Butternut Squash Lasagna

We love butternut squash (well at least my daughter and I do). Two years ago we tried growing it on trellises and found it was not only supper easy but we got a ton of them. There are a lot of ways we use this sweet creamy squash but one of my favorites is this lasagna. My daughters favorite is homemade raviolis! This is a great meal for the holidays we had it at Christmas since it can be put together before the big day and just popped in the oven. 

Like most lasagnas this one has three layers which can all be made at separate times and then put together when ready. Making your own ricotta cheese in a crock pot is super easy (and much cheaper then store bought) it requires only two ingredients, milk and lemon juice. My instructions for ricotta can be found here.

Butternut Squash Lasagna

3 cups grated mozzarella cheese

9 Lasagna Noodles*

Filling

1 Butternut Squash

1 tbs chopped fresh sage, bay, or basil leaves or a combination.

3 tsp fennel seeds, crushed

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

2 cups ricotta cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan

2 eggs

Sauce

¼ cup butter

¼ cup flour

3 cups milk

Pinch of nutmeg and sage, bay, or basil

Filling

Wash the squash and place the entire uncut squash in a 400º preheated oven on a baking sheet. Bake for 45-90 min depending on the size of the squash. It is done when a knife easily slides through it. Let cool before removing the skin and deseeding. Chop up the flesh and place it in a blender or food processor to puree. 
Mix the squash puree, ricotta, parmesan, eggs and spices together in a large bowl. Refrigerate mixture until ready to assemble. 

Sauce
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Once the butter is melted add the flour and spices and stir to cook for about 1 min. Pour all of the milk into the pan and whisk to incorporate all the flour.  Continue to stir until the sauce thickens this could take about 5 min. 

To Assemble
This works well in one 13x9 inch dish or two       inch dishes. Start with a layer of sauce on the bottom of the dish and place noodles in a single layer on top of the sauce. Place a layer of filling and then a layer of cheese on the noodles. Continue with another layer of sauce, noodles, filling, and cheese. I usually make 2-3 layers depending on how deep my dish is. End with a layer of noodles, then cover with sauce and sprinkle on a bit more cheese. 

To Bake
Place lasagna in a 375°F preheated oven for 30-40 min or until the sauce is bubbly. Remove from the oven and keep covered in foil for 5 more min before serving.

To Freeze  
Before baking the lasagna can be frozen for later use. Place a cover over the top of the dish and freeze for use later. When you are ready to eat the lasagna take it out of the freezer and cover the dish with foil. Bake in a 450°F oven for 40-50 min or until the sauce is bubbly. Remove from the oven and keep covered in foil for 5 more min before serving. 


*I find if you leave the lasagna covered with foil during the entire cook time and for 5 min after removing from the oven you do not have to preboil packaged noodles. If you are using homemade noodles then you can remove the foil for 5-10 min at the end of the cook time to brown the cheese on top.  

Bean Balls

My son asked me to make meatballs with marinara the other day this is the recipe I came up with tonight for "meat"balls. I used butter beans and squash in my recipe but really any bean would work as well as most any veggie you have on hand. By using different spices these can take on any flavor you would like. I used equal parts sage, oregano, parsley, and thyme tonight. I also added about 1/2 tsp dried minced onion.

Bean Balls

2 cups cooked beans

½ -1 cup veggies

1 clove garlic

1 cup oats

¼ tsp salt

2-3 tsp spices

Preheat oven to 400º. Place beans, veggies, and garlic in food processor and chop till everything is in very small pieces but not pureed. Add the spices and enough oats so the mixture holds together well. If it gets too dry add a small amount of bean liquid or water. My beans were quite soft and ended up being pretty much pureed by the time I scooped them out but they would be just as good if they were not completely pureed. Scoop out small balls about 1 inch round and place on a stone or baking sheet. Freeze or bake.

Bake for 20 minutes until they are firm and lightly brown.You can flip them half way through the baking time if you want a more even brown on the top and bottom. 

They are ready to eat or you can cook them in marinara sauce. Heat a skillet of marinara sauce to a light simmer. Add the cooked bean balls to the sauce. Stir to coat and then let simmer for 5 min. Serve with spaghetti or in meatball sandwiches.  

