Summertime Lasagna

I realize its fall in most of the country, but I’m in Arizona where it is still quite warm.  Try to imagine it’s the middle of summer; it’s way too hot to run the oven for an hour to cook lasagna; and gardens are overflowing with fresh basil and tomatoes.  Summertime lasagna is definitely the way to go!  It’s not exactly lasagna in the traditional sense, but still rather yummy.

Grab the printable recipe here.

You’ll need:

• 2 - 3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

• As many fresh mixed tomatoes you can get (approximately 2 pounds), diced with all of the juices

• Salt

• 2 Tbs. freshly ground black pepper

• 10 - 12 lasagna noodles

• 1 cup fresh basil leaves (from 2 bunches), torn in half or cut in long slivers

• 2 Tbs. Italian seasoning

Begin by boiling water in a large pot.  Cook the lasagna noodles according to their package.  Be sure to reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water when the noodles are finished!  Drain the noodles once they are ready.

In a sauce pan over medium heat, heat the oil.  Add the garlic and cook until it is starting to color.  Add the tomatoes and their juices.  Cook about 4 to 5 minutes until the juices reduce.  Season the tomatoes with salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning.   Add the 1/4 cup pasta water and stir.

Add the drained noodles to the sauce and mix until the pasta is coated.  Add the basil and toss lightly again.  Sprinkle on some parmesan cheese and serve!

Corn Bread Casserole

I love cornbread, but sadly many of the boxed mixes are made with chicken stock.  I was looking for an easy cornbread recipe that didn’t take much time to make and was packed with corn flavor. 

The black bean sauce is crazy easy to whip up and is the perfect complement to the cornbread (which also doubles as a dessert when served with butter and honey!)

You can download the printable recipe here.

What you’ll need:

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup flour
• 4 Tbs. sugar1 Tbs. baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1 can (15 oz) cream-style corn
• 1 can (15 oz) kernel corn, drained
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup chunky salsa
• chopped fresh cilantro, if desired

To make the cornbread, first heat oven to 400°F and grease a square glass baking dish.  In a medium bowl, mix cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Then mix in cream-style corn, kernel corn, butter and eggs. 

Pour the mixture into the baking dish, and bake uncovered about 30 minutes. (Use a toothpick to check that casserole is baked.  Toothpick should come out clean.)

During last 5 minutes of baking, mix beans and salsa in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Cut casserole into squares; top with bean sauce.  Sprinkle with cilantro and serve!