Marinara Sauce (Vegan)

This is a transcription of a YouTube video from Jane Esselstyn. This sauce is sugar- and oil-free, which is difficult to find in pre-made marinara sauces. It is used in her vegan lasagna. The original recipe is found on page 227 of the Plant Strong cookbook.

28-oz. can/box crushed tomatoes (or Pomi strained)

28-oz. can/box petite diced tomatoes (or Pomi finely diced)

Combine over medium-high heat with: 

3 Tbsp. oregano

tad red pepper flakes

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. thyme

3 Tbsp. fresh basil (or 1 Tbsp. dried)

2 Tbsp. fresh maple syrup

Simmer for a few minutes. 

This is great to double and freeze for later.

Cheri's Stuffed Shells

Serves 6-8

40 pasta shells (jumbo size, or manicotti shells)

32 oz. cottage cheese

16 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded

3/4 C. parmesan cheese, grated

6 eggs

3/4 tsp. oregano leaves (I use Italian seasoning)

1/2 tsp. salt (opt.)

1/2 tsp. black pepper

(Note: I use 1 tsp. SPG)

4 C. spaghetti sauce, or more to taste

1) Cook jumbo shells half of recommended time, or until just barely limp. Drain. Cool in a single layer on a pan or waxed paper.

2) Combine cheeses, eggs, and seasonings.

3) Fill each shell with 2 T. cheese mixture. (See TIP below!)

TIP: Using an icing bag with a wide tip works well, or you can make your own by snipping the corner off a freezer bag. This makes it much easier and faster to fill the shells, but you will lose some filling as it sticks to the bag.

4) At this point, you can freeze a quantity of shells for another meal in a rigid airtight container to prevent breakage.

5) To serve, thaw shells (if frozen). Spread 1/2 C. spaghetti sauce in bottom of glass baking dish. Arrange shells in dish and pour remaining sauce over the shells.

6) Warm at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Aunt Nita's Spaghetti

1 large onion, diced
2 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic (2-3 cloves)
3 lbs. lean ground beef
chile powder (hefty sprinkling)
salt and pepper to taste
1 large can tomato sauce
1 large can tomato paste
1 can mushrooms (stems and pieces)—optional
parmesan for topping

1) Sauté onion and garlic in oil until clear. (Add garlic after onion has cooked a little bit to avoid burning it.)

2) Brown ground beef with onion and garlic.

3) Add seasonings.

4) Add tomato sauce and tomato paste. Then fill each can almost full with water and add to sauce.

5) Simmer until flavors are well-blended and sauce is right consistency.

6) Add mushrooms toward the end and simmer until warm.

7) Serve over al dente spaghetti noodles with a nice Italian salad and good crusty Italian bread.

8) Serve Mumama's Banana Pudding for dessert! :)

Gluten-Free Crispy Pizza Crust or Flatbread Crackers

Pizza on the Elimination Diet! Hooray!! This original recipe is from The Dairy-Free and Gluten-Free Kitchen by Denise Jardine. I have found this cookbook to be very helpful on our Elimination Diet journey. I would highly recommend it.

Our modified version or this recipe, according to the items we're eliminating, appears below.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 C. Gluten-Free Flour Mix (I've used All-Purpose GF Baking Flour by Bob's Red Mill)
2 tsp. gluten-free baking powder (Rumford's Aluminum-Free Baking Powder is GF)
1/4 tsp. xanthan gum
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. APB
1 C. water

Procedure for Crispy Pizza Crust:
1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a metal baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

2) Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Thoroughly mix together with a whisk until fully combined.

3) Add the water to the flour mixture, stirring with a rubber spatula to combine.

4) Working quickly, pour the batter onto the parchment paper and smooth it out to desired thickness (no thicker than 1/2 inch).

5) Pre-bake the crust for about 15 minutes.

6) Remove the crust from the oven and top with preferred toppings.

7) Return pizza to oven for five minutes to heat everything through. Serve immediately.

