Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake

My husband said that this should not have "cheesecake" in the recipe title, simply because it is not a typical dessert cheesecake. He also thinks that bread pudding needs to be renamed. I can't really change the name since I didn't create this recipe, but please note that this is indeed, a savory dish.

My sister and brother came to visit almost 2 weeks ago and so, I realized that their visit was a good chance to make a few things that might be better appreciated by adults. I still had tons of zucchini coming out of the garden and I thought this looked like a great way to use some of it (I used yellow squash too).

This is an interesting dish. It is hard to explain. The texture is not exactly smooth, but it isn't weird. The flavor is mostly ricotta, but the lemon zest really shines through. The dill is also really present and noticeable. A couple of us really liked this one and I am finding more and more recipes that I really want to try from this blog.

Here is the recipe for Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake from 101 Cookbooks
* I used skim ricotta
* I didn't drizzle mine with olive oil
* I used feta cheese to top mine

Swiss Chard Ravioli

Swiss Chard is my favorite food. It's green, healthy and delicious. You can eat the whole thing- stems and all. It has great flavor and can be turned into anything, as you can see by this recipe for Swiss Chard Ravioli.

I can't remember how I found this recipe but I knew I was going to make it as soon as I saw it. I love any take on Swiss Chard and this was something that I thought looked really original and interesting.

The ravioli is made with wonton wrappers, which makes that part of the recipe much easier. I decided to use water to seal my ravioli, instead of an egg-which the recipe suggested, simply because that is what I use to seal wonton wrappers when making pot stickers. I had one ravioli that exploded and I think looking back, using an egg would have been a better idea, since boiling the ravioli really spins them around a lot.

The swiss chard is sauteed with a shallot and a little oil (the recipe used butter, but I avoid butter when I cook), and then mixed with some ricotta cheese, thyme, and fresh parmesan. That is what makes up the filling for the ravioli. Then the stems are boiled in some chicken stock, mainly to give the stock some color. The recipe said to drain the stems, but I left them in there, with a few of the leftover leaves and we ate them too.

This was a fun twist of ravioli and a great new way to use swiss chard.


Here is the Recipe for Swiss Chard Ravioli adapted from Martha Stewart
* I used a Tablespoon of canola oil instead of butter to saute the shallot and chard
* I did not discard the stems and extra leaves- I served them in the broth
* I used skim ricotta cheese
* instead of using an egg to seal the ravioli, I used water

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Maple Cinnamon Sage Brown Butter

I had to get to this last Thanksgiving side dish today- Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Maple Cinnamon Sage Brown Butter.
I never watch tv, especially during the day. For some odd reason, one day my kids wanted to watch something and I flipped by the Food Network. I saw that Giada was making some side dishes for Thanksgiving and we decided to watch for a little bit.
I saw her whip up this gnocchi and I was astonished because it really seemed like it took her a few minutes to get it ready. I realize that since it was tv, they edited out some of the steps, but it really didn't take long.
My kids told me they wanted me to make this gnocchi.

I had some sweet potato puree left from when I roasted sweet potatoes awhile ago and I had recently defrosted it for the Candied Sweet Potato Cupcakes. I didn't use all of the sweet potato puree for the cupcakes and I thought this would be a great way to use up the sweet potato puree I had left.
It really wasn't too difficult to mix the gnocchi together. You just add whole milk ricotta, cinnamon, salt and pepper to the sweet potato puree. Then you add flour, a little bit at a time, until you get the right consistency. That was the hardest part for me, is knowing when the gnocchi dough was the ready. I didn't want to add too much flour, but also didn't want to add too little. I am sure this is something you learn the more you make gnocchi.
The next step is dividing the dough and rolling it out into a long, snake-like rope. When I saw Giada do this, I couldn't help but think about play-doh. Then you have to shape the gnocchi.
My first batch were too big and wide, they tasted good, but looked horrible.
The second batch were the right size, but I cooked them too long, so they were mushy.
Finally, on the third batch I got it right. The shape was ok- not too big and not too small, and I cooked them just the right amount of time.
So, my analysis is, that they more you make gnocchi, the easier it becomes.

The sauce, is butter, which you brown and then you add whole sage leaves, cinnamon and pure maple syrup.

I wasn't really expecting my kids to like this dish. I made it purely out of curiousity for myself, well, and partly because my kids said they wanted me to make it, but they say that about almost everything.
I guess since my kids saw the tv episode where Giada made this, they were very interested in trying it.
They all loved it. I barely even got to have any, because they were scarfing it down.
I think this would be a really good way to serve sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving, with a twist.
Fairly quick and delicious.

Recipe for Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Maple Cinnamon Sage Brown Butter

Spaghetti Squash Gratins with Chunky Tomato Sauce

It is so funny to me how our tastebuds change as we grow older. Sometimes.
When I was a child I did not like winter squash. My mom would always cook it in big chunks and I could barely swallow it. I hated the flavor and the texture. It literally made me gag.
I just thought it wasn't for me and didn't try it again for a long time.

Last year I decided to give all these sorts of squashy things another chance. I was older, perhaps wiser and so, who knows- it was worth a shot.
I tried this Butternut Squash Risotto and ever since all types of winter squashes and I are now really good buddies. Butternut, Acorn, Spaghetti, Pumpkin, etc. I love them all. That was also the first time I tried making risotto, which is also one of my favorite foods.

I saw this really cute recipe for Spaghetti Squash Gratins and I had a container of ricotta cheese in the fridge, so I decided to try it out.
Ever since I have tried this Spaghetti Squash and Quinoa Bake (which is one of my all-time favorite dishes- it is fabulous), I prefer to roast my spaghetti squash in the oven when I am planning to use it that day.

In this dish the spaghetti squash takes place of noodles. The sauce is easy and delicious, but if you are short on time you could also sub in your favorite jarred pasta sauce. The ricotta-herb topping is very flavorful and yummy. It was also fun for everyone to have their own little individual gratin.

My pictures didn't turn out very well because it was a rainy, dark day and there wasn't really anything I could do about it. This was a delicious dinner. I am so glad it is cooling off because that to me means that it is winter squash season!

Recipe for Spaghetti Squash Gratins with Chunky Tomato Sauce

One Year Ago- Butternut Squash Risotto

Maria's Spinach Ravioli and Giada's Lemon Ricotta Biscuits

I am sure many of you have visited Maria's blog, Two Peas and Their Pod. If you haven't, then go and check it out. Maria and her husband are always serving delicious, healthy meals and yummy desserts too. They have featured a couple of homemade pasta dishes that look absolutely too good for words. I decided to make their Spinach Cheese Ravioli, even though I don't have a pasta roller. This required alot of rolling out on my part and I still think that I didn't get the pasta quite thin enough, but it tasted amazing anyway! The filling was so yummy and easy. The sun was going down as I was making it so, I didn't get any pics of it cooked with the sauce and sure enough, there weren't any leftovers, but I did take a few when I was rolling out the pasta and cutting it. I just used a pizza roller to cut mine out because I don't have a ravioli cutter.
Maria also had a great recipe for Lemon Ricotta Biscuits on her blog, and since I had just 1/2 cup of ricotta left after making the ravioli, I decided to make a half batch of the biscuits, and make them in a mini-muffin tin. Yum!

For the recipe for the Spinach Cheese Ravioli go- HERE
Lemon Ricotta Biscuits Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis
2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar or more as needed for sprinkling

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons)

1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese (I used skim)

1 large egg

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/3 cup thinly sliced almonds
Glaze:

Powdered Sugar

Lemon Zest

Lemon Juice

Whisk together in a bowl. Just eye ball the ingredients. If it is too thick add more juice!

Directions
Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or spray with cooking spray.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl to blend.
Using an electric mixer, beat 1 cup sugar, butter, and lemon zest in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the ricotta. Beat in the egg, lemon juice, and almond extract. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended (the batter will be thick and fluffy).
Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle the almonds and then the remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar over the muffins.
Bake until the muffins just become pale golden on top, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly and glaze. Serve warm or at room temperature.


