Friday, August 29, 2008

Salmon Lasagna

(Serves 4)

450g frozen spinach (approx 1lb)
5 dl milk (2 cups)
2 tbsp flour
4 oz shredded mozzarella  (we used more, but then I like a lot of cheese in my lasagna :-)
450g salmon (approx 1lb)
4 tomatoes
12 lasagna pasta thingies (yeah, I know they have a proper word, but can't think of it right now :-P )

Preheat the oven to 200C/390F
Defrost the spinach in a pot.
Add 4dl milk (all but half a cup) and bring to a boil.
Mix the rest of the milk with the flour. Slowly stir this mix into the sauce.
Let the sauce simmer for 2 minutes.
Add half the cheese, add salt, pepper and spices according to taste.
Cut the salmon in bite-size pieces.
Cut the tomatoes in slices.
Build the lasagna in an ovenproof dish: spinach bechamel, lasagna, tomato and salmon. Repeat and end with a layer of spinach bechamel.
Put the rest of the cheese on top.
Bake the lasagna for 30 minutes.

Serve with bread.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Easy Taco Casserole

(Serves 2)

1/2 pound extra lean ground beef
1 1/2 cups lowfat cheddar cheese -- shredded
2 cups baked tortilla chips -- crumbled
1 1 1/4-ounce package taco seasoning
1 medium onion -- chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 cups water
1 can beans -- rinsed and drained

TOPPINGS
Lowfat sour cream
Shredded lettuce
Sliced tomatoes

Preheat oven to 175C/350F. In a large skillet, brown beef and onions. Add taco seasoning, chili powder, cumin, tomato sauce, beans and water. Simmer for 10 minutes. Gently fold in corn chips and most of cheese. Put into casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
Bake in oven for 30 minutes.

Serve with toppings.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Marinated Flank Steak

(Serves 3)
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1 pinch rosemary
1 pinch chili powder
salt, pepper
3/4lb flank steak (I couldn't find flank steak, so used another kind of steak instead. Because of the marinade, it doesn't matter what you use - pick something thinly sliced and cheap ;) )

Mix wine, soy sauce, honey, rosemary, chili, salt and pepper together. Put the steaks in a bowl and pour the marinade over it. Let it marinade in the fridge overnight, turning the steaks once in awhile to get them covered evenly.

Grill like you would ordinary steaks.

I served it with potato wedges, tomato salad, carrot-rasin salad and bell pepper coated in the left over marinated and then roasted. Absolutely delicious! Definitely worth a repeat.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Pasta with Tomatoes and Squash

(serves 2)

300gr pasta of your own choice (I use Benne - it corresponds to just under 1 litre ~ 4 cups uncooked)

2 tbsp olive oil
1 hand-full fresh basil
2-3 loaves of garlic (depending on how garlicky you like your food)
1-2 bell peppers
4 carrots
½ squash (depending on size - use a whole one if it's very small)
approx. 10 olives
2 small onions
approx 150gr thinly sliced and diced bacon (optional)
1 can of diced tomatos. (In Denmark I can get cans with chili added - I like to use this to make the dish spicy. If you can't buy them where you are, just use regular tomatos and add chili according to taste)
Salt, pepper
favourite spices (I use carry, cinnamon and sugar)

Boil the pasta according to the directions on the package. I like to add a bit of vegetable stock to the water as it boils, but it isn't necessary.

Cut everything into bite-sized pieces, chop the garlic, the basil and halve the olives. Warm the oil in a wok or large pan. Add chopped basil and garlic and fry until the garlic starts to take colour. Add bacon and onions and fry until the bacon is cooked and the onions transparent. Add carrots and squash and fry for 5 minutes. Add olives and bell pepper and fry for another 2-3 minutes.

Stirr in tomatos and turn down heat. Leave to simmer for 10-15 minutes, but keep an eye on it, that it doesn't get too dry. Add spices according to taste (approx. 1 tsp of each in my case). The sauce is done when the squash is 'al dente'. Mix with the pasta and heat through. Tastes great both warm that day, and cold for lunch the next day.

Friday, August 1, 2008

Stir-fry

(serves 2)

Approx. 300gr. meat in bite-sized pieces. Chicken, turkey, pork or beef - whichever catches your fancy.
3 tbsp oil
2 tbsp soy sauce - divided
2 cloves of garlic - thinly sliced
3 carrots in bite size pieces
2 tomatoes - diced.
5 spring onions - thickly sliced
1 bell pepper in bite size pieces
1 package of frozen vegetables (in Denmark you can get Asian ones - these are the best for it)
salt + pepper to taste
Your favourite noodles. I like egg noodles, but anything will do. You'll need at least 250gr.

Mix together the oil, half the soy sauce, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the meat and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes - 1 hour if possible. (Or if you're short of time, just make sure you do this first, and let it marinate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.)
Cook the noodles according to the description on the package. Drain and leave to be used later.
Put the stove on medium-high and heat up a wok or a cooking pot (if you don't think it can take being heated up empty, use some of the marinate). Add the meat and all the marinate and fry until the meat is close to being cooked through. Add the carrots, spring onions and bell peppers and fry until the carrots are 'al dente' - 5 minutes or so. Add the frozen vegetables, the tomatoes and the rest of the soy sauce. Cook until the vegetables are no longer frozen.

Add the noodles, heat through and serve.