Simple Baked Beans

I love baked beans with cornbread! This version takes quite a bit of cook time but only a few minutes of prep time. The slow bake allows time for the flavors to really sink into the beans.

Baked Beans

4 cups cooked Navy Beans

1 onion

1-2 cups veggies 

2 cups vegetable broth

½ cup molasses

¼ cup maple syrup

1 tsp dry mustard

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Chop the onion and the veggies into bit size pieces. In a casserole dish with a lid combine all of the ingredients and mix together. Bake covered at 300º for 2 ½ hours.

Bean Soup

I love recipes that I can make over and over again a million different ways. This is one of those recipes I can make every week and make it different every time. Choosing different beans or combinations of beans makes a big difference in this soup. I use any veggies I have on hand and decide on spices as I am mixing things together.

Bean Soup

3 cups veggie broth

2 cups water

1 cup dried beans

4 cups chopped veggies

2 bay leafs

2-4 tsp spices

Rinse and sort through the beans. Soak beans in water for 12-24 hours. Rinse beans and place in water. Wash and cut up the veggies. In a crock pot place the veggies, veggie broth, spices, and beans. Cook in crock pot on high for 4-5 hours till the beans are soft but not falling apart. Cook for another hour and puree all or part of the soup for a thicker soup. French Bread or biscuits are a wonderful side with this soup.

Leftovers can be frozen and reheated in the oven or on the stove top.

Toppings

Cheese

Sour Cream

Avocado

Salsa

Veggies We like

Corn

Carrot

Bell Pepper 

Squash

Zucchini

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Chili

When the weather gets cold we love Chili and Cornbread! This version is quite mild but if you like spicy chilli increase the Chili Powder and/or add a hot pepper. Make this up in the morning and it will be ready for dinner. It is also very versatile change up the beans, liquid, and veggies however you desire. 

Chili

4 cups cooked beans*

3-4 cups liquid*

1 Barley

1 Onion

2 cloves Garlic

2 cups veggies*

1 cup Corn

3-4 cups chopped Tomatoes

1-2 tsp Chili powder

½ tsp Salt

1 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Oregano

½ tsp pepper

¾ tsp red pepper flakes

2 tsp cilantro

Coarsely chop the veggies, onion, and garlic. Place all the ingredients in the crock pot set on low for 6 hours.

Leftovers can be frozen and reheated. Defrost on the counter for 2-3 hours or in the fridge for 24 hours. Warm up on the stove top to serve.  

Below are some of the beans, liquids, and veggies I have tried and enjoyed in our chili. 

*Beans- Kidney, Pinto, Black, Navy, Garbanzo

*Liquid- Broth, Water, Whey, Bean juice

*Veggies- Eggplant, Zucchini, Carrots, Celery, Bell Peppers

Red Lentils and Veggies

I am working more lentils and beans into our diet. I made this the other day with our Grilled Veggie Sandwiches. I worked great and will be added to our rotation.

Red Lentils and Veggies
1 1/4 cups red lentils
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
2 cups chopped veggies (eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, carrots)
2 tbs butter
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp dried thyme
pepper
salt

 Boil the lentils in enough water to cover them for 10 min. Drain and set aside.
Chop the onion, garlic, and other veggies. Heat butter in a pot. Gently saute the onions, garlic, and veggies.  Add the lentils, thyme, pepper, and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil. Cover reduce heat and simmer for 20 min. Salt to taste.

Quiche

Quiche is so easy to make and freeze and can be made with any extra veggies you have on hand.


Quiche
Pie Crust
1 cup cheese
1 cup veggies
1 tbs flour
4 eggs slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups milk, cream, or combination of the two
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 450º. Make pie crust and roll out to fit pie plate or similar dish. Line the pie crust with foil and cook for 8 min remove foil and cook an additional 5 min. Remove the pie crust from the oven and let cool.
Grate the cheese and chop the veggies. Mix together the cheese, veggies, and flour. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the cooled crust. Stir together the eggs, milk, and spices. Pour the egg mixture over the cheese and veggies.
Bake at 350º for 35-40 min until set in the center. Let stand for 10 min before serving.

