Zucchini No Noodle Lasagna in Tomato Sauce

I love the zucchini ribbon noodles that the Veggie bullet makes. But it makes a LOT! I made ribbons with two zucchini and realized I needed only one for my single serving lasagna. So I decided to make a second lasagna this time with a tomato-onion sauce. This was one of the tastiest pasta I have made.

Even though I added a sauce to this lasagna I made certain the sauce was dry enough to not soak the zucchini. This kept the zucchini from getting mushy. The shredded broccoli added more flavor. My husband loved it.

You will need
1 zucchini
1/2 cup broccoli, shredded
2 slices mozzarella
salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce
1/4 onion, diced
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 tsp. dried or fresh basil (if using fresh, dice)
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp or to taste paprika
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp oil (I used olive oil)

In a pan heat the oil and add the diced onion. When cooked and tender (~ 3-4 minutes) add the tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients. Cook until all the juice is absorbed. Turn off heat and keep aside until needed.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Using a sharp knife or a veggie bullet cut the zucchini into ribbons. Add some salt and let the ribbons sit for 10-15 minutes. Using a towel soak the water. Spread the ribbons on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes flipping once.

Now you are ready to assemble. First place the zucchini in the bottom of the pan. I used a smal single springform pan. If you do not use a non stick pan add some oil/butter to the bottom to keep the zucchini from sticking.

Add half the tomato onion sauce.

Now add the shredded broccoli and a slice of cheese.

Repeat the layers ending with the second slice of cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Broil for a couple of minutes to brown the cheese.

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week one, day three of BM #81 for the theme Lasagna. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#81.

Potato Cannelloni Beans No Noodle Lasagna

My plan was to try butternut squash noodles in my new kitchen toy the Veggie Bullet. My husband went to buy it while I prepped. But he could not find it in the grocery store. And so I had to improvise and use potato instead. The lasagna was very filling as it had broccoli and beans. As with the recipe posted yesterday, I made this lasagna in a single serving springform pan.

I built the recipe based on what I had on hand, the flavors we like and the need for some protein. You can make lasagna with pretty much anything you have on hand. In order to not get the vegetables mushy, I did not use a sauce. The cheese served as the binding agent along with the mashed beans. I let the potatoes bake with the lasagna but my husband said I should have baked them separately before layering them in the lasagna so the next time I use potatoes I will cook them partially in the oven.

You will need (single serving)
1 potato, very thinly sliced
4-5 florets broccoli
1 cup Cannelloni beans (I used canned beans)
2 slices Mozzarella cheese
1/4 onion
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp olive oil

Add a little salt to the potato slices and keep aside. Meanwhile Add the oil to a pan and heat it. Add the onion and let it cook and brown on low heat. Transfer the onion to a plate and place the pan back on the heat. Next add the beans to the pan. When heated through, mash with a masher. Shred the broccoli florets and add them to the beans. Add salt and pepper and mix together. Turn off heat and keep aside until needed.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Wipe the liquid on the potato slices with a towel. If you like the potato fully cooked with no crunch then place the potato slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 5-10 minutes,

Place the potato slices as the bottom layer of the lasagna in the pan. Layer half the bean and broccoli mixture over the top.

Follow up by the onion.

The last layer is cheese. Repeat the layers ending with the second slice of cheese. Bake for 15-30 minutes in the oven until the cheese has melted. Switch the oven to broil and brown the cheese.

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week one, day two of BM #81 for the theme Lasagna. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#81.

Zucchini and Tofu No Noodle Lasagna

Today I will present a lasagna made with zucchini ribbons in place of noodles. I made the noodles using my new kitchen toy - the Veggie Bullet. Among other things it can cut vegetables into ribbons. These ribbons can be used as lasagna noodles. Since I got the toy I am on the lookout for veggies that I can turn to noodles. Vegetables noodles cook quickly and taste best when they are cooked but crisp. So you do not need elaborate sauces to make this lasagna.

I made this lasagna after my daughter left for school. I can't wait for her to be back so I can make this for her. My husband enjoyed the lasagna. I made it in a very small springform pan as a single serving. You can double the recipe. Ingredients are approximate. You can mix and match in proportions that suit your taste. The trick is to not overcook the vegetables.

You will need (single serving)
1 small zucchini
1/2 cup extra firm tofu cut into cubes
2 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
1/4 small onion
salt and pepper to taste
a little oil to caramelize the onions

Using your Veggie Bullet cut the zucchini into ribbons. Alternately, you could use a sharp knife to cute the zucchini into thin long slices. Sprinkle some salt over the zucchini and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Dab the liquid from the zucchini with a towel and place the ribbons on a baking tray and bake for 5 minutes. Flip over and bake for another 5 minutes.

