White chicken lasagna

white lasagna

We had planned to make a meat and cheese lasagna but the rain kept us indoors last Saturday. We had chicken and a few other vegetables so made this new lasagna recipe. I don’t like a strong tomato flavor with chicken so we experimented with this new white lasagna. You could put a small amount of tomato sauce on the top to make it more liquid. Feel free to experiment with other vegetables. I imagine mushrooms and spinach would also be really good.

• 1 pound (400+ gr.) chicken breast diced
• 1 half cauliflower chopped
• 1 large onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 red pepper
• lasagna noodles
• half pound mozzarella cheese (250 gr)
• cream sauce (800 gr)
• diced dried tomatoes (optional)
• salt/pepper

Saute onion and garlic in large frying pan. After 5 minutes add peppers and chicken. Chop cauliflower and add. Let cook for 15-20 minutes while you make the cream sauce and prepare the lasagna pan. Grease lasagna pan and layer with noodles. Add 1 layer of chicken mixture. Use the juice that has been accumulated. Add a layer of cream sauce. Repeat noodles and chicken. Add dried tomatoes if using and 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Add noodles and top with last of cream sauce and tomato sauce if using. Cook for 30-40 minutes covered with tin foil (or until noodles are done). Add remaining cheese and bake uncovered until melted.

Serve with a salad and garlic bread.

Coconut Tofu

 

This is all that was left!

I had my first whole conversation with a random person and on various topics in Danish. I went to get tofu at one of the many ethnic shops in Aalborg. She asked what I was looking for and we started talking while she gave me my tofu. She has family in who lives in the US and we talked about that and the different opportunities life in Denmark and the US offers. In Denmark there is equality to get an education but after you graduate she says it is difficult for foreigners to get a job. In the US, its hard to get higher education but once you do there isn’t as much racism to get a job. It was an interesting perspective. She also talked about the problem of corruption in Vietnam. I tell you this was a real conversation, not your typical “hi, my name is…, I’m from…, I’m…”.

Coconut Tofu Rice Noodle

• 1 stalk (not the upper stem) leek 
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2-3 teaspoons sugar
• salt, pepper, squirt of soy
• spices: pinch of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon “tandori masala bbq” seasoning (a mix of cumin, cinnomin, cilantro, oregano, thyme), dash of nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon basil.
• 1 400 gr. (10.5 oz) coconut milk– today I used organic and it was good!
• 1/2 cauliflower
• 125 gr. rice noodles (i used half a package).

Saute leeks and garlic in oil until done. Add cubed tofu, sugar, and spices. After 2 minutes add coconut milk. Leave coconut tofu to simmer. Adjust seasoning if necesary. Add chopped cauliflower to boiling water with salt and cook for 4 minutes. Then add rice noodles and drain after 3. Combine coconut tofu and cauliflower and rice noodles.

Special Chicken Pesto Pasta

Ok, so between Carlos and I tonight we made a great meal! It was great! I was also inspired by a conversation this morning with a Filipino women who had lived in China and was talking about Asian noodles. Anyway, Carlos wanted to cook chicken and then cook the noodles in the broth (an oriental idea). We also want to thank Karl for letting Carlos try his vegetarian pasta one day with dried tomatoes and capers. We have added them to our seasonings thanks to that! Originally we were going to have the noodles with tomato sauce but we decided that would take too long, besides it was a bit boring.  I’m telling you this is good and easy! It is easy, just remember when reading the directions that you are constantly moving between two pans: a noodle/broth pan and saute pan. Ask if you have any questions.

Special Chicken Pesto Pasta

Special Chicken Pesto Pasta

• 1/4 chicken with some skin on it
• 1/4 pound whole wheat spaghetti noodles
• 1 small/medium cauliflower chopped
• 1 medium onion
• 3 medium cloves garlic
• 1/2-1 tablespoon pesto
• 3-4 dried tomatoes (i used the ones in oil)
• olive oil
• capers to taste
• freshly ground pepper
• salt
• fresh basil leaves
• a big squirt of soy sauce 

First, place 1/4 of a small chicken (one thigh, part of a breast) into a small/medium sized sauce pan. This will now be referred to as pan 1.  The chicken should have a little skin on it. Add water to fill about 1/3 of the pan.  Add salt and boil for about 10 minutes. While the chicken is cooking, chop onion and saute in about 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium/high heat in pan 2. Prepare pressed garlic and cauliflower.  When the chicken is mostly cooked remove it. Add the noodles to the chicken broth in pan 1 and stir. The broth should cover noodles by only a little. Stir to prevent them from sticking.

In pan 2, add 2 crushed garlic cloves and another 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to the onions. Stir and reduce heat to medium. Take the chicken meat off the bones and add to the onion and garlic with a tablespoon of pesto concentrate in pan 2. Add 3-4 chopped dried tomatoes. Mix.  

After the noodles have cooked for about half their cooking time (4-5 minutes) add the cauliflower and add a bit of salt to pan 1. Cook for another 3-4 minutes on medium heat. Then, as the water evaporates more, turn the heat off and leave covered. Any remaining water will continue to be evaporated. While the noodles/cauliflower are finishing cooking, turn off the chicken and finish it by adding any salt, a generous amount of freshly ground pepper, capers and fresh basil. The noodles should have absorbed the water by now so finish them by adding a splash of soy sauce, 1 clove crushed garlic, a dash of pepper and salt to taste.  Top the noodles with the chicken pesto mix! It was a winner!