Weekly Recipe Roundup 5

I just have 2 relatively quick entrees for you this week. We had a full week of great meals but the other meals were either repeats or involve me improvising and I don't feel those are worthy enough to recommend. These 2 are though and both can be modified to suit your tastes.

Parmesan Chicken Remix - Another stellar recipe from The Review Lady. I believe she found the recipe from the Barefoot Contessa, which is a little surprising considering the relatively low caloric content. The recipe uses panko (Japanese bread crumbs) to provide the crunch without being fried. Oh Panko, I love you! By pounding the chicken to 1/4-inch, you cut the cooking time in half and thus the chicken retains a lot of the moisture. I didn't have seasoned panko, so I just seasoned it myself with some dried basil and oregano. I followed the recipe and served the chicken atop a bed of mixed greens dressed with the simple vinaigrette. However, I could easily see this being a part of traditional Chicken Parmesan and being served atop spaghetti and topped with tomato sauce and cheese. You could also just serve the chicken by itself with a couple veggies on the side. The recipe is very versatile.

Spinach and Cheese Lasagna - As I was typing the title I realized I made a promise back in the winter to use my crockpot at least once a week. Well that went out the window with the early burst of spring we had back in March. This lasagna recipe is a great way to make a family favorite and make it quickly and easily. I had a note to myself to add some hidden veggies, i.e. shredded carrots, chopped mushrooms, etc, but I failed to read my own note! I suppose the spinach was enough this time but next time I hope to remember at least the carrots. I believe I ended up cooking mine on low for 3-3 1/2 hours and some of the noodles were a tad soggy. The flavor was still good but I think I'd cut the time by and hour or so. I also failed to fully drain the spinach ,which made for a little excess water upon plating. It doesn't make the prettiest of presentations, but who cares as long as it tastes good?! I got this from All You Magazine and couldn't find it online, so I'll post it below.

SPINACH AND CHEESE LASAGNA

2 28oz can crushed tomatoes

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

1 15oz container ricotta

½ cup grated Parmesan

16oz shredded mozzarella

12 lasagna noodles

2 10oz pkgs frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

(*Add some shredded carrots and/or mushrooms)

Combine tomatoes, garlic, oregano and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together ricotta, Parmesan and ¾ of mozzarella.

Spoon ¼ of tomato mixture into bottom of a slow cooker. Top with a layer of noodles, breaking to fit, if necessary. Sprinkle 1/3 of spinach over noodles. Spoon 1/3 of ricotta mixture over spinach. Top with ¼ of tomato mixture. Repeat with 2 more layers of noodles, spinach, ricotta mixture and tomatoes. Top with a layer of noodles and remaining mozzarella.

Cook on low heat until noodles are soft and lasagna is warmed through, 2-3 hours.