The ambiance of Olive Garden restaurants seeks to replicate an old-world Italian style, utilizing foliage in their décor, stucco walls, and background music consisting of Italian themes.

And — The food is great!

Olive Garden’s Culinary Institute of Tuscany, located in the heart of Tuscany, Italy in a restored 11th century village, is where Olive Garden’s chefs learn the secrets of great foods in Italy – like how to combine fresh ingredients – to create authentic Italian foods that you’ll enjoy sharing with your family and friends. You can cook your favorites at home — it’s easy and only a fraction of the cost!

Go ahead!

Astound your family and friends with your culinary abilities!

–Olive Garden Lasagna–

Alfredo Sauce:

1/2 lb. sweet or salted butter

12 oz. heavy cream

Fresh ground white pepper

1 1/2 cups fresh Parmesan, grated

Ricotta Cheese Mix:

1 pint Ricotta cheese

2 oz. Romano, grated

3 oz. Mozzarella, shredded

2 tbls. green onions, sliced

2 teas. fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 teas. salt

1/8 teas. black pepper

1/4 teas. dried basil

1/4 teas. dried oregano

1 1/4 cups Alfredo sauce, cooled

Vegetable Mix:

4 cups broccoli florets

2 cups carrots, sliced 1/4″

4 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced 1/4″

2 cups red bell peppers, diced

1 cup green bell pepper, diced 1 cup yellow onion, diced

2 cups zucchini, sliced

Lasagna noodles

18 slices Mozzarella cheese, 1/2 oz. each

Lay out enough dry lasagna strips in a 9×13 pan to ensure you have enough to make 3 full layers, with very little overlap on each layer. Remove the dry strips and cook according to package instructions until barely “al dente” and drain.

ALFREDO SAUCE: Heat water to a boil in the bottom of a double boiler. Add butter, cream and pepper to the top pot and heat until butter is completely melted, then stir in Parmesan until melted and blended.

Remove top pot and set aside to cool. Divide the Olive Garden Lasagna 307 sauce into 2 equal portions. Refrigerate 1 portion for use later.

RICOTTA CHEESE MIX: Combine all ingredients in a bowl and blend thoroughly with a rubber spatula. Set aside at room temp.

VEGETABLES: Combine all veggies and mix well.

ASSEMBLY: Coat the bottom and sides of a 9×13 baking dish with vegetable spray. Lay out cooked lasagna strips (about 4) to cover entire bottom. Spread 1-1/4 c of the Ricotta mix evenly over the strips. Top with 8 c of veggie mix and spread out evenly. Lay out 9 of the mozzarella slices to cover the veggie layer. Repeat this layering. Top the second layer of mozzarella slices with lasagna strips and spread them evenly with 1-1/4 c ricotta cheese mix to finish.

COOKING: Spray a sheet of foil with vegetable spray and cover the baking dish tightly with the foil, sprayed side down. Bake in a preheated 375F oven for about an hour or until the internal temp is 165F. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for a few minutes, covered, before cutting and serving. Immediately prior to serving, heat the reserved portion of Alfredo Sauce and ladle the hot sauce over each slice of lasagna as it is served.

–Olive Garden Pasta Frittata–

12 Ounce spaghetti, cooked, cut into 2″ pieces

3 Ounce green onions, sliced

3 Ounce thick bacon, cooked and chopped

vegetable spray or margarine

3 tblsp Fontina, shredded, heaping

Parmesan, grated

3 3/4 cup

FRITTATA BATTER: 6 Medium eggs

2 1/2 cups Half and half

5 Teaspoon cornstarch

1 dash nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350F.

FRITTATA BATTER: Beat eggs, half and half, cornstarch, salt and nutmeg thoroughly until all ingredients are completely blended. Blend the 2″ spaghetti pieces, green onion rings and bacon pieces in a bowl until evenly mixed.

Coat a 1-1/2 qt round baking dish, including walls, with spray or margarine. Empty the spaghetti mixture into the baking dish and spread evenly. Add the frittata batter to cover the filling mix.

