getting a headstart on a resolution to eat healthier

Today, after several days of eating not so healthy, Caitlin and I had a big salad for lunch.  It was greens from the greenhouse and fruit and nuts with Caitlin's homemade balsamic vinaigrette.  With a couple of slices of toasted garlic bread it made for a great lunch.  It was fun to eat it on my new wide rimmed soup/salad/pasta bowls (plates?) which were a Christmas gift and a great addition to my dish collection. 

Our salad was mixed greens including the allstar mix, mizuna, pac choi, vitamin green that was growing in the greenhouse.  We added apple and pear and some pecans.  With the vinaigrette it was really tasty.

Caitlin's balsamic vinaigrette

olive oil
balsamic vinegar
sugar or honey
yellow mustard

Combine ingredients and taste adding more of different ingredients until you get a mixture that appeals.  We started out with 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 Tbsp vinegar and 2 Tbsp sugar with a generous squirt of mustard.  After whisking together and tasting we added more of the vinegar, sugar and mustard along with a few grains of salt tasting after each addition. 

roasted vegetable lasagna

I have been wanting to try a butternut squash lasagna and I found a couple different recipes that looked interesting so I decided to make both kinds and compare.  This one uses roasted squash, homemade ricotta cheese, homemade noodles, a second cheese and a tomato sauce that I canned this summer. 

First I made the homemade ricotta cheese.  It only takes a couple ingredients and a little bit of time to make ricotta cheese.  The recipe that I followed made a bigger amount than I thought I would need so I halved all of the ingredients. 

homemade ricotta cheese

2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp white wine vinegar (I used a champagne vinegar)

Combine the milk and cream with the salt in a stainless or enamel saucepan and bring to a full boil over medium heat.  Remove from heat and add the vinegar.  Wait one minute to allow it to curdle.  Then strain it by pouring the mixture into a sieve that contains a double layer of damp cheesecloth.  I poured mine through a chinois. The curds are caught and the whey is allowed to pass into the bowl below.  I allowed mine to stay in the strainer for 30 minutes.  The longer it sits the more whey is removed and the thicker/drier it becomes.  Refrigerate.

the milk, cream, salt and vinegar that will become cheese

the whey goes in the bowl

The curds are caught in the strainer

about a cup of homemade ricotta

 Next I got the vegetables roasting.  The inspiration recipe used butternut squash and onion but listed a whole group of vegetables that could be substituted as well as a several cheeses.  I decided to use the same roasted vegetables as was in the savory butternut squash soup.  I really liked the flavor of the soup with its squash, carrots, onions, garlic and apple so that is what I roasted..

roasted vegetables

1/2 large butternut squash cut into small cubes
3 carrots, cut into cubes
1 medium onion, cut into small chunks
3 garlic cloves, quartered
drizzle olive oil

Combine the vegetable pieces in a bowl with the olive oil and any seasonings.  Mix to coat the vegetables and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake in 425° oven for 30 minutes or until tender.

homemade lasagna noodles

While the vegetables were roasting I made the pasta dough and once it had 'rested' I rolled it into thin sheets.

I then cut them to length and laid them on parchment paper to keep them from sticking together. 

Then it was time to assemble the lasagna.

thin layer of tomato sauce goes on the bottom

then lasagna noodles

more tomato sauce

1/2 of the ricotta cheese

1/2 of the roasted vegetables

one half of the second cheese--I used Feta

the layers are repeated

topped with tomato sauce

and Parmesan cheese.

  I baked the lasagna at425 for 50 minutes covered and then another 5 uncovered.

It had good flavor.  I think that next time I will have a thicker layer of tomato on the top.




source:  ricotta cheese recipe here:
source:  adapted from this recipe.
source: pasta recipe here.

savory butternut squash soup

I had half of a large butternut squash sitting in my refrigerator just waiting for inspiration to hit when I ran across this recipe for a butternut squash soup.  It tastes great and it couldn't be easier. The squash was from my garden and our apples were an early variety and are gone.  The recipe calls for Gala  apples.  The apples that we used were given to us and I am not sure of the variety.  The vegetables are coated with a little olive oil and spices and roasted in the oven.  Then the roasted vegetables are put in a pot with some homemade vegetable stock and cooked for another 15 minutes.  The vegetables and stock are then pureed--I used my immersion blender but you could use a blender or food processor--until smooth.  Some cream is added and it is ready to serve.

here are the vegetables, oil and spices in my stoneware  bowl

ready to roast at 425° for 40 minutes

finished soup

I will definitely be making this again.  It has such a silky texture and great color.  I can see a big bowl of this soup alone or with a sandwich as a main dish or a smaller portion as a soup course.  

savory butternut squash soup

1 butternut squash, peeled seeded and cut into cubes
2 carrots, cut into chunks
1 medium sweet onion, cut into cubes
2 apples, peeled and cut into chunks
3 cloves of garlic
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper (I omitted this)
32 ounces vegetable stock
1 cup heavy cream

Prepare the vegetables and put them in a large bowl with the oil, salt and spices.  Stir with a spoon or your hands until the vegetables are coated with the oil and spices.  Transfer to a baking sheet that has parchment on it.  Roast in preheated oven at 425° for 40 minutes.  Remove from oven and transfer to a large soup kettle.  Add the stock and simmer for 15 minutes on medium heat.  Remove from the heat and puree, working in batches if needed.  If soup  is too thick add a little more stock.  I ended up adding about another cup of stock to thin the soup.,  Add the cream, stir and serve.

Source for recipe is here.

apple cinnamon crepes

On more than one occasion Caitlin's send off breakfasts had crepes on the menu.  This is a new recipe that uses apples.  This was the first year that we have had apples from our two apple trees.  This new recipe is reminiscent of apple pie.  We topped our filled crepes with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

apple cinnamon crepes

3 large apples, peeled and cubed
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
homemade crepes
whipped cream

Combine the apples with the cinnamon and brown sugar and stir to coat.  Allow the coated apples to  stand for 20 minutes for the juices to start to form.

Right before serving heat the apples in a skillet over medium heat and warm the crepes in the microwave.  Place some of the warm apple mixture on the crepe and fold or roll.  Top with whipped cream or dust with confectioners sugar.

Source: original recipe can be found here.