Waiting for Spring

Spring officially started yesterday, but you’d never know it by looking out the window. Yes, big fat snow flakes in NYC on Friday. Bright but still cool today. I am really looking forward to spring – and asparagus season at the green market. There are more hints of spring in Union Square – the hydroponic tomato basil had green beans today! But with spring approaching, the downside is that I start using my oven less and less until the day comes that the heat is too much and I end up either eating salads or “cooking” solely via microwave until the weather cools. So as a sort of farewell to winter, I made a huge pan of lasagna last week. Based on a recipe originally published in Moosewood’s Low-Fat Favorites, the dish is chock full of vegetables. As written, the recipe is pretty low fat, but I like to use full fat mozzarella and part-skim ricotta, which makes it “part-fat” or “2%” or something. Given the season, all but the shallots came from Trader Joes versus the farmers market. But, given the temperature is still in the 40s, there may still be time to do a spring vegetables version before summer (and the heat) really sets in.

(Not really low fat) Veggie Lasagna Adapted from The Moosewood Restaurant This recipe freezes very well when cut into individual portions and bundled in plastic wrap. Don’t bother cooking the noodles in advance – there’s enough liquid in the recipe so they will soften as the dish bakes. You may be need to add extra sauce when serving, depending on your preference. As an added nutritional bonus, I like to serve this with broccoli. Ingredients 1 T. olive oil 12 oz. sliced mushrooms 2 diced shallots 1 cup cubed red bell peppers .5 cup shredded carrot

1 cup cubed zucchini 1 cup cubed eggplant

14 oz can diced tomatoes

Dried oregano, to taste Dried basil, to taste Red pepper flakes, to taste

1 cup frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained

2 cups part-skim ricotta

2 cups grated low-fat mozzarella cheese, divided

.25 cup grated Parmesan cheese

32 oz. jar of tomato sauce

16 oz. lasagna noodles Method Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sauté mushrooms in olive oil until they start to brown. Add shallot, red pepper, carrot, zucchini, and eggplant, sauté for five minutes. Add diced tomatoes and spices, simmer for 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine spinach, ricotta, one cup of mozzarella cheese and the parmesan cheese. Spread .5 c. of the jarred tomato sauce on the bottom of an 8 x 13 pan. Add layer of uncooked lasagna noodles. Top noodles with 1/3 of cheese mixture. Top cheese with 1/3 of vegetable mixture Add second layer of noodles. Top with 1/3 of remaining sauce. Add second layer of cheese and half of remaining veggies. Add third layer of noodles. Top with 1/2 of remaining sauce, along with the rest of the cheese mixture and veggies. Add last layer of noodles and top with remaining sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 60 minutes. Top with additional sauce, as needed, and remaining cheese.