Spinach Lasagna Rolls

Today was rainy.  On my way home from my bar class, hail the size of golf balls started to impale my car.  Cars huddled under the closest bridge seeking refuge.  I was lucky enough to have Sally (my car) completely under the bridge.  But the whole experience was mildly scary.  When the hail first started, it sounded like my car was being shot at.  I was honestly worried that they were going to break my windshield.  While I am far more susceptible to being frightened, I knew I wasn’t the only person concerned when all the cars under the bridge created a barricade, stopping all traffic.  But by the time the song on the radio was over, the storm had lifted and so did the barricade.

This cold, rainy weather meant a warm dinner was in order.  One thing I often have trouble with is portion control when it comes to those warm casseroles.  And while the weather outside mirrors autumn more than summer, next week (or maybe even tomorrow) will be swimsuit weather again.  Thankfully these spinach lasagna rolls realize this and come with built-in portion control.  Instead of having to eyeball how many inches your slice should be, you roll the lasagna–making each roll a serving size.  Much easier to stay on track and still enjoy a warm slice of lasagna.

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Avocado, Red Pepper and Black Bean Salad

I have made a conscious decision.  This is going to be the best summer ever.  See, I am unemployed and studying for the Minnesota bar.  In short, I go to 3 hours of class a day and spend the rest of the day doing whatever I want.  Sure, I gotta get some studying done.  But it’s completely self-scheduled studying.  No meetings.  No office I have to be at.  No uncomfortable suit jacket to wear.  No recording every 6 minutes of my time. Instead, I get to sit on my porch, drink a beer, crack open my Barbri books and relearn everything I learned my first year of law school.  It’s not too bad.  In fact, I love it.  Because I have complete control over my schedule.  If I want to work-out at 3 in the afternoon, I can.  If I want to run to Target, I can.  If I want to study in my swimsuit and get a tan, I can.  This is far better than sitting in an office all day.  And chances are, I will not get the opportunity to have such freedom with my afternoon schedule ever again.

Still, with watching Criminal Minds and falling deeper in love with Matthew Gray Gubler studying for the bar, I haven’t had as much time to make full meals.  Rather, I have resorted to snacking.  And of course, when I think of great snacks, anything that can go on chips sounds like the perfect study aid.  This black bean salad is excellent on chips–its a great garnish for tacos and is even tasty all by itself.  Even better, all you gotta do is throw all the ingredients into a bowl and mix.  Even a brain mushed from too much studying of property law can manage that!

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Chicken Tikka Masala

I never knew my love for Indian food until I moved to the Twin Cites.  My friend Leslie was coming to visit and wanted Indian food.  She did some online research and found The Dancing Ganesha.  The food was amazing! It quickly became my favorite restaurant, and I have celebrated many occasions there.  Since starting to cook, it has been a goal of mine to make Indian food at home.  It took a while for me to track down garam masala, but once I found it, I couldn’t wait to make this.  And it was definitely worth the extra effort.

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Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas

 

The weather here has been going from scorching hot to rather chilly.  Quintessential Minnesota.  Today was more on the chilly side so I decided to make a warmer dish.  Chances are it will be too hot for anything warm for the next couple of months.  I LOVE Mexican food. No surprise to anyone who knows me.  I’ve worked at two different Mexican restaurants and my go-to drinks are mojitos and margaritas.  I am always on the hunt for healthy, Mexican recipes.  This recipe is filling, full of protein, and a healthy alternative to greasy restaurant enchiladas.  We were out of black beans today so I substituted chili beans, but I originally made these enchiladas with black beans.  Both are good!

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Pale Ale Braised Greens with Sausage

It’s been a while.  The last few weeks have been busy.  First, I graduated from law school.  Yep.  I have a doctorate in law.  Feel free to call me Lindsay Cremona, J.D.  or Dr. Cremona.  Or Lindsay Cremona, Esquire. Your choice.

 

I have wanted to be a lawyer for most of my life.  When most kids were dreaming of becoming movie stars or astronauts, I just wanted to be Atticus Finch.  It was a relatively simple life choice for me.  When I graduated from undergrad, I started an internship at the Wisconsin Public Defenders.  My job was simple: I interviewed.  Every morning I walked to jail and interviewed individuals who were arrested the night before to find out if they were eligible for our services.  My afternoons were spent interviewing victims or witnesses in their homes to get their perspective.  Most interactions with witnesses and victims were the same.  Either the door was slammed in my face or the interview lasted no more than 15 minutes.  Announcing that you represented the defendant didn’t make you many friends–especially when it came to the victim.

