Vegetarian Pho

 

INGREDIENTS

Soup

Two 3-inch cinnamon sticks

3 Frontier whole cloves

2 star anise

1 large white onion*, peeled and quartered

4-inch piece of fresh ginger*, peeled and halved lengthwise

4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable stock or broth

4 cups water usually it uses 8 cups stock/broth... since combining with water make sure to use salt!

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce

6 ounces (one large handful) rice noodles

1 tablespoon avocado oil, mild extra-virgin olive oil or your neutral-flavored oil of choice

5 ounces thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms

Salt

Garnishes

Mung bean sprouts

Sprigs of fresh basil (use Thai basil if you can find it) or cilantro

Sprigs of fresh mint

Thinly sliced green onions (mostly green parts)

Very thinly sliced fresh jalapeño (omit if sensitive to spice)

Small wedges of lime

INSTRUCTIONS

• Pot 1 "30 MINUTES" Warm a medium soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. 
• Add the cinnamon sticks, cloves, and star anise and toast until fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 3 to 4 minutes. 
• Add the onion, ginger, vegetable stock, water and tamari. 
• Raise the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. 
• Simmer for 30 minutes to give the flavors time to meld.
• Pot 2 In the meantime, prepare your rice noodles by cooking them according to package directions. Set them aside.
• Pot 3 To prepare the shiitake mushrooms, warm the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the mushrooms and a few dashes of salt. Cook until the mushrooms are tender and lightly browned, about 4 to 6 minutes, then set them aside.  Or maybe I can use Pot 2 for this part once the noodles have been strained and set aside.
• Back to Pot 1 Once the broth is done cooking, strain out the onions, ginger and spices (this is easiest with a small metal sieve, but you can also strain the mixture through a colander into another large bowl). Season it to taste with extra tamari and/or salt until the flavors of the spices really shine.
• Ladle the broth into bowls, add cooked noodles and mushrooms, and fresh garnishes to your heart’s content (don’t forget the lime!). Serve immediately, with chopsticks and soup spoons.

NOTES 

*FOR EVEN MORE FLAVOR: Char your onions and ginger before adding them to the pot. If you go this route, just slice the onion in half (instead of quarters), and don’t peel the ginger. You have a few options on how to char them—you can supposedly char them with metal tongs over a gas flame (I don’t have gas, so I couldn’t try this), or broil them, cut sides down, on a baking sheet, or—the most reliable method—roast them, cut sides down, on a baking sheet, on the upper rack in a 500 degree Fahrenheit oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

**Receipt from Cookie + Kate

Mamas Corn Patties

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup corn
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:
Mix all ingredients and fry on pan patties the size of a cup cake circle size. Taste good when served hot or cold!

Quinoa Salad with chickpeas, lemon and mint

Image from original recipe posting on Food52

Serves 4-6

Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 a large shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
3 cups cooked quinoa (from 1 cup uncooked)
1 stalk celery, in 1/4 -inch dice
1/4 cup raisins
1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, drained
1/4 cup finely sliced mint leaves
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped.

In a large bowl, combine the lemon juice, shallot, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and let stand while you pull together the rest of the dish.
Add the quinoa, chickpeas, celery, raisins, mint and olives, if using. Toss together.
Taste for seasoning and add remaining salt and pepper, or maybe lemon juice, if needed.
Serve at room temperature or place in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to serve.
If serving from the refrigerator, let it sit for a few minutes to shake off the chill - this salad is best at room temperature.

Recipe from Food52.

