Simple Vegetable Lasagna

**If you would prefer this recipe be vegan, then substitute vegan cheese for the cheese, and substitute a smashed firm tofu, salted with nutritional yeast, basil, olive oil, and a smidge of sugar in place of the ricotta. I have decided I much prefer real, organic, dairy to processed vegan "dairy" but the vegan route of this recipe is delicious too!

What you will need:
Two+ cups of marinara sauce (see my homemade recipe, previous to this one)
Olive oil
1/2 an onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 eggplant, peeled and diced
1 cup of spinach, washed
1 10 ounce package of gluten free lasagna noodles
1 1/2 cups of ricotta (I prefer full fat, organic ricotta-- I think being satisfied with my meals what keeps me lean, personally)
1 handful of fresh basil, minced
Black pepper
Salt
1/4 cup of shredded parmesan
1 cup of shredded asiago, romano, mozzarella, and parmesan (use whatever combination makes you happy)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and begin your lasagna making ritual by having your sauce ready-- in my case I prepare mine right before making this recipe.
Then, boil ten quart pot of water for your lasagna noodles.
This is the kind I buy when I don't feel like making pasta from scratch:

While the water is boiling, saute the onion, in a pan on medium high in a scant amount of olive oil, until it becomes translucent. Add garlic and diced eggplant. Add a bit of broth or water if the eggplant begins to stick. Cook until the eggplant is soft, about 7 minutes.

Once your eggplant is soft, add your spinach, and a pinch of salt for taste. And remove from heat. The spinach will wilt on its own between being with the warm eggplant and once it goes into the oven to bake in the lasagna.

If the water is boiling at this point, add your lasagna noodles and keep a timer-- you want them al dente as they will continue to get soft in the oven once they are baking.

Add your ricotta cheese to a bowl with a pinch of pepper, the minced fresh basil as well as fresh grated parmesan.

Drain your lasgana noodles when they are ready and rinse they gently with cold water to keep them from sticking to one another.

Grate your cheese--- on this occasion I used a mixture of asiago, mozzarella and parmesan. You can use any combination or single cheese that you would like.

Now you can start your lasagna, on this evening I was making two small lasagnas, so I used two 8x8" baking dishes. Normally you can use a 13x9" or so rectangular baking dish.

You don't need to grease it, instead put a layer of marinara sauce down FIRST to keep things from sticking :) then add an even layer of noodles.

Then add a layer of evenly placed ricotta mixture and a sprinkle of cheese.

Add another layer of noodles and then a thin layer of cheese (remember the cheese is what binds this whole recipe together, having a little cheese on every layer will make it more manageable to serve!) vegetables and a smidgen of marinara sauce.

Depending on how much filling you have, repeat until you have enough noodles for a final top layer, then add a generous amount of sauce and finish your grated cheese.

 In this particular case I was able to make two small 8x8 three-layer lasagnas.

Bake, covered with aluminum foil at 350 for 30 minutes.

:) Enjoy xoxoxooxoxoxoxoxo

Marinara ala Sacchitella

You know, when you are Italian everything "is aboutta-da-sauce." So, growing up, there were two different sauces; there was the simple, elegant sauce my grandmother made, and...the sauce my dad made.

The sauce my dad made defied my grandmother's traditional recipe, which was my dad's underlying purpose I believe, because he put everything-- I mean everything-- in his sauce. He had sort of a if-one-thing-then-why-not-ten attitude in the kitchen. His marinara included tomatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms, olive oil, barbecue sauce, honey, miso, wine, soy sauce, every spice in our spice cabinet...the list goes on. And once, he even put (I wish I was kidding) corn flake IN his sauce. I repeat, IN the sauce: IN it.

He also rebelled against tradition and didn't always pound his chicken flat when making chicken parmesan, so when he served his chunky breaded and fried chicken with his eclectic-flavored tomato sauce, it was more reminiscent of chicken nuggets with some kind of sweet-sour dipping sauce you get from a fast food joint.

(Rene if you are reading this, I know you are laughing really hard right now-- we used to beg our mom when our dad wasn't home just to make us sauce out of the can, we would DAYDREAM about Ragu because it was so different than what our dad served us so often!)

So now that I am an adult and don't have to force myself to eat things I don't like so that I may get up from the table, I have gone back to honoring my grandmother's way of doing things, which I always liked better, anyway.

My grandmother is a simple, woman from a farming family in Sicily. She makes things simply. This sauce is simple. And delicious.



For this family-inspired marinara you will need:

Olive oil
Half of once large yellow onion, peeled and diced
8 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
Dried marjoram and basil
Two 32 ounce cans of organic** whole, peeled tomatoes (I am a stickler for buying all things organic, but with everything BUT I really, really push for people to make sure that mass-produced things, like canned tomatoes are ESPECIALLY high quality, they are even better if you buy them in the jar, but if I bought jarred tomatoes all of the time I might go bankrupt)
Salt


First, coat your sauce pan lightly with olive oil, turn up to medium high and saute your onions until they are translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium and add your garlic. Saute altogether briefly, about a minute, until the garlic starts to soften.

