Zesty Cook » cheese

Whole Wheat Spinach and Basil Lasagna

zesty — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:44:40 +0000

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

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

Easy Au Gratin Potatoes and Day 6 of Zesty Christmas

zesty — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:35:35 +0000

How To Enter the Kitchen Aid Giveaway Today:

For today’s entry – Tell me your favorite holiday movie in the comments below. And just because it is the holiday season you should tell all your friends about this giveaway ( well at least 10 people) just joking but feel free to do it if you would like.

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Happy Monday to you! OK, before reading this recipe, slightly unloosen your pants and don’t start calculating the calories. Just prepare, bake and eat. Deal?

This dish is very good to say the least. Not one to eat 4 days a week but if you are reaching for comfort food that will make you smile I strongly suggest you push a fork of this in your mouth and tell me how it feels. Super easy to prepare with simple ingredients and instructions but the labor of love on the sauce is really what counts. Take the 10-15 minutes to make the sauce correctly and all will be rewarded with flavor and texture.

Ingredients

6 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
4 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1 Tsp. salt
1/4 Tsp. pepper
2 1/2 Cups milk
1 small onion, finely chopped, or onion powder/flakes
1 Cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 Cup Bread crumbs

Method

Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Heat 3 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over low heat until melted. Blend in flour, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly.
Gradually stir in milk, 1/2 cup at a time. Heat to boiling. Boil and stir 1 minute.
Arrange potatoes in greased 2 quart casserole in 3 layers, topping each layer with part of the onions and 1/3 of the sauce and 1/3 of the cheese.
Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the microwave and incorporate into the dry bread crumbs.
Sprinkle the top with the bread crumbs.
Cover and bake until potatoes are tender, about 60-70 minutes. Let stand 5 to 10 minute before serving.
ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: This scalloped potato recipe goes with so much, from ham, to meat loaf to just about anything you want to pair it with. Will also work well with a nice side of beef or even something as simple as oven roasted fish.

How to Win the KitchenAid Giveaway Today

Just leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite HOLIDAY MOVIE Remember, you can still enter the contest from previous days!

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.
Tell me your favorite holiday tradition and leave a comment telling me.
Tell Zesty your favorite Holiday dish
Tweet about this contest and leave a comment telling me you have tweeted.
Tell me the first thing you would make with the mixer.

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

Have a super start to your week and i will talk to you all on Wednesday. If you try these potatoes or make something very similar let me know what you think and your variations.

Take care

zesty

White Bean, Mushroom Tart and Day 3 of Zesty Christmas

zesty — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 12:22:00 +0000

How To Enter the Kitchen Aid Giveaway Today:

For today’s entry – Tell me your favorite holiday dish, and leave a comment telling me.

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20 Days until Christmas! Shopping done yet? Can you believe it? Craziness – I know! Remember last weekend, we hosted Ella’s birthday party and I stole Aggie’s amazing white bean and mushroom tart idea? Well if you didn’t, I will remind you today with a full recap and a variation on the tart itself.

By the way – the tart is killer hot and cold. I tested it both ways just for you guys. Just because I care. The original tart calls for a white bean and mushroom base and than topped with tomatoes, herbs and some goat cheese. Delicious! Here is the low down on how I built it.

Ingredients

8 sheets (9”X12” each) phyllo dough
For Filling:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8 cups wild mushrooms, cut in quarters (approximately 24 ounces)
2 tablespoons garlic, diced
1 can (15.5 ounces) White Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons fresh herbs (thyme, parsley or marjoram), chopped
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Salt and pepper
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup low-fat sour cream
For Tart:
Olive oil spray
6 tablespoons whole wheat bread crumbs
16 slices Roma tomatoes, ¼-inch thick
½ cup goat cheese
Additional Supplies:
Parchment paper
Plastic wrap

Method

Defrost phyllo dough (allow about 2 hours for defrosting).

Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add oil and mushrooms. Sauté for 5-10 minutes or until mushrooms release their moisture and begin to shrink, cook mushrooms in batches if necessary. Continue cooking mushrooms until liquid has evaporated and mushrooms start to brown (if mushrooms are too wet, they will soak through the phyllo dough). Add garlic, kidney beans and 1 tablespoon of herbs. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir in zest. Season with salt and pepper. Let mushroom mixture thoroughly cool.

Beat egg and sour cream. Add egg and sour cream to cooled mushroom mixture (egg will scramble if added to hot mixture). Salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Lay 1 large sheet of phyllo on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan, keep remaining phyllo sheets covered with plastic wrap. Spray phyllo with olive oil spray and lightly sprinkle with bread crumbs. Place another sheet of phyllo on top of bread crumbs, gently press down. Spray top sheet of phyllo with olive oil spray. Repeat the process with the remaining sheets of phyllo. Work quickly so the edges don’t dry out. Roll up 1-inch of each edge towards the center, forming a rim. The final tart shell should be 7”X10”.
Spread mushroom mixture evenly over the phyllo. Top with tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and evenly distribute goat cheese on top. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon of herbs.

Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the crust is brown and crispy. Cool on wire rack prior to serving.
ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: By all means you can vary the filling to suit your needs. Just the other day, I recreated the tart with sun dried tomatoes, chicken and feta cheese. Still using the beans and mushroom as a base. Was totally delicious as well. Here is a snapshot of the result.

Contest Recap

For today’s entry – Tell me your favorite holiday dish, and leave a comment telling me.

Previous Ways to Enter

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.
Tell me your favorite holiday tradition and leave a comment telling me.

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

Have a Super start to the week and I will touch base on Wednesday with something else to eat and another way to “GET THAT MIXER”.

Take care

zesty