Quinoa Salad with Hazelnuts, Apple, and Dried Cranberries

Serves 4

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well (any other grain will do as well. I used farro)
1 1/2 cups water, for quinoa
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 stalks of celery, finely diced
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, de-skinned and chopped (or use any nuts you have - I used almond slivers and raw cashews)
1 bunch (about 5 to 6) green onions, chopped (green parts only)
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped * see note
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, thoroughly rinsed and chopped
1 gala apple (really, any kind of apple will do)
1 large lemon, juiced
Generous drizzle of any kind of oil (I like hazelnut)
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Preheat your oven to 325F and toast your hazelnuts for about 7-10 minutes. Let them cool completely. You should begin to hear their skins crackle while cooling; this is a good sign!  Skip this step if you don't use hazelnuts.
2. Meanwhile, cook your quinoa. Importantly, rinse it well! Boil the water with a pinch of salt, and add your rinsed quinoa. Turn your stove down to medium-low and let it cook for roughly 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Fluff quinoa with a fork, and let it cool in the fridge. 
3. Going back to the cooled, toasted hazelnuts; remove the skins. Chop the hazelnuts up, leaving them in large pieces. Skip this step if you don't use hazelnuts.
4. Preheat a skillet with 1 tbsp of oil and soften your finely chopped onion and celery. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Try not to brown them, 5 to 7 minutes on medium - low heat should do the trick. Set aside in a large salad bowl. 
5. Rinse your parsley well and chop it finely followed by your dried cranberries and green onions. Add all this to the onion and celery mixture. 
6. Core and dice the apple, put your apple chunks in the bowl with the other ingredients. Squeeze the entire lemon over the apple to season the salad and prevent the apple from turning brown. 
7. Add your quinoa and hazelnuts to the mixture, drizzle with the oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Season with more lemon juice if you like. Mix well and cool completely. Allow the flavors to meld for 20 minutes before serving! 

Recipe is from Food52. They recommend using good quality dried cranberries. Craisins work but they tend to turn the salad a pinkish hue after a few hours, and may be too sweet.

Hummus

Yield: 3.75 c ( 360 g )
Total Time: 11 Minutes

Ingredients:
15 ounces canned chick peas (garbanzos), drained
15 ounces canned chick peas (garbanzos), with liquid
1/4 cup (35 g) raw sesame seeds
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup (60 ml) 2 lemon juice
1/4 cup water (possibly change recipe to use less water)
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 teaspoon ground cumin (double this portion)
Also good to add Paprika
Salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Place ingredients into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid.
2. Select Puree setting.
3. Let the whole program run.
4. Recommendation to add olive oil and paprika or cayenne pepper or something to add a special flavor! Maybe roasted red peppers or olives.

Lasts 4 to 5 days in fridge. Can freeze also.

Cost: 

$4.65 for 4 cups

2 - 2 cans chickpears

.65 lemon juice

2 sesame seeds

Spring Pea Orzo

Photo: Helen Norman; Styling: Carrie Purcell

Ready in 25 minutes

DIRECTIONS
3 to 4 lemons
8 ounces uncooked orzo pasta (whole wheat optional)
1/4 cup minced shallot or red onion
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups cooked fresh or frozen peas
1 cup snow peas or sugar snap peas, blanched and chopped (I used frozen green beans)
1 cup assorted chopped fresh herbs (such as mint, chives, and parsley)
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Optional - Athenos, Crumbled Feta with Garlic and Herbs, 4 oz

PREPARATION
1. Grate zest from lemons to equal 2 tsp. Cut lemons in half; squeeze juice from lemons to equal 1/2 cup.

2. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Whisk together shallots, next 4 ingredients, and lemon juice. Toss together pasta and shallot mixture. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill 1 to 48 hours.

3. Toss together pasta, peas, snow peas, next 2 ingredients, and lemon zest just before serving. Add salt, pepper, and additional lemon juice to taste. Sprinkle with feta cheese.

NOTES: from Southern Living's April 2014 issue. Reviews mentioned to use less shallots, lemon and mustard. 

Hasselback Potatoes

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Yield 4 people

Difficulty Easy

True original recipe from Stockholm, Sweden. You can improve by adding bacon or cheese! These hasselback potatoes are ready in about an hour and serves 4 people.

Ingredients

• 4 big waxy potatoes
• 1 stick of unsalted butter
• salt and pepper to taste

Temperature 400 or 425 for 50 minutes. Add more butter 20 minutes before done.

Recipe and picture from oh my dish.

Red Velvet (Beet) Brownies (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

Receipe from Mind Body Green: Skip the red food dye and add some detox-friendly beets to your brownies! A healthy take on the classic dessert, with a rich and creamy cashew frosting.

Ingredients
1 cup raw beets, chopped (approximately 1 large beet, peeled & chopped)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup agave
2 Tbsp. vegan chocolate chips
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. raw cacao
2 Tbsp. ground flaxseed
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
2 Tbsp. coconut flour

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a square (8x8) pan with parchment paper and set aside.

In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse beets until very finely chopped.

In a small saucepan, add coconut oil, agave, vegan chocolate chips and vanilla. Melt over low heat.

Add to beet mixture and purée until smooth.

Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor and purée until fully combined.

Spread evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Cool completely.

