The ravioli is basically a substitute for lasagna noodles and ricotta / whatever other type of cheese you like to use. I still use Parmesan and Mozzarella, because I like my lasagna cheese and veggie loaded. It does not matter what type of cheese ravioli you buy, as long as it’s the “jumbo” kind. The larger raviolis will make it easier to cut the lasagna into equal portions without making a total mess out of the dish. All the other ingredients are completely up to you! My favorite way to make this dish is with soy crumbs, lots of fresh garlic, spinach and a simple, homemade tomato sauce.

Directions:

1. Boil the ravioli and set aside.
2. In a large skillet, cook your meat with some chopped onions and olive oil. I often make my lasagna completely vegetarian by substituting Morningstar Farms veggie crumbles instead of meat. You could also go completely veggie by stir-frying some zucchini, spinach, and your other favorite veggies.
3. Mix your meat and veggies with tomato or marinara sauce and then layer a large, oven-proof casserole with the ravioli, then the tomato mixture, and then a thin layer of Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese. Keep repeating until all your ingredients are used up.
4. Bake the casserole at 350 for about 35 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and bubbly. Enjoy!

Ingredients (for two people)

3 chicken breasts, sliced lengthwise in half
grated Meyer lemon zest of 1/2 lemon
1/2 lemon peel
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, sliced
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
5 table spoons of olive oil
1 table spoon of butter
flour for dredging
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Grate half the lemon and peel the other half. Set aside. Drain and slice the olives and finely chop the garlic.

2. Heat the olive oil o medium heat in a large skillet, slice and pat the chicken breasts dry.

3. Combine flour, salt, and pepper and dredge each halved chicken breast in the flour mixture. Lightly fry in the olive oil for a few minutes on each side, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet.

4. Add the butter to the same skillet and once melted, add the garlic, lemon zest, peel, and olives. Sauté for a few minutes on medium heat and then add the chicken broth. Simmer for about 10 minutes until some of the liquid is absorbed and then add the chicken back in. Cook for a few minutes and server warm.

If you’ve got some cremini or white button mushrooms leftover, try adding them in as well by sautéing them with the lemon and olives. They make an excellent addition to this super fresh and easy dish!

Ingredients (for 2 – 3 people)

2 medium sized fennel bulbs
4 tablespoons of high quality balsamic vinegar
5 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash and cut the fennel into small (less than an inch thick) slices / rings and add to a large bowl.

2. Toss the slices with the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper and bake on a large baking sheet for about 40 to 45 minutes on 400 degrees.

3. Serve warm and toss with grated Parmesan cheese, your favorite sauce, or enjoy the fennel just plain out of the oven, as a satisfying side dish.

Ingredients (for two people)

2 to 3 whole wheat wraps
2 cups of shredded Romaine lettuce
1 container of extra firm tofu, water drained
1 Roma tomato, seeds removed and finely chopped
1 cup (or more) of your favorite buffalo sauce (we like Frank’s red hot buffalo)
1/2 cup of blue cheese crumbles
1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt (2% or fat free)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Carefully dry the tofu with paper towels and cut into bite sized cubes. Dry again after cutting, so that the tofu is as moisture free as it can be.

2. Toss the tofu with the buffalo sauce and add more sauce if desired. Bake on a baking sheet lightly covered with cooking spray on 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. Turn the tofu about halfway through the baking process.

3. Chop the lettuce (unless you bought pre-shredded lettuce) and tomato. Mix the blue cheese crumbles with the Greek yogurt and set aside.

4. With about 5 minutes of baking time left, heat the wraps in a frying pan on low-medium heat.

5. Once the tofu is done, build the wraps by adding tofu first, then the lettuce and tomato, then the yogurt and blue cheese mixture. Eat right away to avoid the wrap getting soggy.

Ingredients (for 4 – 6 burgers)

About 1 pound ground turkey (we buy natural, hormone and antibiotic free turkey with about 8% fat)
About 3/4 of a cup of breadcrumbs
1 cup of cilantro, finely chopped
1 cup of  shredded 2% Mexican blend cheese
3 -4 tablespoons of light sour cream
1/2 Vidalio onion, finely chopped – cut the other half into thin strips
3 – 4 chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce, finely chopped
1 cup Cremini (baby Bella) mushrooms, sliced
4 -6 slices of 2% Pepper Jack cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. After chopping the onion, cilantro, chipotle peppers and mushrooms, take the turkey out of the package and mix in the onion, peppers, cilantro, shredded cheese, and sour cream. Add salt and pepper.

2. Slowly add the breadcrumbs, until the turkey mixture is firm enough to form patties.

3. Form patties and place on a foil wrapped cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.

4. Grill each patty for about 15 – 20 minutes on low heat (on a gas grill). Add a slice of Pepper Jack cheese to each patty during the last 3 – 5 minutes.

