Spinach and Black Bean Lasagna

I have made this a couple of times now and it is great every time. Even though there is no meat in the dish, the black beans act as the protein and do a very good job. I've made it with and without the cilantro and really I couldn't tell a difference. It takes a  little bit of time to prepare, but well worth it! I hope you enjoy! 

Ingredients

• 2  large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1  (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 1  (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 4  cups  (16 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with peppers, divided
• 2  (16-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1  (2-pound, 13-ounce) jar pasta sauce
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 9  precooked lasagna noodles
• Garnish: chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

Stir together first 5 ingredients and 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese; set aside.

Mash beans with a potato masher or fork in a large bowl; stir in pasta sauce and cumin. Spread one-third of bean mixture on bottom of a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

Layer with 3 noodles, half of spinach mixture, and 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese; repeat layers. Spread with one-third bean mixture; top with remaining 3 noodles and remaining bean mixture.

Bake, covered, at 350° for 1 hour; uncover and top with remaining Monterey Jack cheese. Bake 5 more minutes or until cheese melts. Garnish, if desired.

** Recipe and picture from Southern Living magazi

Sorry for the brief delay

I've sort of been busy lately and have not put any recipes up...sorry about that. I will be posting the Spinach and Black Bean lasagna today. The shrimp burgers that I said I would share...will not be shared. They were gross!! I need to re-do that recipe and once I've done that I will share. Also the corned beef hash was delicious!! I'm not sure I need to share that one now since St Pattys is over...if you'd like it let me know. It was great!

OK, I'll figure out the meals for the next few days and get back to it. Hope you had a great weekend!

Tuscan Turkey Torte

i made this on a whim the other night and it was a success. i would change a few things which i did note in the recipe...it definitely needed some seasoning. i love tastefully simple spinach and herb seasoning which i need to get some more of, while i'm thinking of it. italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper would work as well. if you like tomatoes you could add some of those before you sprinkle with cheese...just make sure they aren't very wet. i actually topped mine with brushcetta which was delicious!! use a springform pan if you have one...if not you could use a 9x9 glass baking dish...or a different one if you have something similar. one other thing i did was used chicken instead of turkey...you could use rotisserie chicken which would probably be very good. and one last thing you could do is use a frozen creamed spinach which would add some extra flavor too. let me know if you make this and what changes you made. total cost was about $8...makes a lot too!

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups Original Bisquick® mix
• 1/4 cup Italian dressing
• 1 can (15 oz) Progresso® cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained, rinsed and mashed
• 2 cups diced cooked turkey
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to drain
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 ounces)
• Italian seasoning, spinach and herb seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper
• 3 eggs, slightly beaten
• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Mix Bisquick mix, dressing and beans. Spread in bottom and 2 inches up side of springform pan, 9x3 inches. Cover outside with aluminum foil. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set.
    
2. Layer with turkey, spinach and cheese. Sprinkle top with herbs/seasoning of your choice. Mix eggs and milk; pour over cheese. Sprinkle evenly with almonds.
    
3. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until golden brown and knife inserted near center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes. Loosen edge of torta from side of pan; remove side of pan.

* Original recipe from Betty Crocker

Almond and Peach Pork Chops

One night I was sitting on my couch looking through the Betty Crocker app on my ipad and came across this recipe. I love almonds and peaches...and well pork chops too! They are sort of like chicken...you can do so many different things with them. I also love Bisquick...its a great breading ingredient that gives protein more flavor than just using flour. Anyways, I made it last night and it was quite tasty. I served it with grits and a spinach salad, but you can do what ever you want with it...rice, potatoes, veggies. It was inexpensive as well...right around the $8...really the only cost was the pork and the peach preserves. I hope you enjoy!!!!






Ingredients

• 1 Egg
• 2 Tbsp peach preserves
• 1/2 Cup Bisquick
• 1/2 Cup Coarsely chopped almonds
• 1 Tbsp cornmeal
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 4 boneless pork loin chops
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Directions

1. Beat egg and preserves in shallow dish with fork, breaking apart any large pieces. Mix Bisquick, almonds, cornmeal, and salt in another dish. Dip pork chops in preserve mixture, then coat with Bisquick mixture. Heat oil in large non stick skillet over medium heat. Cook pork chops about 7 min per side, or until crust is golden and pork is cooked through. Sprinkle with parsley. * Heat remaining preserves and drizzle on top.

