zucchini lasagna + winner!

Barley Zucchini Lasagna (from Mama Pea's quinoa lasagna)
1 large zucchini, sliced into very thin "noodles"
salt
1c. barley
2c. vegetable broth
1 jar marinara sauce
2T. italian seasonings
1/2 t. garlic salt
2T. sour cream
4c. shredded cheese

Lay the zucchini "noodles" out on paper towel.  Sprinkle with salt.  Console yourself about how you really suck at thin-slicing zucchini.  Let  sit while you prepare the barley.

Combine barley, vegetable broth, garlic salt, seasonings, and 1/2 c. of marinara sauce.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and let simmer about 20 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed.

Pour small amount of marinara sauce in bottom of greased 8x8 casserole dish, enough to just cover the bottom.  Pour the remaining marinara in to the barley.  Add sour cream and mix well.

Blot the zucchini noodles with paper towel to absorb any excess moisture.  Place a layer of zucchini in the casserole dish.  Sprinkle with salt.

Cover with a layer of the barley/sauce mixture.  Add cheese if desired.

Repeat layers: zucchini, barley/sauce, cheese, ending with cheese (or barley/sauce if not using cheese).

Bake 30 minutes at 400, or until zucchini is tender and cheese is melted and bubbly.  Serves 4-6.

Devour.

Mine fell apart when it was dished up but man, who cares.  This was SO delicious and flavorful!  I'm not always a huge zucchini fan (it depends), but I loved loved loved the thin noodles in the sauce.  This is a definite repeat-recipe!

As for that CSN giveaway (I use random.org to pick the winner):

Kristi said...

Anytime I come back from a trip, long or short - no matter what time of day or night it is - I have to unpack everything. I like the feeling of knowing that I'll wake up the next morning and everything be in "it's spot."

Hooray, Kristi!  Email me at boygirlkitty@gmail.com to claim your prize.

I'm off to eat some lunch... maybe some leftover zucchini lasagna on spinach?

last run + a giveaway!

This morning is my last run before the marathon - at least the last one over 2 or 3 miles.  I might run a little bit on Saturday morning (20-30 minutes) before we get in the car, just to keep my legs loose before Sunday.  So this morning I'm heading out for 6-8... probably closer to 6.  Taper week is hard for me - I really just want to go my normal mileage!

Had the worst wake-up ever this morning.  Mosie jumped on the bed in playfulness but somehow one of her claws landed right IN my toe.  Ow ow ow!  NOT a pleasant way to wake up.

Feel like a free $45?  I've got another giveaway to CSNStores!  Get on the site and you'll see you can find pretty much anything there - a new coffee table, bedding, pet supplies, whatever!  You can see more at csnstores.com.  Just leave a comment on this post telling me one funny quirk about yourself.  I'll pick the winner on Friday at lunch.

I'll go first.  A funny quirk about me: bruises on bananas make me gag.  Literally.

i need your help/giveaway winner!

I've decided to launch a new weekly series: the reader recipe poll!  Every Monday I'll post three recipes - they might be entrees, side dishes, salads, desserts... whatever!  Voting will be open through Tuesday noon.  Then I'll make that meal and post the recipe and a review on Friday morning!

Since it's summer and I'm in Indiana, it seemed fitting that the first recipes should center around sweet corn!

Which recipe should I make?

• risotto with tomato, corn, and basil
• fettucine with fresh corn pesto
• fresh corn fritters

Created on Jul 25, 2010

View Results

poll by twiigs.com

Ready?  Go!  Dave and I are excited for you to pick our meal!

And the CSNStores giveaway winner is....

That would be Rebecca, who said she would put it towards a new baking dish!

Woohoo for Rebecca! I'll make sure CSN emails you the promo code!

Thanks everyone who entered the giveaway!

buckle up - it's a giveaway!

Recently I received an email from CSN Stores asking me if I would like to host a giveaway.  I was pretty excited since this was the first business to ask me to do something like that!  CSN has pretty much everything you can think of - from kettlebells to bookcases, from a dutch oven to shoes!  I kind of got lost in their site just looking at everything.

CSN is going to give a $20 gift code to one lucky winner - good toward anything on their site!  Three ways to enter - do one, two, or all three!

1. Follow my blog!  
2. Go over to CSN and look around.  Tell me what you'd like to buy!
3. Link back to this giveaway on your blog or twitter, etc.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry.  I'll choose a winner at random on Monday, July 26!  (US and Canada residents only!  Sorry!)

CSN also is sending me a product to review - stay tuned!!

I'm in the cubicle today, so sadly there are no fun pictures of Mosie. Just brown desk, brown walls, and bright lighting! Today is a rest day for running but I'm thinking of doing another dual workout tomorrow of running and swimming. I have another long run on Saturday and swimming seems to be a good idea the day before to kick out those muscles!