Veggie Lasagna

Oil for the pan
Lasagna noodles, 1 box, I use no bake ones
1 lb spinach, chopped thin, remove big stems
2 lbs (4 cups) ricotta
4 lg garlic cloves
Pesto, my favorite part, shocking!
1/2 tspn salt
Eggplant, cooked till soft, first
Fresh black pepper
3/4 cup Parmesan
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
1 lb mozzerella
2 jars marinara sauce

Oven 350 degrees

mix the spinach (remove excess water), ricotta, pesto, garlic, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup parmesan, nuts, eggplant.
Layer:
-Olive oil, sauce, noodles
-Veggie/Cheese mixture
-Mozzerella
-Sauce, noodles, cheese etc.
-final noodle layer, sauce, top with the rest of the parmesan
Bake 50 minutes
Top with fresh basil crumbles

Polenta lasagna with creamy mushroom sauce

From Veg times

• 1 medium-size onion, halved and thinly sliced crosswise (1 cup)
• 8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
• 8 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tsp.)
• 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. low-fat milk
• 2 Tbs. cornstarch
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup dry white wine or low-sodium vegetable broth
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 2 17-oz. tubes polenta, cut into 1/2-inch slices (or cook your own)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Cook onion in large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat 3 minutes, stirring often. Add all mushrooms and garlic; cook, stirring often, 3 to 4 minutes, or until onion is tender. Add 3/4 cup milk, and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
2. Mix cornstarch with remaining 2 Tbs. milk, and stir into mushroom mixture. Add cream cheese and wine, and cook, stirring often, 1 to 2 minutes, or until smooth and blended. Remove from heat. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg.
3. Coat 10x10-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 3 Tbs. mushroom sauce in bottom of dish. Layer 1/3 of polenta slices over sauce. Sprinkle 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese over polenta. Top with half of remaining mushroom sauce. Layer with 1/3 of polenta slices and remaining sauce, and top with remaining polenta.
4. Bake, uncovered, 35 to 40 minutes, or until bubbly. Sprinkle lasagna with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Broil 3 to 5 minutes, or until cheese is lightly browned. Remove from heat. Cover loosely with foil, and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Asparagus pesto lasagna

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups low-fat milk, divided
6 Tbs. pesto*, or more to taste
2 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional for garnish, optional
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tsp. olive oil
1 1/4 lb. asparagus spears, tips cut off and reserved, spears trimmed and chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 tsp.)
16 no-cook lasagna noodles (9 oz.)
2 cups shredded Fontina or part-skim mozzarella cheese (8 oz.), divided

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Whisk flour and 1/2 cup milk in saucepan until smooth. Gradually whisk in remaining milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly, and boil 1 minute, or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in pesto, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Reserve 1 cup white sauce.

2. Warm oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped asparagus (not tips) and cook, stirring often, 5 minutes, or until tender. Add garlic; cook, stirring, 1 minute, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

3. Coat 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Place layer of noodles in dish, overlapping slightly. Layer with half of cooked asparagus, 3/4 cup Fontina and half of sauce. Add another layer of pasta, remaining sauce, remaining cooked asparagus and 3/4 cup Fontina. Top with layer of noodles, then with reserved 1 cup white sauce. Arrange reserved asparagus tips over top and sprinkle with remaining Fontina.

4. Bake, uncovered, 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden. Let stand 10 minutes; serve with additional grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Tagliatelle with Garlic and Toasted Walnuts

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbs. butter (optional)
• 6 cloves garlic, minced (more if you want)
• 1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• Sun dried tomatoes
• 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts plus 4 or 5 whole for garnish
• 1 1/4 lb. dried tagliatelle
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Warm olive oil (try to use a good quality) and butter  in medium-sized skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic, and cook slowly until garlic is fragrant and just starting to turn golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in parsley and toasted walnuts (toast prior), and keep warm over very low heat.
2. Bring large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place tagliatelle into water, and cook according to package directions. Drain, and toss pasta gently with warmed olive oil mixture.
3. Add Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt and generous grindings of black pepper, and toss until strands are well coated.

 Very simple meal, you can of course add more to make more complex (veggies, mushrooms, more herbs).  In such a simple meal, it's important to use good quality ingredients (i.e. olive oil, cheese etc).

Marinated Black Olives with Rosemary and Lemon Zest

You can always have a jar of these waiting for you in your fridge. The woosy rosemary with the lemon and garlic are a nice mix, but you can use other herbs like thyme or oregano.

1 large lemon
8 oz. black olives (i.e. gaeta, nicoise, kalamata)
1 teasoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

Use a vegetable peeler to remove the yellow skin from the lemon, leaving behind the bitter white pith, the the lemon zest into very thin 1/2 inch long strips.

