"A party without cake is just a meeting." - Julia Child

This blog took a longer time because I had to combine pictures from my phone, my camera, my brother's phone and his camera and shots from the great Jennifer Glasse's instagram.  Jenn is a fellow "food enthusiast" who jumped at the chance to help make a birthday cake for Bobby.  Because of our love of chocolate and Julia Child, the idea of baking her famous chocolate almond cake seemed both necessary and terrifying.  But a brother only turns 21 once. Even though, oddly enough, his sister continues to turn 25, year after year.

Recipe #29: Julia Child's "Queen of Sheba" Chocolate Almond Cake

Choice of libation: For Jenn and myself, La Granja Tempranillo ($4! Smooth!), for Chad, Short's Brewery Huma Lupa Licious (Michigan! Delightful hops!), for Bobby, milk (...).

Choice of music: Chocolate cake wasn't gift enough. Oh no.  We gave him the gift of T-Boz, Left Eye and Chilli since he'd never heard them before.  Try to reserve your judgement - he was born the year before CrazySexyCool came out.  You may now dissolve into tears.  Or Waterfalls, if you will.

The most important thing about this (and probably all Julia Child recipes) is that you don't veer too far away from the actual recipe.  Don't let our smiles in this picture fool you, we were both terrified of disappointing Julia.  But we were both still more adorable than Amy Adams in that one movie.  You know.  American Hustle.

Here is one of the only times I actually contributed to the making of this cake.  I buttered and floured the cake pan.  Jenn was very patient with me.

The recipe calls for rum OR coffee.  We laughed and figured that was a mistake.

Jenn combining the wet and dry ingredients like a champ

This was the part where we had to alternate adding the egg white and flour mixtures until everything was incorporated.   These are our pleasant concentrating faces.

Me: But Jenn, we already sifted the flour...

Jenn: The recipe asks us to do it again. This will make it smooth. 

You don't want to skip this step. 

Me: Oh. 

Is it done? When is it done? Is it done now? HOW ABOUT NOW???

So we had to wait awhile, even after the cake came out, it had to cool for two hours. TWO HOURS??? WHAT EVER WILL WE DO TO PASS THE TIME?! Oh, here's this television movie about TLC I had recorded on my DVR.  Perfect.  Honestly, the similarities were sometimes eerie.  And sometimes a bit of a stretch.  But I've seen worse TV movies. Much much worse.   

This will seem like it's taking forever, but I promise you it's worth it.  Once the cake is cooled you can start on the icing...

Yes.  Rum. Coffee. Chocolate.  More butter. 

Everyone, try not to drool into the cake.

You'd think that after all that, we'd dive right into eating.  But no.

This is 2014.  

We took about 20 minutes taking pictures of the cake, and taking pictures of each other taking pictures of the cake. Seriously.

Jenn: Oh, Bobby.  You HAVE to stand on this chair and take the picture from this angle.

Me: Bobby, aren't you going to eat the cake?

Bobby: Wait! Take a picture of me eating the cake!

Here is a picture of Bobby eating the cake.

Here is a picture of Jenn eating the cake.

(There is no picture of me eating the cake. 

Because I inhaled it in a corner without anyone seeing.

It was...Unpretty.)

The final step is to "press a design of almonds" over the icing, which we did, even though Jenn is allergic to almonds.  Bobby and I generously ate the side of the cake that had almonds on it. Because we're good people.

Oh man.  You guys. I mean, I will eat other chocolate cakes. And I will make other chocolate cakes. But, oh, Chocolate Almond Cake.  I am Diggin on You.

Stolen from

Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child

Reine de Saba avec Glaçage au Chocolat

(Chocolate and Almond Cake with Chocolate Icing)

This extremely good chocolate cake is baked so that its center remains slightly underdone; overcooked, the cake loses its special creamy quality. It is covered with a chocolate-butter icing, and decorated with almonds. Because of its creamy center it needs no filling. It can be made by starting out with a beating of egg yolks and sugar, then proceeding with the rest of the ingredients. But because the chocolate and the almonds make a batter so stiff it is difficult to fold in the egg whites, we have chosen another method, that of creaming together the butter and sugar, and then incorporating the remaining items.

