Spinach & Mushroom Lasagna

(photo from Jesse - mine looked very similar, so since I am sans-camera, I'll show you her pic!)

Last night I made lasagna. I was SO hungry. I didn't feel like cooking, but I had the ingredients in the fridge that needed cooking, and really, I was starving. Unfortunately, the process of cooking and then baking probably took an hour and a half or more, but it's all good. I found this idea on Jesse's blog, "We All Go Poopie" (that name cracks me up) and decided to figure out how to make it myself. She doesn't actually have a recipe on her blog, just a run-through of her ingredients, so I'll try to share my process with you. :)

Lasagna:
lasagna noodles
shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
mascarpone cheese (ricotta will also work well)
shiitake mushrooms (any kind will probably work)
fresh sage
2 bags fresh spinach
1/2 onion
salt & pepper to taste

Bechamel sauce:
1 1/2 T butter
2 T flour
1 C milk
1/2 t salt
1/8 t nutmeg

First, I made a VERY tasty Bechamel sauce. (I didn't know what that was, so I had to look up a recipe.) I melted 1 1/2 T butter in a saucepan, and added a couple tablespoons of flour. I cooked it until it turned golden brown, then added 1 C heavy cream. (The recipe called for milk, but I didn't have any. I think the heavy cream made it even more decadent!) I let it boil, then cooked it for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. I removed it from the heat, and added 1/2 t salt and 1/8 t nutmeg. Then I let it sit until I was ready for it.
Next, I sauteed shiitake mushrooms and fresh sage (from my garden!) in butter. In a separate pan, I sauteed chopped onions in olive oil, and then added two bags of fresh spinach leaves. After they wilted, I added salt & pepper.

Now for the fun part. I spread a little of the Bechamel sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan, then layered no-bake lasagna noodles on top. I spread a bit more Bechamel on top of the noodles, and then spread a third of the spinach on top. This was followed by half of the mushrooms. Then I scattered dollops of mascarpone cheese on top, followed by mozzarella and Parmesan. I put more lasagna noodles on top, and repeated the previous steps. The top layer was just spinach, mozzarella, and Parmesan.

I covered the lasagna with foil, and baked at 375 for 55 minutes. I took the foil off and baked for 5 more minutes, til the cheese was golden.

Yum!

I think it would have been better with chicken, but Mike thought it was pretty good as-is. I like the ease of the no-bake noodles, but I think next time I'll stick with the regular kind.

Really, tofu.

Show me your best tofu recipes! We have a ton of firm tofu in the fridge, and I have NO idea what to do with it.

Sesame Chicken & Vegetable Rice

Last night I made Sesame Chicken & Vegetable Rice, also from Melissa's blog. This girl has got some great recipes. My changes are in red. I served the chicken and rice with vegetable potstickers and edamame. It was a hit with everyone!

Baked Sesame Chicken

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I cut mine into strips)
2 tablespoons butter, melted (I used sesame oil)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I used Nanami Togarashi, a Japanese red pepper mix)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Place soy sauce in a 9x13 inch baking dish. On a piece of wax paper, mix together the sesame seeds, flour, salt and pepper (and red pepper). Dip the chicken pieces in the soy sauce to coat, then dredge in the sesame seed mixture.
3. Place in medium/hot pan on stove top and flip after a minute or two, add a little sesame oil and soy sauce to keep the chicken moist. Remove and arrange in baking dish in a single layer, then drizzle with sesame oil and some more soy sauce.
4. Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for approximately 40 minutes (mine took about 20 minutes because it was pre-cooked on the stove and cut into strips), or until chicken is cooked through and tender and juices run clear. Baste with drippings once during cooking time. Garnish with extra sesame seeds if desired, and serve.

Vegetable Rice

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of long grain white rice
2 cups chicken stock (I used vegetable broth so my veggie roommate could eat it)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (I used minced garlic)
Dash of soy sauce
1 carrot grated (cook with a little water to make tender, drain water)
1 1/2 cups cooked broccoli-cut up small
Soy Sauce to your taste
oil (I used sesame oil)

DIRECTIONS

Combine first 5 ingredients, bring to boil, cover and reduce to simmer. Cook about 20 minutes or until rice is fluffy and liquid if gone. Transfer rice to stir-fry pan add carrots and broccoli. Mix together and add some oil and soy sauce to your taste.