Thursday, March 6, 2008

Spinach, Zucchini and no noodle Lasagna

I'm a huge meat and noodle lover, but this looked so good in the magazine, i had to try it. it was surprisingly really really good! i forgot to make garlic bread with it tho, dang it! Give it a shot.

Noodle-free, Meat-free Lasagna

Serves 4

• Cooking Spray
• 1/2 lb (7.5 cups) fresh spinach (you could easily use frozen whole leaf spinach)
• 2 lb Zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/8 inch thick slices
• 15 oz part-skim ricotta
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 c grated Parmesan
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 can (14.5 oz) whole peeled tomatoes
• 1/2 small yellow or red onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 c grated part skim mozzarella


Heat oven to 425.

Coat an 8" x 8" baking pan with cooking spray.

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray, heat over high heat. Add spinach. Stir until leaves wilt (this was easiest to do using tongs), about 5 minutes. Place in a colander to drain.

Coat skillet with cooking spray again; heat over high heat. Cook zucchini in batches, 2-3 min per side. Drain on paper towels.

Squeeze excess moisture from spinach. Mix spinach, ricotta, egg white, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, basil, 1/2 tsp of the salt and nutmeg in a bowl; set aside.

Puree tomatoes, onion, garlic, pepper and remaining 1/2 tsp salt in food processor.
Spread 1/2 the sauce on bottom of pan. Layer zucchini on top like you would with noodles, then 1/2 the ricotta mixture (i just dug in with my hands bc it's hard to spread around with a spoon). Add a layer of zucchini and remaining half of ricotta and sauce (ending with sauce). add mozzarella and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, until cheese browns...about 30 min. Let it sit for 10 min or so before cutting so it sets up.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Spinach-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

These mushrooms were REALLY good, REALLY easy and pretty cheap since the cashier errantly rang the mushrooms up at $3.49/lb instead of $8.99/lb. i bought the bulk portobellos and spent a lot of time waching them...next time i might get the pre washed/packaged ones instead. i made these with a side of parmesean risotto (in a box) and it was a yummy combo.

Warning, these do NOT do well overnight in the fridge, so only make what you're gonna eat. the two we had left over got real weepy and gross and i wouldn't eat them the next night.


8 portobello mushrooms, stems removed and chopped
15 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed
2 scallions, chopped
1 cup nonfat cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated low fat cheddar
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
1/2 tsp dried dill

Heat oven to 350. Place mushrooms with smooth side of caps down, in a baking dish. Combine chopped stems with remaining ingredients in a bowl. Spoon mixture into mushroom caps, creating a mound. Cover with foil. Bake 25 min.

202 calories per serving | 5.6g fat | 4.8g fiber | 18.4 g carbs | 20.5 g protein

Recipe from SELFDishes Magazine - Summer 2007