Zucchini and Pesto Lasagna

Zucchini is one of my favorite vegetables. Light, crunchy with a delicate aroma and flavor, it works well in almost any kind of dish. I really like to have zucchini with pasta. So, when I saw a recipe for zucchini and pesto lasagna in Cuisine Gourmande magazine, I just had to try it. The lasagna came out really delicious, light, fresh, aromatic, perfect for dinner on a warm day.

The recipe calls for pesto sauce, you can use either store bought pesto, or, like me, prepare it yourself (see the recipe for homemade pesto below). If the pine nuts are hard to obtain or too expensive, you can always replace them with sunflower seeds. If you decide to use dry lasagna noodles in place of fresh ones, cook them first in a slightly salted water.

Zuchinni and Pesto Lasagna

1 kg zucchini, cut into thin slices
9 fresh lasagna noodles
250 ml light cream
3 teaspoon pesto genovese*
1 ball (125 g) mozzarella cheese, sliced
40 g Parmesan cheese, grated
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper

1. In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the zucchini and garlic and cook for about 5 min. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Place the cream into a small pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low; simmer 3 min. Remove from the heat, stir in pesto and half of the Parmesan cheese. Season with pepper.
3. Preheat the oven to 410°F (210 °C)
4.Spoon 1/3 of the cream, pesto and Parmesan mixture in prepared baking dish, top with three lasagna noodles, then arrange 1/3 of the zucchini slices. Repeat twice with the remaining cream, pesto and Parmesan mixture, lasagna noodles and zucchini finishing with zucchini. Top with slices of mozzarella, sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.
5.Bake the lasagna for about 20-30 minutes, or until the zucchini is tender and the cheese is melted.

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*Pesto Genovese

Makes about 125 ml

25 g pine nuts
35 g basil leaves
1 large clove of garlic
25 g Parmesan cheese, grated
60 ml extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper

1. Toast the pine nuts in a small pan, leave to cool.
2. Wash and dry basil leaves.
3. Place the pine nuts, basil, garlic, and Parmesan cheese in a blender. Blend slowly pouring the olive oil.
4. Season with salt and pepper.

Store covered in a fridge up to five days.

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Recipe in Polish:
Lazania z cukinią i sosem pesto

Strawberry salad

It’s hard to believe but it’s been more than two months since I’ve blogged last time. The reason of my long absence was moving from Poland to the place, from where my husband comes from, Quebec. I arrived to Canada at the beginning of June; however it’s taken us some time to settle in the new place. There are still many things we miss here, however the necessary kitchen appliances are already there, so I can happily start cooking, baking and blogging again. :)

Today’s recipe is a quick and easy salad made with juicy strawberries, crunchy lettuce and walnuts drizzled with delicious strawberry dressing. Even though made with strawberries and honey, the dressing isn’t sweet. The salad is light and refreshing, perfect for warm summer days. I sprinkled my salad with chopped walnuts, but you can also use hazelnuts (either chopped or whole), sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds if you like.

Strawberry Salad

Serves 4

head of lettuce (preferably lollo rose, frisée or oak leaf )
250 g strawberries
2 tbsp walnuts
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp honey
salt
pepper

Wash and dry the lettuce, if the leaves are big, tear them into pieces. Slice half of the strawberries. Toss in the lettuce leaves. Divide the salad into 4 plates. Sprinkle each portion with chopped nuts.

To make the dressing, combine the remaining strawberries with the white wine vinegar, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper in a blender or food processor. Process until smooth. Pour the dressing over the salad.

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Recipe in Polish:
Sałata z truskawkami

Granola with Cashew Nuts and Cranberries

I can't imagine a day without having breakfast in the morning . I'm always very hungry when I wake up and can't wait to eat something tasty. One of my favorite breakfast recipe is homemade granola. It's not only healthier than cereals from a grocery store, but also tastes better. What I like most about homemade granola though is that you can add whatever you want to it, the number of possible combinations is countless. The inspiration for today’s granola comes from Design Sponge blog. I've made a few changes to the original recipe, but the result remained the same, amazingly crunchy and absolutely delicious:)

Notes to the recipe: The original recipe, which can be found here , was made with honey, not maple syrup. I used maple syrup as I think it pairs better with cranberries, but you can, of course, use honey if that’s more convenient for you. I didn't want my granola to be very sweet, so I didn't use much sugar. Feel free to add more sugar if that suits your taste. I like this granola most with plain soy milk, but you can have it with regular milk or yoghurt as well.

Granola with Cashew Nuts and Cranberries

3 cups rolled oats
1/4 raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup sliced almonds
3/4 cup raw cashews
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F).
2. Combine all the ingredients, except for cranberries, in a large bowl.
3. Spread out on a cookie sheet.
4. Bake for about 20 minutes, stirring and turning occasionally, until toasty golden brown.
5. After baking, allow to cool thoroughly. Stir in the cranberries. Store in an airtight container or glass jar at room temperature.

Przepis po polsku:
Granola z orzechami nerkowca i żurawiną