Vegetable Lasagna

If you were having trouble keeping up with all that squash and froze some for future use I have a recipe to use up that eggplant this week! It's so yummy, my dear husband requested it when he found out we were getting more eggplant. He says, "It's doesn't sound like it should be good but it is!" I got the recipe from America's Test Kitchen awhile back and have modified it since.

Microwaved eggplant doesn't look awesome
but does amazing things for this dish.

 One of the strangest steps in this recipe is actually key. Microwaving the eggplant stops it from getting super soggy with oil and liquids from the other vegetables. 

Once everything is sauteed and combined you get this delicious filling:

After layering and baking the steps in this recipe really shine. I hope your family likes this dish as much as mine does. (PS. my lasagna is in the freezer for future cooking. I'll update with pictures once I bake it.)


Squash and Spinach Lasagna

Ingredients

4 oz. or 2 c. Parmesan Cheese, grated

1 c. cottage cheese, (I like whole milk here, but use whatever you like)

1 c. heavy cream (I said it was good, didn't say it was low-fat)

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 tsp. corn starch

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 lb. eggplant, peeled and diced

1 lb zucchini, diced

1 lb yellow squash, diced

5 tbsp. olive oil

12 oz. baby spinach, rough chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp fresh thyme (or 1 tsp. dried)

3 c. tomato sauce (use your favorite)

12 no boil noodles 

12 oz. or 3 c. mozzarella, shredded 

Fresh basil

1. Mix the first 7 ingredients together and set aside.
2. Combine the eggplant with 1/2 tsp of salt and spread on a large microwave safe plate lined with a double layer of coffee filters. Microwave on high until shriveled and slightly dried, about 10 minutes, mix halfway through cooking. 
3. Combine the eggplant with the other squash in a large bowl. Add another 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 pepper. Heat a 12 inch nonstick skillet with 2 tbsp. oil over med. high heat. Saute 1/2 of the squash mixture until the vegetables are lightly browned. Set aside, heat 2 more tbsp. of oil and saute the other half. Add to the first.
4. In the still hot pan at the last tbsp. of oil, saute the spinach until wilted, add the garlic and thyme and heat until fragrant. Toss all of this with the squash.
5. Assemble the lasagna in a 9"x13" pan: 1 c. sauce, 4 noodles, 1/2 the veggies, 1/2 the cream sauce, 1 c. mozzarella, 4 noodles, 1 c. tomato sauce, the rest of the veggies, the rest of the cream sauce, 1 c. mozzarella, 4 noodles, the last of the tomato sauce, and the last cup of cheese.
6. Bake, covered, in a preheated 375 degree oven for 35-45 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh basil before serving.

Note: If you are using frozen squash, defrost and drain in a colander before going on with step 3. This dish may be frozen before baking. To cook, thaw and add 10 minutes to the cook time.

Eggplant Parmesan

For those who find cooking eggplant a challenge try this recipe for Baked Eggplant Parmesan, it will be delicious every time. 

Really, setting up the breading station and breading the eggplant is the most time consuming part. But, proper prep work causes less work in the long run.

Once the eggplant comes out of the oven you can actually freeze it once cool for future cooking. Which is what I did, so I don't have a final picture just yet.

Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients

1 1/2 to 2 lbs eggplant, sliced thin about 1/4"

5 c. fresh bread crumbs (8-10 slices of sandwich bread chopped in a food processor)

1 1/2 c. or 3 oz. Parmesan cheese, divided

1 c. flour

4 eggs

Salt and pepper

1 jar tomato sauce (homemade is great!)

