Not The Lasagna You Were Expecting

 

It's actually different in many ways. Let's count them. 1. It has Indian food flavor influences. 2. It's healthy by way of subbing in zucchini for noodles. 3. It has a VERY different sauce. Let's back up. Vasudha Viswanath, who wrote the new cookbook Vegetarian Reset, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her Saag Lasagna recipe and a great story behind it. Vasudha told Tonia that growing up in India, she was exposed to a number of different cuisines from around the world. But in India, chefs and restaurants tend to play with their food, in that they add a lot of spices native to that country. As a result, you have totally different takes on various dishes that you might not expect. Vasudha's Saag Lasagna is an example (and perhaps an improvement) on this Italian classic. She says it's craveable!

Saag Lasagna

INGREDIENTS | Makes 3 servings 

·       1 lb zucchini, cut in half and sliced 1.5mm thick using mandoline or knife

·       1/4 cup mozzarella, shredded

·       PALAK SAUCE

o   1 tbsp ghee

o   1 tsp cumin seeds

o   1 green chili

o   1 tbsp ginger, shredded

o   1 tbsp garlic, minced

o   1 onion (250g), roughly chopped

o   1 lb spinach, fresh or frozen

o   1 tsp garam masala

o   1 tsp salt, to taste

RICOTTA MIX

o   15 oz ricotta cheese, full fat

o   1/4 cup parmesan, shredded

o   Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

·       Step 1 - Salt zucchini lightly and keep aside for 15-20 mins to draw out the water. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

·       Step 2 - For the palak sauce - saute cumin seeds in ghee and caramelize onions. Add green chili, ginger and garlic and saute for 30 sec. Add 1 cup water, bring to a boil and add spinach gradually until it wilts. Add salt, garam masala and mix. Blend until smooth

·       Step 3 - Mix ricotta, parmesan, salt and pepper and set aside. Pat zucchini dry with a tissue

·       Step 4 - Layer 1/3 palak sauce, 1/3 zucchini slices and 1/2 ricotta mix in the loaf pan. Repeat. For the last layer, add the remaining 1/3 palak sauce, 1/3 zucchini slices and top with mozzarella

·       Step 5 - Bake for 30-40 mins or until golden brown on top

Serve hot

 

Fix This "Broken" Lasagna For Dinner

   



Whoops!  It looks like you broke the lasagna. That's alright, because "Broken Lasagna" makes for a delicious puzzle that your taste-buds will love to put back together.  Susie Fishbein, who wrote Kosher By Design Cooking Coach stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about how to put the "Broken Lasagna" together.  Susie takes the lasagna, cooks it al dente and literally breaks it apart.  She adds butternut squash, frozen (not fresh!) spinach (since you need a lot.)  Then Chef Susie adds ricotta and garlic and simply tosses it in a bowl with the broken up lasagna.  She tops it off with pumpkin seeds (it is around Halloween after all) for a festive fall treat that's like a casserole.  Yes it may be broken, but it's a completely together meal!

Serves 12

Rigatoni may be substituted for the broken lasagna noodles.

2 (12-ounce) boxes frozen cooked winter squash, defrosted
5 ounces frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 fresh sage leaves (about 1/4 cup loosely packed), chopped
1 (16-ounce) box standard lasagna noodles (not no-bake)
1 cup heavy cream
2 (10-ounce) bags frozen butternut squash cubes
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, shelled
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

1 Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2 In large bowl, mix ricotta, garlic, onion powder, salt, garlic powder, pepper and chopped sage.  Set aside.
3 Break lasagna noodles into 3-4 pieces each and cook according to package directions until al dente.  Drain; rinse with plenty of cold water.  Drain very well.
4 Mix noodles into ricotta.  Add winter squash and spinach.  Stir well.  Mix in cream and squash cubes.  Transfer to 9-by-13-inch oven-to-table casserole or baking dish.  Smooth top with spatula.  Sprinkle on pumpkin seeds and Parmesan.  Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes.  Serve hot.

This Lasagna is a Little Different

It's actually different in many ways. Let's count them. 1. It has Indian food flavor influences. 2. It's healthy by way of subbing in zucchini for noodles. 3. It has a VERY different sauce. Let's back up. Vasudha Viswanath, who wrote the new cookbook Vegetarian Reset, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her Saag Lasagna recipe and a great story behind it. Vasudha told Tonia that growing up in India, she was exposed to a number of different cuisines from around the world. But in India, chefs and restaurants tend to play with their food, in that they add a lot of spices native to that country. As a result, you have totally different takes on various dishes that you might not expect. Vasudha's Saag Lasagna is an example (and perhaps an improvement) on this Italian classic. She says it's craveable!

