Spinach Artichoke Lasagna

What started out as a simple recipe ended up being an amalgamation of left-overs and a tweak here & a tweak there......this is what came out of the oven after the first baking.


I let it set for 30mins, then sprinkled mozzarella and Parmigiana Reggiano cheese on it. I will bake it right before serving it to brown the cheese.


Baked for another 20mins.


It was really ooey gooey and GOOD!!!


I do this all the time. I take a recipe and add things and never write it down and then I can't remember it and sometimes I would love to enter them in a contest.
This time I wrote it down but need to taste it before I embarrass myself.

Spinach Artichoke Lasagna
Ingredients

* 1/2 cup chopped onion
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 4 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) vegetable or chicken broth
* 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 1 can (14 ounces) water-packed artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and quartered
* 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
* 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
* 1 jar (16 ounces) roasted garlic Alfredo or Parmesan and mozzarella pasta sauce
* 12 no-cook lasagna noodles
* 3 cups (12 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
* 1 cup crumbled tomato and basil feta cheese or feta cheese
* 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/8 teaspoon each dried oregano, parsley flakes and basil

Directions

* In a large saucepan, saute onion in oil for 2-3 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the broth, rosemary, nutmeg and pepper. Bring to a boil. Add the artichokes, spinach and mushrooms. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in pasta sauce.
* Spread 1 cup sauce mixture into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Top with three noodles and 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers three times. Top with remaining sauce mixture and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with feta cheese, garlic powder, oregano, parsley and basil.
* Cover and bake at 350° for 40 minutes. Uncover; bake 15 minutes longer or until heated through. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Yield: 12 servings.

A True Beef Stroganoff

My Grandfather was German & my Grandma worked in a German restaurant. That's were they met and she learned to cook all his favorite recipes. She showed me how to make Stroganoff the right way.

Since I butcher my own beef fillet I save the odd pieces for stroganoff. That is the original meat to use.
Bad reviews often mean bad cuts of meat in the recipe, all of them complaining of the same thing.....toughness.
Stroganoff should not take more then 20mins to prepare and 15 mins to make, so slow cooking to tenderize is not an option. That's called a stew (meaning stewing in its juices). If you can't get beef tips from the butcher, a good sized tenderloin (slightly under a pound) or 2 small ones will feed 4. It gets sliced in thin ribbons and after slicing you have a nice stack of meat. If you are on a diet you should only be eating 4oz anyways. The leanness of the meat is an extra bonus for dieting.
If all else fails I would buy a skirt steak, pan saute or grill whole, slice across the grain and proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Here's what I did:
* 1/2 pound Beef Fillet tips, slivered
* 1/2 pound crimini mushrooms, sliced 1/4" (egg slicers work well)
* 1/4 large Spanish onion, diced
* 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
* 2 tbls butter
* 2 tbls flour
* 1/4 cup dry sherry
* 1 tsp fajita seasonings or Montreal Steak seasoning
* 1/4 low fat sour cream
* Chopped parsley

Sprinkle meat with salt, pepper and seasonings. Melt 1 tbls butter in skillet. Saute beef until pink is gone. Remove. In same pan saute onions, mushrooms until golden brown. Add to meat.
(If doing ahead, stop here)

Melt remaining tbls butter in same pan and drop in flour. Cook for 1 min. Add beef broth, sherry and simmer until thickened.

Add meat & mushroom mixture to pan and warm through.
Stir in sour cream, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve over large egg noodles.

I am serving steamed broccoli on the side.

Crunchy Shrimp with Ginger-Orange Sauce

Adapted from CookingLight Magazine

Yield: 2 servings
I halved the shrimp but not the couscous or sauce. I will use them both later in the week. I will eat 3 shrimp, hubby gets 5.







