Sunday, March 30, 2008
Freeze-Ahead Lasagna Primavera
From Everyday Food Magazine, April 2008
Ingredients
Serves 8
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for foil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups whole milk
2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas
1/2 pound carrots (4 to 5), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta (about 2 cups)
1 large egg
1 package (9 ounces) no-boil lasagna noodles (12 to 16 noodles)
1 pound part-skim mozzarella, shredded
1 cup grated Parmesan
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium; add flour and garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes (do not let flour mixture darken); whisk in milk. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and cook, whisking occasionally, until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add spinach, peas, and carrots; season with salt and pepper. Set sauce aside.
In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and teaspoon pepper.
In the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, spread a thin layer of vegetable sauce. Layer noodles, half the remaining vegetable sauce, another noodles, half the ricotta mixture, half the mozzarella, and half the Parmesan; repeat.
Cover dish with lightly oiled aluminum foil, and place on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake 45 minutes, uncover, and bake until bubbling and browned, about 20 minutes more. Let cool 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Everyday Magazine recipes have been a staple in our house these days. The recipes are just so easy and generally good. This yielded so much lasagna that I ended up freezing a third of this and we still ate lasagna for three days. Always a good thing in my book.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Vegetables and Peanut Sauce
From Everyday Food Magazine
Ingredients (Serves 4)
8 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 ounces snow peas, tough strings removed
3 medium carrots, halved, and shaved with a vegetable peeler
1 container (14 ounces) firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
Directions
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water. Add snow peas, carrots, and tofu to pot; immediately drain pasta mixture, and set aside.
In pasta pot, stir together peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar. Add reserved pasta mixture; toss gently, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time to create a thin sauce that coats spaghetti (you may not need all the water). Season as desired with salt and pepper. Serve.
I love this recipe. It's tasty and easy to make. A good one to take to pot lucks...