2 c. or 8 oz. mozzarella

Fresh Basil

Directions

1. Toss the eggplant with 1/2 tsp. of salt, layer in a colander set in a bowl for 30-45 minutes - until a tablespoon or so of liquid comes out. Working in single layers on paper towels or clean kitchen towels press the slices of eggplant dry.
2. Preheat an oven to 425 degrees with the racks set in the middle upper and middle lower position. Set up a breading station. Place the flour in one pan or pie plate. Beat 4 eggs in another. In the last blend the bread crumbs, 1 c. of Parmesan, 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
3. Dredge the eggplant in the flour, shaking off the excess; cover in the eggs, again shaking off the excess; and finally place in the breadcrumb mixture, gently pressing the mixture in before shaking off. Lay on one of 2 cooling racks sprayed with cooking spray and set in a sheet trays.
4. Cook the breaded eggplant for 30 minutes, rotating the pans half way through cooking.
5. Once they are done, layer the eggplant in a 9"x13" pan and cover with sauce, mozzarella and the remaining Parmesan  Bake another 10 minutes on the top rack until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Top with fresh basil and serve!

After step 4 you can freeze the baked eggplant in single layers on cookie sheet and then store in ziplock bags. To finish the dish, keep the eggplant frozen and bake in the oven on 425 until hot (10-15 minutes), then complete step 5.

Spaghetti Squash Genius!

Oh beautiful winter squashes. A couple of weeks back we got a lovely spaghetti squash in our share. A little happy dance happened when I got home as it is one of my FAVORITE alternatives to eating pasta (oh insulin resistance, I could totally live without you). A couple of days later I had the sad day of cutting it open only to find it rotten. Blessedly we were able to get another squash a week or so after that that has been sitting on my counter waiting for the perfect pairings - well, that and for us to finish eating what I hadn't frozen of the summer squashes.

Today was the glorious day when I dove in an made some deliciousness. My lovely friend brought over some beautiful tomatoes from her garden. Remember the recipe for Tomato Basil Spaghetti well replace the spaghetti with roasted squash, add some shrimp and omit the Parmesan (or not) and you get this fabulous dish: 

Tomato Basil and Shrimp Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients:

1 med. Spaghetti Squash

2 tbsp. Olive Oil

1 small onion, sliced very thin

1 small cubanelle pepper, halved and sliced thin

2 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed

1 lb fresh tomatoes, small diced

8 oz. raw shrimp

1/4 c. fresh basil, chiffonade

salt and pepper

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Cut the squash lengthwise and place on a cookie sheet. Roast for 45-50 minutes or until fork tender. Shred with a fork and set aside.

In the last 10 minutes or so of the roasting, heat the oil in a 12 inch skillet on medium. Add the onion and pepper, saute until translucent. Add the garlic and tomatoes, bring to a simmer. Add the shrimp in one layer, when they are just cooked on one side, flip and add the spaghetti squash and basil to the pan. Turn off the heat and toss with 1/2 tsp of salt, a few grinds of pepper and a good measure of high quality EVOO. Enjoy.

White Chicken Chili

This week's share brought us some beautiful, yet small, anaheim peppers, jalapenos and red onions. All I could think is I have to make my husband's summer favorite White Chicken Chili. Generally I would use a mix of poblano and anaheim peppers for this recipe but, I definitely lean towards using what God has provided. So here's what I did:

Anaheim's and jalapenos

I started by seeding and rough chopping the peppers so the food processor could do most of the work (I did throw in a couple of the cubanelle peppers as I didn't think I had quite enough to make the 2 cups I was looking for). A food processor is not necessary but it certainly makes fine chopping of the peppers an easier job for a person like me who is VERY sensitive to the oils in the peppers. I definitely wish I had remembered my gloves as it took a couple of hand washing excursions to get the heat out of my hands. PLEASE do not put your hands anywhere near your eyes following this task, pain will follow.

Red onions and a few cubanelles

 Then I threw the red onions into the food processor as well. Hey, if you've already put the device to work you might has well use it. I should also mention I usually use spanish onions in this recipe but red work just as well.

Turkey fat, yum :-)

  All that goes in a large pot with some fat to get all soft and translucent. Now, a lot of times I will use bone-in, skin on chicken breasts for this recipe but, I didn't have these on hand (I would saute the breasts skin side down first to render some of the fat for the veggies and develop some fond). My substitute for the fat that those breasts provide was some rendered turkey fat that I usually keep in the fridge or freezer from making stock. If you don't want either just use some vegetable oil.

