Zucchini, ricotta, and petit pois lasagne

After running errands in high heels this weekend, my feet ached. Kevin said we should head straight downstairs to work on our canoe project, but I said I needed a break. Three hours later I woke up on the couch. HOLY COW! Where did the time go?

Our canoe hoist may never get finished (it should be easy, right?) but I did manage to make dinner. This recipe is the way vegetarian recipes should be. Heavy on the vegetables and no meat substitutes in sight. There is nothing worse than seeing a vegetarian recipe that calls for "veggie burgers" "tofu" or any other meat substitute. If you don't want to eat meat fine, but it is no fair cheating and using a fake meat.

You may be wondering why I took a picture of the cookbook instead of a picture of our dinner. It was either:

1) I am so artistic that the cookbook picture of a picture called to me.

2) When dinner was done I ravenously ate and ate until the pan of lasagna was no longer photo worthy.

Bless you heart. You picked #1. Sorry to disappoint - as soon as the oven bell chimed I started digging in. It was worth the lost photo and the burned taste buds. Then, after one more slice, I had the urge to make another pan just for the picture, but ultimately settled on the slacker's option.

Zucchini, ricotta, and petit pois lasagne

9 sheets ready to use lasagna noodles

1 T olive oil

2 onions, chopped

1 pound zucchini, thinly sliced

2 cups frozen petit pois (or peas)

2 T mint, chopped (if desired - feel free to leave it out)

1 pound ricotta cheese

1 1/4 C milk

1 1/4 C sour cream

1/4 C Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

green salad to serve with

Put the lasagna in a shallow bowl, cover with cold water, and soak while you prepare the filling. Soaking it makes it lighter and nicer.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onions, and fry gently for 5 minutes until the onions begin to soften. Add the zucchini then cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender but not browned. Stir in the petit pois and mint, season with salt and pepper, and remove from heat.

Mix the ricotta with 2 T of milk to soften it a little, and season with black pepper.

Drain the lasagna and arrange a single layer in the base of a casserole dish. Spread half of the ricotta mixture and put half of the zucchini mixture on top of that. Top with another layer of lasagna, ricotta, zucchini, and finish with a layer of lasagna.

For the topping, mix together the sour cream and remaining milk. Pour this mixture over the top of the lasagna, then sprinkle thickly with the Parmesan cheese. Bake in a preheated oven, 400 degrees, for 40 minutes. Serve with a crunchy green salad.

Garden Fresh Zucchini and Whole Grain Bake

Do you ever have a craving so big you can no longer ignore it? Try as you may, it sneaks up on you and whispers your name until you give in. This happened to me. It was caused by the Popcorn S'mores. I ate way too many, and felt positively sick after two days of binging on them. Dang it, I wanted some vegetables!

It is hard for me to eat enough veggies. I like them, but they require a lot of work. A. Lot. Of. Work. Like 10 minutes a week to chop them up. That is too much for me. Yes, yes. I know I spend several hours making junk food. Let's not get technical here.

Ann gave me this recipe, and I have made it four times so far. It says you can use shredded zucchini or chopped broccoli, but Ann made it with zucchini and I've always stuck with that. It has really expanded my zucchini recipes - I used to only make zucchini bread, and now there is one more thing I can make.

When I told her that I love the recipe but it is a lot of work, we commiserated on why we both needed a slave boy in the kitchen. I need him because I need somebody strong to shred the zucchini. Ann thought I was nuts for not having a food processor to shred and chop. I told her they were out of my price range, and she said they came in all price ranges. So.....can you give me any ideas on which food processors you like?

The smell of it baking in the oven makes my stomach beg for a piece. All of this begs the question: if I like vegetables, and I crave vegetables, why don't I eat more vegetables? Let's not get philosophical here. Let's just eat some zucchini rice bake!

Garden Fresh Zucchini and Whole Grain Bake

2 t chicken bouillon

2/3 C whole grains, uncooked (or 2 cups cooked)

1/2 C chopped pepper, green or red

2 C shredded zucchini or chopped broccoli

2 beaten eggs

1 C skim milk

1/2 t onion powder

1/2 t dried basil

1/2 t dried oregano

1/8 t pepper

3/4 C shredded cheese

4 ounces cream cheese

In a saucepan, combine the bouillon and 1 1/2 C water. Bring to boiling; add grains. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine pepper and 1/2 C water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 2 minutes. Add shredded zucchini or chopped broccoli. Cover and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, or till tender-crisp. Drain. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl beat eggs then add milk, onion powder, basil, oregano, and pepper. Stir in cream cheese. Stir hot grains into the egg mixture. Stir in cooked vegetables. Spoon into a 9X13 casserole dish and bake, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes at 350 degrees. Let stand 5 minutes before serving (if you can wait that long.)