Tomato and Goat Cheese Manicotti with Balsamic Asparagus

I went to get some routine maintenance done on my car on Friday, so I decided to stop by the store and pick up a magazine before I went. Along with Shape, I also picked up a cookbook that caught my eye. The book is called "Weight Loss Recipes," and it is a compilation of different recipes from Prevention magazine. Good thing I grabbed it, because I ended up being at the car dealership for four long hours, and I still had time to spare after I had finished reading both the magazine and the cookbook. There are actually a lot of things in this book that I am anxious to make, but I decided to start with this one.

I discovered over winter break that I really like goat's cheese. My mom and I took a cooking class at the Whole Foods Market in Austin (which is probably one of my favorite places in the world. It is the original WFM, and it is one gigantic store full of delicious and fresh food), and one of the recipes we made was a broiled goat cheese with cranberry herb relish. I was hooked. The goat cheese is saltier and creamier than cow's milk cheese, and the flavor is so much more intense that it is like a cheese explosion in your mouth. When I saw this recipe for goat cheese manicotti (although you'll notice that the goat cheese is actually in the sauce, not the manicotti itself), I decided that I was going to make it as soon as I could.

I actually changed this recipe a LOT from the original one, so I am going to give you the original recipe with all of my changes noted in parentheses. I also realized while typing this recipe that I made quite a few mistakes in the directions, so I'll tell you what I did wrong and whether I think it mattered.

Tomato and Goat Cheese Manicottti

Ingredients:
8 lasagna noodles (whole wheat lasagna noodles)
2 cups 1% cottage cheese (Or fat free ricotta. I hate the texture of cottage cheese)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup julienned basil leaves (2 tbsp Italian seasoning such as McCormick Perfect Pinch Italian)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cups chopped roasted plum tomatoes, or 1 can (15 oz.) fire-roasted tomatoes
2/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 oz. soft goat cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook 6 minutes. Drain in single layer on towel (I do not recommend using paper towels. I'm actually concerned that some bits of soggy paper towel may have stuck to my lasagna).

2. Whisk cottage cheese (ricotta), garlic, salt, pepper, and basil (Italian seasoning) in a small bowl

3. Combine tomatoes, broth, and half of the goat cheese in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. (I completely forgot to boil the sauce. I just combined everything in a bowl. That would explain why the goat cheese didn't mix well with the rest of the sauce, but I think it turned out ok. Next time, I'll do it the right way though, because the sauce was just a little bit thin.)

4. Coat small baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1/4 cup of the tomato sauce on bottom. Spread 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture onto one noodle, leaving 1 in. margin on 1 end. Roll up pasta from other end. Place seam side down in dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

5. Pour remaining sauce over top, covering all surfaces, and dot with remaining goat cheese. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes.

Balsamic Asparagus

Ingredients:
Fresh asparagus, woody stem removed (asparagus has a natural break, so just start bending it near the bottom of the stalk, and it will break where you want it to)
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt
Pepper

Arrange the asparagus in a single layer on a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 375 for about 8 minutes until tender. (An easier way: microwave asparagus 1.5-2 minutes with some water to steam it, then drain it and season with oil, vinegar, S&P)

Taste Rating: 8
My favorite part of this meal was getting bites of goat cheese! I think next time I would try to mix a little bit into the cheese stuffing too. The fire roasted tomatoes also added a nice smoky flavor. And I liked the asparagus too! But I always like asparagus, it was just nice to season it with different flavors from what I usually do. Also, if you don't like whole wheat pasta, I would recommend not using it until you've had a chance to get used to eating it. The whole grain flavor was pretty strong, which I loved, but I don't think it would be for everybody.

Easy Rating: 6
There were a lot of steps with this, and the rolling was kind of a pain. If you're running short on time, I wouldn't recommend the manicotti, but the asparagus would be quick and easy if you prepare it in the microwave.

Overall Rating: 7

Asparagus Whole Wheat Pasta With Lemon Dressing

I was reading Self magazine the other day, and I decided I'm going to do the Self Challenge. They offer diet and workout plans that will supposedly help you lose 10 lbs. in 2 weeks. I'm not looking to lose weight that quickly, so I'm following my own diet plan. Basically I'm going to try to add in more veggies and minimize things like cheese. But if I get hungry, I refuse to deny myself a snack because I'm am only supposed to eat exactly X calories per day. I'm an avid believer in not counting calories, because a lot of calorie intake comes from things that are good for you like healthy fats and sugars from fruit. So I always say nutrients over calories! I am however sticking with the workout plan, which you can find at www.self.com under "Drop 10" if you're interested.

The point of my story is, I found this recipe in the magazine. It was in a separate section from the "Self Challenge," but it caught my attention. Awesome thing #1: My absolute favorite vegetable has always been and will forever be asparagus. Awesome thing #2: I actually already had everything I needed to make this. Except for sun dried tomatoes, but that just took me a 5 minute grocery store trip on my way home from the Y.

My changes: I didn't really measure anything out for this, so here's an idea for what I did...I used zest and juice from 2 small lemons. I can't afford fresh basil, so I used a palm full of dried basil in the sauce instead. I also topped it with 4 oz. of salmon which I seasoned with S&P and baked at 375 for 15 minutes on a baking dish with cooking spray.

Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite size pieces
4 oz. whole-wheat penne
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup crumbled feta (can also use goat cheese for a creamier taste)

Boil asparagus until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove asparagus from water with a slotted spoon. Add pasta to boiling water, and cook as directed on package. Drain pasta and add to a bowl with all remaining ingredients except cheese. Stir to combine. Portion into 2 bowls and top with feta. Salt to taste.

Contains 387 calories per serving, 13 g fat (3 saturated), 58 g carbs, 12 g fiber, 17 g protein
(plus whatever was in the salmon)

Taste rating: 8
Another winner! I feel weird that I never give things low ratings, but if I like something, I want to do it justice. I'm sure it would be even better with fresh basil, but until I'm making a salary, I'm stuck with the dried stuff.

Easy rating: 8
This was as easy as making any pasta. While the penne cooked, I went ahead and made the sauce in a bowl and then just mixed everything together and plated it up!

Overall rating: 8