Quiche can be frozen before or after baking.
If frozen before baking- Bake as directed adding 10-20 min to the time.
If frozen after baking- Bake as directed for 20-30 min.

Brown Butter Pasta

This is one of our simplest and most loved dinners. I pull this one out a lot when one of us adults will be out of the house. It is even better when made with fresh homemade pasta!

Brown Butter Pasta
2 cups pasta
4-5 tbs butter
Mizithra cheese
Parmesan Cheese
1 cup frozen or fresh peas

Cook pasta in boiling water when there is about 4 min left in the pasta cook time add the peas. Melt and brown butter in a small skillet over med heat. Drain the pasta and peas and mix with the butter. Finely grate the cheese over the pasta. Serve warm.

Options-

add different veggies cooking in your desired way

instead of butter drizzle a bit of olive oil over the warm pasta

Lentil Burgers

I made these the other day and they were delicious! Better then any other veggie burger we have ever had! I love that because I made my own buns and burgers I could make them any size I wanted. Not to big not to small just perfect for our family plus I now have 2 more dinners in the freezer.

Lentil Burgers
½ cup barley
1 ½ cups water
1 cup lentils
2 ½ cups water

½ cup walnuts
2tbs olive oil
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
2 carrots
2 tbs all purpose flour
1 ½ tsp spices
½ tsp salt

Boil water in two medium size pans. Add barley and lentils to the pans, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 45 min or until most to all of the water is gone. Mix the lentils and the barley together.

While the lentils and barley are cooking finely grind the walnuts using and food processor. Place the walnuts in a large bowl and set aside. Finely chop and sauté vegetables in the olive oil. Add the veggies to the bowl along with the flour, spices, barley and lentils. Mix and mash together until it forms a moist mixture that holds together but is not runny. If needed add more flour or veggie broth/water. Form mixture into patties. Freeze and store or Bake at 400° for 20-30 min.

Serve on Hamburger Buns with
Cheese slices, lettuce, spinach, tomato slices, onion, avocado, mayo, ketchup, relish. Whatever you like on your burger!

Bean Loaf Cupcakes

We have been enjoying this recipe for many months but just recently I decided to try baking it in the silicone cupcake holders I have. It worked perfectly to create little individual servings. I then cooked and pureed sweet potatoes to add as the "frosting" on the cakes.

Bean Loaf
1/2 cup seeds/nuts
2 tbs olive oil
One onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1 bell pepper cut into small pieces2 cups cooked beans (we use black beans)
1 cup grated cheese
1 cup dry whole wheat bread crumbs
3 tbs ap flour
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp. salt1/4 to 1/2 cup veggie broth, as needed

Preheat the oven to 350º. Set out 12 cupcake holders or spray a loaf pan or 8x8 square baking pan with cooking oil and set aside. Grind seeds in a food processor and put in a large bowl. Sauté the onion, garlic, and vegetables in the olive oil until soft. Add to the large mixing bowl along with all the remaining ingredients except the veggie broth. Mix and mash together well, adding only as much veggie broth as needed to create a soft, moist loaf that holds together and is not runny. Add more bread crumbs as needed if the loaf seems too wet. Press mixture into the prepared pan, or cups and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until cooked through and the top is crispy. Let cool in the pan for 10 to 15. Top with pureed sweet potatoes. Serve warm with a small amount of ketchup if desired.
The bean loaf can also be frozen after cooking and reheated in a 350º.

Pureed Sweet Potatoes
Wash, peel, and chop sweet potatoes. I usually do 2-3 at a time. Place in a large sauce pan along filled with just enough water to cover the potatoes and 1 tsp lemon juice. Place on stove and bring to a boil. Reduce heat cover and continue to cook for about 20-30 min until the potatoes can easily be punctured with a fork. Puree in a blender or with a hand blender in the pot.

Tomato Soup

I know the weather is warming up but I just finished making a wonderful homemade tomato soup. This is just delicious with a grilled cheese sandwich made on fresh french bread. I added left over cooked sweet potato we had in the fridge. A regular potato would be good as well.

