Swiss Chard Pot Stickers!

We got some Swiss Chard a few weeks ago and the farmers gave us a recipe, I lost it so I found this one on Whole Living! We left out the mushrooms. Alex LOVED them to say the least. Great way to sneak in some veggies!

Makes 24

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, such as safflower
• 8 ounces Swiss chard (one small bunch), leaves coarsely chopped, stems minced
• 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and discarded, caps chopped (I DIDN'T USE MUSHROOMS B/C WE DON'T REALLY LIKE THEM...)
  
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons rice-wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (DIDN'T USE THIS EITHER B/C IT WAS EXPENSIVE)
  
• 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 24 round dumpling wrappers (FOUND THESE AT ASIAN STORE)
  

Directions

1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add chard, mushrooms, scallions, and garlic and cook until chard stems are crisp-tender and liquid has evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes. Squeeze excess liquid from chard. Transfer to a bowl; stir in vinegar, sesame oil, and soy sauce; season with salt and pepper. Wipe skillet dry and set aside.
2. Place 1 rounded teaspoon filling toward the edge of a dumpling wrapper. Moisten one edge with water using your finger. Bring two edges together, forming a half moon and enclosing filling. Pinch a couple of small pleats along top layer of wrapper. Seal by pressing pleated and unpleated edges together. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat. Keep dumplings and unused wrappers covered with damp paper towels while working.
3. Heat remaining tablespoon vegetable oil in reserved skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange dumplings in pan, tightly, flat-side down, and cook until deep golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add 1/2 cup of water. Return to heat. Cover and cook until heated through, all the water has evaporated, and bottoms are crisp, 4 to 6 minutes more (remove the lid for the last 30 seconds of cooking). Slide dumplings onto a serving platter, and serve with dipping sauce (we used duck sauce).

cinnamon baked french toast

So easy! You can put it all together the night before, stick in fridge and put in oven in the morning! I've made it twice. Alex liked it better the second time when I cooked it a little longer.


The Pioneer Woman's French Toast!

veggie lasagna

1 9oz box whole wheat lasagna (no bake, the brand she used was Gia Russa, but I am sure you could use any no bake noodle)
2 24 oz jars tomato basil spaghetti sauce
2 eggs
2 lbs. ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese
1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes
2 medium sized zucchinis or 3 small (my mom used a combo of yellow squash and zucchini)
1 8oz package baby bella sliced mushrooms
1 6 oz package baby spinach
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves fresh garlic minced (she used more garlic)
additional grated parmesan and romano cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 9X13 glass baking dish (if using a foil pan it says to allow 10-15 extra minutes to cook) with nonstick cooking spray
2. In a medium bowl combine:ricotta, mozzarella, grated cheese, eggs and parsley; set aside.
3. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and saute garlic; add zucchini, squash, mushrooms and gently saute for approximately 2-3 minutes (careful not to overcook, they will continue to cook while baking); set aside
4. remove lasagna from box, DO NOT BOIL
5. To assemble, cover the bottom of the baking dish with 3/4 c sauce
6. Layer 4 uncooked noodles (slightly overlapping), 1/3 of ricotta cheese mixture, 1/3 of veggies and 1/3 of spinach. Drizzle 3/4 cup of sauce over veggies. Next layer another row of noodles and press down slighlty, repeat previous steps until there are 4 layers. Top with 3/4 cup sauce
7. Cover with foil and bake for 45-50 min or until hot and bubbly.
8. Remove from oven and let stand for 15-20 min before cutting and serving. Heat remaining sauce and serve with lasagna.