Recipe Review from 9/3/12

If you haven't caught up on last weeks adventures, drop down a couple of posts and check out my trip to Chicago.   Fun trip!  I'd like to go back and do more touristy stuff like Navy Pier, a White Sox or Cubs game, a bus tour of downtown, go up the Sears Tower (or whatever it's named now), a boat tour of Michigan...well, you get the idea.  Lot's of stuff to do.

Hit the ground running on Tuesday and started the week with this recipe for lunches:

Red Lentil Dal  (modified from Ckng Lght Sept 2012)
I greatly modified this recipe as you can see if you click on the link in the recipe title.  I wanted the Dal part for lunches, but it only served four, so I bulked it up by adding grilled eggplant (that we grew!) and basmati rice.  I also subbed Swiss Chard for the spinach as I have two beautiful rows growing in my garden.  This comes together very quickly and was perfect for temps that started creeping southward this week. 


5 cups water, divided

photo from cookinglight.com

3/4 cup dried small red lentils 1 tablespoon canola oil 3/4 cup chopped onion 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon garam masala 1/2 teaspoon curry powder 2 serrano chiles, minced 2 ounces spinach Swiss Chard (about 4 cups loosely packed)   Optional - on small eggplant, sliced and grilled, or cubed and roasted.  Optional - serve over cooked basmati rice.    1. To prepare dal, combine 3 cups water and lentils in a bowl. Let stand 20 minutes; drain.

2. Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil; swirl to coat. Add the chopped onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add ginger and next 6 ingredients (through serranos); sauté for 30 seconds. Add lentils and remaining 2 cups water to pan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 23 minutes. Stir in Swiss Chard spinach; cook 2 minutes or until spinach Chard wilts.

3. Stir in eggplant.


Summer Vegetable Lasagna  (Mpls Star Tribune, Aug 2012)
Temperatures got chilly over the weekend and turning on the oven to warm the house and stomach seemed a good thing to do.  This dish comes together fairly quickly if you follow mise en place.  Chop and prepare everything, then start cooking.  You can start the sauce while the veggies finish.  Clean-up once it's in the oven.  The author isn't kidding when she notes the sauce is runny - and it does get soaked up by the noodles.   The Husband thought this was a bit on the bland side; to add a tich of spice or heat add some red pepper flakes to the vegetables.  Serves 6 is accurate. 


Serves 6.
Note: Creamy, cheesy and packed with fresh summer vegetables, this white-sauce version of lasagna will please even the youngest members of the family. If you're looking for the kind of zip only tomato sauce can provide, feel free to add 1/2 cup of your favorite marinara to each layer. Using no-boil lasagna noodles eliminates the time-consuming step of precooking the pasta. Don't worry if the sauce seems too runny, the no-boil noodles need that extra moisture and will absorb it during the cooking process. From Meredith Deeds.

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 c. onion, chopped
• 1 c. corn kernels
• 1 medium zucchini, diced
• 1 medium yellow squash, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 tsp. salt, divided
• 1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry  I used some fresh Swiss Chard and Tuscan kale from the garden, cooking it in the same place as the spinach. 
• 1/3 c. flour
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 2 c. low-fat milk
• 2 c. low sodium chicken broth
• 1 c. part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 c. low-fat mozzarella cheese, grated
• Cooking spray
• 12 no-cook lasagna noodles (8 oz.), divided
• 1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the corn, zucchini, squash, red pepper, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook for another 3 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add the spinach and cook for another minute, breaking up the lumps of spinach with the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the flour, black pepper, nutmeg and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Add the chicken broth and continue whisking until smooth. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Cook 1 minute or until mixture thickens slightly, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

In a small bowl, combine the ricotta cheese and mozzarella.

Spread 1 cup sauce over bottom of a 9- by 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles over the sauce (you may have to break one of the noodles in half lengthwise in order to fit them in the pan). Spoon 3/4 cup sauce evenly over noodles. Dot the top of the noodles evenly with one-third cheese mixture, then one-third of the vegetable mixture. Repeat layers twice, ending with noodles. Top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle evenly with the Parmesan cheese.

To freeze: Cover the dish with a layer of plastic wrap and two layers of heavy-duty foil. Freeze for up to two months. Before baking, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Proceed as directed below.

To bake: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover with foil and bake for 60 minutes. Discard the foil. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.