Vegetarian Delight

I want to get back in the habit of making at least one vegetarian dish a week, not only is it a good way to eat healthier but it’s also a good way to trim our grocery spending.  This is another recipe that caught my eye in my new Cooking Light Cookbook (expect many many more raves about this cookbook in 2008!)  Be aware this is a time consuming dish to make.  I cut at least 30 minutes off the prep time by using no boil lasagna noodles, but the ones on the top layer were a bit crispy on the edges since this lasagna doesn’t have as much liquid in it as most.  I would make it the same way again though because I do not have 2 hours to devote to lasagna making!  90 minutes is my max   Totally worth the time and effort, this dish was sooooo tasty.

Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna (from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:

2 large egg whites

1 large egg
1 (1-pound) eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs (I only had plain so I added some Italian seasoning)
Cooking spray
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
5 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 (15-ounce) carton part-skim ricotta cheese
1 (12-ounce) carton 1% low-fat cottage cheese
1 large egg white
1 (26-ounce) bottle fat-free tomato-basil pasta sauce (I used Classico)
12 cooked lasagna noodles

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°.

Combine 2 egg whites and egg in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Dredge 1 eggplant slice in flour. Dip in egg mixture; dredge in breadcrumbs. Repeat procedure with remaining eggplant, flour, egg mixture, and breadcrumbs. Place slices in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Coat tops of slices with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 20 minutes, turning eggplant after 10 minutes. Remove from baking sheet; cool. Reduce oven temperature to 375°.

Combine 1 cup shredded mozzarella, 3 tablespoons Parmesan, oregano, basil, ricotta, cottage cheese, and 1 egg white in a large bowl.

Spread 1/4 cup pasta sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 4 lasagna noodles slightly overlapping over the pasta sauce; top with half of cheese mixture, half of eggplant slices, and 3/4 cup pasta sauce. Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Spread remaining pasta sauce over noodles. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Cover and bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 35 minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand 5 minutes.

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The perfect asparagus

I believe Tyler’s family introduced me to asparagus, I don’t remember eating it as a kid (there weren’t many veggies I was willing to eat!) I love it, and I am so glad I finally got around to trying this recipe. I read about it a couple of months ago in the 20th anniversary Cooking Light, then saw it again in my new cookbook. Tyler and I were both raving about it over dinner. I look forward to making this over and over again, I can’t wait for the next time asparagus goes on sale!

Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter (from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:

40 asparagus spears, trimmed (about 2 pounds)
Cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400°.

Arrange asparagus in a single layer on baking sheet; coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until tender.

Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat; cook for 3 minutes or until lightly browned, shaking pan occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in soy sauce and vinegar. Drizzle over the asparagus, tossing well to coat. Serve immediately.

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Oh so appetizing

It’s time to introduce you to my new best friend. The All-New Complete Cooking Light Cookbook, given to me by my secret santa. This cookbook is beautiful. Great photos, amazing recipes, and organized so well. I am in love.  The nice thing about Cooking Light is you can find all of their recipes on their website as well.  So it’s easy to email them to a friend if you find one you love!  Last week I went through the entire cookbook and bookmarked recipe after recipe, earmarking a few special ones for Tyler’s 24th birthday dinner. His birthday was Sunday but due to family engagements I wasn’t able to make the dinner until tonight. Oh man it did not disappoint! First course: stuffed mushrooms!

Stuffed Mushrooms (from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:

24 large button mushrooms (about 1 3/4 pounds)
Cooking spray
3 tablespoons chopped green onions
1 garlic clove, minced
4 ounces 50%-less-fat pork sausage (such as Jimmy Dean 50% less fat)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup (2 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400°.

Clean mushrooms, and remove stems; finely chop stems.Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onions and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add sausage, and cook until browned, stirring to crumble. Add the reserved mushroom stems, red pepper, salt, and black pepper; sauté 2 minutes or until stems are tender. Remove from heat; stir in cream cheese and breadcrumbs. Stuff 1 tablespoon sausage mixture into each mushroom cap. Arrange mushroom caps in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with Parmesan. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until lightly golden and thoroughly heated.

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