Lasagna...in a Crock Pot??

In keeping with the slow cooking theme this week, I decided to try out something I've been seeing a lot of on Pinterest: Crock Pot Lasagna.  I've not done a lot of pasta dishes in the crock because I've always figured it would end up overcooked.

This, my friends, was no exception.  :-\

I began first by comparing various recipes online.  The sauce recipes are pretty standard fare, nothing exotic, so I decided to go with my sauce of preference, i.e. the one I usually fix for lasagna or spaghetti.

Brown the beef and onions, drain, add seasonings and frozen spinach.

I use a low-sugar tomato-basil sauce.  In it goes!

My ricotta, egg, granulated garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and cheeses combine in a separate bowl.  (The cheeses haven't been added yet in this photo.)

I love, love, LOVE these crock pot liners.  If you haven't tried these yet, you really should.  Line the crock and spray lightly with cooking spray.

 

I started with a ladle or two of sauce, then added regular lasagna noodles on top.  Break them up a bit so they fit.

Then I added about a third of my cheese mixture, followed by a generous covering of sauce.  The sauce was wetter than usual (I added about 2/3 cup water) in order to help cook the lasagna noodles.

At this point, you will repeat the layers until you use everything up, ending with the sauce on top.  A lot of recipes say to cook on low for 4-6 hours.  So, being the night owl that I am, I started the crock at about 11:30 p.m. (don't frown...I said I was a night owl!) and let it do its thing until I got up at 5 a.m. (there you go frowning again...), at which point I shut it off and sprinkled the mozzarella I'd reserved on top and covered it up.  Sorry, no picture of the finished product--I wasn't toting my camera around with me at 5 a.m.  LOL!

Sooooooo....?  The verdict?

Yes, about that.  While it tasted fine, there was something lacking in texture with this slow cooker lasagna that you get from the oven-baked variety.  There was no crunch!  If you're like me, you appreciate those dry, crunchy corners you get on the top of your oven-baked lasagnas, and this didn't have that at all.  (Of course not, I didn't expect it to!)  The noodles themselves were also way too soft, basically overdone, for my liking.  I'm a big believer in al dente pasta, and this wasn't it by a long shot.

On top of that, it turns out my slow cooker has a couple of hot spots, so there were some scorched portions at the bottom that weren't very pleasant.  Ground beef needn't be cooked to that extent, if you know what I mean.

Next time?  Probably going back to the oven for this one.  I love the convenience and the fact that we weren't heating up the house, but if I'm going to go through the trouble to make a layered casserole, I want the final result to be spectacular.  I suppose I could try a little less water, maybe 1/2 a cup instead of 2/3 cup, and reduce the cooking time by an hour, but I still won't see those crunchy corners I do so adore.

And for that, there simply is no compromise.  :)

Autumn in a Bowl

Photo taken from crockpot365.blogspot.com

The Hubs is trying to get our bonus room finished, so it looks like we're going to be investing more in crock-pot meals more than usual for a while.  I wanted to try something different from the usual soups, stews, and roasts, and I came across this blog entry by Stephanie O'Dea of "A Year of Slow Cooking."  She calls it her Autumn Sausage Casserole.

Well, it looked good and sounded pretty seasonal, so I decided to give it a try.  I made a few substitutions here and there for convenience.  Specifically, I switched out chicken sausage with kielbasa because I know my boys love it (although I happen to think chicken sausage is pretty darn tasty, too), used about 2/3 T molasses in place of the 1 T brown sugar (call it laziness, but the pantry door was already open, and I was looking right at it), used golden raisins instead of regular raisins, and added about 1/4 cup of pigeon peas (or Toor dal as its known in Indian dishes) to the rice as it was cooking.

So how did it turn out?  Personally, I loved the flavor.  The allspice and cinnamon really made you think of autumn, and it was a hearty meal in a bowl for sure.  The sweetness could be toned down a bit, but I don't know if that was from the apples I used or the molasses vs brown sugar swap.  Next time, I might leave the sugar out altogether.  I might also try using bulk turkey sausage to change it up some, but other than that, I'd leave it alone.  Oh, and add some celery.  I think that might have been the savory element it was lacking.  The pigeon peas had a little bit of bite to it, which was a very pleasant texture on the palate, but if you prefer, you could always sprinkle on some slivered almonds and have a similar effect.

Overall, while I don't think it was Hub's favorite dish of all time, everyone - kids included - cleaned their bowls.  I think that with a little tweaking to suit our tastes, this could be a big hit this fall!

More crock-potting goodness to come, so stay tuned!

