Vegetable Lasagna

Eggplant typically is not my favorite ingredient to work with. I'll admit, I hadn't had much experience with it in the past, but last time I made eggplant I ended up throwing it away. I was totally grossed out by the texture of the thing. Someone told me that it must have been the recipe because eggplant isn't gross.

I'm still not about to stand on a pedestal and say I love eggplant or something, because I really don't. But I did like this recipe (and I did think it hid the eggplant well).

It was kind of messy to make. I dirtied plenty of things that needed to be washed and I managed to get tomato and cheese all over the stove top when I was trying to cut the first piece, but it was a recipe I would definitely make again.

Today's recipe is going to be submitted to Presto Pasta Nights being hosted this week by Tandy of Lavender & Lime. It will also be linked up with Midnight Maniac's Meatless Mondays.

Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients
1 eggplant, diced
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 cucumber, diced
1 red onion, diced
1/4 green bell pepper, diced
1/4 red bell pepper, diced
4 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 tbsp black olives, sliced
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tbsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 cup vegetable broth
2 tbsp Brummel&Brown yogurt spread
3 tbsp flour
5 cups milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 package lasagna noodles
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a colander put the eggplant and the salt. Let sit for 20 minutes. In the meantime, cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions.

2. In a skillet heat the oil. Add the ginger, garlic, and onions. Cook until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the eggplant, cucumber, and bell peppers and cook for 4 more minutes. Add the mushrooms, olives, tomatoes, tomato paste, rosemary, oregano, and vegetable stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, then let simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside.

3. In a small saucepan melt the Brummel&Brown. Add the flour and stir together until it forms a ball. Remove from heat and whisk in the milk. Place back on heat and bring to a boil, until the mixture thickens. Add the cheese and stir together, letting the cheese melt.

4. In a 6-cup baking dish pour about 1/3 of the cheese mixture. Top with 1/3 of the pasta noodles. Top with 1/2 of the vegetables. Continue.

5. Over the last layer of noodles pour the rest of the cheese sauce. Top with the Parmesan cheese.

6. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 for 50 minutes.

* serves 6

CALORIES: 575 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 16 milligrams
FAT: 16 grams
SODIUM: 811 milligrams

Vegetable Lo Mein

I told you I was going to be participating in foodie blogging stuff! I wasn't lying! But really I don't even know who I'm talking to. I only have one follower. How pathetic is that?

This dish was served with Spicy Ginger Cashew Chicken, which wasn't horrible but at the same time it wasn't my favorite thing ever and it's why I'm not including the recipe beyond the link in this post. The noodles however were a different story. First off, that picture of my plate is actually 1/2 serving of the pasta. There was SO much. And it was SO good. This pasta was so full of veggies, having edamame, red pepper, mushrooms, and onion. The original recipe also included mustard greens, which I'm sure would have been good but I didn't have any. I think spinach would have made a good replacement for that though and actually, when I make it again I think I would definitely include spinach.

So anyway, I'm submitting the lo mein to presto pasta. Once a week there's a roundup of all kinds of different pasta dishes. This week's Presto Pasta is hosted by From Kirsten's Kitchen To Yours.

Vegetable Lo Mein

Ingredients
10 oz angel hair pasta
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced
2 inch ginger, thinly sliced
3 garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 cup frozen edamame
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
6 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil

Directions
1. Prepare the noodles per the instructions on the package. Toss with 1 tbsp sesame oil.

2. In a skillet heat 1 tbsp sesame oil. Add the garlic, ginger, and onions until lightly softened.

3. Add mushrooms and bell peppers until lightly softened.

4. Add the noodles and the frozen edamame until heated through.

5. Add soy sauce and hoisin sauce and toss through.

* serves 4

CALORIES: 398 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 0 milligrams
FAT: 9 grams
SODIUM: 841 milligrams

Black Bean and Corn Salad

I started an internship last week, like I've been mentioning. Besides just learning a ton about the law and the process, I also have to learn to pack a lunch. During the school year I live(d) right on campus and would be able to come home and make myself something yummy to eat and I would sit and watch something like Judge Judy or People's Court or something. Now things are different and I either eat at my desk, eat in the conference room, or sit outside and watch the rain and eat. Thing is, doing this is 40 minutes away from where I live, so there's no possibility of coming home for lunch. So... now I have to pack my lunches.

When I went home to San Francisco this week I made a point to go to Japantown and get a bento box. Obviously I'm not doing the whole "bento" thing, but I like how it portions your food and I like the separators so my fruit doesn't get covered in something else.

For lunch today I had a black bean and corn salad and some sliced apples, which I made last night and just grabbed this morning. Easy lunch! Healthy lunch! Flavorful lunch! OH and transformable lunch! Guess what's for lunch tomorrow? Empanadas stuffed with this salad!

I'm watching cholesterol now too, so that will be added into all my new nutrition counts.

ALSO, I am finally participating in a foodie.. thing. Souper Sunday hosted by Kahakai Kitchen features different soups, salads, and sandwiches submitted by all blog users. I definitely feel that this bean and corn salad definitely should be shared so people can eat it up! But, I can't take full credit for this delicious dish. I found this recipe on Clean Green Simple, a blog full of many good recipes!

Black Bean and Corn Salad

Ingredients
6 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp salt
pinch cayenne pepper
1 tsp chili pepper
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup frozen corn kernels
1 avocado, peeled and cut into small cubes
20 cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions
1. In a small bowl whisk lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, cayenne, chili pepper, and cilantro.

