"When the lasagna content in my body gets low, I get mean." - Garfield

Garfield is one correct feline...who doesn't like his empty fuel gauge for lasagan to deplete. In freezing, winter days...when I need that warm, comfort, cheesy, filling food...I must agree that I feel the exact same way.

Like I had mentioned in my earlier posts, I gave up meat for February...which means I am only eating any kind of seafood and trying to concentrate on filling my diet with more vegetables, fruits and whole grains, etc. Sometimes humans put too much focus on meat...yes protein is a vital source for our bodies but people have been overdoing the amount of meat they are putting into their bodies. Red meat is especially a source of protein that should be carefully eaten, red meat is an excellent source of iron and protein but you want to be informed of where this meat is coming from. Stay away from ground meat unless you know it is organic, the best red meats are the leaner ones like filets or strips..the less fat, the better for you. I know guys that means try not to eat so many ribeyes, even though they taste delicious with all that fat rendering into your meat.

Also be wary of other sources of meat, pork, chicken, etc do your homework and find the best meat for your family. Shopping at a local farmer's market is a great way to find healthy, hormone-free meat, also shopping in the organic isle is helpful as well. Unfortunately, FDA does not require that all manufacturers for meat and several other foods tell us exactly what is going into our food. Hopefully this will change, til then the best you can do is shop organically and do your research.

Getting back to my lasagna post... last night I was cold, hungry and craving some cheesy goodness. I decided to whip up some lasagna. Since I have given up meat, I incorporated a few veggies: spinach, eggplant, onions, red peppers, green peppers and yellow peppers.

Lasagna Primavera
1/2 box of whole wheat lasagna noodles
1/2 eggplant
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1/2 large yellow onion

1 jar of tomato basil pasta sauce
2 cloves garlic
bechamel sauce (see recipe below)
1/2 cup havarti jalapeno cheese (can be mozzarella)
1/4 cup colby jack cheese (any cheese you want)
1/3 cup asiago cheese (again any parmesan or romano cheese)
1 can pumpkin
1 egg
1 cup chopped spinach
salt
pepper

Bechamel Sauce
4 Tbsp flour
5 Tbsp butter
1 bay leaf
3 1/2 cups warm milk
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Start off your lasagna by chopping up your onions, peppers and garlic, saute them on medium heat with olive oil. Meanwhile, slice your egg plant and saute them in a separate pan until they are tender. Start boiling your water for your lasagna noodles. Then in another sauce pan, start melting your butter  with the bay leaf for the bechamel sauce...once the butter has melted completey spoon in a tablespoon at a time of the flour, whisk mixture together. Once all the flour has been added to the butter add a cup at a time of the warm milk, continue to whisk. Bring the sauce to boil then lower heat, as you continually whisk. Eventually the sauce will thicken up, add the nutmeg and set sauce aside until ready to use.

Once the water is boiling, add lasagna noodles with a drizzle of olive oil to avoid the noodles sticking together. Once the onions and peppers are tender, add the pasta sauce. In another separate bowl empty can of pumpkin and crack an egg inside, stir mixture together. Slice/grate your cheeses (I used what was in the fridge) and be ready to assemble your lasagna. Use an 9x11 pan and put pasta sauce down first, then top with lasagna noodles, pumpkin puree, bechamel sauce, eggplant, spinach, cheese and then repeat until you've filled your casserole dish to the top. Finish with tomato sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes until all the layers have merried together. Let the lasagna cool for 10 minutes before serving.

This recipe will be perfect for feeding a large group of people, for any family gathering, holiday or just a cold, wintery day. This lasagna is loaded with healthy carbohydrates, fiber, potassium, calcium, iron and Vitamin E.

Enjoy! xoxo Lo

"All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast." - John Gunther

I passionately agree with Mr. John Gunther... every week I look forward to my weekend mornings so I can wake up slow in my pillowy duvet, slink out of bed and make coffee...go back to bed, waiting for my coffee. Then finally when I muster up enough willpower I meander into the kitchen to chef up some le petit dejeuner.

There are many different paths you could take while creating a breakfast meal. You could go savory, you could go sweet, you could go with eggs, pancakes, french toast, lox in bagels...there are about a million scrumptious options! I will show you a few of the diverse paths I have trodded down during the morning hours of the day.