Coming Thursday- Craving Ellie's Roasted Ratatouille Tart and Barefoot Bloggers-Coq Au Vin

Mini Calzones and Italian Roasted Green Beans & Yellow Squash

I am assuming that everyone's family loves pizza as much as my family does. It is the one thing my kids are always asking for! I had quite a bit of leftover spinach-ricotta mixture from last weeks Portobello Roll-ups, since I halved the recipe, so I decided that calzones were in our future. Everything mini is easier for kids, so I made 6 mini calzones and 2 large ones. I used 24 oz. of pizza dough to get that many. So if you just use a lb of dough, you might have some leftover filling ingredients.
I cooked up a little bit of turkey sausage, added a bell pepper and onion, and of course Italian seasoning. I also added turkey pepperoni and we dipped ours in pizza sauce. On the side I roasted some veggies, tossed in Italian seasoning again. I have one of those grinders, so I never measure my Italian seasoning, I just churn it on, until it looks like enough. You could really sub any veggies here, this is just what I had. Enjoy- we sure did!

Mini Calzones by Mary Ann

1 lb. pizza dough (your favorite recipe or refrigerated pizza dough)

pizza sauce (your favorite or try out mine-here, also a great dough recipe)

2 links sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed (about 8-9 oz)

1 orange (or green) bell pepper, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

turkey pepperoni

1 15-oz container skim milk ricotta cheese

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 10-oz pkg. frozen spinach, thawed and drained

Italian seasoning

shredded cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

In an electric skillet, season the sausage, bell pepper, and onion, with Italian seasoning, and saute until sausage is cooked through and veggies are tender. Set aside.

Combine the ricotta cheese, egg,thawed spinach, and season with Italian seasoning. Set aside.

Roll out your pizza dough and cut it into squares. (I made 6)

Spread about 1 Tbls of pizza sauce on one half of your dough square, leaving room around the edges. Spread 1 Tbls or so of the ricotta cheese mixture on top of the pizza sauce. Place 1 piece of turkey pepperoni on top of the ricotta mixture. Next pile some of the sausage, pepper, onion, mixture on top of the pepperoni. Sprinkle with cheese and close the calzone by bringing one half of the dough, up and over, and sealing the sides, by crimping the dough together.

Repeat with remaining dough and filling ingredients.

You can also make this into larger calzones, just cut the dough into larger pieces and put more of the fillings inside. Also bake time would increase. Little ones are easier for the kids.

Place the calzones on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 13-16 minutes, until lightly browned on top. Serve with warmed pizza sauce, for dipping, if desired.

Italian Roasted Green Beans and Yellow Squash by Mary Ann

1 lb. fresh green beans, washed and trimmed

1 medium yellow squash, cut in quarters and thinly sliced

Italian seasoning

1 Tbls olive oil

cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray the sheet with cooking spray. Combine green beans and squash on the foil and season liberally with Italian Seasoning. Drizzle with 1 Tbls of olive oil and mix with your hands. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until veggies are tender.

Tomorrow- Craving Ellie in my Belly- Oven Fried Chicken

Barefoot Bloggers- Herb Roasted Onions and Craving Ellie in my Belly- Portobello Lasagna Roll-ups

I know what you must be thinking. Did I really need to join another group? Probably not, but I loved Elllie Krieger's Book The Food You Crave when I borrowed it from the library this summer, so when I saw a group dedicated to the recipes in that book- Craving Ellie in My Belly- I went ahead and joined up. I just waited until this week to start. So for my first week we made Portobello Lasagna Roll-ups. This recipe was picked by Marthe of Culinary Delights- go to her blog for the recipe. I halved the recipe because I had exactly 6 whole wheat lasagna noodles left in a box and it was really yummy! Besides, now I have a great excuse to make calzones, since I have half of the ricotta mixture leftover.

The Barefoot Bloggers recipe this week was Herb Roasted Onions and it was chosen by Kelly of Baking with the Boys. Now this really got the whole house smelling good. I had really potent onions, they made me cry lots of tears. The dressing was delicious and I love fresh thyme, so I didn't chop mine up, I left it whole. I liked this, but next time I think I will add other veggies as well.
Go check out what everyone else thought of these 2 recipes!