Bake in a 350~ oven for about 25 minutes until center is set. When center is set, cover the frittata evenly with the Fontina and bake until cheese is golden. Turn off the heat and open oven door. Let the frittata set in the open oven for 15 minutes for the batter to set more firmly and make removing from the dish easy. Before serving, sprinkle with Parmesan and cut into 4 wedges.

–Olive Garden Shrimp Primavera–

SAUCE:

6 tbsp. butter or margarine

1 tbsp. garlic, fresh, minced

1 oz. package Knorr Newburg Sauce Mix (or similar)

32 oz. crushed tomatoes, canned

1-1/2 tbsp. lemon juice, fresh

1/4 tsp. (or to taste) red pepper, crushed

1/2 tsp. basil, dry

1/4 tsp. marjoram, dry

1/2 tsp. black pepper

VEGETABLES:

1/2 lb. mushrooms, halved (or quartered if large)

1 cup green bell peppers, cut into 1″ squares

1 cup red bell peppers, cut into 1″ squares

1/2 cup yellow onion, cut into 1″ squares

2 Tbsp. butter for sauting

PASTA:

1 lb. fresh Olive Garden Linguine (or quality dry pasta)

SHRIMP:

1 lb. medium to large fully cooked shrimp, thawed and drained Melt butter in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook one minute. Add remaining spice and tomato ingredients, stir well and simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, melt 2 tbsp. butter. Saute vegetables about 3 minutes until crisp – tender. Add to the sauce and simmer 5 minutes more.

Cook pasta according to directions. When pasta is almost done, stir shrimp into sauce to heat through. Do not boil. Spoon Primavera over hot linguine. Pass Parmesan cheese.

–Olive Garden Capellini Pomodoro–

3 cloves Garlic, mince

2 pounds Plum tomatoes; seeded, diced

1 ounce Fresh basil leaves, minced

1/3 cup Extra virgin olive oil

3 ounces Parmesan cheese

12 ounces Dry angel hair pasta, cooked

1/4 teaspoon Pepper

Heat olive oil and add garlic; cook until it turns white. Add tomatoes and pepper and heat through, stirring constantly, about 2 to 3 minutes. Tomatoes should not lose their shape.

Remove from heat. Transfer hot, cooked pasta to large bowl. Toss pasta gently with tomato mixture, basil and half of Parmesan cheese.

Serve immediately and pass remaining Parmesan.

–Olive Garden Fettucine Alfredo–

8 ounces Cream cheese — cut in bits

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese — grated

1/2 cup Butter or margarine

1/2 cup Milk

8 ounces Fettuccine; cook — drain

In large saucepan combine cream cheese, Parmesan, butter and milk, stirring constantly until smooth. Toss pasta lightly with sauce, coating well. Leftovers freeze well.

–Olive Garden House Dressing–

8 ounces Paul Newman’s Vinegar and Oil Dressing

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

1/2 teaspoon Dried basil 1/2 teaspoon Dried oregano

3 packages Sweet and Low — or 1 tablespoon Sugar

Put ingredients into the bottle of dressing and shake well. Refrigerate 24 hours before using.

–Olive Garden Tiramisu Dessert–

1 Sponge cake, (10 to 12 inch about 3″ tall)

3 ounces Strong black coffee, or instant espresso

3 ounces Brandy or rum

1-1/2 pounds Cream cheese or mascarpone, room temperature

1-1/2 cups Superfine/powdered sugar

Unsweetened cocoa powder

Cut across middle of sponge cake forming two layers, each about 1 1/2 inches high.

Blend coffee and brandy. Sprinkle enough of mixture over bottom half of cake to flavor it strongly. Don’t moisten cake too much or it may collapse on serving.

Beat room-temperature cheese and 1 cup sugar until sugar is completely dissolved and cheese is light and spreadable. Test for sweetness during beating, adding more sugar if needed.

