I had two late nights in town this past week which necessitated having leftovers on hand for the Husband. The Southwestern Lasagna Torta was the perfect dish. And a couple of simple summer dishes rounded out the meal plan.
Stay tuned for Labor Day adventures - I'll be on my way back from Worldcon in Chicago!
Southwestern Lasagna Torta (Ckng Lght BB, Rachel Ray Every Day)
Needed something that would cover leftovers for a couple of days, and this showed up on the Ckng Lght BB. I had quite a few of the ingredients in the pantry already, so easy enough to grab the rest during the grocery run. Two notes - I used peas and a mixed veggie mix (carrots, peas, corn and green beans) because I wanted to use up two partial bags. IF you want less heat or no heat, use one can of chopped green chilies instead of the pickled jalapenos. Whoo! Pickled jalapenos pack a bit of heat!
I served with some homemade corn chips (didn't burn them! Hooray!) and leftover refried beans baked and topped with cheddar cheese.
Recipe By : Rachel Ray 2011
Serving Size : 6
1 onion, finely chopped
1 lb. ground pork
1 packet taco seasoning
2 cups prepared salsa
8 corn tortillas (6 inch), cut crosswise in quarters
10 oz. frozen peas, thawed (or a bag of corn, peas, carrots and green beans)
1 3/4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup refried beans
1/3 cup drained sliced pickled jalapeño chiles (OR for LESS heat/NO heat, use one can of chopped green chilies)
1 cup sour cream
Directions:1.In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat; add the onion and cook, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the pork and break it up with a wooden spoon; cook, stirring occasionally, until no
longer pink, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the taco seasoning with 1/2 cup water and simmer, stirring, until saucy, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
2.Preheat the oven to 400°. Lightly grease a round 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. Add 1/2 cup salsa to the bottom of the pan and tilt to coat. Arrange a third of the tortilla pieces on top, overlapping slightly to make an even layer. Top with half of the meat mixture and half of the peas, then sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheese. Add another layer of tortilla pieces, 1/2 cup salsa and the refried beans; sprinkle with the jalapeños and 1/3 cup cheese. Layer with the remaining tortilla pieces, meat mixture and peas;
sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheese.
3.Cover the pan snugly with foil, set on a baking sheet and bake in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes. Uncover the pan, sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup cheese on top and bake until bubbling, about 8 minutes. Tent with foil and let stand for 10 minutes. Uncover and top with the sour cream and cilantro.
Grilled Vegetable Pizza (CkngLght Aug, 2012)
In this super easy pizza, the stars are the veggies topped with a bit of Fontina cheese and a good EVOO. You can make your own pizza crust if you have time, or buy a pre-made one of your choice. Veggies are up to you and of course, so is the cheese when it comes down to it. As usual, I modified the recipe... 2. Remove brown gills from undersides of mushrooms with a spoon; discard. Combine mushrooms, garlic, bell pepper, zucchini, onion, and oil in a bowl; toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Roll dough into a 12-inch oval on a lightly floured surface. Place dough on grill rack; grill 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.
4. Sprinkle cheese over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around edges. Arrange vegetable mixture over cheese. Grill pizza 3 minutes or until cheese melts. Sprinkle pizza with basil leaves and red pepper; cut into 8 slices.
My directions/notes: I premade my crust. Let rise, then rolled out and placed on a flat cookies sheet dusted with cornmeal. I spread about 2tsp grated garlic over the crust then topped with extra virgin olive oil. I pre-grilled for 10 minutes. Then topped with the thinly sliced eggplant, sliced cremini mushrooms, and red pepper. Sprinkle grated cheese over, grill until crust is lightly browned and cheese melted. It was about 15 or 20 minutes on my grill at 400*.
Whole Wheat Spagetti with Kale and Poached Eggs (Ckng Lght, Sept 2012)
This recipe seems a bit daunting at first, you've got bread crumb toasting (which you can easily skip and sub shredded Parmesan instead), you've got to boil spaghetti, poach eggs, and saute onions and kale. Instead of heating up the house with the oven, I toasted the breadcrumbs on the stove with a bit of butter and set aside. Onions and kale were sauteed and directed, and eggs were poached in the spaghetti water after the spaghetti was done. I also halved the recipe. I figured this would be better fresh rather than as leftovers and it would be easy enough to duplicate again. Overall? This was good.
Tuscan kale, sometimes labeled cavalo nero or lacinato or black kale, has dark leaves that are richly flavored. If you can't find Tuscan kale, you can use regular curly kale. Or try Swiss chard instead and cut the cooking time for the greens in half.
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| photo from cookinglight.com |
2. Place bread in a food processor; pulse until 1 cup fine breadcrumbs form. Combine breadcrumbs and 2 teaspoons oil on a baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 8 minutes or until toasted, stirring occasionally.
3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil; swirl to coat. Add onion; sauté 8 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently. Gradually add kale, stirring to wilt after each addition. Stir in 1/2 cup water, red pepper, and garlic. Reduce heat to medium; cook, uncovered, 12 minutes or until kale is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt. Keep warm.
4. Bring a large pot of water and 2 teaspoons salt to a simmer. Working with one at a time, crack each egg into a small bowl or ramekin. Gently slide eggs into water; cook 3 minutes or until whites are just set. Carefully remove eggs from water with a slotted spoon; set aside. Remove any remaining egg solids from water with a slotted spoon, and discard.
5. Bring water to a boil. Add pasta; cook 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and place in a large bowl. Grate 1 ounce cheese. Add cheese, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and black pepper to pasta; toss to coat. Place about 3/4 cup kale in bottom of each of 4 shallow bowls. Top each serving with about 1 cup pasta mixture, 1 egg, and 1/4 cup breadcrumbs. Shave remaining 1 ounce cheese over servings.
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