Next, add 1/2 tablespoon of marjoram and 1 tablespoon of basil. Mix up with the onion-garlic mixture. Then add both of your cans of whole tomatoes and if you feel that you need more volume, 1/2 of a cup of water.

With a potato masher (which I do not have!) or a heavy-duty whisk, mash your chunks of tomato into the sauce, while the pan is still on medium heat. 

Once your sauce is a more even consistency, add salt to your taste liking and cover to let it simmer on low for at least 30 minutes-- you can let it simmer on low all day if you would like, my grandma did.

If you like a really garlicky sauce, add 1/2 of the garlic at the beginning and save 1/2 to put in just for the simmering at the end, this will give the sauce a little more zip.

Enjoy with pasta-- or in my next recipe, in lasagna!

xoxo

Grandma Sackley's Chicken Soup

When my grandfather, Tomaso came to this country from Amalfi Coast of Italy, his last name was 'Sacchitella.' Italians at the time were looked down upon and he came here to make a better life, so my grandfather 'Americanized' his name and became Thomas Sackley. He then met my grandmother,  Giuseppina Genuso and they married and were known as Thomas and Josephine Sackley.

My grandmother, who is still alive, and tougher than ever bless her soul, made this for us if we weren't feeling well. My grandmother is neither vegan nor gluten free, so neither is this soup and it's better that way.

You will need:
8 cups of broth, chicken broth or your homemade vegetable broth
2 medium chicken breasts, or about 1.5 lbs of chicken (you can use thighs or any part you would prefer)
1 onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 large carrots, diced
1/2 of a bunch of celery, diced
2 cups of kale, cut into very**thin strips
1 cup of diced tomatoes
1 lb of ancini de pepe (or any other pasta you would like, if you want it to be gluten free you can do gluten free pasta, rice or quinoa...but I will not change my grandma's recipe in my own kitchen: NEVER!)
Salt
Pepper
Marjoram

First, put the diced onion, minced garlic and your chicken (do not cut or fiddle with them, just put them in whole) into your 8 cups of broth on the stove over medium high heat. Bring to a boil and then turn to medium and let it simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. This will cook the chicken and infuse your broth with tastiness.

After 45min/1 hour, remove your chicken from the broth and let cool on a plate. While the chicken cools, put the diced carrot, diced celery, chopped kale,  a dash of salt, pepper, two tablespoons of marjoram and the diced tomatoes into the broth, which should still be on medium heat. Likely, your broth has cooked down quite a bit, close to half of the original amount your started with-- if this is the case add 3 or 4 more cups of water or broth while the vegetables cook.

Cook the veggies and soup on medium heat for 15 minutes, or until the carrots begin to soften.

When the chicken is cool, begin to shred it with a fork and your fingers. 

Put the chicken back into the soup once it is shredded and turn the heat to low or medium low. 

Start your water boiling for the pasta, in my case the ancini de pepe. I prefer these little pasta pearls because of their pleasing texture, you don't often get to have tiny chewy pasta balls. They will boil for about 8 minutes to be al dente: perfecto!

Spoon a heaping ladle of pastina and soup into your bowl and serve. (I don't add the pastina directly into the big pot of soup until I am ready to store the leftovers in the fridge, usually. This recipe makes enough for about 10-12 servings so you are definitely going to have leftovers.)

Garnish with a tiny pit of parsley and Parmesan cheese if you so desire.

Enjoy!! :)

Black Bean and Vegetable Stew

In a distant universe, long-long ago, I used to have a non-profit called The Good Food People, we made all organic, super nutritious meals for people terminally ill with AIDS in Boulder county--- and would deliver them a weeks worth of meals, made with their diet needs in mind, to their door. It was great! But I had to make money to support the Good Food People-- so I made soups and salads that the cafe at the Boulder Public Library and the cafe at the Dairy Center for the Arts purchased (back then the cafes were called "Express-O!") AND this black bean stew was a top seller, always. Its easy, hearty and delicious. 

You will need:

6 cups of black beans, cooked and mostly** drained (check previous homemade black bean recipe if you need!)
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup green pepper, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
8 tablespoons olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon cumin
7 tablespoons white vinegar

4 tablespoons of soy sauce

salt to taste

Ready your beans, make ahead the day before as per previous recipe-- and then drain off about 75% percent of the "bean juice"(that sounds so appetizing, doesn't it?!)

Saute onions, pepper, celery & carrots in olive oil until the onions turn golden brown over medium high heat, about 5 minutes. 

Add garlic, cumin, vinegar & soy sauce. Cook over medium heat, stirring for about 3 
minutes.

Add the beans to the saute. Stir well.

Cook over a low heat for 30 minutes. Add salt to your liking.

****Tonight I served this with finely chopped cilantro and cubed avocado because I had extra of both in the refrigerator  (you could also try sour cream, hot sauce, etc. be creative!!) and if you are REALLY needing a treat, a quesadilla, cut in quarters and stuck into your stew.