Spread cut surface of bottom layer with half of the cheese mixture. Replace second layer and top this with remaining cheese mixture. Sprinkle top liberally with sifted cocoa.

Refrigerate cake for at least 2 hours before cutting and serving.

Brian Alan Burhoe has cooked in Atlantic Coast restaurants for over 30 years, and holds provincial and national certificates in the culinary trade. More of his articles can be found at A CULINARY MYSTERY TOUR – A Literary Chef and at the #1 canine information site PUPPY DOGS INFO – Dog Breeds, Training, Care & History

Buon appetito!

A Graduate of the Holland College Culinary Course, Brian Alan Burhoe has cooked in Atlantic Coast restaurants for over 30 years. He is a member of the Canadian Culinary Federation. Brian’s articles reflect his interests in food service, dreamstudy, imaginative literature and our best friends — our dogs. His Home Page is A CULINARY MYSTERY TOUR – A Literary Chef

Today there are many food manufacturers who have ventured into the food related products and services industry and they have managed to develop a niche and profitable market of their products. These food products are of good quality and available at a good rate. Hence this is another reason why these food related product manufacturers are doing so well and are very popular as well.

In fact these processed food related products are no longer limited to items like sugar and flour that too in some country store but has rather moved on to a range of up market provisions like the convenience stores, super markets and grocery stores.

The food related product manufacturers are becoming popular all over the world. People not just in the developed countries but also the developing countries have started using processed food due to lack of time. As the demand of these processed foods is increasing day by day it is also leading to much health related issues. The major concern that people are facing in relation to health today is in the form of diabetes, obesity and many others. These problems are being faced by every 5th person on the world today. These problems are increasing at an alarming rate and hence people have started taking precautionary measures in order to prevent them from spreading by developing the idea of nutrition among the young children.

Although these issues are a big concern for the manufacturers of the food related products yet there is no stopping them when it comes to the growth and boom in the market and their products. The food related services and products are infact growing as swiftly as they ever did and they do not depend on the market scenario or if the market is going through recession. It is an ever growing industry which is going to grow even more in the near future.

You can visit the following link http://countrycheeseandmore.com to access these food related products and use them for your convenience.They eat everything and anything they find on the earth including reptiles but the fact was far from various fabricated stories. Today they are the people taking great pride in eating Chinese food and using Chinese materials. Chinese restaurants are a craze in every country and most dishes available in those countries are not authentically made as per the Chinese preparation but converted as per the taste of their people. Chine food is recognized as one of the most popular styles of food on the earth. The first condition to prepare the Chinese food is all the ingredients should be fresh regardless the vegetables, sea food or food grains.

For more insights and further information about Food relatedvisit our site http://countrycheeseandmore.com/

Nearly all cameramanufacturers havedigitalcameras;on the market. Moreover the demand for professionaldigitalcameras;has tremendouslyincreaseddue to betterclarity and instantgratification. With thistechnologyand the launchof wideangledigitalcameras;natureloversand naturephotographershavebeen in photographic;heaven.

If you are unfamiliarwithwideangledigitalcameras;the best way to describe them is thatthey providea wider;viewof yoursubject.Wideangledigitalcameras;havea lensthatis wider;thantypicalnormal lensin orderto photographa wider;viewof the subject.Professionalnaturephotographerstypicallyuse wideangledigitalcameras;sincethey not onlyprovidea wider;anglebut alsothe depthof the fieldnecessaryto prevent;the photographfromlooking;flat.For instance, say you wantto photographthe mountains. Wideanglecameras;are great for thissinceyou can capturethe entire areaas well as havethe essentialdepthneeded to make it appear real and detailed.

Wideangledigitalcameras;havespecificlensmeasurements and otheruniquefeatures;thatenhanceits performance.I havelisted a few of the features;uniqueto wideangledigitalcameras;.

Wideangledigitalcamerahavea 28mmlensand havea fastshutterspeed. Theyalsohavea faststart-up timeand user-friendly functions. Wideanglecameras;are generallyeasyto handle and use.

