Super-Fast Pesto Lasagna

I don't know where I got this one from, but we make it quite often. It was the last meal I had before Zoe was born, so it has a special place in my heart. It's very easy as-is since it uses lots of prepared foods, but you could certainly substitute for fresh/homemade ingredients. You could throw in more vegetables, or use less cheese, or whatever. I don't think you can mess up lasagna!

3 c. ricotta cheese

1 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

1 large egg

2 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry

1 7-ounce package prepared pesto

4 c. bottled chunky pasta sauce

12 no-boil lasagna noodles from one 8-ounce package

2 c. grated Fontina or mozzarella cheese

Blend ricotta and parmesan in medium bowl. Season cheeses with salt and pepper; stir in egg. Blend spinach and pesto in another medium bowl.

Brush 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish with oil. Spread 1 cup pasta sauce in prepared dish. Arrange 3 noodles side by side atop sauce. Spread 1 and 1/4 cups cheese mixture over in thin layer. Drop 1/3 of spinach mixture over by spoonfuls. Repeat layering with sauce, noodles, cheese mixture and spinach mixture 2 more times. Top with remaining 3 noodles and 1 cup sauce. Cover lasagna with foil. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead and refrigerated.)

Preheat oven to 350. Bake lasagna, covered, 35 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with Fontina cheese. Bake until lasagna is heated through, sauce bubbles and cheese on top is melted, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Pad Thai

This is one of my very favorite recipes. The prep of the noodles takes a little time but it's so worth it.

Serves 2-3
1/3 of a 1 pound package of clear rice noodles (very thin ones are easiest to use)
Quartered lime
1 Tablespoon Sriracha Sauce
1 Tablespoon Fish Sauce (Tiparos, from Jay International)
1 Tablespoon Sugar
Just under a pound of cooked meat of any sort (I mostly use tofu or chicken)
Cooked veggies (I use broccoli and carrots)
About a handful of bean sprouts
2 chopped up green onions
2 Eggs
About a handful of chopped peanuts
2-4 cloves of chopped garlic
Oil for frying (I prefer peanut)

Submerge noodles in a bowl of hot tap water. Cover and let sit at least 15 minutes and no more than 20 minutes. Combine Sriracha sauce, fish sauce, and sugar in a cup and have it ready. Put heat on medium. Fry garlic in wok for a few seconds. Add noodles and a little water if they need to be softened up a bit. Add sauce mixture. Move noodles aside and scramble eggs in the wok. Mix scrambled eggs with the noodles. Throw in cooked meat/veggies and cook long enough for them to heat up. Add about half of the sprouts and green onions. Serve on plates and garnish with limes, the rest of the sprouts/green onions, and chopped peanuts.

When it comes to the sauce, all that's important is the 1:1 ratio. So often I will double the amount of sauce to make the dish spicier. But the way it is, Alex can eat it--it's spicy but not too spicy for her. I then add more hot sauce just to mine. There are probably a lot of different hot sauces besides Sriracha that would work with this recipe, too. It's not exactly like Pad Thai at a Thai restaurant but it definitely satisfies my desire for Thai food.

Jenny's popovers

Jenny shared this recipe with the group some time ago. They are a favorite of ours now, too. Easy to make, easy for kids to help with. From Mollie Katzen's Pretend Soup kids cookbook.

2 T. butter

2 eggs

1 c. milk

1 c. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 375 and melt butter.

Brush insides of 12 muffin cups with melted butter. (Kids can do this part.)

Break eggs into mixing bowl.

Add milk and beat well.

Add flour and salt and whisk until reasonably well-blended.

Use a 1/4 c. measure with a handle to pour batter into each muffin cup. They should be 1/2 to 2/3 full.

Bake 30 minutes without opening oven.

Remove muffins from the pan and prick with a fork to let the steam escape. Spread with butter, jam, maple syrup, or even plain, and eat! You may need to make another batch!

Yield: 1 dozen

Bittman's No-Knead Bread

This is the version Linsey posted ages ago that many of us have made dozens of times. Easy-to-make, but takes some advance planning. Sylwinn has had success using whole-wheat flour.

3 c. flour

1 and 5/8 c. water

slightly less than a T. of salt

1/4 tsp. yeast

Mix the above together. It will be much wetter than a typical bread dough. Cover bowl and let sit for 16-20 hours. Dough should be at least doubled and bubbly.

Flour (or cornmeal) a board. (If your dough is super-wet, you will need to use quite a bit of flour.) Scrape or peel the dough onto the board and fold in half. Cover with a floured towel (not terry-cloth) and let rise until doubled, 1-2 hours.