Tomato Soup
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 ½ cups veggie broth
1 tbs basil
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk

Chop all veggies. Heat olive oil over med-high heat. Add all chopped vegetables and sauté until onion is soft and translucent. Reduce heat to medium and add tomatoes, broth, and spices Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Mix in the milk and puree the soup to your desired consistency. Remove from heat and serve.

Sloppy Bobs

I recently made delicious meatless Sloppy Joes the original recipe can be seen here. Of course like all other recipes I tweaked it a little for our family preferences. So here is my version.

Sloppy Bobs
1 cup uncooked lentils
4 cups water
1 tbs olive oil
1 onion
1 bell pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 tbs chili powder
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1 ¼ cup tomato puree1 tbs maple syrup
4-6 Hamburger Buns

Put lentils in small sauce pot and pour in 4 cups water; cover and bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer about 20 minutes, until lentils are soft; drain and set aside.
Preheat a medium pot over medium heat; saute onion and pepper in oil for about 7 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and saute a minute more. Add cooked lentils and spices and mix.
Add tomato puree. Cook about 10 minutes. Add maple syrup heat through; turn heat off and let sit for about 10 minutes.

Serve on Hamburger Buns.

Barley Baked Beans

I found this recipe in the Clean Eating magazine and made a few changes for our tastes. It turned out to be delicious!

Barley Baked Beans
2 tbs olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 cups cooked navy beans
1 pear, chopped
1/2 tsp dried ginger
1 tbs honey
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup vegetable broth
2 cups cooked barley

Saute the onion in olive oil over med heat for about 3 min. Add the carrots, celery, and garlic and saute for 2-3 more min. In a casserole dish combine the veggie mixture, navy beans, pear, spices, honey, and balsamic vinegar, and veggie broth. Mix well. Cover with glass lid and cook for 45 min at 325 F. When done mix the barley with the baked beans and serve warm.
We enjoyed a loaf of french bread with our meal.

Quick Stuffing and Sweet Potatoes

We have a ton of zucchini and squash in the garden so every meal we currently eat includes one or the other. So last night I decided to throw something together using all the stuff in the fridge including zucchini. I came up with a quick stuffing like mixture with baked sweet potatoes.

Sweet Potatoes
wash, peel, and cut 2-3 sweet potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Toss potatoes with 4 tbs olive oil and bake in a 450 oven for 20 min. Sprinkle potatoes with nutmeg and salt. Let cool for 5 min then toss with 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese.

Stuffing
5 cups bread cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 carrots chopped
1 small onion chopped
1 zucchini chopped
1/4 cup butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 to 1 cup veggie broth

Toast bread cubes in a 400 oven for 10 minutes.
In a large pot melt butter and saute the carrots, onion, and zucchini till tender. Add spices to veggie mixture.
Combine walnuts and bread cubes in a large bowl before adding them to the veggie mixture. Pour enough veggie broth to moisten the bread cubes. Cook over medium low heat for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.

Spoon stuffing mixture over sweet potatoes and serve warm.

Falafels

Falafels

2 cups Garbanzo Beans

1 clove Garlic

½ tsp Parsley

¼ tsp Coriander

¼ tsp Cumin

½ tsp Mint

2 Carrots finely shredded

½cup Bread Crumbs

4 Pita Bread shells

oil for frying

Lettuce

Mayonnaise

Puree Garbanzo beans and add garlic, finely shredded carrot, spices, and breadcrumbs mix well. This can be done by hand or in a food processor. Scoop out ping pong sized balls from the mixture and fry in hot oil for 8 minutes turning once.

Warm pita bread and fill with mayonnaise, lettuce, and falafels.

Falafels can be frozen after cooking. Reheat by baking at 350° for 10-15 minutes.

Serve with potato chips and fruit.

Pot Pie

I love pot pies but finding an organic veggie pot pie that my husband and I both like is next to impossible. So I came up with my own recipe and it is wonderful, or at least we think so.

Pot Pie Crust

1 ¼ cups flour

¾ cups wheat flour

½ tsp salt

2/3 cup shortening

4-5 tbs water

Mix flours and salt together. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add just enough water to the flour to form a ball. Knead the dough until smooth. Then roll out to fill and cover the pot pie dishes.

