Recipes

How is everyones week so far? I am battling the caffeine withdrawls as I sloooooooowly wean myself off of my daily Diet Coke addiction.( no need to yell at me, I already know that its killing me slowly with no help from The Fugees) I am shakey, and I have a throbbing headache! I just keep telling myself.... MIND OVER MATTER! MIND OVER MATTER!

I have always loved cooking and experimenting with new recipes ESPECIALLY ones that substitute veggies for pasta and greek yogurt for butter, mayo etc! One of my best friends posted a zucchini lasagna she made last week and after some review decided that YEA! My husband will eat everything that is in there! haha He isnt a picky eater but he loves his pasta and butter....who doesn't?

So, I have altered the recipe to my liking and would love to share it with you! Now, I am mostly an Organic, non processed " nothing from a box" buying kinda girl BUT feel free to use your own variations of those items.

~~Zucchini Lasagna~~

Now, I based my recipe on serving 4 people (one of which is a 3 year old) and with leftovers. I knew we would want it for the next day haha

I used a pyrex that is 4 by 9 and I did NOT grease the pan.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees


You will need:
1 pound cooked ground turkey
3-4 decent sized zucchini, sliced and fork tender.
24 ounces Organic pasta sauce ( again, you dont have to use Organic) I chose to use homemade
10 oz. skim Ricotta
6-8 oz 0% Greek Yogurt. I am a HUGE fan or Trader Joes brand AND Fage
( I say 6-8 because depending on the "look" you may need to add more so its not dry)
2 LARGE handfuls spinach, chopped very fine
2 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
1 cup Mozz cheese. ( I chose fresh from Whole foods that I shredded but obviously, use what you like!)
1 garlic clove minced
1/4 cup sweet onion (I am not an onion fan because of the texture so I sauted them with the meat)
salt, pepper or whatever seasonings you like. I used a dash and a pinch of each :)

heres the best part, in my opinion.....1 cup prepared (cooked) Quinoa

Now, if you are not a Quinoa fan you are crazy! (just kidding) its an accquired taste for sure but we love it! I usually buy the Whole Foods brand that comes in a clear bag.....its in the same aisle as their boxed foods.

So, to start.....cook up that meat and season it. I also include the onions and garlic with the meat.
Slice the zucchini and lay it all out in the pyrex, and cook in the microwave for about 5 minutes to make it fork tender.


In a large bowl....I stress large especially if you are as messy a cook as I ;) Mix the following:


Ricotta
greek yogurt
spinach
parm. cheese
half the Mozz cheese
s/p or seasonings to taste

Once everything is cooked, lay out a layer of zucchini, spread some of the ricotta mixture, and then some sauce. Another layer of zucchini, ricotta, sauce...and a third......NOW, heres my favorite PART! I am a huge cheese fan....the crispier and meltier, the BETTER!!! Obviously, the skinny girl deep down inside of me is screaming to get out so I HAD to find a cheese overload alternative....BINGO!!
I layed out all of my layers and instead of covering the entire top with cheese, I spread out the cup of prepared Quinoa and then the remaining 1/2 cup Mozz Cheese. The Quinoa gave it a crispy crust that seriously was out of this world and MADE this dish!

I baked it for about 45 mins until gooey and brown on top ( I checked, my inside temp was 150)

The layers stayed as intact as a noodle lasagna and that Quinoa gave it the perfect crispy crust!
It was a huge hit....so much so that geovana went back for seconds AND asked for it for breakfast, and lunch.

Let me know what you think! I would love for you to share pics of your baked deliciousness!!! This photo truly does not do the dish justice but by the time I got done eating, Phil had everything cleaned and I forgot to take better pictures! haha

Enjoy!

Xo Elaine




SALMON SALAD


A few of you saw my Salmon Salad on instagram and asked for the recipe so I figured I would just include it in todays post!


Growing up, when my Yiayia would babysit us, she would make us Salmon Patties. We would wait patiently while she cleaned and deboned the fish, and would make us eat the mushy bones because
"they are so good for you!" ( I will admit they are quite tastey!)

So, being on the health kick that I am I got it in my head that I would find a healthy crab cake recipe and after much searching, and no recipes appealing to me I settled for a salad instead and I was not disappointed whatsoever! Geovana my little guinea pig loved it and again, asked for fish for breakfast and lunch today (The salmon salad was tuedays lunch and the lasagana was tuesdays dinner!)

Here is how this yummy salad goes:

1 can Pink Salmon......this is one of the few items I buy in a can! but I have done my research and it is top notch :) I cannot remember the brand offhand! shame on me for not knowing!
Now, let me warn you that canned salmon is NOT for the weak stomached as you have to clean, and debone it yourself. Its rather simple but looks a little gross so be warned!
If you do not remove all the bones thats ok, they are very soft and will mash easily when you mix your salad.

I also sliced and mashed a whole haas avocado SO DELICIOUS!!! I used the avocado in lieu of mayo, which would be in a traditional salad of this kind.

I also added the following:

2 stalks finely chopped organic celery
3 large organic carrots, peeled and chopped very fine
1/4 cup sweet onion, again finely chopped. I am not a huge raw onion fan except for in tuna or salmon salads!
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
s/p
garlic

the last 4 ingredients are to taste.....the avocado is going to give it that rich creaminess

And, there you go!! Mix all of those tastey ingredients and enjoy!
I like to have extra for snacking.
Geovana enjoyed her salad on some delicious new bread I ordered from Peapod called breadsmith french peasant. She seemed to love it and I love knowing it was baked fresh just for my order!

I enjoyed mine by itself with a banana on the side....it was the perfect little lunch!
Do you have a favorite "salad" recipe? I would love for you to share it here!


Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by, Elaine