An hour before your bread is done rising, preheat your oven to 450. After oven is hot, place your cooking pot (I use a cast-iron dutch oven, Linsey uses a heavy bottomed stainless steel pot) with lid in the oven empty.

When you are ready to bake the dough, remove the pot from the oven and quickly plop the dough into the pot. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Then, remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.

Turkey Tortilla Soup

This is a great way to get a second meal out of a roasted chicken or turkey. We have this every year the day after Thanksgiving, and many, many other times throughout the year, too. I rarely have as much meat as they call for, and it turns out fine. I find soup to be very adaptable. Very quick and easy but satisfying meal. Easy to make with "mommy-brain"-you hardly even have to measure anything!

1 T. vegetable oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3-4 cups diced cooked turkey or chicken

1 box (32 oz) chicken broth

2 c. frozen corn kernels (you can use leftover cooked corn, just throw it in at the last second)

1 can diced tomatoes and green chiles

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 tsp ground cumin (or more to taste)

Possible Garnishes:

tortilla chips, shredded cheese, diced avacado, sour cream, lime wedges, chopped cilantro

In large saucepan, cook onion and garlic in oil over medium-high heat until tender, about 3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients except tortilla chips and garnishes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Ladle into bowls. Top with broken tortilla chips and garnish as desired.

This is a Dierbergs recipe.

Cornbread Chilli Mac Pie

I made this tonight and it was so yummy and probably cost about $2.50 to make. It was inspired by a meal that Dori and Phil brought to me when I had William. I think it was Phil who made it.

1 package of cornbread mix
1 15 ounce can of chilli
1 small can of creamed corn (maybe 10 ounce?)
About a one serving amount of macaroni or penne noodles

Cook the noodles and mix the cooked noodles with the chilli. Make the cornbread according to the directions except instead of adding the milk or water, put in the can of creamed corn. Grease a pie dish and then spread in the chilli/noodles mixture. Spread the cornbread/creamed corn batter on top. Cook according to the cornbread mix's directions except add about 10 minutes to that time. Once the top of the pie is golden brown, it should be done. Use a fork to make sure the top isn't mushy. Serve and top with cheese, sour cream, avocado, salsa, etc. if desired.

Slow-cooker Bread

I can't always get this to rise well, but it's got super quick prep, is quite healthy, and a good bread to make in summer since it doesn't use the oven.

1 T. yeast

1/4 c. warm water

1 c. warm milk OR buttermilk

1/2 c. rolled oats

1 and 1/2 tsp. salt

2 T. oil

2 T. honey

1 egg

1/4 c. wheat germ

2 and 3/4 c. whole wheat flour

Grease deep metal or glass bowl or 1-lb. coffee can. (I have the cake insert for my crockpot, but it's not required.) Turn slow-cooker on High to preheat. 

Dissolve yeast in water. Combine with milk, oats, salt, oil, honey, egg, and wheat germ. Add flour and knead until smooth and elastic. Place in prepared bowl or can, covered loosely with foil. Pour 1/2 c. water in preheated slow-cooker. Place trivet or crumbled foil in bottom; set bowl on trivet. Bake, covered, for 3 hours. Top of bread will not necessarily brown. Yield: 12 servings. From: Whole Foods for the Whole Family (LLL)

Mango-Papaya Vinaigrette

From my favorite vegan cookbook. I've used this recipe as a base for other fruit vinaigrette. Peaches work well!

1 large ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and diced

1 large papaya, peeled, seeded, and diced

1/3 c. canola oil

1/4 c. apple cider vinegar

1 T. honey

1/2 tsp. white pepper (I use black pepper)

1/4 tsp. salt

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth, 5-10 seconds. Drizzle over salad. (I usually store homemade dressings in glass jars I've saved so I can shake before serving.)

Oatmeal Cookies

These sound similar to the one's Dawn posted. It's from LLL. I've made them many times, often for this group! Very adaptable, very tasty, and pretty healthy for a cookie. Zoe loves these!

1/2 c. oil OR butter

1 c. packed brown sugar OR 3/4 c. honey

1 egg

1/4 c. water OR milk OR juice

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 cup dry milk powder

1/4 tsp. salt (optional)

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon (optional)

2 c. rolled oats

1 c. wheat germ

1/4 c. bran (optional)

1/2 cu. dried fruit, seeds, nuts or chocolate chips (optional)

Beat oil, brown sugar, egg, water, and vanilla in bowl until smooth. Add flour, dry milk powder, salt, soda, and cinnamon; mix well. Mix in oats, wheat germ, and optional ingredients. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. Bate at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until light brown. Yield: 48 cookies.

