{Meet My New Friend: Ricotta}

My life always involves food and new recipes and combinations. I don't always want to include my recipes in my normal blog postings, so I am writing a separate blog post just to share a few recipes from this past weekend.

Friday afternoon I wrapped up at work a little early, so after stopping at UPS to drop off a package I decided to do a little dilly-dallying. In reality, I decided to run one more errand since I was so close by. I had a few things to pick up for Christmas gifts at Old Kentucky Chocolates. After making about three complete loops around the store to check out every single item I made my purchase and headed out. I was feeling a little lazy about dinner so I decided to stroll into the Fresh Market next door and see if they had anything pre-made that would strike my fancy or just inspire me. This grocery store overwhelms all of my senses. It is filled to the brim with the freshest flowers, fruits and veggies, meats, cheeses and pastries galore. You can find the most exotic ingredients and lots of organic items as well. 

Well, in my "it's Friday at 6 p.m.", state of mind it was a little too overwhelming and I wasn't feeling too inspired. I decided to pick up a few lasagna noodles and ricotta cheese to use with the fresh spinach and tomato I had waiting at home. Of course, I also had to create a pick-6 pack of beer for Alex and I as well.

I used the recipe on the back of the whole wheat organic lasagna noodles as a guide with my own ingredients and came up with a very fresh, "healthier", less-filling lasagna for two. Lasagna is usually easy to assemble, but it does require some patience to wait for it to finish baking. 

Lauren's Impromptu Spinach Lasagna

{You can use whatever ingredients you have laying around, and just eyeball it based on your preferences! In parentheses I've marked down approximately how much I used of each ingredient, but it truly doesn't matter. Just make sure there is enough sauce because that's what makes the noodles tender!}

• One package of No-Boil Whole Wheat Lasagna (Used half a package)
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese & Parmesan (1 1/2 cups)
• Fresh spinach & tomato (2 cups)
• Pasta sauce (1-2 cups)
• Part-skim ricotta cheese (1 cup)

I use my medium size pyrex container (6 cup) to make the perfect amount for two! Enough for dinner and one round of leftovers. 

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray the baking dish with cooking spray. Lay two sheets along the bottom slightly overlapping. Add a layer of sauce and then the spinach and tomato. You could also add onions, cooked italian sausage etc. Add another layer of lasagna sheets. Spread a layer of ricotta over the sheets. Then add a layer of cheese and your vegetables or other fillings. Add one last layer of lasagna noodles and cover with sauce and a little bit of cheese. 

2. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes  Uncover and bake another 20 minutes. Let lasagna stand 10 minutes before serving. Serves 2-4. 

After eating our delicious lasagna I was inspired for the next morning's breakfast menu by the ricotta and pulled out a recipe from The New Abs Diet Cookbook (obsessed with this guide to healthy eating!). My dear sweet Alex put the plan in action and I woke up to find him cooking with the table already set with napkins, candles and fresh coffee. What a multi-talented guy. 

French-Toast, Italian-Style

(For one-serving)

• 2 tablespoons part-skim ricotta cheese
• 2 slices whole grain bread
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tablespoon sliced almonds
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon 1 percent milk
• Handful of fresh berries

1. Spread the ricotta on 1 bread slice. Drizzle the honey over the ricotta, top with the sliced almonds, and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. Top with the remaining bread to form a sandwich.

2. Coat a nonstick griddle or skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Whisk the egg, milk, and add any  remaining cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Dip the sandwich into the egg to coat both sides. Place in the pan and cook until the break is lightly browned on both sides. Serve with the berries. 

What The New Abs Diet Cookbook has to say about ricotta: Ricotta cheese is technically not a cheese at all because it's made from the whey (liquid) drained from other cheese. But that makes it naturally low in fat and sodium with a fat content of 4 to 10 percent. 

After some wrapping of Christmas gifts yesterday I happened to stumble across another version of a ricotta-inspired breakfast that Alex made this morning. So easy and a nice twist on a classic.

Ricotta Pancakes

• 2 c. instant pancake mix
• 3/4 c. water
• 8 oz ricotta cheese
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2 t orange or lemon zest

{We did not have enough ricotta left to follow this recipe to a T so Alex improvised and used the rest of the ricotta and added a little more water until he had the normal consistency for pancakes}.

1. Lightly mix together all ingredients. Pour 1/3 cup of batter on a warm, buttered cast iron skillet. Cook until golden brown on each side. Serve with berries. 

The possibilities for ricotta are really endless and I am still learning, but we also like to use it in post-workout or snack size smoothies!

Despite the fact that it's not technically cheese, I still love it because it's related. I love ingredients that can be used in savory and sweet dishes or for any time of day!