** Recipe and picture from Betty Crocker

This weeks menu and shopping list

I'll go ahead and tell you guys what's up this week for dinner. I know I just posted the risotto from last week but I was a little busy this past weekend with family in town. I'm excited this week about our menu...its filled with healthy and yummy dinners that I hope yall like. I am also throwing in one for St Patty's Day. I did a pork with cabbage last week so I'm going to something  little different, yet still Irish. I'm going to do the menu/shopping list a little bit different from now on. I think it will be easier to list the meal and then the ingredients below...that way you can choose which one you'd like to make.

Almond and Peach Pork Chops
- 1 egg
- peach preserves
- Bisquick
- sliced almonds
- cornmeal
- pork boneless chops
- vegetable oil


Tuscan Turkey/Chicken Torte
- Bisquick
- Italian dressing
- 1 can white great northern beans
- cooked turkey or chicken
- 1 pkg frozen spinach
- mozzarella cheese
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- sliced almonds


Shrimp Burgers with Lemon Caper Sauce
- 1 pound raw shrimp
- 1 stalk celery
- small onion
- bell pepper
- garlic
- parsley
- old bay
- panko bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- butter (for the sauce)
- lemon
- capers
- buns
- spinach or lettuce


Corned Beef Hash 
- large carton chicken broth
- Yukon gold potatoes
- carrots
- parsnips and or turnips (I got both)
- small onion
- 8 oz corned beef
- grainy mustard
- 5 fried eggs


Spinach and Black Bean Lasagna
- 1 can black beans
- bunch of cilantro
- 1 pkg frozen spinach
- 1 pk of lasagna noodles (no bake)
- 1 LARGE tomato sauce
- ricotto cheese
- cumin
- mozzarella cheese
- eggs

Wild Mushroom Risotto

I sort of made this recipe based off a bunch of different ones and made it exactly how I like. I added a little Arugula/Spinach to the top as well as some roasted shrimp...both of those are optional. I will try to give exact measurements but you can play around a little bit and it still comes out delicious. I made this on Friday night and it made enough for 5 adults. The total cost is probably about $10...give or take if you want more mushrooms. I hope you make this and enjoy as much as I did!!

Ingredients 
1 cup Arborio Rice (you can find with regular rice)
1 large shallot, minced
1 T butter plus 1 T olive oil
2 pints of mushrooms (I used baby bellas and a gourmet blend of different types)
1/2 cup white wine
1 carton of "white wine and herb" chicken broth (made by Culinary....)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 T butter
Arugula and Spinach
Shrimp (optional)

In a large stockpot melt butter with olive oil. Add shallot and mushrooms and cook over medium heat until shallots are translucent. Add rice and cook for about 3 minutes. Add wine...stir until almost absorbed. Add 1 cup of chicken broth and stir occasionally until almost absorbed. Do this with the remaining chicken broth one cup at a time. I added about 1 cup of water near the end just for fun. Make sure all liquid is absorbed...this will take about 25 minutes or so. Add the cheese and butter at the end and stir to combine. Serve risotto in a bowl and top with your greens and shrimp if you'd like. ENJOY!!!

*Picture from the PetitePig blog

Pork chops with Bacon and Cabbage

My family and I went to Ireland a few years ago and absolutely LOVED it!! The first day that we were there we went to Bunratty Castle and had lunch. My husband, Waylin, tried a traditional Irish dish that consisted of Ham, Cabbage, Potatoes with a Parsley sauce..ever since then I've tried recreating this for him and FINALLY I got very close.  I used pork chops instead of ham and I didn't have parsley in the sauce, but other than that it was perfect. With St Patricks Day next week I thought I would share this with you. It sounds strange but is very tasty. Super cheap too!!! I think the whole dish cost about $9. ENJOY!!!


Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 bone in pork chops (1 inch thick)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 4 strips bacon, coarsely chopped
• 1 Medium onion, cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 1 head green cabbage , cored and cut into 8 wedges (about 2 1/2 pounds)
• 3 Tbsp all purpose flour
• 3 Cups whole milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Set a large heavy roasting pan across two burners over high heat; add oil and heat. Season pork with salt and pepper; brown on one side, 3 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook 1 minute more. Transfer to a plate.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add bacon; cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Add onion; cook until softened, 5 minutes. Add cabbage, cut side down, and cook until light golden, about 6 minutes. Flip and cook until slightly tender, about 3 minutes. Add flour and stir until coated. Add milk and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then nestle pork chops in sauce. Transfer pan to oven. Bake until pork is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

*Recipe from Martha Stewart