Top five cookbooks?

What cooking resources do you use the most? I mostly use the same cookbooks over and over. Here's mine:

1. Joy of Cooking. I've only had this one for 2 years, but I've already made up for lost time.

2. Feeding the Whole Family, by Cynthia Lair. I think I've made 95% of the recipes in this book, and a lot have become standards around here.

3. Simply in Season. This is my most used one this year. Has recipes organized by season, with some nice political reading about the globalization of food thrown in there, too.

4. Extending the Table. Like #3, this is a Mennonite cookbook, this one has "world" recipes. I'm totally digging peasant cooking from every tradition.

5. The Moosewood Cookbook, by Mollie Katzen. The vegetarian classic. :)

Freezer salsa

So, next summer when we are all like "I have a million tomatoes, but I don't feel like canning" remember this recipe. I've made freezer salsa twice over the summer and its awesome.

Freezer salsa. Adapted from some recipe I found on the internet.

• 20 lbs tomatoes
• 2 cups fresh cilantro
• 2 large onions
• 10 garlic cloves
• 10-20 hot peppers I used an assortment of peppers from my garden and the CSA. Roasting them changes the flavor and lowers the heat a bit. I roast some and leave some raw.
• 2 cups chopped green peppers
• 2 tablespoons cumin
• 1/4 cup sea salt
• 1/4 cup vinegar - I don't think I used that much.
• 6 large limes, juice of
• A few sprigs of mexican oregano, if you have it. Not a big deal if you don't.
  

Directions

1. Blanch tomatos in a large pot of boiling water for about a minute. This makes it easy to peel them. I have an immersion blender that I use to break them up after that, but you could chop in a food processor or mash them by hand.

2. Chop cilantro ,onion ,garlic and add to tomatoes.

3. Chop hot peppers with seeds and put in to 10 quart stock pot.
4. Add cumin, salt and vinegar and stir all together.
5. Bring to a boil and lower temperature to keep at a low boil for 2-3 hours.
6. Boil down to about half to get rid of all the extra tomato water.
7. I use whatever jars I have on hand with matching lids.
8. Fill and leave 1/2 inch head space let cool to avoid condensation and ice on top of salsa.
9. Place lids on and freeze.

Fried Okra and Potatoes

This is a recipe I got in our recent CSA. We had it recently and it is now my favorite way to eat Okra.

1 lb. young Okra pods
1 Onion, finely diced
1 T. Salt
2 Large Potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 C. Cornmeal
Oil for Frying
2 pints of ice water
salt and pepper for seasoning, to taste.

Top and tail the Okra pods. Cut the pods into approximately 1/4" rounds. Place the sliced Okra into a glass bowl and sprinkle the salt liberally over the pods. Cover the pods with the ice water, making sure all the slices are under water. Place the bowl in the refrigerator and leave for 2 or more hours. Remove the bowl and drain off salt water.
Place the Okra in a bowl and add the potatoes and chopped onion. Season with salt and pepper. Place the sliced Okra, potatoes and onion mixture together with the cornmeal in a large plastic bag and shake until the vegetables are well coated by the cornmeal.
Heat some oil (1/2 inch deep) in a frying pan until it begins to shimmer. Place the vegetables in the pan and fry until the potatoes are done and the mixture has browned nicely. Remove the Okra and Potato mixture from the oil and drain on paper towels. Serve hot as a side dish.

My notes:
I added 1/2 tsp. of smoked paprika to the cornmeal before coating the vegetables. I think it made a big difference (or you could use your favorite spice).

Cookies

I have made these cookies at least 100 times. They are so adaptable and easy, and relatively healthy, too (no refined sugar.) I think they take about 3 minutes to throw together, aside from baking.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
(from the cookbook "Feeding the Whole Family.")

dry:
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/4 tsp salt

wet:
1/3 cup cooking oil (I use grapeseed oil)
1/2 cup maple syrup (or sub*)
1 tsp vanilla

mix together, then add chopped nuts and choc chips to taste (about 1/3 c. each.)
bake about 10 - 15 min.

Variations:
You can sub virtually any liquid sweetener. I made them last night with a combination of syrup, honey, and molasses and they were great.
Sub raisins for choc chips for vegan cookies, good for potlucks.
can sub melted butter for oil.
sub any other kind of dried fruit, or nut, or whatever you want to see put in a cookie.
:D

Black Bean Soup

I got this one off of mothering.com, also.

