Barilla No-Boil Lasagna

Ingredients:
1 (9 ounce) box barilla no-boil
lasagna noodles
2 eggs
1 (15 ounce) container ricotta
cheese
4 cups shredded mozzarella
cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
(optional)
1 lb ground beef or 1 lb sausage,
browned
1 (28 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
or 1 (28 ounce) jar pasta sauce
Parsley (to garnish)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. In bowl, combine beaten eggs, ricotta cheese and TWO cups of the
mozzarella cheese and parmesan.
3. If you choose not to use the parmesan, just add more mozzarella.
4. Set aside.
5. In a 13X9X3 pan, spread 1 cup of sauce on bottom of pan.
6. Layer in the order, 4 uncooked lasagna noodles (they will overlap),
then 1/3 part of the ricotta cheese mixture, half the browned meat, 1
cup mozzarella cheese, and 1 cup of spaghetti sauce.
7. Next layer, 4 uncooked lasagna noodles, 1/3 part of the ricotta cheese
mixture, and 1 1/2 Cups sauce.
8. Next layer, 4 uncooked lasagna noodles, remaining ricotta mixture and
remained meat, 1 cup of sauce.
9. For top layer, 4 uncooked lasagna noodles, remaining sauce, and
remaining 1 cup mozzarella.
10.
Bake covered with foil for 50-60 minutes.
11.
Uncover and continue cooking until all the cheese is melted on
the top (about 5 minutes).
12.
Let stand 15 minutes before serving.
13.
If you are using a 13X9X2 pan---just make 3 layers to avoid
boiling over.

Spinach Meatballs
Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef
1 (10 ounce) frozen chopped
spinach, thawed and drained
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup Italian seasoned
breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (10 1/2 ounce) jar prepared
spaghetti sauce
8 ounces uncooked pasta
grated parmesan cheese
(optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine ground beef, spinach, egg, onion powder,
garlic powder, bread crumbs, salt & pepper.
3. Mix all ingredients well and form into small meatballs.
4. Place meatballs on jelly roll pan and place into preheated oven; bake
for 40-50 minutes (depending on size of meatballs).
5. While meatballs are cooking, prepare pasta according to package
directions, drain and keep warm.
6. In a large skillet or sauce pan, pour jar of prepared spaghetti sauce.
7. When meatballs are fully cooked, remove from oven and place in
sauce.
8. Simmer on medium heat 6-8 minutes.
9. Serve meatballs and sauce over cooked pasta.
10.
Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Rustic Italian Bread

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups bread flour or 3 cups allpurpose flour
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
cornmeal, for baking sheet
1 egg white, slightly beaten

Directions:
1. Add flour, oil, salt, sugar, yeast and water to your bread machine
according to its instructions.
2. Set on dough setting.
3. Always follow your machines instructions, when mixing open it and
keep check on the dough. Dough should be in a nice round soft sticky
to the touch ball. If it is not add more water, or add flour whichever is
needed.
4. Remove when signal beeps and cycle is done.
5. Preheat oven to 375F.
6. Sprinkle corn flour or cornmeal onto a baking sheet.
7. Punch dough down and form into a long or oval loaf.
8. Cover and let rise for 25 more minutes.
9. It should be doubled again by this time.
10.
Uncover and slash the top with a sharp knife or razor.
11.
Brush all over with the beaten egg white.
12.
Bake 25 minutes to 35 minutes, until hollow sounding when
tapped on bottom.
13.
Cool.

Bouchon Roast Turkey

INGREDIENTS
FOR THE BRINED AND ROASTED
TURKEY:
1 (1315-lb.) turkey
4 cups kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 cup honey
cup whole black peppercorns, plus
freshly ground to taste
10 lemons, halved
2 bay leaves
2 heads garlic, halved, plus 2
cloves, smashed
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch thyme
Clarified butter, for brushing
2 carrots, quartered
1 small leek, halved
1 small yellow onion, halved
FOR THE THIGH ROULADES:
1 lb. ground turkey, chilled
2 egg whites, chilled
cup heavy cream, chilled
cup crme frache, chilled
1 tbsp. chopped rosemary
1 tbsp. chopped thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Butchers' string, for tying
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
FOR THE GRAVY AND GARNISH:
8 cups turkey or chicken stock
1 lb. bulk breakfast sausage
1 cup flour
Minced chives, for garnish (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS - Bouchon Roast Turkey

