Tag: spinach

  • Spinach lasagna rolls

    Spinach lasagna rolls

    spinach lasagna rolls | seefoodplay.com

    Hey ya’ll!  I’ve really been looking forward to making lasagna because it’s one of my all-time favorites, and it was also one of the first recipes I really learned to do well. Besides, it’s just one of those feel-good comfort foods that you can make anytime, so you never need to justify this dish — just do it!

    Before I got married, my lasagna recipe was pretty much tomato sauce, a bit of cheese, spinach, mushrooms and lasagna noodles. I almost never used meat, and always jam packed it with as many veggies as possible. Alas, now that I need to work with Jonathan’s more meat-loving palette, I’ve integrated more meat into the mix, albeit in small amounts.

    This recipe is a somewhat lighter version than your classic lasagna because it’s not smothered in cheese and cream, but doesn’t skimp on flavor as a result — it’s perfection. In France, lasagna is usually made with a béchamel sauce… soo good, but soo much butter! My version can also be made without the sausage and it’s pretty good, too, for a vegetarian option. I just double the spinach and add about a cup of chopped cooked mushrooms to the filling instead of the chopped sausage.

    Give this one a try and let me know what you think! And if anyone knows where to find curly-edged lasagna noodles in the UK or France, then please leave the details in the comments below 😉


    Also you guys, I’m super excited to tell you that I have teamed up with a few other bloggers to post about 4th of July & summer entertaining recipes and ideas!

    As for me, I’ll be back on Saturday with a few more 4th of July ideas to wrap up the series! See you then 🙂


     

    spinach lasagna rolls | seefoodplay.comspinach lasagna rolls | seefoodplay.comspinach lasagna rolls | seefoodplay.com

    Ingredients:

    • 3 cups of homemade marinara sauce
    • 1 cup of ricotta cheese
    • 1 cup of shredded mozzarella
    • ½ cup of parmesan cheese
    • 1 egg
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 200 grams of ground sausage (any sausage is fine, though I use only turkey or beef).
    • 1 cup of fresh spinach
    • 2 cloves of minced garlic
    • 2 tablespoons of olive oil

    Topping:

    • ½ cup of shredded mozzarella
    • 1 cup of tomato sauce
    • Basil for garnish (optional)

    Instructions:

    1. Put a pot large enough for your lasagna noodles on high heat to boil.
    2. Prepare your baking dish with a layer (about an inch) of the tomato sauce. Set aside until you’re ready to assemble the rolls.
    3. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
    4. Combine the three cheeses in a bowl, then add in the egg and garlic powder. Stir until uniform.
    5. Heat a skillet on medium heat, then add in the olive oil and minced garlic. Sautée for 1 minute, then add in the fresh spinach. Continue to sautée for 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until the spinach has cooked down, then add the cooked spinach to the bowl with the cheese mixture.
    6. In same skillet used for the spinach, add in the ground sausage.
    7. By this time, your water should be boiling and it’s time to add in the noodles. Boil them until they are al dente – not mushy! For my noodles, this takes around 6-7 minutes.
    8. Once cooked, drain the pasta well into a colander removing all excess water & pour on a very small amount of olive oil to prevent sticking. Don’t add too much oil, otherwise your rolls won’t hold together when you bake them!
    9. While you allow the noodles to cool down a bit, lay down a piece of wax paper (or a clean &  oiled cookie sheet) to place your noodles on for assembly.
    10. Once cool enough to not burn your fingers, place the noodles on the wax paper.
    11. Thinly layer on the cheese & spinach mixture evenly, all the way to the edges of the noodles.
    12. Spoon on the ground sausage in the middle of the noodle – if you go too close to the edges, it will just fall out.
    13. Roll up each noodle and place it in the prepared baking dish.
    14. Once all of your rolls are in the dish, spoon more sauce on top of each roll, then sprinkle on the shredded mozzarella.
    15. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes, or until the cheese is browned.

    Notes: The options for non-pork sausage are quite slim where I shop, so I usually get whatever they have available, which are usually in the form of sausage links. To mince them, I just throw them in my stand blender and pulse a few times to get a nice uniform ground sausage. I hope you enjoy, because these spinach lasagna rolls are the bomb!

     

  • Vegan spinach and basil pesto

    Vegan spinach and basil pesto

    Vegan spinach basil pesto | seefoodplay.com

    When Jonathan and I first started dating, he would often cook for me (that definitely didn’t last too long lol). His Man Menu was usually some sort of meat or fish (fried/grilled in a pan) with a canned vegetable or rice. If he was feeling fancy, though, he would make me a special treat: Pasta Pesto (announced in an Italian accent as he arrived with a piping plate to the table). The recipe was simple enough, and honestly not bad: once your spaghetti noodles were cooked to an al dente perfection, drain, then stir in your jarred pesto sauce and about ½ cup of cream. Mix well and serve to your lovely girlfriend.

    Bless his heart… he meant well and that’s one of the (many) reasons I fell for him, but I never really liked pesto, and pasta sauce out of a jar is basically a sin in my book. After all, why go for all the preservatives when you can make the same thing from scratch with only a few ingredients?!

    Jonathan loves pesto though, and religiously orders it whenever we are in Italy (because we go every year!! I will never stop being amazed by the fact that we get to spend a few weeks in Italy each summer. Even after 10 years of living in Europe, I gotta admit: some things never get old.)

    I have never been a big fan of pesto and I will always opt for a tomato-based sauce for my pasta when given the choice. Whenever I try to change it up, I’m disappointed and wish I had just ordered the spaghetti al pomodoro, pasta alla norma, or the Bolognese that I know I will love. Some non-tomatoey recipes, though, have a special place in my heart, and this pesto is one of them.

    I’ve been trying to really seriously plan our meals to make sure that we’re eating well-balanced and diverse meals, and I realized that almost all of my go-to recipes have meat (and dairy) in them. So, in the spirit of incorporating Meatless Mondays into our routine, I decided to try my hand at one of Jonathan’s favorites! And thus, the vegan spinach and basil pasta recipe was born. You didn’t think I would waste this opportunity to sneak in some veggies, did you? 😉

    To be fair, I didn’t plan to make this pesto vegan, but we didn’t have any parmesan on-hand, so I just skipped it and hoped for the best. The result is so surprisingly creamy and full of flavor that I can honestly say I didn’t miss the cheese (or tons of olive oil) one bit. The addition of spinach adds an extra dose of vitamins, and the basil gives it that pestoey zing and freshens it up.

    This vegan pesto recipe is legit you guys, so much so that I’m wondering if I’ll ever go back to making “regular” pesto. Traditional pesto is usually made with a ton of parmesan cheese and olive oil, and to be fair, is pretty darn good too. This stuff, though, is full of flavor with just enough garlic and just a splash of olive oil. So you can have a totally guilt-free bowl of pesto and (whole grain) pasta without thinking too hard about all of the calories. Enjoy!

    Vegan spinach basil pesto | seefoodplay.comVegan spinach basil pesto | seefoodplay.comVegan spinach basil pesto | seefoodplay.comVegan spinach basil pesto | seefoodplay.com

    Ingredients:

    • 1 cup of spinach
    • 1 cup of basil
    • 2 cloves of garlic
    • ½ cup of pine nuts
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon pepper
    • around ¼ cup of water

    Instructions:

    1. Combine all ingredients in the food processor, except for the water.
    2. Slowly add in the water until reaching the desired consistency.
    3. Serve over cooked linguine or penne (or whatever you prefer — those are just two of our favorites)

    Note: If it’s too thick, then add a tablespoon or two of water, until you get the desired consistency.

  • Spinach & Apple smoothie

    Spinach & Apple smoothie

    spinach and apple smoothie | seefoodplay.com

    Maybe it’s because spring is right around the corner (at least, I hope it’s hiding around there somewhere…) but I’ve been craving light, healthy and energizing food lately. Or maybe it’s also the overdose on take-out food over the last few months during our move… Either way, I’ve been subconsciously making all sorts of things that I never would have even considered before, on my quest to eat something that didn’t arrive at ours in 30 minutes or less ::cough Dominos Pizza cough::

    I’m always up for a good experiment in the kitchen, so over the weekend when I opened the fridge and saw a half-eaten bag of baby spinach, some greek yogurt, and a few old apples… my new-found sense of culinary curiosity for smoothies was awakened.

    I’m not a big fan of drinking my food, and have never been into smoothies. They’re all the rage these days but they’ve always just grossed me out, and I’m not really sure why. Thought it’s probably just my general aversion to drinks with chunks or textures in them – bubble tea is literally what my nightmares are made of. I was feeling brave this weekend though (and couldn’t think of anything else to do with these random ingredients), so I decided to give it a try. If it didn’t work, I was going to try to turn it into Spinach & Apple ice cream. I think for all involved, it’s best that this smoothie turned out delicious…

    So I set about washing and peeling the apples (peeled because apparently the apple skins make the texture awful.. I’ll try it next time and let you know, though), threw all the ingredients into my blender and let her whirl for a good minute or two. As the dark green of the spinach transformed into a lovely lighter green-goddesy green, I said a little prayer for this not to be gross… and anxiously waited while it all came together into a smooth and creamy morning energy boost.

    To my delight, my “please don’t be gross…!” prayer worked and the result was a ginger-flavored tangy drink that I was even able to get Hubby to have a glass of! Spinachy-apple-breakfast success was mine!

    What are some things that you’ve hated, but came around to loving? Recipes and links are welcome!

    spinach and apple smoothie | seefoodplay.com

    Spinach and Apple smoothie| seefoodplay.com

     

    Spinach and Apple smoothie| seefoodplay.com

     

    Spinach & Apple smoothie
    Recipe Type: Drink
    Author: Veronica | seefoodplay.com
    Prep time:
    Total time:
    Serves: 2 small smoothies
    Fresh and nutrient-packed spinach and apple smoothie | seefoodplay.com
    Ingredients
    • 1 tablespoon of powdered ginger
    • 2 tablespoons of Greek yogurt
    • Juice from 1/2 of a lemon
    • 1 tablespoon honey
    • 2 small apples peeled and cored
    • 1 cup fresh baby spinach
    • ½ cup of ice
    Instructions
    1. Blend all ingredients until uniform in color and smooth (about 1 minute, depending on your blender). Drink immediately.