Vegetable Lasagna Rolls

Lasagna is a classic comfort food that can put a smile on just about anyone's face. I'm already smiling, and my mouth is watering!

It is warm, and gooey, and cheesey and delicious.

For a fun and fresh twist on regular lasagna, I whipped up these tasty little lasagna rolls for dinner one night, and I'm not sure if we will ever go back! 

Rather than layering the lasagna, and the ricotta cheese, and the mozzarella cheese, and the sauce, we are going to roll up the ricotta in the lasagna noodles, arrange them in a baking dish on top of a homemade, veggie-packed sauce, top them with extra sauce and freshly grated mozzarella! Sure, it may be just as labor-intensive, but I love the perfect little packages of lasagna that are made with these lasagna rolls. 

You can also make this recipe low in fat by using whole wheat lasagna noodles, fat free ricotta, and fat free mozzarella. Complete the meal by serving alongside a fresh arugula salad. Yum! 

Lasagna rolls, previously: Goat Cheese and Spinach

Lemony Spinach Pesto Sauce

It's hot hot hot out there! When the temperature starts pushing 90 degrees, the idea of slaving over a hot stove for 30 minutes to make dinner is just SO unappealing. AMIRIGHT?!

Making a quick and delicious pesto sauce is the perfect way to still eat delicious homemade food without sweating it out in the kitchen. This Lemony Spinach Pesto Sauce is a summery twist on a classic. Fresh herbs and lemon zest make this pesto bright and refreshing, while spinach replaces most of the basil in a traditional pesto for a thick and earthy sauce. The zests of citrus fruits are packed with the essential oils of the fruit and they really amp up the flavor more than just the juice alone.

The word "pesto" is derived from an Italian word "pestare" which essentially means to pound or to crush. Pesto was traditionally made by combining all the ingredients in a mortar and using a wooden pestle to literally crush all the ingredients together. Luckily, today, we have a fancy high-tech gadget that will do all the work for us.

That is, a food processor. Thank you, culinary wizards, for this invention.

Now, making pesto is easier than ever! For this particular sauce, we combine spinach, basil, lemon zest, sliced almonds, thyme, oregano, garlic and crushed black pepper in a food processor until chopped.

Next, lemon juice and vegetable broth join the party. Using lemon juice and broth help give the pesto a more sauce-like consistency without using an entire cup of olive oil.

Speaking of olive oil, stream in a bit of olive oil with the food processor running until desired consistency is reached. Wizz in a generous amount of grated parmesan cheese and some salt to finish off the sauce. Perfect!

This pesto freezes really well, so feel free to make the sauce ahead of time and defrost it whenever you need a quick weeknight meal. For last night's dinner, we enjoyed this pesto on top of Gemelli pasta and baked chicken. The spinach can be a little tough if it does not have time to wilt a little bit on top of the dish, so be sure to add the pesto to your pasta or meat while it's still hot and allow it to steam a little bit to soften the spinach.

Top all pesto dishes with a little extra grated cheese. Remember -- you're worth it :-)

Red Pepper Tomato Meat Sauce over Zucchini Ribbons (Paleo Friendly)

I have this weakness for pasta. It has this hold over me, one may say I'm crazy for it.

I can't say exactly why I have this undying love for pasta. Perhaps it's the way I feel so (un)flatteringly full after a large plate of it. Or maybe because the carbohydrates comfort me like no man could.

Because I put such an emphasis on pasta dishes in my food life, I'm always so impressed by people who are on low- or no-carb diets and aren't in some kind of carbohydrate deprived depression. For example, I know many people who have tried or are still on the Paleo diet--which is a diet high in fats, vegetables, and protein. Read more about it here.

This delicious recipe can easily be catered to my friends and family out there who are on such a diet but need some kind of "pasta" fix--and believe it or not, it doesn't involve cheating on your diet and actually eating pasta!