Pot Pie Filling

2 tbs butter

2 cups potatoes (I use frozen organic shredded potatoes the kids used to make hash browns because it is easier but you can use fresh potatoes pealed and cubed)

3 cups veggies (peas, carrots, corn, beans, whatever you like fresh or frozen)

¼ cup flour

1 cup milk (room temp)

2 cups vegetable stock (room temp)

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

½ tsp thyme and sage

1 tbs parsley

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Melt butter in a large sauce pan and sauté veggies for 5 min. Add potatoes and sprinkle veggies with flour stir for 1-2 min. Add the milk and veggie stock stirring until sauce thickens. Add the garlic and spices and continue to cook for 5 min. Roll out dough and put in dish, place veggies on crust. Put crust on top and cut slits in top. Cover and freeze or Bake at 425° for 30 min.

Potato Pancakes

Potato Pancakes

3 cups Shredded Potatoes

½ cup frozen Corn

1 cup Broccoli

1 cup grated Cheese

4 Eggs

1 tsp Thyme

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Butter

Chop broccoli into small thin pieces. Place the corn in a colander and run water over them until corn is thawed, drain well. Beat eggs and spices together in a large mixing bowl. Add the potatoes, corn, broccoli, and cheese to the eggs and mix well. Heat a large skillet and melt a small amount of butter in it. Scoop out about 1/4 cup of the potato mixture and flatten on the skillet like a pancake. Cook on each side for 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Continue cooking the pancakes in this manner until all of the potato mixture is gone. Top with sour cream and serve warm.

Note to keep the pancakes warm while I cook the rest I will heat the oven to 200 and place a large baking sheet in the oven. As I cook the pancakes I will place them on the baking sheet in the oven.

Grilled Pizza

Pizza cooked on the grill adds and extra crispness to the thin crust. These are great when we have extra tortillas or flatbread in the freezer.


Grilled Pizza

4 tortillas or flatbread

Pizza Sauce

Bar-B-Q Sauce

2 cups Veggies of you choice*

2 cups Cheese
Foil

Heat grill to med-low. Mix a small amount of Bar-B-Q Sauce into the pizza sauce. I use about 2 tbs bar-b-ques sauce for every 1/2 cup pizza sauce. Spread the sauce mix on the tortillas. Sprinkle the pizzas with grated cheese and veggies. Place tortillas on a large sheet of foil and grill for about 5 minutes until the crust is crisp and the cheese is melted.

If using frozen veggies place them right on top of the cheese in the pizza. If using fresh veggies it is best to soften them first by grilling them or sauteing them for 2- min depending on the veggie.

Fondue

We love fondue around here. I give the kids a small bowl with fondue in it and a mixture of bread, fruit, and veggies so they can enjoy the fun of Fondue. We have a small flame fondue pot for Stephen and I.

Fondue

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 clove Garlic

1 Bay Leaf (take out before serving)

1/8 teaspoon Pepper

¼ teaspoon Marjoram

1 cup Milk/ veggie broth

3 cups Cheese use a variety for different variations.

½ loaf French Bread

Carrots, Broccoli, or any fresh veggies you may have on hand
Apples cut in wedges

Cut up veggies and lightly steam them or serve raw. Cut bread into 1 inch cubes and shred the cheese. Melt and slightly brown butter in a medium pan. Add garlic and spices to the butter and heat for about 1 min. Whisk in flour and cook for another min stirring constantly. Add milk/broth and whisk until blended. Continue to stir the mixture until thickened. Add cheese and stir till melted. Dip bread, veggies, and fruit in the fondue and enjoy.

Wraps

Wraps

4 Tortillas

½ cup Rice

1 cup water

½ tablespoon butter

2 teaspoons lime juice

½ teaspoon cilantro

2 cups Black Beans

1/3 cup Corn

1 Pepper

1 cup Cheese

Sour Cream

Avocado (guacamole)

Bring water, butter, and lime juice to a boil and add rice. Cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 20 min. Add cilantro to the rice after it has cooked.

Heat beans on the stove top in a small amount of water. Cook corn and peppers in a little skillet with a small amount of oil. Heat tortillas in a skillet for about 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side or until soft and flexible. Place rice, beans, veggies, cheese, sour cream, and avocado (guacamole) on tortilla and wrap up.