Savory SKM Lasagna

Happy Sunday! Hope y'all had as great of a weekend as I did.  My weekend was filled with some much needed R&R, followed watching the world cup, followed by some good food & hanging out with my family (and spoiled rotten dog).  Now I don't know about you, but I can't imagine a more perfect weekend than that.  I call today's recipe SKM because it's packed with Spinach,  Kale, & Mushrooms...3 of my all time favorite ingredients.  This recipe is pretty healthy (well as healthy as lasagna can be) and delicious.  I hope you try it at home and enjoy it with your family as much as I enjoyed it with mine!

Ingredients:
1/2 box of lasagna noodles, cooked
3-4 cups sauce (click here for a similar recipe)
1 cup spinach
1 cup kale
1 regular size package of baby bella mushrooms
1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 green bell pepper, finely diced
1 tsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
crushed red pepper flakes
black pepper
dash of Italian Seasoning
8 oz of fat free ricotta cheese
1.5 cups mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1.  Cook lasagna noodles according to the directions on the package.  Rinse with cold water and let them dry for a while (I actually left mine in a strainer and covered with a dish for about an hour).
2.  In the meantime, heat EVOO, add spinach, kale, pepper flakes, Italian seasoning & sauté for roughy 2 minutes or so unit it starts to wilt.  Remove from heat & mix in a bowl with ricotta cheese.
3.  In a separate pan, sauté mushrooms using just a bit of EVOO until they are thoroughly cooked and all the water has burned off.  Remove from heat and mix in a bowl with the diced bell peppers.
4.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Directions to ensemble the lasagna:
1.  In a baking dish, first place a spoon full of sauce and a drizzle of EVOO.
2.  Place a cooked noodle on top.
3.  Spread a good amount of the kale, spinach, and ricotta mixture on top.
4.  Place another cooked noodle on top.
5.  Place a spoonful of the mushroom and bell pepper mixture on top and spread it.
6.  Place another noodle on top & continue to layer following the steps above in order.
7.  On the very top layer, add sauce on top of the noodle, and sprinkle with mozzarella.
8.  Place foil on top and bake for roughly 20 minutes.
9.  Remove the foil after 20 minutes and cook for another 15.
10. Broil for  another 5 until the cheese is bubbling and golden brown on top.
11. Cut the lasagna once it has cooled & enjoy!!!

Spinach & Mushroom Enchiladas

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope everyone had a great weekend and stayed warm.  This recipe is somewhat of a continuation of the recipe I posted a couple of weeks ago.  Try it at home and I hope it's as big of a hit in your place as it is at ours.

Ingredients:
1 8 oz. pack of mushrooms, sliced
2 cups fresh organic baby spinach
1/4 - 1/2 poblano pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 red bell pepper, diced
1 tsp (maybe a bit more) EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
Pinch Mexican oregano
Black pepper to taste
Corn tortillas (8-10)
Avocado Cream Sauce
Mexican blend cheese (roughly 1/4 - 1/2 cup)

Directions:
1.  Heat oil in a skillet, add black pepper, Mexican oregano, & mushrooms and cook for 3-5 minutes on medium to low heat.
2.  Stir in spinach and continue to cook until it is wilted (eyeball it).
3.  Add orange bell pepper and poblano and cook for another minute.
4.  Remove mixture from heat and place to the side to cool down.
5.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6.  In a separate skillet, spray Pam, and lightly cook corn tortillas over medium to low heat for 15-30 seconds.
6.  Place corn tortilla flat in a plate, add a couple of spoonfuls of vegetable mixture in the middle, add a light amount of cheese (just enough to bind everything), roll the tortilla, and flip over to keep it closed.
7.  In a baking dish or pan, cover the bottom of the pan with Avocado Cream Sauce, and place tortillas side by side in a row.
8.  Add remaining sauce on top of the enchiladas, add light amount of cheese, and sprinkle red bell peppers on top.
9.  Cook in the oven until cheese has melted (roughly 10 minutes).
10.  Enjoy!    

5 ways to use leftover bread!

This weeks post is not a traditional recipe y'all, I've had this question come up a few times, 'What can I do with leftover bread?!' Well this happens in our house a lot! We have Italian during the week and we get those huge loaves of fresh bread from the grocery store, eat about half of it and the other half is left in the bread box for days! So here are some of the things I have tried with leftover bread, and all have come out really good!

Ingredients
- Leftover bread (half a loaf-5-6 slices 3/4 inch thick)

1. Breadcrumbs
- Cut bread into cubes and place in an oven or toaster oven and toast for about 5-7 minutes, until bread is a golden brown color and hard. Let cool completely
- Pulse toasted cubes in a food processor until fine crumbs form.
Tip: If you want to season the bread crumbs add a big pinch of salt and pepper, along with your favorite dried herbs!

2. Croutons
- Cut bread into cubes and place in a medium sized bowl. Drizzle 1/4 cup olive oil, pinch of salt and pepper along with some dried herbs. Mix well, until all the cubes are coated.
- Spread cubes on a baking sheet (make sure they are not overlapping) and bake at 400 degrees for 6-9 minutes or until light golden brown.

3. Grilled Crostini/bruschetta
- Slice bread and brush olive oil on both sides. On a medium-hot grill cook about 1 minute each side until grill marks appear.
- Top with ricotta, basil and cherry tomatoes for a delicious yet simple appetizer!

4. Greek Panzanella salad
- Cut bread into cubes, and mix into this Greek salad and vinaigrette. Let stand for 30 minutes until bread cubes have soaked up the vinaigrette.

5. Pizza baguette
- Slice bread horizontally, so you have two open faced pieces. Toast bread until a light golden color (about 2-3 minutes).
- Spread pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella along with your favorite toppings and place in the oven at 350 for about 6-9 minutes, until cheese is nice and bubbly and bread is golden and crispy.

Grilled Stuffed Poblanos

Happy Memorial Day friends!!! In honor of what some call the grillin' holiday of the year, I have decided to post the perfect grilling recipe.  This recipe was inspired when my cousin came in town to visit us and we went out to eat with a group of friends.  Someone ordered a chili relleno, which is essentially a poblano pepper that is stuffed with cheese and deep fried, and a thought came to mind...why not take a poblano, stuff it with things other than just cheese and grill it so that it is a healthier alternative.  After a little bit of playing around, my husband came up with the perfect combo! Without further adieu, here is the recipe for a grilled stuffed poblano; we hope you enjoy it as much as we do!!!

Ingredients:
1 Poblano pepper
1.5 TBSP refried beans (I used homemade beans but you can use any kind you would like)
1 TBSP diced mushrooms
1 TBSP diced bell pepper (I used orange but you can use any kind)
1.5 TBSP cilantro rice (click here for recipe)
About 4 pieces of your favorite cheeses cut in to thin matchsticks/ julienned (we used smoked gouda and habanero cheddar cheese)

Directions:
1.  Cut poblano pepper lengthwise and deseed.
2.  Place and spread refried beans in a thin layer (similar to how you would spread peanut butter on a slice of bread).
3.  Press julienned cheese into the beans.
4.  Add  bell peppers and mushrooms.
5.  Add cilantro rice and spread it as well  (I would recommend using the rice as soon as it is cooked so that it spreads easily).
6.  Add a sprinkle of cheese on top.
7.  Grill on an outdoor grill at 350 degrees for 15 minutes (eyeball it until the cheese melts) and broil on high heat for an additional 3-5 minutes.
8.  Enjoy!

Peppers getting ready to go in.

 Final product