Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

I like a good lasagna, and I tend to always make the usual traditional lasagna with ground grassed beef and cheese. This time, I wanted to try to re-create a roasted vegetable lasagna that was made for us by a friend when our son was born. I didn't have a recipe, so I loosely followed one I found on the Taste of Home website, and it turned out really great! We ended up freezing most of this because we knew we wouldn't have any opportunities to eat leftovers in the following days, so we have a future dinner or two waiting for us in the freezer!

To save some time, you can roast the vegetables ahead of time and toss them in the fridge until you are ready to assemble your lasagna.

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Makes ~9 servings

Ingredients

1 medium-sized organic eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch slices

8 oz fresh cremini mushrooms, sliced

2 small organic zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices lengthwise

2 organic red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch slices lengthwise

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper, for seasoning

15oz organic ricotta cheese

1/4 cup grated organic parmesan cheese

1 organic free-range egg

26oz jar organic marinara sauce

12 lasagna noodles

8oz organic mozzarella cheese, shredded

3 Tbsp fresh organic basil, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 2 baking pans with olive oil. Place eggplant and mushrooms in a mixing bowl, and zucchini and red peppers in another mixing bowl. Combine olive oil and garlic powder and pour half of mixture in each bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix until vegetables are evenly coated. Place eggplant and mushrooms on one baking pan, and zucchini and red peppers on the other. 

2. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, turning vegetables over halfway through. Remove eggplant and mushrooms. Roast zucchini and peppers for an additional 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cook lasagna noodles as directed on package.

3. In small mixing bowl, combine ricotta, parmesan and egg. Mix until evenly combined. 

4. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

5. Spread 1/4 cup marinara sauce in a 13x9-inch baking dish. Top with 4 lasagna noodles, followed by half of ricotta cheese mixture, half of vegetables, a third of remaining marinara sauce, and a third of the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with half of fresh basil. Repeat layers and top with remaining 4 noodles, pasta sauce and mozzarella cheese.

6. Cover and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

(Recipe adapted from tasteofhome.com)

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal?  Eggplant provides fiber, B vitamins and folate. Mushrooms  are an excellent source of minerals selenium and potassium as well vitamins riboflavin, and niacin, and are the only item you will find in the produce section that supplies some vitamin D! zucchini is a good source of  fiber and vitamins A, C and folate. Bell peppers are one of the best food sources of vitamins A and C. Olive oil contains monounsaturated fatty acids, which have been shown to help lower bad cholesterol (LDL), raise good cholesterol (HDL), and aid in blood sugar control. Ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses are all excellent sources of protein and calcium. Jarred tomato products contain more bioavailable lycopene compared with fresh tomatoes, and are high in vitamin C.

Chicken & Vegetable Lo Mein

This recipe was delicious and my son loved it! I often find that asian-style sauces are too salty or that the soy sauce flavor is a bit too strong.  Using vegetable stock really cut down on the salty/soy sauce flavor, and it could not have tasted better. The original recipe that I followed was for vegetable lo mein, but I added chicken to mine in order to have some protein in our meal. It was very good, and I think that shrimp would be really good in this as well. I could not find lo mein noodles in our grocery store, so I got rice noodles and they were great! Rice noodles soak up whatever sauce they are in, and since this sauce was so good, it made for a very tasty dinner. 

Chicken & Vegetable Lo Mein

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 pound organic free range chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 small package mushrooms, about 2 cups (I used sliced white button mushrooms)

1 pound lo mein or rice noodles (I used rice noodles)

1/2 cup organic vegetable stock

2 cups broccoli florets

1 cup organic bell peppers, cut into thin slices

1/2 medium onion, cut into thin slices

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup organic tamari or soy sauce

Directions

1. Cook noodles according to directions on package. If not using right away, run under cold water to stop from cooking.

2. Heat large fry pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onions, mushrooms, and peppers. Cook, stirring constantly until softened, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and cook, stirring constantly, for about 4-5 minutes. Add broccoli and broth. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes. 

3. Remove cover and add noodles and tamari. Toss to evenly combine. Cook for about 4 minutes to reduce sauce and heat noodles.

(Recipe adapted from doortodoororganics.com)

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? Chicken is an excellent source of protein and is rich in B vitamins. Garlic contains flavonoids (a type of antioxidant), and is a great source of vitamins C and B6, and the mineral manganese. Mushrooms  are an excellent source of minerals selenium and potassium as well vitamins riboflavin, and niacin, and are the only item you will find in the produce section that supplies some vitamin D! Bell peppers are one of the best food sources of vitamins A and C. Broccoli is packed with vitamins C and K, and is also a good source of folate and calcium. Onions are rich in quercetin (a type of antioxidant) and vitamin C. 

