Flour Tortillas wraps for lunch

often with a cup of homemade soup we will have a tortilla wrap.

I mix salmon or boiled eggs or even sardines with low fat mayo, onions, celery and lettuce.

I use a couple tablespoons of the mix of choice above set onto the centre of the tortilla and spread thinly. I top the mix with thin slices of low fat cheese and roll the tortilla.

The tortilla roll is then cut in 2 inch almost bite sized peaces and placed on a dish in the center of the table for sharing.

To this dish we often have slivers of carrot, cauliflower and/or broccoli flowerettes with a dip of low fat mayo mixed with either ketchup or 'A Taste if Thai' which is a tangy red chili sauce sold in a jar.

Lasagna with your Spaghetti Sauce

Posted below are recipies for a variety of spaghetti sauces and once you have made a batch and frozen the extra in 2 cup portions in zip lock bags you can easily grab a bag and try one of these lasagnas. The lasagna can be cut into 3 and while you eat one section you can freeze the other two in meal sized portions for easy meals in the next couple weeks or a month.


VEGETARIAN LASAGNA

==================Ingredients:------------

2 cups your homemade pasta sauce
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
1 cup mix of cauliflower and broccoli cut in small flowerlets (optional)
12 lasagne noodles, half-cooked
1 cup cottage cheese
1 egg
1 T parsley flakes
1 cup mozarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated fine


Instructions:-------------
boil a very large pot of water, add salt to the water and when it comes to a full rolling boil add the lasagna noodles 2 or 3 at a time and cook until still firm but softened, 7 min?

Saute the mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli for 2 or 3 minutes to soften a wee bit.
Mix cottage cheese, egg and parsley flakes together.

In a 9X13 glass baking dish, put a couple of tablespoons of the sauce onthe bottom, spreading it evenly. Put a layer of noodles in the pan. (You may have to trim one of thenoodles to fit along the bottom of the pan, like such: ----------- ----------- ----------- -----------

Cover this layer of noodles with 1/2 the cottage cheese & egg mixture, roughly 1/4 the pasta sauce, then about 1/2 the shredded or finely sliced mozarella.

Next, another layer of noodles, trimming as necessary.Repeat cottage cheese mix, sauce and mozarella, using up the two cheeses.

Layer on the final few noodles. Top with sauce, enough to cover liberally, add 1/4 c parmesan cheese, cover the dish with foil, and bake in a 375 degree oven for 1 hr, uncover for the last 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes, to allow the cheese to set alittle before serving. This lasagne is wonderful with a good, crusty garlic bread and a tossed salad.

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VEGGIE LASAGNA==============

Sauce: 2 cups your homemade spaghetti sauce.

Ingredients:------------

1/2 red bell pepper
2 carrots
1 broccoli flowerette
1 medium zucchini
3-4 large mushrooms
8 oz ricotta cheese
12 oz mozzarella, shredded
1 lb lasagna noodles

Instructions:-------------

Chop vegetables and sautee in olive oil. Drop pasta in boiling salted water and simmer for 8-10 minutes, rinse and drain.

Spread a thin layer of sauce in a 9x13" baking dish.

Layer 1/3 of the noodles, 1/2 of the vegetables and ricotta, and a bit less than 1/2 of the mozzarella and sauce. Repeat for second layer. Top with remaining noodles, sauce, and cheese.

Cover tightly with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Uncover and sprinkle with parmesan, bake uncovered for 10 more minutes. Remover from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

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CHICKEN LASAGNA

Ingredients:------------

8 to 10 Lasagna noodles, cooked
2 cups cooked diced chicken (Perfect for your frozen leftovers)
2 cups your homemade meatless spaghetti sauce
1/3 tsp each salt and pepper
3 Tblsp butter or margarine
3 Tblsp all-purpose flour
1 can (10 oz) chicken broth (make your own chicken broth with the bones and freeze in 1 cup portions in zip lock bags)
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
parmesan cheese

Instructions:-------------

Cream Sauce:------------

Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in flour, cooking and stirring for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add broth, stirring until thickened. Stir in half & half over low heat.

Lasagna Layering:-----------------

Spoon small amount of cream sauce in baking pan. Place 3 cooked noodles in baking pan. Add 1/3 of spaghetti sauce with chicken added mixture and 1/3 of cream sauce. Sprinkle each layer with cheese. Repeat with remaining noodles and sauces. Sprinkle top with parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 F for 25 to 30 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before slicing to serve.