I prepared a Red Pepper Tomato Meat Sauce and served it over blanched Zucchini Ribbons. A heaping pile of crisp zucchini topped with a sweet and smokey homemade sauce. I packed my sauce with fresh herbs and bright lemon juice for a flavorful, rustic feel. Making a quick homemade sauce can be especially important if you are on a diet because you know exactly what's going into the pot, and therefore you can control the flavor and salt content while eliminating any preservatives.

Disclaimer -- I am not a dietary or nutrition expert. This is most likely not a TRUE Paleo recipe, but I am sure that it can be catered to that diet. And even if your not on a diet but just watching your carb intake, this quick and tasty meal can cut out days worth of calories! This meal was the perfect weeknight dish that really got me over the mid-week hump.

To make the zucchini ribbons, use a traditional vegetable peeler to "peel" the zucchini down to the seeds. I did not use the core of the zucchinis as they carry a lot more moisture. Place in a colander in the sink to drain slightly.

Meanwhile, gather up your sauce ingredients.

In a large, heavy bottomed skillet, lean ground turkey is browned and crumbled then removed from the pan using a slotted spoon. Next, a vidalia onion is sauteed in a bit of butter and olive oil. Garlic joins this party soon after.

A can of crushed tomatoes, a jar of roasted sweet red peppers, and a small can of tomato paste become quick friends in this sauce. Use a little bit of chicken broth to thin out the mixture. I flavored my sauce with chopped fresh thyme and parsley, along with some dried oregano.

Next, grab your handy dandy immersion blender and pulse the sauce until the tomatoes, peppers, and onions become smooth and combined. Very few lumps should remain.

Add the juice of one lemon, a few teaspoons of sugar (or other natural sweetener for Paleo), salt and plenty of cracked black pepper. Boil the sauce. Reduce to simmer. Stir in the turkey and allow it to simmer for about 20 minutes until thickened. Take in how good it smells.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the zucchini ribbons and remove after 1 minute with a slotted spoon. Run under cold water to stop the cooking and keep the zucchini crispy. The crispiness of the zucchini is what makes you forget about that whole pasta thing.

Plate the zucchini and top with a GENEROUS helping of the sauce. And, I still couldn't resist freshly grated Romano cheese on top. It's totally optional.

Quick tip -- if you are cooking for someone who is not on any sort of dietary restrictions, you can use the water that you blanched the zucchini in to cook them up a box of pasta. Top the pasta with a few zucchinis and your red pepper sauce. After all, this sauce is delicious on top of anything!

Aunt Roe's Bolognese Sauce

Our family said goodbye to an amazing woman a couple of weeks ago. My Great Aunt Roe passed away on November 11th.

Saying goodbye is always hard, though the time we spent with the family allowed everyone to reflect on all the good times -- the laughs, the stories, the visits, the food.

When my sister and I were in middle school, we would spend a lot of time during our summer vacations at "Camp Rosemary." This was a very exclusive summer camp that involved days with Aunt Roe doing puzzles, making crafts from Michael's, watching the Game Show Network and playing around with her Italian Greyhound, Stella.

Aunt Roe loved entertaining and being around others and welcoming friends and family into her home. She always thought to put others before herself--what a gracious woman!

Whenever we visited Aunt Roe, we knew there was going to be some delicious food involved. First, there were her infamous Chicken Cutlets. She would pound out the chicken so thin, and they would be cooked to fried crispy perfection. I will NEVER be able to make chicken cutlets like her--they were addicting! She also made the BEST peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I don't know what her secret was...perfectly toasted bread, an even distribution of peanut butter and jelly, some extra love sprinkled in.

As I started cooking more, she bestowed upon me one of her best recipes...Bolognese Sauce. This sauce is just delicious. A creamy tomato sauce with ground pork and beef, simmered on low until it reaches perfection. I cannot begin to count how many bowls of pasta I have enjoyed that were topped with this sauce and a healthy amount of parmesan cheese.

Cory and I wanted to honor Aunt Roe by cooking up a batch of her bolognese sauce this week. It is warm and loving, just like Aunt Roe. Enjoy it with family and friends, share laughs and good stories, just enjoy each other! Next time you need a pick me up, this is your solution.

Now, before you make this, there are some things we need to set straight.

