Lasagna rolls

I love love love lasagna.  And I actually really like making lasagna, surprisingly.  However, I know it's not very healthy for me once I load it up with lots of cheese, sauce, and noodles.  I decided to try something more portable to bring in my lunches at work and dinners during grad school, and also a more healthy spin on one of my faves. 

These turned out even better than I expected!  This recipe is definitely a keeper.

Ingredients:

• 1 box whole grain lasagna noodles
• 15 oz. ricotta cheese
• 1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 10 oz. package frozen spinach, thawed
• Marinara sauce

Directions:
Add lasagna noodles to a large pot of salted boiling water.  Cook until al dente, 12-15 minutes, then drain in a colander.
Thaw spinach in the microwave then squeeze out as much water as possible by placing it between paper towels.  Add ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, egg, and spinach to a bowl and combine with a little salt and pepper.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease glass casserole dish with cooking spray.
Lay out noodles.  Spread filling across noodles, getting it all the way to edges.  Roll each noodle up and place in the casserole dish.
Pour a layer of marinara sauce over rolls.
Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Adapted from Budget Bytes

 

Spicy Taco Bake

There are so many yummy variations on tacos.  My sophomore year of college, Mik and I lived in an apartment together and our most requested dish was my taco salad.  We may or may not have eaten it a little too often, so I've taken a break from taco salad.  This dish might become my new taco go-to, it was so easy and so delicious!

Ingredients:

• 3 flour tortillas (8")
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 packet spicy taco seasoning
• water
• 3/4 cup salsa con queso
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used the Mexican blend)

Directions:

Brown ground beef on stove.  Empty excess grease.  Add taco seasoning.  Fill seasoning packet with water, add to meat.  Follow directions on packet (bring to boil, then simmer).

Turn off heat.  Add in salsa con queso (I used medium salsa con queso with spicy taco seasoning and it had some good heat, use mild if you don't want it so spicy) and combine.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a round 8-inch pan.  Lay a tortilla in the bottom of the pan, then add in 1/3 of the cheesy meat, top with 1/3 of the shredded cheese.  Repeat until all 3 layers are finished.

Bake 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and edges begin to brown.

Slice and serve with sour cream and diced tomatoes on top.

 

Adapted from The Country Cook

Creamy quinoa

One day MB and I were both milling around the house, and we started talking about what we were each thinking about making for dinner that night.  We had this crazy idea to actually make dinner together - crazy, I know!

 

We decided quinoa was necessary since she liked it when I made quinoa dishes and let her have leftovers.  We flipped open Betty, and she only really had one quinoa recipe, so we went with it!

 

There were so many vegetables in this dish, I know Tall Dark and Nerdy would have been proud if he had been around to see it (instead of in India).

Look at all those veggies!



This will be a great dish for summertime when I'm wanting something a little lighter, yet still filling and delicious.

 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
• 3 cups water
• chicken bouillon
• 3 ounces cream cheese
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or chopped
• 5 cups thinly-sliced, bite-size pieces of assorted raw vegetables - I used carrots, zucchini, squash, bell pepper, asparagus
• grated Romano cheese

Directions:

Combine bouillon and water in saucepan (to make chicken broth), add the quinoa.  Heat to boiling.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15-20 minutes until liquid is absorbed.

Stir in cream cheese and basil.

Melt butter over medium heat in a skillet.  Cook garlic in butter about 30 seconds, stirring constantly, until golden.  Add vegetables.  Cook 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender.

 

Combine quinoa mixture and vegetables.  Sprinkle with Romano cheese. 

French bread pizza

I don't know why, but I've been in the mood for pizza a lot lately.  My roommate from college was always talking about how much she loves French bread pizza, and I just so happened to have a coupon for a free loaf of French bread at the grocery store.  It was made to be.  And it was delicious!

Ingredients:

• one loaf French bread
• marinara/pizza sauce
• mozzarella cheese
• pepperoni
• any other toppings

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut loaf in half lengthwise. Place on cookie sheet.

Spread cut sides with sauce.

