Summer Salad

Hello everyone! :)

Sorry, I have been away for a while.! I was visiting family back home with my family :) We had a blast and I miss them so much already!

While I was there, I did this delicious salad.  I named it Summer salad just because I have no name for it haha! It was refreshing, and so full of color and life.. just like summer! :)

It is easy to make!  Hope you enjoy!

Summer Salad
Ingredients:

- 1 can asparagus
- 1 can beets
- 1 can palmito
- 1 can baby corn
- 1 can artichoke
- 3 tomatos, cut in medium sized cubes
- 3 cucumbers, cut in medium sized cubes
- 2 cups of lettuce, washed and cut for salad
- 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, cubed
- 2 avocados

For the dressing:
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Mustard
Honey (little)
Salt

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients but the asparagus and avocado.  Pour dressing and mix slowly.  Decorate with avocado and asparagus as desired.

Enjoy!

Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna

I love sweet potato, pumpkin, butternut squash.  The sweet tasty aftermath that is left in the mouth is scrumptious!  My family does not usually like it, so I still work hard on testing recipes to see if they will like it.

I came up thru this recipe while using Pinterest, and the mix of Spinach with the Butternut Squash got me drooling!  let alone Ricotta cheese in it, looked delicious!  and well fit for my meatless cooking day!  This also does well being a side dish since it is meatless and it is great for vegetarian people.

The recipe is a vegetarian lasagna that calls for creamy texture and sweetness added to it.  My family liked it so definitely it will be on my meatless meal list!  

Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna

Ingredients

Butternut Squash Filling:

- 2 cups butternut squash puree (see Instructions on how to do )

- 1 cup ricotta cheese

- 1/2 cup milk plus 2 tbsp

- 1/3 teaspoon of salt

- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Spinach Filling:

- 1 cup cooked spinach (8 oz uncooked)

- 1 cup ricotta cheese

- 1 cup mozzarella cheese

- 2 garlic cloves, minced

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

- pepper, to taste

Other Ingredients:

- 10 oz lasagna noodles, cooked

- 1 and 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese (or more)

- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (Optional – I did not use)

- Paprika

Instructions

 - Preheat oven to 375 F / 190 C.

Butternut Squash Filling:

    - To do the butternut squat filling, you would need to cut in half one butternut squat, remove seeds, and close it up in aluminum foil.  Place in oven and bake for 30min or until it is soft.  Once cooked, spoon out the meat and blend it until pureed.  To complete the filling, blend 2 cups of butternut squash puree  with Ricotta cheese, milk, salt and nutmeg. Add more milk if needed (to make the butternut squash filling very creamy). Mix very well, taste and add more salt, if needed.

Spinach Filling:

   - Combine spinach, Ricotta cheese, mozzarella, garlic, salt and pepper.

Cooking lasagna noodles:

   - Bring a very large pot of water to boil, and cook lasagna noodles according to package instructions. Rinse in cold water, drain.

Lasagna assembly:

   - Grease the lasagna dish lightly with butter. Spread 1/3 of butternut squash filling on the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle lightly with mozzarella cheese. Top with cooked lasagna noodles without overlapping.

   - Spread half of spinach filling over the noodles. Top lightly with Mozzarella cheese. Top with cooked noodles.

   - Spread another layer (1/3) of butternut squash mixture, then sprinkle lightly with Mozzarella cheese. Top with cooked noodles.

   - Spread the remaining half of spinach filling over the noodles. Top lightly with Mozzarella cheese. Top with the final layer of cooked noodles.

   - Spread a generous amount of butternut squash filling (the remaining 1/3) over this final layer of noodles, sprinkle with grated Parmesan and remaining mozzarella cheese (about 1/2 cup of mozzarella). Generously sprinkle the cheese with paprika if desired.

   - Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 min. Remove foil and bake additional 10 minutes.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless chicken breast, cubed
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper
• 2 egg, beaten
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup fine bread crumbs
• oil for deep frying

Directions:

• Place cubed chicken breasts into a food processor and blend until it forms a smooth paste. Transfer to a medium bowl and add parsley, onion powder, garlic powder , salt and pepper. Mix well. Put the flour in a bowl, season with salt and pepper. Put beaten eggs in another bowl and breadcrumbs in a different bowl. Place those 3 bowls close to the chicken mixture, to make it easier to work with. 
• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Roll out the chicken into small balls, about 1 tablespoon each, and flatten them using the palms of your hands to form the nugget shapes. Cover each nugget with flour, then dip into the egg, and cover with breadcrumbs. Repeat the process with the remaining nuggets. 
• Fry the nuggets in hot oil, until the chicken is cooked through and turn golden brown (about 4 minutes per side). Remove from the oil and drain the excess grease using paper towel. Serve warm.