Wideangledigitalcameras;havea 28mm-100mm widezoomwhichis equivalentto 35mm filmcameraformat.This widezoomlensprovidesa comprehensive 75 degreeviewwhichis muchbetterthanthe 62 degreeviewprovided;by conventional 35mm digitalcameras;. Thesewider;angles;, whilenot providingan actual panorama,allowsyou to takegreat photosof landscapes,groupphotosand othersubjects;.

Shutter response in wideanglecameras;is mere0.12 secondsand startup timeis only0.10 seconds. Thesespeedsare extremelyfastwhencompared to analoguewideanglecameras;and allow natureenthusiasts to capturethe quickmovements of their favoritesubjects;. Furthermore, these cameras;are incredibly compact and extremelyportable.Theyare typicallylightwhichensuresthatnearlyanyonecan easily use them.

Resolutionusuallyfallsbetweenthe rangeof 3.0 to 5.0 megapixels. The higherthe resolution the betterthe imagesyou can captureensuring yourphotosare high quality withcrystalclear details. With thistechnologyyourimageswilllooksharperwithrobust colorevenwhenthey are printedout.

The zoomfeatureon the wideangledigitalcameras;is designedto bring you closerto the subject.You can quicklycapturethe tiniestof details of yoursubjectveryclearlywiththe availabilityof a 3.6 optical zoomand 4.4xdigitalzoom.

You can usuallyexpecta 2″ LCD screen whichprovidesa crispercompositionof the subject.Mostof the cameras;comeequippedwitha web cam and moviemodethatincludes sound recording.

Wideangledigitalcameras;work withyourcomputerand you can transfer imagesfromyourcamerato yourcomputerusing a USB cable.Mostcameras;comeequippedwithPictBridgecompatibility. The cameras;comewithsoftwarefor imageenhancement;and fastimagetransfer rate.

If naturephotography;is one of yourpassions you may wantto lookintowideangletechnology. Enjoynatureand captureincredibleimagesat the same timewithwideangledigitalcameras;

Download Your Copy Of The Digital Photography Guide FREE REPORT, with Immediate Access To An Online Digital Photography Blog… Full of excellent photography reviews … Just Click On One Of The Above Links To Find Out About The Free Digital Photography Guide CD Offer… !!!

To make potato pancakes I use large russet potatoes, a hand grater, a large bowl and a cast iron griddle. I peel the potatoes and place them in a large bowl of cold water and let them soak for 5-hours. This will get a lot of the starch out of the potato and make a better pancake. I make sure the potatoes are completely covered with the water.

The proportions for the pancakes are important. For every 2-cups of grated potatoes I use 2-well beaten eggs, 1-tablespoon of flour, a pinch of baking powder, 1/2-teaspoon salt and 1/4-teaspoon pepper. I mix the eggs and dry ingredients together before I grate the potatoes. If the potatoes stand without being in the batter they tend to start turning black, so I only make enough batter for 2-cups of grated potatoes at a time.

After the potatoes have soaked for 5-hours I grate them one at a time, leaving the whole potatoes in the water until they are grated. When everything is mixed together I put large spoonfuls onto a hot buttered cast iron griddle. I cook them over medium heat until they are golden brown on both sides turning over only once.

Sometimes I grate a little onion with the potatoes and add a sprinkle of nutmeg to the batter. It gives a little different flavor. I like to serve these with pork roast and applesauce.

Get Completed Information and Review Product about Potato Ricer at potatoricer.org

There are different varieties of pizza present all over world. Italian pizza generally made up of tomato, garlic, oregano and extra virgin olive oil. It is cooked in a wood-fired oven, giving pizza a unique taste. American pizza is very similar to Italians. It has a thick crust, topping of cheese and perhaps pepperoni and barbecued chicken. In India, it is a popular fast food. Here its taste contains a combination of western spirit and Indian soul. The most popular pizza toppings here are paneer, tandoori chicken and capsicum.

