Dessert Lasagna

This week’s Blogger Secret Ingredient:  dried fruit.

I spent all week brainstorming what I would make.

Even though I had dried fruit in the apartment, I decided that I wanted to use cherries.  I made a special trip out to Trader Joe’s.  (Okay, I’ll admit, I’ll take any excuse to go to Trader Joe’s and/or Whole Foods.)

While cooking up my BSI submission, I debated going as a mummy for Halloween:

Aka, I burned myself and Dan went a little overboard with the gauze.  All the cushioning felt better, though.

It was a very stupid mistake, and I prefer to not go into the details.  Let’s just say I do not recommend testing your “mummy skills” while baking this…

Luckily, this morning my fingers felt good enough to go down to this:

But you aren’t reading this to learn about how I burnt myself, now are you?

I hope you’re reading this post to see this:

Dessert Lasagna

Ingredients

• 3/4 of a package of lasagna noodles, cooked
• 1 T butter
• 1 c. chopped walnuts
• 1 T. brown sugar
• 1 1/2 c. dried cherries
• 2 c. ricotta cheese
• 2 c. granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 3/4 c. powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine the ricotta, granulated sugar, and lemon juice in a medium bowl.  Beat until smooth.
3. Melt the butter.  Combine with the nuts and brown sugar.  Toast in 350 degree oven for 5 minutes.
4. In a 9×9 pan coated with non-stick spray, create 1 layer of lasagna noodles.
5. Smooth over a layer of the ricotta mixture, followed by cherries and nuts.
6. Create another layer of noodles in the direction perpendicular to the last layer.  Again, spread the ricotta mixture, cherries, and nuts over the new layer of noodles.  Repeat until ricotta mixture is used up.
7. Sprinkle top layer with powdered sugar.  Cover with foil, and bake for 45 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes, until noodles are soft and the ricotta mixture is bubbly.

Mmm… sweet dessert lasagna.

Other dried fruits would work too, but I prefer cherries.

Next time, I might add a plain noodle layer to the top, and top it with a sweet wine sauce.  Mostly because I want to try making a sweet wine sauce.  The lasagna is pretty stellar as is, too.

I was originally going to use cream cheese instead of ricotta, but I was worried that it would be too sweet.  The ricotta definitely worked out well.

Enjoy!

And don’t experiment with being a mummy in the process. 😉

A day for soup

Today was rainy.  And cold.  And gross.

You know what that means!  It was also a day for soup!

I’ve only recently discovered a love of soup.  It coincided with my discovery of how easy it is to make soup.  Soup from a can just cannot measure up!

If you’ve looked at my “Recipes” page, you can tell I’ve been experimenting with soup recipes.

Tonight, I made another winner.

And ate it in a Panera bread bowl.  Mmm…

Loosely based off of this recipe from Cooking Light, I present to you:

Spicy Corn Chowder

Ingredients

• 1 T. butter
• 16 oz. frozen corn kernels
• 32 oz. vegetable broth
• 1 c. buttermilk
• 2 T. cornstarch
• 4 oz. neufchatel cheese (cream cheese works, too)
• 5 Hungarian wax peppers, or other hot peppers of your choosing
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Roast whole peppers in oven at 425 degrees for 12 minutes, turning halfway through.  Set aside.
2. When the peppers are cool enough to handle, cut off the tops and remove the seeds.  Chop peppers into bite-sized pieces.
3. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat.  Add the corn, stock, buttermilk, and cornstarch.
4. Bring to a boil, and boil for 3 minutes.
5. Add the neufchatel cheese, peppers, salt and pepper.  Reduce heat to medium-low.  Stir until the neufchatel has completely melted.
6. Enjoy!

Jazzed-Up Mac & Cheese and Apple Crisp

I had so many ideas for dinner swirling around in my head last night.  In the end, I decided to use up some leftovers before I cooked any new dishes.  With Dan out of town the past few days, our fridge was full of leftovers.  He’s back now, so I’m guessing those will disappear soon. 😉

To start, I roasted the rest of my brussels sprouts. Rather than making them fancy with maple syrup or chai tea, I simply tossed them with some olive oil, salt, and pepper.

I’m definitely picking up more brussels sprouts at the Farmer’s Market this weekend!

There was 2/3 of mac ‘n’ cheese from the other night in the fridge, but eating it plain didn’t sound appealing.  So I jazzed it up!

Jazzed-Up Mac ‘n’ Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1/3 box of mac ‘n’ cheese
• 1/2 oz. goat cheese
• 1 T. asiago or Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 T. white wine (I used a Pinot Grigio)
• Lots and lots of oregano

Instructions: Mix and microwave.  It is that simple.  And it tastes pretty gourmet for a dish with a boxed mix as its base!

