Potato Lasagna

I had potatos, kale, leeks and shitake mushrooms to use up tonight. Jeff had mentioned lasagna the other night. I thought there might be a way to turn these ingredients into a lasagna. Google didn't disappoint.

The first link I clicked on was this recipe on Allrecipes: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Potato-Lasagna/Detail.aspx

My adaptation changed it to:
6 medium yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced (as thin as my mandolin could do)
3 medium carrots, shredded
2 leeks, chopped
1 bunch kale, chopped
8 oz fresh shitake mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 jar marinara sauce

Saute kale for 5 minutes with carrots, leeks, shitakes, garlic salt, pepper, and I tossed in some other pasta seasonings for good measure.
Lightly oil 9x13 casserole, layer two rows of potatos, lightly salt & pepper. Then put a layer of half of the kale mixture, a layer of 3/4 cup of sauce, and a layer of cheese. Then repeat again ending with cheese on top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes (I did this on convection bake), and then 10 minutes uncovered. (I browned it under the broiler for a minute too. I think it could've baked another 5 minutes covered but I was getting impatient.)



I can definitely see how this could work with a whole slew of different vegetables in place of the veggies I used. The gouda, cheddar, mozzarella combo made for a really rich lasagna. I just happened to have the smoked gouda on hand so I used it. I am interested in trying it with a more traditional lasagna cheese concoction so it's not so heavy next time.

Jalapeño my Bagels

Sage came home from school after reading a really cute story about a kid whose mother is Hispanic and father is Jewish. They make jalapeño bagels in their bakery because it represents them as a family and blends both cultures together. At the end of the story, there is the (following) recipe for these bagels. Sage was super excited to try them because he had not only just read about them but also because they are my dads favorite snack (and it's almost his birthday). We thought it would be a great present but I have to admit these bagels are a little so-so but it was our first time. Maybe we'll get better with time, practice or tweaking the recipe. Either way, here goes:

1 3/4 C. lukewarm water
1/2 tsp. dry yeast
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 TBS. sugar
5-6 C. flour
1/3 C. jalapeño chopped
1/4 C. dried peppers

Mix water, yeast, salt, sugar. Add flour and jalapeños and mix into a ball. Knead for 10-12 minutes, adding more flour if necessary until dough is stiff. Add red peppers and knead for a few minutes more. Let dough rest for 10 minutes then cut into 12 pieces with a knife. Roll each piece on a table to form long tube like shapes. Then for each of the twelve pieces, take the ends and overlap them about 3/4 inch to make a ring like shape. Secure the joints so it won't come loose in the next process. Cover with a damp towel and store in a warm place for 1-1 1/2 hours. In a large pot, boil 1-2 gallons of water. Once at a rolling boil, place bagels in pot til they float (15-30 seconds). Remove from water with a slotted spoon and place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes or until brown.

Sum Siam Salad

We are so fortunate to live close to two different huge and amazing Asian Supermarkets. I was searching our local produce places for this Green Papaya but came up empty til I thought of going to the Assi and of course, found what I was looking for. Anyway, this is easy and makes my mouth water:

1 Large Green Papaya (~4 cups shredded)
3/4 tomato (seeded)

dressing:
3 TBS brown sugar
1.5 TBS lime juice
2 cloves of garlic (mashed to a pulp)
3 TBS fish sauce
4 dried chili peppers (crushed)

crushed peanuts to garnish

I mixed the "dressing" together and threw it in the microwave for 20 seconds and stirred til the sugar dissolved into the rest of the liquid then tossed with the rest. Garnish with crushed peanuts, topple on cabbage, add dried shrimp or green beans. Even better the next day!! Yummy!