Veggie Lasagna

My intentions were good... But man it's hard to find time to update this blog in between working & having a toddler to chase around! Anyway... I'm finally back on to share a veggie lasagna recipe with you. It's easier than you think!

15 Simple Ingredients:
1 egg (not pictured, lol) beaten
1 small tub of Ricotta
1 salad dressing seasoning packet (I used Good Seasons Garlic & Herb)

1 tbsp olive oil
1 white onion - chopped fairly fine

1 green bell pepper - chopped fairly fine

1 orange bell pepper - chopped fairly fine

2 zucchini - cut in half, then sliced
2 squash - cut in half, then sliced
1.5 tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp dry oregano
1 tsp dry basil
1 jar of tomato sauce (I chose Prego)

1 package of lasagna noodles (or make your own if you have the time)
8 oz mozzarella

Prepping the Goodies:
1st - mix the ricotta, egg, & salad dressing mix together & set aside.

Next, add the olive oil to a pan over medium heat.
Once it is warmed up, add the onion & bell peppers.

Cook until the onions start to get clear (but not totally clear yet!).
Then add the squash & zucchini.
Add the oregano, basil, & garlic at this point also.

Once the squash & zucchini start to get "done" (kinda squishy like), add the jar of tomato sauce.

Let the veggie/sauce simmer about 10 minutes on low.

Spray your dish w/cooking spray (or rub w/oil).
Pour 1/3 of the veggie/sauce in the pan.
Top with 1/3 of the noodles.
Add 1/3 of the ricotta & about 1/4 of the mozzarella.
Pour 1/3 of the veggie/sauce next.
Top with 1/3 of the noodles again.

Add 1/3 of the ricotta & about 1/4 of the mozzarella.

Next, add another layer of noodles.
Then the remaining ricotta.
Next, the last of the veggie/sauce.
And top off with all the remaining mozzarella.

Now, on to the Cooking!:
Cover with foil & bake at 375 for 20 minutes.
Take the foil off & bake an additional 20 minutes, until the cheese is nice & bubbly.

How to eat:
Just dig in! :)

The response? "It's okay." I think most ppl feel lasagna "has" to have meat in it, so Luke wasn't head-over-heels about it. I think it was pretty dang yummy! If I had artichokes to add to it, I would've - that would've been sooooo good.

Meat-lover Variation:
Brown some ground beef or sausage, then add the bell peppers & onions & follow along from there. You probably want to skip the squash & zucchini though, that would just be weird. ;)

No Yeast Pizza

You know those days where you are just really wanting pizza? (Come on, we all have those days!) Well, I was having one. I wasn't in the mood to waste money on pizza delivery, but I had no yeast. What's a girl to do? Make some dough w/out the yeast of course. This pizza had a second benefit to our family that I didn't think of 'til it was time to eat... A baby lacking in the teeth department can eat this pizza 'cause it crumbles up in their mouth. Yay!

8 Simple Ingredients (for crust):
2c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic salt
2/3 c milk
1/4 c olive oil
2 tbsp olive oil
Prepping the Goodies:
Sooooooo easy!
Throw all the ingredients into a food processor until combined. (Or, you can stir it all up w/some old fashioned elbow grease if you don't have a food processor.)
Knead a little until the dough is well combined. Don't over do the mixing r kneading or your doguh is gonna be realy tough!
Form (or roll ) into 1 large pizza or 2 small pizzas. (I used a dinner plate as my guide, see below.)

Now, on to the cooking!:
Spray the pan with cooking spray.
I chose to sprinkle some cornmeal on the pan also, but it's not necessary.
Rub a very small amount of olive oil on the top of the dough.
Bake at 450 for 15 minutes.
Making the crust a PIZZA:
Add the toppings of your choice.
(I did one ricotta, spinach, and tomato & the other tomato sauce & cheese.)
Bake an additional 10-15 minutes, until the toppings look "done" to your satisfaction.

How to eat it:
Well, duh, it's pizza. Eat it as is, or add ranch or Tabasco or whatever it is that you add to pizza.

Not as good (IMHO) as the yeasty dough, but if you're craving some pizza & don't have yeast, or don't have the time for to make "real" dough, this fills in wonderfully!

Meat-lover variation:
Use meaty toppings. :)