I have been meaning to clean the apartment for ages, but keep putting it off.  I’ve been so busy that when I finally have some free time, I’d rather spend it relaxing than cleaning.  Last night was finally the night to catch up.  And catch up I did!

Check it out:

• Took all the burners off the stove and clean them.
• Clean the rest of the stove.
• Do the dishes.
• Run the dishwasher.
• Clean the kitchen counter.
• Clean the bathroom.
• Organize my desk.
• Re-organize the kitchen.
• Clean the kitchen table.
• Put away all laundry.

Tonight, I’m cleaning the rest of the living room & vacuuming, and I will have cleaned the entire apartment!  Between Dan and I, he is definitely the cleaner one.  He’s quite proud of my cleaning job this week. 🙂

You may recall that a few weeks ago, I bought almost 20 pounds of apples.  About 10 apples were left, and they were at that point where they were too soft to eat plain, but not mealy.  Naturally, I didn’t want to throw them away, so I made an apple crisp!

Apple Crisp:

Ingredients

• About 4 cups of apples, sliced thinly
• 2 T. maple syrup
• 1 T. cinnamon
• 1/3 c. butter
• 1 c. oats
• 1 c. graham cracker crumbs
• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 1/4 c. raw sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Spread apple slices in a greased 9″x13″ baking pan.
3. In a bowl, mix the oats, graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and raw sugar.
4. Mix the butter into the bowl until coarse crumbs form.
5. Pour the oats mixture over the apples.
6. Drizzle with maple syrup, and sprinkle cinnamon on top.
7. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes.

This apple crisp is Amazing!  Using the graham crackers in addition to the oats made such a difference.

I had mine a la mode with a little chocolate frozen yogurt.  I may or may not have gone back for seconds… 😉

Oh, and as far as workouts go, I did 10 pushups last night.

This morning

I’ll make this quick, since this post is getting lengthy!

Breakfast:

Same green monster as yesterday.

1/2 c. Kashi Go Lean Crunch with skim milk.

 

How do YOU “jazz up” your leftovers?

(Almost Vegan) Pumpkin Fudge Brownies

As promised, here is the recipe for those delicious pumpkin brownies I made last night.  They paired wonderfully with a warm glass of Hallowine. 😉

These brownies are rich, so just a small piece will likely satisfy you.  The pumpkin and cinnamon add a creamy, festive flavor.

Without further ado….

(Almost Vegan) Pumpkin Fudge Brownies

Ingredients

• 1/3 c. no-sugar-added applesauce
• 2/3 c. flour
• 1/4 c. honey.  To make it vegan, replace with granulated sugar or brown rice syrup.
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 c. pumpkin puree
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 c. cocoa.  I used 2/3 Dutch process cocoa powder, and 1/3 regular cocoa powder.
• Cinnamon
• Chocolate “chips.”  I used chopped Candy Cane Kisses to give the brownies a festive color.  Use non-dairy chocolate or carob chips for a vegan recipe.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix all wet ingredients together.
3. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder.  Stir until well-blended.
4. Fold in chocolate chips.
5. Spread batter into a greased pan, and sprinkle with cinnamon.
6. Bake 20-25 minutes, until a fork inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Look at that delicious-ness. Who would guess that such a rich and fudgy brownie was so easy to make?

Enjoy!

 

Chai Brussels Sprouts

I couldn’t decide what I wanted to eat tonight.  So I ate a little bit of everything.  Problem solved.

I’ve been seriously lacking in the fruits and veggies department lately.  This is highly unusual for me, so I was craving all kinds of produce at dinner.

An apple with peanut butter.

Kale Chips.

Chai Tea Brussels Sprouts. Yes, you read that right.  Chai. Tea. Brussels. Sprouts. It sounds weird, but give it a shot.

• Ingredients: Brussels sprouts, olive oil, 1 chai tea bag
• Instructions: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Wash and cut the brussels sprouts.  Toss with olive oil.  Cut open the tea bag and sprinkle some of the tea leaves over the brussels sprouts (I only used about half the bag).  Roast for 15 minutes.

It is super easy, and gives the brussels sprouts a sweet and spicy flavor.  I’m sure it would work with other teas, as well.  Try it!

And a little bit of mac ‘n’ cheese.

All together now:

I love having a bunch of mini dishes instead of one big main dish!

I’m going to go crack open our bottle of Hallowine from yesterday, and enjoy a glass with one of the pumpkin brownies that just came out of the oven.  Recipe to come tomorrow. Bonus:  they could be made vegan very easily!

How did you spend your Sunday?