But then one day I was assigned with interviewing an alleged victim of a domestic assault charge.  It started out typical.  She answered my questions about the events that transpired to our client’s arrest, and after 15 minutes, I had gotten all the information needed and was about to leave.  But she got up and came back with a box of photo albums.  And for the next couple of hours, I looked through her photo albums with her.  Saw pictures of her child, her family, her dogs, her childhood.  And that’s when I knew I wanted to be a lawyer.

Everyone has a story to tell.  I want to help tell that story.  I want to do more than just write an article about it–I want to do something to enrich the story-help someone’s situation.  Give them an opportunity to be heard while giving them an opportunity for change.  And that’s what I do all day now.  Provide an outlet for people to tell their stories and get some resolution.  Yeah, I’ve heard my fair share of lawyer jokes.  And to be honest (and not at all bias), they are misdirected.  There are gonna be those that give the profession a bad name, but at the end of the day, I see my job as giving the voiceless a voice.  I like that.

So last weekend I graduated from law school and immediately went on vacation.  After three years of minimum sleep and stress and cold calls, it was time for a break.  So I went with my husband, my parents, and in-laws to Savannah, Georgia.

Outside our Bed and Breakfast ready to explore the city!

Matt and I went to Savannah on our honeymoon and fell in love with the city.  I love the old mansions, city squares, and slower place of life.  Matt loves the southern comfort food.  Since I try to make healthier food at home, Matt took full advantage of the fried chicken, collard greens, and sweet potatoes.  When we got home, I promised Matt I’d try out a Southern-style recipe for him.  Lucky for him, my friend Kelsey had gone to a beer festival and had collected several recipes that included beer for me to make and one of them had Paula Deen written all over it.  So here is a not so healthy but insanely delicious meal that is worth the indulgence.

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Lemon Crinkle Cookies

My mother’s kitchen is decorated in lemons.  Lemon wallpaper, lemon soap dishes, lemon magnets–the list is endless.  Whenever I come across a recipe including lemons, I have to try it out so I can pass the good recipes along to my mom.  This cookie recipe easily made the cut.  The cookies are fluffy and melt in your mouth with a splash of lemon.

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Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Sandwich

I may have an unhealthy love of basil.   I use it almost daily, and my herb garden can’t grow it fast enough.  To me, it’s what healthy eating is-fresh, bold, and poignant.  My insides feel cleansed whenever it’s in my food.  Might be all in my head.

As a lover of sandwiches, I’ve been trying to find great sandwich recipes that include basil and travel well.  Like many students, my lunch is made at 7:00 a.m.  No one wants a sandwich that is all soggy by noon.  If that unsoggy sandwich includes basil, even better.  This sandwich has only four ingredients that travel well so you can bring all the ingredients with you and easily assemble it when you are ready to eat.  No need to live solely on pb&j’s anymore!

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Mocha Frappe

Who doesn’t love blended coffee drinks? They are delicious, refreshing, and a great way to get your caffeine fix. Matt LOVES these drinks.  And when he spends his afternoons in the wood shop making us furniture, I like to surprise him with a coffee treat.  Unfortunately, the price tag at coffee shops is a bit too steep for me.  This drink is a delicious, money-saving alternative.

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Grilled Chicken and Tri-Color Peppers with Chimichurri Sauce

When I want to splurge, I buy red, yellow, or orange bell peppers.  Matt buys fried chicken.  As much I as love Matt, fried chicken doesn’t have many healthy redeeming qualities so we went for a compromise. Matt whipped up some homemade onion rings for himself, and I made a chicken entree with bell peppers. (although I did sneak a ring or two and they were amazing!)  But what’s with all this splurging?  Well, I had my health law final yesterday, and it went well!  One thing you learn from law school is the importance of celebrating the little victories. So today’s dinner was our mini-celebration.  I found a traditional South American sauce to pair with our chicken and peppers.  This sauce has a bold, herbal flavor that is perfect for summer grilling.

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Mexican Black Bean and Hominy Salad

Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner, and I couldn’t be more excited.  While I do not need a holiday to enjoy a margarita or delicious Mexican food, I can definitely get behind the idea to have a day devoted to it.  Unfortunately, people have the tendency to associate great Mexican food with deep fried options.  But that doesn’t have to be the case!  I am in the middle of law school finals (last time EVER!) and to a lot of people that means gorging on unhealthy snack food and injecting coffee straight to the veins.  I do not want to become victim to this habit, but it’s really hard.  Sitting at your computer for hours at a time, pouring over case books, statutes, and outlines, it is tempting to run down to the vending machine and stock up.  But don’t worry that you’ll find yourself hiding in a study carrel shoving Cheetos in your face (it’s hard to hide the evidence when your fingers are stained orange).  This refreshing side salad is a great study snack that will keep the less healthy snacks at bay.  It pairs well with baked tortilla chip and has a little bit of sweet and salty.

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