Zucchini Lasagne

It's that time of year again -- Zucchini Time!  They are plentiful at the moment, and I'm loving it!  Unfortunately, I'm the only member of my family that loves the zukes, which means I end up having to "hide" them in foods quite often.  I love making Zucchini Bread, as well as Slow-Cooker Thai Chicken, which uses zucchini as well.  But I wanted something new. 

I was talking with my friend Amy and she mentioned that she had made lasagne, substituting zucchini for the noodles.  Her only complaint was that you didn't taste enough of the zucchini.  Perfect! I thought.  My family will love it!  Of course, if you are a big lover of zucchini you can double it, and just put thicker layers of the zucchini between the layers of cheese and meat.

I served this with some amazing cheesy garlic bread that I found on this site.

As a side note, this makes one 8"x8" square pan, enough for 6 servings.  If you want a 9"x13" pan, you can double the recipe.

Zucchini Lasagne
Recipe adapted from Natalie Beal

Ingredients:
1 T olive oil
1/2 lb Italian sausage
1 tsp minced garlic
1 T fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes (or 2 fresh tomatoes, chopped)
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1 large zucchini, very thinly sliced into circles or half-circles (use a Mandolin or food processor if you have one!)
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 lb shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375F.
In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add Italian sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned.  Add garlic, basil, salt, tomatoes, and tomato paste and stir to combine.  Cook 5-10 minutes on a low simmer.  Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine cottage cheese, egg, Parmesan cheese, parsley, pepper and all but 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese.  Set aside the last 1/4 cup of mozzarella to put on top of the lasagne before baking.
Spoon a very small amount of the meat sauce into the bottom of an 8"x8" square pan and spread to thinly cover the bottom.  Layer half the zucchini, with edges of circles slightly overlapping, in rows until the bottom of the pan is covered.  Next spread half the cheese mixture on top of the zucchini, followed by half the meat mixture.  Next layer the remaining zucchini slices, followed by the remainder of the cheese and then the meat sauce.  Top with the 1/4 cup reserved mozzarella cheese.
Bake in the preheated 375F oven for 30 minutes.  Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Serves 6.

Steakhouse Pizza

I saw this recipe on The Pioneer Woman Cooks website. I knew immediately I had to try it.  I was not disappointed.

This pizza is delicious and unique, and is definitely a must for steak-lovers.  My husband, who usually does not like "gourmet" pizza (or at least prefers a standard one over a gourmet one) ate half the pizza in one sitting.  He couldn't get enough of it. 

The key to the deliciousness is the mixture of the flavors--the acid from the balsamic vinegar, the sweetness from the caramelized onions, the tang from the Worchestershire sauce and steak sauce, and of course the creamy, salty mozzarella and the rich and juicy steak.  A.Maz.Ing.  Seriously.

I used a homemade whole wheat crust, but you can make your own or buy a premade dough if you'd like.  Either way, it's sooo good.

Steakhouse Pizza
Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ingredients:
Pizza dough, enough to make a 10" crust
Skirt steak or flank steak, or a sirloin roast steak (I used the last one)
Salt and pepper
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbs butter
3 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup marinara sauce
8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/8"-thick slices
1/4 cup Your Favorite Steak Sauce (I used A1)

Preheat oven to 475F degrees. 

Grill the steak over high heat, flipping every three minutes, until medium rare, approximately 12 minutes total.  Set aside to rest.

Saute red onions in butter and half of the balsamic vinegar over medium heat until dark and caramelized, about 10-12 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Combine marinara sauce with the Worcestershire sauce and remaining balsamic vinegar. 

Roll out pizza dough until thin and about 10" in diameter.  Spread marinara sauce on the crust and top with red onions and then mozzarella cheese.  Bake pizza for 10-12 minutes, or until crust is golden and cheese is bubbly but not burned.

While pizza is cooking, slice steak into very thin slices.  When pizza is done, remove from oven and drape slices of steak to cover pizza.  Drizzle steak sauce on top of the steak, and serve immediately.