Cherry-Blueberry Granola Bars
1 cup uncooked oats (old fashioned)
1 cup flour

1 cup granola (any kind you like- I used vanilla-almond)
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons of melted butter
1/3 cup blueberry preserves (the good stuff)
1/4 cup cherry preserves (the good stuff)

I've always wanted to make my own granola bars versus buying them at the store...most of you think, "Yeah if I worked at home." Well you can still make your own granola bars and be busy. These don't take long and are WAY more tasty than any store bought granola bar. Start by pouring 3/4 cup of the oats, granola and flour together in a bowl, mix together and add brown sugar, almonds, agave and butter. Fold everything together so it is all evenly mixed. Pour into a 9x9 inch greased pan. Then spread your preserves over the top (stay away from the edge so they don't stick to the pan) and top with the remaining oats. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Serve after about two minutse of cooling so you can eat them while they're hot...trust me these suckers are to die for! And who knew they could be so healthy?? Packed with healthy carbs, protein and healthy sugars this is a great option to begin your day on the right path.

Healthy Bacon-Herb Frittata

6 eggs
fresh parsley
fresh cilantro
fresh rosemary
2 chopped bacon wrapped dates stuffed with goat cheese (leftovers!)
1/4 cup colby jack cheese
2 slices of canadian bacon
1/4 yellow onion
4 mushrooms (any kind you prefer, I used button)
salt
pepper
olive oil

This option is magnificently healthy and great for anyone trying to help benefit their cholesterol levels. Many people are afraid of making frittatas thinking they will taste too healthy (I can vouch for that one) or they are too difficult. But this is one of the easiest egg dishes known to man. First you wan to fetch your fresh herbs and give them a fine chop. Save a bit of the cilantro for a garnish and put the rest in a bowl. Slice up your onion and mushrooms, add them to a cast-iron skillet. After a few minutes add in your canadian bacon and bacon wrapped dates. Once carmelized, turn the heat to medium-low. Crack your eggs into the bowl with the herbs. Give a good whisk, add salt and pepper and pour egg mixture into the skillet. Do not scramble. Let the bottom cook over the stove for about 6 minutes. Once the bottom has settled then finish top with cheese and finish in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes. The frittata will puff up, once the eggs are cooked you are ready to serve. Remember the skillet is very HOT!

These two dishes are perfect to pair together! A little sweet with the fresh, warm granola bars and a little savory with your hot, gooey egg frittata. Your family, friends and neighbors will all be begging for the recipe!

Strawberry-Banana Pancakes
1 cup flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 1/4 tsp  baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup milk (you can use any kind, whole, skim or buttermilk)
2 Tbsps melted butter
1/2 cup sliced bananas (fresh)
1/2 cup sliced strawberries (fresh)

Mix the dry ingredients together in one bowl and the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl. Once both are well mixed, combine. You can either add fruit directly into batter or you can add add fruit once you pour mix into the skillet, I did the latter. Once you have a semi-thick batter use a 1/3 measuring cup to scoop the batter into your hot skillet. Pour in a bit of olive oil first, once your batter is poured drop a few slices of banans and strawberries right on top of the wet pancake. Once the pancake starts to bubble up and the sides are cooked you can flip. Continue til all of the batter is used.

Chive 'n Cheese Scrambled Eggs
6 eggs
1/2 cup colby jack cheese
1/4 cup freshly chopped chives
salt
pepper
olive oil
2 Tbsp water

Chop up your chives and shred your cheese, add to a medium sized bowl. Crack your eggs directly into the bowl. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Start to whisk your eggs together for scrambled eggs. Add in the water and continue to whisk. Grease your hot skillet with olive oil and pour into pan. Move the egg mixture around until it starts to solidify. Continue to "scramble" the eggs until they are fluffy and cooked but not overcooked (you don't want your eggs to brown). Serve with a bit of cheese and chives on top. Fabulous meal full of healthy proteins, calcium and carbohydrates.

All of these combinations of breakfasts are fantastic options to help start off your day right. Sweet and savory are a classic combination for breakfast and will leave any appetite satisfied. So whip out your apron and start a scramblin'!

Enjoy! xoxo Lo

Winter Dinner Party

During the winter people tend to "hibernate" and long to be comforted by warm, toasty friends and food. What better way to achieve this than planning a dinner party?

