. Saved a lot of time. I also had green peas in the freezer and used those instead of fresh.




Here's my version of the recipe:

**1 small jar marinated artichokes, chopped in large chunks
3/4 pound fresh fava beans, shelled (I got them at the Buford Hwy Farmers Market)
8 medium asparagus spears
1 pound pasta
**1 1/2 cups frozen green peas, thawed
3/4 cups loosely packed fresh tarragon leaes
**1 large clove galic, peeled
6 tbsp butter, cut into pieces
2 cups packed fresh spinach
grated parmesan
**1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Bring large saucepan of water to boil. Add fava beans and asparagus. Cook until asparagus is crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Remove to ice water bath to stop cooking, then drain and pat dry. Peel fava beans to remove outer layer.

Cook pasta as directed on package. Drain, reserving liquid.

Put peas in food processor and puree. Add tarragon, garlic and 3/4 cup pasta water to processor and blend with peas. Season with salt/pepper.

Bring butter and 1/2 cup pasta water to simmer. Add artichokes, fava beans, asparagus and spinach. Toss until spinach wilts and vegetables are heated through, about 2 minutes. Add pasta and peas and toss to coat. Add grated parmesan to taste and toasted pine nuts.

Enjoy!

Book Club Dinner

Last week, it was my turn to host our monthly neighborhood book club meeting and I volunteered to cook dinner. We had about twelve people for this month's book, "The Art Of Racing In The Rain".

I made pork tenderloin with a mustard cream sauce, chicken breast stuffed with spinach, sundried tomato and goat cheese with a tsaziki sauce, green beans sauteed with shallot and mushrooms, and a potato fennel gratin.





I've made the potato fennel gratin so many times for family gatherings and dinner parties and it is always a hit so I thought I'd share the recipe. It's from Ina Garten.


Potato Fennel Gratin

2 small fennel bulbs
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter, unslated
2 pounds russet potatoes (about 4 large potatoes)
2 cups heavy cream
2 1/2 cups grated Gruyere cheese
3 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the inside of a 10X15X2 inch baking dish.

Remove stalks from fennel and cut bulbs in half lenghtwise. Remove the cores and thinly slice the bulbs crosswise, making approx. 4 cups of sliced fennel. Saute the fennel and onion in the olive oil and butter on medium heat for about 15 minutes, until tender.

Peel potatos and thinly slice (I use a mandoline---works great!) Mix the potatoes in a large bowl with 2 cups of cream, 2 cups Gruyere, and salt and pepper. Add the fennel and onion and mix well.

Pour into baking dish, pressing down to make smooth. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake for 1 hour covered with foil, then 1/2 hour uncovered till top is golden brown and potatoes are cooked through.

Pimento Cheese

I don't think I've ever met a cheese I didn't like. And I especially like pimento cheese, best homemade. It's a Southern thing! I love it on top of a turkey burger....yum!

For Superbowl, I decided to make a platter of assorted appetizers, and my husband requested pimento cheese, spread in celery sticks.


He likes the pimento cheese well blended and creamy, and the food processor makes this an easy job. I first use the shredding blade to shred the cheese, then switch to the regular metal blade, adding the pimentos (drained and rinsed) and blend well. Then, dump all this into a large bowl and add the mayo and black pepper. I don't usually add any salt because the cheese takes care of that.

It makes a lot and keeps well. Good for sandwiches and snacks throughout the week.








Here's the basic recipe:

(1) 8 oz block medium cheddar cheese
(1) 8 oz block extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 large jar pimentos (drained and rinsed)
about 1/3-1/2 cup mayonnaise
freshly ground black pepper

You could also spice it up a bit by adding some hot sauce. Or chopped bacon would also be good.

Enjoy!

I think it's time for a snack.

Chocolate Torte

I'm cheffing a dinner party Saturday night for 10 people and needed to test the dessert I plan to serve. A chocolate torte. Last night was our monthly knitting night so I took the cake there to get the girls to taste it and give their opinions.....the cake got a thumbs up!

This recipe is quite simple and didn't take a lot of time to prepare. But it turned out like I hoped, moist and chocolatey. You use bittersweet chocolate, chopped and melted. Eggs, separated and the egg whites beaten and folded in, nuts, butter, and a little bit of sugar.


Then, bake for about 40 minutes.


When the cake was done, I was running late so I don't have a picture of the whole cake, but here's a slice ready to be served.



Saturday night, I'll also make a fruit syrup to go with the cake and to decorate each plate.

Thanks to all the girls at knitting night last night for being my guinea pigs and giving the thumbs up on this dessert!

Here's the recipe:

Capri Chocolate Torte

1 1/2 cups walnuts
1/3 cup all purpose flour
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
14 tablespoons sugar
7 large eggs, separated, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, rack in the middle. Butter a 9-inch springform pan, line with wax paper. Finely grind walnuts with flour in processor, set aside. Stir chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water til melted and smooth. Remove chocolate from over water and cool slightly.

Beat butter and 7 tablespoons sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in melted chocolate. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each. Mix in ground walnut mixture.

