Low fat(ish) Veggie Lasagna (SO YUM!!!)

Ok, first let me say that this recipe was a total knock out! One of the best lasagnas I've ever made I think! However, I didn't get as many pictures as usual, nor did I write down all the measurements so if you try to recreate this you'll have to "wing it".
For starters- I make my sauce from scratch. It's always different. I know I've written about a sauce before but this was today's sauce:

2 TBS olive oil
1 sweet onion
Saute
Add 4 cloves of chopped garlic
In a food processor add
1 red pepper
1 large can of italian tomatoes
Puree
Add puree to sauteed onions and garlic
Add 1 tsp of sugar, 1 TBS each of garlic powder and oregano
And of course some salt to taste
Now for the weird ingredient of the day: 1 oz of goat cheese! (it's super creamy and tangy and adds a nice zippy little kick!)
Slow cook the sauce on a low heat and taste to make sure there's enough salt

While the sauce simmers away and makes your house smell delicious....
Roast another 4 large cloves of garlic (I told you I love garlic!!) in a little olive oil at 400 degrees for about 20 mins. While it's roasting- thinly slice 3 or 4 zucchinis lengthwise (I use a mandolin but if you're good with a knife- go for it!). Take the garlic out and put the zucchini in the oven with a little cooking spray and salt and pepper. Basically you just want to soften it up and brown it a little.
When the zucchini is roasting... get the food processor out and blend the roasted garlic, 1/2 cup of regular ricotta cheese, 2 cups of fat free cottage cheese, 1 TBS of chopped fresh basil, 1 tsp of dried oregano, 1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes, salt to taste and 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese. Blend. Taste. So creamy and flavorful isn't it??
Your zucchini should be perfectly cooked now.
Layer your lasagna with sauce, noodles, ricotta mixture, zucchini and.... a sprinkle of asiago cheese on the 1st layer... repeat all steps and add a sprinkle of parmesan on the second layer... and after repeating again add slices of fresh mozzarella cheese on top. Interesting fact for weight watchers folks... fresh mozzarella = 1 point!
Bake at 35 for 45 mins. At the very end- broil for 5 until the cheese looks like toasted marshmallows! Enjoy!

Crock-Pot Turkey and Black Bean Chili

Ron and I love chili. I've been making it forever and my recipe is always different! That's what happens when you use up what's in the fridge and pantry and "eyeball" things! Usually the things that vary are different kinds of peppers, soy meat vs ground turkey, beans...etc.

I always make it in the crock-pot. It's really the most amazing thing. You throw a few things into a pot on your counter, go to work and come home to a steaming hot dinner and a house that smells all yummy and cozy!
Start with 1-2 cans of beans. This batch was initially just black beans but we ended up adding kidney beans later. A can of corn and a can or two of fire roasted tomatoes (I feel like the fire roasted gives it more depth and flavor. If you can't find them, try a jalapeno or garlic tomato!)
Next add a chopped onion and a chopped bell pepper and lots of fresh garlic. I like using all colors of the bell pepper but you can just use what you have in your fridge. Also- should you chose to use a fresh jalapeno- now is the time. My dad was coming for dinner this night and he doesn't care for extreme spice so I opted to offer jalapenos on top instead.

I tried to get a picture of how much spices I used because I don't usually measure my spices. Sorry!
Anyway this is what I use to make my chili yummy:
sea salt
chili powder
cayenne pepper
garlic powder
cinnamon
cocoa powder (or a block of baking chocolate that is unsweetend)
cumin
smoked paprika (I'd like to add that as I was typing that line Rachel Ray in the back ground said "smoked paprika"!! AND she's mixing cumin and cinnamon in with whatever it is she's making!! lol)
and of course garlic hot sauce (or smokey hot sauce... or BOTH!!)

Sometimes I use "veggie crumble" by Morningstar Farms. Sometimes I use ground turkey. Sadly, turkey is more affordable. So this batch was a turkey chili. If I have the time I like to pre cook the meat to give it more flavor. I heated a pan with a little garlic olive oil (again from Gustare Oils and Vinegars because I love them so much!!) and seared the meat just a little. Then I added about a tablespoon of tomato paste to add some color and flavor. When it was about 85% cooked I added it to the hot chili to cook the rest of the way.

Usually I bake cornbread to go with chili. But since Ron and I were running around that day and I had a "play date" with a friend in the afternoon I did not have time for baking. So we went to one of our favorite breakfast joints (Grumpy's) and got an order of corn cakes to go... and broke a piece off to put in the bottom of the bowl! Then we topped with chili, a little lowfat cheese, a dollop of low fat sour cream and either jalapenos or hot sauce!
The best part of cooking is sharing with your friends! And even better than that is sharing with friends who don't even like chili but still eat it and still enjoy it!! Thank you Kate for at least pretending to like black bean chili!! ;0)

Vegan stir-fry with brown rice and edamame

Oh hello! It's been so long since I've sat down and done some writing! And good quality cooking too for that matter!
I made a tofu and veggie stir-fry the other night that I will share.

You will need:
1 small red pepper julienned
1 small yellow pepper julienned
1 zucchini sliced
1 small head of broccoli
1 small sweet onion chopped
2 or 3 cloves of minced garlic
4-6 scallions
3 carrots sliced thin
1/2 C. of cashews
2 TBS of sesame seeds
1 TBS of sesame oil (for flavor- not cooking)
1 TBS of soy sauce (give or take as you would for flavor)
1 package of extra firm tofu
Brown rice
Edamame + seasonings

Heat a large skillet or wok if you have one and add veggies (use a cooking spray or oil 1st to prevent sticking!!). Start with the more hard veggies like carrots and onions and peppers. Add the zucchini, garlic and scallions last.
After they are all cooked to perfection add the sesame oil, soy sauce, sesame seeds and cashews and give it a taste.
Meanwhile in another skillet- cook up cubed tofu (that you have previously patted dry) over medium heat until golden brown. When cooking tofu you do unfortunately need to add a little more fat to the pan than you would with other things as it tends to stick easily! You can lightly season your tofu. Usually I heavily season tofu but because it's going to be eaten with the veggies which have the soy sauce I'd say to go light handed with salt.
Make your brown rice as the normal directions say to do. I get edamame from the freezer section of Trader Joe's which I just steam up and season. I used sea salt, chili pepper and garlic powder.



Get out your chopsticks! Set a bowl of edamame between you and your dinner guests and also an empty bowl for the pods! Serve a scoop of rice alongside a mound of vegetables and tofu!