This is my mom, her best friend and I with a holiday cocktail before everyone else arrived! The menu my mom and I chose was: 


- Pomegranate Lemon Drop with a Candy Cane garnish
- Dried Cherry-Pistachio Brie en Croute
- Bacon Wrapped Stilton-Stuffed Dates
- Roasted Potato-Leek Soup 
- Winter Salad with Fennel and Apples
- Holiday Pasta with Crusty Bread 
- Pistachio-Cherry Chocolate Ganache Tart


Starting off with the holiday cocktail we combined 1 part vodka to two parts lemon drop mix and a slight pour of pomegranate with a mini candy cane as a garnish. We added the pomegranate to add red color for the holidays but you could keep the cocktail as a lemon drop or add any of your favorite Italian soda. 


Brie en Croute Appetizer
- 1 medium wheel of brie
- 1/4 cup of chopped pistachios
- 1/4 cup dried cherries roughly chopped
- 2 Tbsp agave nectar
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 sheet of puff pastry


Let puff pastry thaw and mix the pistachios, cherries, sugar and nectar together in a small bowl. Slice brie in half so you have two flat, thick pieces of brie that can be placed on top of each other. Add 3/4 of the nut mixture into the middle place the other half of the brie on top. Cover with the puff pastry dough and place the folded part down. On the flat side place the rest of the nut mixture and back at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Serve with crackers or crusty bread and prepare to be amazed! 

Stilton-Stuffed Dates
- 16 dried dates (you want about 2-3 per person)
- 8 slices of bacon (cut in half)
- 1/2 cup stilton cheese


Slice a line lengthwise through half of your date and stuff with cheese, wrap with bacon and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes or until bacon is crispy. This appetizer will blow you away, after one bite my taste-buds were doing the happy dance. Not a fan of blue cheese? I promise you with the bacon you cannot even tell it is blue cheese. 

Roasted Potato-Leek Soup
- 1 pound of diced Yukon gold potatoes
- 2 sliced leeks
- 2 diced shallots
- 1 bunch of arugula
- 3 cloves of chopped garlic
- 4 leaves of fresh sage chopped
- 1/2 heavy cream
- 1 carton of chicken stock
- 1/2 white wine
- a few pieces of crumbled bacon
- shredded Parmesan cheese 

Roast your potatoes, leeks and shallots on a baking pan for 30 minutes, in the last 10 minutes add arugula...roast until wilted.

Start your Dutch oven with olive oil, add garlic and sage on low heat. Once the potatoes are roasted add to the Dutch oven and add half of the chicken stock and white wine. Let simmer at medium heat for 15 minutes. 

Use your emulsion blender to blend the mixture until smooth. Add heavy cream and cook on low for another 15 minutes. You may need to add more chicken stock if the soup is too thick. Once the soup has finished, pour into small bowls (this soup is very filling!) and top with crumbled bacon and parmesan cheese. 

Winter Salad
Sadly we got so excited about this one that I forgot to take a picture but hopefully my description can help create one in your imagination :)

- 1 bulb of fennel
- 1 Gala apple
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 2 beets
- stilton cheese

After cleaning all your salad ingredients, roughly chop your beets. Mix the beets and pecans with maple syrup and roast for 20 minutes. Slice the bulb of fennel into thin slices, as well as the apple. Keep the top part of the fennel as a garnish. Crumble your Stilton cheese and once the beets are done assemble your salad with the sprigs of fennel on top. The licorice flavor of the fennel, crispness of the apple, creaminess of the cheese and crunch of the pecans will be a lovely palate cleanser before your pasta dish.

Holiday Pasta
Even though it's not Holiday season anymore...doesn't mean the wintery days doesn't call for a velvety, luscious pasta dish to warm your soul. This dish is named the way it is because it's like a Holiday party in your mouth!

- 1 pound of whole wheat penne pasta
- 4 cloves of crushed garlic
- 1 medium onion
- 3 13-oz cans of diced tomatoes
- 1 celery stick
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1 pound of Italian sausage
- 1/4 pound pancetta
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup chopped parsley
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- grated romano cheese for topping
- 1 loaf of ciabatta

Add a few tablespoons of olive oil and add bay leaf, diced pancetta and garlic for 7 minutes. Add half of the Italian sausage (out of the casing) and brown and crumble up. Chop up veggies,  add to pot after about five minutes add the wine, let wine cook off for one minute and add beef stock and tomatoes.