Saag Lasagna

INGREDIENTS | Makes 3 servings 

·       1 lb zucchini, cut in half and sliced 1.5mm thick using mandoline or knife

·       1/4 cup mozzarella, shredded

·       PALAK SAUCE

o   1 tbsp ghee

o   1 tsp cumin seeds

o   1 green chili

o   1 tbsp ginger, shredded

o   1 tbsp garlic, minced

o   1 onion (250g), roughly chopped

o   1 lb spinach, fresh or frozen

o   1 tsp garam masala

o   1 tsp salt, to taste

RICOTTA MIX

o   15 oz ricotta cheese, full fat

o   1/4 cup parmesan, shredded

o   Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

·       Step 1 - Salt zucchini lightly and keep aside for 15-20 mins to draw out the water. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

·       Step 2 - For the palak sauce - saute cumin seeds in ghee and caramelize onions. Add green chili, ginger and garlic and saute for 30 sec. Add 1 cup water, bring to a boil and add spinach gradually until it wilts. Add salt, garam masala and mix. Blend until smooth

·       Step 3 - Mix ricotta, parmesan, salt and pepper and set aside. Pat zucchini dry with a tissue

·       Step 4 - Layer 1/3 palak sauce, 1/3 zucchini slices and 1/2 ricotta mix in the loaf pan. Repeat. For the last layer, add the remaining 1/3 palak sauce, 1/3 zucchini slices and top with mozzarella

·       Step 5 - Bake for 30-40 mins or until golden brown on top

Serve hot

 

The Lasagna is Broken, But There's No Need to Fix It

  



Whoops!  It looks like you broke the lasagna. That's alright, because "Broken Lasagna" makes for a delicious puzzle that your taste-buds will love to put back together.  Susie Fishbein, who wrote Kosher By Design Cooking Coach stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about how to put the "Broken Lasagna" together.  Susie takes the lasagna, cooks it al dente and literally breaks it apart.  She adds butternut squash, frozen (not fresh!) spinach (since you need a lot.)  Then Chef Susie adds ricotta and garlic and simply tosses it in a bowl with the broken up lasagna.  She tops it off with pumpkin seeds (it is around Halloween after all) for a festive fall treat that's like a casserole.  Yes it may be broken, but it's a completely together meal!

Serves 12

Rigatoni may be substituted for the broken lasagna noodles.

2 (12-ounce) boxes frozen cooked winter squash, defrosted
5 ounces frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 fresh sage leaves (about 1/4 cup loosely packed), chopped
1 (16-ounce) box standard lasagna noodles (not no-bake)
1 cup heavy cream
2 (10-ounce) bags frozen butternut squash cubes
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, shelled
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

1 Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2 In large bowl, mix ricotta, garlic, onion powder, salt, garlic powder, pepper and chopped sage.  Set aside.
3 Break lasagna noodles into 3-4 pieces each and cook according to package directions until al dente.  Drain; rinse with plenty of cold water.  Drain very well.
4 Mix noodles into ricotta.  Add winter squash and spinach.  Stir well.  Mix in cream and squash cubes.  Transfer to 9-by-13-inch oven-to-table casserole or baking dish.  Smooth top with spatula.  Sprinkle on pumpkin seeds and Parmesan.  Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes.  Serve hot.

The Soup That Truly Eats Like a Meal!

 

 

Yes, its possible to create a side dish with Lasagna at it's center. In fact, this side is a delicious soup. Cassy Joy Garcia, who's the author of the new cookbook Cook Once Dinner Fix stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her delicious, vegetarian side soup, as part of a larger, multi-course dinner. She starts off by roasting a bunch of roasted tomatoes, then blends them with Lasagna noodles and ricotta cheese, for a flavorful Italian-inspired soup that's not Minestrone! Cassy also told Tonia about a healthy Moroccan-inspired roasted tomato and black rice side that was crafted with an eye toward being very nutritious. Both can be found in the vegetarian section of her book. 

Lasagna Soup:

• mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• ricotta cheese
• garlic
• onions
• parsley
• lasagna noodles
• tomato paste
• balsamic vinegar
• vegetable broth
• Italian seasoning
• roasted tomatoes
• extra virgin olive oil