Top with the creamy cashew frosting (recipe below) and cut into squares. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Creamy Cashew Frosting Ingredients
1 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup boiling water
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. agave 1 tsp. coconut oil

Directions
Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender and purée until smooth and creamy. Pour into a bowl and chill before frosting the brownies.

Notes
I used honey instead of agave.
I don't have a high speed blender, so I used a food processor. Frosting could have turned out smoother if used a blender... Interested in finding a different frosting recipe. 

Healthy Vegan Pad Thai With Shredded Cabbage

Serves 4

Ready in 30 minutes

Recipe from Paint + Tofu

INGREDIENTS:
1 head of green cabbage
1.5 cups edamame
2 cups red cabbage
4 carrots
2 limes

Sauce:
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2.5 tablespoons sriracha hot sauce
3 tablespoons peanut flour (or finely chopped peanuts, or peanut butter)
3 tablespoons sugar (optional – I don’t use it!)
3 tablespoons organic ketchup
2 teaspoon ground ginger
.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Finely shred cabbage with a sharp knife and cut carrots into ribbons with a vegetable peeler (or finely chop carrots). 
2. Cook shredded cabbage in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat for about 7 – 10 minutes until crisp.
3. While cabbage is cooking, mix all ingredients for the sauce together in a separate bowl.
4. Pour sauce over cabbage and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
5. Plate and garnish with carrot ribbons, shredded red cabbage, edamame, and slices of lime.

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with White Beans & Greens

Serves 4  * Prep Time 20 minutes * Total Time 1 hr 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS
4 sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups (or 1 can) cooked and drained white beans
6 cups kale, trimmed and sliced into ribbons (can add other greens too like spinach)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Scrub the sweet potatoes and prick them in a few places with a fork. Place them on a baking sheet and bake until soft all the way through, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Start the beans and greens about 15 to 20 minutes before the sweet potatoes are done.

In a wide, deep saucepan with a cover, heat the olive oil over low-moderate heat. Add the shallots and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for about a minute. Add the beans and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the kale, cover the pan, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until the kale is soft. Stir in the lemon juice, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, slice each sweet potato lengthwise and push on the ends to open up the middle. Spoon the beans and greens into the center.

Recipe from the kitchn

Roasted Sweet Potato and Farro Salad

• Prep Time20 minutes
• Total Time1 hour
• Serves4

Ingredients

• • 2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 4 medium), scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
  • 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 cup semi-pearled farro (about 7 ounces)
  • Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 cup lightly packed fresh dill, chopped
  • 1/2 cup radish or arugula sprouts or baby watercress, plus more for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Divide sweet potatoes and garlic between 2 rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat and spread into a single layer. Roast, flipping once, until tender and caramelized, about 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cover farro with 4 inches water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook until tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Drain; toss with remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large bowl. Season with salt.
3. When cool enough to handle, remove garlic from peels and mash with lemon zest and juice in a small bowl. Add garlic mixture, sweet potatoes, dill, and sprouts to farro; stir until combined. Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with sprouts.

Cook's Note

Keep the skins on sweet potatoes to save time, fiber, and nutrients. When roasted, skins offer a great textural contrast to the creamy flesh.

From Martha Stewart's December 2013 Magazine.

Recipe is a little dry. Maybe need to add butter or olive oil to lemon garlic sauce. 

Sweet Potato, Cauliflower, & Kale Casserole

Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings
Hands-on:55 Minutes
Total:1 Hour, 45 Minutes

Ingredients
1 head cauliflower (1 1/2 to 2 lb.), cut into small florets
1 (8-oz.) package fresh cremini mushrooms, stemmed and halved
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon ground cumin, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
3 large sweet potatoes (2 1/2 to 3 lb.), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chopped fresh kale, collards, or mustard greens
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 (14-oz.) can butter beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
Easy Cheese Sauce (see below for recipe)
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 475°. Toss together cauliflower, mushrooms, 2 1/2 Tbsp. oil, 1/2 tsp. cumin, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper in a medium bowl. Spread cauliflower/mushroom mixture in a single layer in jelly-roll pan.

2. Toss together sweet potatoes, 2 1/2 Tbsp. oil, and remaining cumin, salt, and pepper. Spread in a single layer in another jelly-roll pan.

3. Bake potatoes and cauliflower at 475° for 10 to 12 minutes or until browned and just tender, turning once. Cool on wire racks 10 minutes.

4. Reduce oven temperature to 375°. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook, stirring often, 1 minute. Add kale; cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until tender. Add salt and pepper to taste; stir in vinegar.

