Seasonal Lasagna...Golden Beet Chicken Lasagna

My Vegetable Box finally arrived after postponing my order. It was chock full of Golden beets, Red Swiss Chard,regular Swiss Chard,assorted lettuces, garlic, zucchini, spinach, green beans,parsnips, and I'm sure I few other things I am forgetting.Because of the organic nature I have to consume them quickly. I made the mistake of leaving some out on the counter last time and they turned quickly. No pesticides require refrigeration. Anyway I never get to use the beets in time before the greens turn. I wanted yo use them in a recipe. I remember the current Top Chef contestant made a lasagna with rutabagas, So why not Golden Beets? Normally my lasagne's uses red sauce and no Bechamel. I decided to try to make Bechamel and use it with ground chicken., fresh sage, sliced portabellos, garlic,sliced golden beets,beet greens which had been Chiffonade, Farmers Cheese( a low fat alternative to cream cheese, and in place of Ricotta),Gouda, Mozzarella, etc. Certain Someone was impatient to eat and was pleasantly surprised by it. Of Course he had seconds.


Golden Beet Chicken Lasagna

1 package of Lasagna Noodles

1 lb Farmers Cheese

3 Golden Beets with their Greens

2 eggs

4 Cups of Bechamel

3 cups grated Gouda

1 cup low moisture mozzarella

Parmesan / Regianno or both

Fresh Sage

1 pound ground Chicken

1 cup fresh Portabello Mushrooms sliced

Garlic to taste

salt

pepper

nutmeg

olive oil

Boil Lasagna noodles and set aside. I drain mine and soak in water to keep moist and workable.Prepare Bechamel. Wash beets , peel, cut off tops, and slice thinly.Now the choice is yours to precook the beets a bit. I didn't , but they cooked up fine as long as they are cut thinly.Take the greens, and roll. Slice them in a Chiffonade. In a bowl mix the Farmers cheese, 1/2 cup of mozzarella, greens, eggs, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Set aside . Brown ground chicken, sage, garlic, and mushrooms. Oil bottom of Lasagna pan. Place first layer of Lasagna . Take half of Farmers Cheese/greens mixture and smooth over. Sprinkle half of chicken/mushroom mixture.Add half of the thinly sliced golden beets. Sprinkle some Gouda and Mozzarella. Pour some bechamel. Repeat with 2nd layer of lasagna ,Farmer's cheese chicken,golden beets, etc. Save some grated cheese and Bechamel for the top. Cover with 3rd layer of lasagna. Pour remaining Bechamel liberally. Add some grated cheese and Parmesan. Cover with Foil . Bake in a Bain Marie at 375 degrees for at least 45 minutes.Take off foil and brown for a additional 15 minutes.

Chicken,Fennel,Sun Dried Tomato Pot Pie with Buttermilk Biscuit Crust

Today is Day 2 of how I used my vegetable box.I decided to focus on fennel .I was stumped because I have only had fennel in salads. A Internet search pulled up the same types of recipes. I could have roasted it with and served it up with fish or chicken. Nah. I decided to use in a Chicken Pot Pie. Why Not? I had a really good chicken pot pie in the company cafeteria and wanted to do it my way. Rather than a short crust I decided to make a Buttermilk Biscuit crust( need to use that leftover buttermilk from the Daring Bakers Challenge). I figured Certain Someone may like this .Plus there would be leftovers as he and I towards the end of the week will be in opposite directions. While I'm sunning( working ) it up in sunny Florida he'll need some good leftovers to pull out.I decided to use Martha Stewart's Biscuit recipe for the buttermilk biscuit.The filling is my inspiration.It wasn't to thick , all the better to sop up the sauce with your biscuit crust!

Coco's Chicken,Fennel,Sun dried Tomato Pot Pie with Buttermilk Biscuit Crust

Filling

1 bulb of fennel sliced thin(remove tops).

3/4 cup of frozen peas

3 boneless chicken breasts cooked and cut into cubes( I cooked mine in ground sage, salt ,pepper, bay leaf and parsley.Save any liquid).

1 cup plain yogurt

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

9 sun dried tomatoes snipped into pieces

2 tablespoons of flour

2 tablespoons of butter

Preheat oven to 375 .Mix chicken , sliced fennel,peas, and sun dried tomatoes in dish you are baking in.In a pan melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add flour. Mix like a roux until incorporated.Gradually add chicken broth while whisking. You should have a slightly thickened sauce. Add the yogurt and thoroughly mix.Pour over chicken and vegetables.Make Martha Stewart's Buttermilk Biscuit ( note I reduced this by half). Roll out a round of dough to top dish.You can add cut outs with the leftover. Brush the tops with Buttermilk and bake for approx 25 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Dont forget about Tamale Open!

"Pastaless" Veggie Lasagna

New Year, new ways of looking at my food. I love lasagna. I make a huge batch of it about twice a year and all my friends and family love it. My mother taught me how.Her recipe was so good that people who didn't normally care for lasagna ,loved hers. Ricotta,2-3 types of meats,various Italian cheeses,egg,spinach, nutmeg,herbs and spices....you name it. It was so rich , good and fattening. I already feel as if I'm about to explode from all the Holiday baking and food blogging.I craved it but had to find a alternative. I decided to use grilled eggplant cut lenghtwise as my"noodle". I also made up my own sauce with a pound of ground turkey. I grilled up some zucchini as well. I made my cheese filling using my mothers version,but with fat free ricotta,part skim mozzarella, spinach(frozen,thawed,and drained of moisture), 1 egg, nutmeg, and Parmesan. I layered eggplant,the cheese filling, the zucchini , sauce,the cheese filling,and roasted red peppers, topped of with more eggplant, sauce,then grated mozzarella,Parmesan,herbs, etc.You get the picture. I'm not kidding myself that this dish is totally healthy,but one has to take baby steps first. Certain Someone whined 'Where's his noodles" and looked on skeptically as I ate mine. He opted for the leftover cream sauce from the night befores butternut squash ravioli,on top of some more pasta. He was to stuffed to try mine. All in all it tasted pretty good. Like a cross between Eggplant Parmesan and lasagna. I didn't miss the pasta at all.