Elaine McCardel's Zucchini Lasagna

(Picture from The Italian Dish)

This recipe was recommended by Megan T. She found it over at Elaine McCardel's blog,
The Italian Dish. I contacted Elaine to see if she would let me post it here, and she graciously consented. You should definitely check out her blog, especially if you'd like to see some pictures of each step in the recipe.  

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds large zucchini, scrubbed
• 1 quart spaghetti sauce or thick tomato sauce
• 1 cup bread crumbs *
• 1 pound ricotta cheese (more, if you like - the original recipe calls for 2 pounds)
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 Tablespoons parsley, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon each dried oregano, basil
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
• 1 pound mozzarella cheese, coarsely grated

Directions:

1. Slice zucchini into long slices.  Cook in boiling water just until limp, about 5 minutes.  Drain on paper towels.
2. Combine ricotta, eggs, parsley, seasoning and half of the parmesan cheese and half of the bread crumbs in a bowl.  Set aside.
3. In a 9x13 pan, spoon a thin layer of tomato sauce.  Sprinkle with a quarter of the bread crumbs.  Arrange layer of zucchini over this. Spoon half of the reserved ricotta mixture on top of the zucchini.  Sprinkle with half the mozzarella cheese.  Arrange the rest of the zucchini over this, layer more tomato sauce and the rest of the bread crumbs and top with remaining ricotta mixture.  Top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan.
4. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 1 hour or until top is brown.  Let stand 20 minutes before cutting.

* When using bread crumbs, try making your own. Take any kind of bread you like, even leftover stale bread that you may want to throw away, and place in your food processor and grind until fine. Keep in a plastic container in the fridge and they will last a long time. Fresh bread crumbs are superior to what you can buy in the grocery store.

Greek Quesadillas

This recipe was sent in by Vanessa H. She found it over at Annie's Eats. Head over there to see a picture of these yummy quesadillas. Vanessa says, "This is seriously to DIE for!"

Ingredients:

• 4 large (10-inch) whole wheat tortillas
• Olive oil
• Fresh spinach leaves, chopped (about 2 cups)
• Diced red onion (about ½ cup)
• Roasted red peppers, chopped
• Oven-dried tomatoes
• Sliced black olives
• Mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1-1½ cups)
• Crumbled feta cheese (about 2/3 cup)
• Oregano (dried or fresh)
• Red pepper flakes
  

Directions:

1. Place tortillas on a work surface. Very lightly brush one side of each tortilla with olive oil and flip over so the oiled side is facing down. Sprinkle the chopped spinach leaves over half of each tortilla, leaving a small rim around the edge. Layer in a similar fashion with red onion, roasted red pepper, tomatoes, olives, cheeses, oregano, and red pepper flakes as desired. Fold over the bare half of each tortilla, enclosing the fillings.

2. Warm a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat and if needed, lightly oil the cooking surface. Carefully place assembled quesadillas in the pan and cook, turning once, until each side is golden brown and the cheese is melted. Slice into triangles and serve warm.

Notes about this recipe:

1. I've tried it with oven-roasted tomatoes and with sun-dried tomatoes. Both are amazing.

Avocado-Tomato Melt Sandwich

This recipe was sent in by Vanessa H. She found it at What's Cooking America.

Ingredients:

• 4 English muffins, split
• 1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced
• 1 to 2 large vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced thin
• Coarse salt
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, sliced thin
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven broiler to high. Under the broiler, toast English muffin halves on a baking sheet until golden brown. Remove from oven.

Top each muffin half with sliced avocados and sliced tomatoes; lightly salt the tomatoes.

Sprinkle chopped basil leaves over the tomatoes. Put a layer of mozzarella cheese over the basil, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, and top with black pepper.

Broil prepared muffin halves for approximately 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese has melted. Remove from oven and enjoy!

Makes 4 servings.