5. Layer half each of sweet potatoes, cauliflower mixture, beans (if desired), kale, and 1 1/2 cups Easy Cheese Sauce in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese sauce. Stir together panko, chopped cilantro, and olive oil, and sprinkle crumb mixture over casserole. Note - I only did one layer of each. 

6. Bake at 375° for 20 to 25 minutes or until thoroughly heated, bubbly, and golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.



Easy Cheese Sauce Recipe (You can get away with only making a half of this recipe)

Yield: Makes 3 1/2 cups
Hands-on:25 Minutes
Total:25 Minutes

Ingredients
1/3 cup dry vermouth*
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cups half-and-half
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded pepper Jack cheese

Preparation
1. Bring vermouth and garlic to a boil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 7 to 10 minutes or until vermouth is reduced to 1 Tbsp.

2. Whisk together half-and-half and cornstarch. Whisk half-and-half mixture, salt, and pepper into vermouth mixture; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Boil, whisking constantly, 1 minute or until mixture is thickened. Add pepper Jack cheese. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, whisking constantly, 1 minute or until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Remove from heat, and use immediately.

*Dry sherry may be substituted.

Recipe from Southern Living's January 2014 issue.

Quinoa Corn Edamame

YIELDS ABOUT 4 CUPS

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups frozen, shelled, edamame
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup cooked, cooled quinoa (leftover is great)
1 green onion, sliced (just green parts)
½ red sweet bell pepper, diced
2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
1½ Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp dried thyme
⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
dash of cayenne

STEP 1:
Briefly boil the edamame and the corn, just until tender. Drain very well and cool completely.

STEP 2:
In a large bowl, combine the edamame, corn, quinoa, green onion, red pepper and cilantro.

STEP 3:
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, lime juice, salt, chili powder, black pepper, thyme and cayenne until emulsified. Drizzle mixture over salad mixture and toss to coat. Cover and chill for at least two hours

Recipe found on 86 lemons.

Fried Rice with Shallots

I N G RE D I E N T S
3 tablespoons peanut oil, plus more for frying I used sesame oil as a substitute
3 shallots, thinly sliced (3/4 cup)
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
4 1/2 cups cold cooked jasmine rice (see Note)
Salt
1 cup frozen petite peas, thawed
Lime wedges, for serving

D I R E C T I O N S
In a small skillet, heat 1/4 inch of peanut oil until shimmering. Add 1/4 cup of the sliced shallots and fry over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried shallots to paper towels to drain.
In a wok or large skillet, heat the 3 tablespoons of oil until shimmering. Add the turmeric and the remaining 1/2 cup of shallots and stir-fry over moderately high heat until the shallots are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and 1 teaspoon of salt and stir-fry over high heat for 1 minute. Add the peas and stir-fry until the rice and peas are hot, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the fried shallots and season with salt. Transfer the rice to a bowl and serve with lime wedges.

N O T E S
Published in Food & Wine's October 2012 issue.
Total time: 25 minutes; Serves 4

Sweet Potato Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients
1 large head cauliflower (the one I used was at least 7″ in diameter
olive oil for drizzling
Few dashes garam masala (optional)
3 medium to large sized peeled sweet potatoes, cut into 1″ pieces
1 sweet onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
7 cups filtered water

Directions
First, preheat your oven to 400 °F and cut up your cauliflower into bite sized pieces. Sprinkle cauliflower lightly with garam masala. Place cauliflower on un-greased cookie sheet and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Place in oven and let roast until golden brown on the tops and tender, but not mushy, about 20-30 minutes. There’s no need to flip ‘em. Just remove from oven and let cool while you cook the rest of the soup.

In large stockpot, bring peeled & cut sweet potatoes, onion, garlic and water to a boil. Salt (abt 3/4 tsp) and stir. Reduce heat and allow to remain at a constant simmer until sweet potatoes are tender. Add in cooked cauliflower and divide soup into 2 parts.

Let soup cool and then blend one part soup in blender until very smooth. Combine with second part soup and stir. Salt to taste and warm up over stovetop if needed.

Recipe from Manifest Vegan
Cook/Bake Time: 30, Prep Time 10, Ready in: 40

Southwest Black Bean Salad

Ingredients
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 corn on the cobb, grilled
1 green pepper
2 tomatoes or a pint cherry tomatoes, chopped
1/2 avocado
2 limes to be used as dressing
splash of olive oil to be used with lime juice (optional)
parsley or cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Butternut Squash Lasagna

Recipe posted on Yummy Mummy Kitchen; originally taken from Food Network's Giada De Laurentiis. 