NOTE: The original crust calls for 1/2 tsp. each of oregano and garlic powder, and 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar. I used APB instead, since we couldn't have those things, and took out the 1/4 tsp. sea salt.

Procedure for Flatbread Crackers:

1) Assemble the dough as above.

2) Roll the dough thin and, instead of baking for 15 minutes, bake it for 5-10 minutes longer, until golden and crispy.

3) Cool completely before breaking it up into random-sized pieces.

4) Serve with your favorite dip or spread.

NOTE: This is going to be our Communion bread for the duration of the Elimination Diet, or at least until I find something more suitable. It's a delicious, semi-plain cracker that should be fine for Communion, especially if I leave out the spices.

Aunt Kim's Sausage-Stuffed Manicotti

2 lb. crumbled Italian sausage
2 Tbsp. instant minced onion
8 oz. pkg. manicotti
3 C. (28-oz. jar) spaghetti sauce
3/4 C. parmesan cheese (grated)
2 eggs
1/2 C. seasoned bread crumbs

1. In a large skillet, cook sausage and onion until sausage is thoroughly cooked. Drain and remove from heat to cool for 10 min.

2. Cook pasta according to pkg. directions and drain.

3. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

4. Spread thin layer of sauce on bottom of 9x13 baking dish.

5. Stir 1/2 C. parmesan, eggs, and bread crumbs into sausage mixture until well blended.

6. Fill each pasta tube with mixture and place in baking dish.

7. Cover pasta with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

8. Cover with foil and bake 35 minutes.

Aunt Kim's Sausage Marinara Sauce

1 lb. Italian sausage links, casing removed
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 medium sweet red pepper, julienned
1 medium yellow pepper, julienned
1 tsp. olive oil
1 can crushed tomatoes (15 ounces)
1 C. chicken broth
5 Tbsp. tomato paste
3 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1. Oil skillet. Crumble sausage into skillet. Add onions and peppers and cook over medium heat until sausage is no longer pink and vegetables are tender.

2. Drain skillet. Add tomatoes, broth, tomato paste, sugar, basil, and garlic powder. Heat through.

3. Serve over cooked penne or pasta of your choice.

Aunt Kim's Easy Baked Ziti

1 lb. dry ziti
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 lb. ground Italian sausage
52-oz. jar spaghetti sauce
1 pkg. sliced provolone cheese
1 1/2 C. sour cream
1 pkg. shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil.

2. Add ziti and cook until al dente, about 8 min. Drain.

3. Brown onion, beef, and sausage in large skillet over medium heat.

4. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer 15 min.

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

6. Grease a lasagna pan.

7. Layer as follows:

1/2 of ziti
provolone
sour cream
1/2 of sauce mixture
remaining ziti
mozzarella
remaining sauce mixture

8. Bake 30-45 minutes in a preheated oven or until cheese are melted.

Vegetable Lasagna

This recipe originally came from a friend of college, Karen McDaniel. I have modified it slightly. She called it "Vegetarian Lasagna for a Crowd." It makes two, which I always do even if it's just us because it freezes nicely in a 9x13 pan lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil.

You will need:
* Lasagna noodles (10 for one; 20 for two. Uncooked is fine, but I throw them in boiling water just long enough to soften them slightly so that I can get more room when layering. This is a tall lasagna!)
* Your favorite Italian sauce (8 C.)
* 1 1/2 quarts chopped veggies (zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, onion, carrots, mushrooms)
* Cottage cheese mixture: 5 C. cottage cheese, 3/4 C. grated Parmesan, Italian spices

1) Grease pan. Place a little sauce in the bottom before the first layer of noodles.

2) You will do two layers, in the following order:

--> noodles
--> cottage cheese mixture
--> veggies (sautéed or not)
--> mozzarella cheese
--> sauce

3) Bake at 350, covered, for 1-1 1/2 hours.

4) Uncover and top with optional extra layer of cheese during the last few minutes of baking, if desired.

5) Let set up 10 minutes before cutting.

