Meatless Manicotti

Okay, I can't take all the credit for this one, it actually came from a friend, the lovely Liz Posey Jones, but it's soooo good and super easy. One of my favorite meatless dinners!

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1 carton (16 ounce) cottage cheese

1 package (10 ounce) fresh or frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained or squeezed

1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 black pepper

1 package manicotti shells

1 jar tomato-basil pasta sauce (or use homemade!)

3/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 375. 

Combine 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, cottage cheese, black pepper, spinach and Parmesan cheese in medium bowl. Spoon about 3 tablespoons mixture into each uncooked manicotti shell. Pour half of tomato-basil pasta sauce into a 13x9 baking dish. Arrange stuffed shells in a single layer over sauce and top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella evenly over sauce. Pour 3/4 cup water into dish. Cover tightly with foil. Bake at 375 for 1 hour or until shells are tender (I've done a little less, 53 or 55ish min has still been okay). Let stand 10 min. before serving. 

Shan's own Butternut Squash Lasagna

I never measure anything when I make up recipes (or really ever for that matter!), so eyeball everything. *Tip: I love to make individual servings of lasagna and bake them each on their own plate, so servings aren’t sloppy like most lasagna. To do this, cut the noodles with kitchen shears and assemble individually in ramekins or on a bake able dish.

Ingredients:

-1 package lasagna (I like to get the completely flat lasagna with no ugly side ridges)
-1 butternut squash
-cream
-Swiss, gruyere, or emmanthaler cheese (or all 3!)
-fresh spinach
-butter
-EVOO
-a little flour (for the roux)
-salt
-pepper
-nutmeg
-zest of one lemon

Directions:

1. Peel, cube, and roast squash with lots of EVOO, salt, pepper, and a little nutmeg in about a 400 degree oven until golden brown (or just taste until soft on the inside)
2. Cook lasagna noodles.
3. Mix about 2 -3 tablespoons of butter with a little flour to make a roux. Continue by adding cream and a handful of grated cheese, and then lemon zest for a lovely bichemel sauce. Add salt and pepper as needed. Whisk the whole time.
4. Put roasted squash into a VitaMix (my favorite tool!) or a Cuisinart/food processor. Puree for a couple seconds; you want it pureed but not too smooth, so it retains some of that gourdish texture. Add more evoo if needed, and add more salt, pepper, or nutmeg also to taste.
5. Strain lasagna noodles and pat dry.
6. Spoon squash puree into the bottom of a lasagna dish. Layer noodles, then white sauce and spinach, then more noodles, then butternut squash, then repeat. Cover top with more grated cheeses and throw back in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until cheese is golden!

Yum Yum Salad

K, so I am winging it but this is my all time favorite quick and healthy meal!

1 head of lettuce
10-12 mini carrots cut
1/2 large Avocado (I suggest taking out the seed, cutting it in a grid then pushing out into salad)
1/2 large apple cut in very small chunks
1 Chicken Breast grilled and cut into squares
1/2 large cucumber (sliced very thin!) Leave the skin on if it is organic
2 Celery Stalks cut

Toss...

Dressing is adjustable. It consists of Olive Oil, Red Wine Vinegar and Garlic Salt. Start with 1 and 1/2 T of Olive Oil and about 1/2 T of Red Wine Vinegar ( I usually eye it to have Red Wine Vinegar be about 1/4 of my Olive Oil). Add as necessary, if you really like the tart flavor of vinegar you can add Balsamic as well... but only a few drops! Add Garlic Salt to personal liking and enjoy!

Chicken Reuben

These are SO yummy. I didn't think I liked Reuben sandwiches until I had these! They are fun to make for lunch or a light dinner. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

Serves 4

• chicken breasts
• 8 slices sourdough bread (or any kind of bread you prefer)
  
• 4 ounces sliced Swiss cheese
• 1 pound (1 jar or package) sauerkraut, drained and squeezed dry (not rinsed)
• 1/3 cup light mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoon ketchup

Directions

1. Turn on broiler, with rack 4 inches from the heat. Thinly slice chicken. Top 4 slices of bread with cheese, then with chicken and sauerkraut.
2. In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise and ketchup; spoon over sauerkraut. Place remaining slices of bread on top.
3. Broil sandwiches, about 2 minutes on each side, until cheese has melted and bread is golden brown. Cut in half, and serve immediately.

Corn Tortelli with Lemon Basil Butter

This recipe is amazing! It's like an Italian ravioli but flatter and hand-made. Also, the corn and the mascarpone go together so well. I got the original recipe from Giada (of Everyday Italian fame), but naturally I've altered a couple things. Her original recipe calls for tarragon butter, but basil and corn just go so well together I couldn't resist. Also, chicken is really good in it or on the side for you meat lovers. Enjoy!

1) Fresh Pasta Dough:
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

Place flour in a food processor. In a small bowl whip eggs. Add the salt and olive oil to the eggs and combine. Add the egg mixture to the flour. Pulse to combine the ingredients, scraping down the sides. Continue until the liquid is evenly distributed, about 1 minute. The dough should stick together if pinched between your fingers. The dough will be cornmeal-yellow in color.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Press the dough into a ball and knead gently until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

2) Corn Tortelli:
Cornmeal, as needed
2 cans corn, drained well (about 1 1/2 cups total)
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese (4 ounces)
1/4 cup mozzarella or other white cheese of your choice
1/2 teaspoon minced basil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, for egg wash

Special equipment: pasta roller, scalloped pasta cutter (this is optional--I just cut mine with a knife)

Sprinkle baking sheet w/cornmeal and set aside. Roll out pasta dough. Cut a piece of the dough off the ball and shape into a rectangle about the size of a deck of cards. Cover remaining dough with plastic wrap and set aside. Roll the rectangle dough through the widest setting of the pasta machine a few times until smooth. Then roll through to the thinnest setting. Gently fold, place on the cornmeal-lined baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Continue rolling out the rest of the pasta.

Next, in a medium bowl mix together the drained corn, mascarpone cheese, mozzarella cheese, basil, and pepper. Stir to combine and set aside. In a small bowl, beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water and set aside. To form tortelli, place a sheet of pasta on a dry surface. Use pastry brush dipped in egg wash, to brush entire sheet of pasta. Place rounded teaspoons of the corn filling on the pasta sheet, about 2 inches apart. Carefully place another sheet of pasta over the mounds, smoothing out any air pockets and firmly sealing the pasta around the filling. Cut the pasta into small squares. Transfer the Tortelli to the cornmeal-lined baking sheet. Continue forming the remaining tortelli.

3) Basil Lemon Butter:
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), room temperature
1/3 cup corn (canned or fresh)
1 teaspoon chopped basil
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup grated Parmesan, for garnish

-In a medium bowl, gently mix together all the ingredients.

To serve, place the Lemon Basil Butter in a large serving bowl. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until they float, about 2 minutes. Drain pasta, using a large mesh strainer or slotted spoon, into the bowl with the butter. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings