Macadamia Nut or Brazil Nut Ricotta (Vegan)

 

Recipe from dollyandoatmeal.com

Husband Tested in Alice's Kitchen

Makes about 1 cup

Whether you eat dairy or not, this vegan ricotta "cheese" is pretty marvelous and very easy to make.  Use it as a spread on toast with summer tomatoes or in your favorite pasta dish.  

1 cup Brazil nuts or Macadamia nuts

1 1/2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons white mellow miso paste

2 cloves garlic

8-10 Tablespoons water 

1/4 teaspoon salt

Optional:

2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese or vegan Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon olive oil

Begin by soaking 1 cup of Brazil nuts in water overnight. (Soaking the nuts softens them up for the blender.) Then after rinsing and draining the nuts in the morning, pop them in the blender with 1 1/2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast, 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, 2 teaspoons white mellow miso paste, 2 cloves garlic, 8-10 Tablespoons water, and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. If using, add the Parmesan cheese and olive oil.  Blend this mixture for about 1 minute until smooth. 

I used 1/2 cup of the "cheese" for the pasta pictured above by I dolloping it onto some pasta along with farmers market cherry tomatoes, garlic, and a small onion, and zucchini that I sauteed along with some homemade pesto. I used the rest of the ricotta to spread on toast with thick slices of tomatoes for lunch. 

Slow-Cooker Vegetable Lasagna

Makes 8 servings

Recipe from Laura Walsh via Eating Well

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

This is a meal you make when you’ve got a busy day ahead.  Just layer the ingredients in a slow cooker, turn it on, and 6 hours later, dinner is ready.  Serve this comfort food meatless lasagna with a crisp green salad.

Olive oil cooking spray

1 large red or yellow bell pepper, chopped

4 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced or chopped (3-4 large)

2 cups packed baby spinach, coarsely chopped

1 (24 ounce) jar low-sodium red pasta sauce

1 (15 ounce) can no-sodium-added diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (15 ounce) carton part-skim ricotta cheese

¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

8 ounces oven-ready whole-wheat lasagna noodles (about 9 total)

2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

¼ cup chopped fresh basil (or 6 cubes Dorot Frozen Basil)

·      Coat a 6-quart slow cooker with olive oil cooking spray.

·      Combine bell pepper, mushrooms, and spinach in a medium bowl.

·      Combine pasta sauce, tomatoes, ricotta cheese, and ½ cup Parmesan cheese in a large bowl.

·      Spread 1 cup of the sauce mixture on the bottom of the slow cooker. 

·      Place 3 noodles over the sauce, breaking them as needed to fit in one layer. 

·      Spread another 1 cup sauce over the pasta noodles. 

·      Layer on one-third of the vegetable mixture, 3 more noodles, and 1 cup sauce. 

·      Sprinkle with ½ cup mozzarella cheese. 

·      Continue layering one-third of the vegetable mixture,1 cup sauce ½ cup mozzarella, and the remaining noodles. 

·      Top with a final layer of the remaining vegetables, the remaining sauce, and the remaining 1 cup mozzarella.

·      Cover and cook on Low for 5 hours. 

·      Turn off and unplug the cooker.  Remove the lid.  Place a clean cloth towel over the slow cooker.  Place the lid back on the cooker over the towel.  (This will prevent condensation from building up on the underside of the lid during the 1 hour resting period.)

·      Let the lasagna stand, covered, for 1 hour.  (The resting period is important.  It will allow the lasagna to firm up a bit.  The lasagna will still be hot enough to serve.)

·      Serve topped with the remaining ¼ cup Parmesan and basil.

Nutritional Information:  According to my calculations, 1 of 8 servings = 397 calories; 4.2 grams fiber

Tip:  To save time, prep and mix the vegetables and store in the fridge overnight.  Mix all the sauce ingredients together and store in the fridge overnight.  Then in the morning, it will just be a matter of placing the layers in the slow-cooker and turning it on.

Whole-Wheat Raspberry Ricotta Scones

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

Makes 9 Square Scones

Husband-Tested in Marimar’s Kitchen (Alice’s Daughter-in-Law)

Our daughter-in-law made these beautiful scones during our family vacation this spring.  They were so yummy with our morning coffee.

1 cup (120 grams) whole wheat flour

1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar

½ teaspoon Kosher salt

6 Tablespoons (85 grams) cold unsalted butter

1 cup (136 grams or 4¾ oz.) fresh raspberries

¾ cup (189 grams) whole milk ricotta

1/3 cup (79 ml) heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425 F.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  In the bottom of a large, wide bowl, whisk the flours, baking powder, sugar and salt together.  With a pastry blender, add the butter (no need to chop it first) and use the blender to both cut the butter into the flour mixture until the bigger pieces are the size of small peas.  Toss in the raspberries and use the pastry blender again to break them into halves and quarter berry sized chunks.  Add the ricotta and the heavy cream together and stir them in to form a dough with a flexible spatula.  Using floured hands, gently knead the dough into an even mass, right in the bottom of the bowl.  Don’t fret if the raspberries get muddled and smudge up the dough. This is a pretty thing.  With as few movements as possible, transfer the dough to a well-floured counter, flour the top of the dough and pat it into a 7-inch square about 1-inch tall.  With a large knife, divide the dough into 9 even squares.  Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet with a spatula.  Bake the scones for about 15 minutes, until light golden at the edges.  Cool in pan for a minute and then transfer to a cooling rack.

To do ahead:  Scones are always best the day they are baked.  However, if you wish to get a lead on them, you can make them, arrange them on the parchment paper and freeze them.  When frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag or container.  No need to defrost them.  Bake them 2 to 3 minutes longer.

Nutrition Info: (Per 1 of 9 servings) 215 calories; 13.8 g fat (8.6 g sat. fat); 43 mg cholesterol; 205 mg sodium; 19.4 g carbohydrates; 1.5 g fiber; 6.8 g sugars; 4.2 g protein; 128 mg calcium; 1 mg iron; 223 mg potassium