Top with cheese, then toppings.

Bake 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and starts to brown.



Pizza quinoa casserole

I have realized this year that I love quinoa (now that I know what it is).  Add that to my Midwestern-ness, and I've started to have fun with quinoa in casserole form.  This is one of my new favorite casseroles, and it can be made as a side dish or a main dish.  Since I like making casseroles that are almost an entire meal on their own, I usually add ground beef or turkey to this and just add a veggie - like yummy Brussels sprouts - on the side.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa (and 2 cups water)
• 1-1.5 pounds ground beef or turkey
• 6oz can tomato paste
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons water
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 Tablespoon dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup shredded cheese (I've used parmesan, mozzarella, and a Mexican blend, and all are good)

Directions:
Combine quinoa and water in a pot over high heat.  Bring to a boil, then cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.  Remove from heat and leave covered.
While quinoa is cooking, brown ground beef or turkey in a skillet.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a casserole dish and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine tomato paste, garlic, onion, water, and olive oil well.  Add seasonings and mix again.  Add quinoa and meat, combine.  Mix in some of the cheese if you want.
Spread everything in the casserole dish, sprinkle with cheese, and place in the oven.
Bake 30-35 minutes until cheese is lightly browning.

Adapted from Food Doodles

 

Broccoli Chicken Foil Packs

Last night, Jas and I made quinoa-stuffed sweet potatoes together (which were delicious, by the way), and TDN was very proud when he heard all the veggies I was eating :) 
That meal - and the fact that most of my meals in the last two weeks have been midwestern cream-of-someone-soup casseroles - inspired me to try something new for lunch today that included vegetables.  I came across a recipe for chicken foil packs.  They didn't sound like they were really going to make a meal I would enjoy that much, but I gave them a try anyway, and I'm glad I did!
These were super simple, delicious, and gave me lots of yummy leftovers for the next couple days!

Ingredients:

• 1 box stuffing mix (chicken flavor)
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• broccoli florets
• shredded cheese
• Ranch dressing

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spray 4 large sheets of foil with cooking spray.

Combine stuffing mix and water.  Spoon 1/4 of the mixture onto the center of each foil sheet.

Top stuffing with a chicken breast.

Top chicken with broccoli.  I didn't measure the broccoli, I just tried to pile as much on as I could (probably around 1 cup per foil pack)!

Sprinkle roughly 1/4 cup of cheese on top of each.

Drizzle with around 1 Tablespoon ranch dressing.

Bring up sides of foil and fold to seal, leaving room inside for heat circulation.

Place packets in a 9x13" pan or on a cookie sheet and bake 40-50 minutes (depending on the size of your chicken breasts).

Remove packets and let stand for 5 minutes.  Cut slits in foil to let steam out.  Open and enjoy!

My roommate MB and I actually split one foil pack for lunch today and couldn't finish all of it.  This made a really good sized meal, and a filling one!

If you have bacon in your fridge, crumbling a slice of cooked bacon on each pack before cooking would be tasty!  (I don't usually have any on hand since TDN doesn't eat it...weird, I know)

Adapted from Best Life 4 Moms

Crock pot broccoli beef

I have a weakness for good Chinese food, especially General Tso's Chicken and Beef & Broccoli, but I know it's really not good for me.  Living just down the street from my favorite hole-in-the-wall Chinese place is dangerous and I crave their food kind of a lot, but am always holding myself back.  I decided to try making my own when I came across a recipe for beef and broccoli in the crock pot.  It doesn't taste quite like it does at Queen House, but it's pretty good, and definitely less unhealthy!


The first time around it reminded me a little bit of one of TDN's staple pot-roast-over-rice meals, but I added a couple extra drops of sesame oil and it was great!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless beef chuck roast, sliced into thin strips
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• fresh broccoli florets
• hot cooked rice

Directions:

Place beef in crock pot.

In a small bowl, combine broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, and garlic.  Pour over beef.

Cook on low 6-8 hours.

In a cup, stir cornstarch and 2 Tablespoons of sauce from the crock pot until smooth.  Add to crock pot.  Stir well to combine.

