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Happy November! Until I came across this skillet vegetarian lasagna recipe, I’d never dreamed of making lasagna on the stovetop. I was surprised and skeptical to see that the noodles don’t have to be pre-cooked. I gathered a little faith and followed the recipe directions and sure enough, they cooked perfectly.
The original recipe is made with ground beef and I made some major modifications to make it vegetarian. The first thing I did was add zucchini and summer squash. The trick to keeping the lasagna from getting too soupy is cooking them seperately and then blotting off the extra moisture before they get added to the dish.
I also added some fake meat. I’ve been cooking more with vegan meat subsititutes lately but I have to admit I’m a little torn. Meat substitutes really contribute texture and protein much more than taste. The thing is, there are so many ingredients on the label that sound like toxic chemicals I’m not certain it’s really any healthier than just adding red meat to the dish.
Skillet Vegetarian Lasagna
Adopted from Koko Cooks (meat version)
originally from America’s Test Kitchen, Pasta Revolution
Ingredients:
2 T. olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 summer squash, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes, with liquid
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1 lb vegetarian ground sirloin substitute
10 (curly-edged) lasagna noodles, broken lengthwise and then into smaller pieces
3/4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 c. ricotta cheese
3 T. chopped fresh basil
Directions:
1. In a frying pan, heat 1 T. oil over medium heat. Add the summer squash and zucchini and cook until softened, stirring occasionally. Remove from skillet to a plate covered with a towel or paper towel and blot off excess moisture.
2. Heat 1 T. oil in a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook,until softened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the garlic, pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Add zucchini mixture to skillet.
4. Add veggie ground beef to the skillet. Cook, stirring often until warm.
5. Scatter the pasta in the skillet, then pour the crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes over the top. Stir, increase the heat to medium-high, and cover. Cook at a bubbling simmer, stirring often, until the pasta is tender, 20 minutes. Keep the pan covered when not stirring. If the lasagna seems dry, you can add a bit of water at the halfway point. Stir the noodles frequently to keep them from clumping together or sticking to the bottom of the skillet.
6. Preheat the broiler. Remove the skillet from heat. Stir in half the mozzarella, all of the Parmesan, and half of the ricotta. Dot the remaining ricotta over the noodles in tablespoons, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella.
7. Transfer to the oven and broil until the cheese melts and is starts to brown.
8. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and serve.
I have my big exam on Wednesday so I’m taking the whole weekend off to relax! Do you have anything exciting planned for the weekend?
I love, love deviled eggs. In my humble opinion, a party really isn’t complete without them! Plus, I have a secret deviled eggs recipe can’t be beat.
I whipped up this “scary” version of my favorite treat for a friend’s Halloween party this weekend. The olives were a bit of extra effort but totally worth the reaction – a real crowd pleaser!
My recipe for deviled eggs is a spoonful of this and a dollop of that. I’ve put rough measurements here, but adjust for taste!
Halloween Deviled Eggs
Idea from Make-It Love-It, recipe my own
Ingredients:
6 Eggs, hard boiled and peeled and sliced in half
1/4 c. Mayonnaise
1 1/2 tsp. Sweet Pick Relish
1 1/2 tsp. Yellow Mustard
1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp. Smoked Paprika
Pinch of salt
1 can of pitted black olives
Recipe:
1. Mash the egg yolks, mayonnaise, relish, mustard, garlic, paprika and salt
2. Scoop even amounts of filling into each egg half
3. Cut black olives in half for the spider body
4. Slice half olives longwise for 3 to 4 legs
I made this quick and easy layer dip for my last day of work at Stanford. While there, I lived in the graduate dorms and had no supplies to bake anything sweet. As much as I brainstormed ways to make cupcakes or even cookies, I couldn’t do anything without mixing bowls, baking pans, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, vanilla, cookie sheets, muffin tins…you get the point. Annie from Annie’s Eats posted a much more involved version of this recipe. I simplified it by using pre-dried tomatoes instead of buying my own and by buying pesto instead of making it from scratch.
The recipe was a huge hit. One of the docs I work with actually took out some scratch paper and wrote down all of the ingredients so he could share it with his wife!