Ingredients:

Sauce
* 1 cup orange juice
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
* 2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
* 1 1/2 tablespoons fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
* 1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
* 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

Couscous
* 1 cup uncooked couscous
* 1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
* 1/2 cup orange juice
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/3 cup chopped green onions
* 2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

Shrimp:
* 8 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
* 1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
* 1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
* 1/2 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
* 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 tablespoon canola oil
* 1 cup petite peas, steamed

Preparation:

To prepare sauce, bring 1 cup orange juice to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat; cool completely. Stir in 1 tablespoon cilantro and next 7 ingredients (through red pepper); set aside.

To prepare couscous, place couscous in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; cook 3 minutes or until toasted, stirring constantly. Add 1 1/2 cups broth, 1/2 cup orange juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork; add onions and almonds. Keep warm.

To prepare shrimp, combine shrimp and egg white in a large bowl, tossing to coat. Combine the panko, 1 teaspoon cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, and black pepper in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add shrimp to the bag, and seal and shake to coat.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; arrange shrimp in a single layer in pan. Cook 2 minutes on each side or until done.

Place 3/4 cup couscous on each of 2 plates; top each with 1/2 cup peas and 4 shrimp. Drizzle each with 1 1/2 tablespoons sauce.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 376 (25% from fat)
Fat: 10.6g (sat 2.7g,mono 4.1g,poly 2g)
Protein: 17.6g
Carbohydrate: 51.9g
Fiber: 3.9g
Cholesterol: 61mg
Iron: 2.1mg
Sodium: 763mg
Calcium: 84mg

Albondigas

Albondigas
Adapted from CookingLight Magazine.

Ingredients:
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1/2 (16-ounce) bag frozen pepper stir-fry (such as Birds Eye)
* 3/4 cup diced carrot
* 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
* 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
* 1 quart fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
* 1 quart fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
* 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
* 1 pound chopped pork
* 1 1/2 cups shredded spaghetti squash (that's what I had in the freezer, you could use zucchini
* 1/4 cup Matzo Meal
* 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice, divided
* 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
* 1 teaspoon salt, divided
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
* 1/4 cup Egg Beaters
* 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pepper stir-fry to pan; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrot; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, chiles, and broths; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until carrot is tender.
2. Using hand blender or table blender, blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl.
3. Combine chicken, pork, squash, 1/4 cup rice, onion, Matzo Meal, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and egg beaters in a food processor; process 30 seconds or until blended. Bring broth mixture to a boil. Using a small ice cream scoop, drop meat mixture (about 45 meatballs) into broth mixture and simmer for 25-30 mins. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Cook remaining 3/4 cup rice. Before serving, stir in lime juice.

I am adding a can of small white beans to round out this meal.

Look at these numbers.........Yea for us!!!!

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 184
Fat: 3.5g (sat 0.9g,mono 1.7g,poly 0.5g)
Protein: 20.8g
Carbohydrate: 16.2g
Fiber: 2g
Cholesterol: 64mg
Iron: 1.6mg
Sodium: 790mg
Calcium: 26mg

Cranberry-Cinnamon Scones

I don't bake. I mean, I can bake a standard cake or a wonderful cheesecake but I'm not good with scones. Hubby loves scones. I have tried making them 7-8 times and even I wouldn't eat them. I tried the test kitchen no fail scone recipe. It failed....miserably.

Today is the day I take my time and really do it right. I am determined.



I had to combine 2 recipes because I did not have any buttermilk. I found 2 I liked and combined them for this recipe:

* 2 cups AP flour
* 1/4 cup granulated sugar
* 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
* 1/4 tsp baking soda
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1 stick (1/2 cup) very cold butter, cut into small dice
* 3/4 cup heavy cream
* 1 large egg
* 1/3 cup dried cranberries, chopped
* 1 tbls cinnamon

I used the standard biscuit technique. Dry in Kitchen Aid bowl, add butter, using the paddle attachment, run until small pea-sized....add cream and egg (beaten together in a small bowl).
Once it becomes sandy I stop the blender, scrape down the sides, blend again for 3 seconds, stop and pinch between your fingers. If it stays together like damp dirt it's done. Dump onto a wooden board or marble slab and shape into a 9" round (will be about 1 1/2" thick).
Cut into 6 or 8 wedges (I did 6 because he takes them to work and only needs 5, that leaves one for the baker). Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment and brush cream on top for browning (If you want you can sprinkle Demarara sugar to the top for extra sweetness and crunch but hubby doesn't like them sweet). Bake at 425F for 15-17 mins.

Wha la!!
Hubby pronounced them better then Panera Bread's cinnamon scones.

Now that's a compliment. I have a feeling I will be making these every Sunday, but with different flavorings. Next week he wants blueberry and lemon.

Southeast Asian Beef and Rice-Noodle Soup

I added sliced mushrooms, julienned snap peas and some left-over corn. Even though this read as good we both agreed that we would not eat this again. It wasn't that it was not tasty, just not tasty for us. I think it was the star anise and cinnamon that turned us off.

* 3 pounds meaty beef short ribs
* 3 pounds beef shank in 2 or 3 pieces
* 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil, divided
* 1 large onion, sliced
* 2 (1-inch) pieces peeled ginger, smashed
* 1 bunch scallions, white parts smashed and greens chopped
* 3 garlic cloves, smashed
* 1 (4-inch-long) fresh red or green chile, stemmed and halved lengthwise
* 2 quart water
* 1/4 cup soy sauce
* 4 whole star anise
* 1 (4-inch) cinnamon stick
* 14 ounces dried flat Asian rice noodles

Pat meat dry. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in an 8- to 10-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then brown meat in batches (do not crowd), about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a platter.

Cook onion, ginger, white parts of scallions, garlic, and chile in remaining tablespoon oil in same pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 12 minutes.

Add water, soy sauce, star anise, cinnamon stick, and meat (with juices) and simmer, covered, until meat is tender but not falling apart, 2 to 21/2 hours.

Transfer meat with tongs to a cutting board. Discard bones and membranes, then cut meat across the grain into 1/2-inch pieces.

Strain broth through a sieve lined with a double layer of dampened paper towels set into a large saucepan. Discard solids. Skim off fat. Season broth with salt, then return meat to broth and reheat.

Meanwhile, add noodles to a 4-quart pot of unsalted boiling water and let stand off heat, covered, until softened, 4 to 8 minutes. Drain and divide among large soup bowls. Add scallion greens and ladle in soup.

Easy Haddock Bake

I designed and coded my own website and it's functional but not professional.
I think it's time to pay a site like iPage.com or GoDaddy.com to host my website.

I tried aways back and didn't like any of the skins they had and I had no patience at that point to try to download a skin off the internet but I think I have to be less critical in order to get an easier site for my customers to navigate around in. I will let you know when I get it all set up.

Tonight's dinner is a Haddock Bake but I'm tweeking the ingredients to use up some items in the fridge before they go bad.



Easy Haddock Bake

* 1 lb haddock or cod
* 1 ripe tomato
* Salt & Pepper
* Spinach Enchilada Sauce (from 3-8)
* 1 cup sauteed spinach
* 1 tbls Parmesan cheese

In a baking pan with 2" sides, place sauteed spinach, then salted & peppered fish, slices of tomato to cover and pour on enchilada sauce, sprinkle with cheese.
Bake 20 mins at 400 degrees.
Serve with brown rice.

Curry-Red Lentil Butternut Squash Soup

I love soup day and I try to make a different one each Monday. We only have 2 favs that are repeated at least every 2 months.....7 Onion Soup which is Emeril's on Food Network the other is Lobster Bisque which is my recipe.


I did not realize when I planned this soup that butternut squash had a high GI, but since it is so good for you and the other ingredients were extremely low I went with it. I was glad. Not a fan of curry but just a little did make an OK difference.

Chicken Enchiladas aka Rick Bayless

I knew of Rick Bayless years ago. Over the years his products have graced my pantry but I never tried one of his recipes.