Stir in allspice and chopped parsley along with salt and pepper to taste. Bring sauce to boil then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes to let the flavors merry. Meanwhile cook the other half of the Italian sausage (with casing on, sliced) in a separate pan.

Bring your water to boil, add pasta and cook to al dente (aka slightly underdone). Plate the pasta on a large platter and spoon the sauce over. Serve with sprigs of rosemary as a lovely garnish. Cut up your crusty bread and sprinkle the grated romano on top. Your dinner guests will be pouncing to dig in!

Pistachio-Cherry Chocolate Ganache Tart
- 8 biscotti cookies
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup cherry preserves
-12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 1/2 cup chopped pistachios
Himalayan sea salt flakes

Chop up your biscotti cookies in a food processor, add in diced pieces of cold butter and brown sugar. Push into the bottom of a well greased spring-form pan and back at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Once cooled (15-20 minutes) evenly spread the cheery preserves on top. Then make the filling- heat the heavy cream to just below a boil and add to chocolate chips, mix until the chocolate melts into a smooth ganache. Add pistachios and dried cherries, pour over the crust and top with pistachios. Refrigerate overnight and when serving top with Himalayan sea salt flakes.

Enjoy this delectable, healthy, comforting winter dinner party menu...this will surely impress any company you have over during this chilly season. 


xoxo Lo

2012 Resolutions

Part of our family's new year's resolution was to eat healthier, lose weight and get my husband's cholesterol down. The first thing I did was do some research on cholesterol-healthy foods. Then I came up with a menu for the week to serve these ingredients.

Last night I created broccoli-gruyere stuffed chicken divan with a kidney bean puree and southern collard greens. It was packed with flavor and nutrients to boost our healthy bodies for the new year.

Broccoli-Gruyere Chicken Divan
4 chicken breasts
1 head of broccoli
3 leaves of kale
1/2 cup shredded gruyere cheese
2 garlic cloves
fresh oregano
olive oil
salt
pepper

Start by roasting your broccoli, kale and garlic in the broiler for 15 minutes. Meanwhile work on your kidney beans. Once the puree is ready to go take out the roasted vegetables and let cool for five minutes. While cooling start on your southern collards. Once the collard greens are on their way, shred up your gruyere cheese. Then pull your chicken breasts out of the fridge and slice a line in the middle of them, push through with your fingers to make a pocket inside each breast. Roughly chop up your roasted veggies and mix with the cheese. Stuff this mixture into each breast, place the breasts back on the roasting pan and broil for 25 minutes, until cooked through and golden brown on top.

Rosemary-Kidney Bean Puree
1 can of kidney beans
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1/2 cup chicken stock
salt
pepper

First I roughly chopped the rosemary and added that to the beans in a saucepan. Add chicken stock and bring the bean mixture to boil, in order to release the rosemary flavor. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Then use your emulsion blender (or blender) to emulsify the bean mixture. You may have to add more chicken stock if the mixture gets too thick. Then put on low and stir occasionally until ready to serve.

Southern Collard Greens
1 bunch of collard greens
1 can of diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup chicken stock

Chop up the collard greens and get rid of the inner spine (hard to eat). Pour a little olive oil into a larger sauce pan and add greens plus diced tomatoes. Cover and let greens wilt- about 5-7 minutes. While the chicken is broiling, stir around your collards to make sure they are being evenly coated by the tomatos. Put on low until ready to serve.

Once all components are cooked, plate by adding the puree first, curve your collards around the puree and place a chicken breast on top of the puree. Your company will love this dish!!

Happy 2012 everyone!!

xo Lo

Lazy Day Leftovers

Ever look in your fridge and have tons of leftovers but don't know what to do with them? I have a perfect solution! All you need to do is think outside the box just a bit and you can materialize a grandiose meal. On this particularly lazy day, I had a lot of leftover brisket and ribs from a family get together where we smoked the meat all day long. Instead of serving the brisket and ribs up as is I decided to transform them.

