Crockpot Lasagna

I love love love lasagna but sometimes, I don't feel like taking the time that is required to assemble it. This easy, slow cooker version is the perfect solution! Apparently I am really out of the swing of things, because I only took a picture of this when I put everything in the crockpot and forgot to take one of the finished product!

Crock Pot Lasagna
1 lb ground meat, browned and drained
1 onion, chopped
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
2 clove garlic, minced
Large can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 can tomato paste
1 cup low fat cottage cheese
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp oregano
1 1/4 tsp basil
Salt
Pepper
8-12 whole wheat lasagna noodles, broken into small pieces

1. Mix all ingredients in a large crockpot. There is no need to pre cook the noodles, even if they are not oven-ready. The liquid from the tomatoes is more than enough to cook them in the crockpot.

2. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

Makes 8 servings.

Beef Barley Soup

This is a comfort soup at it's finest! Another soup that reminds me of my Grandma K. I'm not sure why, I guess because I spent lots of "sick days" at her house while I was growing up, she probably made this for me a lot. It seems like the perfect soup to eat on a chilly evening, with the Christmas tree lights lit and a fire burning in the background.

Beef Barley Soup
1/2 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4-5 carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
EVOO
2 C leftover roast (chopped/shredded)
1/2 T oregano
1/2 T Montreal Steak Spice
1 tsp garlic powder
6-8 cups beef stock**
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 large can diced tomatoes, with juices
1 cup pot barley

**As the soup sits, the barley will really absorb the broth. It's often necessary to add more broth and/or water to the soup the next day. Or, you can leave it as it is, and enjoy a more "stew-life" version of the soup for leftovers, which is what I do.

1. Heat EVOO in a large soup pot. Add vegetables and minced garlic cook for 10-15 minutes until vegetables are beginning to soften.

2. Add roast, oregano, Montreal steak spice and garlic powder. Cook for a few minutes.

3. Add stock, Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes and barley. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1-1 1/2 hours until barley is expanded.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Greek Style Nachos

Greek Style Nachos with Baked Pitas - inspired by Sandra Lee
4 pitas
2 T EVOO
4-6 tsp Greek seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T minced onion
1 lb groung lamb, beef or venison (although 1/2 lb would be MORE than enough)
1 cup hummus
1 cup tzatiki
1 large tomato, finely chopped
1/4 cucumber, finely chopped
1/2 red oinion, finely chopped
1/2 can sliced black olives
1 cup lettuce, shredded
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1. Brown meat with garlic, minced onion and 2 tsp Greek seasoning. Drain. Meanwhile, prepare pitas and toppings. For pitas, use a pizza cutter to section each one into 8 wedges. Arrange on a foil lined baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with 2 tsp Greek seasoning. Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes, until brown and crispy. Chop all toppings.

2. Spread hummus along the bottom of a deep dish pie plate. Sprinkle with remaining Greek seasoning. This isn't really all that necessary but I only had a little bit left so I used it up.

3. Top with ground meat. Like I said, I used an entire pound but 1/2 would have been more than enough. I now wish I had kept the other half to put on pizza tonight.

4. Top with tzatiki. Don't worry - I will never figure out how to spell this word.

5. Top with remaining toppings, ending with feta cheese.

Serve with baked pita chips and/or regular tortilla chips. This makes a delicious appetizer or an interesting meal. We had it for our meal with cucumber dill salad. The only problem is, we ate less than half of it and it doesn't do to well as leftovers.