A Vegetarian Meal

Two new featured additions to Ever Ready are Did You Know?

and  Kitchen Tip of the Day

Look for one of them each time at end of the blog posting. 

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Spinach Artichoke Lasagna Roll-Ups

Cook's notes: This recipe is a twist on an old favorite lasagna. It is a vegetarian meal that is sure to please all palettes. The recipe comes from http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/

The recipe was adapted.

Ingredients:

• 10 lasagna noodles
• 2 cups ricotta cheese (lite)
• 1 large egg
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 box of frozen spinach thawed and squeezed dry with paper towels 
• 6 oz. jar of marinated artichoke hearts, drained,minced and patted dry
• 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. Italian herbs
• 1/8 tsp. (dash) red pepper flakes  
• pinch of nutmeg
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 jar of Marinara sauce (24 oz. ) I used about 3/4 of the jar 

Directions:

• In a bowl combine ricotta cheese, egg, garlic, drained spinach, artichoke hearts, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, nutmeg, basil and Italian herbs.
• Stir until well combined, season with salt and pepper.
• Cooking tip: The cheese mixture can be made in advance.
• Bring a pot of water with 1 TB. of olive oil to boil, add lasagna noodles, reduce heat and cook till al dente about 7 minutes.
• Drain and lay out noddles on paper towels and pat dry.
• In a 9 x9 baking dish grease bottom and line the bottom with 1/3 cup  marinara sauce. 
• On each noodle place 2 TB. of the ricotta cheese mixture down the center, drizzle 2TB. marinara sauce over the ricotta cheese mixture, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese.

• Roll each noddle up and place in baking dish, make sure all lasagna rolls are pressed closely together. Spoon marinara sauce over noodle rolls, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese.

• Press a sheet of wax paper over the top of the baking dish and press down. Remove and discard wax paper. This will prevent cheese from sticking to the foil. 

• Cover lasagna rolls with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook 5 additional minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. 

Blueberry Orange Salad

Ingredients:    

• blueberries
• orange slices
• glazed almonds
• mixed greens
• dried cranberries
• prepared balsamic or lemon dressing

Directions:

• Mix and drizzle with dressing

Creole and Cajun cooking are similar but not quite the same. Both come from  Louisiana and have evolved from heavy French influences.

Creole cuisine uses more tomatoes and has a reputation for being "refined". It comes from the kitchens of New Orleans restaurants that are supplied by the commerce of a rich port and served to city dwellers. 

Cajun food comes from the country using whatever could be trapped, hunted or harvested. Cajun cooking uses a lot crawfish as well as copious amounts of pork fat and more spices.