Lemonade

Seasonal beverages are the best! I love hot cocoa in the winter, cider in the fall, and especially lemonade in the summer. This lemonade recipe is super easy, and not overly sour. Plus, it's roughly 40 calories less than the store bought lemonades you can find!

Lemonade
Adapted from Betty Crocker "Heart Health Edition Cookbook"
8 servings

Ingredients:
8 lemons (I used one full bag of lemons)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 1/2 cups water

1. Using either a juicer, strainer, or your hands, juice the lemons into a medium bowl. I used a strainer, but you'll want to make sure the lemons are at room temperature to get the most juice out of them. One way to help them get to room temperature, is to roll them back and forth against the counter with the palm of your hand until they feel softer.

 2. In a large pitcher, combine the lemon juice, water, and sugar. At this point, you can increase the amount of water and sugar as desired for taste.

3. Enjoy!

Nutritional Info per Serving:
Calories 84; Total Fat 0g; Cholesterol 0g; Sodium 0g; Total Carbs 22g; Protein 0g

Lasagne

This lasagne recipe is an adaptation of one of my grandmother's beloved family dishes.

Lasagne
9 servings

Ingredients:
1 box lasagne noodles (I used roughly 2/3 of a box of oven ready noodles, you may use more or less depending on the size of your dish/love of pasta)
1 lb ground beef (I used 93% lean)
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 tsp parsley
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 tsp, plus 1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp, plus 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1 lb mozzarella cheese, grated or sliced
1 lb ricotta cheese
1 batch of tomato, pizza, or marinara sauce

1. Brown the meat in a pan with the onion, garlic, and parsley.

2. Add the tomato paste, water, salt, pepper, basil, and oregano.

3. Simmer for roughly 45 minutes, until the mix begins to thicken.

4. Preheat oven to 375F degrees.

5. Pour meatless sauce batch into a casserole dish. I used a medium sized dish.

6. Begin to layer the lasagne, starting with the noodles, then meat sauce, mozzarella cheese, and ricotta cheese. Continue layering until the meat sauce and cheeses are completely used up, about 3 layers, making sure to end with a layer of ricotta on the top.

7. Bake for roughly 30 minutes, until the top starts to brown and the cheese melts or, in my case, the sauce begins to overflow.

8. Enjoy!

Nutritional Info per Serving (not including meatless sauce):
Calories 371; Total Fat 18g; Cholesterol 90mg; Sodium 419mg; Total Carbs 22g; Protein 26g

Tomato Sauce

Well, after a three month hiatus, I'm back! Although I have not been updating this blog, I have continued to be busy in the kitchen, and have over a dozen recipes waiting to be posted! This first one is a really simple tomato sauce recipe - it doesn't even require any actual cooking, just chopping and combining of ingredients. It is also the first time I have used ingredients that I have grown myself! This sauce is great on its own, or combined with other recipes.

Tomato Sauce
Adapted from Betty Crocker "Heart Health Edition Cookbook"
25 servings, roughly 2 oz each

Ingredients:
1 28 oz can plum tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp parsley flakes
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
6 medium tomatoes, diced (I used 4 medium ones from the store, and a variety of ones from my garden)
1 green bell pepper, optional (I used 3 mini bell peppers from my garden - I saved them from a severe heat wave)

1. In a food processor, or blender, place all ingredients.

2. Cover and process until smooth.

3. Use immediately, or transfer to a glass or plastic bowl for storing in the fridge or freezer.

4. Enjoy!

Nutritional Info per Serving:
Calories 22; Total Fat 0g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 67mg; Total Carbs 3g; Protein 1g