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

4 ounces or squares semisweet chocolate melted with 2 Tb rum or coffee

1/4 lb. or 1 stick softened butter

2/3 cup granulated sugar

3 egg yolks

3 egg whites

Pinch of salt

1 Tb granulated sugar

2/3 cup pulverized almonds

1/4 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup cake flour (scooped and leveled) turned into a sifter

For the Icing:

2 ounces (2 squares) semisweet baking chocolate

2 Tb rum or coffee (*shh! we did 1 tb rum and 1 tb espresso)

5 to 6 Tb unsalted butter

Equipment:

A round cake pan 8 inches in diameter and 1-1/2 inches deep

A 3-quart mixing bowl

A wooden spoon or an electric beater

A rubber spatula

A cake rack

A small covered pan

A larger pan of almost simmering water

A wooden spoon

A bowl with a tray of ice cubes and water to cover them

A small flexible-blade metal spatula or a table knife

Instructions:

For the Cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

Butter and flour the cake pan. Set the chocolate and rum or coffee in a small pan, cover, and place (off heat) in a larger pan of almost simmering water; let melt while you proceed with the recipe. Measure out the rest of the ingredients. Cream the butter and sugar together for several minutes until they form a pale yellow, fluffy mixture.

Beat in the egg yolks until well blended.

Beat the egg whites and salt in a separate bowl until soft peaks are formed; sprinkle on the sugar and beat until stiff peaks are formed.

With a rubber spatula, blend the melted chocolate into the butter and sugar mixture, then stir in almonds, and almond extract. Immediately stir one fourth of the beaten egg whites to lighten the batter. Delicately fold in a third of the remaining whites and when partially blended, sift on one third of the flour and continue folding. Alternate rapidly with more egg whites and more flour until all egg whites and flour are incorporated.

Turn the batter into the cake pan, pushing the batter up to its rim with a rubber spatula. Bake in middle level of preheated oven for about 25 minutes. Cake is done when it has puffed, and 2-1/2 to 3 inches around the circumference are set so that a needle plunged into that area comes out clean; the center should move slightly if the pan is shaken, and a needle comes out oily.

Allow cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run knife around the edge of the pan, and reverse cake on the rack. Allow it to cool for an hour or two; it must be thoroughly cold if it is to be iced.

For the Icing:

Place the chocolate and rum or coffee in the small pan, cover, and set in the larger pan of almost simmering water. Remove pans from heat and let chocolate melt for 5 minutes or so, until perfectly smooth. Lift chocolate pan out of the hot water, and beat in the butter a tablespoon at a time. Then beat over the ice and water until chocolate mixture has cooled to spreading consistency. At once spread it over your cake with spatula or knife, and press a design of almonds over the icing.

Yield: For an 8-inch cake serving 6 to 8 people

Lettuce Use Up All the Food in the Fridge

Oh you guys.  Major blogger foul.  I totally whipped up a new recipe on the fly and didn't take pictures while doing it.  Because I was hangry.  Also because. Boxed wine.   Luckily my little brother saved the day because he literally takes a picture of every meal he eats.  We would be lost without his generation.

Recipe #28: Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Choice of libation: Trader Joe's Block White Wine chardonnay.  It's a good chardonnay if you don't like chardonnay, which I don't.  More citrus and less butter than I would expect.  Also, it was a little over $10 for 3 liters.  Wahoo!

Choice of music: The toddler who lives above us, running back and forth non-stop until she got sleepy. Don't worry.  I had my boxed wine.

This all started because we happened to have had this box of chile lime chicken burger in our freezer that was haunting me for the past several weeks and I wanted to do something with it.  I started by defrosting it and then chopping all of the meat up.

Remember I didn't take any pictures because boxed wine? Here is a picture that someone on the internet took of diced red peppers and red onions.  Just ignore that sweet banana pepper and bowl of beans in this picture and replace them with minced ginger, shredded carrots and 2 stalks of celery. I sauteed all those things together and added the diced chicken burger.

While the veggies and chicken were cooking, I warmed some peanut butter, ginger, red chili flakes, soy sauce and lime juice then poured it over the chicken mixture.  

Here is a picture of someone else's peanut sauce.

This is the actual food I cooked.  It doesn't look like much but it tasted pretty great and it's mostly healthy.  Considering this was just a meal to get rid of stuff before they went bad, I rather enjoyed it and would make it again. 

1 package of Trader Joe's Chile Lime Chicken burgers (defrosted)

4 tablespoons minced ginger

1/2 diced red onion

1 diced red bell pepper

2 diced stalks celery

1 cup shredded carrots

1/4 cup peanut butter

half of a lime

2 tablespoons soy sauce

red chili flakes

washed and dried lettuce (I would use romaine next time, this time I used green leaf)

salt and pepper

Saute 2 tablespoons of the ginger, with the onion, pepper, celery and carrots on medium low

Dice the chicken burger and throw in with the saute once vegetable start to soften

Salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan, warm peanut butter and whisk with lime juice, soy sauce, with the red chili flakes until a thinner consistency 

Pour peanut sauce over burger and veggie mixture

Cook until meat is cooked through

Spoon chicken mixture into center of the lettuce

Eat like a taco

Don't eat it like a taco would eat it

Eat it as if you would eat a taco

You Say Potato...I SAY POTATO!!!!!!!

