1 pizza dough or crust (I love Trader Joes "ready to bake" pizza dough...more info below)
1 cup of Part Skim Ricotta Cheese
1/2 cup (or more/less if you want) of freshly grated parm cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp of coc oil
1/2 cup of low fat milk or milk substitute
2 tbsp of dried parsley (or use fresh but less amount)
1 tbsp of dried basil (or about 2 tsp of fresh)
1/2 cup or so of diced tomato
1 Chicken breast, cooked and diced *optional (feel free to adjust amount)
1/2 cup (or so) Extra firm tofu, diced *optional (feel free to adjust amount) Oh, and sneak it in, they'll never know!!!!
Sea salt/pepper to taste
1 cup of Mozzerella Cheese (for topping)
Preheat oven to 375.
In bowl, combine ricotta cheese, parm cheese, parsley, basil, salt and pepper. Set aside.
In large skillet, melt butter and coc oil over medium low heat. Add garlic and let cook for just a minute or 2. (don't let it brown) Add Tomato and cook 1 minute or so to evaporate some of the natural juice. Add the Ricotta cheese mixture, 1/2 cup of milk and whisk to combine. Toss in chicken and/or tofu. Cook until heated through.
(FYI: it won't be too thin. Mine was thick enough to have to spread w/ the back of a spoon)
Spread mixture all over dough. Sprinkle some Mozz Cheese on top and bake until dough is done and toppings are all melted and delicious. :)
VARIATIONS:
Add onions, spinach, etc. This is a very ADAPTABLE recipe to your preference. I think large basil leaves and large slices of tomato w/ big chunks of tofu would be beautiful, but I thought I better not get too fancy for my kids.
WHY RICOTTA?
Ricotta cheese is a low-calorie, high-protein dairy product made from
whey. It also has amino acids, which help rebuild the muscles after
working out, according to "The Men's Health Big Book of Food and
Nutrition." This cheese is so soft that it can be blended and
substituted for heavy cream in any Alfredo sauce recipe containing
butter and Parmesan cheese. By the way, let's compare Ricotta w/ Heavy Whipping Cream. Don't get me wrong, cream has a place in my life, but in MODERATION...as in, RARELY. It has 800 calories PER CUP and 80 grams of fat. (gasp!) But boy do I love it. On occasion.
TRADER JOES PIZZA DOUGH: So awesome and freezes great. I always buy, like, 20 and freeze them. (thaw the night before in the frig) They have original and wheat. I love both, my family doesn't care for the wheat. (it does have a strong "wheat" flavor to it) It is a "ball of dough" wrapped in plastic and found around the hot dogs and cheeses. $1.19 makes an entire pizza.
First of all, if you want an ice-cream that freezes as hard as a rock, THESE RECIPES ARE NOT FOR YOU. But if you want an ice-cream that tastes delicious and even after frozen scoops out like soft-serve ice-cream every time, then these are right up your alley. You'll never want to buy ice-cream again.
If you do not have an ice-cream maker, may I suggest you start shopping for a good deal TODAY! We have a Cuisinart and LOVE it.
RECIPE #1:
MISTY'S LITEVANILLA-HONEY ICE-CREAM:
lite and tasty with no refined sugar and just enough cream to make it melt in your mouth!
Ingredients
3 cups coconut milk (I like to use the SILK brand, vanilla flavored)
1cup ORGANIC HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM (Costco's is AWESOME and cheap)...
3/4 cup organic honey
1/2 teaspoon seasalt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (NOT imitation)
Mix it up w/ a hand mixer to combine all ingredients. Pour into ice-cream maker.
Press "on" button and stay busy for about 20 minutes or until ice-cream is "set". Your number 1 goal is to refrain from sticking your finger in the churning bowl every time you walk by.
This is the "base"...have fun and play around w/ this by adding fresh fruit, chopped chocolate, cinnamon, peppermint extract,...You can also use even less cream if you want to lighten this up even more. (Try using 3 1/2 cups of coconut milk and only 1/2 cup of cream.)
RECIPE #2:
HUBBY'S & KIDS FAVORITE VANILLA ICE-CREAM
Ingredients
2 cups milk (we like using our raw milk)
2 cups heavycream
1 cup organic sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix it up w/ a hand mixer to combine all ingredients. (mix until the sugar is dissolved as much as possible) Pour into ice-cream maker and churn for about 20 minutes or until ice-cream is "set"...it will resemble soft serve.
**FYI: my hubby has been known to change the ratio of Milk:Cream. His favorite is 3 CUPS OF CREAM and 1 cup of MILK. It's ok to experiment w/ different ratio's as long as you end up w/ 4 cups.
VARIATIONS:
This is the "base"...have fun and play around w/ this by adding fresh fruit, chopped chocolate, cinnamon, peppermint extract, etc...
As soon as I have enough yellow squash or zucchini from my garden, this is one of the first meals I make. Clean it up even more by using WHOLE GRAIN LASAGNA NOODLES, REAL BLOCKED CHEESES (please, don't use parmesan from a can!) and instead of canned tomatoes, use fresh-off-the-vine tomatoes from your garden. MAKE THIS TODAY!
**FREEZER FRIENDLY** (thaw the night before. You can bake it frozen but know it can take a good 1 1/2-2 hours)
Then you’ll need diced red bell pepper: just cut it into matchsticks, then dice away.
Mushrooms. Lots and lots of mushrooms. We’re going to chop them up and they’re going to shrink, so we need plenty.
Slice them up, then chop them up…
And keep going till they’re all chopped.
I love chopping mushrooms. I think when I do it.
Kind of like when I mow the yard. I have the best ideas on the lawn mower.
Next, grab some squash of some kind: I used yellow, but zucchini is good if you have it on hand.
Cut the squash in half, then cut each half into fourths lengthwise.
Cut the squash in the other direction to dice.
You
can switch up the vegetables however you’d like: use zucchini,
different kinds of mushrooms, carrots…whatever makes you happy in life.
Pour some olive oil into a (very large) skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat.
Throw in the onions and garlic. Stir and cook for a minute or so…
Then throw in the diced red bell pepper and cook for another minute.
Toss in the diced squash and cook it for a minute.
Are you tired of me saying “minute” yet?
Just curious.
Next,
throw in the mushrooms and stir to combine. Let these cook for a couple
of minutes, until they really start to shrink and cook.
Then crack open a large can of whole tomatoes…(or use fresh which is what I do)
And throw them right on top.
With very clean hands, grab the tomatoes and crush them one by one.
Then stir them into the sauce and let it all start to cook.
Pour in a little wine. It’s the right thing to do. (you could also use Chicken Broth)
And, finally, add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. A little spice is nice.
Chop up some fresh parsley…
And add it into the sauce. This is more than four tablespoons, but a lot less than four cups.
And add some basil if you have it available.
I love you, basil. Why have you stayed away for so long?
Stir
it and let the sauce cook a little while longer. You want some of the
liquid to cook off so the lasagna won’t be overly soupy.
Also–important–taste the sauce, checking the seasonings and adding more salt if necessary.
While the sauce is simmering, grab some ricotta. (I always buy SKIM MILK RICOTTA)
Throw in a couple of eggs…
Salt and pepper…
And Parmesan. Stir this all together and set it aside for a minute.
Also, if it wasn’t already obvious, boil some lasagna noodles and have them ready.
To assemble, spoon a little of the vegetable sauce into the bottom of a large baking pan.
Lay
four lasagna noodles in the bottom of the pan. As you can see, this is a
mega baking dish that leaves a very sad, depressing gap on one end.
Not that I let that thwart me.
Next, violently plop 1/3 of the ricotta mixture onto the noodles.
Spread it to evenly distribute it…
Then lay mozzarella slices all over the top. (Do NOT use already shredded cheese)
Finally, spoon a little less than a third of the vegetables over the mozzarella.
Then we’ll repeat the whole thing! Noodles, ricotta…
Mozzarella…
Vegetables. Then repeat it a third and final time.
End
with a generous sprinkling of Parmesan, then cover with foil and bake
at 350 for about 20 minutes. Remove the foil toward the end and bake for
another 5 to 10 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
Remove from the oven and allow the pan to sit for ten minutes before serving.
Serve
it up, and have a loaf of crusty French bread nearby. This is a really
rich, cheesy delight, and as you can see, you can sub whatever veggies
you’d like. I think yellow bell peppers would be delicious, and I’d
definitely like to see some zucchini in there with the yellow squash.
Eggplant would certainly be yummy, too, as would different varieties of
mushrooms. Have fun with it. Make it your own.
Enjoy!
Recipe: Vegetable Lasagna
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Ingredients
10 ounces, weight Lasagna Noodles
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 whole Medium Onion
4 cloves Garlic
1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Diced
24 ounces, weight White Mushrooms, Chopped
4 whole Squash (yellow Or Zucchini), Diced
1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes
1/2 cup White Wine
1/4 cup Fresh Parsley, Chopped (more To Taste)
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt (more To Taste)
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
30 ounces, weight Ricotta Cheese
2 whole Eggs
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 pound Thinly Sliced Mozarella Cheese
Extra Parmesan Cheese, For Sprinkling
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and lay flat on a sheet of aluminum foil.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and
garlic and cook for a minute. Add diced red peppers and saute for
another minute or so. Add squash and mushrooms and cook for a few
minutes. Pour in wine, add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, and
stir.
Pour in tomatoes. Use hands to squeeze/crush them. Stir to combine
and let simmer for 20 minutes or so. Stir in chopped parsley.
In a separate bowl, combine ricotta, eggs, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.
To assemble, spread a little of the vegetable/tomato sauce in a
lasagna pan. Layer four cooked noodles in the pan, slightly overlapping
them if necessary. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture on the noodles. Top
the ricotta mixture with mozzarella slices. Spoon a little less than
1/3 of the veggie/sauce mixture over the mozzarella.
Repeat the layering two more times, ending with a large helping of vegetable sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan.
Bake at 350 degrees, covered in foil, for 20 minutes, then remove
foil and continue baking for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow
to stand for 10 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.
Serve with crusty French bread.