NOTE: This often cooks drippy juices out of the pan and onto the bottom of the oven, so I place jelly roll pans on the rack beneath them as they cook to catch the drippings.

Nanny's Easy Lasagna

1) Brown 1/2-1 pound ground beef. (I've also used cooked lentils.)

2) Add 4 C. marinara sauce (canned or homemade) and simmer.

3) Layer uncooked noodles, half of cottage cheese mixture (see below), half of grated mozzarella, half of sauce. Repeat.

4) Bake at 350 degrees, covered, for 1-1 1/2 hours.

5) Let stand to set up for at least 10 minutes before cutting.

Cottage cheese mixture: 2-3 C. small curd cottage cheese mixed with 2 Tbsp. parsley, 1/2-1 C. parmesan, 2 eggs

Violette's Lasagna (Crock Pot Lasagna)

This recipe originally appeared in the Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook as Violette's Lasagna, compliments of Violette Harris Denney in Carrollton, GA. Though we don't know her personally, that's still what we sometimes call it!  I have modified it slightly as indicated below.

8 lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
28-oz. jar prepared spaghetti sauce (I use Ragu.)
1/3 C. water
4-oz. can mushrooms (I hate them so I don't use them!)
15-oz. ricotta cheese (I use cottage cheese instead.)
2 C. shredded mozzarella
1 egg (opt.)
1/2 C. grated Parmesan (opt.)

I've added all kinds of "extras" to this recipe, thinking they'd be yummy, but it really is just delicious as it is.  No need to add sautéed onions or peppers or garlic or anything but what's listed to the red sauce.  I do usually add a beaten egg and grated Parmesan cheese to the cottage cheese mixture with the Italian seasoning.

1. Break noodles. Place half in bottom of greased slow cooker.

2. Brown ground beef in saucepan. Drain. Stir in Italian seasoning. (Again, I add that to the cottage cheese mixture instead.)

3. Stir meat into red sauce with water.

4. Layer half of red sauce, half of cottage cheese mixture, half of cheese over noodles.  Repeat layers.

5. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours.  This will burn on the sides if you leave it too long--or even with this timing if you use a newer Crock Pot with the higher temperature calibration.  

Chicken over Spaghetti with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

This recipe is from my friend Laurie Jones.  It is my daughter Elanore's request for her birthday dinner.  "She made this one time when I was over there and it was SOOOO good!" she told me. 

4 chicken breasts, cut in strips

2 C heavy whipping cream

2 C half and half

1 C Chardonnay

1/2 jar julienne-cut sun-dried toms, drained (8.5-oz Bella Sun Luci SDT w/Ital. Herbs - Julienne Cut)

2 shallots, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

fresh basil to taste

salt and pepper to taste

flour for coating chicken

In a dish, combine flour, salt, pepper, and any seasoning you like on the chicken to coat the chicken.  Sometimes I just mix the flour with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  I almost always only use seasoned pepper around here if that makes any difference. Fry the chix in olive oil and butter.  Remove and keep warm.  Place shallots and garlic in pan to brown scraping up bits of chix.  Stir in creams and wine and bring to a low boil and let simmer for a few minutes so it will thicken.  Reduce heat and stir in toms and basil.  When it thickens to your preference, add back the chix and warm for a bit.  Taste test it around this point as it generally needs more salt than one would think.  Serve over Cappellini noodles with freshly grated parmesan cheese. 

*If your boil is not very low, the wine and cream will separate and curdle, making a big mess!

*Adjust everything to your family’s preference.  It tastes a little different every time I make it!

*I use one of those counter skillets so there will be enough room for everything.

Crock Pot Spaghetti

1 pound ground beef
1 pound Italian sausage
1-2 onions, finely chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 bell pepper (green, yellow, or orange), chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
45-oz can petite diced tomatoes, drained (save juice for soups)
24-oz can tomato sauce
2 bay leaves
1-2 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Crumble and brown ground beef and sausage together with onion and garlic.
2. Drain excess fat.
3. Place meat mixture into Crock Pot with remaining ingredients.
4. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4.
5. Serve over spaghetti noodles, cooked al dente.