Black Bean Soup

1 C tomato salsa
3 C cooked black beans (or 2 (15oz) cans)
2 C chicken stock
1 tsp. lime juice
2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
sour cream (optional)

Heat salsa in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Stir in beans and broth. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer soup, covered, for 15 minutes. Let soup cool slightly, then ladle half of it into a food processor or blender and puree it. Return the pureed soup to the pot. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro and heat the mixture through.

Mandy's take on it: I never bother to puree the soup and rarely use cilantro or lime. This soup is so easy and delicious. It tends to be much better with unsalted beans (not most cheap cans of beans). I sometimes put frozen corn in it, also, and serve it with cornbread. I seriously could eat nothing but this soup and cornbread for a week.

Syrian Red Lentil Soup

2 Tbs oil
3 cloves garlic (I use more like 5 or 6)
1 1/2 c red lentils
6 c. water
1 Tbs thyme
2 tsp whole cumin
1 tsp salt

Cook garlic in oil for about a minute. Before it smells too strong,
add cumin. As soon as cumin begins to turn darker (or before your
garlic burns!) add lentils, water, thyme & salt. Bring to a boil,
then simmer on low for about one hour. Serve with a nice bread.

I like to add some potatoes & maybe a carrot or whatever greens I
have on hand (actually a good use for chard) and then I serve it over
brown rice. However, this can be made just as simply and
straightforward as the recipe calls for and it's super yummy. This
is one of our "bare pantry" recipes cause it takes almost nothing and
is very satisfying! Oh and, even though red lentils will be soft and
done cooking within like 20 minutes, the flavor really is best if
it's allowed to simmer as long as it's called for (but if you're in a
rush, it can take as little as half an hour to make!)

Lentil Chilli

(from a Mama on MDC)

2 cups lentils, rinsed and picked over
7 cups water or vegetable broth
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
2 large red or yellow bell peppers, seeded, deribbed, and finely chopped
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes in juice
1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
¾ cup beer
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 ½ teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup sour cream
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese

In a 6- to 8- quart saucepan, over medium-high heat, combine the lentils and water. Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently. Cook the lentils until tender, about 45 minutes. Add the onion, bell peppers, tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, beer, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne, and salt. Stir well. Reduce heat to low. Keep the soup at a bare simmer until the flavors meld (about 30 minutes).

Top each serving with a spoonful of sour cream and some cheese.

West African Groundnut Stew

(I really like this but I have had to alter this recipe a bit. I'll put my changes in parenthesis. I got this from another New Roots person. It's also pretty changeable with the sauce being the only real constant).

Heat ½- 3/4 cup canola oil in a large pot on medium high heat. Chop together and cook in the oil

* 3 - 4 tomatoes
* 2 large onions
* 2 fresh hot peppers (or 1 teaspoon cayenne)

Add 2 cups tomato juice (or water). When it is beginning to simmer, add

* 1½ - 1 3/4 cups good peanut butter (I found this to be overwhelming so I prefer it with 3/4c)
* 2 Tablespoons tomato paste.
(if you're using meat now is when to add it. Chicken is traditional but beef could work. Or goat.)

Turn the heat to low, and keep cooking.

When it's been simmering for a while, add

* 1 eggplant, cut into small cubes (I didn't have any so I didn't use it)
* and other vegetables you might like, such as yams, potatoes, green beans, squash of any variety, etc.

Continue cooking until the vegetables are tender. Serve on a bed of rice or other grain.

My notes:
Add the veggies before adding the PB. PB burns quickly and I ALWAYS burn it if I add it first. So as soon as the veggies are near to done, then I mix in the PB. Oh and use a good PB because it tastes gross if you're using Jiff or whatever.

Stand-by Stir-fry

(this is a use-up-what's-in-the-fridge recipe, the only constant being the sauce it's cooked in)

Sauce:
1/2c soy sauce/tamari
1/4c rice wine vinegar
2Tbs-1/4 toasted sesame oil
ginger to taste
garlic to taste
(if I'm using meat and thinking ahead (not often!!) sometimes I will mix the sauce and marinate the meat.)

Prepare all veggies & any meat (some favorites: carrots, broccoli, grean/pole beans, squash, collards, bok choy, cabbage, peas, turnip greens, mustard greens... beef or chicken or none at all)

Heat oil. toss in a pinch of mustard seeds and some pepper flakes (if you like spicy) & maybe some whole cumin if you feel like it. As soon as they start to change color, add your meat, then veggies (from longest cooking to quickest). Pour the sauce over and cook a few minutes. Serve over brown rice.