Add broccoli.  Stir again.

Cover and cook an additional 30 minutes to 1 hour on high (the sauce has to boil for it to thicken).

Serve over rice.

Adapted from My Fridge Food

Buffalo chicken lettuce cups

Along with my other Chinese food loves (that I talked about here), chicken lettuce cups are my favorite appetizer at Chinese and Thai restaurants by far.  They're just so delicious.  And I was very intrigued by the idea of a lettuce leaf as a dish/wrap/whatever it is.  Coming across a recipe that used a crock pot (my favorite kitchen gadget of late) AND involved that silly lettuce cup concept sounded like something fun to try!

My only concern was that I wouldn't like the buffalo nature of the "buffalo chicken lettuce cups."  I really enjoy spicy food and like the flavors that it brings, but often find buffalo-flavored things to be unnecessarily spicy without much flavor.  To my delight, this chicken was exactly what I wanted, with some spice and yet not too buffalo-y.

The one thing about this that made me sad was that I have no idea how the restaurants have such perfect lettuce leaves to use as lettuce cups.  Mom suggested that I need a left-handed head of lettuce, but I tried that, too, with no luck.  I'm just resigned to believing that my lettuce will never be the right shape, but these were so delicious I quickly got over it.

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3 celery stalks
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 can (16 oz) chicken broth
• 1/2 cup buffalo sauce (or hot cayenne pepper sauce)
• large lettuce leaves
• ranch dressing
• 2 carrots

Directions:

Tiny carrot and celery matchsticks

In a crock pot, combine chicken, onions, one celery stalk (I diced it first, but you can put it in whole), garlic, and broth.  If chicken isn't covered, add water to cover the chicken.  Cover and cook on high 4 hours.

Remove chicken from crock pot.  Reserve 1/2 cup broth and discard the rest.

Shred the chicken with two forks.  Return to crock pot with the 1/2 cup reserved broth and the buffalo sauce.  Cook on high 30 minutes.

To prepare lettuce cups:  Cut other 2 celery stalks and carrots into 2-inch matchsticks.  Place buffalo chicken in each leaf, top with dressing, carrots, and celery.  Wrap up, prepare to get messy hands, and enjoy!

Adapted from Skinny Taste

Crock pot broccoli cheese soup

I am loving my crock pot right now and having fun experimenting with new recipes.  Tonight was my first attempt at a soup, and it was delicious.  Granted, the texture was a little funny (I should have stirred it one more time in the middle), but I got over that quickly once I tasted it!  This was the most filling soup I think I have ever eaten, and I can't wait for the leftovers!

My one regret was that I didn't use a crock pot liner when I thought about it.  The clean-up wasn't too dreadful after letting the gooey-cheesiness soak for awhile.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 (10 oz) can cream of chicken soup
• 2 cups milk
• 1 lb Velveeta cheese, cubed
• 3 cups fresh chopped broccoli

Directions:

Saute onion and green pepper in butter.

Combine all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low 3-4 hours, stirring once or twice.

**You can also use frozen broccoli (10 oz bag, chopped), and then I would reduce the milk to 1 1/2 cups.

Adapted from Food.com

Parmesan crusted chicken

This chicken turned out moist and delicious.  And having only 4 ingredients - all of which are staples in my kitchen - makes this an easy weeknight meal that I'll keep in mind when I'm back at work!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 teaspoons Italian seasoned bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix sour cream and cheese in small bowl.

Line baking dish with parchment paper (I didn't do this the first time and the clean-up wasn't terrible but definitely was more work than I like to have).  Lay chicken breasts in dish and spread sour cream mixture evenly on top of them.

Sprinkle bread crumbs on top.

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear (my chicken breasts were very thick, so they took about 35 minutes).  Tops will be browned, but you can turn the broiler on for a minute or two to finish them off if you want them a little more browned.

I served these with Parmesan roasted potatoes and steamed green beans for a wonderful meal.