5. While the patties are grilling, spray a small skillet with cooking spray and sauté the mushrooms and onion strips for about 10 minutes.

6. Top the patties with the mushrooms and onions and serve with an ice cold glass of beer. Enjoy summer while it lasts!

Ingredients (for 2 people)

1/2 red onion, finely chopped
about 5 ounces of baby spinach (more, if desired)
2 pieces of Quorn naked chik’n cutlets, cut into bite-sized pieces and thawed to room temperature
1 teaspoon of ginger-garlic paste
1 teaspoon of garam masala
1.5  teaspoons of coriander powder
1.5 teaspoons of ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon of red chili powder (more, if desired)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
a splash of water

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and add the onion and ginger-garlic paste. Saute for about 2 minutes and then add the baby spinach. Cook on medium heat until the spinach starts to wilt.

2. Add all spices, salt, and pepper, and a splash of water so that the spinach doesn’t burn. Saute for a minute and then add the bite-sized pieces of Quorn.

3. Saute for about 5-6 more minutes and serve hot with warm rotis, naan, or pita bread.

1 pocket-less white or whole wheat pita
1/2 teaspoon of herbes de provence
1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 small tomato, thinly sliced and seeds removed
1 crimini mushroom, thinly sliced
a small handful of fat free or low-fat feta cheese
a sprinkle of good quality extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

2. Slice the tomato and mushroom and brush the pita with olive oil. Sprinkle all herbs evenly all over the oiled pita.

3. Top the pita with the feta cheese and bake for about 10 – 15 minutes, until the crust is fairly crispy. Serve warm with a glass of your favorite vino!

Ingredients (for 2 people)

1 pound thin rice noodles, soaked in water and drained, or prepared according to package
1 pound shrimp, 1 chicken breast, cut into strips, 1 pound of fried tofu, and/or 2 eggs, scrambled
1/2 red onion, julienned
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into small strips
1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut into small strips
1/2 cup of green onion, finely chopped
1 container of bean sprouts
1 tablespoon of ginger-garlic paste
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of spicy Madras curry powder (found at many Indian grocery stores)
4 tablespoons of Canola oil
chopped cilantro, to garnish the dish
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Soak rice noodles for at least 2 hours and drain, or prepare according to package directions to make the noodles soft, but tender.

2. Cut all veggies and saute chicken or shrimp, or fry tofu and scramble eggs in 2 tablespoons of Canola oil in a large wok.

3. Set chicken shrimp, tofu, or egg aside and in the same wok, add another 2 tablespoons of oil and saute ginger-garlic paste and all veggies on high heat for about 5-7 minutes.

4. Reduce heat to medium-high and add chicken / shrimp / tofu / eggs, Madras curry powder and soy sauce to the wok. Saute for another minute and add noodles.

5. Mix together for another 5 minutes, finish with salt and pepper to taste, add some chopped cilantro on top, and get ready to dig in!

Ingredients (for 2 people)

For the chicken:
1/3 cup of low-fat, plain yogurt
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3-4 tablespoons of tandoori masala powder
2 teaspoons of ginger garlic
1/2 teaspoon of red chili powder
a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
salt to taste
cooking spray

For the salad:
1 bag of prepared baby lettuce, arugula or other type of salad mix
1/2 English cucumber, unpeeled, washed and sliced
1 cup of grape tomatoes, washed and halved
your favorite salad dressing – optional

Directions

1. Marinate the chicken with all ingredients (except cooking spray), cover with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge over night.

2. The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, spray an oven-safe dish with cooking spray and add both chicken breasts. Bake on 350 for 30 minutes and broil for an additional 3 minutes.

3. While the chicken is in the oven, wash the lettuce, cucumber, and grape tomatoes and cut the cucumber and tomatoes. Toss the veggies together and divide evenly on two large plates.

4. Once the chicken is done, allow it to sit and cool for about 5 minutes, then cut lengthwise into strips. Top off the salad with the chicken, adding some olive oil or your favorite dressing, if desired. Enjoy!

Don’t eat chicken? Try this recipe with grilled tofu or paneer (Indian cottage-style cheese) instead.

Ingredients (for 2 people)

4 slices of panini style bread, or regular whole wheat bread
4 -6 slices of Gouda cheese, more if desired
6 – 8 slices of low-fat sliced turkey breast, more if desired
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
your favorite BBQ sauce (we like Bone Suckin’ Sauce Hot Thicker Style)
cooking spray for the grill

Directions

1. Warm up your panini maker or grill, add some cooking spray to a small frying pan and fry the onion until almost translucent.

2. Add the cheese and turkey to the bread, top with half the onion and the BBQ sauce.

3. Spray the panini maker or grill with cooking spray, put the bread on and let it do its magic until the panini is golden brown. Get ready to devour!