Summer Pasta with Tomatoes, Goat Cheese and Basil

There are few meals that are quicker and easier to throw together than pasta.  Additionally, the variations you can do with simple pasta are endless.  This one utilizes fresh garden tomatoes and basil, along with some white beans and goat cheese for protein.  A perfectly light and delicious meal!

Summer Pasta with Tomatoes, Goat Cheese, and Basil

Ingredients:
1/2 lb (8 oz) angel hair pasta (or your favorite type of pasta)
2-3 medium tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, washed and torn into bite-size pieces
4 T fresh goat cheese
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 T olive oil
8 oz (about half a can) of Cannellini or Great Northern beans

Cook pasta according to directions on package.  When pasta is done cooking, drain, and then put into serving bowl.  Toss pasta with olive oil and then garlic powder.  Add goat cheese and toss for a minute until the cheese is slightly melty.  Toss in the tomatoes, beans, and basil.  Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Tomato Basil Tart

The other day we were eating this for dinner and my sister, who often dines with us, asked why this recipe wasn't on my blog.  I was shocked.  Surely it was on my blog.  This is a go-to summertime recipe for me.  So I checked, and lo and behold, she was right.  So here it is.

This recipe is a great way to showcase your garden tomatoes, especially if you (like me) get about 20 ripe all at once.  It's prettier if you have tomatoes of varying size and color, but plain red ones will work just fine. 

The thing I love about this recipe is that it's unique.  The crust is made with pureed corn as well as cornmeal, and gives a great flavor to the crust, which in my opinion is usually the worst part of the pizza.  The fresh herbs and rustic look just add to the overall light and fresh feeling.  It really is my favorite thing to make in summertime. 

As a note, if you can't find fontina cheese you can substitute mozzarella, but it's really much better with the fontina.

Tomato Basil Tart
Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
2-3 lbs tomatoes
1 tsp salt, divided
1 cup corn kernels (you can use canned, fresh, or frozen)
1 T fresh lemon juice
3 T sour cream
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup cold butter
1 T cornmeal
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil (you can substitute dried, about 2 T)
4 oz shredded fontina cheese
1 T chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Slice tomatoes into 1/4"-thick circles and arrange in a single layer on several layers of paper towels. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt and let stand about 20 minutes, while you make the rest of the tart.

Preheat oven to 400F. 
In blender or food processor combine corn, lemon juice, and sour cream, processing until mostly smooth.  In a medium bowl whisk together flour, 1/4 cup cornmeal, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt.  Using the large holes in a box grater, grate the cold butter over the flour mixture.  Use hands to toss and rub the butter into the flour mixture until evenly distributed.  Add the corn mixture and mix into a soft dough.

Lay out two overlapping sheets of plastic wrap.  Place the dough on the wrap and press into a circle.  Cover with two more overlapping sheets of plastic wrap.  Roll into a 14-inch circle, then place the dough in the freezer for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, sprinkle the 1 T cornmeal on a baking sheet in a 12-inch circle.  Combine basil, fontina cheese, oregano, and ground black pepper in a small bowl.

Remove dough from freezer.  Removing plastic wrap, place dough on baking sheet.  Arrange cheese mixture on dough, leaving a 2" border around the edges.  Arrange tomato slices on the cheese, overlapping and creating more than one layer if you have that many tomatoes.  Fold edges of dough in towards the center, slightly overlapping the tomatoes, and crimping the edges to seal. 

Bake at 400F for 35 minutes or until the edges are browned.  Let sit for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Makes 4-5 servings.

Pizza with Caramelized Onions, Roasted Red Peppers, and Goat Cheese

A few years ago I discovered the joy of making my own pizza.  Since then we do it every other month or so.  My kids love the idea of putting whatever they like on their own personal pizza (even though they only ever put on cheese and pepperoni).  I love to try out more gourmet pizza toppings, and have yet to be disappointed.  This is one of my favorites.  It seems like a lot of work to put together the components, but since you can do it all ahead of time it makes the final baking process quick as a snap.  You can cook it in the oven (shown above), or if you have nice weather, it's even better cooked on the grill.  Both instructions, as well as the recipes for the peppers, onions, and dough follow.