Today pizza industry is a huge industry of more than 30 Billion dollar in US alone. An interesting survey says that Americans eat around hundred acres of pizza daily. According to a recent study, children between the ages of 4 and 12 prefer pizza over all other food for lunch and dinner. India is also not lagging behind too much. It has a Rs. 475-crore industry growing at an annual rate of 50%.

Some of the well known restaurants here are Domino’s, Pizza hut and Pizza Corner. Dominos alone has a network of 274 stores in India.

If you have never had the opportunity to ever taste home made pasta then this recipe will literally blow you away! Many people never even consider tackling home made pasta because they have a mistaken idea that it is difficult to make. Nothing could be further from the truth, in fact it is easy, it does however require some time – in no way can it be considered fast food.

So without wasting any of your time, let’s take a step by step look at how to make this particular home made pasta. I call it “Mediterranean Pasta” as it is packed full of Mediterranean aromas, such as fresh basil, oregano and thyme. There is no doubt that this special dish comes from my Italian blood and distant memories of my mother hand making her pasta so many years ago. Bless her!

Ingredients:

1. Half a cup of fresh basil
2. Quarter cup of fresh thyme
3. Quarter cup of fresh oregano
4. 1 pound of flour
5. 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
6. Approximately quarter cup of fresh water
7. Pinch of salt
8. 2 eggs (optional)

• First of all for this green home made Mediterranean pasta you are going to have to remove the leaves from your aromas (basil, oregano and thyme). Please try to find fresh as it really will make an explosive difference. Discard any leaves that are turning brown.
• Place the leaves together with the olive oil and the water in the blender and blend until you have a liquid sauce. Make sure the leaves have been completely blended with the liquids and no large pieces remain, even if this won’t cause any harm whatsoever.
• Sift the flour on to a working top. It is much easier to work on a large working top than in a bowl. You will be using your hands here, no mixing machines please.
• Make a well in the sifted flour and pour in the green sauce that you made with the blender and the optional eggs. The eggs will make the pasta more pliable and easier to work as well as to supply protein. However, if you don’t use eggs in your diet, cut them out from the recipe.
• mix the eggs and sauce together with a fork then start mixing with the inner part of the flour. Once you have a less sticky mixture discard the fork and use your hands and mix all the flour with the sauce and work well until you have a dough.
• Knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes.
• Cover the dough with a clean cloth and cover and let it rest for about 30 minutes.

After the home made pasta dough has rested for 30 minutes it is ready to be worked. For this you will need a pasta machine or a simple rolling pin.

Cut the ball of dough into 4-6 equal pieces and keep one aside – cover the others with the cloth again. Sift a little flour on the work top and using your hands flatten the piece of pasta dough into a rectangle about 4 inches by 10 inches. Select the widest opening in the pasta machine, place one of the narrow ends in the machine and turn the handle until the entire rectangle has passed through the machine.

Repeat this two more times, then select the next smallest opening on the machine and pass the dough another two-three times. On my machine I do this a total of four times until my pasta is just over a millimeter thick. If you are using a rolling pin, make sure you have enough flour on the pasta so as that the rolling pin doesn’t stick. Roll out the rectangle and then fold it over double and roll again. Carry out this operation three times and keep rolling until the pasta is totally even and about 1 to 1 and 1/2 millimeters thick.

With a kitchen disc cutter or a knife cut the pasta into strips about half an inch wide and 4-6 inches long, or longer if you prefer. Then repeat the above with another piece of the pasta that is resting in the cloth. If you have the possibility to hang the pasta to dry somewhere under the sun do so. Otherwise, leave to dry on a wooden surface making sure that no piece of home made pasta is on top of another. Inside an hour should be sufficient, especially if you dusted with flour during the pressing phase. Outside in the sun, 30 minutes should be enough.

How to cook your green Mediterranean home made pasta

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and add salt (preferably large grain sea salt). Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for no more than 5 minutes stirring occasionally. When cooked add directly to another pan containing the pasta sauce of your choice. The pasta should be enough for four servings.