INGREDIENTS
To assemble the dip:
Hummus
Pesto
Cucumber, seeded and diced
Sliced olives (black or Kalamata)
Crumbled feta cheese
Sun-dried tomatoes
DIRECTIONS
- Spread a layer of hummus over a 12 inch serving platter.
- Spread the pesto over the hummus
- Sprinkle over the cucumber, olives, feta, and sun-dried tomatoes
- Serve with pita chips
I’m so spoiled to live with a man who loves to cook as much as I do. Pat whipped up these fancy sandwiches for a picnic lunch one of my last weekends in Wisconsin. I never would have imagined that carrots and tapenade would be the perfect marriage for a sandwich. The spices were also a good preview for our honeymoon in Morocco next summer. You may have noticed, picnics are one of our favorite summer activities!
As an added bonus, you can make these fancy sandwiches vegan by using hummus instead of sliced turkey!
Fancy Sandwiches – Moroccan Carrot and Turkey with Green Olive Tapenade
Adopted from Epicurious
For carrots
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 lb medium carrots (about 8)
For tapenade
1 1/4 cups green olives (6 to 7 oz) such as Cerignola or picholine, pitted
3 tablespoons drained bottled capers, rinsed
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
For sandwiches
12 slices good-quality pumpernickel sandwich bread
Sliced turkey meat or hummus
Arugula
Prepare carrots:
1. Whisk together sugar, lemon juice, spices, salt, and oil in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved.
2. Halve carrots crosswise on a long diagonal, then, starting from diagonal ends, cut into 1/16-inch-thick slices using slicer.
3. Cook carrots in a 4- to 5-quart pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 45 seconds. Drain well in a colander and immediately toss with dressing.
4. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, then marinate, covered and chilled, at least 4 hours.
Make tapenade and assemble sandwiches:
1. Pulse olives with capers, parsley, anchovy, zest, lemon juice, and pepper in a food processor until coarsely chopped, then scrape down side of bowl with a rubber spatula.
2. Pulsing motor, add oil in a slow stream and continue to pulse until mixture is finely chopped (do not pulse to a paste).
3. Spread tapenade on half the bread, layer with sliced turkey or hummus and arugula, then carrots.
Today’s post is brought to you by Curate Hub. When Francis from Curate Hub’s Recipe Ideas Newsletter contacted me about writing a guest post, I happily agreed! Francis rounds up some of her favorite recipes on the web and sends them out in a Free weekly email! You can find out more about her newsletter on her website, http://www.curatehub.com/newsletter/recipe-ideas/
It happens to all of us. One week there is just no inspiration and no energy to make anything besides salad and a chicken breast, accompanied by a carton of mediocre ice cream. Those are the days when you wish that you had a personal chef, or that at least the take out guy would appear. Instead of languidly flipping through your old cookbooks, why not take a quick look in your inbox at a Weekly Recipes e-mail? Our weekly newsletter, Recipe Ideas from Curate Hub, is chock full of beautiful photos and delicious recipes ready to end your cooking rut. We carefully cull the best of the web to bring only the most delicious and exciting new recipes straight to you! Subscribe here!
Here an excellent recipe from Gourmet.com. This and so many more are available when you subscribe to Weekly Recipes!
Photo and recipe via Gourmet.com
Roasted Mushrooms Escargot-Style from Gourmet.com
Let’s be honest—the best part of escargots is the garlicky, parsley-flecked butter that the snails are cooked in. In this playful vegetarian spin, meaty mushrooms turn out to be the ideal vehicles for soaking up all that buttery goodness. Capers add a briny pop that fits right in. Serve with crusty bread to soak up all the great leftover juices.
- 1 lb mushrooms such as cremini or white, halved lengthwise if large
- 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Preheat oven to 450ºF with rack in middle.
Toss mushrooms with capers, garlic, oil, and 1/8 tsp each of salt and pepper in a 1 1/2- to 2-qt shallow baking dish. Top with butter and roast, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and parsley.
Author Info
Francis’ first attempt at cooking was a souffle at age 13, and she has never had one fall (yet). Ever since then she has scoured the web for new recipes and is very excited to share her huge stash of bookmarks with the world in a new e-mail newsletter.
I was not compensated for featuring this post, I just thought it would be something my readers would enjoy. If you are interested in writing a guest post for RunningBlonde.com, please contact me via email at runningblonde(at)gmail.com.
The Ultimate Chocolate Cupcake Project is still underway and I still have to be very tight-lipped about the details. However, the Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake has already been discovered through a similar process! After three rounds of baking, the majority of the test bakers agreed that the recipe was perfect, and I have to say, I agree with them! I do a lot of research for school, so it’s nice when my recipes are also “peer-reviewed”! I topped them off with Annie’s Eats’ Espresso Buttercream Frosting. I have to confess, I made the recipe twice because the first time I accidentally used real espresso, instead of instant espresso powder. It didn’t dissolve (of course) and the recipe came out gritty. Don’t make my mistake!
The Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake
From The Cupcake Project
Yield: 16 cupcakes
Ingredients:
1 cup (225 grams) granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean
1 3/4 cups (175 grams) cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup (75 grams) full-fat sour cream
1/4 cup canola oil or vegetable oil (60 ml)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup (160 ml) whole milk
- Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C).
- In a small bowl, combine sugar and seeds from the vanilla bean.
- Using the back of a spoon, move around the bowl and apply pressure to break up any clumps of seeds and to better infuse the vanilla flavor into the sugar. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the mixture from step 3 and mix until well combined.
- Add butter and mix on medium-low speed for three minutes. This will yield a fine crumb texture.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, oil, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined.
- Slowly add milk and mix on low speed until just combined. The batter will be liquid.
- Fill cupcake liners just over 1/2 full.
- Bake for 14 minutes and then test to see if they are done. They are done when a toothpick comes out without wet batter stuck to it. The cupcakes should appear white with specks of vanilla bean. They should not turn a golden brown. If they are not done, test again in two minutes. If they are still not done, test again in another two minutes.
- When the cupcakes are done, remove them immediately from the tins to a cooling rack
Espresso Buttercream Frosting
From Annie’s Eats
Ingredients:
3 large egg whites
½ cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
¾ cups (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. instant espresso powder
2 tsp. very hot water
- Combine the egg whites and the sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Scrape in the seeds from the vanilla bean pods into the bowl.
- Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved.
- Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes. (The bowl should be cool to the touch.)
- Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated. If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more.
- Remove about half of the frosting to a bowl and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the espresso powder and hot water and whisk to dissolve. Blend the espresso powder mixture into the frosting remaining in the mixing bowl until smooth and completely incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Top with chocolate-covered espresso beans
Lettuce wraps are my new favorite thing. For sandwiches, I’m not a huge fan of bread to begin with. It always seems like the carb to real food ratio is wayyy off. I think that Subway is the number one perpetrator of this. I hardly eat there anymore because I usually can’t find my sandwich fixin’s among the huge amount of bread that is wrapped around them. The wrap is often a better option, but it doesn’t bring a lot to the table flavor-wise and at the ends there tends to be more wrap build up than I find appealing. This is where the lettuce wrap saves the day. It is completely guilt-free and lets the ingredients shine through for themselves.
That’s why I was so excited to try the Black Bean Wrap recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Rabbit Food For My Bunny Teeth. I think she does a great job of promoting healthy foods without compromising taste.
These wraps also may a great picnic food, as they are delicious cold and don’t get soggy when they sit out for a few hours. Pat and I enjoyed them on a picnic in the country one of my last weekends before I headed out of town.
Black Bean Lettuce Wraps
Adopted from Rabbit Food For My Bunny Teeth
2 cups black beans – non-canned for healthy bonus points!
1/2 chopped yellow onion
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
2 Tbsp freshly chopped cilantro leaves
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp black pepper
Swiss chard or butter lettuce leaves, washed and dried
1 tomato, sliced
1 avocado
Salt & pepper to taste
1. Chop the yellow onion, garlic, and cilantro. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until well mixed. Transfer the contents to a food processor and pulse until it reaches a smooth yet firm consistency. Add water 1 Tbsp until is is moist and smooth but still firm.