Pizza with Caramelized Onions, Roasted Red Peppers and Goat Cheese

Ingredients:

3 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, and cut into 1/2” pieces (see recipe below), or 1 cup store-bought

1 cup caramelized onions (see recipe below)

1 T minced fresh oregano or 1 ½ tsp dried oregano

1 T chopped fresh parsley or 1 ½ tsp dried parsley

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cup (about 2 ½ oz) crumbled goat cheese, aka chevre (or buy herbed chevre and skip the oregano and parsley up above)

Olive oil

Pizza crust dough (homemade works better than store bought—see recipe below)

Combine peppers and onions with oregano, parsley, and salt. Prepare the grill by brushing grate lightly with oil (or spray with cooking spray).  Roll dough into a 9-inch circle or rectangle.   

Instructions for baking in oven:

Preheat oven to 450F.  Lightly grease a baking sheet, then sprinkle a tablespoon of cornmeal on top.  Place crust in center of sheet.  Arrange crumbled goat cheese on crust.  Top with pepper/onion mixture.  Bake for 12 minutes, or until crusted is lightly browned and cheese is slightly melted.

Instructions for baking on grill:

Place (empty) dough on grill rack and grill 3 minutes over medium-high heat or until browned.  Turn crust over.  Arrange crumbled goat cheese on crust.  Top with pepper/onion mixture.  Grill an additional 3 minutes, or until cheese is slightly melted and bottom of crust is browned.  

 

Roasted Red Peppers

Red bell peppers (whole)

Oil

Brush peppers with oil, or spray with cooking spray.  Grill over direct high heat until skin is black and peeling, rotating to ensure even cooking.    If using broiler instead of grill, place peppers on broiler pan and cook 6 inches from heating element until skin is black and peeling, rotating to ensure even cooking. Total cooking time will be 15-20 minutes.

Take peppers from grill or broiler pan and place directly into a ziplock bag.  Seal the bag and let sit for 10-15 minutes.  Remove from bag and scrape blackened skin off peppers with the side of a knife.  Discard skin, and slice peppers.  Peppers may be made ahead of time and kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.  

Caramelized Onions

Sweet onions (1 large or 2 small), thinly sliced

1 T butter

1 T olive oil  

1 T sugar

Combine the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat.   When butter is melted add onions.  Cook, stirring every few minutes, until onions begin to turn soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Sprinkle sugar over onions and stir to combine.  Continue to cook, stirring every few minutes, until onions are reduced, sticky, and lightly browned, about 20 minutes.  Onions may be used immediately or kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Pizza Dough (for grill or oven)

From Martha Stewart

 

2 cups warm water

½ tsp sugar

2 T yeast

3 T oil

6-7 cups flour

1 T salt

Stir water, sugar and yeast together.  Let stand 5 minutes.  In a large mixing bowl, stir 6 cups flour and salt.  Add yeast mixture and oil and stir until a soft dough forms.  Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth, 2-3 minutes.  Shape into a ball, place in oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.  Punch down dough, fold onto itself 4-5 times, leaving smooth side up.  Cover and rise again until doubled, about 30 minutes.  Punch down dough.  Cut into 6 even pieces.  Knead each one into a ball, cover all but one.  Flatten one ball into a disk, then let rest 5 minutes.  Roll into a 9” circle or 7”x11” rectangle.  Place on lightly floured baking sheet, cover, and either use immediately or refrigerate until ready to use, up to one day.  Can also be frozen for up to 1 month.  Makes 6 crusts.  Recipe can also be halved.

Panini

I've had a long hiatus from this blog, and at the encouragement of my sister-in-law I've decided to start updating it again.  I haven't stopped cooking in the last year, but I did have a baby (which is why I stopped in the first place), and after I hadn't updated in a few months, I forgot about doing it.

But now I'm back, and today I'm bringing you that wonderful sandwich called the panini.  A panini is basically a grilled sandwich, but somehow ends up being better than your average grilled sandwich.  Because you use crusty artisan bread, and because you grill it in a cast-iron griddle pan, and because it's Italian, it seems so much more. 

