Roasted Veggie Lasagna

It's been awhile since any sort of cooking activity has gone on in my household. At least cooking of the sorts that I would like to share here. I'm pretty sure no one would be impressed with, or would care to hear about my finesse with pre-packaged tuna curry from Trader Joes (which has been my go-to food, as of lately) or my ability to boil brown rice. Which now that I mention it I did, for the first time ever, recently burn while cooking... so I'm not even fully confident in this skill anymore...

But burned rice be damned, I decided to have a couple friends over this weekend for dinner with Sweets and I. My girlfriend Lindsay , who I invited over along with her husband, is a vegetarian. I happen to love this because it gives me the excuse to make an entirely Earthfood based meal. Yay!

I decided on Roasted Veggie Lasagna, Red Pepper Hummus with sweet peppers and cucumbers for dipping, Ceasar Salad, and a loaf of Garlic Asagio bread.

Veggie lasagna?! You may be thinking.

I encourage you to try my version and dare I say, "You may even enjoy lasagna of the roasted veggie persuasion as much (if not more!) than you like the traditional version"...??

Brave of me, I know. But trust. 

Behold! the layers of this lasagna...

Sauce: Saute one minced sweet onion in EVOO/S&P for a few minutes. Add 3T of real butter and 1/2 lb sliced portabella mushrooms and more S&P. Cook until onions are translucent and mushrooms are softened. Add a jar of marinara and 1 can of italian style tomatoes. Simmer while roasting veggies.

Veggies: Cut in half and seed 2 red bell peppers, and cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices 1 eggplant & 3 small zucchinis. Toss in EVOO and S&P. Roasted on baking sheet for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.

Cut the tops off 2 bulbs of garlic. Place individually on sheets of foil. Drizzle with EVOO, wrap up, and toss in oven with the roasting veggies.

Remove skins from roasted red peppers and cut into 1/2 inch slices.

Ricotta: Mix together 15oz of ricotta, 1 egg, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Squeeze roasted garlic into separate dish and mash with fork. Add to ricotta mixture. 

 

Chop up some fresh basil... 

And the only other ingredients you will need are lasagna noodles and Mozzerella. 

Duh.

I built my lasagna in this order:

• sauce
• noodles
• ricotta
• veggies
• mozzerella
• basil 
• repeat as many times as possible, ending with a layer of just noodles and sauce on top. 

I covered this with foil and refrigerated for 24 hours, simply because I wasn't going to have enough time to cook the day my guests were coming over, but you could bake immediately if you so desired.

Bake covered in foil at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Uncover and top with remaining Mozzerella and some Parmesan cheese. Bake for an additional 15 minutes, then let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy! 

Peace & Love, 

Chandra Nicole

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3 Ingredient Sun-Dried Tomato Dip

I can't believe that it's Wednesday already! Days are flying by and I wish I had more recipes to share with you but in all honesty, because I have been so busy with work, the 4th of July holiday, and having my friends from Payton Woodcraft and Dust and Wanderlust in town from Pennsylvania,  I have been eating on the run a ton! For example... yesterday's lunch came from Maggie's Vegetarian Wraps (a great little cafe here in Lincoln) and supper was Spicy tuna rolls and edamame from Kinja, Mine and Sweets's fave sushi joint.

I am going to have to adapt my eating style to suit a more fast paced lifestyle then I was previously used to since I am working more in order to create the funds needed for the life coaching course I have been so desperately wanting to take. So I hope to soon share healthy on-the-fly 3 ingredient meals with you soon.

Until then, here is a super simple 3 ingredient appetizer dip for you. I made this to go with my Fattoush and Sweet's healthified chicken cordon bleu last week.

1 Cup Low Fat Greek Yogurt 
4 oz Fat Free Feta Cheese
1/2 Cup Sun dried Tomatoes  - Chopped
1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Mix together and serve with vegetables or crackers. I chose to use pretzel chips... Yum.

Peace & Love, 

Chandra Nicole

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Texas Coleslaw

Texas Coleslaw

This salad is so easy to put together and has a refreshing & light taste.

Mix Together:

1 Bag of Coleslaw mix

1/4 C chopped Cilantro 

2 cans of mexi-corn 

I quadrupled this recipe ... so,  you won't have quite this much unless, you too, are cooking for a large event.

For the Dressing:

Mix together...

1/4 C extra virgin olive oil 

3 T lime juice 

3/4 tsp Cumin 

1/2 tsp salt 

pinch of cayenne 

Vinaigrette in a jar seems to be my theme for this series of salads.... hmmm. 

Pour your dressing over the salad and let sit for a couple hours before eating.

Happy Memorial Day!

Peace & Love, 

Chandra Nicole

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