Spinach Artichoke Lasagna Rolls and Chocolate Risotto.... and a GIVEAWAY!

Can't believe holiday season is almost upon us and I'm very happy to be a part of Colavita and Perugina 'Join our Italian holiday Table' campaign this year. They sent me a large variety of their products including olive oils, crushed tomatoes, marinara sauce, artichokes hearts, olives, lasagna, arborio rice and some absolutely delicious Perugina chocolates. One of you lucky readers will also receive the same amazing products -- scroll down to the end of the post for more details of the giveaway.

Colavita is a family owned company and they have been importing and distributing Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil for over 30 years. Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil is recognized as the #1 Italian brand in the US and has earned awards from renowned cooking publications such as Fine Cooking and Cook’s Illustrated and general-interest magazines like Men’s Health. Perugina is Italy’s most renowned chocolate maker and Baci are Perugina’s most famous confection. Baci (which means “kisses” in Italian) are perfect as an ingredient in recipes, as a daily indulgence or as a gift for a loved one.

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Vegetarian Bread Lasagna & Kale - Fig Salad

Blogging Marathon# 27: Week 1/ Day 2
Theme: Occasions - Casual Lunch with Friends @ Home
Dish(es) - Bread Lasagna with Kale & Fig Salad

Today's occasion is a casual lunch with friends at home. We had a couple of friends over for lunch recently and I made this simple Bread Lasagna along with Kale & Fig Salad. Lasagna with bread is such a great idea and when I found this recipe from Vegan Yumyum, I wanted to try it right away.

Traditional lasagna with the wide noodles is time consuming and a little tricky to make. I have torn the cooked lasagna noodles in the past, so using rustic bread is such a brilliant idea. I used a wholegrain French bread and layered it with roasted eggplant, store bought tomato sauce and grated cheese. Veggie layer is actually very versatile and any sauteed or roasted veggies would taste great in this dish. Using store bought tomato sauce cuts down on the prep time, but homemade would taste awesome too.

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Baked Manicotti

For Day 3 of BM, I made this hearty and comforting baked pasta dish. Turning on the oven makes the kitchen nice and toasty -- perfect for chilly winter nights, so you know where I spend most of my time in winters ;-). This is a stuffed pasta dish with creamy Swiss chard and ricotta filling smothered in spicy tomato sauce and topped with lots of cheese -- great to please a crowd.

Stuffing traditional manicotti/ canneloni pasta can be tricky since cooked pasta tubes are very delicate and have a tendency to tear. So to make life easy I used no-boil lasagna noodles, an idea borrowed from Cook's Country magazine. Filling recipe is adapted from Giada's Swiss Chard & Pea Manicotti. Here's how I made it.

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Mexican Vegetable Lasagna

This is a very nutritious and filling dish. I adapted Rachael Ray's Mexican lasagna to suit our taste. I used almost all the different variety of veggies I had in the fridge.

Ingredients:
For the Filling:
Onion - 1 medium, chopped
Garlic - 2 cloves, minced
Zucchini - 1 medium, chopped
Red Pepper - 3 medium, chopped ( I actually used 1 each of red, green and orange)
Spinach - 3 cups, roughly chopped
Red Kidney beans - 1 15 oz. can, drained and rinsed
Chopped Tomatoes - 1 15 oz. can ( or as required)
Cumin powder - 2 tbsp
Chili powder - 1 tbsp
Salt and pepper - to taste

Other Ingredients:
Tortillas - 3 ( I used large flour tortillas, you can substitute corn tortillas)
Sharp Cheddar cheese - 1 cup, grated
Pepper Jack cheese - 1 cup, grated
Green onions - 2, for garnish

Method:

• In a large pot, heat 2 tbsp oil on medium flame. Add garlic and saute till light brown. Add onions, peppers, zucchini and saute for about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper; cover and cook for about 8-10 minutes or until the veggies are just tender.
  
• Add chopped spinach and kidney beans. Cook till the spinach wilts, about 3 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes ( make sure that the filling is not too wet), cumin powder, chili powder. Cook for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and keep aside.

Assembling the Lasagna:

• In a baking dish (I used a square baking dish), spread just a little filling (about 2tbsp)in the bottom.
  
• Halve the tortillas and layer the filling with 2 tortilla half moons (with the cut side facing outward).
• Spread 1/3 of the filling and cheese over the tortillas. Place another layer of tortillas.
• Repeat the layers with filling and cheese.
• Top most layer should be cheese (add more cheese for a gooey top).
• Bake in pre-heated 425F oven for 10-15 minutes or till the cheese is melted and slightly browned.
• Garnish with chopped green onions and enjoy with a simple salad for a complete meal.
  

* Left over filling is great with rice (white or brown).
* Lasagna can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days; reheats well and is great for lunch
the next day.
* Any veggie or beans can be added like mushrooms, black beans, pinto beans, broccoli.