Lasagna Roll-Ups

Let me be frank, lasagna is not a huge hit with me.  I'm not sure exactly what it is about plain lasagna, but I would much prefer a hearty spaghetti or a baked creamy rigatoni or something like that...perhaps because lasagna is so labor intensive and when you serve it, it just falls apart...and that, to me, seems like a big shame.

SO, when I saw an idea for lasagna roll-ups, I was intrigued, and decided to make my own version, and let me tell you, LOVED it.  Every bite, it was delicious!!  I actually made this for a casual Christmas dinner this past year, and I would happily make it again anytime.

These Lasagna Roll-Ups use traditional lasagna noodles that are rolled up with a mixture of ricotta, parmesan cheese and spinach, and topped with a creamy bechemel and more parmesan and baked until bubbly and luscious.

Lasagna Roll-Ups

What You'll Need

~1 box traditional lasagna noodles (the ones you boil)

~16 oz container of ricotta cheese

~1 egg

~1&1/2 cups shredded parmesan cheese

~2 cloves garlic, minced

~4 cups fresh spinach, chopped (this will wilt down)

~1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped OR 1 Tbs dried basil

~1 tsp dried oregano

~salt and pepper

~dash of nutmeg.

~3 cups of your favorite marinara sauce

~3 cups fresh bechemel sauce

What To Do

*Boil some water and toss in those lasagna noodles!  Cook them until they are soft and pliable, but are still a touch underdone...you will be finishing these off in the oven, so you don't want them to be mush!

*While your noodles are cooking, saute the chopped spinach and garlic with the nutmeg in a touch of olive oil until the spinach has wilted down.  Remove from heat to cool.

*Mix together your yummy filling:  ricotta, egg, 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, basil, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste.

*Once the spinach has cooled a bit, add it to the ricotta mixture and mix it all together.

*Drain your noodles

*Prep a glass pan with some cooking spray and pour 1&1/2 cups of your marinara into the bottom of the pan.

*Take each lasagna noodle, and spread out about 1/4 cup of the mixture onto each one, leaving about an inch of space at one end (so when you roll it up, it has room to spread).  ROLL that noodle up!

*Place each roll up into your pan with space in between, you don't want to pack them tight at all.

*A whole box of noodles and I used two glass pans, one 9x13 and one 8x11 (?)

*Top the lasagna roll-ups evenly and generously with the bechemel and sprinkle each with parmesan cheese

*Bake both pans at 400 degrees for about 50 minutes, or until the top is golden and bubbly.

I would let these beauties sit for about 10 minutes before you dig in, just to cool them a bit and let them set, so they don't fall apart.  Serve with a salad and you've got dinner!!

Pierogi's with Peppers and Kielbasa

This is one of Kristoffer's favorite dishes, and truth be told, it's one of mine, too.  I LOVE pierogi's, they are delicious little pillows of soft fluffy mashed potato wrapped in pasta.  You can cook them any which way, but in this dish, I soak them in hot water to soften them, and then lightly pan fry them in *cough, cough* butter.  Yes, yes I know, but butter has a flavor you just can't beat in this dish.  The pierogi's are complimented with savory kielbasa and sauteed peppers and onions and serve with sour cream for a complete flavor blast.

This is a great fall/winter dish when served hot....OR you can serve it room temp for a summer dish.  And if you're looking to lighten it up (which is the way we usually do it), use turkey kielbasa, extra veggies and fat free sour cream.

Peirogi's with Peppers and Kielbasa

What You'll Need

~1 box of frozen pierogi's (we always get Mrs. T's)
~1 turkey kielbasa
~2 red/yellow/orange peppers
~1 medium yellow onion
~2 green onions
~2 tbs butter for frying
~salt and pepper to taste

What To Do

~Pour the pierogi's into a large bowl and run hot tap water on top.  Soak for about 15-20 minutes and put fresh hot water in once more if they are still frozen.  Just give them a gentle squeeze to feel the inside.  Do this while you chop your veggies and meat.  Drain pierogi's and place on paper towel.

