You read the title… but you will never guess what I am about to write next.

Well Yes – the lasagna was good but guess who ate it?  The pickiest eater on the planet – zesty junior.  He gave it two thumbs up!

I was in shock and it was pretty hard to wipe the smile off my face.  Every now and again, life is full of surprises and this dinner was no different.

The rich, creamy flavor of this lasagna was so comforting.  The hint of balsamic, the splash of basil followed up with the creaminess of both the ricotta and cottage cheese definitely keeps this recipe in the re do pile for future.

 Ingredients

• 8 oz. Lean Ground Beef
• 1 Cup Chopped onion
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tsp. minced garlic
• 1 Tsp. Dried Oregano
• 1 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
• 1 19oz Can of tomatoes, pureed
• 1/3 Cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/2 Tsp. Black pepper
• 15 uncooked whole wheat lasagna noodles
• 2 Cups Part-skim Ricotta cheese
• 3 Cups Spinach, baby
• 1 Egg
• 2 Cups Mozzarella, grated
• 1 Cup cottage cheese

Method

1. Spray a 9*13 -inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 375 Degrees
3. To start the sauce, add olive oil, onions and garlic to a deep dish pot over medium- high heat.
4. Let cook until onions begin to caramelize before adding the beef – about 5 minutes.
5. Add in beef and continue to cook until no longer pink.
6. Add balsamic, oregano, black pepper, tomato paste and continue cooking until fragrant – about 3 minutes.
7. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil and then let reduce about 15 minutes to thicken up.
8. In a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, basil and the egg.  Mix together and set aside
9. After the sauce has thickened, stir in spinach until it wilts.  You are now ready for assembly.
10. Ladle a spoonful  of sauce to the bottom of the prepared baking dish.  Then top with a row of uncooked noodles.  Smear the top of the noodles with more sauce, followed by the ricotta cheese mixture and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese.  Then add another layer of noodles repeating the process until you have three layers of noodles.
11. To finish off the dish, layer the top row of noodles with sauce followed by the mozzarella cheese.
12. Bake at 375 for about 35- 45 minutes.  Let lasagna stand for 10-15 minutes before cutting.
13. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip:  A couple of tips with this one…. you want to ensure the top row of noodles get covered with both sauce and cheese to avoid the noodle from drying out and becoming like cardboard.  You also want to really let the lasagna stand before cutting or all the juices/sauce will run free and the consistency will not be as good.

On top of Zesty Junior consuming a dinner consisting other than cheese or flour – he also made dessert.  A dollop of plain Greek yogurt topped with fresh berries.  A great way to finish off a delicious dinner with family.

Well that is all for now.  If you are looking for the trail mix ball recipes and gave them a try since Monday.  There were a couple of errors in the ingredient list on my part.  They have since been updated and rave reviews are flowing in.

Hope you have a great Wednesday and I will see you on Friday.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

How To Enter the Kitchen Aid Giveaway Today:

For today’s entry – Tweet about the contest: “@ZestyCook is hosting a 12 Days of  @KitchenAidUSA Christmas giveaway!  Enter to win a KitchenAid mixer!  (http://wp.me/pimYR-1Kv).”   Must leave a comment on this post with the link to the tweet for the entry to be valid.  If you do not have twitter, you can just comment and tell a friend about it and let me know.

Super Yum Basil Hummus

Get your crackers ready, slice that pita bread in triangles and get ready for a dip.  You know what I am talking about.  Who does not like homemade hummus?  Who does not like basil infused hummus?  Well, roll up your sleeves, grab your food processor and give this a whirl.  It takes all of 5 minutes to make and you will not be disappointed in the least.

It sort of makes sense, doesn’t it? Like a cross between hummus and pesto. The basil and the pine nuts bring life to the hummus. A little tomato paste adds a touch of sweetness and the hot sauce adds just a little zing. This was a hit with everyone who tried it, so I hope you like it too.  Basil is pretty easy to get all year round but fresh homemade basil in late summer would be the cat’s *%s for this dish.

