turkey veggie lasagna

no cook/fresh lasagna noodles
1 container ricotta cheese
1 package mozzarella cheese
2 small zucchinis, chopped small
1/2 head broccoli, chopped small
1/2 head cauliflower, chopped small
1 jar tomato sauce
500g turkey mince
1 medium onion, chopped
grated parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
chili flakes, optional


in a frying pan, sautee onion until soft. (add chili flakes to the onion.) add the turkey and lightly brown. add tomato sauce, zucchini, broccoli, and cauliflower, and some grated parmesan. let simmer together for about 15 minutes or until vegetables seem mostly cooked. stir in ricotta.

begin to build lasagne, layering noodle, then sauce mixture, then some mozzarella. top the final (and top) layer with mozzarella and grated parmesan.

cook in the oven (about 350 degrees F, or according to lasagna noodle package) until golden brown on top and noodles are soft, about 20-30 minutes.

a twist on pb&j

2 slices of bread (preferably something with nuts/seeds, like sunflower)
almond butter (or another kind of natural nut butter, like cashew or macadamia nut)
1 green or yellow apple (an apple you'd use for baking), peeled & chopped
1 tsp honey
1/4 c water*

toast the bread while you're making the apple mixture. in a frying pan, add the apples, water and honey. bring water to a boil, then simmer covered for about 10 minutes. uncover the apples, and mash with a fork or potato masher. put the fire back up to medium heat, and stir with wooden spoon continuously to avoid sticking. allow some of the liquid to boil off. cook until the apples are desired consistency. i prefer mine to look like chunky old-fashioned applesauce.

top toasted bread with almond butter and apple mixture. delicious.



*you can also use a juice/nectar instead of water. sometimes i like to use peach or pear nectar. if using juice, omit the honey.

i bet pears would be delicious with this. maybe compile the whole recipe as written above, then top the pears with a bit of taleggio cheese (thank you, enrico) and put under the broiler for a few minutes to melt. mmm.

[turkey] meatballs

1lb/500g of ground [turkey] meat
fresh (or dried) parsely
bread crumbs
ketchup (1tbs, 3tbs separated)
1 egg
salt
pepper
1 medium onion, grated



combine meat, parsley (as much as you want), egg, salt, pepper, grated onion, 1tbs ketchup. add breadcrumbs until meat becomes desired consistency for meatballs.

roll meat into small/medium balls, and put in skillet with a bit of oil or cooking spray. if you're not lazy, brown on all sides, but this step is not required, although it gives the meatballs a delicious crust. add water to cover 1/2 of the meatball and add about 3 tbs of ketchup. mix around a little if possible. bring water to boil, then cover and simmer for 30 min. after about 15 min, turn the meatballs, so the other side is covered by the water.

i like serving over rice, but you can also serve with pasta or polenta or on a big crusty roll.



*these meatballs freeze/reheat well. this recipe is the same for ground beef, turkey, lamb, or pork. they always taste delicious.