Lasagna Spinach Rolls

One of my favorite blogs is SkinnyTaste.com, Gina has wonderful recipes that are not filled with processed foods and she does a wonderful job describing her recipes. I was wandering through her site and saw the Spinach Lasagna Rolls and wanted to give them a try. I have changed them to add ground beef to the sauce and the proportions of some of the items for my own liking. I thought these were a great way to have individual servings of lasagna and like most recipes can be customized to your liking with different spices / stuffings.

Lasagna Spinach Rolls: Serves 12

12 Lasagna Noodles
4oz Mozzarella Cheese - Shredded (I am using Part Skim)
1/2C Parmesan Cheese - Shredded
15oz Ricotta Cheese (I am using Part Skim)
20oz Frozen Spinach
1 Egg - Beaten
1 Onion - Diced
1/2lbs Ground Beef (I am using 93% Lean)
30oz Tomato Sauce
6oz Tomato Paste
15oz Tomato Chunks - Drained
2TB Fresh Basil (2tsp dried)
2 Garlic Cloves - Minced
1/2tsp Onion Powder
1tsp Sugar
Salt & Pepper

First Step, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling add the lasagna noodles and stir often to make sure they do not stick to one another. Cook until the noodles are al dente, remember they will finish cooking in the oven.

While the water is heating up we can get the sauce started. In a large saute pan over medium heat brown the beef with the onions and some salt and pepper. Once the meat is completely cooked drain the fat out of the pan. Add the garlic, tomato sauce, tomato paste, tomato chunks, basil, onion powder, sugar and some more salt and pepper. Bring up to a light simmer and stir every few minutes letting it bubble away while the noodles cook and you prepare the filling.

So now you have your noodles boiling and your sauce simmering, a perfect time to make the filling. Take 2 packages of frozen spinach (20oz total) out of their packaging and place in a microwave safe container. Microwave until the spinach is completely thawed. Place in a colander and squeeze the spinach with your hands getting absolutely as much liquid out of the spinach as you can. Once drained add the ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses with the beaten egg to the spinach. With a fork blend everything together.

Now that the parts are all ready we can assemble! Place half of the sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 pan. To make sure that I got an even amount of filling in each noodle I laid all 12 noodles out on my counter and then took a cookie scoop and scooped 2 large scoops onto each noodle then moved the filling around until it was evenly distributed. Using your fingers or a spoon spread the filling out to cover all but 1" of the noodle. Gently roll from the filled end of the lasagna sheet to the 1" empty end and place seam side down into the 13x9. Continue with the remaining noodles then scoop the other half of the sauce on top of the rolls. Place in a 350° oven for 30 minutes until the sauce is bubbling. Remove and let sit for 3-5 minutes then serve and enjoy!

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WW:5 Points Plus / 1 roll
8 Points Plus / 1.5 rolls
11 Points Plus / 2 rolls

Simple Spinach Salad

I'll be the first to admit that when it comes to eating my vegetables I usually prefer them to be cooked then in salad form.  But sometimes I just want a quick easy side dish for a meal and salads are always easy to toss together in a pinch.  My uncle actually alerted me to the flavors in this salad and I made it in less than 2 minutes at lunch today. It is simple but flavorful and extremely easy to make.

Simple Spinach Salad: Serves 1

1tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1.5tsp Lemon Juice
Pinch Pepper
Pinch Sea Salt
1TB Parmesan Cheese - Shaved or Shredded
2C Fresh Spinach

In the bottom of your salad bowl mix the oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper together with a whisk or a fork until the oil has incorporated completely with the juice. Toss in the spinach and gently toss to coat the leaves. Top with the parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Pizza Pot Pie

When I was in Architecture School I was getting ready to go on a trip to Chicago with a seminar class and our professor was telling us about her favorite restaurants and she mentioned a place that has an upside down pizza. Well that definitely got my attention. She said they put all the toppings in a large bowl with the cheese and sauce and then stretch the crust over the top of the bowl and bake it. When it is finished they bring it to the table, set it in front of everyone and flip it over so the crust is on the bottom and the toppings just fall into place.



It is now over 5 years since that seminar and I ran across a link to the restaurant and I decided to give it a shot myself. I did decide to make individual pizza pot pies using small ramekins as I am often serving for one and if you are serving a family you can individualize the toppings for each person - perfect for a make your own pizza night!

Pizza Pot Pie: Serves 6

1lbs Lean Ground Beef (I used 93% Lean)
1 Medium Onion - Diced
15oz Tomato Sauce
2-3TB Tomato Paste
3TB Fresh Basil (1TB Dried)
1/2tsp Onion Powder
1/2tsp Garlic Powder
6oz Mozzarella Cheese Shredded (I used Part Skim Milk)
12oz Fresh Spinach
1 Pizza Dough (I used Pillsbury's Classic)
Salt & Pepper

In a medium saute pan brown the beef and onions together with some salt and pepper. Once the beef is browned drain the fat and return the beef and veggies back to the pan. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil, onion powder & garlic powder and cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes to allow the sauce to reduce slightly and thicken up.

Now to assemble! Spray 6 ramekins that will hold approx. 1.5C. Place 1oz of mozzarella cheese in the bottom of each ramekin, topped by 1/6th of the beef, and 2oz of spinach. This should fill the ramekin. Take the crust out of the container and split into 6 equal pieces, gently stretch the dough so it will fit over the top of each ramekin and fold slightly over the sides.

Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake at 425° for approximately 15-20 minutes until your dough has turned a nice golden brown. Remove from the oven and flip each ramekin over onto a plate and with a spoon gently loosen the dough from the sides of the dish then carefully lift the bowl off of the crust and the toppings will flow into the dough and your family will be really impressed with this different take on pizza!

