Salmon Lasagna

Lasagna is not a quickie weekday meal but as we (lasagna lovers) all know, it’s definitely worth the effort. There’s several elements involved: making the filling, the sauce, layering everything and cooking it all together.

Canned salmon is a nutritious option to have in your pantry staples. Being very versatile it can be paired with plenty of different ingredients to transform it into a variety of healthy meals. Whether you use red or pink is a personal choice but opt for responsibly sourced wild as opposed to farmed in any case.

I have given ‘meaty’ lasagna a seafood twist that’s just as delicious if you enjoy salmon.

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Salmon Lasagna
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Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American, Italian
Keyword salmon lasagna
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Mushroom & Leek Filling
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American, Italian
Keyword salmon lasagna
Servings
Ingredients
Mushroom & Leek Filling
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Instructions
Mushroom & Leek Filling
  1. In a saucepan, heat butter & saute mushrooms, leeks & garlic for 5-10 minutes, stirring over low heat until softened & moisture has evaporated. Add the salt.
Bechamel Sauce
  1. Melt butter in a large saucepan until it is foaming. Whisk in the flour to make the roux & cook for 2 minutes. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly until it is incorporated into the sauce. Bring the sauce to a low simmer & cook for 3-4 minutes or until thickened. Whisk in mustard, dill, lemon zest & (40 gm) grated Parmesan. Season with salt & pepper.
Assembly
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. Evenly spread a small amount of sauce to the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Place a layer of 3 cooked lasagna noodles over the sauce then cover with a bit more sauce.
  3. Spread the salmon over the sauce & top with half of the shredded mozzarella. Top that with a bit more sauce & the next layer of 3 lasagna noodles. Spread the mushroom/leek filling on top then add the remaining shredded mozzarella.
  4. Top with a final layer of 3 lasagna noodles & cover with the remaining bechamel sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan/cheddar combo.
  5. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven & allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing to serve.

Smoked Gouda Hasselback Chicken

Last fall I had posted a recipe for loaded hasselback potatoes which became quite popular on the site. If you’re not real familiar with this technique, here’s the deal.

Hasselback is a cooking method in which potatoes or other items are sliced not quite all the way through in thin, even layers, which can be stuffed or topped with additional items. Its a way of creating more surface area for flavors and additional texture.

The name ‘hasselback’ comes from a restaurant in Stockholm, Sweden. Originally, it was a 20-seat tavern named ‘Dunderhyttan’, that sat on a steep slope in the midst of a hazelnut thicket. The Swedish word for the hazelnut thicket is ‘hassel’ and that steep slope is a ‘backen’. In 1853 the doors of the much larger and updated Hasselbacken Restaurant were opened to the rich & famous of Stockholm.

In 1953, the famous hasselback potato was created by Leif Elisson who was one of the restaurant’s trainee chefs.

The answer to whether or not you should hasselback something is a personal matter. To me it seems only logical to use the same technique to dress up chicken.

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Smoked Gouda Hasselback Chicken
Instructions
  1. Place shredded zucchini on paper towel & sprinkle lightly with salt. Cover & blot with another piece of paper towel. Allow to sit for an hour or until moisture is absorbed. Place zucchini in a bowl.
  2. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the bacon & cook for 3-4 minutes. Add shallot, garlic & mushrooms. Cook & stir about 3 minutes or until fragrant. Remove from heat & allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Add bacon mixture to shredded zucchini.
  3. Preheat oven oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with foil & coat with cooking spray, set aside.
  4. Slice each chicken breast crosswise into 3/4-inch thick slices making sure not to slice all the way through. Transfer to prepared pan.
  5. Alternately stuff slits with sliced apple, gouda cheese & bacon/veg mixture. Season chicken with salt, pepper & spices. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese.
  6. Bake 20-25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Garnish with parsley before serving if you wish.

Marinated Chicken & Artichoke Pizza

Pizza is one of the easiest meals you can make at home. I most always prefer to make my own crust but nothing wrong with a purchased one or some focaccia bread pizza crust. Once that crust part has been taken care of, its really just a matter of topping the pie with all your favorite ingredients and waiting for it to come out of the oven.