1. Divide the turkey into parts: Reserve giblets and neck for gravy.
Remove hindquarters from turkey; separate drumsticks from thighs.
Leaving the skin on the thighs, remove bones; reserve bones for gravy.
Butterfly and lightly pound thigh meat until " thick; chill until ready to
use. Remove wings and, using kitchen shears, remove backbone from
turkey so only bone-in breast remains; reserve wings and backbone for
gravy.
2. For the brined turkey: Boil salt, honey, peppercorns, lemons, bay
leaves, garlic heads, parsley, thyme, and 2 gallons water in a large
stockpot. Let brine cool. Add drumsticks and breast; cover and chill at
least 3 hours or overnight.
3. Roast the brined turkey: Heat oven to 425. Remove drumsticks and
breast from brine and pat completely dry using paper towels; transfer
to a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Brush with clarified butter; season
with salt and pepper. Add reserved giblets, neck, thighbones, wings,
and backbone, along with the 2 garlic cloves, carrots, leek, and onion
to bottom of pan; roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into
the breast reads 165, about 2 hours. Let drumsticks and breast rest
15 minutes before carving breast; keep warm. Discard grease from
pan. Return pan to oven and roast until giblets, bones, and vegetables
are browned, 4550 minutes; set pan aside.
4. Make the mousse for the roulades: Pure ground turkey in a food
processor. With the motor running, slowly add egg whites, then the
cream, crme frache, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper until mixture
is smooth. Transfer mousse to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap; chill
30 minutes.
5. Assemble and cook the roulades: Heat a large saucepan of water until
a deep-fry thermometer reads 180. Lay thigh meat flat on a work
surface and season with salt and pepper. Divide mousse among thighs
and spread widthwise down center of each thigh. Working from one
short side, roll each thigh, encasing the mousse, into a tight package;
tie with butchers' string. Wrap roulades separately using a triple layer
of plastic wrap until airtight; twist ends and tie with string. Gently
lower roulades into water; poach until filling is firm, 3545 minutes.
Discard plastic wrap; pat roulades dry using paper towels. Reduce oven
to 350. Melt butter in an ovenproof 12" skillet over medium. Cook
roulades, turning as needed, until browned, 1820 minutes. Transfer
skillet to oven; cook roulades, basting often with pan juices, until an
instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh meat reads 165, 20
25 minutes. Let rest 15 minutes before carving.

6. For the gravy: Place pan with reserved giblets, bones, and vegetables
over medium-high. Add stock and cook, scraping up browned bits from
bottom of pan, 23 minutes; strain stock. Cook sausage in a 6-qt.
saucepan over medium-high until browned, 1012 minutes. Sprinkle in
flour; cook 2 minutes. Stir in stock; boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook
until gravy is slightly thickened, 57 minutes. Arrange sliced turkey
breast and roulades on a serving platter with drumsticks. Garnish with
chives, if you like; serve gravy on the side.

Tuscan Chicken Stew

Ingredients:
1 lb
skinless
cut
inch

boneless
chicken
breast,
into 1

pieces
1/2
teaspoon
rosemary,

dried
crushed
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons smashed garlic
1/2 cup reduced-sodium fat-free chicken broth
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (or other white
beans)
1 (7 ounce) bottle roasted red bell peppers, drained and cut into 1/2 inches
pieces
3 1/2 cups torn spinach

Directions:
1. Combine chicken, rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black
pepper, toss well.

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Heat oil in a large non stick frypan over medium high heat.
Add chicken mixture, saute for 3 minutes.
Add garlic, saute 1 minute.
Add broth, beans, and bell peppers, bring to a boil.
Cover, reduce heat, simmer 10 minutes or until chicken is done.
Stir in spinach, simmer 1 minute.

Beef and Broccoli

Ingredients:
1 lb rump steak, finely sliced and slightly frozen, it's easier to cut frozen
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 lb broccoli, chopped to bite sized florets
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup beef broth
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
Directions:
1. Put meat in a bowl with 2 tbs. soy sauce and ginger mix well.