~Slice your kielbasa on the angle (it just looks pretty) and sautee in a pan.  If you are using turkey kielbasa, you may need a touch of oil in the pan to compensate for the lower fat content and prevent burning.  When it's done, pull it out with a slotted spoon and set aside to keep warm.

~Slice your onions into half circles and toss into the same pan you used for the kielbasa.  Sautee for a few minutes, then toss in your peppers that have been sliced lengthwise.  Sautee until tender, adding a pinch of salt (you won't need much, they will absorb some of the juices leftover from the kielbasa!) and a sprinkle of pepper.

~Pour your peppers and onions into a wide platter and surround with pierogi's, top with your sliced kielbasa and sprinkle with chopped green onions.

~Serve with sour cream and LOVE your dinner!

Crockpot Korean Pork Tacos with Cucumber Slaw

Oh...my...holy heck.  These pork tacos are absolutely delicious.  Yes...delicious my friends, so so so GOOD!  I can't really take credit for this recipe, I found it through Pinterest, but changed the meat from beef to pork.  I'm not very versed in cooking Asian foods, as much as I love Asian food; it's a very different ingredient set!  BUT, this recipe is SUPER easy.  If you can open bottles, you can totally make this dish.

The pork cooks in the crockpot with the sauce for 6-8 hours making it super tender.  Then it's shredded while the sauce reduces and thickens, tossed back together and served in soft flour tortillas with a sweet and sour cucumber slaw.  Prepare yourself for a 5 star meal at a fraction of the cost.  This is a dish you make to impress.

Korean Pork Tacos with Cucumber Slaw

What You'll Need

{For the pork}

*4-5 pounds picnic pork, pork butt, pork shoulder (it's just about the same)

*10 oz low sodium soy sauce

*1 C. brown sugar

*6 garlic cloves

*4 Tbs fresh grated ginger

*6 Tbs rice vinegar

*6 Tbs dark sesame oil

*2 T vegetable oil

*2 Tbs sriracha hot sauce (yes, it has to be sriracha)

*1 C. water

{For the slaw}

*1 regular cucumber, halved lengthwise and  sliced thin

*1/3 red onion also sliced thin

*1/4 tsp salt

*4 Tbs rice vinegar

*crushed red pepper (opt)

What To Do

{For the pork}

*Dump everything in the crockpot and set on low for 8 hours or high for 6 hours.

*After the 6 or 8 hours, pull the pork out and shred.

*Pour the sauce into a saucepan on the stove at medium-high heat and reduce by half.

*Toss the pork back into the reduced sauce and keep warm.

{For the slaw}

*Toss your ingredients together into a bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.  This will help to soften the veggies. (Was that too easy?!)

TO SERVE

*I sprinkled some sesame seeds on the pork to make it look pretty on the platter.  

*Scoop up some pork into a soft, warm flour tortilla, top with some cucumber slaw and devour.  Oh yeah, so good!!  

*And don't skimp out on the cucumber slaw!  This is absolutely vital to the dish and makes the whole taco and sweet and sour perfectly rounded meal.

*And, your welcome!

Crispy Fried Onion Strings

If you're like me, you're probably picky about your onion rings.  For me, they have to be *just* right.  I don't like the crumbly 'bread crumb' cheap coating a lot of places use for their onion rings, and I don't like them soggy.  I like a nice, light, crisp coating that's not too salty.  And I don't like big chunks of onion.  I like them a little thinner, but not too thin.  See, I'm a little picky! 

For the longest time, I thought the only way to get the perfect onion ring, was to use a batter, and for me, that just didn't sound like a good time.  But lucky for me, and YOU, using a batter is totally not required for the perfect, homemade onion ring.

I made these onion rings with much trepidation....waiting for the recipe to get...hard.  And, well, it didn't happen!  And by the time I was done, I was left with a perfectly delicious mound of light, crispy onion strings that I couldn't stop sampling.  They were sooooo delish!

 

So, if you'd like some crispy onion strings to top your salad or just for snacking on game day, these are waaaay easier than you think, no batter required.