But of course, there are a number of things that can go wrong even so. You might think that there’s no such thing as too much cheese …. but there is. Cheese normally means a lot of grease, your pizza could fall apart under the weight of all that dairy.

Too many toppings can cause overly cooked crust or under-cooked toppings. Another thing I find super important, is making sure the toppings are sauteed so they are not releasing too much moisture into the crust.

Since Brion & I are both lovers of marinated artichokes, putting them on a pizza sounds real good. Artichokes are technically the flower buds of a thistle plant that hasn’t blossomed yet. Its kind of amazing to think we can enjoy these odd little culinary treats in so many ways.

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Marinated Chicken & Artichoke Pizza
Instructions
Pizza Dough
  1. Cook potato, peel, mash & cool. Combine yeast with lukewarm water; whisk until yeast is dissolved. Let stand about 3 minutes until foamy. Add butter, salt, sour cream & potato, mix well.
  2. Stir in flour, one cup at a time. When dough is completely blended, turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough about 10 minutes, until smooth & elastic. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap & let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Pizza Topping Prep
  1. Slice chicken into strips, saute in some drained artichoke marinade until most of it evaporates. Set aside.
  2. Saute mushrooms & onions in a teaspoon of butter until moisture evaporates. Set aside.
  3. Shred cheese. In a small dish combine spices.
  4. Drain sun-dried tomatoes & black olives, blot on paper towel & slice tomatoes.
  5. Cut each piece of (drained) artichoke in half.
Assembly
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  2. On a large sheet of parchment paper, roll or press dough into a 16-inch circle. Transfer on paper to a baking sheet.
  3. Carefully spread the 1/2 cup marinara sauce over the bottom of pizza. Season with spice mixture. Sprinkle with a bit of cheese then layer with mushrooms, onion, chicken, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, olives & remaining cheese.
  4. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven & slice. If you prefer, brush the top of the outside (dough) ring with artichoke marinade either before or after baking.
Recipe Notes
  • If you like, press pizza dough into a 16 X 12-inch rectangle instead of a circular shape.

Turkey Meatloaf w/ Roasted Tomato & Mozzarella Cheese

Although, the classic meatloaf seems to come and go, it probably never really goes out of ‘style’ in some form or another.

Great meatloaf is not just a hamburger shaped in a loaf pan. Experimenting with different flavor combinations will add new dimensions to this vintage meal. Don’t overlook the benefits of a good meatloaf, not only is it comfort food, but the leftovers make great sandwiches.

I recall, my brother and I thought ‘any’ leftover in my mother’s fridge was fair game for a sandwich filling. To this day, I still love sandwiches. As far leftovers go, its hard to top meatloaf. Of course, I’m not talking about just any random joining of bread and meat. It needs to be well-crafted with varying textures and flavors that compliment and contrast, arranged between slices of preferably fresh, wholegrain bread, not your average ‘squishy’ loaf.

Sandwiches can be just about anything … simple, on-the-go street food, affordable to the masses or luxurious creations. They can be sweet, savory, hot, cold, big or small. Sometimes they even offer a glimpse into traditions and customs of the regions from which they’ve sprung. Sandwiches bridge gaps between cultures and classes. No matter where you go, odds are you’ll find a variation on that ‘starch and something delicious’ formula known as the ‘humble sandwich’.

In this turkey meatloaf, instead of bread crumbs, I’ve used packaged stuffing mix. Roasting the tomatoes on top not only gave the meatloaf some extra flavor but added to the sandwiches made from the leftovers. You could say its one of those ‘cook once … eat twice’ meals.

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Turkey Meatloaf w/ Roasted Tomato & Mozzarella Cheese
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American, German
Servings
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Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray a 9 X 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray, set aside.
  2. In a bowl, combine all ingredients, except tomatoes & fresh basil, just until blended
  3. Press mixture into prepared loaf pan; top with tomatoes. Bake 50 minutes or until cooked. Garnish with fresh basil (or thyme) if you wish.