Polenta

i pound yellow corn meal
1.5 quarts of water

Bring water to boil, add 1 tsp of salt, add yellow corn meal SLOWLY and stir continously until thinck. Simmer for 20 minutes stirring frequently ( think almost continuously!)


Cooking up a full batch of polenta takes about 20 minutes. You can do it ahead, pour it into a large cake pan and place in the fridge to cool till needed.

After cooling the polenta it can be easily cut in 4 pieces. Wrap and freeze 3 of the pieces for quick easy use later.

The 1/4 we were using for our dinner last night was cut into about 1 inch slices.

Lay the slices on the bottom of a casserole dish and sprinkle Feta cheese over them. I used feta I'm sure most kinds of cheese would be wonderful.

Pop them into the microwave for 2 or 3 minutes on 7 and served them with a spaghetti sauce scooped over.

Very tasty and low fat. If the spaghetti sauce is homemade you can guarantee the salt content is low and healthy too.

Add a tossed salad and you have a nice light meal.

Beans for Protein

A meat free meal once or twice a week is recommended by many dietitians. We use beans, on those meat free days, to give us the protein we need to keep our bones and muscles developing properly.

One of my favourite recipes is so simple and so easy to have in the fridge for a day or two making meal preparation easier.

I use one can of Chick Peas (Garbonzo beans) or a can of mixed beans also works well. Wash beans well and add:

Any or all kinds of fruit (cantalope or apples or both are nice) cubed bean sized and to an equal volume to the beans.

OR

All kinds of veggies. (onions, peppers of all colours, celery, tomatos, stem of broccoli, stem of cauliflower, cucumber...anything you have in your fridge) to an equal volume as the beans.

Both of these recipes give you the crisp cool juicy texture of the fruit or veggis in contrast to the soft bean textures.

you can use anything you want for a dressing but we try to be very low fat here so we use fresh lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Leaving the salad to set in the fridge for a couple hours before serving allows the tastes to blend. If your going to add oil to the dressing Olive Oil or Canola Oil are the healthiest oils to use.

Spaghetti Sauce

Spaghetti sauces can be made quickly, cheaply and unused portions are easily frozen in zip lock bags for future meals. Use the sauce to cover polenta, all forms of pasta and pizza base and if you add a can of beans you have sloppy joes. If you want it meatless all the recipes below, but one, are meatless but with any one of them you can add hamburger, sliced/diced steak, wieners or sausages and it will be just as wonderful.

Spaghetti Sauce #1

It’s important that you use garlic, onion, oregano, salt, and oil. A sauce improves with the addition of basil, a bay leaf, mushrooms, a dash of pepper, thyme, and rosemary, too. A diced or grated potato will thicken it and add a depth to the flavour.
If you have the time, let it reduce to the right thickness by simmering. If you don't have time, strain some of the water when you open the can, or add tomato paste to thicken.

Remove from heat and add salt & pepper. Then add a dash of cream, milk, or sugar--any of those will sweeten the sauce ever-so-slightly...just enough to remove any bitterness. Lastly, sprinkle the sauce with a little chopped basil and/or oregano. Voila

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Spaghetti Sauce #2

1 can diced tomatoes, drained1/4 cup tomato paste1 medium onion2 cloves garlic1/4 cup red wineA dash of crushed red pepperThyme and/or oreganoSautee the onion until it just starts to turn brown. Crush the garlic and add. Stir for a minute. Add the diced tomatoes, the herbs (if they're dried, add fresh herbs at the very end before serving).

Stir until there's no pooling of liquids. Add the wine. Cook two minutes. Add the herbs if you're using fresh. Add a little bell pepper along the way if you like (about 1/2 of a large, roasted and peeled pepper should do it)A fast sauce. It's good and it's simple. Double the paste for a pizza sauce.
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Spaghetti sauce #3

Quarter an onion. Fry it in several tablespoons of olive oil on medium high heat. When onions turn clear add tomatoes. Lower heat. Simmer for 20 minutes or so. Now take out the onions. Add salt and pepper to taste, maybe a basil leaf or two (note: basil not traditional).