LOVE!!!!!

Peanut Noodle Salad

This was a leftover salad from our pho extravaganza. I made about 2x too many rice noodles-- I made 15 ounces of rice noodles (I instructed you peeps to make 7 ounces) and had the rest in the refrigerator--- they needed to turn into something! So I was inspired to make this dish.

What you will need for this dish:
Rice noodles, already cooked (about 7 ounces)
Fried tofu (mine was leftover, you don't need this, but its nice)
A handful of shredded cabbage
Half of a cucumber, grated
Two grated carrots
Two green onions, chopped thinly
A handful of cilantro, chopped
A handful of tat soy greens or romaine, chopped
1/3 cup of tomatoes, chopped

Dressing:
Three tablespoons of peanut butter (chunky or not, or almond butter will do fine too)
1/3 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoons of tamari
1 tablespoon of srirachi
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
2 tablespoons of sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 "thumbnail" sized piece of ginger, peeled
A few sprigs of fresh basil

Toss your rice noodles with any vegetables you would like sans the tomatoes (save those for putting on top last), tofu if it isn't already, fry and then toss into our vegetable-noodle mix.

Blend all ingredients for your dressing together, and then taste. If you like it sweeter add more maple syrup, spicier add more sriachi or garlic, tangier add more vinegar, etc.

Top your salad with the dressing and stir.

Add all greens so your salad if you haven't already and stir.

Top with tomatoes and serve!'

Gluten Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (from scratch)

AJ AND I MADE COOKIES AND THEY MADE EVERYONE REALLY HAPPY

1 1/2 cups of rice flour

1 1/4 teaspoons xanthan gum 

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

1 cup of brown sugar

3 cups of old fashioned oats

8 tablespoons of unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. 
• In a big bowl, mix the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt and cinnamon: I whisked mine. 
• Add the sugar and light brown sugar to the large bowl of dry ingredients, continue whisking to combine well, breaking up any lumps in the brown sugar (AJ loved this part, he used a big wooden spoon and took his aggression out on the lumps). Add the oats, stir well!
•  Add the butter(I transferred everything to my Kitchen Aid, **thank you Grammy** at this point) and mixed on low until the butter moistened all of the other ingredients. Add the beaten eggs and vanilla, and mix until the dough comes together on low. It was very thick!!
•  Add the chocolate chips!! Mix for another minute on low.
• 
  
• Use your hands to press together cookie dough into equal size drops onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Place the baking sheets in the freezer for about 10 minutes, making the dough cohesive. Once chilled, place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven, and bake for about 14 minutes, or until lightly golden brown all over (and a bit browner on the bottoms). Remove the cookies when they seem like the appropriate color, they will be soft because these are a chewier, denser cookie.

Allow them to cool on a cooling rack. Then eat them until you can't fit anymore in your mouth.

:) Makes about 48 tablespoon sized cookies!

xoxo

Vegan Pho

Pho.
It's a trendy food right now, and to most it seems rather complicated...and we're all willing to pay nine dollars a pop for a bowl? Well, you need not, my friends. You can make this entire soup for less than nine bucks, I betya

The broth:
7 or 8 cups of your homemade** veggie broth :)
Pho seasoning: clove, coriander seed, fennel seed, cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, licorice (You can get a packet that makes 6 cups of broth at any Asian grocery for about $1.95)
2 carrots, chopped coarsely
1/2 onion, chopped coarsely
3 cloves of garlic, chopped coarsely
1 "thumb" size piece of ginger, chopped coarsely
1/2 a lime, cute into pieces
3 tablespoons of tamari
Salt, to taste, after it has simmered

Toppings:
7 ounces of rice noodles
7 ounces of cubed tofu
1/2 cup of shredded red cabbage
sprigs of cilantro
sprigs of basil
1/2 lime, cut into wedges
One handful of bean sprouts

Prep all of your broth ingredients and put them in a pot, turning them on high to bring them to a boil. Once boiling, cover and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.

While your broth is simmering, prep your toppings.

I fried my tofu in a cast iron pan with some cilantro, salt and pepper.

I then chopped my green onions, shredded my cabbage and readied the cilantro, lime and basil (the bean sprouts are not pictured, because it seems if you leave your bean sprouts in the fridge for longer than 6 hours, they turn into complete mush...)

At this point, your broth should start looking like this:

Taste your broth and see if you might like to add some more salt, tamari or lime juice

Next, boil your rice noodles. Your rice noodles may have varying directions, I put mine in boiling water for about 6 minutes and then drained them. Rinse them with mild temperature water after draining them, or they will stick together. 

Once your broth has simmered for at least 45 minutes, strain out the solids.

You are now ready to serve!

Portion out a large amount of rice noodles into a bowl, followed by tofu, green onions, cabbage, bean sprouts, cilantro, basil and lime juice. Ladle your broth over the top and serve! You may like srirachi or extra tamari at the serving table.

XO