Recipe - White Veggie Lasagna

Travis was skeptical of this dish when he heard the name but was quickly won over when he saw the finished product.  Very tasty and lots of great leftovers.  Of course, since it's lasagna it reheats very well.  If you absolutely NEED to have some meat, I recommend using ground turkey with the veggies or some kind of chicken or turkey sausage.

White Veggie Lasagna

1 white onion
1 large carrot
1 large zucchini
2 yellow squash
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 pkg Lasagna noodles
1 15 oz. pkg of ricotta cheese
1 Tbsp oregano
1 egg
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 jar Alfredo pasta sauce, or your favorite homemade white sauce

1 - Cook lasagna noodles according to package instructions (reserve 1 cup of pasta water for sauce), preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2 - Grate or thinly slice your veggies.  In a large straight sided saute pan, cook the veggies and garlic over medium low heat with generous salt and pepper until the veggies loose most of their water.  Drain the excess water and add the Alfredo sauce.  Thin the sauce with pasta water or with milk, depending on your preference.  You want the sauce to be slightly thinner than you expect it to be after baking.

3 - Mix the ricotta, parmesan, 2 cups of mozzarella, egg, and oregano in a bowl.  Add some salt and pepper to taste.

4 - Assemble your lasagna: in a 9 x 13 rectangular pan, start with a very small amount of sauce so that the bottom noodles do not stick.  Layer the noodles, then half of the ricotta mix, and top with sauce.  Another layer of noodles, the rest of the ricotta, sauce.  For the very top, lay the noodles, the rest of the sauce, and the last cup of mozzarella.

5 - Bake the lasagna in the oven for 45-60 minutes, enough so the ricotta mix sets and the cheese on top is browned, but not burnt.  Let sit for 5 minutes then serve.

Recipe - Hearty Chili

**This is one of my favorite bulk meals to make because Chili is so versatile.  I doubled the recipe and froze half of the leftovers to use on busy nights earlier this week.  The first night I made it, we had Chili Dogs but it's also great for a veggie-rich version of Chili-Mac or just plain with a big slice of garlic bread for dipping.  This is not a Texas Chili because I love beans, but you could leave out the beans and add chicken or beef stock for more body.  It may need to reduce a little more though, without the starchy liquid from the beans.  Also great with squash and zucchini for an extra boost of veggies!**

2 slices thick cut bacon
2 medium white onions, diced
2 small (or 1 large) bell peppers, any color, diced
1 heaping Tbsp minced garlic
1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 lg can whole tomatoes (you can replace this with a can of diced tomatoes, but I really like the large bites of tomato goodness)
2 lg cans diced tomatoes
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 pkg. chili spice mix (or make your own with chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt)

1 - Slice your bacon into 1/2 inch slices and put into the cold chili pot.  Render the fat over medium-low heat until the bacon pieces are crispy and you have a good amount of fat in the pan.  Remove the bacon, turn the heat up to medium.

2 - Add the onions, bell peppers, and garlic to the bacon fat and cook with a sprinkle of salt until onions are soft and almost translucent.  Add ground beef or turkey and brown.  Drain all excess fat.

3 - Add all of the canned tomatoes and beans to the pot.  Do not drain the liquid from the cans, the tomato liquid will be the base of the chili and the bean liquid will thicken it up.  Use a wooden spoon to puncture the whole tomatoes (if using) and stir.  Return bacon pieces to the chili (cut into smaller pieces before hand, if desired) and add chili spices.  If the chili looks too dry, add some water or stock for flavor.

4 - Bring chili to a boil for 5-10 minutes (or until it reaches a loose soup consistency) and simmer for at least an hour for the flavors to meld, stirring occasionally.  If the chili becomes too thick, add some water or stock.  If the chili is too wet, boil for a few more minutes.  Skim any excess fat.


5 - Taste the finished product and add salt if necessary.  Serve hot.  Leftovers can be refrigerated or frozen and reheat very well.