Blogger Extreme Food Makeover by Stephanie Zielinski, A Cookie A Day

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Blogger: Stephanie Zielinski
Challenge: Lasagna

When I saw my assignment for the cooking matters Extreme Food Makeover Challenge I was pumped! Lasagna!!! Back in May Ian celebrated his First Communion, and his dish of choice to serve to our guests….lasagna. I made enough lasagna to feed the small army I like to call our family. The kicker, however, is that the lasagna I usually make is loaded with heavy cheeses, noodles and sauce. Not the most balanced meal.

I decided to make over my normal recipe by adding fresh veggies and using low-fat cheeses and whole-grain noodles. I then paired it with a simple salad and finished it with a delicious healthy cookie. Since we were leaving for a soccer tournament up in Traverse City (where I am currently writing this) I had to use a lot of ingredients I had on hand. Luckily, I had made a pot of tomato sauce this past week so had some stored in the freezer.

My submission for Cooking Matters Michigan’s Blogger Extreme Food Makeover Challenge:

Eggplant Zucchini and Portobello Lasagna with Meat Sauce.
Mixed Greens and Michigan Apple Salad
Power Peanut Butter and Sea Salt Cookies

Eggplant Zucchini Portobello Lasagna with Meat Sauce
(this recipe can easily be adapted to a vegetarian dish by using a tomato sauce)

Eggplant and mushroom lasagna by Stephanie

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
½ Onion
1 Clove of Garlic
1 medium sized Eggplant
1 Zucchini
1 cup of Baby Portobello Mushrooms
Fresh Thyme, Oregano and Italian Parsley
2 Cups of Tomato Sauce (I used a homemade meat sauce but any tomato sauce will work)
2 Cups Low Fat Shredded Mozzarella
½ Cup of Mascarpone Cheese
1 box of Organic Whole Wheat No Boil Lasagna Noodles

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Chop onion, and garlic.
3. Heat a large pan, add olive oil, swirl to cover the bottom of the pan
4. Add onion and garlic, cook over medium heat until onions are a golden color.
5. While onions and garlic cook, chop eggplant, zucchini and mushrooms
6. Add to pan and cook 3-5 minutes
7. Chop and add fresh herbs
8. Remove veggies from heat
9. In a bowl mix together cheeses
10. Add a little sauce to the bottom of a 13×9 baking dish
11. Lay noodles overlapping on the bottom of the pan
12. Cover with 2 ladles of sauce, veggies then cheese.
13. Top with another layer of noodles
14. Repeat steps 12 and 13 until noodles are finished.
15. Top with a final layer of sauce, veggies and cheese.
16. Cover with foil and bake 30-45 minutes until cheese is bubbly.
17. Let cool cut and enjoy!

Mixed Green Salad with Michigan Apples

Mixed Green Salad with Michigan Apples by Stephanie

Ingredients:
Red Leaf Lettuce
Endive
1 Large Michigan Apple
2 Mozzarella String Cheese Sticks
Lemon Wedge
Salt and Pepper

Directions

1. Chop and wash lettuce
2. Wash and chop apple, add to lettuce
3. Cut string cheese into cubes and add to lettuce and apples.
4. Squeeze lemon wedge over salad
5. Salt and Pepper to taste

Power Peanut Butter and Sea Salt Cookies

Power Peanut Butter and Sea Salt Cookie

Ingredients
2 Cups of Natural Peanut Butter
½ Cup Agave
2 Eggs
Sea Salt

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large bowl, mix Peanut Butter, Agave, and eggs together.
3. Place in refrigerator for 15 minutes
4. Roll dough into balls and place on cookie sheet
5. Using a fork make cross stich pattern
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes
7. Remove from oven and add sea salt to the tops of the cookies
8. Cool on cookie sheet for one minute then remove to a cooling rack to complete cooling.