Beat egg whites in another bowl until beginning to form soft peaks. Gradually add 7 remaining tablespoons sugar. Beat to soft peaks. Stir 1/4 whites into batter, then fold in remaining whites

Bake about 40 minutes. Cool 10 minutes on rack. Run knife around sides to loosen cake. Release pan sides and cool completely. Transfer to cake platter.

Hazelnut Squares

I just finished making these from the December issue of Bon Apppetit, page 122, called Chocolate-Dipped Hazelnut Caramel Squares. Only mine are drizzled, not dipped. They were not difficult at all to make and are delicious!

The only special equipment you need is a candy thermometer to make the caramel layer. You combine butter, sugar, honey, orange peel and cream and cook till it reaches 230 degrees.



You make the cookie crust (forgot to take a picture of this), then make the caramel sauce, adding chopped hazelnuts, spread mixture over cooked cookie crust and bake another 10 minutes.

And viola!

Add to a festive Holiday plate and you're ready to go. Here's the recipe:

Chocolate-Dipped Hazelnut Caramel Squares

The Crust:
2 cups flour
1 cup packed golden brown sugar
1/3 tsp salt
3/4 cup cold butter, cut into cubes

Mix in food processor till consistency of meal. Press into 13X9X2 metal pan, lined with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

The Caramel:
2/3 cup sugar
6 tbsp heavy whipping cream
2 tsp freshly grated orange zest
6 tbsp butter
1/3 cup orange blossom honey
1/4 chopped candied orange peel (I did not use this)
5 ounces hazelnuts

Mix all ingredients excepts hazelnuts in heavy saucepan. Boil till reaches 230 degrees, about 6 minutes. Add nuts and spread immediately onto cookie crust. Bake another 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool about 15 minutes before cutting into squares.

The Chocolate:
Melt 8 oz bittersweet chocolate in bowl over simmering water. Dip corner of cut cookie into chocolate, or drizzle with chocolate.

Brussels Sprouts

I really like Brussels Sprouts! My husband, not so much. But, recently I found Brussels Sprouts still on the stalk --- $3.99 at the Dekalb Farmers market---so of course I had to buy it because it looked so cool! This would make a great centerpiece (if you have the right device to hold it up). I called on my Facebook friends for recipes and my neighbor Joe Bickley had a great recipe.

I made it last night and it was great! And the colors will make for a beautiful addition to the Holiday table. I used some of the pine nuts I've been saving that I brought back from Paris.

Here's the recipe:

1 lb Brussels Sprouts
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp peanut oil
1/4 pine nuts, toasted
1/4 golden raisins, plumped in warm water
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt/pepper to taste

Slice Brussels sprouts and saute in butter and oil, seasoning with a little salt. Saute for 8-10 minutes, til tender. Add remaining ingredients and toss.


I served them with pork sauteed with apples, prunes, and mustard.


Thanks, Joe!

Pound Cake on a Rainy Sunday

It's been a nice, quiet, rainy Sunday here. And we really need the rain. The rain has cooled things off too which is awesome! Although I like summer, I'm always glad for the next season to come for the change in temperature. It's great that we live in Atlanta and actually have all four seasons.

Today I've been cooking. I made a chicken stew with cornbread muffins. I also made pound cake called "Million Dollar Poundcake." Here's what's left:

No, we didn't eat it all! We have a neighbor just home from an extended hospital stay and another neighbor, a WWII vet that we like to share meals with. We packed up chicken stew, cornbread muffins and pound cake fresh from the oven and delivered to them.

The pound cake is really easy to put together and is very moist and delicious. Here's the recipe:


Million Dollar Poundcake

2 cups butter, softened
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream butter until fluffy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one.

Add flour to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Stir in extracts. Pour into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan.

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour, 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan.

Enjoy!

Yellow Rice and Chicken

When I was little, we would often have Sunday dinner at my grandmother's house. One of the things she used to make was Yellow Rice and Chicken. My grandmother had lived in Tampa at one time and was friends with a Cuban woman named Sally. That's where the recipe came from.

I made this for a client yesterday. When I tasted the finished product, I was immediately back at the Sunday dinner table at Granny's house. The flavors were identical and tasted just like I remembered.

I started by browning the chicken on all sides. Then you add the vegetables and simmer till soft.


Then add chicken broth, the rice and chicken back into the pot.

Simmer for about 2o minutes and it's done! It's quite easy to make, makes a lot, and is a one-pot meal.

Enjoy the recipe!

one whole chicken cut up
1/4 cup olive oil for browning the chicken
2 medium onions, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 bay leaves
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 cup frozen green peas
1 package, family size, Mahatma yellow rice
3 cups chicken broth
salt/pepper as needed


Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken completely on all sides. Remove chicken from pot.
Remove most of oil, leaving enough to saute vegetables. Cook all vegetables till soft.
Add chicken broth and rice and mix well. Add chicken back into pot. Simmer for about 20 minutes, till rice is cooked. Do not overcook or rice will become mushy.