Zucchini Lasagna

My veggie lasagna is my most requested recipe from people.  I think the one thing that scares people the most is the long ingredient list, but it really is easy to put together. Here is a simple recipe that is a bit healthier than your normal lasagna. I just emailed this recipe to someone so I thought I'd copy and pasta it as a blog post as well.


4-5 zucchini's depending how big or small they are, sliced lengthwise
1 container of low fat ricotta cheese
16 oz shredded low fat mozzarella cheese
1 jar of pasta sauce
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
dried Italian herbs seasoning (optional)
Salt & Pepper

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
2. Thinly slice your zucchinis lengthwise. Make sure they are uniform slices and not too thick since they'll need to cook evenly
3. Mix 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, 1 tbsp Italian herbs, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, and ricotta cheese
4. In a 13x9 baking dish, spray cooking oil on the bottom and sides. Pour about 1/2 cup of sauce on the bottom, enough to coat.
5. Put a layer of zucchinis, enough to cover the bottom, then sprinkle with salt and pepper
6. Spread 1/2 ricotta mixture across the zucchinis. Then sprinkle half your bag of mozzarella cheese
7. Put another layer of zucchinis, don't forget to sprinkle the zucchinis with salt & pepper.
8. Spread the rest of the ricotta cheese, then pour all your sauce on top. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top and put a dash of the Italian herbs across the top
9. Spray aluminum foil  with cooking spray and cover the baking dish loosely.
10. Cook for 50 minutes, more or less depending how cooked you want the zucchini.
11. Remove aluminum foil and broil for 5-6 minutes on high

Enjoy!

Homemade Chipotle Bowls

It is no secret I love Chipotle. Maybe it's the convenience or maybe it's the delicious cilantro rice.  Thanks to Kristen over at Iowa Girl Eats, I decided to make my own Chipotle bowls at home.  It seemed easy and I had most of the things on hand already.

Here is what you need to feed 4 people:

Cilantro rice:
4 cups cooked rice
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
lemon

Mix everything together

Filling:
2 chicken breasts diced into small pieces (or whatever meat you want)
1 packet taco seasoning
green bell pepper-sliced
onion-sliced

Marinate the chicken with the taco seasoning and cook in an oiled saute pan. Set aside. In the same pan, cook the veggies

Corn Salsa:
1 1/2 cup frozen corn
2 tomatoes -chopped
1/2 onion- chopped
1/2 red bell pepper-chopped
cilantro
lemon

Mix together

Other accompianments:
shredded cheese
shredded lettuce
salsa (preferably Trader Joe's garlic chipotle sauce)
sour cream (or Greek yogurt for a healthier option)

Now turn this..

 ...into this...

..and enjoy! Quick, easy, and delicious.

Crab Cakes

I was craving for salmon cakes, but found a can of crab meat in my cupboard instead.  I looked up a couple of recipes and decided to combine all of them and make my own.

This is an approximate measurement of everything, since I never measure my spices.

Crab Cakes

1 can crab meat (6.5 oz)
1/2 cup panko crumbs
1 egg
1 tbsp mayo
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 juice of lemon
lemon zest
1/4 cup green onions-chopped
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian herbs
S&P to taste

Mix together the egg, mayo, dijon mustard, lemon juice, lemon zest, Italian herbs, and S&P.  Add into crab meat, mix in panko crumbs and parmesan cheese. Mix all together, be careful not to break up crab meat.

Oil up a pan and drop in a quarter sized ball of the mixture and cook on each side for about 3 minutes.  It should be golden brown on both sides.  Taste to see if you got all the seasonings right.  If so, this makes about 3 medium sized patties.  Cook at medium to high heat for the first 3-4 minutes on each side. Then change it to low heat so the inside heats through.

I whipped up a simple dip with what I had on hand.
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup greek yogurt (or sour cream)
a pinch of Italian herbs seasoning
a squeeze of lemon
lemon zest

Whisk together and you have a simple dip made in no time.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

The boy loves BBQ chicken pizza, so in an effort to make him happy, I scrapped together something easy.  It's cheaper than any pizza you can get from a restaurant and customizable to your liking

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Pizza crust (I used the Boboli thin pizza crust)
1 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 sliced red onion
1/2 cup corn (I buy the frozen roasted corn from Trader Joe's)
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 chicken breast- shredded (cooked however you want, I had left over roasted chicken)

Preheat your oven according to the packaging details on the back of your pizza crust.
Spray a baking sheet with non stick spray.
Spread the BBQ sauce on, sprinkle with cheese
Pile on the rest of the toppings and stick in the oven for about 15 minutes

Enjoy!

San Diego: Taste of Gaslamp

Last weekend the boy and I did a quick weekend trip to San Diego.  The main reason for going down there was Taste of Gaslamp.  I had heard such great things about it in previous years and made it a point to make it down there this year.  During our short trip, we spent a lot of time in Little Italy and downtown.  Our hotel was conveniently located between the two. We discovered the Little Italy Mercato Farmer's Market on Saturday morning and browsed around while we waited for Taste of Gaslamp to begin.  This farmer's market has to be one of the best one I've ever been to. I would make the drive down to San Diego on Saturdays just for this.

Moving along to our main topic: Taste of Gaslamp.  $30 for a sampling of foods from 30 places around Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego. Best $30 I've ever spent.  You have 3 hours to take your little punch card to a map of restaurants to try their different dishes.  Here are a couple of my favorites in picture:

 Crab salad on a wonton chip from Nobu

 NY Steak from Palms

Scallop with pearl potato from Airr Supper Club

 Scallop over pea risotto from Soleil K

I am already looking forward to going again next year.

MAGIC

I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Vegas all thanks to the ladies of Boutiquing. If you don't know what Boutiquing is, hop on over to their site to see what they're all about (shameless plug).

We left on Sunday, which happened to be my birthday, but the girls made sure I was well taken care of.  We sped down I-15 just in time to get to the Mirage to watch The Beatles.  I've never been a huge fan of shows, but this is a must see.  All the music and acts were beyond amazing.

The whole point of the Boutiquing Brigade being in Vegas for Magic was for the 1st even Teen Vogue Blogger Lounge.  We were asked to come to be the birds eye view for everyone that couldn't be there.  We Tweeted and Facebooked our way through the floors of Magic about everything and anything fashion related.

I had gone to Magic the previous year, but this year was definitely slower than last.  The crowd just wans't as big and the energy wasn't quite there.  I did love the excitement that the bloggers showed throughout the entire event.  I loved seeing how different girls portrayed their best styles in 3 short days.  The bloggers came from near and far, some as close as LA and others as far as NYC and Canada. 

I had an amazing time with my Boutiquing girls.  Even though we were there during my birthday and Valentine's day, I was with great company. 

See you next time Magic

Hash House A Go Go

After hearing so much about this restaurant, a couple of us made the drive down to San Diego to try Hash House.  They are epically known for their chicken & waffles.  Apparently, people are saying it's better than Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles.  I split an order of Andy's Sage Fried Chicken w/ mash potaters and a BIG blueberry pecan flapjack with the boyfriend.

The flapjack went unpictured, but it was the size of a giant dinner plate.  We barely even made a dent in it.

Their infamous fried chicken wasn't all that great.  I'm a big fan of dark meat chicken, so this just didn't do it for me.  The whole meal just felt too heavy for me and didn't sit well.

I declare: HYPE