Like a ten year old who’s had his sweets taken away or the world champion food-eating winner Joey Chestnut being told he can’t have any more hot dogs, it’s been a painful few weeks of having one of my favourite treats taken away. The plain and simple truth was that while I’d been having a fabulous time travelling around and entertaining overseas friends, I was also starting to slowly go through a somewhat painful withdrawal of not being in my kitchen. I needed a fix and I needed it bad. With my creative juices flowing, my cupboards no longer empty; last Sunday I scheduled an evening of Dana cooking time. Like any junkie, I knew it wouldn’t necessarily take much, and by the end of the evening I was most definitely back on track.
Definitely not to be eaten together - I ended up making two things that night. The first was a homemade granola and the second the most random lasagne. I'd like to say the most random one over, but there was that one time I made one with polenta instead of pasta...not something I'd recommend!
The first item was in an attempt to have a healthy and somewhat sweet snack hanging around my flat and the second was to try and make something that I could both enjoy for a few days and then freeze for later consumption on those “school” nights when I get home too late to cook much more than a bowl of Kellogg's Special K.
Maple Pecan Granola with Dried Cranberries:
- Nonstick oil spray
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 egg whites
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 3 cups old-fashioned oats
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
Preheat oven to 165°C (325°F).
Coat a baking sheet with nonstick spray.
Stir 1/2 cup sugar and maple syrup in small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves.
Pour into large bowl; cool to lukewarm.
Whisk in egg whites, vanilla, and spices.
Add oats, pcans, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar.
Spread mixture in even layer on prepared sheet.
Bake 35 minutes.
Turn granola over (bottom will be brown). Bake 10 more minutes.
Sprinkle cranberries over; bake until dry, about 15 minutes more.
Cool granola completely in pan.
Granola stores well in tupperware (it's been over a week so far and it's still D-lish)!
Butternut Squash, Mushroom, and Spinach Lasagne:
1 onion, diced
2 cups mushrooms, chopped
3 cups butternut squash, diced
6 cloves garlic, chopped
olive oil
salt & pepper
1 bag washed spinach
4 tablespoons flour
4 cups milk (I used semi-skimmed-2% and you could not tell the difference)
10-14 non-cook lasagne pieces
1/2 cup mascarpone
parmesan
Filling:
Cook chopped onion in olive oil for about 10 minutes. Add mushrooms and butternut squash, 3 cloves garlic, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is just tender, about 15 - 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
In a separate pan, sauté spinach with a bit of olive oil until cooked down. Set aside.
Béchamel:
Note: This might be a bit tastier made with whole milk and butter (instead of olive oil) and I'd recommend it if you don't have a love/hate relationship with dairy, like me. I was trying to be a bit healthier (for a change) and opted for the olive oil and semi-skim milk.
Cook remaining garlic in olive oil in a medium saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring, 1 minute.
Whisk in flour and cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes.
Add milk in a stream, whisking.
Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, then reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, 10 minutes.
Whisk in salt and white pepper and remove from heat.
Assembly required:
Preheat oven to 220C (425 F)
Spread 1/2 cup sauce in an olive oil greased baking dish, cover with 2-4 pasta sheets, leaving spaces between sheets.
Spread with 2/3 cup sauce and one third of filling, then sprinkle with a 1/3 of the mascarpone and a bit of parmesan.
Repeat layering 2 more times, beginning with pasta sheets and ending with cheese.
Top with remaining 3 pasta sheets, remaining sauce, and remaining cheese. Cover dish with foil and bake for about 25-35 minutes.
Remove foil and bake until golden-brown and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes more (I always take it out after the corners are crispy....my favourite bit)!
Let lasagne stand at least 10 minutes before serving.
Definitely not to be eaten together - I ended up making two things that night. The first was a homemade granola and the second the most random lasagne. I'd like to say the most random one over, but there was that one time I made one with polenta instead of pasta...not something I'd recommend!
The first item was in an attempt to have a healthy and somewhat sweet snack hanging around my flat and the second was to try and make something that I could both enjoy for a few days and then freeze for later consumption on those “school” nights when I get home too late to cook much more than a bowl of Kellogg's Special K.
Maple Pecan Granola with Dried Cranberries:
- Nonstick oil spray
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 egg whites
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 3 cups old-fashioned oats
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
Preheat oven to 165°C (325°F).
Coat a baking sheet with nonstick spray.
Stir 1/2 cup sugar and maple syrup in small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves.
Pour into large bowl; cool to lukewarm.
Whisk in egg whites, vanilla, and spices.
Add oats, pcans, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar.
Spread mixture in even layer on prepared sheet.
Bake 35 minutes.
Turn granola over (bottom will be brown). Bake 10 more minutes.
Sprinkle cranberries over; bake until dry, about 15 minutes more.
Cool granola completely in pan.
Granola stores well in tupperware (it's been over a week so far and it's still D-lish)!
Butternut Squash, Mushroom, and Spinach Lasagne:
1 onion, diced
2 cups mushrooms, chopped
3 cups butternut squash, diced
6 cloves garlic, chopped
olive oil
salt & pepper
1 bag washed spinach
4 tablespoons flour
4 cups milk (I used semi-skimmed-2% and you could not tell the difference)
10-14 non-cook lasagne pieces
1/2 cup mascarpone
parmesan
Filling:
Cook chopped onion in olive oil for about 10 minutes. Add mushrooms and butternut squash, 3 cloves garlic, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is just tender, about 15 - 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
In a separate pan, sauté spinach with a bit of olive oil until cooked down. Set aside.
Béchamel:
Note: This might be a bit tastier made with whole milk and butter (instead of olive oil) and I'd recommend it if you don't have a love/hate relationship with dairy, like me. I was trying to be a bit healthier (for a change) and opted for the olive oil and semi-skim milk.
Cook remaining garlic in olive oil in a medium saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring, 1 minute.
Whisk in flour and cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes.
Add milk in a stream, whisking.
Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, then reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, 10 minutes.
Whisk in salt and white pepper and remove from heat.
Assembly required:
Preheat oven to 220C (425 F)
Spread 1/2 cup sauce in an olive oil greased baking dish, cover with 2-4 pasta sheets, leaving spaces between sheets.
Spread with 2/3 cup sauce and one third of filling, then sprinkle with a 1/3 of the mascarpone and a bit of parmesan.
Repeat layering 2 more times, beginning with pasta sheets and ending with cheese.
Top with remaining 3 pasta sheets, remaining sauce, and remaining cheese. Cover dish with foil and bake for about 25-35 minutes.
Remove foil and bake until golden-brown and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes more (I always take it out after the corners are crispy....my favourite bit)!
Let lasagne stand at least 10 minutes before serving.
1 comment:
Thems fighting words!
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