Veg Packed Lasagna

I will joyfully seize any opportunity to add more vegetables into a dish. Lasagna in particular lends itself well to this goal. This recipe is a home run. It makes a lot and you never stop hearing rave reviews.

First of all, the base of great lasagna is the sauce. I refuse to use spaghetti sauce out of the jar on principle because of the ridiculous amount of added sugar. Simple tomato sauce made from crushed tomatoes works really well. I slipped in some shredded carrots because, why not?

I am not really a big fan of ricotta. For having such a high calorie count, it just doesn't do anything for me. Cottage cheese is a fairly common substitute for ricotta in lasagna but I went a step further and added crated cauliflower. For richness, I added a little bit of sour cream.

The meat layer I augmented with one of the meatiest greens, collard greens! It truly is a great combination.


Ingredients

• Box of no boil lasagna noodles
• 2 cups of mozzarella cheese
• "Ricotta" layer
• 1 pint of cottage cheese
• 1 grated head of cauliflower
• 1/2 cup of sour cream
• Sauce layer
• 1 large can of crushed tomatoes
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 onion
• 3+ cloves of garlic
• 1 cup+ shredded carrot
• 1 can of tomato paste
• Meat layer
• 1 lbs or more of Italian bulk sausage
• 1 bunch of collard greens

Instructions

1. Sauce- Heat olive oil. Saute onions for 4-5 minutes. Add garlic for 30 seconds. Pour in crushed tomatoes. Turn down heat. Stir in shredded carrots. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
2. Stir together all ingredients in "ricotta" layer.
3. Meat - Brown Italian sausage in large pot over medium heat. Stir in finely chopped collard greens. Cook until soft. 
4. Layer according to lasagna noodle package instructions. Top with remaining shredded cheese.

I froze the leftovers and they reheated perfectly.

DIY Succulent in a Jar

Great gift idea.

I did this for my friends for Christmas. They absolutely loved it. What person doesn't want a little more green around that is very low maintenance?

Instructions:

1. Buy variety of succulents to go with short pint mason jars. 
2. Put river rocks in the bottom. 
3. Place succulent on top. 
4. Fill in with extra potting soil.

Sausage and Rice Bake

I don't know about you but brown rice prepared according to package directions is too blah for the time it takes. With this in mind I set out to make a brown rice casserole in the oven. I also love cabbage for it's ability to bulk up a meal without adding very many calories.

Ingredients 

• 1 link of sausage, more if desired
• 2 cups of uncooked brown rice
• 1 head of cabbage
• 1 onion
• 2-3 ribs of celery
• 1 can of Rotel
• 1 tsp red pepper

Directions

1. Prepare link of sausage as desired. I chose to prepare mine on the stove but it's up to you. Once it's done, chop it into small pieces. 
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Prep the veggies. Shred the cabbage as fine as possible. Dice the onion and ribs of celery.
4. Add all the ingredients in a 9x13 casserole pan. Pour 4 cups of water over the top and gently stir to combine. I was able to successfully stir in this container but if you are nervous about spilling just use a bowl. 
5. Bake for 60-90 minutes or until rice is cooked. 

This made 12 servings. I put it in the freezer in 2 serving containers for weeknight meals. I add hot sauce to the individual servings. 

Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup

When I come home for my grandparent's, I almost always have some goodies to use in my cooking. This week was a ham bone!

I knew I wanted to make split pea soup for lunch this week and I thought there might be a handy way to use the ham bone in this pursuit. A simple google search, and voila! Exactly what I wanted, plus, it was in a slow cooker!

This recipe could not be easier. You literally just place everything in the ingredient list in the order given. It's important that the peas go in first so that they are completely covered in water. In just 8 hours of hands off time you will have a lovely split pea soup that is very silky.

I omitted the bay leaf and parsley because I did not have those ingredients on hand and it was totally fine without it. Also I never ever peel carrots. That's where all the nutrients are! 

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 oz.) pkg. dried green split peas, rinsed
• 1 meaty hambone, 2 ham hocks, or 2 cups diced ham
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 ribs of celery plus leaves, chopped
• 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped, or 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
• 1 tbsp. seasoned salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp. fresh pepper
• 1 1/2 qts. hot water

Preparation:

Layer ingredients in slow cooker in the order given; pour in water. Do not stir ingredients. Cover and cook on HIGH 4 to 5 hours or on low 8 to 10 hours until peas are very soft and ham falls off bone. Remove bones and bay leaf. Mash peas to thicken more, if desired.

I added water to stretch this to 10 one cup servings for lunch this week. Worked like a charm and froze perfectly. It paired wonderfully well with our standard half a turkey and cheese sandwich!

Fruited Breakfast Barley

We all need to be eating more whole grains and what better way to sneak them in than breakfast?

I love barley in it's usual place; soup. But I thought it would do a stand up job as a replacement to oatmeal. My mom, who I cook for, loves fruit in the morning and is a big fan of overnight oatmeal but I get kind of sick of it.

This barley breakfast bake is similar but much more toothsome and very delicious.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of barley cooked according to package directions; drained
• 2-3 apples diced. I used cameo.
• 10 oz of Craisins
• 1 cup (or more) blueberries
• 2 cups of milk. I used whole milk.
• 1 cup toasted pecans
• 1 tsp all spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Combine all ingredients except apples into the pot the barley was cooked in. Stir well.
3. Pour mixture into  9x13 casserole dish
4. Top with diced apples.
5. Heat in oven for 30 minutes or until apples are soft.

This made roughly 12 one cup servings. I enjoyed one serving and then put the rest in individual containers for breakfast this week in the freezer. It heat up perfectly and made a lovely warm winter breakfast. 

My Life in Meals

I am going to use this space to chronicle my life in meals. 2014 is going to be the start of amazing small changes in my life. Starting with menus!

A little about me as a cook, I love vegetables as much as I love meat. I want to be healthy but I am not afraid of fat. I have a fickle sweet tooth but a passion for sharing treats.

I'm all about prep work and planning ahead. Slowcooker meals, make ahead meals, and fun cooking challenges will be my focus.

Eating at home is the best. If you eat out every day then it won't be special!