Meanwhile add the oil to a pan and saute the onions until tender and sweet. Keep aside. To the same pan add the cubes tofu with some salt and pepper. Let it heat completely. Keep aside.

To assemble, place half the zucchini ribbons on the bottom of the pan. Since my pan is nonstick I did not prepare it with oil/butter. You can rub some oil/butter on the bottom to prevent sticking.

Layer the onions over the top.

Add half the tofu and place a slice of cheese over it.

Repeat all the layers starting with the zucchini ribbons.

Bake in the preheated over at 350F for about 20 minutes or until the cheese melts and all the layers are heated through. Switch to broil and let the cheese brown on the top.

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week one, day one of BM #81 for the theme Lasagna. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#81.

Microwave Steamed Vegetables with Soba Noodles

Anyone who has lived in a dorm knows how unpredictable the cafeteria food can be. One day they serve something okay and the next you cannot find anything you would want to eat. Since my daughter is now in college I have been trying to find a solution to this problem. I have posted a few dorm room recipes but they are mostly salads. This morning I had an idea. If I got a bag of vegetables that can be steamed in the microwave and I cooked specialty noodles also in the microwave, I could mix it all together for a meal.

This is what I came up with. I used soba noodles or buckwheat noodles as they cook up quickly. I used the bird's eye Asian Medley steamer bag. The vegetables are mildly seasoned. I added a hint of hot sauce and some soy sauce. Within minutes I had a bowl of steaming vegetables and noodles. This is something you can put together quickly, tastes great and all you need is your microwave.

If you are trying this at home you can source the vegetables, baby corn, broccoli, carrots and snap peas, steam them in a steamer until cooked but not mushy and season with salt and black pepper.

You will need
1 bag of microwave steaming vegetables (I used Bird's eye Asian Medley)
1.5 - 2 oz. soba noodles
1 tsp. soy sauce
Siracha sauce to taste
Black pepper to taste

Cook the vegetables as per package instructions. Keep aside. Add water to a large microwavable bowl and bring it to a boil in the microwave (about 3-4 minutes). Add the noodles and let them cook until just tender. It took me two 30 second intervals for a total of 1 minute. Rinse the noodles in cold water, drain and place them in a bowl. Add the steamed vegetables and the remaining ingredients. Tastes best when hot.

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week one, day two of BM #58 for the theme Dorm Room recipes. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#58.

Spinach Feta Tomato Mushroom Pasta

The pasta sauce in this recipe is a dream for any child who loves their vegetables like mine does. The aroma in the house was amazing. My daughter waltzed in to find out what was cooking and could not resist tasting the simmering sauce. Then she could not wait for dinner to be ready. She tried to hurry it along taking charge of cooking the pasta.

This recipe was something I just threw together. I had a bunch of leftover ingredients that needed to be used up. I got them all out and put together this recipe as I went along. I did not really have a plan of action. I started with the little pieces of red onion and then added in the tomatoes and red pepper. As that was cooking I figured I should puree it to a chunky paste to make the base. The mushrooms, spinach and grape tomatoes I added later to the pureed sauce. Then a little milk for flavor and feta cheese to bring it all together. Needless to say the pan was wiped clean.

You will need (for 3 servings)
2 cups pasta of your choice
1/4 red onion, diced
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 medium tomatoes, diced
3/4 - 1 red bell pepper, deseeded and diced
2 tbsp. milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)
1 tsp. dried basil
a big handful grape tomatoes, cut into quarters
2 cups spinach, chopped
5-6 skitake mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Prepare all the vegetables and keep aside until needed. Bring a pot of water to a boil to cook the pasta.

Heat oil in a pan and add the onion. Saute until tender then add the chopped tomatoes and red bell pepper.

Cook until they begin to soften. Do not cook until mushy.

Turn off the heat and allow it to cool. Puree in a blender. You want it to be chunky not smooth. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook as per instructions.

Transfer the puree to the pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and allow it to simmer. Add the milk, pepper and cayenne pepper. Add salt keeping in mind the feta cheese has salt too. Simmer for another minute. Do not bring to a boil.

Add the chopped vegetables and mix together. Let it cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Turn off heat. Add the crumbled feta cheese and combine. The pasta should be cooked by this time. Drain the water. Serve the pasta sauce on a bed of pasta.

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week four, day two of BM #48 for the theme Say Cheese. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#48.

