Monday, May 31, 2010

CAFE WORLD comes to LIFE! Vegetable Lasagna!

Happy Memorial day everybody! I want to make something special today for my family and somehow, lasagna came to my mind and I thought it's going to be interesting to make one without meat for a change. I am going to use super thinly sliced  zuchinni, mushroom, fresh tomatoes and chopped olives for the filling. It's going to be delicious!

Here's how I made it today. (about 6 servings)

Ingredients:
Lasagna noodle (6-8 dried strips)
White mushrooms (about 8-10)
1 large or 2 small zucchini
1 Medium tomato
Marinara sauce (1 jar)
Black olives (3-4 teaspoons)
Ricotta mixture:
Ricotta cheese (can substitute with cottage cheese, about 16oz)
Parmesan cheese (shredded, 2 tablespoons)
Mozzarella cheese (shreddred, 2 tablespoons) 
Dried herbs (oregano, basil, and parsley, just a teaspoon of each)
1 clove of garlic (minced)
1 egg
Salt and pepper (just a few pinches)
Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Step 2: Prepare lasagna noodles. Fill water to 3/4 full in a large pot, let it come to a boil and add lasagna noodles. Cook for about 10-15 minutes to el dente. Drain and let it chill in a large strainer.

Step 3: Prepare the vegetables. Wash and dry all vegetables. Thinly slice the zucchini, mushrooms, and tomatoes (be careful with your FINGERS!!). Chop up the whole olives roughly into big chunks (or small chunks - depending on your preference). Be more flavorful! (optional) Grill zucchini and mushrooms for a few minutes. Let cool in a bowl and we are ready to assemble the lasagna.

Step 4: Assemble the lasagna! In a medium carssarole dish, generously scoop and spread tomato pasta sauce in the bottom. Layer the lasagna noodles, then add tomato pasta sauce next and follow by zuchinni, mushroom, tomato slices and olives. Add a generous layer of the ricotta mixture. Repeat and do anther layer of lasagna noodles and the rest of the ingredients. Top with the rest of the ricotta mix and spinkle some Parmesan and mozzarella cheese and a little dried basil for garnish.
Step 5: Bake in oven with foil to cover for 30 minutes. Take out foil and bake for another 5 minutes.

Step 6: Take it out and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Enjoy!!!

Sunday, May 9, 2010

CAFE WORLD COMES TO LIFE: Overstuffed Peppers

Aha, Overstuffed Peppers from Cafe World (Facebook game by Zynga). Such a colorful dish with so many Cafe points! I've been wanting to try to make this dish, today I finally put them together. They turned out pretty good with juicy yet crunchy peppers and cheesy meat rice fillings. Like other dishes that require "stuffing," the peppers can be filled with all other types of ingredients too. Today, I did mine with meat, rice and vegetables with a touch of Asian flavor. I'm thinking, next time, maybe I'll try doing a cream sauce, seafood filling. Mmmmm, fun to make and so appetizing on the table. Be creative and you will probably be amazed with how tasty they turn out.

Here's how I made them tonight:
(about 3 servings)
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Red Onion
- 3 large Peppers (green, yellow and red)
- 1/2 lb ground Lean Beef
- 1 cup Cooked Rice (chilled) 
- 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese 
- 1/4 cup frozen vegetables (for more colors!)
- 3 tablespoons Parmesan Bread Crumbs
- 1 clove of Garlic
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil

Sauce Mix:
- Salt and Pepper (a few pinches)
- Soy Sauce (2 tablespoons)
- Sesame Oil (1 teaspoon)
- Sugar (a teaspoon)
- Paprika Powder (1 tablespoon)
- Rice Wine (1 tablespoon)

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
Step 2: Prepare the pepper shells: Cut them open approx. 1/4" from the top of the pepper.  Wash them well, and using your fingers, remove the seeds and white membranes. Be careful not to break the pepper "bowls." 
Boil some hot water in a medium pot. Immerse the pepper shells into the water for about 5 minutes. Drain the peppers and let them cool on the side.
 
