Lasange

Lasagne is something I love to eat, but never make because it seems too fussy.

Well, tonight I gave it a go.

I combined three recipes from online searches and came up with this...

I reckon it's pretty good!

Serves 4

Get This -

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 500g lean beef mince
• 400g can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 250g packet dried lasagne pasta sheets
• small carton of cream
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Do This -

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced.
2. Heat oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Add mince. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up mince, until browned. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, dried herbs and cinnamon.  Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Remove from heat.
3. Soak the lasagne sheets in a single layer in boiling water for 5 mins. (Although the packet says no pre-cook, soaking improves the texture.) Drain well. 
4. Drizzle a little olive oil over base of a 7cm-deep, 25cm (base) square baking dish. Arrange pieces of lasagne over base of dish. Pour enough cream to just cover lasagne sheets. Spoon one-third of the mince mixture over pasta. Spread with one-quarter of the cheeses. Repeat layers twice. Top with lasagne sheets, cream and cheeses. Cover loosely with foil.
5. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 15 minutes or until pasta is tender and cheese golden. Stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Option 1 - Replace cream with cream cheese.
Option 2 - Replace cream with ricotta cheese. 
Option 3 - Use a mix of all three

Leftover Sausage Chilli

I had some leftover sausages from dinner last night and I was going to make my Sausage Pasta Bake for dinner tonight. But I just didn't feel like pasta. I'm trying to cut down on carbs. And I know rice is carbs too, but I always feel better after eating rice than I do after eating pasta...don't know why...

So I made this instead.


Serves 4

Get This -

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium brown onion, chopped
• 1 medium red capsicum, chopped
• 1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthways, chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1 beef stock cube
• 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
• small jar of hot salsa (or mild if you prefer)
• can diced tomatoes
• can four bean mix, drained, rinsed
• 4 cooked thick beef sausages, thinly sliced
• Fresh coriander leaves, sour cream, avocado and steamed rice, to serve

Do This -

1. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, capsicum and zucchini. Cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are just tender. Add ground cumin, ground coriander and oregano. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant.
2. Stir in tomatoes, salsa and stock cube. Bring to a simmer. Add corn, beans and sausages. Simmer for 7 to 10 minutes or until sausages are heated through. Top with coriander, sour cream and avocado. Serve with rice.

Greek Salad with Watermelon

This delicious salad is perfect for our hot summers!

Serves 4

Get This -

• 1/4 small seedless watermelon
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced
• 2 tbs chopped flat-leaf parsley*
• 6 tbs (120ml) olive oil
• 2 tbs lemon juice
• 400g crumbled feta cheese

Do This -

1. Cut the watermelon flesh into cubes and place in a bowl with the red onion, olives, feta and parsley. 
2. Place the olive oil and lemon juice in a separate bowl, season with salt and pepper, then whisk lightly to combine.
3. Drizzle with dressing just before serving.

* I used basil because I didn't have parsley

Modified recipe from Taste.com.au