Serve with pecorino romano. Simple and old, from the Napoli area.Note: this is not a thick sauce (actually, you could use a tomato puree or run your tomatoes through a food mill). The dish relies on the way the olive oil picks up flavor and coats the pasta. Many Italian sauces are quite simple : they need only one or two ingredients to carry the dish.
Pecorino Romano
Description:Pecorino Romano is made from sheep's milk. It is straw-white in colour and has a sharper flavour than the other cheeses listed here. Although it is sometimes referred to as "Locatelli" Locatelli is a brand name of Pecorino Romano. Pecora in Italian means sheep and Pecorino Romano is one of Italy's oldest cheeses. Legend has it that a shepherd filled his flask with sheep's milk before a long trip and the motion during the trip caused the milk to naturally ferment. The idea for a new cheese was born. Today most Pecorino is made in Sardina Italy. With its fine flavor Pecorino's popularity as a grating cheese has grown significantly in the U.S. Since sheep only give milk for 6-7 months a year all production must satisfy the public's demand for the entire year. *********************************************************



Spaghetti Sauce #4

Recently I've been avoiding the garlic, now I normally only use 1 small clove and onions.

Chop onions, 2 cloves of garlic, some carrots, celery mushrooms and sweet green peppers. Sauté those before you add the tomatoes. Olives go great, especially with a spicier sauce. Pepper flakes are great for spicing things up but go easy just a wee little bit of pepper flakes.

Try throwing in some ricotta cheese. Spinach goes well with tomatoes. Also sometimes I throw in some chopped frozen stuff shortly before it’s done. They just need to defrost.
Fresh basil at the very end of every sauce is an excellent addition but add small amounts at first until you discover what intensity of basil taste you most enjoy. It doesn't have to cook. Just chop it not too finely and stir it into the sauce right before you ladle it over the pasta.

Don't forget the grated parmesan. If you really want good pasta and you have a little extra money to indulge yourself with buy a ‘little tiny’ block of real parmesan cheese and grate it over your pasta after it’s on your plate. It makes all the difference in the world....It's amazingly simple and fast to make an excellent red sauce. The recipes above should serve you nicely. You can have a sauce ready in about a half hour if you have everything chopped ahead of time. Remember, your pasta should never wait on the sauce, but it's alright if the sauce has to wait a bit for the pasta. Once the pasta is cooked, it should be served soon. When it's done, toss the pasta with a little olive oil to keep it from forming a sticky, congealed mass.
Hints for using fresh tomatoes
Don't used ‘chopped’ plum tomatoes. Simmer the tomatoes whole at first for around 10mins to let the sugar cook from the flesh of the tomatoes. If you use chopped tomatoes - or if you crush up whole tomatoes too early in the cooking process - you end up with a sauce made bitter by the tomato seeds.

Spaghetti sauce #5
If you want simple, you can leave out the wine. We don’t drink but I keep a bottle of a good red wine in the house just for using in my spaghetti sauces. I don’t think any other ingredient makes a sauces as tasty as the ¼ to ½ cup of wine does. The alcohol cooks off and your left with the incredible taste.

The basics have been covered in the above comments, but just to put it all together here is:Mama Gravy's Red Sauce3 Tb Olive oil1 large yellow onion, diced2 cloves of garlic minced or crushed1/4 red wine1 to 2 TB sugar2 cans whole roma tomatoes1 can crushed tomatoes1 Bay leafRed pepper flakes to tastepinch of fresh ThymeSalt and pepperSauté the onion in the oil on low heat for 10 minutes and then add garlic. Sauté another 2 minutes being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the rest of the ingredients, including a light salting. Cook slowly, smashing the whole tomatoes as you go. Simmer for an hour or so. Finish with salt to taste.Note: For extra rich, extra thick sauce:After simmering an hour pour into large baking dish, drizzle another 2 TB oil and bake at 325 for another hour or two. This is the best sauce for pizza.


Anniversary Sauce

Okay, now and then it’s time to blow the wad and dig into the wallet to celebrate a special occasion. This has been an interesting combination that, served with garlic bread makes a real treat.

A small carton of whipping cream, some uncooked shrimp, some sliced mushrooms, garlic, parsley, white wine and whatever miscellaneous spices you like (red pepper for instance).Sauté the tomatoes add the cream and all remaining ingredients except the shrimp. Prepare the shrimp and add them last, shrimp require very little time and are cooked when they turn pink. You're done! Instant delicious, quick and easy sauce!