If you will not be serving all 6 at once only flip the ones that will be used right away. Let the others cool then wrap in foil and refrigerate. When you are ready to eat reheat in the oven and flip as described above once warmed. By not flipping it right away you will be able to still have a crispy crust when you reheat.

Enjoy!

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WW: 9 Points Plus / serving

Jillian's Kitchen Recipe Video - Salmon Fillet Maryland Style

Ever wondered what others think of my recipes? Well another fellow blogger is going to be doing one Jillian's Kitchen recipe a week and posting a video diary of her experiences on her blog. Tonight was her first Jillian's Kitchen recipe video blog, and she chose Salmon Fillet Maryland Style.

This is personally my favorite way to have Salmon and if you are interested in seeing it come to life check it out on WWMovieGirl's Fantastic YouTube Blog!

- Jillian

Baked Mashed Sweet Potatoes

So a few weeks ago I made Sweet Potato Puffs, which don't get me wrong, were delicious, but took some energy to pipe into individual rounds and bake.  Well the solution to my problem of laziness presented itself last week on my vacation in the form of these absolutely adorable little ceramic ramekins that I have been dying to make something in ever since I said "they are mine!".  I ended up using a very similar recipe of boiling then baking the potatoes but I switched up the seasonings today to go with the meal I am having.  I think these mimic a twice baked potato with a little bit of a crispy crust and a soft center and when baked in individual ramekins they make serving a breeze!

Baked Mashed Sweet Potatoes: Serves 3-4

22oz Sweet Potatoes (approx 2 large potatoes) - Peeled & Cubed
3TB Milk
3TBC Sour Cream (I use Daisy's Light)
2tsp Butter
1tsp Crushed Dried Rosemary
1/4tsp Onion Powder
Salt & Pepper

Place the raw potatoes in an ice water bath and stir them around for a moment, then drain and discard any ice cubes. You will notice that the water turns a cloudy white, this is the excess starch being released from the potato. Next place the potatoes in a large pot of salted water and bring up to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender and mashable. Drain and place the potatoes either in a stand mixer or in a bowl that you can use a hand mixer with. Add the remaining ingredients and whip the potatoes until a smooth consistency. If you do not have an electric mixer you can do this by hand you just may have some lumps in your mix. Once blended evenly divide the mix into individually greased ramekins and place in a 425° oven for 40-45 minutes until the tops start to turn a nice golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve!

Also...if you don't want to take the time to bake them, the potatoes were delicious as the mashed potatoes prior to baking! The baking just adds another layer of texture to the mix.

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WW: 5 Points Plus / serving @ 3 servings
4 Points Plus / serving @ 4 servings

Creamy Chicken & Asparagus Pasta

A few months back I made a very similar pasta dish which was inspired by the Philadelphia Cooking Cremes. Well it has occurred to me that I don't always have that in my fridge and I can't use a tub of it up fast enough before it goes bad so I figured I better try to make my own as I really enjoyed the meal. So the below is an alternate to that meal that I really enjoyed and I think you will too, one thing I wasn't crazy about in the Philly Cremes was the overpowering quality of the spices in the dip (hence why I diluted it with the sour cream!) well this recipe solves that problem. I used fresh herbs from my garden and wow, what a difference. It tastes fresh and creamy and I would even venture to say this would be great as a cold salad!

Creamy Chicken & Asparagus Pasta: serves 4

8oz Pasta
1 Chicken Breast (Boneless/Skinless - approx 225g)
1 Bunch Asparagus (approx 1lb) - ends trimmed
1TB Olive Oil
1/2C Sour Cream (I use Daisy's Light)
2TB Milk
1/2C Parmesan Cheese - Shredded
2-3 Garlic Cloves - Minced
1/4tsp Onion Powder
1/4tsp Garlic Powder
1TB Fresh Basil (1tsp dried)
1TB Fresh Oregano (1tsp dried)
Salt & Pepper

Mix the sour cream, milk, onion powder, garlic powder, basil and oregano together and set to the side.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente. drain and return to the pot.

While the pasta is cooking toss the trimmed asparagus with 1.5tsp of the olive oil, salt and pepper and either saute on a pan, or place in a 350° oven for approximately 10-15 minutes until the asparagus is bright green, still has a little bit of a crunch to it, yet no longer tastes raw. Remove from the oven and slice into 1" segments and set to the side.

Time for some multi-tasking. While the asparagus is doing its thing, slice the chicken into small bite size pieces and mix with salt and pepper. Add the remaining 1.5tsp of olive oil to a saute pan with the garlic over medium heat and allow to cook for about 45 seconds until the garlic turns fragrant. Toss the chicken into the pan and toss in the oil and garlic and cook for approximately 6-8 minutes, flipping once until the chicken is cooked through.

Now that everything is cooked it is time to assemble. Add all of the parts together and stir well to incorporate the sauce all over everything. Split into 4 serving bowls and enjoy! I'm glad that the Philly Cremes made me think of this recipe but I'm even happier I decided to do it myself as the flavors are exactly where I wanted them this time.

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WW: 10 Points Plus / serving

Girly Obsessions

I wanted to share with you guys a great blog that is run by two of my favorite females ever! Girly Obsessions tag line is "two girls. two computers. zero impulse control." What a great statement for the idea of a blog, the girls are writing about all things girly: baking, beauty, eye candy, footwear, dwelling, fashion, pets, art & design and mixed bag. Over the last few weeks of its existence I have already seen multiple recipes I want to try and some great articles on a variety of topics!

The blog is well written and has new posts multiple times a week that seem to really speak to me and my tastes. For example...today's post: Cake Batter Ice Cream. Seriously People. How can I not love a blog that has a post dedicated to Cake Batter Ice Cream!?

Check it out at: www.girlyobsessions.com, share with your friends :)