Slow Cooker Bolognese

Having a nice pasta dinner with friends and family on Halloween before Trick or Treating is a tradition for us.  This year, I made a traditional bolognese, made with milk and parmesan cheese, as well as my go-to slow cooker dairy free meat sauce for Charlie.  Our Halloween meal was complete with a salad and fantastic wine, brought by Ted's parents, and some tasty garlic bread brought by our very good friends. Dessert was Halloween candy, of course! And Ted's mom brought rice crispy treats shaped like pumpkins, decorated with jack-o-lantern faces. To make them dairy free for Charlie, she used coconut oil instead of butter, and they were awesome!

Ted makes a fantastic stove-top bolognese that he cooks slowly for half the day, but this slow-cooker bolognese comes in at a close second.  For busy days when you want a fantastic sauce that is easy yet still company-worthy, this is a great one to make.  We typically eat whole wheat pasta, but for a special occasion, such as Halloween, we buy really good fresh noodles.  When making a great sauce, fresh pasta is a really nice treat.

Slow Cooker Bolognese

Makes ~ 6 servings

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup organic carrots, chopped
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound organic grass-fed ground beef
1 cup organic whole milk
1 (28oz) can organic diced tomatoes
1 (6oz) can organic tomato paste
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup organic whole milk
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in large pan over medium heat. Add carrots, onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add ground beef and cook until browned. Drain excess fat from pan and pour in 1 cup of milk. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and continue to simmer until milk is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

2. Place beef mixture in slow cooker. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper, basil, and oregano. Cook on low for 4 hours. Stir in 1/2 cup milk and parmesan cheese, and cook for 4 more hours on low.

(Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com)

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? Compared with conventional beef, grass-fed beef is lower in total fat, higher in omega-3 fatty acids and higher in vitamins, particularly vitamin E. Carrots are very high in vitamin A (with one cup providing over 400% of the daily value), and they are also an excellent source of vitamin C and fiber. Onions are rich in quercetin (a type of antioxidant) and vitamin C. Canned tomato products contain more bioavailable lycopene compared with fresh tomatoes, and are high in vitamin C. Garlic contains flavonoids (a type of antioxidant), and is a great source of vitamins C and B6, and the mineral manganese.

Lasagna

This lasagna recipe has developed by trial and error, and I think I have now put together the right combination of great flavor and ease of making it!  Due to Charlie's dairy allergy, I leave the cheese off of one side of the lasagna, so his portion is just layers of noodles and meat sauce (it's ok because he doesn't even like cheese!). I have found that the key to a great-tasting sauce is simmering it over low heat for about and hour.  If you don't have time to tend to it, you could even toss the sauce ingredients in the slow cooker for a few hours. Ted is not a huge fan of ricotta cheese, so I limit the amount that I use and add more mozzarella and parmesan, and this combination seems to work really well.

We took this lasagna to have for dinner with great friends who recently had an baby.  I made the sauce and then assembled the lasagna in the morning. I just covered it with foil and put it in the refrigerator until we left, and when we got to our friends' house, we just popped it in the oven to bake while we visited with them (and had a couple glasses of wine!). So this can be easily assembled ahead of time, and can even be frozen to be baked later. 

Ted also made some homemade garlic bread with some fresh italian bread from our neighborhood bakery. And we made a mixed green salad with my homemade balsamic vinaigrette.  It was great to catch up with good friends over a meal and meet their sweet little baby!

Lasagna

Ingredients

1 pound organic grass-fed ground beef
1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large (32oz) jar tomato basil marinara sauce
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
1 small (6.5oz) can tomato sauce
9 lasagna noodles
12 oz ricotta cheese (~3/4 of a 16oz container)
1 organic free range egg
1/3 cup fresh organic parsley, chopped
2 1/2 cups part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large pot, cook ground beef, onion and garlic until meat is cooked through and onions are translucent. Add marinara sauce, tomato paste and tomato sauce and stir until evenly combined. Simmer sauce over low heat for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

2. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions (I boiled mine for 10 minutes). While noodles are cooking, place ricotta cheese, egg and parsley in a small mixing bowl and stir until evenly combined. Drain noodles and let sit until cool enough to handle.

3. To assemble lasagna, coat bottom of rectangular baking pan with a thin layer of sauce (so noodles don't stick to pan). Layer 3 lasagna noodles on top of sauce layer. Place another layer of sauce on top of noodles. Top sauce with ricotta cheese mixture, followed by mozzarella and then parmesan. Top cheese with another layer of noodles, and repeat. 

4. Bake, covered, for 25 minutes. Remove cover and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? Compared with conventional beef, grass-fed beef is lower in total fat, higher in omega-3 fatty acids and higher in vitamins, particularly vitamin E. Onions are rich in quercetin (a type of antioxidant) and vitamin C. Canned tomato products contain more bioavailable lycopene compared with fresh tomatoes, and are high in vitamin C. And cheese is of course a great source of protein and calcium.

Slow Cooker Meat Sauce

Before we discovered that our son has a dairy allergy, our go-to meat sauces were usually some type of bolognese. Ted is the master of the slow-cooked bolognese on the stove-top. When we found out about the allergy, I started making this meat sauce, and it has turned out to be a pretty delicious dairy-free replacement for the sauces we used to love. It also freezes really well, so I usually freeze whatever is left, which comes in handy for date nights when Charlie has a babysitter.

Slow Cooker Meat Sauce

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 pound organic grass-fed ground beef
1 (29oz) can organic tomato sauce
1 (6oz) can organic tomato paste
1 (14.5oz) can organic basil & oregano-seasoned diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp sugar

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in pan over medium heat and saute onion until translucent, about 3-4 minutes

2. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink

3. Pour meat mixture through strainer to remove excess fat

4. Place meat mixture in slower cooker, and add remaining ingredients, except for the sugar

5. Stir ingredients until evenly mixed and cook sauce on low for 8 hours

6. Stir in sugar 15 minutes before serving

Serve over organic whole wheat pasta

(Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com)

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? Compared with conventional beef, grass-fed beef is lower in total fat, higher in omega-3 fatty acids and higher in vitamins, particularly vitamin E. Onions are rich in quercetin (a type of antioxidant) and vitamin C. Canned tomato products contain more bioavailable lycopene compared with fresh tomatoes, and are high in vitamin C.

Swiss Chard Lasagna Roll-ups

Have you ever had brown rice pasta?  If you haven't you should totally try it. I got organic brown rice lasagna noodles for this recipe, and they were absolutely delicious. The ones I got contained just two ingredients: 100% whole grain brown rice flour and golden milled flax seed (providing omega-3s). 

I have been wanting to try brown rice pasta because Charlie loves noodles, and while I am not against eating gluten (unless you have a true gluten allergy or intolerance), I do try to incorporate other whole grains besides wheat. Too much of anything can be a negative thing, so I try to vary our grains so that we are limiting our gluten intake a bit. A future post will be coming on gluten, but the concise answer to why I want to limit our gluten is this: there is mixed evidence that wheat strains today contain more gluten than they did a century ago, causing gluten sensitivity when we eat a lot of it; and there is also a theory that gluten sensitivities are on the rise simply due to the large amounts of breads and pasta that Americans eat. So, "everything in moderation," right?

*You may recall from my first post that our meals need to be dairy-free because Charlie has a cow's milk protein allergy.  There is cheese in this recipe, but I reserved some of the swiss chard filling before adding the cheese to the rest. I cooked the dairy-free lasagna roll-ups in a separate dish so that they wouldn't be contaminated. I know it seems mean to eat cheese in front of him, but luckily he has never ever liked cheese in any form so I don't feel so bad. Now, if it were ice cream, that would be a different story...

Swiss Chard Lasagna Roll-Ups



Ingredients
8 cooked and drained organic brown rice lasagna noodles
1 small organic onion, diced
2 cloves organic garlic, chopped
1 small bunch organic swiss chard (stems removed), chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup part skim organic ricotta cheese
1 free range organic egg, beaten
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3/4 cup shredded organic mozzarella cheese for topping
Your favorite jar of tomato sauce (I used a basil marinara sauce)

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

2. Place drained lasagna noodles on baking sheet or cutting board and lay out flat to cool

3. In a skillet, heat olive oil and saute onions and garlic until onions are translucent, about 4 minutes

4. Add chopped swiss chard and cook until wilted, about 4 minutes

 This is the filling I reserved for Charlie to make his roll-ups dairy free:

5. Place ricotta cheese in a medium mixing bowl and stir in beaten egg

6. Add swiss chard mixture, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix until combined

7. Spread cheese mixture (and in our case, also the reserved dairy-free mixture) onto the lasagna noodles and roll up

Dairy-free:

Cheese mixture:

8. Coat bottom of baking dish with about 1 cup of tomato sauce

9. Place rolled-up noodles in baking dish

Dairy-free:

Cheese:

10. Once roll-ups are in the dish, top with additional sauce and mozzarella cheese

11. Bake, covered for 30-35 minutes or until hot and bubbly

I served with a mixed green and raw veggie salad on the side

(Recipe adapted from doortodoororganics.com)

*This recipe may seem like it takes a lot of time, but as lasagnas go, I found this one to be much quicker than ones I have made in the past. However, to break the work up, you can always chop up the onions, garlic and swiss chard the night before. What I did today was I assembled the roll-ups in the morning and just put the baking dishes in the refrigerator until I was ready to bake them at dinner  time. You can also assemble them and freeze them to be baked from frozen in the future.

What are the nutritional benefits on this meal?  Processed tomato products (like the jar of tomato sauce in this recipe) have been shown to provide more bioavailable lycopene than even fresh tomatoes! The brown rice noodles are gluten free and provide omega-3s from the flax that they contain. Swiss chard is a great source of vitamins C,K,A and B-complex vitamins, and is a rich source of copper, calcium, postassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorous.