Roasted Vegetable Manicotti

I was never one to disguise vegetables for my children.

Really, what's the point? Kids should know what their food looks like. And aren't vegetables and fruit so much prettier than meat or a piece of chicken, anyhow? I respectfully disagree with those books like "Despicably Deceptive" and "The Sleazy Chef Mom".

I have nothing against making veggies fun.

Photo by Saxton Freymann

And maybe I just got lucky with kids who actually liked to eat yellow peppers and snap peas, mango chunks and avocado. I am not holding my self up as a paragon of perfect parental nutrition in any way. In fact, I gave my daughter a peanut butter and Fluff sandwich for lunch today.

And then there's this true story: Last week while I was away on vacation, my husband took the kids - the minute I left - to the store and bought them Capt'n Crunch and Ring Dings. 

So, the point is, I thought I could get away with Roasted Vegetable Manicotti, no problem.

Wrong.

I loved it.

Bob loved it.

The kids? Not so much.

The little one deconstructed it, eating just the carrots out of it.

The 16 year old said" Why do you get so mad when I don't love everything you make? Stop looking at me."

Don't care. I would make this again in a heartbeat, because it's delicious and healthy. 

And I'll never try to hide that.

Roasted Vegetable Manicotti

adapted from Canyon Ranch Cooks

1/2 lb. shiitake or crimini mushrooms, thickly sliced

3 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 large zucchini, coarsely chopped

1 red bell pepper, sliced into 1-2" pieces

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced into 1-2" pieces

1 large onion, sliced

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. olive oil

3/4 cup goat cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped

2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

16 sheets fresh pasta, or no-cook lasagne sheets (I used Barilla)

2 cups marinara sauce, either from a jar or your own

salt, pepper to taste

additional grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place pasta sheets in a boil of very hot water to soften, 15-20 minutes.

Mix together all the vegetables, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper in a single layer on a large sheet pan (you might need two pans). Roast for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned and softened. Keep an eye on them: softer vegetables, such as zucchini, will cook faster. It can be removed from pan before the others.

Cool slightly, then place all vegetables in a medium bowl. Mix in both cheeses, basil and parsley.

Spread a small amount of marinara sauce in a 9 x 13" baking pan.

Place one softened pasta sheet on a work surface, like a cutting board. Spoon 1/3 cup vegetable mixture down one edge of sheet, and roll. Place roll in baking pan, seam side down. Repeat with remaining pasta and vegetable mixture. Top manicotti rolls with remaining marinara sauce and a sprinkling of grated Parmesan, if desired. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through and sauce is slightly bubbling.

Serve in plain sight, not disguised as anything else.

NOTE: These vegetables are merely suggestions. Feel free to substitute any vegetables you (or your children) like - asparagus, broccoli, summer squash. Some kalamata olives might be good too.

What the hell - throw in some chopped spinach too.

Spa Chocolate Ganache

Yes, I know I've been AWOL.

My apologies.

I have been riding the roller coaster from the high of a vacation at a lovely spa to the low of a hellish and urgent search for a new home/owner for my daughter's beloved horse.

Something had to give and last week it was blogging. 

I was supposed to be de-toxing and de-stressing at Canyon Ranch - a mother-daughter getaway with my college girl, home on spring break. You know, like eating less sweets, no wine with dinner, exercising and enjoying it all.

There was the 7 mile hike. Even though it was 60 degrees at the base, there was plenty of snow on the mountain.

There was the facial and aromatherapy massage, both wonderful.

The food was very good of course. Heavy on the fresh vegetables, portion-controlled protein, whole grains. Some how they manage to make a baked sweet potato taste like an indulgence. 

I was doing just fine, going the Puritan route.

Until I saw a sign offering a cooking class with a theme. 

The theme was chocolate.

 I had to do it. I had to it for you, dear readers. 

How could I pass up a chance to learn about chocolate and chocolate desserts that are actually lower in fat and calories, and yet extremely delicious?  Taught by the wildly popular pastry chef Billy Boudreau?

Ignoring this opportunity would have been pure craziness!

So after a full day of Cardio Circuit class, yoga and some torturous activity called "Abs on the Ball",  I took my sorry self to the demo kitchen, ready to bake and learn, like a good food blogger should. 

Really, I would have gone straight to bed.

 But I so didn't want to disappoint you.

You're welcome.

Billy was prepping some ganache that would later be made into truffles. 

He was also soaking tea bags in hot water, to be used in Chocolate Chai Cupcakes. 

He greeted us by expertly piping some of the ganache and filling them with dried cherries and crystallized ginger.

They were placed in the refrigerator. Later we rolled them into balls and dipped them in a coating of chopped nuts.

Hint from Billy: Always sift nuts after grinding them for a neater, cleaner look. Sifting gets rid of the messy looking "nut dust".

A chopped pineapple was also dipped in the ganache and coated with nuts.

 If you're thinking, "Ganache? At a health spa?", I have one word for you: evaporated skim milk.

Ok that's three words, but one ingredient.

Usually ganache is made with chocolate and heavy cream. This version replaces the heavy cream with evaporated skim milk, cutting the fat content by... a lot.

Billy also suggests using coconut milk instead of heavy cream. The coconut flavor won't be very strong and this is another good way to make a lower fat truffle.

You can also flavor the milk with a huge variety of ingredients - orange zest, instant coffee, peppermint tea, or a cinnamon stick to name a few. Get creative.

Here's the basic recipe. I'd love to know if you try it and what you made.

Chocolate Ganache from Canyon Ranch

1/3 cup evaporated skim milk  (coconut milk, almond milk, or soy milk can be used instead)

2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat milk until just before boiling. Stir in chocolate. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk together.

If you're going to use it for truffles, either fill a pastry bag with the ganache and pipe them out onto parchment, or refrigerate until firm (about 1 hour) and scoop onto parchment. 

You might use that hour for some sort of aerobic exercise or a few push-ups. That would be the Canyon Ranch way.

And the horse? He was moved to a new home today and so far he seems to like it. The mare in the other paddock appeared to be flirting with him as I left.