2. Heat your wok or frying pan to very hot.

3. Add oil and coat the sides well.
4. Add beef and broccoli and stir-fry until meat changes color (about 2
minutes).
5. Dissolve cornstarch into the beef stock and stir in remaining soy sauce
and sesame oil.
6. Add to the beef and broccoli - stir until the sauce thickens.
7. Serve over rice or noodles.

Traditional Spanish Paella

INGREDIENTS:
HERB BLEND:
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
PAELLA:
1 cup water
1 teaspoon saffron threads
3 (16-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium
chicken broth
8 unpeeled jumbo shrimp (about 1/2
pound)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 skinned, boned chicken thighs, cut in half
2 links Spanish chorizo sausage (about 6 1/2 ounces)
1 (4-ounce) slice prosciutto or 33%-less-sodium ham, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 cup canned diced tomatoes, undrained
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
3 large garlic cloves, minced
3 cups uncooked Arborio rice or other short-grain rice
1 cup frozen green peas
8 mussels, scrubbed and debearded
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Lemon wedges (optional)
Preparation:
1. To prepare the herb blend, combine the first 4 ingredients, and set
aside.
2. To prepare paella, combine water, saffron, and broth in a large
saucepan. Bring to a simmer (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat.
Peel and devein shrimp, leaving tails intact; set aside.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large paella pan or large skillet over
medium-high heat. Add chicken; saute 2 minutes on each side.

Remove from pan. Add sausage and prosciutto; saute 2 minutes.

Remove from pan. Add shrimp, and saute 2 minutes. Remove from
pan. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add onion and bell pepper; saute 15
minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, paprika, and 3 garlic
cloves; cook 5 minutes. Add rice; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir
in herb blend, broth mixture, chicken, sausage mixture, and peas.
Bring to a low boil; cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add mussels to
pan, nestling them into rice mixture. Cook 5 minutes or until shells
open; discard any unopened shells. Arrange shrimp, heads down, in
rice mixture, and cook 5 minutes or until shrimp are done. Sprinkle
with 1/4 cup lemon juice. Remove from heat; cover with a towel, and
let stand 10 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

Seafood Risotto
INGREDIENTS:
23 tbsp olive oil
1lb (450g) shelled uncooked shrimp
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1lb (450g) mixed white fish, such as
monkfish, sea bass, and haddock, cut
into bite-size pieces
16 scallops, cleaned
2 tbsp of butter
2 onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
7 cups hot vegetable stock or light fish stock
1 1/2lb (675g) risotto rice
2 cups white wine
6 tomatoes, skinned and finely chopped
large handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
handful of fresh dill, finely chopped
lemon wedges, to serve
PREPARATION
1. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large, deep skillet, add the shrimp and a
pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook over
medium-high heat for a couple of minutes or until they turn pink.
Remove and set aside. Add the fish and a little more oil if needed and
cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes or until the fish is
opaque and cooked. Remove and set aside.
2. Season the scallops with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, add
to the pan with a little more oil if needed, and cook for 2 minutes on
each side or until opaque. Remove and set aside. Add 1 tbsp of butter
to the pan, followed by the onion, and cook over low heat for 58
minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a few seconds.

Meanwhile, put the hot stock in a large saucepan and bring to a low
simmer.
3. Add the rice to the skillet and stir well so it soaks up all the buttery
juices. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then pour
in the wine and raise the heat a little. Allow to bubble for a few
seconds while the alcohol evaporates. Start adding the stock a ladleful
at a time, stirring until it has all been absorbed before adding more.
Continue like this until the rice is cooked but still has a bite to it, about
20 minutes. You may have some stock left over or you may need to
add a little bit more near the end.
4. Stir in the tomatoes, return the shrimp, fish, and scallops to the pan,
then stir in the herbs and remaining butter. Taste and season with salt
and freshly ground pepper if needed, then serve with lemon wedges.

NOTES
FROM THE AUTHOR
Adding a little butter at the end promises a really creamy risotto, but you can leave it out if
youre counting calories.