Sending this to Kid's Delight, an event by Srivalli hosted this month by PJ.

Paneer Pasticho Venezolano (Venezuelan Lasagna)

When we think of lasagna we think Italian. But this version is from Venezuela. It is not a vegetarian recipe but I made it vegetarian with the use of crumbled paneer. I adapted this recipe. This Venezuelan lasagna has béchamel sauce in it which I found very interesting.

I used home grown cherry tomatoes for the filling and I think they made the dish more flavorful. It takes some time to prepare everything and put it together. To hurry things up I asked my daughter to put the last layer of cheese over the lasagna and as you can see she went crazy with it cutting up thick slices.

By the time the lasagna came out of the oven it was past lunch time. These pictures were clicked while everyone waited patiently at the table. Everything and everybody was at the table except the food. I barely had time to click pictures before it was all gone.

You will need
For the filling
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
12 cherry tomatoes or 2 large tomatoes, pureed
a handful cilantro
1 tsp. oregano
salt and pepper
7 oz. paneer

Refer here for the béchamel sauce

To assemble the lasagna
8-10 lasagna sheets or enough to form 4 layers in the pan you wish to use
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, sliced

Heat the butter and oil in a large pan. Add the onion and saute until tender. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute. Add the pureed tomatoes, cilantro, oregano, salt and pepper.

Let the mixture cook for about 5 minutes then crumble paneer over it. Mix well and let it cook until it dries out a little. Keep aside.

Meanwhile prepare the béchamel sauce by following this recipe. Bring water to a boil and add the lasagna noodles. When the noodles are cooked you are ready to assemble the lasagna.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Prepare your casserole dish by rubbing a little butter on the bottom. Add a layer of the noodles ensuring they cover the entire bottom of the dish. Spread a fourth of the béchamel sauce over the noodles.

Next spread a third of the paneer filling.

Finally add the slices mozzarella. Repeat 2 more times until the filling runs out. On the last layer of noodles place the béchamel sauce and mozzarella. Thinner slices of mozzarella will work just fine.

Bake open for 20-30 minutes. If you use fresh mozzarella the cheese will not brown. You can broil the dish for a couple minutes if you like a brown top.

This lasagna tastes best when hot. You can reheat leftovers.

Älplermagronen (Swiss Macaroni and Cheese)

Everyone knows macaroni and cheese. Potatoes are added to the casserole in this Swiss version and it is served with apple sauce and cooked apple slices. Hence the name Älplermagronen.

The idea of eating noodles with apples was totally new to us. The flavors do go well together. As for the casserole itself the potato and macaroni was one of the most flavorful macaroni and cheese I have ever made.

Recipe adapted from here
You will need for 5 servings
1 large yukon potato
~ 3 handful of penne pasta
1 cup Gruyere cheese
100 ml milk
100 ml cream
salt and pepper to taste

For the onion topping
1/2 onion
1 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. olive oil

For the applesauce
1 cooking apple
2 tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup water

For the apple slices
1 apple (I used Gala)
1 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. sugar
a pinch cinnamon powder
2 tbsp apple cider or apple juice

To make the applesauce wash, peel and core the apple. Cut it into pieces and cook in a pan with the sugar and water until mushy. Mash to prepare the applesauce.

To make the apple slices Wash and core the apple. Slice with the peel into thin slices. Cook with the sugar and butter until tender. Sprinkle cinnamon powder and add the cider or juice. Mix and cook another couple minutes. Turn off heat and keep aside.

To make the onion topping slice the onions and caramelize with the butter and olive oil in a pan on medium heat. When tender and brown turn off heat and keep aside.

Shred the cheese and preheat oven to 400 F. To prepare the potato put it in a pan of salted water and bring the water to a boil. Let it simmer until the potato is almost cooked but not completely tender. Drain the water. Peel the potato and dice into cubes. Bring another pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and diced potatoes. Cook until pasta is done. Drain the water.

Add half the potatoes and pasta to a casserole dish. Sprinkle half the cheese over it and then add the remaining potatoes and pasta. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Finally top with the onion topping.

Put it in the oven until the cheese melts. Meanwhile heat the milk and cream, do not boil. Remove the casserole from the oven and pour the heated milk mixture over the top. Return to the oven for 5-10 minutes until the pasta is heated through. Warm the apple slices.

Enjoy the macaroni and cheese with apple slices and applesauce.

This is one of those dishes that has to be eaten hot out of the oven.


This is my entry for week 48 to the 2014 52 week challenge for the theme Unexpected combinations.