Nicely sauteed, ready for the next step!

  

Reserved veggies and beans

Right now, I need to pull some of those veggies. And add them to some of the beans that I cooked up (If you don't own a pressure cooker get one they are a super time/energy saver! Great Northern Beans get cooked in 4 minutes - not including bowling and natural release time.) Puree those together in the food processor (You haven't cleaned that out yet, right?!). Set this aside for the moment.

Next the spices and stock into the pot. Yup, homemade turkey stock was what I had in the freezer so in it went. 

Love homemade stock!

Bring the items in the pot to a simmer then add some boneless-skinless chicken breasts. 

Nestle the chicken into that hot mixture. 

Bean mixture is in. 

Top with the bean and veggie puree and allow all of this to simmer for about 20 minutes or until the chicken registers 160 degrees with an instant read thermometer.



Remove the chicken breasts and dice or shred the chicken as soon as you are able to handle it.

See, I really check to make
sure things are done.

Chicken and beans are in!

Add the chicken back to the pot along with rest of the beans. At this point you want to add lime juice, the optional ingredients and, taste for salt/pepper. Bring everything back to a simmer and serve over brown rice, cheese or just a wedge of lime. Enjoy!

My garnish? Some of my delicious giardiniera

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. oil (or poultry fat)

2 c. Anaheim and Poblano Peppers, fine diced

2 c. onion, fine diced

2 jalapeno peppers, stems and seeds removed, fine diced

6 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed

1 tbsp. cumin

1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander

salt

3 c. chicken stock

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast

1/2 lb dry white beans, cooked (2 standard cans)

3 tbsp. lime juice

1/4 c. fresh cilantro (optional)

1/2 c. scallions, sliced (about 4, optional)

ground black pepper

Directions:

1. In a large pot, add the oil and heat on medium high. Saute the onions and peppers until soft and translucent. Reserve 1 c. of these vegetables.

2. Add the garlic, 1/4 tsp of salt and spices to the pot. Saute for 30 seconds then add the stock. Bring to a simmer.

3. Nestle the chicken in the stock and vegetables. Puree the vegetables with 1 c. of the beans. Add to the pot. Cook the chicken until the internal temperature comes to 160 degrees.

4. Remove the chicken breasts and dice. Add the chicken back to the pot and add the remaining beans. Bring back to a simmer.

5. Add the lime juice, cilanto (if using), and scallions (if using). Taste for salt and pepper. Serve hot with lime wedges and rice.

Vegan Bean and Summer Squash Chili

We have meatless Friday's in our house. It can be challenging to find things that my family would enjoy that were different from week to week. My husband loves chili and we had a ton of squash one year so I came up with this variation on my chili recipe.

Diced up peppers (you can use any combination from this weeks share, though if you throw in the Anaheim peppers cut back on the chili powder), onion, and celery (I threw in some scallions to this batch). 

Time to add in the spices and the tomatoes. I used canned here because that's what I had on hand but fresh work just as well as long as you use equivalent weights.

Add the squash and simmer 15 minutes, then add in the beans.

Once it comes back to a simmer it's done :-) Serve over some brown rice if you like or just by itself. 

Vegan Bean and Summer Squash Chili

Ingredients

• 2 onions, about 2 c., chopped fine
• 3 peppers any color, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 2 cans, 28 oz., crushed tomatoes or fresh roma tomatoes pureed to the same weight
• 1 small can tomato paste, optional
• 3 tbsp - 1/3 c. chili powder (I like the 1/3 c.)
• 2 tbsp. cumin
• 2 tbsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. dried leaf oregano
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. coriander, optional
• 2 vegan boullion cubes (mine prepare 4 c. of liquid) such as Not Chicken Broth
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 lb. dry kidney beans, cooked (or 2 cans of kidney beans)
• 1 lb. summer squash, diced (seeded is good too)