Baked Shells w/ Pesto, Cheese & Meat Sauce

Pasta is without a doubt, one of the most versatile ingredients to cook with. It can be prepared in so many unique ways with different sauces. Pesto sauce is one of those … a simple sauce with simple ingredients that packs a huge flavor.

Pesto sauce originated in Genoa, which is located in the northern region of Italy. The Italian word for pesto: pestare, means to pound or to crush. It was originally prepared with a marble mortar and wooden pestle. However, the translation may be a bit misleading because preparation does not consist of pounding, rather it is of grounding.

Traditionally, pesto is made of crushed garlic, fresh basil and pine nuts blended with Parmesan cheese and olive oil. There are many variations of pesto and while the most popular is a pasta sauce, it can be used for a spread or dip, salad dressing or as an accompaniment to steak, poultry or fish. Red pesto is either made from sundried tomatoes or red bell peppers.

This pasta meal comes together easily in a short space of time. Sometimes its the simplest dishes that are truly the best!

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Baked Shells w/ Pesto, Mozzarella & Meat Sauce
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Course Main Dish
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Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  2. In a saucepan over low heat, saute onion in olive oil for 5-7 minutes. Add ground pork, 2 Tbsp water, pepper, sage, red pepper flakes & ginger. Cook, stirring until no longer pink.
  3. Add salt, dried basil & diced tomatoes; bring to a boil then lower heat & simmer for 20 minutes. Stir periodically. At the end of cooking time, stir in pesto & remove from heat.
  4. While sauce is simmering, cook pasta shells al dente. It is important not to overcook shells as they will be further cooked in the oven. Drain pasta, add cooked sauce & gently toss.
  5. Place half of the pasta in a baking dish & sprinkle with half of mozzarella & Parmesan. Top it up with remaining pasta & sprinkle with other half of the cheeses.
  6. Bake for 15 minutes until cheese is golden & pasta is hot & bubbly.
Recipe Notes
  • Don't hesitate to bake your pasta in individual servings.

Spicy Chicken, Bacon & Avocado Pizza

Ever since I made pizza with yeasted potato crust it has become a staple in our meal rotation list. It seems like all it takes to come up with an amazing filling combo is just a little inspiration so the influence of flavors Brion and I tasted in Mexico became a natural choice for me.

Although avocado on pizza may sound weird, if you are a guacamole lover, its glorious. When you think about it, tomato or tomato sauce is a big part of pizza most of the time. Often guacamole is made with tomato, so it compliments pizza well. I used all the ingredients you would normally fit into a tortilla for toppings. Spicy chicken, bacon, avocado, onion, tomato, cheese and GUACAMOLE!

When I make guacamole for pizza, I like to keep it simple: mashed avocados, onion, garlic, lime juice, salt and cilantro. Another thing I found, was that any left over pieces can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and placed in a freezer bag and frozen. When you want to use them, thaw at room temperature then heat slightly in the microwave. Most often pizza is frozen unbaked and needs assembly and baking. This pizza tasted just as good as when it was freshly baked!

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Spicy Chicken, Bacon & Avocado Pizza
Instructions
Pizza Dough
  1. Cook potato, peel, mash & cool. Combine yeast with lukewarm water; whisk until yeast is dissolved. Let stand about 3 minutes until foamy. Add butter, salt, sour cream & potato; mix well.
  2. Stir in flour, one cup at a time. When dough is completely blended, turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough about 10 minutes, until smooth & elastic. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a tea towel & allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Chicken Marinade
  1. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine all ingredients. Seal & turn to coat; refrigerate for 1-4 hours.
Guacamole
  1. In a large bowl, coarsely mash avocados with lime juice & salt. Stir in garlic, onion & cilantro. Blend well. Cover & set aside until ready to use. You will have extra for something else.
Pizza Topping Prep
  1. In a skillet, cook bacon until fairly crisp, drain on paper towels & chop coarsely. Wipe skillet with paper towel. Add marinated chicken, stir-fry until cooked then remove to a dish. Add peppers & onion to skillet; sauteing until tender crisp.
Assembly
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F. On a large sheet of parchment paper, roll or press dough into a 16-inch circle. Transfer with paper to a baking sheet.
  2. Using some grated cheese, make a ring around the outer edge of the dough. Roll dough once over cheese ring. Carefully spread the 1/2 cup of guacamole over the bottom of pizza, then sprinkle with a bit more cheese. Layer with avocado slices, onion, bacon, chicken, tomato & remaining cheese. If you prefer, brush to top of the outside ring with egg wash.
  3. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown, Remove from oven & slice.
Recipe Notes
  • You may choose to prepare your marinated chicken & guacamole before you start making the dough.