For my personal taste there is nothing better to serve this home made pasta with than a fresh tomato, basil and pine-nut sauce. Fast and simple to prepare and guaranteed to get you heaps of compliments, click over to our site now for the recipe with simple photos to follow.

Nico Webb from Yoga-and-Meditation.NET offers detailed information on various methods of meditation and insights into yoga, and also provides a growing section on vegetarian cooking with recipes to blow you away. If you are a beginner to vegetarian cooking you will certainly find some interesting tips to enhance your skills at Yoga-and-Meditation.NET

The type of food we eat affects our mind and body. Sattvic foods or the pure foods create positive vibrations. Indian women will greatly benefit from Sattvic foods. Before we go into the type of pure foods to be consumed, it is essential to know that fasting or starving oneself is not good for the mind and body.

1. Start the day with a good breakfast. Two servings of fruits help enhance your energy levels. Papaya is ideal.
2. Have a bowlful of salad in the afternoon. It can be a combination of vegetables and fruits. You can also add nuts to your salad. Make sure you boil them before adding them to your salad.
3. Dried fruits are also good Sattvic foods. Dates are an excellent source of iron. Women can avail of dates to replenish iron in their system. Kishmish or dried grapes are good digestants. Almonds and hazelnuts are also Sattvic foods.
4. Yoghurt, curds or lassi are good sources of vitamins and minerals. Milk can also be had either as an accompaniment to breakfast or at night.
5. Carbohydrates and proteins have to be combined to keep you energetic. This combination helps enhance the alertness of the mind.
6. In cereals, wheat and brown rice are ideal. Rye and barley are also energy producing foods. Barley can be cooked with milk or added in buttermilk with a little sugar or salt.
7. Honey is also excellent for the skin and the stomach.
8. One special combination of Sattvic food that the ancients had was the moong dal kichidi or green gram dal mixed with cow’s ghee. This combination was eaten to help them meditate better. This was light on the stomach too. They were advised to have cow’s milk to make the system lighter as well.

Sattvic food helps to keep the body healthy, the skin smooth without blemishes and enhances the body’s resistance. Do have plenty of Sattvic foods to make your body healthy.

Ingredients.

Pasta

- 250g Strong flour
- 1 large egg
- 2 egg yolks
- 2tsp olive oil
- 1/2tsp salt
- 1tbsp water

Filling

- 300g ricotta
- 200g pancetta diced finely
- 150g baby spinach shredded lightly cooked in water and squeezed dry.
- salt and pepper to taste.

Salsa di Pomodori (tomato sauce)

- 25g fresh basil
- tbsp dried basil
- tbsp tomato puree
- 500ml weak veg stock
- 1 tin of chopped plum tomatoes
- 1 jar sun blushed tomatoes in brine (super markets will do them)
- 1/2 white onion finely sliced
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- 25ml olive oil
- tsp sugar
- salt & pepper to taste

Besciamella (white sauce)

- 40g butter
- 40g plain flour
- 600ml milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- pinch of grated nutmeg

50g Parmesan for topping the dish

Method

To make the pasta you will need to either make it by hand or in a mixer, the latter being the fastest. Basically for the latter place all pasta ingredients into mix and blitz for around 3Min’s until a coarse breadcrumb effect is achieved tip onto lightly floured surface and work it together with your hands bringing all the mix into one ball. Knead the pasta until it becomes smooth and elastic. Usually around 6Min’s

To do this by hand pour flour onto work surface with the sugar make a well in the centre pour the eggs into the centre with water and oil. bring the flour around it into the liquid mixture and slowly work all the flour into the mixture until a ball is achieved and no flour remains. work this pasta by kneading it for 5-8 Min’s until elastic and smooth.

Either way you do it the same desired result is achieved. Personally if i had the time i would do the latter for more authenticity. Wrap the pasta in clingfilm and refrigerate for 1hr.