So I'll give you two recipes I made tonight, and then at the end I'll give you some additional options, because really, you can do with it whatever you want.  Make it your own.

Also, I prefer to make my own bread ahead of time, but of course you can buy it.  Here's the one I use: Artisan Bread.

Ham-and-Chevre Panini

Ingredients:

4 slices of artisan or french bread (any with a crusty crust and soft interior will work)
2 T herbed chevre (goat cheese)
2 slices ham
1/2 avocado, mashed
1 tomato, sliced

Spread two slices of bread with the chevre.  Spread the remaining two slices with the mashed avocado (mashed stays on the bread way better than slices).  On top of the avocado, layer a slice of ham and some tomato.  Top each sandwich with a chevre-spread slice of bread.

Heat a cast-iron griddle pan (the one with the tall ridges in the pan) or a skillet over medium to medium-high heat.  Brush each outer side of the sandwich with a little olive oil, then place in the hot pan. If your pan is big enough you can cook both sandwiches at once.

Get another heavy skillet of roughly the same size, and press down on the sandwiches to flatten them as they cook.  Grill for 1-2 minutes, then flip, press, and cook an additional 1-2 minutes.  This should just be enough to lightly toast the bread, give it those awesome lines that paninis are famous for, and barely melt the cheese.

Eat immediately.

Serves two.


Dessert Panini

Ingredients:

4 slices of artisan or french bread (any with a crusty crust and soft interior will work)
Nutella
1 Banana
Mini-marshmallows

Spread two of the slices of bread with nutella.  Slice the banana and spread slices on the nutella, then top with some mini-marshmallows.  Finish by topping each sandwich with the other slices of bread. 

Heat a cast-iron griddle pan (the one with the tall ridges in the pan) or a skillet over medium to medium-high heat.  Lightly butter each of the outer sides of the sandwiches, then place in the hot pan. If your pan is big enough you can cook both sandwiches at once.


Get another heavy skillet of roughly the same size, and press down on the sandwiches to flatten them as they cook.  Grill for 1-2 minutes, then flip, press, and cook an additional 1-2 minutes.

Serves two.



Try these other panini ideas:

Turkey breast, cranberry sauce, arugula
Tomato, basil leaves, fresh mozzarella
Grilled chicken, avocado, bacon
Roasted red peppers, fontina cheeze, carmelized onions
Goat cheese, thinly sliced pears, caramelized pecans, arugula
Ham, cinnamon-sugared cooked apples, sharp cheddar cheese
Nutella, raspberries, whipped cream

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

This is a super easy and fast recipe, and tastes so good.  You can use fresh ingredients if you have them or pre-packaged if you don't.  Either way it's pretty great.

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped tomatoes with their juices, or 1 15-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
6 oz dry stuffing mix (I recommend Pepperidge Farm, or Stove Top will do if you can't find that)
1/2 cup water (may need a bit more if using fresh tomatoes)
1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 T fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped, or 1 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400F.  Place tomatoes with liquid in a medium bowl.  Add stuffing mix and water; stir until bread is just moistened (if there is still a lot of dry bread, add a bit more water, but you don't want it soggy).  Set aside.  Spray a 9"x13" pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Place chicken in a single layer in the pan, then sprinkle with basil and mozzarella.  Top with the stuffing mixture.  Bake at 400F for 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
Serves 6-8 as a main dish.

Farfalle with Carbonara and Peas

This is a Jamie Oliver recipe.  It's definitely my favorite pasta dish, and is pretty simple to make--honestly cooking the bacon is the hardest part.  I've re-written the recipe a bit, since he tends to use measurements like "a handful" or "a bit".  I especially love the mint, which is fantastic in this!