Adapted from The Enchanted Cook

Baked Chicken Parmesan

Italian food (and most carb-heavy food) is one of my food weaknesses.  I love a good chicken parm when I go out to eat, but it's one of those things that seems much too delicious to be something I could make at home in no time at all.  Well, I was - delightfully - wrong!

I cranked this out on Sunday afternoon when I didn't want to eat any of the leftovers I had in the fridge, and for once I had everything I needed for a recipe already in the pantry.  This dish was perfect.

I ate the chicken on its own, with pasta, and with salad, and it was delicious no matter what.  This recipe will definitely be repeating at my house.

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half (mine were very thick, so I sliced them to make two large, thin pieces from each)
• 3/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Olive oil
• Mozzarella cheese
• Marinara sauce
• Cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with spray.

Combine breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese in a bowl.  

Rub olive oil over chicken, then dip into breadcrumb mixture and cover.

Place on baking sheet.

Lightly spray the tops and bake for 20 minutes.

Turn chicken over, bake another 5 minutes.

Remove from oven.  Spoon marinara sauce over each piece of chicken and top each with shredded mozzarella cheese.

Return to oven.  Bake 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

Adapted from Skinny Taste

Cheesy chicken tortilla bake

As my friends know, I love casseroles.  And I love cheese.  This recipe was pretty much a win-win for me, and it was easy!

Ingredients:
2 cans cream of chicken
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
15 6-inch corn tortillas
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

Directions:
You can cook the chicken any way you want, but I boil mine in water to keep it simple.  Place the chicken in a saucepan large enough to hold the chicken comfortably.  Add enough water to cover the chicken.  Bring to boiling on medium-high heat; reduce heat; cover the pan and simmer until the chicken is no longer pink, 15-20 minutes.  
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut or shred chicken into small pieces and set aside.
Combine the three cans and mix them up.  Mix in 1/2 cup of the cheese.
Chop us the tortillas into bite-size pieces.
Layer 1/3 of the tortillas into the bottom of a glass 13"x9" pan.  Place half of the chicken on top of the tortillas.  Then spoon half the soup mixture on top of the chicken. 
Repeat layers.
Top with the last of the tortilla strips.
Cover and bake for 40 minutes.
Top with cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes until the cheese melts.


Adapted from Homemaking Challenged

Diane chicken

I have no idea who Diane is, but this was my college roommate's standby recipe.  I was the luckiest girl in the world:  I'd walk into our shared apartment after a long day of classes and a hard crew practice to the smell of her Diane chicken on the stove just about ready to eat!

This is such an easy recipe, but the chicken is so tasty and makes great leftovers.  She always made it with Uncle Ben's long-grain wild rice and steamed mixed veggies, and I try to stick to that.  It's great with plain brown rice too with a little of the extra sauce on top.

Ingredients:

• 3 thawed boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 3 Tablespoons sugar

Directions:

Mix up the water, soy sauce, and sugar.

Put the chicken in a saucepan.  Pour the sauce over the top.

Cover and simmer on medium-high heat for 30 minutes.

Ritz Cracker Meatloaf

Meatloaf is one of those not-very-exciting, lots-of-people-dislike-me dishes that I just love.  It's comfort food that Mama makes me.  However, now that I live 2000 miles away from her, I'm on my own.  
On my last day before knee surgery, I decided it was time for some comfort food (and strategic comfort food leftovers during recovery).

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup milk
• 32 Ritz crackers (one tube), crushed
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 4 oz shredded cheese (I like a mix of cheddar and something else)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon mustard

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat eggs in large bowl.  Add milk and crushed crackers.  Stir in onion and cheese.

Add ground beef.  Mix well (hands work best).  Shape into a loaf and place in loaf pan.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Combine ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard to make sauce.  

Spoon half of the topping over the meatloaf after 30 minutes of baking.  Return loaf to oven for 10 more minutes.

Spoon the rest of the topping over meatloaf, and return to oven and bake for 5-10 more minutes.