Meanwhile you will need to make a start on the tomato sauce, roughly chop your onion, and gently fry in a tsp of olive oil. and finely chopped garlic. Cook for around 5mins on a low heat stirring frequently.

Add your stock tomatoes, puree, herbs and sunblushed tomatoes. Bring to the boil and add sugar.

Continue to simmer on a medium heat for an hour. Make sure before taking off the heat the volume has reduced by 2/3.

Fry Pancetta in a pan until it is crisp, mix in with ricotta and spinach lightly season and refrigerate for 30mins

To make the white sauce melt butter in a saucepan and add flour. Cook on a low heat for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add milk small amounts at a time stirring to ensure no lumps remain. Gradually and larger amounts of milk continue to stir and bring to the boil. Add nutmeg and seasoning.

Once the pasta has been refrigerated place on lightly floured surface and knead for two minutes. Divide in two equal size pieces.

Roll out into a 1mm thick large rectangle, if you are using a rolling pin it will take a while.

Cut into 3″ x 5″ rectangles fill the centre of each rectangle with the riccota mixture. Do not overfill cannelloni. Lighlty brush the edges with water and roll the rectangles up so to incase the mixture. Do not apply to much pressure or the mixture maybe forced out the ends. You should be able to get 12 tubes out of the pasta recipe.

Once both lots of pasta have been filled place a small amount of tomato sauce in the base of four small, oval earthenware or oven proof dishes. Divide cannelloni between dishes and top with remainder of the tomato sauce.

Top this with the white sauce and then sprinkle generously with parmesan and bake for 35mins on 190*c

Serve with ciabatta bread

Authentic Italian cooking

Here is the recipe that she passed down to me, and now I am passing it down to my daughter.

Italian Lasagna Recipe

Sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 lb. lean ground beef
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 cup water

Filling:

1 lb. Mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 packages frozen chopped spinach, cooked and well drained
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese, grated
salt to taste
pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste

In a large saucepan, brown the finely chopped onions in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add in the lean ground beef, salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Fry the beef until its done and no longer pink. Drain off the excess grease and discard. Stir in the rest of the tomato sauce ingredients and heat the sauce over medium heat for 10 minutes and then turn the heat down to low and simmer sauce for 30 minutes.

In a medium sized bowl, combine all of the filling ingredients. Use enough bread crumbs to hold the mixture together.

In a large stock pot, cook the lasagna noodles in hot salted water according to package directions. Drain water and set aside.

In a large rectangular baking dish, alternate layers of sauce, pasta noodles and filling until all ingredients are used. Sprinkle the top with grated Parmesan cheese. Cover the baking dish with one layer of aluminum foil. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour, remove foil from baking dish and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Shelly Hill has been working from home since 1989 in Direct Sales and is a Manager with Tupperware. You can visit Shelly online at: http://www.workathomebusinessoptions.com or her recipe blog at: http://wahmshelly.blogspot.com

FRESH VEGETABLE LASAGNA

8-oz uncooked lasagna noodles

1 pkg (10-oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup sliced green onions

1/2 cup sliced green bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 1/2 cups 1% lowfat cottage cheese

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt

2 egg whites

1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms

1 can (14-oz) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

2 cups (8-oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook noodles according to the package directions, omitting salt. Drain. Rinse under cold water until cool; drain well. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine spinach, carrots, green onions, bell pepper, parsley, and black pepper in a large bowl. Set aside.

Combine cottage cheese, buttermilk, yogurt, and egg whites in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.

Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange 1/3 of the noodles in the bottom of the pan. Spread with half each of cottage cheese mixture, spinach mixture, mushrooms, artichokes, and mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers ending with lasagna noodles on top. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and continue baking 20 minutes or until bubbling and heated through. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting to serve.

Yield: 8 servings. Per serving: 250 calories, 26 g carbs, 22 g protein

The protein to carb ratio makes this a good diabetic pasta dish, especially for those diabetics who don’t like meat.

Enjoy!

For more of my diabetic friendly recipes visit http://diabeticenjoyingfood.squarespace.com