Herb Roasted Onions from The Barefoot Contessa

2 red onions

1 yellow onion

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup good olive oil

1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove the stem end of each onion and carefully slice off the brown part of the root end, leaving the root intact. Peel the onion. Stand each onion root end up on a cutting board and cut the onion in wedges through the root. Place the wedges in a bowl.For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, mustard, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Pour the dressing over the onions and toss well.With a slotted spoon, transfer the onions to a sheet pan, reserving the vinaigrette that remains in the bowl. Bake the onions for 30 to 45 minutes, until tender and browned. Toss the onions once during cooking. Remove from the oven, and drizzle with the reserved dressing. Sprinkle with parsley, season to taste and serve warm or at room temperature

You do not want to miss tomorrow's post- Vanilla-Nutella Swirl Cupcakes with Nutella Buttercream!

Zucchini Eggplant Lasagna

We have been eating a ton of eggplant and zucchini this week, but it has been delicious! This lasagna is very flavorful and since I had just a tad of ricotta and a tad of cottage cheese, I combined them together and they worked really well. We had some garlic bread on the side and had a great meal!
Zucchini Eggplant Lasagna adapted from Cooking Light
1 large eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 Tbls olive oil
1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium onion)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 tsp dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup 2% cottage cheese
Cooking spray
1 (8-ounce) package precooked lasagna noodles
2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
2 1/2 cups (10 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese



1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Arrange eggplant slices in a single layer on several layers of paper towels. Sprinkle evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt; let stand 15 minutes.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic to pan; sauté 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, oregano, red pepper, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Combine basil, ricotta, cottage cheese, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a small bowl. Spread 1/2 cup tomato mixture into the bottom of a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 4 noodles over tomato mixture; top with half of eggplant and half of zucchini. Spread ricotta mixture over vegetables; cover with 4 noodles. Spread 1 cup tomato mixture over noodles; layer with remaining eggplant and zucchini slices. Arrange remaining 4 noodles over vegetables, and spread remaining tomato mixture over noodles. Top evenly with mozzarella. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 25 minutes or until browned. Cool for 5 minutes.

Lasagna Rolls with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, 2 ways

So, I had some leftover cooked lasagna noodles in the fridge and decided to make these roll-ups. I have made them before and was going to feed a crowd, so I cooked up some whole wheat rotini and elbow macaroni, and doubled the filling and sauce. I made the rolls as directed and then stirred the cooked pasta into the leftover filling and poured the sauce on top. It was great both ways!
Lasagna Rolls with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce- 2 ways, adapted from Cooking Light

Lasagna:

8 uncooked whole wheat lasagna noodles

4 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms

1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1/4 cup minced fresh basil, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Sauce:

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (7-ounce) bottle roasted red bell peppers, undrained

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

To prepare lasagna, cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, mushrooms, spinach, and 3 garlic cloves; sauté 5 minutes or until onion and mushrooms are tender. Remove from heat, and stir in cheeses, 2 tablespoons basil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper.
To prepare sauce, place vinegar and remaining ingredients in a blender; process until smooth.
Place cooked noodles on flat surface; spread 1/4 cup cheese mixture over each noodle. Roll up noodles, jelly-roll fashion, starting with short side. Place the rolls, seam sides down, in a shallow 2-quart microwave-safe dish. Pour 1/4 cup sauce over each roll, and cover with heavy-duty plastic wrap. Microwave at high 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons basil

Cheesiest Cheese and Macaroni

I have tried making homemade mac and cheese before and it wasn't very good. I tried again and voila! it was delicious. This is a very heavy dish, so don't look at the ingredients, just make it and share it with a large crowd of people! It is sooo good~!

Cheesiest Cheese and Macaroni from My A to Z Recipe Box by Hilary Shevlin
Karmilowicz
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups milk ( I used 2%)
1/2 tsp salt
8 cups water
2 cups dry macaroni (I used whole wheat)
2 Tbls bread crumbs (I used seasoned)
2 Tbls butter, cut into tiny pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 1. In a large bowl, combine all the cheeses and stir until well mixed. 2. Add the cream, milk and salt to the cheese. Mix well. 3. Boil the water in a large pot, add the macaroni, and cook for 8-10 minutes. Drain the macaroni. 4. Add the macaroni to the cheese sauce and stir well to coat. 5. Pour the mixture into a 9*12- inch baking dish, sprinkle with the bread crumbs, and dot all over with the butter. 6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the pasta is bubbly.