Farfalle with Carbonara and Peas

Ingredients:
1 lb farfalle (bowtie) pasta
1 egg
1/2 cup cream
Dash of salt and pepper
12 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
2 cups peas, fresh OR frozen and thawed
1 T fresh mint leaves, chopped, OR 1/2 tsp dried mint leaves
2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese (please don't insult me by using that stuff that comes in a green can--that is NOT Parmesan cheese)

In a large pot, bring 6 cups of water to a boil.  Add pasta and cook 12 minutes, or according to the directions on the package.  In a small bowl, whisk the egg with the cream and salt and pepper; set aside.  During the last 2 minutes of cooking the pasta, add in the peas.  Drain the pasta and peas and then pour back into the hot pan.  Stir in the mint and the bacon, then add the cream sauce and stir while the pasta is still hot--this will cook the egg enough to be safe, but not enough to curdle it.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and stir in.  Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6.

Calzone

I had plans to make something else for dinner tonight but we were missing a few key ingredients and I didn't have time to go to the store today (Crazy Thursdays at our house), so I decided to make Calzone instead.  They're easy, I had everything on hand, and I knew I could use the leftover dough to make cinnamon rolls for dessert.  So other than my arteries, nobody was complaining!

You can use your favorite pizza dough recipe, or if you're in a hurry you can use this recipe:

Quick Bread Dough

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups warm water
2 T yeast
2 T sugar
1 T salt
5-6 cups flour

Preheat oven to 425F.  Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water.  Set aside for 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, combine 5 cups flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.  Add the yeast mixture and mix until a dough forms.  Turn onto floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, incorporating as much of the remaining cup of flour as necessary.  Form into a ball and cover;  let rest for 15 minutes.  Punch dough down, then form into desired shape.  Let rest additional 10 minutes, then bake for 13-15 minutes.

Calzones

Ingredients
Pizza or bread dough
Pizza or pasta sauce
Mozzarella cheese, sliced or grated
Favorite pizza toppings, such as (pre-cooked) meat, peppers, onions, mushrooms, olives, etc.

Using a ball of dough that is approximately 3 inches in diameter, roll into a 1/4"-thick circle.  Or, if you are making one large calzone, use a 6-inch ball of dough and roll into a large 1/4"-thick circle.  Spread pizza sauce on half of the circle, leaving a 1/2" border around edge.  Then place desired pizza toppings, followed by mozzarella cheese.  Pull the empty dough over the top of the filled dough, essentially 'folding' the circle of dough in half, to form a half-circle.  Seal the edges of the half-circle with fingers or by pressing the flat tines of a fork against the edges.  Carefully remove the calzone and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.  Let rest 10 minutes.

Bake calzones for approximately 13 minutes at 425F, or until lightly browned on top.  Let cool 5 minutes before serving, as cheese and other filling will be extremely hot!

If you use my dough recipe, you can make approximately 12 small calzones or 4 large ones.  Or you can use half the dough, and make 15 cinnamon rolls with the rest!

Angel Hair Pasta with Vegetables and Herbs

Last night was one of those nights when I didn't have anything planned, so I just threw together something.  For a lot of people, that means pasta.  I've been working on my kids with pasta.  They wouldn't eat anything pasta (including Macaroni and Cheese, which they still don't like) for years.  I put it in front of them enough that they finally did eat plain angel hair pasta, but would never touch it with a marinara sauce.

Well, last night I made pasta, but I didn't make the sauce, being in a hurry and knowing they wouldn't eat it anyway.  I gave them their pasta and asparagus, and then said, "This is how I'm going to eat mine.  If you'd like some, you can try it."  It was a huge hit, and E, who previously would eat a few measly strands of spaghetti, ate two full helpings.  Let's just say that this will be on my more frequent list now.

And just for the record, he didn't eat the tomatoes.

Angel Hair with Vegetables and Herbs

Angel hair pasta or spaghetti, cooked and drained
Asparagus, cooked
1 tomato, chopped into bite-sized pieces
garlic salt
dried or fresh basil
Olive oil

Combine pasta, asparagus, and tomato.  Add oil and toss to coat.  Sprinkle with garlic salt and basil to taste.
*You could also add a bit of some good balsamic vinegar, which is how my husband ate it.  Yum!