Directions

In a large pot, or dutch oven, saute the onions, pepper, and celery until the onions are translucent.
Add the tomato products, bouillon and spices and bring to a simmer (do not over salt at this point most vegetable broths are VERY salty you can always add more salt at the end if you need it).
Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the diced squash and simmer another 15 minutes. You can add a little water or the liquid from cooking the beans if the chili begins to look too thick at any point.
Add the beans. Bring this back to a simmer and serve over rice or by itself.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

This one is for our fellow blogger who asked me how I make my Stuffed Pepper Soup this morning. We have a plethora of peppers from this week's share and it's my husband's favorite use for them :-)

I started by dicing up 2 of the bell peppers. Added 1/2 of a red onion that I had from last weeks share, a handful of baby carrots sitting in the fridge and some celery tops (LOADS of celery flavor there). 

I sauteed all of this in olive oil for a few minutes until everything gets softened and the onions are translucent.

I had a little over 1/2 a pound of cooked hamburger leftover from Monday night's hamburgers. I just broke those into pieces and added them to the pot.

Now I got a super deal on some canned tomato soup so I'm using it here but you can add virtually any type of tomato, cooked or canned to this recipe to equal out to the weight. You're looking for 28 oz. total. Also add in 2 cups of your favorite beef broth or bouillon equivalent.


Simmer and stir for about 30 minutes until everything has cooked through and the flavors have melded. Add 2 cups of cooked rice (I like brown but any type will work) and serve. Delicious and filling you'll be coming back for seconds.

Steffanie's Stuffed Pepper Soup

Ingredients:

2 Green Bell Peppers, chopped (about 2 cups)
1/2 c. onion, minced
1 c. carrot, diced
1/2 c. celery, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 lb ground beef
2 cans condensed tomato soup
1 - 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 c. beef broth
2 c. cooked rice
salt and pepper 

Directions:

If the ground beef is raw, brown in a large pot and set aside. In the same pot add the olive oil and the first 4 ingredients. Saute over med-high heat until softened and the onions are translucent. Add the garlic, ground beef and Italian seasoning. Once you can smell the garlic add the tomato and broth. Bring to a simmer and reduce the soup to low. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add the cooked rice, bring back to a simmer and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Note: If you would like to make this soup in advance DO NOT add the rice - it gets all mushy. The soup can be portioned out and stored in the freezer. To reheat, thaw and add the rice once hot.

Teriyaki Pork Cabbage Wraps

Squash has been the name of the game this week.  Squash for lunch, squash for snacks, squash for dinner, squash for breakfast - yep, I tried it ;).

The Squash Tots I made on Sunday from The Curious Country cook were really good.  I used Parmesan cheese and Italian breadcrumbs.  They taste just like veggie meatballs - yum!!!

And the squash for breakfast . . .  If I could only recreate my husband's exasperated face!  I'm just using my resources honey! I made Naturally Ella's "Zucchini Bread Pancakes" (with the squash we had).  They weren't bad.  I would definitely use the fine shredder side next time we try these.  Then there would be less to chew!

The BIGGEST winner, however, has been the Cabbage Wraps.  (Which don't have squash in the title at all - maybe that's the win ;).

These babies are phenomenal!!

I've been making the pork for a few years now - it's a fabulous marinade.  1 part soy sauce, 1 part Maple syrup to 1/2 part lime juice and throw in some garlic, salt and pepper.  This is awesome on pork chops and chicken.  The first time I made it was for camping.  We went shopping a few days before and I stuck the pork in the marinade in the freezer.  By the time we wanted to cook it, it had thawed beautifully in the cooler and grilled up in a yummy way.  Last time we went on a meat hall to Sam's, Frank and I packaged some cubed pork in a Food Saver bag so it'd be good to go.  I defrosted it and thought . . . hmmm . . . this would be good with some squash!

I sauteed up the squash with some onion, salt and pepper, then added the marinated pork.  We steamed up some rice, washed some cabbage leaves and got out the hoisin sauce.  Don't pass it up - this stuff is awesome!!

When your meat is fully cooked and your rice is steamed, assemble your goodness:

• Spread Hoisin sauce on your cabbage leaf
• Add a bit of rice
• Finish off with the pork/squash mix
• Enjoy!