Continuing my streak of non-vegan/non paleo meals, I made a tater tot casserole.  The lovely Brooke Allen was joining me for an afternoon of watching terrible television and she truly loves tater tots as much as I love watching terrible television.  She also just started eating meat again, so I decided to celebrate that by frying up some bacon (you may now pretend to be surprised).

Recipe #27: Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole

Choice of libation: Abbondanza from the Cherry Republic Winery.  We recently took a trip to wine country in Michigan (did you know that was a thing? it is...) and brought back this blend of cherry wine and grape wine.  It's on the sweeter side, but good for summer time, or to pair with something salty.  LIKE BACON AND TATER TOTS. 

Choice of music:  Brooke Allen's company.  I highly recommend it.  OH. And.  I also highly recommend eating this casserole while watching a Lifetime Movie.  

This week's selection was the 2003 Lifetime movie, Hunger Point, starring Barbara Hershey as a terribly-wigged mother of two. Her daughters are played by Mad Men's Christina Hendricks (as Frannie, our narrator with "an intriguing mouth" (an actual line in the movie)) and that girl who had bulimia in Centerstage, (as Shelly, a girl with bulimia, but has "legs like a gazelle" (also a line in the movie)).  Don't watch it sober.

There really isn't much to this recipe -- it's super simple and CAN be healthy. 

I basically just threw in what I'd want for breakfast anyway:

Eggs, milk, salt and pepper

Red bell peppers, onion and parsley

Cheese, duh

Bacon and spinach.

Cover a casserole dish of tater tots with the egg mixture, throw it in the oven

Thank me later.

1/2 large onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

12 large eggs

1/4 c milk

BACON

a lot of grated cheddar cheese

salt & pepper, to taste

parsley

2 lbs frozen tater tots

Preheat the oven to 350

First of all, cook that bacon, so your house begins to smell of it, dice, when crisped and cooled

Saute vegetables with olive oil, 5-7 minutes or until soft

Whisk 12 eggs and milk with 1 cup cheese in a large bowl, seasoning as you'd like

Stir in the veggies and bacon

Dump the frozen tater tots into a casserole dish 

Pour the egg mixture on top

Add all the cheese.  ALL THE CHEESE.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the egg has cooked through and cheese is melted.

Top with parsley

Serve warm and while watching a Lifetime movie.

Snick and Tired: Why Cookies for Dinner is Justified

I'm so mad. I woke up with this stupid head cold during a glorious week of perfect weather. All I've done all day is binge watch Walking Dead episodes until it got too stressful, then slurped ramen and read Game of Thrones until it got too stressful and that's when I decided what I truly deserve is the ultimate comfort: cookies.  When some people get sick, they do nothing but drink water and sleep and come out of it looking fabulous.  When I get sick, I do nothing but eat carbs and cover all the mirrors.  Needless to say this isn't one of my finer moments of self care and health, but I DON'T CARE, I'M SICK AND I WANT COOKIES FOR DINNER.  And since there's a strange trend of adding savory elements to dessert, like balsamic vinegar as a topping for ice cream (not terrible, actually!) or bacon to everything (obviously a very good idea) I though I'd try this...

Recipe #26: Black Pepper Snickerdoodles

Choice of libation: Orange juice with just a splash of medicine.  And by "medicine" I mean "vanilla extract." And by "vanilla extract" I mean "rum."
Choice of music: Pete's Dragon soundtrack.  Oh man, you guys, talk about nostalgia.  I would watch this every day on the Betamax from age 4-6. And the music totally holds up.  Holla, Helen Reddy. Is that a t-shirt at Urban Outfitters yet?

Whole wheat flour for fiber, eggs for protein, butter for calcium,  

and cinnamon to jump start that metabolism.

And of course, "vanilla extract."

Now you can't see it as well in this picture, but I added a crap ton of black pepper to the mix, and it was at this point that I started to question whether that was a good idea.  But there's no turning back.  Just like the Starks of Winterfell. That wasn't a spoiler (for the 3 other people who haven't started Game of Thrones yet).  That's just how the saying goes.