Smoked Brisket Ragout
1 lb brisket/ribs (any meat)
3/4 yellow onion
2 garlic cloves
2 cans of diced tomatos (with juice)
1/3 cup red wine
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms
3 leaves of fresh sage
olive oil
salt
pepper

Start by chopping up your onion and garlic. Add onion to medium-hot pan with olive oil, after about five minutes add garlic. Cook until golden and translucent, stirring sporadically.

Meanwhile roughly chop up your brisket meat and rib meat (off the bone) place that into a bowl. Start on polenta. Once polenta is in the oven, add red wine to the onion mixture, let cook off for about a minute. Then add the meat, tomatoes, mushrooms, sage, salt and pepper. Let simmer while the flavors merry for about 30 minutes.

Savory Polenta
1/2 quart of chicken stock
1/4 yellow onion
2 garlic cloves
1 cup of cornmeal
1/2 cup grated parmesan
olive oil
salt
pepper

Heat olive oil in medium saucepan, add chopped onion, after a few minutes add garlic. Let saute and turn golden. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil, add cornmeal. Add lid and place in 325 degree oven, stirring occasionally for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and add 1/4 cup of grated parmesan.

Plate the polenta on the bottom of two bowls and top with the smoked brisket ragout, add a bit of parmesan on the very top and indulge! This recipe is easy, nutritious and delicious!

Enjoy! xo Lo

Start your Winter day off right

In order to start your cold, blustery day off correctly a fulfilling breakfast is much needed. Eggs are a fantastic way to fill you up without a lot of calories or fat. Enjoy this simple yet mouth watering breakfast recipe.

Omelete

6 eggs
2 Tbsp milk
salt
pepper
3 English muffins
ground turkey
fresh berries
green onion
shiitake mushrooms

Slice disks out of the ground turkey and cook until juicy and slightly crisp. Chop up your green onions and shiitake mushrooms, add them to a pan on medium-low heat. Scramble the six eggs, whisk in milk, salt and pepper. Toast up the English muffins. Remove the onion-mushroom mixture and pour in 1/3 of the mixture, once the eggs start to solidifiy flip and add in onion-mushroom mixture plus shredded cheese. Flip one half over to create an omelette, leave for one minute then remove from heat.

Plate the omelete top with cheese and a few green onion slices with a side of turkey sausage, English muffins and berries. This meal will jumpstart your metabolism and give you energy to conquer the day!

Enjoy! xoxo Lo

Food for the Chilly Soul

During the winter season, I love to bake bread...as soon as they come out of the oven all steaming with deliciousness my soul is warmed. This sweet potato bread packs in nutrients and tons of flavors.

Sweet Potato Bread with Candied Orange Peel

2 1/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup water
2/3 cup oil (try grapeseed oil!)
4 eggs
1 sweet potato (shredded, skin on)
3 1/3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup nuts (pecans or walnuts)
2 Tbsp orange zest
1/2 cup orange peel

Pre heat oven to 350, meanwhile wash and shred your sweet potato. I leave the skin on because skins are packed with nutrients and you can't even tell they are in the bread. Put the shredded potato in a bowl and add in sugar, water, oil and eggs- mix together. Add dry ingredients and lastly add in nuts and orange zest. Save some nuts for the topping. Divide mixture between two, well greased/floured loaf pans and bake for an hour.

While the bread is baking make your candied orange peels.

Candied Orange Peel

1 full peel of one orange
2 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup sugar

Bowl 1/2 cup of water in a sauce pan. While the water is heating up slice your orange peel into thin strips. Once the water is in a rolling boil, add your peels. Keep in water for one minute, then drain (keep water if you want for marmalade!), repeat process four times (this process helps release all the bitterness out of the peels). Once you've finished the fourth boil, add 1/2 cup of water to the same sauce pan, bring to a boil. This time add the sugar and add the peels. Let simmer for 15 minutes, this helps the peels soak up the sugary goodness.

After time is up, remove the peels and let dry on parchment paper until the bread is ready to be served.

Once the bread is baked (always check with a knife or toothpick), let cool for 10 minutes. Use the orangey, sugar syrup and brush it across the tops of each loaf. Top with extra nuts and finally with the candied orange peels.

This bread makes an exceptional gift and is simply scrumptious! Warm up your family's or neighbor's soul this winter season and bake up a batch of this bread!

Enjoy! xoxo Lo