Spinach and Ham Casserole

This casserole was good, with a nice flavor and a good consistency.  It would be easy to prepare and assemble, then bake the next day.  It's a bit light on the vegetables - we ate the rest of the fruit salad to round it out, but maybe a side salad or adding some red peppers?

I used red onions and skim milk with a lot less Gruyere.  It was a bit less saucy than I think whole milk would have done, but it might also sauce up overnight.  I'm excited for the leftovers, as I think it all meld together well.

Southwest Egg Rolls and Spanish Rice

While dinner did not look particularly noteworthy, it was pretty tasty.  Although these were written up as an appetizer, with a side of Spanish rice, they made a nice dinner.  If I consider this a trial run, this could probably be a good dinner for company.

The egg rolls were much easier than I had thought, and definitely something I'd try again, probably with a more typical Asian filling.  I used my favorite thing - chipotle cheddar- and black beans, frozen corn, and spinach.  These were spicy with a good heat, but not overwhelmingly so.

The Spanish rice was dry, but okay.  I made brown rice in the rice cooker and added a can of diced tomatoes and a couple tablespoons of cumin.  It wasn't saucy like the packaged stuff, but probably also not full of salt.  Worth some googling to see if someone has a better recipe.

Stuffed Shells

 I love stuffed shells and hadn't made them in a long long time.  They're so easy, so versatile, and so good.

These were part of my "clean out the freezer" kick.  I had some leftover sausage with chopped peppers that I just mixed with a tub of ricotta cheese.  I cooked some shells and stuffed the mixture inside once they were cool.  Some marinara on top and they baked for half an hour or so, plus Parmesan to pass.  The outer shells were plenty hot but the ones in the middle were still just lukewarm.  Next time I'd do a little more veggie, a little less cheese, and a little longer in the oven.

Andrew ate three of these, and Thomas ate green beans for the first time!

Vegetarian Enchiladas

I suspect there will be many versions of this meal, with different fillings.  This week is going to be all vegetarian, and this was a good, easy start.  I made it Sunday afternoon and baked them Monday evening.

I shredded 2 zucchini, chopped a bunch of kale, and mixed in Northern beans along with a good pile of cumin.  Wrapped in tortillas, a little cheese inside (the end of the chipotle Cheddar that we're definitely getting again and a Cheddar / Monterey Jack mix), and enchilada sauce with the end of the cheese on top.

A whole bunch of kale was too much for this, which was only 3 well-stuffed tortillas.  Maybe spread out a bit more, it would be OK, or chopped more finely.  Mine came out a bit more like Mexican lasagne than separate units, but the flavor was good.

Eggplant Parmesan Lasagne

New Year's Day 2010

An old favorite from Cooking Light, using whole wheat, no-bake noodles and jarred sauce and the new All-Clad!  One pan made enough for dinner for 3 and leftovers for a couple days.