Lasagna Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Source: https://themodernproper.com/print/lasagna-stuffed-zucchini-boats-1 1/1

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Ground chicken
• 1 Red bell pepper, diced
• 1 Jar marinara sauce
• 8 oz Ricotta cheese
• 1 1/2 Cupsfresh spinach, chopped
• 4 Cloves garlic
• 1 Egg
• 2 tbsp Flat leaf parsley, minced, divided
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Pepper
• 4 Medium zucchinis, cut in half lengthwise, centers
• scooped out
• 8 oz Fresh mozzarella,sliced
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• Red pepper flakes, optional

How to:

1. Heat your oven to 375° F.
2. In a large skillet, brown the ground chicken until no pink remains. Stir in 3/4 of the pasta
3. sauce and bell pepper. Let simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. In a small bowl, gently mix the ricotta cheese, spinach, garlic, egg, 1 tablespoon of parsley, salt
5. and pepper until thoroughly incorporated.
6. Slice zucchini lengthwise and carefully scoop out the center with a spoon to create a shell or
7. boat. Place zucchini skin side down in a baking dish.
8. Fill each zucchini with equal amounts of the chicken mixture. en dollop the ricotta mixture
9. on top of the chicken. Place a few thin sliced of fresh mozzarella on each zucchini half. Spread
10. the remaining pasta sauce over the zucchini boats and top with 1/2 of the parmesan cheese.
11. Bake 35 minutes or until zucchini is tender and cheese is bubbly.
12. Sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of parsley and parmesan cheese.

Charred Tomato & Ricotta Toasts

 Ingredients:

• 1 clove carlic
• 10 grape tomatoes
• 8 oz ricotta cheese
• pinch of chili flakes
• 4 slices sourdough bread
• 1/2 oz walnuts
• 5 teaspoons basalmic glaze
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

1

Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash and dry all produce.

2

Peel and grate or mince garlic. Halve tomatoes; toss on a baking sheet with half the garlic, a large drizzle of olive oil, and pinch of salt and pepper. Roast on top rack until tomatoes are lightly charred, 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Carefully wipe off sheet with paper towels.

3

Meanwhile, pick parsley leaves from stems; mince leaves. Mince chives. In a second medium bowl, combine ricotta, half the Parmesan (save the rest for serving), and half the minced herbs. Season with salt and a pinch of chili flakes to taste.

4

In a small bowl, combine remaining garlic and a large drizzle of olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Brush one side of each slice of sourdough with garlic oil. Place on baking sheet used for tomatoes. Bake on top rack until toasted, 4-5 minutes total.

5

Remove sheet from oven; add walnuts to same sheet. (TIP: If sourdough is done at this point, remove from sheet.) Return to oven until walnuts are toasted, 2-3 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, roughly chop walnuts.

6

Divide toasts between plates; spread with herby ricotta. Evenly top with tomatoes, walnuts, and remaining Parmesan. Sprinkle with remaining herbs and chili flakes to taste. Drizzle with as much balsamic glaze as you like and serve.

No-Bake Layered Blueberry Cheesecake (Gluten Free, Paleo + Vegan)

 Ingredients

For the crust

• ½ cup raw pecans
• ½ cup almond flour
• 2 pitted dates
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

For the cheesecake

• 2 cups raw cashews soaked in cold water for at least four hours or preferably overnight (see Notes)
• ½ cup canned coconut milk shaken
• ¼ cup coconut oil melted and cooled (use refined coconut oil if you want no coconut flavor)
• ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon vanilla bean powder
• ¼ cup freeze-dried blueberries

For the blueberry layer

• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries thawed, if frozen
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds

Instructions

Grease a 6” springform pan with coconut oil, or line an 6” cake pan with strips of parchment paper for easy removal, and grease well with coconut oil. Set aside.

Add the pecans, almond flour, pitted dates, coconut oil, cinnamon and salt to a food processor or high-powered blender and pulverize until it comes together into a sort of sticky dough, with small pecan bits remaining. Don’t over process, or it’ll turn into nut butter! Press the pecan date dough evenly along the bottom of the prepared pan.

In the same food processor or high-powered blender (no need to wash between - I used my Vitamix, but most powerful blenders should do the job), combine all of the filling ingredients except for the freeze dried blueberries and blend for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture is silky smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides as necessary. You may need to add a bit more coconut milk or lemon juice to get it to blend smoothly if your blender isn’t super high-powered.

Once it’s smooth, taste the mixture and adjust the sweetness/tartness levels by adding more maple syrup, vanilla, or lemon juice, if desired.

Pour 2/3 of the filling into the prepared pan over the pecan crust. Smooth out the top and tap the pan hard against the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Place in the freezer.

Add the freeze dried blueberries to the remaining batter and blend to incorporate. Spread over the plain layer. Return to the freezer.

Rinse out the blender, and add the fresh blueberries, lemon juice and chia seeds to it. Blend until smooth, and then pour over the other layers.

Place in the freezer to set for at least 3 hours or until completely firm before slicing and serving. I recommend running your knife under hot water to warm it up before cutting the cheesecake with the still-hot (dried) knife.

Serve frozen or let them thaw at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving. Store in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.

Recipe Notes

You can also cover the cashews in very hot/boiling water and let them sit for about an hour if you want to speed up the process - it won't be quite as creamy, but it will do the trick!

Pasta e Fagioli Soup {Olive Garden Copycat Recipe}

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
• 1 cup diced carrots (about 2 medium)
• 1 cup diced celery (about 3 stalks)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbsp)
• 3 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
• 2 14.5 oz cans low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup water, then more as desired
• 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 3/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup dry ditalini pasta
• 1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• Finely shredded Romano or Parmesan cheese , for serving
• 3 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

**Recipe notes: I used only one can of beans and put in extra carrots and celery. Also, this recipe is too salty when I didn't use the low sodium chicken broth, so that is very important**

Instructions

• Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat, crumble in ground beef and cook, stirring occasionally until cooked through. 
• Drain fat from beef then transfer beef to a plate, set aside. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil in same pot. 
• Add onions, carrots, and celery and saute over medium-high heat until tender about 6 minutes, add garlic and saute 1 minute longer. 
• Add chicken broth, tomato sauce, water, canned tomatoes, sugar, basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram and cooked beef then season with salt and pepper to taste. 
• Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low, cover with lid and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, until veggies are soft, about 15 - 20 minutes. 
• Meanwhile prepare ditalani pasta according to directions on package, cooking to al dente.
• Add cooked and drained pasta to soup* along with kidney beans and great northern beans. Thin with a little more broth or water if desired. 
• Allow to cook 1 minute longer. Stir in parsley, serve warm with grated Romano or Parmesan cheese.

Peanut Butter-Chocolate No-Bake Cookies

 Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• Large pinch kosher salt

Directions

• WATCH Watch how to make this recipe.
• Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment.
• Bring the sugar, milk, butter and cocoa to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, then let boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Add the oats, peanut butter, vanilla and salt, and stir to combine.
• Drop teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, and let sit at room temperature until cooled and hardened, about 30 minutes. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

"Crisp edges, chewy middles."

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar (original recipe was one cup white and one cup packed brown sugar - even with one cup, this was very sweet)

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons hot water

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. 

Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. 

Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. 

Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. 

Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.

Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely

browned.

Basil vinegarette salad dressing

• 1 shallot roughly chopped
• 2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves stems removed (about 4 ounces)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt