Zucchini Lasagna

Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1/8 • Old Points: 8 pts • Points+: 9 pts
Calories: 345 • Fat: 17 g • Carbs: 16 g • Fiber: 2 g • Protein: 36 g • Sugar: 8 g
Sodium: 801 (without salt) 

Ingredients:  

• 1 lb 93% lean beef
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 onion
• 1 tsp olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 3 medium zucchini, sliced 1/8" thick
• 15 oz part-skim ricotta
• 16 oz part-skin mozzarella cheese, shredded (Sargento)
• 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1 large egg

Directions:

In a medium sauce pan, brown meat and season with salt. When cooked drain in colander to remove any fat. Add olive oil to the pan and saute garlic and onions about 2 minutes. Return the meat to the pan, add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Simmeron low for at least 30-40minutes, covered. Do not add extra water, the sauce should be thick.



Meanwhile, slice zucchini into 1/8" thick slices, add lightly salt and set aside or 10 minutes. Zucchini has a lot of water when cooked, salting it takes out a lot of moisture. After 10 minutes, blot excess moisture with a paper towel.

On a gas grill or grill pan, grill zucchini on each side, until cooked, about 1-2 minutes per side. Place on paper towels to soak any excess moisture.

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a medium bowl mix ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and egg. Stir well. 


In a 9x12 casserole spread some sauce on the bottom and layer the zucchini to cover. Then place some of the ricotta cheese mixture, then top with the mozzarella cheese and repeat the process until all your ingredients are used up. Top with sauce and mozzarella and cover with foil.

Bake 45 minutes covered at 375°, then uncovered 15 minutes. Let stand about 5 - 10 minutes before serving.
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Grain-Free Sweet Potato Brownies

 

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cup of naked mashed sweet potatoes

1 cup of Cashew Butter – or any nut butter of your choosing

3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder

1 Egg

1/4 cup of Maple Syrup

1 teaspoon of vanilla

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of baking soda

Instructions:   Beforehand- Poke 3-4 Sweet Potatoes with a fork and bake them in the oven for 1 hour.  ( this can be done the day before and stored in the fridge) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl.  Adding the egg last. Line an 8 by 8 pan with parchment paper Once all the ingredients have been mixed, pour batter into the baking dish Bake for 25 minutes. 

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Crosstitch Crafts

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Close some doors....

The Ugly Truth About Olive Oil

Olive oil has been around for thousands of years, in fact, olives are one of the oldest known foods. While there is a lot of information on the subject, it is no doubt that the oil extracted from olives is an extremely healthy oil. In fact it is safe to say that it is one of the healthiest oils that is available to us today. With its array of benefits including: anti-inflammatory properties, cardiovascular, digestive health, bone health, eyesight, anti cancer and many more benefits, olive oil truly is an incredible super food!

Most people are aware of the amazing benefits that olive oil provides, but the majority of people are not aware of the adverse properties that the olive oil contains when it is heated. When heated, even at extremely low temperatures all the amazing enzymes and health benefits that the oil contains are destroyed, and in turn the oil itself transforms into a trans fat. This is of the worst types of fats to consume including animal fats. Man made trans fats can increase your ‘bad’ cholesterol and decrease your ‘good’ cholesterol.

Even heating olive oil at a very low temperature causes this oil to transform into this unhealthy, rancid state. Olive oil is better left alone, the way it is, at room temperature. Olive oil is excellent for making salad dressings, using as a dip for bread, and you can even drizzle it over your favorite cooked dishes for that divine, distinctive flavor.

When purchasing olive oil from the store there are a few important things to look out for. There is a lot of demand for this oil, and unfortunately the supply does not meet this demand. Many of the oils that are sold in the store as pure olive oil are actually mixed with other oils to expand the amount of actual olive oil that is used. There are standards that are used for pure olive oil. The IOCC International Olive Oil Council labels the oil which contains the true standards for the popular ‘Extra Virgin Olive Oil,’ and ‘Virgin Olive Oil.’ If you do not see the IOCC label, it may not be what it claims to be. Another thing to look out for is making sure that the oil is ‘Cold Pressed.’ This means that the olives are not heated while the oil is being extracted, that is very important. If the oil is heated at all, it completely defeats the purpose of even using this oil.

Now, you may be wondering now ‘What the heck am I supposed to cook with?’ Well there is an excellent substitute for olive oil… Coconut oil! Coconut oil is a natural, also extremely healthy type of oil, that can be heated to much higher temperatures without losing all of its essential nutrients and turning into a trans fat. There is a bit of a stigma around coconut oil because it is in fact a saturated fat, but it is a healthy saturated fat. (Breast milk is actually 50% saturated fat and it is regarded as the healthiest thing to ingest.) Coconut oil can assist in: weight loss, high blood pressure, heart disease, bone health, digestion, diabetes, cancer and many other ailments. It also contains lauric acid, which has antifungal and antibacterial properties.

Coconut oil is solid at its natural state, so when cooking with it, you just scoop it out, and add it to your pan or pot or whatever, it will melt pretty quickly. When storing, you should keep it in a cool dark place, but NOT in the refrigerator. If it is kept in a warm area it will liquefy.