2. Divide it into 4 patties. Place a pan over medium-high heat and lightly coat with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray. Place patties in the pan and cover and grill for about 4 minutes on each side. Re-oil in between flips to prevent sticking. Continue cooking and flipping until they become firm and browned but not dry.
3. Place half of one patty and half of each ingredient and slices of avocado and tomato onto lettuce leaves, creating around 8 wraps total. Sprinkle with just a pinch of salt & pepper to taste.
4. Wrap the leaves into tight rolls and then slice in half. I found that my leaves weren’t quite big enough for the amount of filling I wanted so I just tied them up with Baker’s twine.
5. Enjoy right away or pack on ice for a picnic! Makes about 8 wraps, which for us was about 4 servings.
I made this Spicy Caramel Bacon Popcorn Recipe from A Cozy Kitchen for our backyard movie night last weekend. My first thought was that it sounded too good to be true. Sweet, salty, bacon, caramel? All in one recipe? My second thought was, “wow that’s a lot of sugar!” This almost derailed my plans, especially because I’m doing a pediatric endocrine rotation right now and I’m seeing a ton of kiddos with Type I diabetes that are counting carbs right now. In the end, bacon won out and I proceeded with the recipe. I didn’t make too many changes, other than increasing the cayenne pepper, which gave my popcorn the deeper brownish color and made it even spicier!
In other news, I am going to be doing my next blog giveaway this week! Stay tuned for more details!!!!
Spicy Caramel Bacon Popcorn
Adopted from A Cozy Kitchen
6 slices of bacon
3 T vegetable oil
5 c. of popped popcorn (1/2 c. kernels)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (originally 3/4 tsp)
3 c. sugar
3 T unsalted butter
2 tsp fine sea salt
1. Line bacon side-by-side on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes, until crispy and brown. Remove and place on paper towels to drain. Press the tops with another layer of paper towels. When cool, cut into small pieces.
2. Mix the baking soda and cayenne pepper and set aside.
3. Prepare a large mixing bowl (I used my kitchenaid bowl) by spraying generously with cooking spray. Also coat two spatulas with cooking spray. Dump the popcorn in the bowl.
4. Combine sugar, butter, salt, and 1/2c water in a medium saucepan. Cook without stirring on high heat, until it becomes light golden-yellow caramel. This takes about 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat and add the soda/cayenne mixture. Careful, as the mixture will bubble up! Add the bacon bits.
5. Pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn and toss until coated evenly. Pour the popcorn onto a large baking pan and flatten and separate into small pieces. Cool to room temp and store in a well-sealed airtight container.
6. The popcorn will keep up to four days in the fridge.
The verdict? In moderation, it was worth.every.teaspoon of sugar! Holy tastebud overload!
Pat and I went for a little picnic in the country this past weekend. I’ll post more photos and recipes later, but my macbook – and photoshop – is in the shop this week (sad face). Part of the menu was greek yogurt apple dip. Greek yogurt makes this super healthy and the recipe couldn’t get any easier! I didn’t really measure, I just added a scoop of this, a squirt of this, a pinch of that. The recipe is pretty flexible and you could use almond butter instead of peanut butter, or brown sugar instead of honey.
On another note, I was overwhelmed by the response to my med school post yesterday. I had a unexpected amount of really nice emails from med students and people who are thinking about medical school. It was awesome to know that my tips were so well-received!
Oh, and one last thing. One of my favorite companies ever, Brooks, is having their end-of-season sale right now! Now is a great time to stock up on running gear or buy that pair of shoes that you’ve been pining after! This link goes directly to the sale stuff, or you can visit their main site at brooksrunning.com. As an added bonus, the discount code ‘HEADSTART’ will get you free shipping until July 17th! (No benefit to me if you check it out, I am just a loyal fan).
Here is the approximate recipe:
Greek Yogurt Apple Dip Recipe
- 1 cup of Greek yogurt or strained plain yogurt
- 2T peanut butter (or more if you want it creamier)
- 1T honey
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and enjoy with the apple or fruit of your choice!
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