Slow Cooker Polynesian Meatballs

I will need to take a picture of this the next time I make it, but if you can imagine meatballs in a tangy BBQ and pineapple sauce with Asian-inspired flavors, peppers, broccoli, and sesame seeds over steamed rice, you got it!  I combined a few variations on the "Hawaiian meatball" idea and came up with this slow cooker version that I LUUURVE!  Sweet and tangy, filling, and not terribly bad for you.  What more can I say other than fix this.  Today.  Like, right now!


Ingredients:

• 32 oz frozen meatballs
• 1 large red or green bell pepper, large diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 15 oz can pineapple tidbits/chunks, drained and juice reserved
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
• 2 Tbsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 8 oz frozen broccoli florets
• Hot cooked rice
• Toasted sesame seeds (optional)

1. Spray insert of slow cooker with cooking spray.
2. Add meatballs and top with peppers, onions, and pineapple.
3. To reserved juice, add cornstarch and whisk until smooth.  Add barbecue sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and sesame oil.  Mix well.
4. Pour sauce over meatballs and cook on low 3-4 hours.
5. 1 hour before dish is done, stir in frozen broccoli florets.  Serve over hot cooked rice and garnish with sesame seeds, if using.

The BESTEST Banana Pudding!

 

The other day, the boys and I were at the store and found some banana pudding in the deli section on special.  It's been a while since I bought dessert of any kind, and they'd been good, so I thought, what the heck!

It turned out to be just banana-flavored pudding mix with vanilla wafers and some Cool Whip.  No actual bananas.  What in the world...?!

While my boys enjoy banana desserts, and they ate this pudding up without question, I was a little disappointed.  What a let down!  I started thinking back to the banana pudding I'd made for Thanksgiving one year, and I decided it was time it made a reappearance.

Personally, I prefer real whipped cream to the fake stuff you buy in tubs at the store.  *Bleck!*  You can control the consistency better, too, plus if you're going to eat something less than healthy for you, you may as well eat something natural (i.e. cream) vs. chemically enhanced, partially hydrogenated food stuffs that aren't really, well, FOOD!

This is a no-cook version adapted from a couple of recipes I found on allrecipes.com.  I consider this dessert a "make ahead" because you really want it to sit in the refrigerator for a while before you serve it.  It'll give the vanilla wafer cookies a chance to absorb some of the flavors and soften up a bit.  And don't let the sour cream scare you off either.  It adds to the creaminess and makes it a little less sweet, which is how we prefer our desserts anyway.  If you want to save a few calories, opt for sugar-free pudding mix instead and go with lowfat milk.

Enjoy!



Nabela's No-Cook Banana Pudding

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 4 oz sour cream
• 1-1/2 cups cold milk
• 1 (3.4oz) box instant banana pudding mix
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 box vanilla wafer cookies
• 2 large bananas, sliced

1. Using a hand mixer on low speed, whip the whipping cream for about 2 minutes until just starting to thicken.  Add sugar and continue to whip until soft peaks form.
2. Add sour cream, milk, and sprinkle banana pudding mix on top.  Add vanilla, and continue to mix until well combined, about 3 minutes more.  Pudding will still be slightly runny.  Set aside for 5 minutes to thicken.
3. In a round 2-qt dish, place a layer of vanilla wafers covering the bottom of the dish.  Add about 1/3 pudding mixture, then a layer of bananas.  Repeat layers.  Finish with remaining pudding mix.
4. Crush remaining vanilla wafers and sprinkle on top.  Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour prior to serving.

Getting Back in the Kitchen...??

Hold on to your hats, folks!  It looks like I'm going to be making a reappearance in the kitchen!  LOL  Yes, Hubby's working in town now, but our schedules have left us high and dry when it comes to preparing meals.  I hate doing things on the fly, which is what we're going to have to do today.  Ugh!

Anyway, it looks like I'll be resurrecting my blog and beginning to post again.  (Yay, me!)  I know.  You're all so excited, right?

Well, I like to think you are.  :)

I'm excited about trying out some new recipes.  I've got a lot of great ideas from Pinterest, one of my new hobbies, apparently.  LOL!

Looking forward to sharing my kitchen experiences with you again soon!  Muah!

Out of the Kitchen

I've not been posting lately because my Hubby is back home for the winter, and he typically does the cooking!  (I know, right?!)  Yes, I'm lucky.  It's nice to come home to a hot meal and not have to worry about anything but cleaning up the copious dishes and pots and pans the man goes through.

I will say this, however: There are a LOT of dirty dishes out and about in our household lately.  I can have the sink completely empty, and by the next evening, it'll be standing slap full a whole foot above the sink itself!  Now how does it DO that?!?  We save the plastic kiddie cups most restaurants use for children's beverages, and my boys will use them at meal times.  But we go through half a dozen or so of these things a day, especially on weekends!  And they start to show up in some of the strangest places around the house...

We're still trying to keep our meals healthy.  He's actually being very nice about accommodating my request to NOT cook everything in bacon fat!  LOL  I do kid.  We've been eating pretty healthy for years now, always trying to include vegetables when we can, almost never deep frying our foods except on rare occasions, and now starting to use cooking methods that help cut down on the fat and unnecessary calories.  And the new foods we've been trying are actually quite good, things even he and my carb-loving boys seem to enjoy!  So life's pretty good right now.

Anyway, I'll try and take pictures and post recipes when I do cook on occasion, or if Hubby fixes something particularly worth bragging about.  But in the mean time, I'll just grab my fork and head for the table to see what's for dinner.

Laters...

Meatballs!

Meatballs.  You know, this is a very versatile food that spans cultures the world over.  I think back to my childhood days, and the first thing that pops into my mind is the Indian kofta curry (of which there are MANY types, but Mum's were always made with ground beef) that my mum used to make and served with rice.  Then there are Swedish meatballs (something I still haven't tried to make but will eventually get around to), not to mention albondigas (a Mexican meatball soup), and another one of my personal favorites, Chinese-style fish ball soup. (Check out this recipe here for a delicious Malaysian version I grew up eating.)  But I think the most iconic meatball dish has got to be the Italian meatballs in marinara served over spaghetti.

While following my new figure-friendly cooking habits, I came across this recipe that uses ground chicken in place of ground beef.  I couldn't find ground chicken at the store on the particular day I was shopping, so I went with ground turkey instead.  And since I have two young kiddos to cook for, I made the meatballs half the size of what the recipe originally called for.  Once you have the meat mixture mixed well, roll out the meatballs, and give them a quick browning on all sides (or as best as you can, since these are soft and tend to flatten as they cook, so you end up with little triangular pyramid-shaped meatballs...lol...)

Meanwhile, you'll have your marinara simmering away in a large pot--note the LARGE pot, as you'll eventually need to add your meatballs to the sauce, something which I neglected to take into consideration at the time and wound up having to switch halfway through.  Cook up some spaghetti, whole wheat, and serve with a sprinkle of parsley and grated parmesan cheese.  The kids wolfed it down pretty quick, so I guess this worked out well, and it also reheats beautifully.  It's a definite "keeper."

I also made some meatloaf this week using lean ground beef, mashed potatoes (3 parts potato to 1 part cauliflower), and steamed veggies on the side.  If all works out time-wise, I also have a recipe for Shrimp Creole that I'd like to try, served over a bed of brown rice.  I even splurged and bought some white wine to cook with!

Healthy eating needn't break the bank, but usually you do end up paying more for quality ingredients.  I've noticed this while making the switch from processed to more whole foods, and the sad truth is that healthier eating just doesn't make it onto those dollar menus.

I think the government and FDA needs to take this into consideration.  You want people to be healthier in an effort to lower healthcare costs down the road?  How about making healthy food options and ingredients more affordable to the masses?!  I know, I know, there are so many factors that go into the equation, but I can dream, can't I?

But anyway, back to the meatballs in marinara.  The recipe is simple, the method straightforward.  Here's what I did...


Turkey Meatballs in Spicy Marinara

- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 cup egg substitute
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1 slice whole wheat bread torn into small pieces, moistened in water, and squeezed out
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (can use flat-leaf Italian)
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 (28oz) cans diced tomatoes OR 3 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes PLUS 1 (14 oz) can tomato sauce, use "no salt added" varieties if available
- 1 tsp canola oil
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp chili powder (or to taste)
- red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- a few pinches of cinnamon
- 1-1/2 Tbsp agave nectar or some other sweetener
- extra parsley for garnish

1.  Combine first 6 ingredients; mix well.  Separate into 12 large meatballs (or 24 small ones) and brown on all sides in a large, nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray over medium heat.  Cook in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.

2.  While meatballs are browning, in a large pot, bring tomatoes to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.  Let simmer about 10 minutes.

3.  In a separate small pan, heat canola oil and cook garlic just long enough to become fragrant but without browning.  Add chili powder with enough water to make a paste.  Add red pepper or cayenne pepper if using.  Cook 1 minute, then transfer to tomatoes.  Add Italian seasoning, cinnamon, and agave nectar.  Mix well.

4.  Transfer browned meatballs to tomato mixture.  Allow meatballs to finish cooking in simmering marinara, approximately 10-12 minutes more.  Serve over spaghetti and garnish with parsley.


Have a great rest of the week!  :)