PS:  Giveaway!  Eating Bird Food is hosting a eggcellent giveaway from Cookware.com for Rachael Ray Cookware! Giveaway ends 10/30.  Go now to enter!

Split Pea Soup

Split pea soup.  One of those things that sounds gross.  And weird.  And gross.  Especially because of its attractive yellow-green color.  I was always afraid to try it.

And then Dan & I went to a Mediterranean restaurant, where we were served split pea soup.  AMAZING.  I loved it!

I was craving it again the other day, so rather than pay money for it at the restaurant, I decided to make up the recipe on my own.

This may be the easiest recipe ever created.  Seriously.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 c. dried split peas
• 1 medium onion
• 6 c. vegetable broth
• 1 T. curry powder
• 1 T. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. coriander
• 1/4 tsp. allspice

Instructions

1. Pour all ingredients into a crock pot.
2. Cover pot.
3. Cook on High 4-6 hours or Low 6-8 hours.
4. Serve.

Seriously, that’s it.  If you can measure and pour things into a pot, you’ll be good to go.

The soup was the star of tonight’s dinner, and was paired with a sharp cheddar quesadilla. Aka, sharp cheddar cheese in a whole wheat tortilla, toasted on the Foreman grill.  I was craving something simple tonight, obviously.

I also made up some kale chips, which were delicious, but the photograph is super-blurry.  Sorry, folks!

The kale chips recipe came from Kath.

Rewinding a bit, my afternoon snack was some trail mix. This x4:

I also went to Pilates Reformer training. Now I’m super sore.  That class is INTENSE!  I love it.  🙂

What’s your favorite soup recipe?

Acorn Squash & Apple Pizza

Going to bed at 8 am and getting up at 1:30 pm makes for a very weird day.  Regular food blogging shall return tomorrow!

Originally, I was planning on just throwing together a quesadilla or something for dinner, but I decided that I would feel better if I actually cooked a real meal on my first night back home.

I’ve been wanting to participate in Blogger Secret Ingredient for awhile now, so I decided that this was the week to finally submit a recipe.  Megan is hosting this week’s contest, and the secret ingredient is…. acorn squash.

And so, without further ado,  here is my recipe for

Acorn Squash and Apple Pizza

Ingredients:

• 1 acorn squash
• 1 small yellow onion
• 3 small apples
• 1 pizza crust of your choice
• 3 oz. goat cheese
• 1 oz. gorgonzola
• 5 T. plus 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. sugar
• Salt, pepper, and cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Prepare your pizza crust.  I had this mix I needed to use up, but a handmade crust would work just as well.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
3. Start by cutting the acorn squash in half and scooping out the seeds and stringy insides.  Remove the skin.
4. Cut the squash into small cubes (1/2 inch or less).
5. Toss the squash cubes with 2 tsp. olive oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. pepper, and 2 tsp. cinnamon.
6. Bake the acorn squash for 18 minutes. Keep the oven on, but increase the temperature to 450 degrees.
7. Meanwhile, prepare the onion. Remove the top and bottom, and cut the onion in half from top to bottom.  Thinly slice the onion, and cut the circular slices in half.
8. Heat 3 T. olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, add the onions, along with 1/8 tsp. salt.



9. Stir the onions regularly until they are softened and browned.  If they are sticking too much to the skillet, add a bit of water or white wine to “deglaze” the pan.
10. When the onions are caramelized to your liking, remove them from heat and place them in a separate bowl.
11. Slice the apples thinly.
12. Add another 3 T. olive oil to the skillet, and add the apples and 1 tsp. sugar when the oil is hot.
13. Similar to the process with the onion, stir the apples regularly until they are softened and browned, deglazing as needed.
14. When the apples are caramelized to your liking, remove them from heat.
15. Spread the goat cheese over the pizza crust.
16. Top with the apples, squash, and onions.  Sprinkle with gorgonzola.
17. Bake at 450 degrees for 12 minutes.

Enjoy!

Roasted Maple Brussels Sprouts

Today has been crazy, but I got through almost all of the material for my first exam!  Phew!

Eats today consisted of:

Blueberry Oikos + MixMyGranola + Blackberries. The fruit +granola +yogurt combo never ever gets old!

Rutabaga fries + spinach

Pita chips + hummus (not pictured)

Two veggie tacos (not pictured)

But now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for… yesterday’s brussels sprouts recipe!

Roasted Maple Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb. brussels sprouts (approximately)
• 1 T. olive oil
• 2 tsp. pure maple syrup
• Salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Remove stem and outer leaves from brussels sprouts.  Cut in half lengthwise.
3. Toss brussels sprouts with olive oil and seasonings.
4. Drizzle with maple syrup.
5. Spread brussels sprouts out on a baking sheet (sprayed with nonstick spray) and bake for 20 minutes.
6. Enjoy!