Cheri's Italian Meatloaf

1 lb. hamburger
1/2 lb. pork sausage
2 eggs
1 15 oz. can tomato (stewed, sauce, etc.)
garlic
dried minced onion
salt
pepper
Italian seasoned bread crumbs or crumbled crackers
oatmeal

Mix meats, eggs, tomato, and spices. Add just enough bread crumbs and oatmeal to keep it from being too soupy to shape. (Maybe 1/4-1/2 C. of each?) Shape into one huge—or two small—loaves. Top with a little bit of the Classico-style marina you will serve on the pasta before baking.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. (I use a cookie sheet or pampered chef bar pan or something without super tall sides. If it's sitting down in a 9x13 pan, it will cook, but it will be a little mushier.)

Serve with pasta and marinara and a side salad.

P.S. When I make this, I make six! I use 6 pounds of hamburger and 3 pounds of sausage and a dozen eggs and a couple of huge cans of crushed tomatoes and what feels like a lot of oatmeal and bread crumbs. It freezes beautifully, uncooked, and the leftovers are really delicious. It also makes delicious meatloaf sandwiches with bread, mayonnaise, lettuce, and salt and pepper. Yum!

Beach Week

Opa's Grilled Pizzas

Recipe for dough for crusts:
2 tsp. yeast
4 1/2 C. flour (I use between half and all whole wheat*.)
2 tsp. each salt, sugar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/4 C. warm water
* If all whole wheat, add gluten (1-2 Tbsp.) and allow several hours for dough to rise.

After dough is nicely risen, punched down, and risen again, divide evenly into number of pizzas needed. (This recipe makes 8 large individual pizza crusts the size of a dinner plate.)

Place on grill over low to medium-low indirect heat to lightly cook crusts... don't overcook, as they will be going back on the grill once topped.

Have each individual make their pizza with the toppings they want... we love to have available:

pepperoni or sausage
grilled veges (onions, peppers, broccoli)
artichokes
fresh spinach
fresh tomatoes
fresh mushrooms
olives (green and black)
pineapple
cheeses (monterey jack, mozzarella, parmesan, cheddar, feta)

Place topped pizza back on the grill until the cheese is nicely melted and the pizza is heated through. Be careful not to leave it long enough to burn it on the bottom.

These are absolutely delicious and very fun! We had these for the first time the night we got Little, four years ago...

Pepperoni Bread / Rolls

People ask us to bring these to every event we attend where food is expected. Folks ask about the recipe all the time, but then decide it is "too much trouble" to make them for themselves and order them from us instead. (See the Little Biscuit Bakery website.)

For those of you who bake, this recipe is actually very easy. It is only "too much trouble" for those who are too busy for, or intimidated by, home baking.

Begin by making the recipe for Basic French Bread, but use garlic salt instead of plain salt and add grated Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning to the dough, if desired.

When dough has been double-risen and punched down, divide in two and roll each out into a large rectangle. If desired, spread the dough with pesto or lightly-beaten egg, but it isn't necessary. Top with a layer of pepperoni slices (or salami, or sausage, or spinach, or some combination thereof) and a layer of cheese (mozzarella or monterey jack work best).

If making "Pepperoni Bread" (a bit like a large stromboli), fold the large rectangle into thirds and seal the edges. Cook on a large baking sheet at 400 or so until the top is golden brown and you smell the bread is done. (This will be around 25 minutes, maybe.)

If making "Pepperoni Rolls" (individual, like cinnamon rolls), roll the large rectangle into a tube-like shape. Slice into individual rolls (about 1/4" thick) and place flat side down on a baking sheet. Top with tiny bit more cheese and bake at 400 or so until bubbly and baked, about 10-15 minutes, maybe.

Johanna's Homemade Pizza

We went to her house, and her homemade pizza was better than mine... Johanna's Easy Pizza Sauce and Homemade Pizza Dough...