Sausage, Pepper & Perogy Casserole

Perogy, pierogi, piroshky, pelmeni, paczki or whatever you choose to call them, they are basically all the same concept. Wrapping a filling with some kind of dough exists all around the world. Between these variations, however, are distinct foods from different countries making it nearly impossible to trace the base origin.

The one I remember from childhood, being of German heritage, was a dumpling filled with a slightly sweetened, dry cottage cheese. I think the dough might have been made from potatoes and flour. We just loved them, of course.

When it comes to Brion and I, we always favor the very basic potato and cheddar cheese filling.  This recipe is pure, unadulterated comfort food! As plain as it seems, the flavor is amazing. The contrast of the lightly browned perogies against the creamy sauce and spicy, Asiago/red pepper sausage is exceptional. I find there is no need to add any cream to the sauce when you use 100% pure mozzarella cheese. It gives the casserole exactly what it needs.


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Sausage, Pepper & Perogy Casserole

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Course Main Dish

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Instructions
  1. Boil perogies in a pot of boiling, salted water until they float to the top & are cooked. In a saucepan, heat 2 Tbsp of butter with 2 Tbsp olive oil. When perogies are cooked, lift out of water with a slotted ladle & place them in a single layer in the saucepan. Fry until lightly browned on both sides; remove from pan & set aside.

  2. To the same skillet, add sliced raw sausage, stirring constantly until cooked through. Add green peppers, cooking until tender crisp. Remove sausage & peppers from skillet; set aside.

  3. In same skillet, melt 3 Tbsp butter. Whisk in flour & continue to cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes until golden brown. Whisk in chicken stock & whole grain mustard. Continue to simmer mixture, whisking constantly, until sauce is thickened & bubbly. Return perogies, sausage & peppers to skillet; carefully combine to coat everything well in the mustard sauce.

  4. Preheat oven to 350 F. Place mixture in a 13 X 9-inch casserole dish; sprinkle with grated mozzarella cheese & bake 10-15 minutes. When everything is heated through & cheese is melted remove from oven & serve.

Parmesan-Shrimp Bread Sticks with Broccoli Cheddar Soup

It seems we never get enough of taking just about anything we do to the next level. Case in point would be pizza dough. It started as a very thin, crispy crust and evolved into whatever thickness you wanted to make it. Enter the ‘stuffed’ crust with a ring of cheese encased in the outer edges of your pizza! Then, of course, the actual pizza fillings can be virtually anything that you choose or have available.

Bread sticks, on the other hand, aren’t something that have remained unscathed either. Probably the original simple design was ‘grissini’ (as they are known in Italy). Today’s bread sticks come in many forms from super crispy, thin ones to the larger ones often served with spaghetti and used to mop up excess sauce. Now, here’s where it gets one step better. Enter ‘homemade stuffed’ bread sticks. For inspiration all you have to do is think about all of your pizza toppings. Use them as options for either mixing into your dough or actually stuffing into a bread stick.

Being shrimp and Parmesan lovers, the natural thing for me to do was  incorporate both into some bread sticks. The next step was to pair them with a nice light broccoli-cheddar soup. A match made in heaven even if I do say so myself.