Mix the olives, lemon zest, rosemary and garlic in a large mason jar with a lid. Add the oil and some black pepper. Cover the jar and turn it to mix it all up.

Put in the fridge and let marinate for at least a day, turning the jar occasionally to redistribute everything. They can be kept in the fridge for several weeks and just get better over time. Before serving, bring to room temp.

You can serve with some cheese and bread and cocktails :)

Eggplant Parmesan

-2 big purple eggplants, peeled and cut into rounds. Sprinkle salt on both sides and let sit for an hour or so...this draws out the moisture and the bitterness. You'll see balls of water all over them, blot with cloth and press to remove salt & water.

-Beat 4 eggs put in one flat pan and a few cups of Italian bread crumbs in another pan.

-Dip eggplants in egg and then breadcrumbs and drizzle with olive oils, put on baking sheet and bake for around 10 minutes, flip and bake another 5-10 minutes, until brown.

-Get 1.5-2 bottles of tomato sauce. Put 1/3 of it on bottom of baking pyrez. I normally add fresh garlic, thyme, sage and oregeno into the sauce. then layer with eggplant, then parmesan and mozzerella, then eggplant, sauce, cheeses etc.

-Bake for 30 minutes at 350

-Top with fresh basil and fresh tomato slices.

Polenta Lasagna

Serves 6

Polenta

* 4 cups water
* 1 1/4 cups polenta or cornmeal
* 1/4 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Vegetable Filling

* 1 large eggplant
* 1 large red bell pepper
* 2 cups diced mushrooms
* 1 cup diced onion
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 Tbs. minced fresh basil
* 2 Tbs. minced fresh oregano
* 1/2 cup cooked cannellini beans (if canned rinsed and drained)
* 4 oz. grated (can be non-fat or soy) mozzarella
* 3 cups marinara sauce
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1. To make polenta, in large saucepan, bring water to a boil over medium-high heat. Gradually whisk in polenta. Stir with whisk, and cook until polenta is thick, about 10 minutes. Season with rosemary and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Pour polenta into two 8x8-inch baking pans until 3/4-inch thick. (You will need two layers of polenta.) Alternatively, pour polenta into 1 large pan and, when cool, cut polenta into two layers to fit size of 8x12-inch lasagna pan. Smooth and level surface with spoon. Let cool, and refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.
3. Preheat oven to 400F.
4. To roast eggplant, using a knife tip or fork, punch several holes in eggplant, and roast for 45 minutes, or until flesh is soft and skin is charred. Alternatively, grill or broil eggplant. Cut in half and, with spoon, scrape soft flesh from skin and chop coarsely. Increase temperature to 450F.
5. To roast pepper, place on baking sheet, and cook, turning, until skin chars and flesh softens. Remove from heat, peel, seed and cut into strips. Set aside.
6. Unmold polenta, taking care not to break. If using two 8x8-inch pans, cut the pieces so they fit in 8x12-inch lasagna pan. Reserve single piece of polenta for top layer.
7. Reduce heat to 350F.
8. To make vegetable filling, in saucepan, combine mushrooms, onions, garlic and 1/4 cup water, and cook over medium heat, covered, until onions are soft. Uncover, and cook until liquid evaporates.
9. Transfer to large bowl, and stir in eggplant, pepper, basil, oregano, beans and soy mozzarella-style cheese. Spread 1 cup marinara sauce in bottom of lasagna pan. Top with layer of polenta, add layer of filling, spreading it evenly, then another layer of polenta. Add remaining marinara sauce. Top with Parmesan-style cheese. Cover baking dish, or make double layer of parchment paper under aluminum foil to cover dish.
10. Bake for 30 minutes, or until thoroughly heated through. Remove from oven, and let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

White Bean Tuna Salad Recipe - Giada

* 2 cans tuna, packed in olive oil (I use whatever tuna I have)
* 2 cans cannelini white beans, drained and rinsed
* 1/3 cup small capers, nonpareil in brine, drained and rinsed
* 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
* Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
* 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
* 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes
* 2 cups fresh arugula (or other greens)
* 6 fresh basil leaves

Directions

In a large bowl, add the tuna, reserving the olive oil in a separate small bowl. Break tuna into bite-size pieces with a large fork. Add the beans and capers. Into the bowl of olive oil, add the red wine vinegar. You should have 1 part vinegar to 2 parts oil - add more extra-virgin olive oil if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Pour dressing on the tuna, bean and caper mixture and allow the flavors to infuse while slicing the vegetables. Add the onion and tomatoes to tuna mixture and toss gently.

Place the arugula on large decorative platter and top with tuna mixture. Tear fresh basil leaves over the top and serve immediately.