Chicken and Cheese Lasagna Roll Ups

These were super easy to throw together and unbelievably yummy! Not to mention they just looked pretty when I put them on the table ;) Most definitely not the healthiest recipe, but you have to have some comfort food once in a while! I think I may do this again for a meatless meal.

*I plan on freezing this batch. When I'm ready to bake them I'll just pull it out in the morning to thaw and reheat in a 375 oven.

Chicken and Cheese Lasagna Roll Ups

2 C cooked chicken *I used half of a rotisserie chicken from Kroger*

1 C ricotta cheese

1/4 C grated parmesan cheese plus 2 T for sprinkling

1/4 C crumbled fetta cheese

1/4 C milk

2 T parsley

1/4 t Italian seasoning *optional*

1/8 t pepper

8 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained

2 C favorite spaghetti sauce

1 C frozen spinach, thawed and patted dry

1/2 C chopped mushrooms *I used crimini, they have great flavor*

In medium bowl combine chicken, cheeses, milk, pepper and Italian seasoning.  Spread 1/3-1/2 C mixture on each noodle and pat into a flat line down the middle of the noodle; roll up like a jelly roll. In a 9x13 baking dish spread 1 C spaghetti sauce until bottom is coated. Arrange lasagna noodles seam side down in the sauce in the pan. Top with remaining sauce down the middle of each roll. Sprinkle parmesan cheese and parsley on each one. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes.

*I found through trial and error the easiest way to do this is get your water to a rolling boil and drop your noodles in one at a time. I cooked mine for two minutes less than the recommended time. After they were done I laid out a sheet of aluminum foil and using tongs to transfer each noodle to the foil. I found that doing it this way helped avoid tearing the noodles. After they are laid out top with cheese mixture, roll up and place in pan and then throw away the foil and the mess! 

Quinoa and black bean tacos

I found this recipe for quinoa and black bean salad on my favorite food blog, Mel's kitchen cafe, but once I had it made it just wasn't very good as a salad like side dish. So I put it in a tortilla with tomatoes, avocados, sour cream and cheese. AmAzInG!!! The salad is slightly spicy and the avocados are so smooth and creamy, the flavors just blend perfectly. Mellie LOVED it and gobbled up three giant tacos. It was such a healthy meal I had no issue letting her have seconds and thirds. I'm so glad she likes quinoa since she's not a big meat eater. The first few times I made it no one really liked it then I came across some tips for making it taste better. You need to soak it for 15min-1 hour and then rinse it really well before cooking. Then instead of using the 2:1 water to quinoa ratio usually suggested drop it down to about 1.5:1 and cook it on a lower heat for about 20-25 minutes. It produces such a light and fluffy texture. SO good!!

Black Bean and Sweet Corn Quinoa Salad

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1  cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup frozen/canned sweet white corn
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When shimmering and hot, add the onions and saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and stir for a minute or two until the garlic is fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic.

Add the quinoa  and sauté for a minute or two. Cover with broth, stir in cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 20-25 minutes (or until all the liquid is absorbed).

Stir in the frozen corn and black beans. Cover and let the pot sit off the heat until the corn and beans are heated through, about 5-6 minutes.