connie's retro lasagna

There are many ways to make lasagna--one of my family's favorites is my retro lasagna; basically, it is ground chuck, italian sausage, onion, fresh garlic, red peppers, olive oil, italian seasoning, fresh sage , garlic powder, fire roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, touch of cinammon, fresh mozarella, freshly grated parmesan, ricotta, fresh parsley--noodles are whole wheat bronze plate. below are some of the assembly steps--be sure and alternate the direction of the noodles with each layer--will post pic after it is baked.

bacon egg salad sandwich

simple but so comforting!

BACON EGG SALAD SANDWICH
2 cage free hard fried eggs (per sandwich)
2 slices Breadsmith Honey Oat Bran Bread
2 slices Applewood smoked bacon cooked crisply and drained
2 thin slices of Pecorino Romano cheese
2 tps Earth Balance buttery spread
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs Vegenaise spread
1 tbs tomato salsa
1 cup organic arugula
splash of tarragon wine vinegar
Celtic sea salt and veggie pepper to taste
Dash of Tabasco if so desired!

Melt one tablespoon of Earth Balance buttery spread in medium skillet, lower heat after spread melts. Crack two cage free eggs into skillet and using spatula, break the yolk. Cook on low heat so eggs do not get rubbery. When eggs are set, flip eggs over once to complete cooking just long enough for yolk to set. Use a microwave safe bacon rack and
cook two strips of Applewood smoked bacon until crisp, usually about 1 minute per strip depending on power of your microwave. Drain the bacon on a paper towel and set aside. Spread both sides of the bread with a teaspoon of butter and place in another skillet on medium heat and lightly toast both sides. Slice 2 thin (about ¼”) slices of pecorino Romano, set aside. Put arugula in a small bowl and drizzle evoo over salad, splash a dash of tarragon wine vinegar on arugula and sea salt and veggie pepper to taste and tosslightly. Mix a tbs of Vegenaise spread with a tbs of salsa to use as spread on the warm toast--put on both pieces of toast on the inside only, place the arugula salad on both pieces of toast, add the fried eggs, bacon, top with the cheese and now you are ready to
put the sandwich together, cut diagonally, eat and enjoy!!

Connie's Roasted Veggie Lasagna

I have always loved to cook and create my own recipes. Growing up both in the city and country, I have a unique view on food--city cooking with a country flair. I am currently working on a cookbook that will have retro recipes with a revived version for today's health conscious foodies. Stay tuned.

I hope you will try one of my latest creations, roasted veggie lasagna. Let me know how you like it. My husband, Tom, is my guinea pig...and he went back for seconds...and thirds...

CONNIE’S ROASTED VEGGIE LASAGNA

1 box extra wide no boil whole wheat lasagna noodles

Roast
1 large sweet yellow onion (sliced in half moons)
5-6 large garlic cloves (leave whole)
2 large sweet bell peppers (large dice)
3 long slender sweet potatoes (jewel – clean and scrub but leave skin on and cut in half lengthwise)
Evoo/s&p
(drizzle lightly with evoo and season with salt and pepper; roast the veggies at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes on a cookie sheet)

Sauce
1 ½ cups fire roasted diced tomatoes—including juice
1 cup artichokes (canned and drained)
1 lb low fat ricotta cheese
Roasted garlic cloves (right out of the oven)
2 Tbs fresh dill chopped
½ tsp cumin
1 tsp Italian seasoning (rosemary/thyme/basil/parsley)
¼ cup fresh pecorino romano (diced)
2-3 splashes of tarragon white wine vinegar
s&p to taste
(put all the above ingredients in food processor and just pulse a few times to make the sauce)

Reserve 8 oz sliced fresh mozzarella/ 8 oz of crumbled feta cheese & 1/3 cup freshly grated pecorino romano

Assembly
Cover the bottom of a 9 x 13” baking dish with just enough sauce to cover the bottom; place one layer of the no boil noodles on top then cover the noodles with sauce and roasted veggies (slice the cooled baked sweet potatoes lengthwise in ¼ inch thickness and place lengthwise down the middle of each noodle and spread some of the roasted veggies on top of the sweet potato); sprinkle with feta cheese then layer with fresh slices of mozzarella; place the next layer of the no boil noodles in the opposite direction and continue the layering process, alternating the direction of the noodles with each layer; top the entire lasagna with freshly grated pecorino romano. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes, covered tightly with foil; take foil off and then finish baking about 20 minutes. Let rest for about 15 minutes before slicing. Makes 8 – 9 generous servings.