Crispy Fried Onion Strings

What You'll Need

*One large, red onion

*3 cups buttermilk (don't have buttermilk?  See below)

*2 cups flour

*1-2 Tbs cayenne pepper, ground

*1 tsp salt plus more for sprinkling

*1 tsp pepper

*Vegetable oil for frying

What To Do

*Chop the ends off of the onion and and slice the onion in half from cut end to cut end, then place the flat part of the onion on the board and slice into fairly thin strips.  You can slice them however thick you want.

*Drop you fresh onion slices into a big bowl and cover with buttermilk, let them soak for a solid hour.  

****No buttermilk?  Yeah, me neither, I never buy the stuff.  So what do I use when I need buttermilk?  regular milk and lemon juice or vinegar.  Just take your cup measure and fill with 1/4 cup lemon juice OR vinegar, then fill the rest of the way with your regular milk.  Boom.  Instant buttermilk!****

*While the onions are soaking, in another large bowl, mix up the flour, cayenne, salt and pepper.

*With tongs, pull the onions out of the buttermilk and drop into the flour, toss to coat evenly.

*Have your oil in a large pot on the stove preheated to 375 degrees.

*Shake off a handful of the onion strings and drop them gently into the oil, fry for about 5-7 minutes or until light golden brown.

*Let the onion strings drain on paper towels after their done and sprinkle with a tad more salt if needed.

*Restrain yourself from devouring them all....

~These are super yummy, and you may even be able to experiment with making your own Outback Steakhouse 'Bloomin' Onion' knockoff, mmmmmm.  

~And, you can use a regular yellow or white onion if you want, but the red onion is naturally sweeter, so it's my personal choice.

 

Grilled Fish Tacos

So, remember how 10 years ago the thought of fish tacos was just icky and disgusting and downright silly?  Mmmm, yes, I do too.  Then my hubby and I moved to fabulous Las Vegas and found ourselves a little fresh Mexican joint just down the road, and wouldn't you know it, they had fish tacos on the menu.  I scoffed at the sight of them on the menu, "Who would eat *those*??", I pondered.  And then one day, I bravely stepped outside my culinary comfort zone; urged into experimentation by my dazzling new surroundings, I ordered myself a single fish taco.  It was absolutely delicious, and if I weren't too busy scarfing down the rest of the taco, I would have had a gaping mouth to exhibit my astonishment.  The remainder of our time in Vegas would yield many a fish-taco order from down the street.  I have yet to find a decent fish taco here in Salt Lake, but I can make a darned tasty one in my own home, so here it is!

(Like how my little lime is holding my floppy corn tortilla down?)

Grilled Fish Tacos

What You'll Need and What To Do

~for the fish~

*2 pounds whitefish (halibut, snapper, mahi mahi, cod...I even used tilapia)

*1/3 C. olive oil

*3 minced garlic cloves

*1/2 tsp cumin

*1 Tbs chili powder

*S&P

*Set aside the fish and mix up all the other ingredients.  Brush onto the fish and let sit for about half and hour.  

*Grill it up until done...if you don't want to grill, you can *totally* bake the fish in the oven at 350 for about 20ish minutes.  It depends on how thick your fish is.

~for the sauce~

*1 C. sour cream

~1/2 C. mayo

~3 Tbs cilantro

~zest and juice of 1 lime

~S&P to taste

*Are you ready, this is really difficult....dump everything into your blender/cuisinart and blend until pureed.  Done.  Really, it couldn't be any easier!  I like to do this ahead of time and refrigerate until I'm ready, this way the sauce has time to chill and thicken up a bit.

~everything else~

* You'll also need some corn or flour tortillas that have been warmed

*some pico de gallo (which is essentially a super fresh salsa...I just dice tomatoes  and mix with cilantro, maybe garlic if I have the time, lime juice, S&P.)

*Shredded green and red cabbage.  Use cabbage, lettuce just isn't the same and you'll be totally disappointed in the tacos.

*fresh limes cut into wedges

To assemble, put some cabbage in your tortilla, top with fish, pico de gallo, sauce and a squeeze of fresh lime. Mmmmmm, devour!