Step 3: Prepare the fillings: Chop onion and garlic to small pieces. Over medium heat, cook ground beef with garlic. Then, add rice and sauce mix (see above for ingredients). Mix well. Cook until meat is cooked through. Turn heat off. Let cool for about 5 minutes.

Step 4: In a greased oven-safe pan, stuff the pepper shells with rice filling generously. Top with Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. Put them in the oven for about 30 minutes.
 
Step 5: Take them out. Let cool for about 5 minutes. Serve with the stems for presentation. Enjoy!

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Mexican Black Bean Lasagna

Black Bean Lasagna (made by Renee Biss)
Hola! A treat from a vegetarian friend for a recent Mexican themed party. If you are up for something different than a typical Italian style lasagna, here's one delicious recipe from All Recipes.com:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Black-Bean-Lasagna-II/Detail.aspx
The beans were tender and melted in your mouth with the cheese and pasta. Renee added extra spices to accentuate the flavor. Please do so to customize it to your likings.

Here's a copy of the recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients

  • 9 lasagna noodles
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (16 ounce) can refried black beans
  • 2 3/4 cups canned tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup salsa
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
  • 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
  • 1/4 cup sliced ripe olives
  • 8 sprigs fresh cilantro

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
  2. Coat a large skillet with non-stick cooking spray, and place over medium heat. Saute onion, red bell pepper, corn and garlic until tender. Stir in black beans, refried beans, tomato sauce, salsa and 1/4 cup cilantro. Cook until heated through and slightly thickened; set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, combine cottage cheese, ricotta, sour cream, shredded Monterey Jack cheese and remaining 1/4 cup chopped cilantro; set aside.
  4. Coat a 9x13 inch casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Arrange 3 of the cooked lasagna noodles in the bottom of the dish, cutting to fit if necessary. Spread with 1/3 of the bean mixture, then 1/3 of the cheese mixture. Repeat layers twice more.
  5. Cover, and bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Garnish with sliced black olives and sprigs of cilantro.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

CAFE WORLD COMES TO LIFE: Chicken Adobo!!

Another exciting dish from Facebook game CAFE WORLD menu by Zynga - Chicken Adobo!! Chicken Adobo is a national dish from the Philippines! It is very flavorful with a strong taste of ginger, garlic, big round peppercorn and vinegar. Many people take this dish for picnics in the summer time. The vinegar actually preserves the chicken and tastes great with hot steamed rice.

Here's where I learned about the basic recipe of this dish: http://www.filipinofoodrecipes.net/adobo.htm
Again, I modified the recipe with extra spices and sauces. It turned out absolutely delicious and smelled so wonderful in the kitchen!

Ingredients: (makes about 2 servings) 
- 2-3 pieces of chicken breasts (skinless, boneless)
- 1 big chunk of ginger root (grated)
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 medium red onion
- 1 cup of soy sauce
- 1 cup of chicken broth
- 1 cup of rice vinegar
- 2 cups of cold water
- 2 tablespoons of paprika
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of flour
-2 tablespoons of peppercorn
- Asian rice (2-3 cups)

Step 1:  Start cooking rice in rice cooker.
Step 2: Mince up garlic and ginger. Cut red onion into thin strips.
Step 3: In a big cooking pan, heat up some olive oil, saute garlic, ginger and onion.
Step 4: Add chicken breasts into the pan. Turn heat down to medium. Add soy sauce, paprika and peppercorn. Cook for about 5 minutes.
Step 5: Add rice vinegar and chicken broth into the pan. Mix well and let it simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
Step 6: Separate the half-cooked chicken and sauce into 2 bowls. In another clean large cooking pan, add some olive oil and put the same chicken back onto the stove. Brown and cook the meat thoroughly.
Step 7: Add the sauce back to the chicken. Mix water and flour together in a small bowl. Slowly pour  liquid into the pan to thicken the sauce. Let it simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes.
Step 8: Serve immediately with rice on the side. Enjoy!!!