Again, so simple.  Yet so delicious!

Acorn Squash Stew

Good morning everyone!  Since I have TONS of studying to do, and get more done at Starbucks than at home, I have deemed today “Starbucks Friday Wednesday.” I have a feeling that by Friday I’m going to be sick of Starbucks after spending so much time studying here this week!

I started this morning off with a Green Monster. This one was so much better than yesterday’s.  I actually enjoyed this one, rather than forcing myself to drink it!  I think the banana was key…

My green monster contained

• Spinach
• 3/4 banana
• Frozen mixed fruit
• Skim milk
• Apple cider
• 1/2 packet of Amazing Grass-Berry flavored.

It was delicious, and I’m excited to have the other serving tomorrow morning!

And yes, that is Leslie’s blog in the background.  I read her “Engagement Story” recap post while I sipped my breakfast!

Today I’m having the same Starbucks drink as yesterday… yum.  I like to enjoy my drinks slowly, so this one should last until my next class in 5 hours!

And I could resist this Maple Scone. It is by no means healthy.  But it was worth Every.Single.Bite!  No worries, I have some nutritious meals and snacks packed for the rest of the day! 🙂

Acorn Squash Stew

I threw together this stew last night on a whim.  It was delicious, and a lot better than the pumpkin curry soup I tried to make a few weeks ago!

And, it was super easy!

Ingredients

• 1 Acorn Squash
• 1 Yellow Onion, Chopped
• 3 Cups Vegetable Stock
• Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, salt, pepper to taste (I used a lot!)
• 1 T. Olive Oil
• Toasted pumpkin or squash seeds (optional)

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Slice the acorn squash in half.  Scoop out the seeds and stringy insides.  If you want to roast them later, set the seeds aside in a separate bowl!
3. Place the squash halves face-down in a baking pan with about a 1/2-inch water.  Roast in oven until the flesh of the squash is soft and easy to scoop out.  It took about 45 minutes for me.
4. Scoop out the flesh and set it aside.
5. In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onions and cook until translucent and soft.
6. Add the squash, stock, and seasonings.
7. Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer approximately 20-30 minutes.  Add more seasoning if desired.

Serve and enjoy!  I topped mine with some pumpkin seeds.Next time, I want to try adding some apple chunks at the end, because I like soups with more texture.  This was delicious though, and would be perfect with  cheddar-apple quesadilla or sandwich!

Okay, study time.  I’ll be back with another recipe the next time I need a break!

Health-ified Cincinnati Chili

When we lived in Cincinnati, we used to go to Skyline on our way home from dance class.  At the time, I didn’t like chili, so I’d end up getting just a hot dog with cheese (healthy, right?)  Now that I like chili though, I love to make my own!

For those of you not familiar with Cincinnati chili, serve it over spaghetti (I used whole wheat).  Rice works too, even if it isn’t the traditional way. 🙂   Eat it 3, 4, or 5-ways:

3-way: Chili with spaghetti and cheese.

4-way: Chili with spaghetti, cheese and either beans or onions. There are beans in this version of the chili too, though… 🙂

5-way: Chili with spaghetti, cheese, beans, and onions.

So here it is, my “health-ified” Cincinnati Chili recipe.  I’m sorry, I can’t remember what recipe this is adapted from!  I’ve cut back the meat, upped the beans, and I recommend cutting back on the cheese!  Next time I make it, I want to try it with Parmesan instead of cheddar, but I haven’t tried it yet…

4 cups water
1/2 lb raw ground turkey
3 (14½ ounce) cans kidney beans, rinsed & drained
1 yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, diced
6 oz. tomato paste (NOTE:  not tomato sauce)
1½ tablespoons cider vinegar
1½ teaspoons worcestershire sauce
2 to 2.5 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons sea salt
Black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste
Cooked pasta or rice
Traditionally:  shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese, and lots of it.  I still think it is fantastic with less, though.

Crumble raw ground turkey into water in a stockpot or other large pot.
Add one can of kidney beans, as well as the garlic, tomato paste, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and all of the seasonings.  Stir and bring to a boil.
Turn down the heat and  simmer until the meat is cooked through and the chili is thickened.  This should take from 40 minutes to an hour, depending on how thick you like it.  I like it more like the texture of a meat sauce.
When the chili is nearly done, cook & drain the spaghetti and prepare the onion and remaining beans.  Heat the beans and onion in a skillet over low heat until heated through.

Plate the chili!  Top spaghetti with chili.  Top with beans, onions, and cheese.

Makes:  6 servings

Time to make: 90 min

Enjoy!

Picture to come the next time I make this.