Adapted from Food.com

Chicken and Stuffing

I am a huge fan of crock pot meals, especially ones that are quick to throw together on your way out the door.  This has a fairly short cook time, so it's not the best for a day of work, but it worked perfectly for my afternoon of running errands and coming home to a house that smelled amazing!  The pictures really don't do it justice.  It's not a super pretty meal, but it is mighty tasty!

Ingredients:

• 4 thawed boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 (6 oz) package of Stove Top stuffing mix
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1/4 cup water

Directions:

Put chicken in the crock pot.

Empty the package of stuffing on top.

Mix sour cream, soup, and water in a small bowl.  Pour over the top of the chicken and stuffing.

Cook on LOW for 4 hours.

This was so delicious and the chicken just fell apart while I was scooping it out.  Definitely a recipe to keep around.

Borrowed from The Pursuit of Happiness

Christmas pot roast

Our Christmas meat traditions include lutefisk (NOT happening in my house, ever), porcupine meatballs (that MUST be counted), and ham.  Since Tall Dark and Nerdy was celebrating Christmas with us and tries to avoid pork, baby sister and I were left with nothing.  We decided on a beef pot roast in my new Christmas-present-crock pot.  

This was my first pot roast, first time using the new crock pot, and first time hosting a holiday in my new home, and it was a SUCCESS!  I did have to wake up at 5:00 am to get it in the slow cooker so it could be done for our 2:00 meal, but it was worth it for all the praise it got!

Ingredients:

• 4 pound beef roast
• 5 cups chopped vegetables (I used carrots, celery, onions, and potatoes)
• 1 cup water
• 1 package pot roast seasoning
• 4 cloves garlic
• crock pot liner (not food, but definitely suggested!)

Directions:

Place slow cooker liner in crock pot.  

Make slices into roast and insert garlic cloves.

Place roast and vegetables in slow cooker.

Mix seasoning and water.  Pour over meat and veggies.  Cover.

Cook 8 hours on low.

The meat was tender and tasty, the vegetables were delicious (says a non-veggie eater), and the juice was fantastic (but we also made gravy).

Quinoa stuffed peppers

This has apparently become my specialty, according to Jas and the girls upstairs.  I think they just really enjoy the meal and want me to keep making it.


Ingredients (today):

• 8 peppers (any color, but it's best if they sort of stand on their own)
• 1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
• 1 cup chopped onion (roughly 1/2 large onion)
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot (1 large carrot will do)
• 2 stalks chopped celery
• 2 cloves garlic
• Salt
• Pepper
• 3 medium tomatoes (I like to use romas)
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups water
• Shredded cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the tops off the peppers, remove the pulp and seeds.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and add the first half of the peppers.  Boil for 5 minutes, then remove the peppers from the water and set aside.  Repeat for remaining peppers.

Cook quinoa according to package directions.  Add quinoa and water to pot, bring to boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed.

Brown the ground turkey in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Remove meat and set aside.

Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic to the pan.  Cook 4-5 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Return the meat to the pan, and add the cooked quinoa, tomatoes, salt, and pepper.  Continue cooking for 3-4 minutes, until heated through.  Remove from the heat.  **Next time I plan to mix in some shredded cheese here so there is a little cheese in every bite.

Place the peppers in a baking dish and fill each with the quinoa mixture.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Set the oven to Broil.  Sprinkle cheese over the stuffed peppers and broil for 2 minutes, until lightly browned.

Adapted from about.com

UPDATE:  I have been informed that these work as perfect pocket snacks for a day on the mountain thanks to my very own Tall Dark and Nerdy.

Green chile turkey burgers

One of my close friends (very close, she lives upstairs!) doesn't eat mammals, and as a steak-and-potatoes girl, this was a challenge at first.  However, I have discovered that I really like using ground turkey in dishes, and on its own in burger form.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
• 1/8 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/8 cup finely diced onion
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• Parsley flakes
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix ground turkey, seasoned bread crumbs, onion, egg whites, parsley flakes, garlic, salt, pepper, and green chiles.  Form into patties.
Cook the patties in a medium skillet over medium heat, turning once (if you're really good).

Adapted from allrecipes.com