Delic. But I did not layer enough.

Total Time: 2 hr 10 min  ★  Prep: 30 min  ★  

Inactive: 15 min  ★  Cook: 1 hr 25 min  ★  Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 (1 1/2 to 2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes - I disagree, 2.25 lb was not enough (pre-peeled, seeded & cut) was not enough. Next time try 2 squashes, total of 4.5 - 5 lb. 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup water

3 amaretti cookies, crumbled or macaroons, or biscoff... whatever is in your cupboard. 

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 1/2 cups whole milk

Pinch nutmeg

3/4 cup (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves

12 no-boil lasagna noodles

2 1/2 cups shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese

1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the water into the skillet and then cover and simmer over medium heat until the squash is tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly and then transfer the squash to a food processor. Add the amaretti cookies and blend until smooth. Season the squash puree, to taste, with more salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the nutmeg. Cool slightly. Transfer half of the sauce to a blender*. Add the basil and blend until smooth. Return the basil sauce to the sauce in the pan and stir to blend. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.

Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of sauce over the noodles. Repeat layering 3 more times.

Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake the lasagna for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the lasagna. Continue baking uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 15 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving.

*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

Sauteed Zucchini with Corn and Roasted Green Peppers

Every now and then it's nice to try a vegetarian or in this instance even gluten free recipe. I didn't love it, but I would make it again if in need of a vegetarian warm side dish. Modified version of original recipe, posted on girl cooks world here.

Ingredients
* about 1 pound zucchini, cut into small, 1/2-inch cubes
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 Tablespoon butter
* 1 Tablespoon olive oil, plus extra if needed
* 1/2 large onion, thinly sliced
* 1 cup frozen corn, defrosted
* 1 poblano or green bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded and cut into thin strips
* 2/3 cup Mexican-style sour cream**
* salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
Place the zucchini in a colander and mix with the salt. Let stand over a plate or the sink for about 1/2 hour to draw out any bitter liquid. Rinse and pat dry or drain for several minutes in the colander.

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring often, until the zucchini has browned and is just tender. Remove the zucchini to a bowl with tongs or a slotted spoon, attempting to keep as much of the butter and oil mixture in the pan as possible.

Add the onions and cook, stirring until translucent. Add the corn and the pepper strips and continue to cook until the onion begins to brown. Stir in the sour cream and zucchini and cook until the sour cream has reduced to a thick glaze. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves four.

Rice Pilaf With Grapes, Cranberries and Pecans

Ready in 25 Minutes. Serves 4 - 6.

I tried this at my friends house over the weekend and had to ask for the recipe. The recipe itself originally published in Southern Living's March 2010 issue. See it here.

Ingredients
1 cup diced red onion
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 cups halved seedless red grapes
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
2 tablespoons white or regular balsamic vinegar
2 (8.5-oz.) pouches ready-to-serve basmati rice*
3/4 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation
Sauté onion in melted butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until tender; stir in grapes, dried cranberries, and balsamic vinegar. Stir in rice, pecans, parsley, and salt; cook, stirring often, until thoroughly heated.
*2 (8.8-oz.) pouches ready-to-serve whole grain brown-and-wild rice may be substituted; omit salt.

Veggie Potato Salad (Southern Living)

YIELD: Makes 7 1/2 cups (serving size: 3/4 cup)

HANDS-ON: 25 MINUTES

TOTAL: 2 HOURS, 30 MINUTES

COURSE: Salads, Side Dishes/Vegetables

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 pounds baby red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup whole buttermilk

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise with olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 carrots, grated

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup sliced radishes

1/2 cup steamed, cut fresh green beans 

(I used sugar snap peas instead)

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 garlic clove, minced

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

PREPARATION
1. Bring potatoes and salted water to cover to a boil in a large saucepan; reduce heat, and simmer 7 to 10 minutes or until tender. Drain. Place potatoes in a large bowl; sprinkle with vinegar and oil, and toss gently. Cool completely (about 1 hour).
2. Whisk together buttermilk and next 3 ingredients. Stir in carrots and next 6 ingredients; season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon buttermilk mixture over potato mixture; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill 1 to 24 hours before serving.


COMMENTS 
Cost $14.50 for entire ingredients.
See original Southern Living posting here.