EGGS IN A NEST

-from the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

2 cups uncooked brown rice

Cook rice with 4 cups water in a covered pot while other ingredients are being prepared.

Olive oil – a few tbsp

1 medium onion, chopped, and garlic to taste

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil in a wide skillet until lightly golden.

Carrots, chopped

1⁄2 cup dried tomatoes

Add and saute for a few more minutes, adding just enough water to rehydrate the tomatoes.

1 really large bunch of chard, coarsely chopped

Mix with other vegetables and cover pan for a few minutes. Uncover, stir well, then use the back of a spoon to make depressions in the cooked leaves, circling the pan like numbers on a clock.

8 eggs
Break an egg into each depression, being careful to keep yolks whole. Cover pan again and allow eggs to poach for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve over rice.

Pakistani Kima aka Hamburger Curry

Saute in butter:
1 large onion
1 clove garlic
add:
1 lb ground beef
brown well. stir in:
1 T curry powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
dash: pepper, cinnamon, ginger, tumeric
2 c. cooked tomato
2 potatoes, diced
2 c. frozen peas or green beans
Cover and simmer 25 min. Serve with rice.

Hunan Egg-plant

Hunan Egglant (or Hunan Whatever)
1 tablespoon canola or peanut oil
1 pound Japanese egglant, unpeeled, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon canola or peanut oil
4 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon chilli paste (like for Thai food, available at Jay International)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh gingerroot
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons sake, mirin, or dry sherry (optional)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Heat one tablespoon oil in wok. Add egglant and stirfry until soft (about 3 minutes). Remove and set aside. Add 1/2 teaspoon oil to wok and stirfry garlic, chilli paste, and gingerroot for about 15 seconds over medium heat. Add broth, soy sauce, and sugar (and sake if using). Bring to a boil. Add vinegar and eggplant and cook until eggplant has aborbed most of the sauce (about 1 min.). Add green onion and sesame oil and toss well.

This recipe is better than the Hunan stuff at most Chinese restaurants. Although this is already an easy recipe, I often make it much easier by just using garlic/ginger paste, chilli paste, soy sauce, and water (instead of broth). Often I don't both to really measure these things, either. The taste is not quite as subtle that way but still really really good. And I usually make this with chicken or tofu and whatever vegetables I happen to have. It's the best with eggplant, though, since the eggplant really soaks up the delicious sauce.

Sauteed brussel sprouts w/ coconut

1 1/2 lbs small brussel sprouts
3 T ghee (I usualy cut WAY back on any amount of oil this cookbook suggests)
1 1/2 t black mustard seeds
2 t split urad dal
8 curry leaves (I've made it w/o them, and it's fine)
1/4 t cayenne or paprika
1/2 t garam masala
1/8 t ground nutmeg
1 t salt
1/3 c shredded unsweetened coconut

Cut stems off brussel sprouts. Remove tough, outer leaves. Cut a small cross in the base of each and soak in salted water for 15 min.
Drop sprouts into large pot of salted boiling water and cook, uncovered, for 5 min. Drain well.
Heat ghee in large frying pan over moderately high heat. When it is hot but not smoking, drop in black mustard seeds and urad dal and fry until the seeds pop and turn gray and the dal turns reddish-brown. Add curry leaves, sprouts, cayenne or paprika, garam masala and nutmeg. Saute for 3-4 min, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 4-5 min longer if sprouts are young, up to 10 min if they are old. When they are just tender, add salt and coconut. Toss and serve.
You can fold in a spoonful of yogurt of sour cream if you want.

Kosha's Easy Lasagna

Layer cooked ravioli, canned tomato sauce, frozen spinach, mozzarella cheese, and any other lasagna ingredients you like (squash, mushrooms, sausage) in a casserole dish. It only takes a few minutes to cook the ravioli and toppings, and it bakes in 20 minutes. You can also pre- assemble and refrigerate for a day or two.

Linsey's Super-yummy tofu scramble

1 onion
some veggies
garlic
1 block of tofu
braggs or tamari
water
tumeric
cumin
nutritional yeast
parsly and/or cilantro
oil

saute half of the onion in a little oil. add longer-cooking veggies
(carrots, green-beans, corn etc.) add some cumin seeds. Add crumbled
tofu, shorter cooking veggies (not-red chard for me), cilantro, braggs,
some water (if you have firm tofu and want it softer.) and garlic.
Cover and cook until its cooked through. Add about a tbl of tumeric and
a small handful of nut. yeast. Stir and add water or cook down until
desired consistency.

I serve w potatoes, corn tortillas and salsa - ymmv.