Category: Taste Buds

Categories
Taste Buds

Not Your Mama’s Lasagna

Hello my good people!!

I am here to FINALLY share with you my lasagna recipe.  Warning: This is “NOT YO MAMA’S LASAGNA.”  You have been warned. 🙂

**This is not, I repeat this is not one of the healthy recipes I like to share. This is strictly for those looking for some comfort food!! If that is you…you are in good company. 🙂

Okay, so my recipe was created literally from the dome, based on the lasagnas I have tasted in the past.  But, I felt like it needed a little “MPH” in order to make it unique.  So, the general idea is very similar to your traditional lasagna, except with my own little twist!  My family has accepted the fact that they are ‘willing’ participants in my culinary experiments.  And this one did not disappoint! The special ingredient gives it just that extra push that I believe all lasagnas need.  Its the perfect little addition to this household favorite.  I won’t hold you in suspense too much longer, I know yall are dying to try it out for yourselves!  Which, I hope you do!  Comment below letting me know how it turns out for you!

Here it is:

Not Yo Mama’s Lasagna

What you will need:

9-12 lasagna pasta pieces (do NOT boil before laying in pan)

1lb ground beef

1lb jimmy dean breakfast sausage ***my SECRET/SPECIAL ingredient! 🙂

2 jars of Classico spaghetti sauce (any flavor you like. I usually get one garlic and one red pepper)

1 6 oz can of tomato paste

6-8oz bag Mozzarella cheese

6-8 oz bag Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup Ricotta cheese

Parsley (about 5 leaves)

2 eggs

1/2 cup Onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup bell pepper, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 lasagna baking pan

Instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

In large pan, combine: onion, bell pepper, garlic, ground beef and sausage

Cook until almost brown

Drain

Season meat to taste (juuuust a little)

Add spaghetti sauce and tomato paste

Cover and bring to boil (keep on low-medium heat setting)

While meat and sauce are coming to a boil:

Combine egg, parsley, ricotta cheese

Whisk

Once meat reaches a boil, spray large baking pan with cooking spray

Cover bottom of pan with small layer of meat sauce

Add lasagna pieces (3 to a row)

Using a spoon, add egg mixture on top of the pasta

Sprinkle generous amount of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese on top of this

Add meat sauce

Repeat steps until pan is full or meat sauce runs out

Top the pan off with more cheese!!!

Cover pan securely with foil. Make sure there are no open spaces!! (this is important to make sure the pasta cooks all the way through)

Bake for 40-45min depending on your oven

Set for 10min

Serve with your favorite salad and dig In!

lasagna

Categories
lean Taste Buds

Ginger Beef & Herbed Quinoa Recipe 

Ginger Beef & Herbed Quinoa Recipe 

Sistas, how y’all feel?  Fellas, y’all alright?

I know it’s been a while.  The last few weeks have been suuuuper crazy!  I really appreciate those of you who have taken the time out to read and follow so far!  I am currently working on revamping my blog (I know it’s still pretty new but I wanted to add a few things to make it even more special.  Lord willing, you will see what I mean in another week or so).

Anywhoo, I was actually going to hold off on posting until then, but I’ve been asked several times about what I have been cooking lately…and I HAD to share with everyone!!  Plus, I attended a women’s Bible study today that talked about being INTENTIONAL.  Holding off on posting because of some updates goes completely against that.

Well, I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I did!  If/when you try it, contact me and let me know if you like it as much as I do.

As with many of my recipes, this takes approximately 30min to prepare!  The reason I try to do this is because I want to create dishes that are healthy, flavorful, and do not always require a lot of time in the kitchen.  (not all of my recipes are healthy or quick…it’s just what best fits my life for the most part for now).  Being in grad school, I don’t get to spend as much time cooking as I would like…but a girl’s gotta eat!  So, I come up with these dishes that match my lifestyle, without compromising flavor (which is important to many of us).  Ginger has become one of my FAVORITE things to cook with.  It has sooo much flavor and spice.  I just love it.

Let’s get to it!

What you will need to enjoy this dish:

Ginger beef:

1lb lean grass-fed beef

3 tablespoons ginger (finely chopped)

2 cloves garlic

¼ cup onion

1 teaspoon olive oil

Herbed Quinoa:

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water OR vegetable broth

1 tablespoon butter (optional)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 ½ tablespoon oregano

1 1/2 tablespoon parsley

1 pinch paprika

Mia’s ‘Go-To’ Salad:

2 large carrots (sliced)

1 cup spinach

1 cup kale

Juice from ½ lemon (optional)

3 radishes

3 strawberries

Instructions:

For 1 cup of quinoa, you will want to add 2 cups of water or vegetable broth.  Add butter, garlic powder, oregano, parsley, and paprika, and stir well.  Cover and cook for 10min.

While quinoa is cooking, on medium-high heat, sauté onion for about 3min.  Add beef and cook all the way through.  When beef is half-way done, add ginger. Drain excess fat.  Set aside.  (The great part about using lean beef is that there’s less fat and more meat to enjoy!)

For the salad, add all ingredients to a large bowl.  Sprinkle with lemon juice (optional).

Serve.

ginger beef

**For the salad…I should let you know…I LOVE experimenting with different textures and flavors in my salad.  Hence the radish and strawberries…in the same bowl. 😊 Not everyone ‘gets’ the whole strawberries in a salad thing…but I promise, if you give it a try, it adds a unique, DELICIOUS flavor to it.

Until next time,

Farkarwa

Categories
Meatless Monday Taste Buds

#MeatlessMonday Mia’s Vegetarian Tacos

Happy #MeatlessMonday everyone!

Today’s recipe sounds too good to be true.  Why?  Because not only is it CRAZY delicious, but it only takes 15MIN…from start to finish!!  Crazy, right?  Maybe. 🙂  Anywhoo, I had a taste for tacos.  And I knew that it had to be meatless.  And, I didn’t want to spend a ton of time standing over the stove.  This recipe is perfect for a quick, yummy, light, semi-healthy (if you don’t count the tortillas) MEATLESS lunch or dinner after a long day.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did! Chime in and let me know if you’re going to try them.  And let me know how they turn out!

Mia’s 15-min Vegetarian Tacos

What You will need to ‘Dig In’:

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Fresh in-store made tortillas (our local grocery store makes them fresh daily)

2 large carrots

1- 1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen kale (I usually freeze mine a couple days after buying to make sure it doesn’t go bad)

Cilantro (for topping)

Guacamole (for topping)

**you can make your own or buy fresh from the grocery store

Pico de Gallo (for topping)

Parmesan cheese (for topping)

Extra virgin olive oil

Butter (optional)

Instructions:

With a shredder or knife, carefully shred the carrots into thin slices

Add kale to small pan on medium heat

Cook for 1 min, remove from pan and set aside (I cook the kale first because kale can produce a lot of water)

Drain any excess water

Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil to pan

Add carrots and cook for 3-4min, tossing often

Add cooked kale to pan with carrots

Season to taste (I used garlic powder, paprika, parsley, and a pinch of all-purpose seasoning)

Set aside

vegetarian tacos

Tortillas:

**This process is just to warm the tortillas since you’ve already purchased them fresh**

Add 1/2 tablespoon of butter (optional) to small pan on medium-high heat

Once almost melted, add tortilla to pan, quickly coating both sides with butter

Allow one side to lightly brown (approx. 30 seconds)

Turn-over and allow other side to brown

Serve with toppings.

Serving size: 2 tacos

*These ingredients make 2 servings

Enjoy!

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Copyright @MiaCreswell2017