A great thing about coconut oil is that there are a few different varieties. You can buy it specifically for cooking and this type has virtually no taste or smell, so no, all your food won’t have a tropical twist to it! I enjoy using the tasteless type for cooking, and I like to use the extra virgin raw type that has a mild coconutty flavor. I use this kind to just eat straight, or spread on toast. It is delicious! One thing to make sure of is that you are buying raw, organic 100% coconut oil. Read the labels.

Not only is this oil great to ingest, but also it can be used topically for a number of different things. It is a great to rub on dry hands, chapped lips, and it can be melted and applied to your hair as well!

Here’s to health and happy cooking!

UPDATE:

Due to its chemical structure and a large amount of unsaturated fats, cooking makes extra-virgin olive oil very susceptible to oxidative damage. However, during this interview I learned that extra-virgin olive oil has a significant draw-back even when used cold – it’s still extremely perishable!

As it turns out, extra-virgin olive oil contains chlorophyll that accelerates decomposition and makes the oil go rancid rather quickly.

In fact, Dr. Moerck actually prefers using almost tasteless, semi-refined olive oil rather than extra-virgin olive oil for this reason.

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Fresh Strawberry Cake

Ingredients

For the Cake
• 3 cups cake flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup sour cream
• 2 Tbsp vanilla extract
• ¾ cup milk
For the Strawberry Frosting (See note below!)
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 3 pints (~2 pounds) strawberries, stems and hulls removed

Instructions

For the Cake
1. Grease and flour 2 9” round cake pans; set aside. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir until well combined; set aside.
3. Using a countertop mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
4. Add about ½ of the flour mixture to the bowl; mix on low speed until well combined.
5. Add the sour cream, vanilla, and approximately half of the milk to the bowl. Mix on low until well combined.
6. Add the remaining flour mixture; mix on low until well combined.
7. Add the remaining milk; mix on low until well combined. (Tip: Don’t forget to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure all ingredients are fully mixed.)
8. Divide the batter evenly between the 2 cake pans. Bake at 325°F for 34-36 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
For the Strawberry Frosting
9. In a medium bowl, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form; set aside. (Make sure to beat until whipped cream is very stiff--stiffer than "normal"--but take care not to overbeat.)
10. In the bowl of a countertop mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened cream cheese on high speed until light and fluffy. (Tip: Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl once or twice during this step.)
11. Add the sugar and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until fully combined.
12. Meanwhile, chop about 3/4 of the strawberries into 1/3"-1/2" cubes.
13. Add the chopped strawberries to the bowl and mix until fully combined. (Note: The frosting will turn pink; mix until frosting is uniform in color.)
14. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the whipped cream. Stir until well combined.
To Assemble the Cake
15. Place one layer of cake on a large plate. Frost the top of the layer with Strawberry Frosting. Place the second layer of cake on top and frost the top of the cake.
16. Using an offset spatula, frost the sides of the cake. (Note: It is helpful to refrigerate the frosting for about 20-30 minutes before frosting the sides of the cake.)
17. Slice the remaining strawberries and garnish the top of the cake with the slices.

Notes

Baker's Note #1: Update based on readers' comments In order for the whipped cream frosting to be stiff enough for the cake, the cream should be whipped longer than normal. You don't want to create butter, but the cream should be whipped past the stiff peaks stage. Alternatively, you can either increase the amount of cream cheese by 4 oz. or reduce the amount of heavy cream by 1 cup. This will produce a frosting that is a bit more stable...making it easier to frost the cake. I hope this helps!

Baker's Note #2: The cake pictured in this post actually has 3 layers. I normally make this cake in 2 layers, and the recipe below is for the 2-layer version. If you'd like to make the 3-layer version, just make 1.5x the recipe.

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We should all be Eating more Turmeric, here's Why...

Who needs medication when nature gave us turmeric. Take a look at the incredible health benefits of this plant.
The Many Health Benefits of Turmeric

- Digestive Aid
- Blood Purifier
- Anti-inflammatory
- Wound Healer
- Skin Tonic
- Analgesic
- Anti-viral
- Anti-bacterial 
- Anti-fungal
- Antiseptic
- Anti-carcinogenic 
- Fat Metabolizer
- Cholesterol Reducer
- Gas Reducer
- Expectorant

Treating Illness-- It's the Curcumin...

Powdered turmeric has been used for centuries to treat a host of illnesses. It inhibits inflammatory reactions, has anti-diabetic effects, reduces cholesterol among other powerful health effects. A recent study led by a research team in Munich showed that it can also inhibit formation of metastases.

Curcumin, the natural pigment that gives the spice turmeric its yellow color, has increasingly come under the scientific spotlight in recent years, with studies investigating its potential health benefits.

Turmeric has a slightly bitter taste. By blending it with sweet fruit, you won’t even notice it in your smoothie. This recipe is so tasty and nutritious, you could have it daily.

Turmeric Smoothie Recipe

If you wanted to create the perfect smoothie with anti-cancerous properties, potent anti-inflammatories, as well as anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal constituents, look no further than adding turmeric. Although turmeric has a lightly bitter taste, you won't even notice it in this delicious recipe that will have you craving it daily.

This recipe is best consumed in the morning on an empty stomach. Not only will it increase your energy for the first half of the day, but it will clear your mind and infuse your body with some of the most powerful antioxidants in the world. Now that's a great breakfast idea!

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