Ingredients

• 1/4 Cup pine nuts
• 2 Cups sweet basil leaves, packed
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed then minced
• 2 19 oz cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
• 1/4 Cup olive oil
• 1/3 Cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tsp. Salt
• 1/2 Tsp. Hot Sauce
• 1 Tsp. Tomato paste

Method

1. Heat the pine nuts in a small skillet on medium high heat. Stir them when they start to brown. When most of them have lightly browned, remove them from the pan into a bowl to cool. (Reserve a few pine nuts for garnish.)
2. In the bowl of a food processor, place the basil leaves and the garlic. Pulse until finely chopped.
3. Add the rinsed and drained garbanzo beans, most of the pine nuts, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, tomato paste, and a few dashes of Tabasco. Pulse several times, for several seconds each time, until the hummus is smooth.
4. Add more Hot sauce and salt or lemon juice to taste.
5. Add water to the point of desired consistency.
6. To serve, place in a bowl and drizzle a little olive oil over it. Sprinkle with a few toasted pine nuts. Serve with pita wedges, crackers, or rustic bread.  Maybe even just a spoon!

Zesty Tip:  If the hummus sits for a day or two in the fridge, I like to drizzle a little olive oil over the top as it will begin to tighten up.  The olive oil will bring it back to the correct consistency.

Contest Recap

For today’s entry – Tweet about the contest: “@ZestyCook is hosting a 12 Days of @KitchenAidUSA Christmas giveaway!  Enter to win a KitchenAid mixer! (http://wp.me/pimYR-1Kv).”   Must leave a comment on this post with the link to the tweet for the entry to be valid.  If you do not have twitter, you can just comment and tell a friend about it and let me know.

Previous Ways to Enter

1. Please “like” the Zesty Cook facebook page and come back and tell me you did it. If you are already a “liker,” leave a comment telling me you are already a fan.
2. Tell me your favorite holiday tradition and leave a comment telling me.
3. Tell Zesty your favorite Holiday dish

Please be sure to leave separate comments for each entry to increase your chance to win! 

Ok, I better get going here and get to the office.  Try this hummus and tell me if you love it!  I received a nice comment last night on my about page from a long time reader apparently.  Made me smile.  Have a great day and talk to you on Friday!

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Top of the week to you from the campground. The internet access here at the campground is terrible (hopefully the owners are reading this post) as it is pretty much unuseable. With that said, I took the show on the road and am getting the post done at a local CAP site down the road.

Yesterday was a great day for camping, sun was shining, nice breeze and lots to do.  We got up and loathed around for a few hours and then hit the beach.  The beach was very nice and relaxing, kids had a lot of fun in the sand but the water was “FREEZING“.  I went in with Carter for a little jolt and I thought my toes were going to be frost bitten.  I quickly darted back to the towel and assumed my normal position of lying down.  Yeah I am somewhat lazy at the beach.

After the beach we had too pick up a few things for supper.  We invited our friends over for a little snack which turned out quite well.  I had marinated a couple of small chickens in the fridge before we left as I wanted to roast them on the bbq upon return.

The bird... ready for eats

The marinade was pretty simple but offered a great aroma while the birds were roasting.

The marinade on the chicken getting ready to wait for 4 hours while we go to the beach.

I paired the chicken with roasted caluiflower on the grill served with a mango chutney, some grilled zuchini topped with feta cheese and balsamic vinegar and a nice fresh salad with toasted walnuts and blueberries.  All in all it was a good meal and everyone enjoyed themselves even most of the kids except for picky Mr. Carter who opted for a peanut butter sandwich.

Ingredients

• 2 chickens (prepped and cleaned)
• 1 Tbsp. mustard
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. cumin
• 1 Tbsp. corriander
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 Tsp. onion powder

Sauce

• 1/2 Cup Butter
• Juice of 2 lemons
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 4-5 sprigs of basil , torn

Method

1. Mix together all the ingredients except the chicken in a bowl and set aside.  Place the birds in a tinfoil roasting pan.
2. Rub the marinade all over the chicken ensuring it is covered and than wrap it in saran wrap for a few hours. The longer the better.
3. Preheat the grill to medium heat.
4. Place the roasting pan on the grill and let cook for about 90 minutes.  you can turn the chickens to get them really golden brown if you like to eat the skin.
5. For the sauce, preheat a pan over medium heat and melt the butter.  Add the lemon juice and zest and cook together  for 5 minutes.
6. Add the basil and serve.
7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When doing dry rubs, I like to add a little olive oil to bind the ingredients together and make it into more of a paste.  I find it allows the flavors to adhere to the meat better.

So there you have a simple roasted chicken done on the grill outside.  The flavors were really good especially with that little hint of mustard.  I am going to get going and enjoy camping.  I will talk to you on Wednesday.  Have a good start to your week.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty