April 20, 2020

Recipe: Very Veggie Lasagna

Ingredients

1 lb brown rice lasagna pasta

1 (10 oz) package frozen, chopped spinach

1 (16 oz) container 4% milkfat cottage cheese

1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese (non fat or whole milk)

2 tbsp olive oil

½ yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 yellow zucchini, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces

1 green zucchini, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces

1 bell pepper (any color)

25 oz whole white mushrooms, sliced

1 32 oz jar your favorite tomato sauce

Kosher salt & pepper

1 chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided

2 cups shredded mozzarela and cheddar cheese

Directions

Cook pasta to package directions. Drain then rinse in cold water.

Thaw the spinach in the microwave. Squeeze out excess water and place in a large bowl. Mix with the ricotta and cottage cheese. Season with some salt and pepper.

Add olive oil to a large skillet. Sauté the onions and garlic over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the zucchini and bell peppers. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, cook for 5 minutes or until the veggies soften. Mix the veggies as they cook. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Stir the tomato sauce into the skillet and 1/4 cup parsley. Bring to a boil then simmer for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375˚ Fahrenheit with the rack in the middle.

Start with a thin layer of sauce in a 9X13 inch casserole baking dish. Add a layer of cooked lasagna noodles. On top of the pasta add a layer of the ricotta/cottage cheese mixture, then a layer of sauce and the noodles again. Continue layering finishing with a layer of the pasta then finally the sauce. Sprinkle the mozzarella and cheddar cheese over the sauce.

Bake the lasagna for 35 minutes then broil on low for 5 minutes, or until cheese is golden brown. Top with 1/4 cup chopped parsley. Serve while hot.

~ Marla Meridith

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April 15, 2020

Recipe: Homemade Blueberry Pop Tarts

Ingredients

Pastry Dough

3 ¼ cups AP unbleached flour

1 tbsp baking powder

¼ tsp Kosher salt

¼ cup granulated sugar

8 oz unsalted butter

½ cup corn syrup

Fruit Filling

850 g fresh, frozen, chunks, sliced fruit

⅔ cup (75 g) light brown sugar or granulated sugar

¼ tsp ground cinnamon or ginger

1 pinch Kosher salt

2 tbsp (25 g) cornstarch

Egg Wash

1 large egg

2 tsp water

Glaze / Royal Icing

1 ¾ cups powdered sugar

34 tbsp milk

⅛ tsp Kosher salt

1 tsp any extract flavor (vanilla, lemon, orange, etc)

of color if desired

Directions

In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the sifted dry ingredients. Add the butter and mix until it combines with the dry ingredients. Add the corn syrup and mix until a ball is formed. Let the dough rest for 2 hours in a cool place.

Make the filling while the dough rests. In a saucepot, bring the fruit to a boil. Combine the dry ingredients. Once the fruit has released its juices and has come to a boil, add the dry ingredients. While whisking, bring the mixture to a boil and hold at a boil for 3 minutes. Let cool.

Roll the dough onto a floured surface until it is 3 mm thick. Cut the rolled dough in half. Cut one half of the dough into the 3 x 5 inch rectangles. Cut the second half of the dough into 3¼ inch x 5¼ inch rectangles – these slightly larger rectangles will be the top of the pop tarts. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the bottom pop tart dough rectangles on a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet. With a pastry brush, paint the egg wash around the outside edge of the dough. Put the cooled pop tart filling inside of the egg wash rectangle. Add the larger rectangle dough on top of the filling. On one side of the rectangle, press the two pieces of the dough together, fastening them with a fork. Brush the top of the pop tart with egg wash.

Combine the egg and water with a fork or a whisk.

Bake until a light golden brown 15-20 minutes. Let cool. Using a spoon, knife, brush, palette knife or hands, spread or dip the cooled pop tart. Let dry and enjoy.

~ Marla Meridith

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April 3, 2020

One-Pot Creamy Broccoli Pasta

Ingredients

12 oz spaghetti or linguinie

½ cup chopped red onion

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 cups bite sized pieces broccoli florets

2 cups vegetable broth

1 ¼ cups whole milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Kosher salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

Toppings

chopped fresh Italian parsley

sliced green onion

Directions

Heat the oil over medium heat in a 12 inch cast iron cast iron skillet.

Sauté the onion for 5 minutes, until soft and fragrant. Add the garlic. Cook 2 minutes. Mix in the lemon juice.

Add the broth, milk and broccoli. Bring to a boil. Add the pasta making sure it’s all submerged in the cooking liquid.

Cover the skillet and simmer the pasta for 8 minutes. Remove the lid, stir and continue to cook 8-10 minutes or until the pasta is done to your liking. Mix in the cheddar cheese in the last two minutes of cooking. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Top with parsley and green onion. Serve immediately.

~ Marla Meridith

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April 1, 2020

Recipe: Rustic Roasted Beet & Sweet Potato Salad

Ingredients

1 bunch beets

2 sweet potatoes

2 tbsp canola or grapeseed oil

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp garlic salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

2 tbsp pure maple syrup

1 avocado

6 cups baby spinach leaves

Toppings

Maple Citrus Roasted Pecanshttps://marlameridith.com/recipe/maple-citrus-roasted-pecans/

Salad Dressings: Try one of these!

Lemon Shallot Vinaigrette

Lemon Honey Salad Dressing

Directions

Pre heat the oven to 375 degrees F with the racks in the middle. Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper or oven proof silicone liner.

Slice the beets and sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch thick sticks. Place on the baking sheet in a single layer.

Drizzle with the oil and maple syrup. Using clean hands, toss with the cinnamon, garlic salt and pepper.

Bake for about 40-45 minutes until slightly browned, caramelized and very tender.

Plate spinach leaves with roasted beets and sweet potatoes. Top with avocado and maple pecans. Serve with lemon juice and olive oil or my Lemon Shallot Vinaigrette or Lemon Honey Salad Dressing.

~ Marla Meridith

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March 28, 2020

Recipe: Cast Iron Skillet Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Ingredients

¼ cup unsalted butter

¾ cup light brown sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

3 medium ripe bananas, mashed (to equal 1 1/4 cups)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided

Directions

Pre heat the oven to 350˚ with the rack in the middle.
Grease a 10″ cast iron skillet (or any heatproof skillet) with butter or vegetable oil.

Make the brown butter. In a small skillet, heat the butter over medium high heat until it starts bubbling. Swirl the pan and continue to cook and swirl. After a few minutes the butter will begin to foam. Reduce the heat to medium. This will subside and you will start te see brown flecks and you will smell a nutty aroma. Cook about one more minute, more flecks will appear. Continue to swirl the pan so the butter doesn’t burn too quickly. Transfer the butter to a heat proof bowl. Let cool to room temperature.

Mix the cooled butter with the brown sugar in a large bowl. Mix in the egg, mashed banana and vanilla.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in another bowl.

Add the flour mixture into the banana mixture in two additions, combining well. Do not over mix. Fold in one-half of the chocolate chips.

Transfer the batter into the prepared skillet, smooth with top with the back of a spoon or spatula. Top with the remainder of the chocolate chips.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out virtually crumb free.

Ingredients

‘–for the crust

2 cups graham cracker crumbs (14 full sheets) you can also us ginger snaps or chocolate wafers

1/3 cup light or dark brown sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) melted, unsalted butter

baking spray

for the filling

1 1/4 cups cold heavy whipping cream

3 (8 ounce) blocks full fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tbsp confectioners sugar

1/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature

2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

for the topping

1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

1/2 cup fresh blackberries

Directions

Prepare the crust: Pulse the graham crackers (or your preferred cookies) in a food processor until you have a consistent crumb. Pulse in the sugar and butter until well combined. Spray a 9″ or 10″ springform pan with baking spray. Press the crust into the bottom of the pan, using your palms to make sure it’s firmly packed. Refrigerate while you are making the filling, 15-20 minutes.

Prepare the filling: Whip the cream in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment until you have stiff peaks, about 5 minutes. Transfer the whipped cream to a bowl and place in the fridge.

In the same bowl, you don’t have to rinse it, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Scraping down the sides of the bowl with a soft rubber spatula as needed. On medium-high speed, beat in the confectioners sugar, sour cream, lemon juice and vanilla bean paste until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Be sure that there are no lumps of cream cheese in the mixture.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and gently fold in the whipped cream being sure not to over mix, you don’t want to cream to deflate.

Scoop the cheesecake mixture over the crust. Smooth out the top with an offset spatula. Decorate with the berries.

Refrigerate for at least 6-8 hours up to two days. Serve cold.

~ Marla Meridith

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