2. Over medium heat, combine the beans and corn in a pot. Stir occasionally until heated through.

3. Gently mix in the tomatoes and avocado.

4. Pour the liquid over the vegetables. Toss. Put in a refrigerator until cool.

* serves 2

CALORIES: 488 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 0 milligrams
FAT: 22 grams
SODIUM: 1113 milligrams

Shrimp Shells + Sauteed Garlic Asparagus

Tonight's dinner was pretty simple, but pretty tasty. Upon cooking I came upon the harsh realization that my half-and-half had soured since I last checked (around Thursday). It was unfortunate because the sell by date on the carton says July and it's obviously not even June. But that is the way it goes. I replaced the half-and-half with milk, so I'm sure this sauce was supposed to be creamier. But honestly, I'm not even sure if I'd want it to be creamier. It was delicious.

The only thing that could have made this dish better would have been more shrimp. I stupidly weighed out my shrimp when it was still frozen and the frozen shrimp weighs more than the thawed shrimp due to all those ice crystals. Finding the shrimp in the pasta was like finding some delicious treasure (if treasure was delicious).

Thanks to allrecipes.com for the pasta recipe.

The asparagus is something I've made in the best and is super easy for a tasty green.

Shrimp Shells

Ingredients
12 oz shell noodles
4 slices bacon
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp fresh oregano
2 tbsp fresh basil
3 tomatoes, chopped
6 green onions, chopped
1 cup 1% milk
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 pound shelled and deveined shrimp
1/4 cup pine nuts

Directions
1. Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the pasta until al dente.

2. Place bacon in a skillet and cook until crispy. Place on a paper towel until cool. When cool, crumble.

3. With the leftover bacon grease, saute the garlic, oregano, and basil for a minute. Add the tomatoes and green onions and cook for 3 minutes. Add the bacon, milk, and cheeses until the cheese has melted.

4. Add the shrimp and cook until

* serves 6

Sauteed Garlic Asparagus

Ingredients
1/2 tbsp Brummel&Brown yogurt spread
9 asparagus stalks, trimmed and cut in half
1 clove garlic

Directions
1. Mince the garlic.

2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and asparagus. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.

* serves 2

Nutrition: Shrimp Shells
CALORIES: 491 calories
CARBS: 46 grams
PROTEIN: 33 grams
SODIUM: 415 milligrams

Nutrition: Sauteed Garlic Asparagus
CALORIES: 60 calories
CARBS: 4 grams
PROTEIN: 2 grams
SODIUM: 68 milligrams

Turkey Mini-Meatloaves w/Roasted Root Veggies

Now that we have the welcome out of the way and now that I'm taking a break from studying for my Criminal Law test, I can post my first homecooked meal! I actually cook to relieve stress, so high impact times in my life are just generally going to produce more entries, because I get such a satisfaction from standing in the kitchen, mixing, baking, stirring, and sauteing. I also love sitting down with whatever I made and indulging in it. But above all, I love to share my food (which is why my boyfriend is so great). Even though I lack capacity to create my own recipes and follow most recipes exactly the to tee, cooking is like an art. There was one day and I accidentally dropped my cooked cauliflower on the floor and I just fell down and cried, because that was my labor, my work, it's my creation.

Anyway, I guess in each of these posts you'll get to know me a little more. I don't really want to do a "HEY MY NAME IS ELIZABETH" kind of entry, because it's weird to me and I just would rather not. But anyway, I got this cookbook last year when I decided I needed to lose weight. I just found low-calorie foods to be so bland. But after some careful review I got the best cookbook ever. I really recommend it as it's one of the cookbooks I've used more than twice. Maybe if this all works out and I get lots of followers I'll host a giveaway with this cookbook, since it is my favorite and all. Because really, if I have giveaways I'm only going to give you the best of the best.

But I am getting so ahead of myself.

Turkey Mini-Meatloaves with Roasted Root Veggies

For the Meatloaf:
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup 1% milk
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
5-oz bag baby spinach leaves
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
2 tbsp grated Parmesan
1/4 cup egg substitute
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg

For the Glaze:
3 tbsp ketchup
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Tapatio

For the Veggies:
3 medium carrots, cut into chunks
2 New Potatoes, chunked
6 stalks asparagus, chopped
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Put the breadcrumbs and milk in a bowl and let sit.

3. In a skillet with the olive oil, cook the onions over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until golden and soft. Add the spinach and stir until wilted. Transfer to a bowl with the breadcrumbs. Add the turkey, cheese, egg substitute, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Combine the mixture using your hands.

4. Pack 1 cup of the mixture into a 1-cup measuring cup. Invert the cup onto a rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining mixture. Bake for 40 minutes, until golden.

5. On a baking sheet toss all the vegetables with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add to the oven and cook for 30 minutes.

6. While the meatloaves are cooking, making the glaze by mixing the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce in a small bowl. When the meatloaves are complete, brush over the top.

* the veggies serve 2, the meatloaf serves 6

Nutrition: Meatloaf
CALORIES: 203 calories
CARBS: 12 grams
PROTEIN: 27 grams
SODIUM: 515 milligrams

Nutrition: Root Veggies
CALORIES: 112 calories
CARBS: 19 grams
PROTEIN: 3 grams
SODIUM: 45 milligrams