I watch him on PBS all the time, but for some reason when I saw him prepare this version of Chicken Enchiladas (Enchiladas Especilaes Tacuba Style) I just had to put them on the menu for this month. Hubby had been bugging me about making them anyways, so on they went.

OMG....these have got to be the BEST nontraditional enchiladas I have ever eaten. I will never make the "open a can of Enchilada Sauce" enchiladas again....NEVER!!!

Not only are they healthy, they were extremely tasty and easy to make.

I forgot to take a pic of them but I found a pic on SeriousEats.com of the exact enchiladas. You can see how beautiful they turn out.


I will probably get a whipping for remaking them into a healthier, diabetes friendly version, but if the remake gets you to make these than it is worth the flogging. They are that good. Even the original version wasn't unhealthy but I am skimming where I can so I don't deprive myself of anything I want to eat (mostly a litte sweet after dinner).

Chicken Carbonnade

Carbonnade is usually made with beef but the ingredient list, to me, seemed better suited to chicken breasts.
It's a keeper.

1 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 lb chicken breasts
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 pound onions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons lite brown sugar
1 small bay leaf
1 teaspoons dry Dijon mustard
1/2 cup dark beer
1/3 cup beef broth
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1. Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper and allspice.
2. Saute breasts in butter on both sides.
3. Remove chicken and add onions and brown sugar. Saute until onions are caramelized.
4. Add chicken back to pan along with rest of ingredients and simmer, covered, on low for 20 minutes.


I served it with No Yolk noodles and broccoli.

Ina Garten's Chocolate Cake Redux

Before the days of my "Diabetic Watch" I made this cake, still in a bundt pan without frosting or icing, but I didn't worry about sugar or fats. I decided I wanted to still make my cake and eat it too, so I did a Diabetic remake of it. Hubby said he couldn't tell the difference so I must have done OK.

Ina's Chocolate Cake Redux
* 1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
* 2 cups Splenda
* 3/4 cups good cocoa powder
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 cup fat-free buttermilk, shaken
* 1/2 cup canola oil (can sub apple sauce)
* 1/2 cup egg beaters
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Spray bundt pan with PAM and bake at 350 degrees for 35 mins.
Cool for 30 mins invert onto cake plate. Can serve with confectioners sugar but I use Cool-Whip FREE.
Serving size is 1/12th.

Osso Buco over Baked Polenta

Tonight it's a table for two. No doggy bags.
I purchased veal shanks from my butcher because I haven't had Osso Bucco in ages. The Nudge isn't a fan of braised dishes and I haven't figured out why. I just gave up and make a few here and there.

I do not follow a recipe for this dish because I know it by heart. If you will be making 4 servings just double the amounts. The cooking time will be the same.

I served mine over baked polenta that baked along with the veal.

Here's how I did it........

Coat 2 veal shanks (about 4oz each) with flour and saute in heavy bottomed pot with 1 tablespoon of olive oil until a crust forms on both sides (4 mins each side).


Remove veal to a dish.
In same pan, add another tablespoon olive oil and in that, saute 1/2 a small chopped onion, 1 grated carrot and 2 cloves of minced garlic until soft and browned.
Add veal back to vegetable mixture along with 1/2 cup white wine. Simmer until it reduces by half.

Add 1/4 cup crushed tomatoes, 1 bay leaf, 3 strips of orange peel, 1 tablespoon tomato juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 large sprig of thyme, 1/2 teaspoon rosemary and enough chicken broth to cover meat.

Place in 325° oven for 2 hours.

While that is baking, prepare the polenta.
Stir 1/3 cup polenta grind cornmeal, 2/3 cup of milk, 2/3 cup of water, 1 tablespoon honey, salt & pepper.
Cover tighly with foil and place in oven once veal has baked for 1 hour.

Remove the veal, place on a platter and strain out the sauce.
Remove the polenta, stir in a handful of parmesan cheese and spoon into the bottom of each serving bowl.

Place one shank on top of polenta and spoon sauce over.