Tomato Mozzarella Lasagna Roll Ups

Yet another Pinterest idea that made it to my food board that I wanted to try it immediately!  I glanced at the recipe but mostly just used the picture then ran with it.  I have included the original recipe to give credit where credit is due...

Caprese Lasagna Roll Ups

Any chance I get, I try to make our food a little "healthier" than what we normally eat.  The handful of times I have made lasagna, it has been loaded with ground meat, hot Italian sausage, pepperoni, etc.  We are meat lovers, but when I saw this idea, I decided to try it sans meat to focus more on the taste of the Roma tomatoes and cut some of the grease that's in my usual lasagna.  However, you will never see me reduce the amount of cheese I use. : )   

I loooved this idea for many reasons, one of which is that it was super easy and uses minimal ingredients.  It was a less overwhelming than making a lasagna. And my number one pet peeve about lasagna is cutting and serving it- it usually, without fail, falls apart on me.  These lasagna rolls stayed rolled perfectly and I did not have to worry about cutting anything apart and trying to keep it together as I transferred it from the glass casserole dish to the plate.

The recipe called for an egg white and when I make lasagna I usually mix the egg in with the Ricotta cheese, but was fresh out of eggs today.  I went ahead and attempted the recipe anyway and everything worked out fine... so, I will not include the egg white in my version, although the recipe link does.  Also, I need to call attention to the fact that yes, I use jarred sauce!  My mother made homemade sauce my entire life and is very Italian, but I have not gotten to the point of trying my own sauce.  So for now, jarred sauce it is! (Sorry mom!)

Tomato Mozzarella Lasagna Roll Ups

One box of lasagna noodles

Part skim milk ricotta cheese 32 oz.

One jar of sauce (I like Bertolli's Italian Sausage)

Shredded mozzarella cheese 4 cup bag and 1 extra cup

6-7 Roma Tomatoes

Garlic Salt

Oregano

Parsley

Onion Onion Seasoning (Tastefully Simple) (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare lasagna noodles.  After noodles are cooked and the water is drained, rinse each noodle in cold water and lay flat on wax paper or in a container.

Combine ricotta cheese with generous amounts of garlic salt, parsley, and Onion Onion.  Add about a cup of shredded cheese to the mixture.  *I will apologize here again as I have done before, many times when I set out to try a recipe, I don't measure and just go with the flow.  So, season to your liking.

Cut Roma tomatoes into thin slices.

Spread ricotta cheese mixture over noodles and place tomatoes on top of ricotta cheese.

Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of tomatoes and roll each noodle.

Dump sauce over lasagna rolls and bake for 30 mins.

Remove from oven and cover with remaining cheese.  Bake an additional 5-6 mins. or until cheese is melted.  Sprinkle oregano over melted cheese.  ENJOY!

cheeeeesygooooodness<3LML

Baked Avocado Stuffed with Spicy Tuna

I think this is one of the few posts I have actually done in an attempt to replicate food I have had while abroad.  This is a completely original recipe and came from my memories of Granada, Spain and my host mother, Menchu... she used to serve us the freshest salads- tuna on a bed of lettuce or tomato, onion, and lettuce salad.  There was no dressing, and this was the reason the salads were so refreshing!- they only dressed the salads with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt.  The taste was unforgettable!

She also frequently prepared us "bocadillos" (sandwiches) with "picatún" which was a spicy tuna.  When I saw that Starkist made a spicy tuna, I decided to give it a try, although it is nothing compared to what I had in Spain.   I combined these tastes and my love for avocados and this was the result...

Baked Avocado Stuffed with Spicy Tuna

1 Avocado

Sweet and Spicy Starkist canned tuna

Lettuce

Olive Oil

1 Lemon

Parmesan cheese

Salt

Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut avocado lengthwise, separate the halves, and remove pit.  Take a spoon and scoop all around the outside of the avocado to remove it from the skin.

Arrange lettuce leaves on plate and drizzle with olive oil and then squeeze lemon juice over lettuce.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper over lettuce as well.

Spoon tuna to fill the hole where the pit was in the avocado.

Sprinkle tuna with pepper and Parmesan cheese. 

Bake for 20 mins.

Serve baked avocados over bed of lettuce and top with more lemon juice.

BakeThatAvocado<3LML

Tex-Mex Tortilla Pizza

If you plan well, taco meat goes a long way.  I usually cook 2 to 3 pounds of meat at a time so I can whip it out for a few quick meals/snacks throughout the week.  We love our Tex-Mex and can handle it more than one night a week! At the beginning of the week we did a burrito/nacho night and I prepared the meat, and then on one of our busy nights that same week, when we all ate something different (me-hummus, kids-mac n cheese), I came up with this yummy pizza for Ricardo with the leftover meat and (minimal) ingredients that I ALWAYS have available- now, I will have this "go to" and will only need to prepare the meat, no special shopping list required! And I know I don't have to say that it's super simple and quick to make- that's how I roll!

Tex-Mex Tortilla Pizza

Prepared taco meat

Burrito size flour tortillas

Shredded taco/nacho cheese

Ortega Taco Sauce

Cherry Tomatoes, chopped

Onion, chopped

Green Olives, chopped

(and of course, any other toppings you desire...)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

*The secret is in the sauce!- Spread Ortega Taco Sauce on tortilla.

Top with shredded cheese and then taco meat.

Top with more shredded cheese to cover meat. (We LOVE cheese...)

Spread chopped tomatoes, onions, and green olives on top of cheese evenly. 

Bake in oven until cheese is melted and tortilla is crispy and slightly browned. 

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

TryIt.<3LML

Garlic Rubbed Roasted Cabbage Steaks

I will take no credit for this recipe except for finding it on Pinterest!  I am a Pinterest fanatic and part of my existence is finding and trying out recipes that I find and sharing them with ya'll if they are worth it.  I have actually found very few recipes that have not panned out for me...  This recipe is again, incredibly simple to prepare, that's part of my requirements, and it is amaaaazing!  I made it quickly yesterday for a snack while I was watching our kids swim in the pool!  

Benefits of eating cabbage!  <--click to read about WHY you should eat cabbage...

If you have never tried cabbage, or are not a cabbage lover, this is a good recipe to start with!  We have some friends that we have over probably every other weekend for dinner over the summer and I will definitely be preparing this as a side one of those nights!  This would be a great side to accompany whatever you will be throwing on the grill this summer or for just a snack...

Garlic Rubbed Roasted Cabbage Steaks

Head of cabbage

Olive Oil

Garlic Cloves

Salt

Black Pepper

*Parmesan cheese (I added this ingredient)

Original Recipe for Garlic Rubbed Roasted Cabbage Steaks

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Peel outer leaves from cabbage.

Slice cabbage into round slices...however many you want...

Smash garlic clove by laying a knife on top of it and pounding your hand over the flat side of knife.

Peel off skin and rub smashed garlic clove over each cabbage slice on both sides of the slice.

Drizzle olive oil over each slice and spread around with basting brush.

Finely chop the smashed garlic and put some on each of the slices.

Sprinkle each slice with desired amount of salt and then pepper.

Sprinkle each slice with Parmesan cheese.

Cook in oven for 20-30 mins.

Remove and flip each slice to other side.

Drizzle other side with oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese.

Cook in oven for another 20-30 mins.

Add an extra drizzle of olive oil and top with more parm.
Serve hot and enjoy!

Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Quesadilla

Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli QuesadillaOlive Oil
Goya Adobo All Purpose Seasoning
Garlic Salt
Parsley
Black Pepper
Chicken Breast
Steamed Broccoli
Saffron Yellow Rice (I use Mahatma- best rice ever!)
Butter
Flour Burrito Size Tortillas
Shredded (Mexican style) Cheese

Just a little something I threw together one night from some leftover steamed broccoli we had with dinner the night before and some quick cooking rice and easy skillet chicken... You would think being a teacher that summers would be a little more relaxing; not so!  We have soccer, taekwondo, ice skating classes, summer school, trainings for school, etc. to work around, so I am still having to throw things together at the last minute and since I am a little lazier because I feel like I should be relaxing a bit, I sometimes skip my weekly Sunday shopping trip and just go with what we have:  What resulted from these on hand ingredients was a super tasty, picky eater approved, slightly non-Mex version of a quesadilla!

*Cook yellow rice by following directions on package while you are cooking the chicken breasts.

Drizzle hot pan with olive oil and throw in chicken breast.  Season breast with Adobo, garlic salt, black pepper, and parsley.  Flip chicken breast and season other side.  When mostly cooked, remove from pan and slice into small pieces, continuing to cook fully.

When chicken is cooked, add precooked rice and steamed broccoli to the pan.  Like I said, I used leftover broc from the night before.  Heat thoroughly.

Set mixture aside in a bowl and butter one side of a flour tortilla.  Put butter side down in pan and add cover half of burrito with shredded cheese.  Add chicken/rice/broc mixture to half of burrito on top of cheese.

Add more cheese on top of mixture for those cheese loooovers...

Fold burrito over and cook each side until lightly browned and cheese is melted!

*I FINALLY figured out how to flip a burrito without all of the stuff falling out!  Slide spatula under the open side of the quesadilla and stand up to balance on the fold then gently lay quesadilla down on the other side- You will have to use your hand or another utensil to help you flip!

Serve hot and enjoy!

QuesadillaLove<3LML

Sweet and Sour Chicken Noodle Bowl

 Sweet and Sour Chicken Noodle Bowl

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Garlic Garlic or Garlic Salt

Butter

Chicken breasts

2 Eggs

Hakka Egg Noodles

Frozen Vegetable Stir Fry Mix

Kikkoman Rice Vinegar

Kikkoman Soy Sauce

Kikkoman Sweet and Sour Sauce

Red Pepper Flakes

Begin to cook chicken pieces in wok or large pan drizzled with heated olive oil.  Add about a tablespoon of butter to chicken and season with salt and pepper to your liking.

Add 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar and two tablespoons of soy sauce to start.  As I cook, I always end up adding more!

When chicken looks cooked, but not browned, begin to add the eggs.  Add one egg and stir in until it cooks in with the chicken.

Add the other egg and mix in again.

If you loove eggs like I do, you will probably want to add a few more...(I think I used four total.)

After chicken is fully cooked and eggs are also cooked in, add frozen bag of stir-fry veggies.  

Cover and cook on medium.

After a few minutes, add 1/4 cup of water to the mixture.  While chicken and veggies are cooking, add garlic salt or Garlic Garlic, as well as more soy sauce.  Mix frequently and monitor the amount of water, adding a tiny bit at a time until veggies are fully cooked.

In the meantime, begin to cook the noodles.

Instructions on the package are very specific, but if you follow them you will have perfectly cooked "al dente" asian noodles and it only takes a few minutes! 

(of course you can use any type of noodles you want, but I looved this kind!)

Boil 10 cups of water in a large pan.

Drop noodles in and boil for only 2 mins.

Remove using tongs.

Drain the noodles and spread on a flat surface, tossing in 1tsp. of oil.

Add noodles to the chicken and vegetable mixture when chicken and veggies are fully cooked and toss.  Cover with as much sweet and sour sauce as desired and toss until spread throughout.

I always need to spice it up, so top with red pepper flakes or peanuts...

mmmmm<3LML.

Garlic Pesto Chicken Quesadilla with Cherry Tomatoes and Spinach

Another delicious, quick, weeknight meal made possible by using left over crock-pot chicken!

I made this one night for the kiddos, only because I had made the crock-pot chicken on a previous day and had some left over...so I decided to shred it up and make some quick quesadillas!  I am also on the ongoing mission to "sneak" some of the veggies in to their diet that they don't take to so easily, like spinach- didn't even notice it was in there!

I am a quesadilla/panini LOVER!  This recipe can be made using the chicken recipe below (a packet of ranch, garlic pesto, and chicken broth in the crock-pot), or any other way you want to make the chicken, I just know that this chicken was super delish- make it for a meal in itself, and then shred leftovers for the quesadillas!

Garlic Pesto Crock-Pot Chicken

Garlic Pesto Chicken Quesadilla

Chicken (cooked and shredded)

olive oil

spinach leaves

cherry tomatoes

onion

shredded cheese

burrito size flour tortillas

garlic salt, pepper

Drizzle hot pan with olive oil and add fresh spinach leaves, halved cherry tomatoes, and onion slices.  Sauté veggie mixture in oil until onions are almost clear and toms and spinach are wilted.  Put aside. 

Butter one side of tortilla and put that side down on the pan.  Cover half of the tortilla with shredded chicken and cheese.

Add cooked veggies and any seasonings desired:  I always season everything with Tastefully Simple's Garlic Garlic and Seasoned Salt seasonings.  Add MORE cheese!

Fold the empty side of the tortilla over and cook, flipping quesadilla, until sides are brown and cheese is melted.

Cut and serve!