Crowd-Pleasing Lasagna

This recipe is really easy: once you assemble the ingredients, the lasagna can bake in the oven untouched while you do other things. Adapted from Cooks Illustrated.

Ingredients

500g ricotta cheese

70-100g parmesan cheese, grated

3/4 c fresh minced basil

1 large egg

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

12 no-boil lasagna noodles

500g mozzarella, shredded

2 x 500g jars of your favorite pasta sauce (I use onion and garlic)

Instructions

1) Preheat the oven to 190C. Combine the ricotta, 1 c parmesan, 1/2 c basil, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Set aside.

2) Layer the lasagna as follows: spread 1/4 c sauce over the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.

3) Place 3 noodles on top of the sauce, drop 3 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture down the center of each noodle, sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella, then spread 1.5 c sauce evenly over the cheese. Repeat two more times.

4) Place the final 3 noodles on top of the sauce, then spread with the remaining sauce, 1 c mozzarella, and the remaining parmesan.

5) Lightly spray a large sheet of foil with nonstick cook spray, then tightly cover the lasagna. Bake 15 minutes, then remove the foil and bake until the cheese is spotty brown and the sauce is bubbling, about 25 minutes.

9) Cool for 10 minutes before cutting, and serve warm.

Carrot Oatmeal Cookies

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks.

Ingredients

1 c flour

1 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1 c oats

1 c shredded carrots

2/3 c chopped walnuts

1/2 c maple syrup or honey

1/2 c vegetable oil

1 t grated fresh ginger

Instructions

1) Preheat the oven to 190C. Grease or line a pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and oats. Add the nuts and carrots.

2) In a smaller bowl, combine the maple syrup, oil, and ginger.

3) Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

4) Drop small balls, about 1 T, of dough onto the prepared pan, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.

A Yummy, Easy Frittata

This recipe is very loosely adapted from 101 Cookbooks - I simplified the recipe by substituting chopped tomatoes and fresh cilantro for the "Cilantro Chile Sauce", and I also cooked the frittata entirely in the oven. Basically, this recipe can be adapted to fit your taste for various vegetables and cheeses that you might have laying around your fridge

Ingredients

6 large eggs

1 small onion, chopped

1 leek, thinly sliced

1 T olive oil

3 small potatoes, thinly sliced

1 red pepper, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 c cilantro, chopped

1/2 c canned chopped tomatoes

2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

2/3 c cheddar cheese, grated

Instructions

1) Preheat the oven to 220C. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with a small pinch of salt, and set aside.

2) In a large non-stick skillet, saute the onion and leek with the olive oil on medium-high heat, until the onion starts to brown, about 5-7 minutes.

3) Add the potatoes and red pepper, cover, and cook for another 5 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through.

4) Coat a casserole dish with a thin layer of oil, then preheat in the oven for about 5 minutes.

5) Layer the frittata - pour the eggs into the pre-heated dish, then sprinkle the eggs with cilantro and tomato, then sprinkle with the onion-potato mixture, then sprinkle with the uncooked spinach, and finally top with a generous layer of cheese.

6) Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the eggs look set and the cheese is well melted.