First, it needs to be topped with a generous helping of FRESHLY GRATED parmesan cheese. None of that powdery bottled stuff. It elevates everything to a level of cheesey Italian euphoria.

Second, none of that whole wheat pasta. Fresh pasta would be best, but otherwise try it with a short cut roni of some kind. Rotini and cavatappi are some of our favorites.

Third, don't try and go all lean here. What I'm saying is, this dish does not want to be made with ground turkey or chicken (it told me so!). Pork and beef. The only options. Got it? Good.

Fourth, warm and toasty bread should be served on the side with a smear of butter. I know what you're thinking...pasta AND bread? SO MANY CARBS. That's OK. We are just going to pause our diet for one night and eat this meal the way it was supposed to be eaten.

The recipe below is enough sauce for 2 pounds (2 boxes) of pasta. That will serve about 6 people very hearty portions. If you are cooking for a smaller crowd, still make the full batch and freeze the second half. These measurements are impossibly annoying to cut in half, and besides, this freezes VERY well. Just defrost all day in the refrigerator when you are ready to use it again.

From my family, to yours. Here it is: Aunt Roe's Bolognese Sauce

Here's what you need:

1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
6 tablespoons of butter (not a typo...6, no more no less)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove chopped garlic
1 medium onion, diced
1 14.5 ounce can tomato sauce
1 14.5 ounce can beef broth
1 10.5 ounce can tomato paste
1/3 cup or more half and half

Here's what you do:

In a large, deep skillet, add the olive oil and sautee the garlic for no more than 1 minute. Melt in the butter over medium heat.

Add in the onions and cook until slightly browned and softened.
Add in the meat. Crumble and cook until browned.
 In a bowl, mix the paste and most of the beef broth.
Reduce heat to low and stir in the beef broth mixture. Add in the tomato sauce gradually, using the remaining beef broth to clean out as much of the sauce and paste from the cans as possible (personal tip from Aunt Roe that she wanted written explicitly in the recipe!).

Cook on low for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the sauce cooks and all the flavors marry together, cook pasta to al dente in a generously salted pot of water.

Just before serving, stir in the half and half. Start with 1/3 of a cup and add more depending on your creaminess desires. I usually don't even measure it. Just pour and stir, pour and stir, in small batches until desired thickness.

For serving, as I always enjoyed it at Aunt Roe's, I like to add this sauce individually to each plate rather than combining all the pasta and sauce together in one pot or mixing bowl. Serve 3 to 4 serving-spoonfuls of pasta and top with 2 to 3 generous spoonfuls of bolognese sauce. Allow everyone to add their own parmesan cheese (but encourage them to go overboard. Just this once).

Cranberry Apple Chutney

There is something about the combination of savory and sweet that makes me want to do a little food dance. The dance would serve two purposes: it would first express, where words fail, how much I LOVE sweet and savory; and second, it would burn a few calories that I most likely consumed while enjoying something sweet and savory.

I think it is this combination that makes Thanksgiving turkey bearable for me. What I mean is, I don't want super dry turkey unless I have some kind of cranberry sauce to dip it in. Turkey, savory. Cranberry, sweet and tart.

I have to say, I am not completely appalled by cranberry sauce in a can. First of all, it's HILARIOUS to me to see a mold in the unbecoming shape of a can just sitting amongst all the other delicious Thanksgiving dinner dishes like it belongs there. Seriously, the sight makes me want to laugh out loud.

I saw cranberries in the grocery store recently and realized that it would be wrong of me to let the Thanksgiving season come and go without trying out my hand with those pretty little berries. And I wanted to make a Thanksgiving Turkey slider for a party I'm hosting this weekend. And so I thought...turkey slider, topped with homemade cranberry chutney. Thanksgiving in one bite!

This chutney would be great in a variety of ways. First, of course, it would be most delicious on a turkey burger or a leftover turkey sandwich. Shake it up with some olive oil and make a sweet salad dressing out of it. Serve it with some crackers and brie for a very sophisticated cheese plate! The opportunities are endless for this tart and flavorful chutney!