Taco Chicken Burrito Bowl

We eat a lot of Mexican-ish food around here.  My husband has a little flame for Mexican food...the good stuff, and I'll admit it, I'm a sucker for a good smothered enchilada if it's done right; and don't get me started on my obsession for tamales.  But the other reason we eat Mexican a few times a week, is that it's actually pretty easy to keep it healthy.  In this Taco Chicken Burrito Bowl, you get it all without the shell!  I've tossed in a few extra veggies just because I'm finding I'm just one of "those" moms.

Taco Chicken Burrito Bowl

What You'll Need and What To Do

~for the chicken~

 

*4 chicken breasts (2 for now, 2 for later!)

*1 packet dry ranch dressing

*1 packet dry taco seasoning

*2 cups chicken broth

*1 crock pot

~Put chicken in crock pot with broth, sprinkle both packets of seasonings on top and cover, cook  on high for 5-6 hours, shred, put back into crock pot for another 30 minutes with juice.  When you are ready for the chicken, pull it out with tongs or a slotted spoon and save half in a freezer container with some juice.

~for the rice~

*2& 1/4 cups chicken broth

*1 C. rice

*1/2 C. chopped onion

*Diced bell pepper

*Chopped spinach

*S&P

~Boil your broth and toss the rice in and reduce heat to simmer until rice is cooked.  Sautee onion and bell pepper in olive oil until tender and add in spinach to wilt, S&P.  Add in cooked rice and stir to combine.  You're not looking for a super flavor packed rice here, the chicken is very seasoned as well as the guacamole that's going on top, so don't overkill!

~for the guacamole~

*2 large or 3 medium avocados

*juice of 1 lime

*1 Tbs finely minced onion

*2 medium or 1 large garlic clove, minced

*1 tsp cumin

*1/2 tsp chili powder

*S&P

*finely chopped cilantro (opt)

~So, guacamole can be tricky, but once you get the hang of it, it's really pretty simple.  The above ingredients are really all you need, the more spices you start adding, the 'less fresh' it starts to taste.  Making food taste great is all about keeping it simple and it doesn't get any simpler than this.  If you like chunky guacamole, then dice up the avocados or do a rough mash.  If you like a more 'mushy mash', use a potato masher.  Once it's mashed, switch to a spoon to mix in all the other stuff.  If it needs a touch more salt, add it, but a little at a time!

All of this really isn't that difficult, promise!!  The chicken cooks itself, the rice does too essentially, all you need to do is chop, shred and stir are few things.  Once you're done, assembly is a snap.  Rice in the bottom, (I sprinkle on some fresh spinach leaves next), drained chicken on next, diced fresh tomatoes and guacamole to finish!  Of course you can add cheese or sour cream if you want, good luck!

Hawaiian Pork Shish-kebabs

Summa' is HERE!  Thank goodness!  I love finding new things to cook on the grill, it gives me a few extra minutes to be outside, and food on the grill always smells amazing (I secretly love making the neighbors jealous).  Plus, if you can cook it on the grill, you can make a healthy meal

I morphed a recipe I found into this little nugget of numminess, so now it's on my list of favorites.

Hawaiian Pork Shish-kebabs

What You'll Need:

~1-1.5 pounds picnic pork (I think it's might be a shoulder or butt)

~2 Tbs vegetable oil

~1 tsp cumin

~2 Tbs soy sauce

~1 Tbs fish sauce (no worries if you leave it out-but try it sometime!)

~1/2 C. brown sugar

~2 tsp yellow curry powder

~1 can coconut milk

~dash of cayenne

~1/2 tsp salt

~1/4 tsp pepper

~Cut up red onion

~Cut up fresh pineapple

What To Do:

~This really isn't that hard.  Really!  Just dice your pork into 1 inch cubes and put it into a thick ziplock bag.

~Pour the rest of your ingredients into a small saucepan and simmer on low-ish and stir until combined.

~Pour half of the mixture over your pork, seal the bag and squish around to get the meat coated.

~Refrigerate your pork for about 6 hours, OR overnight, OR you can even freeze it in the sauce.

~Keep the rest of the sauce in the saucepan and reduce it by about half and set aside.

~Start skewering your pork and alternating it with the red onion and pineapple.

~Grill it up on high until done.

~DONE!

You can serve over plain rice, OR you can serve it over Coconut Vanilla Sticky Rice.