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Parmesan-Shrimp Bread Sticks with Broccoli Cheddar Soup
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Rating: 5
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Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings
Ingredients
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Parmesan Shrimp Bread Sticks
  1. Combine all ingredients, in the order listed, in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on medium-low until the dough comes together. Continue to mix on medium-low for 5 minutes to knead. Dough is ready when it is stretchy & smooth. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap & allow to rise for about an hour or until doubled in bulk.
Bread Stick Filling
  1. Peel, devein & slightly chop raw shrimp; place in a bowl. Grate & slightly chop fresh Parmesan cheese. Combine oil, minced garlic, spices & Parmesan cheese with chopped shrimp.
  2. Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Punch dough down; on a lightly floured work surface, press dough into roughly an 8 X 12-inch rectangle. Top with shrimp filling & sprinkle with dill weed. Slice lengthwise into 8 strips; fold each strip in half enclosing filling. Twist each strip slightly & lay on baking sheet. Top each bread stick with some grated mozzarella cheese (or you could put it on as soon as they come out of the oven). Bake for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with soup.
Broccoli-Cheddar Soup
  1. In a large saucepan, saute onion & garlic in olive oil until tender. Stir in flour; cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in broth. Bring to a boil; cook & stir for 1-2 minutes or until slightly thickened.
  2. Add the broccoli, tarragon, thyme & pepper; return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover & simmer for 10 minutes or until broccoli is tender. Add milk; cook, uncovered 5 minutes longer. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature.
  3. In a blender, process about half of the soup until smooth. Return to saucepan; heat through. Reduce heat. Add 100 grams of cheese; stir just until melted. Serve immediately, garnishing with remaining cheese.
Recipe Notes
  • When time is of the essence and you need to speed up the process, use a tube of purchased refrigerated pizza or bread stick dough instead of making your own. 

Wild Shrimp & Red Pepper Pizza

One thing for sure — pizza worldwide, never gets ‘old’. The fact that pizza can be topped with almost anything, creates some of the most unique flavors.

But, first we must think about the cheese used as it has been a part of pizza forever. Food experts seem to agree that mozzarella is the best choice. There are four different kinds of mozzarella used for pizza: fior di latte (made of cow’s milk), mozzarella di bufala (made from the milk of water buffalo), burrata (a fresh Italian cheese with a creamy filling), and the type most commonly used in North America, pizza cheese (whole milk or part skim mozzarella). Of course you can always opt for a kind that you favor more personally.

Around the world, regional ingredients and local foods create some interesting combinations such as:                                                                                      Australia: bacon, ham, egg, shrimp & pineapple                                                          Brazil:        green peas, corn, raisins, boiled eggs & hearts of palm                      China:        mini hot dogs                                                                                                          Costa Rica: shrimp & coconut                                                                                                France:       bacon, onion & fresh cream                                                                          Germany:  canned tuna                                                                                                            Greece:       feta cheese, olives, oregano, onion, tomato, green pepper &                                 pepperoni                                                                                                                India:           tikka chicken, minced mutton, pickled ginger, paneer cheese &                          tofu                                                                                                                              Japan:          squid, eel, teriyaki chicken, bacon & potatoes                                        Netherlands: lamb, as well as the so-called ‘double Dutch’ – double meat,                            onion & cheese                                                                                                    Pakistan:    tikka chicken, achari chicken & curry                                                        Portugal:    local garlic sausage or chorizo                                                                      Russia:        a combination of several types of sea food with onions called                             ‘mocaba’                                                                                                                  Sweden:      chicken, peanut, curry powder as well as pineapple & banana

This wild shrimp pizza uses a light garlic-lemon sauce with a mozza-parmesan cheese combo. We love shrimp (or seafood), so what’s not to like!

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Wild Shrimp & Red Pepper Pizza
Instructions
  1. In a large skillet, melt butter & add oil over medium heat. Add garlic & lemon zest, cook for 1 minute. Add broth (or wine) & lemon juice, simmer for 2 minutes. Add shrimp & red pepper. Saute ONLY until shrimp is pink. Remove from heat; place shrimp & red pepper in a dish & set aside. Add Parmesan cheese & Italian seasoning to broth remaining in pan; combine well. Cool slightly.
  2. Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a large pizza pan with parchment or sprinkle with cornmeal. Press out pizza dough evenly in pan & brush with slightly cooled 'sauce'. Top with shrimp, peppers, mozzarella cheese. Bake 8-10 minutes, until cheese is bubbly.