Usually I'd approximate a pinch of nutmeg, but how adorable is this ceramic 1/4 teaspoon my friend Nora gave us for a wedding present.  Obviously it came with a whole set of measuring spoons (and obviously I have broken most of them by now).

Snickerdoodles always take me back to when I used to help my Mom bake.  And by "help bake" I actually just mean, she did most of the work and let me dip the dough balls into the cinnamon sugar.  

They don't look like much now...

But boy howdy, those were exactly what I was craving.  And actually, the black pepper gives it a kick but in a really cool way. 

And I highly recommend it with orange juice and "vanilla extract."

Stolen from

thekitchn.com

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

3 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

( I added 1 tablespoon black pepper)

3 eggs

1 teaspoon "vanilla extract" (spiced rum)

For the cinnamon sugar:

1/4 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

(1/4 tablespoon black pepper)

Heat the oven to 425°F. Gently melt the butter in a saucepan or in the microwave and let it cool while you mix the dry ingredients. Stir together the sugars, flour, spices, baking soda, and salt. Whisk the eggs into the cooled butter and add the vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring just until it comes together.

In a soup plate or shallow bowl, mix together the white sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Form small 1 1/2-inch balls of dough and roll them in the cinnamon sugar. Place them on an unlined, ungreased baking sheet and flatten slightly. Bake for 7 minutes then remove and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Remove to a wire rack.

The dough can be refrigerated for up to 5 days, well-wrapped. It can also be frozen in logs.

Grown and Sexy Hamburger Helper

I feel like this is a safe space. Like you and I have gotten to a place where I can admit this: I still sometimes crave meals from the packaged foods aisle.  And I really don't think there needs to be any shame in that. Yes.  There are better things for me. And we are all creative beings and we shouldn't have to turn to that aisle, but there's a bit of high school or college nostalgia that hits when eating Kraft Mac and Cheese, just like when you play that Savage Garden album that you swore you'd never listen to again.  It feels good. And then a little bit after that, maybe you are plunged into a deep hole of regret.  Like when you read the ingredients of Hamburger Helper:

Well.  That doesn't sound amaaazing.  But the idea of Hamburger Helper still made me a little hungry.  So I thought I'd recreate it.  And it wasn't half bad.  Even my husband was raving about it...

Recipe #25:  Homemade Hamburger Helper

Choice of libation: Effen black cherry vodka in diet Coke. Again.  So?

Choice of music: Savage Garden.  Duh.  Don't judge.  They were like my Wham!  Shut up. I can hear your judgement from here.

I seasoned ground turkey with salt, pepper, paprika, red pepper flakes and parsley, then threw in some caramelized onions, garlic and fire-roasted tomatoes. Which when I was younger might have sounded gross. Not like "partially hydrogenated soy bean oil" and "enzyme modified blue cheese"...

Why, yes. That IS whole wheat pasta and spinach! And...3 kinds of cheeses.  And sour cream. 

But, hey, at least it's not powdered cheese?

I also thought fresh basil would be a nice touch at the end there. I was right.

It was a perfectly acceptable version of the childhood classic, that I managed to make in thirty minutes.  And yes. I was taken to a place where magenta feelings take up shelter at the base of my spine . Like a chic-a-black-cherry-vodka-cola.

I barely followed this recipe from tastykitchen.com

1 pound ground meat (I used turkey)

3 cups noodles (I used whole wheat rotini)

3 cups spaghetti sauce (I used diced fire roasted tomatoes)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoons garlic powder (I used 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced)

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (I used paprika, red pepper flakes and fresh parsley)

3/4 cups mozzarella cheese (I used Colby and monterey jack, and 1/4 c ricotta) 

½ cups sour cream

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

(handful of fresh basil)

Directions:

Cook ground beef in a non-stick pan. Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions. After noodles are cooked, drain and drizzle with olive oil. Mix in your spaghetti sauce. Add the ground beef and seasoning. In a small bowl combine the sour cream, mozzarella and Parmesan. Add to the pasta mixture and fold together and allow it all to combine and melt together, over low heat, for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with parsley and additional Parmesan.

Chicken Adobo: The OTHER Filipino Dish You've Probably Tasted

Like my flat chest and weird elbows, I inherited the adobo chicken recipe from my Dad.  I can't in good conscience count this as one of my new recipes since I have made this at least once a month since sophomore year of college and could make this in my sleep at this point.  But Steph Diaz, Bryan Bosque, Donnell Williams and Brooke Allen requested my version of it, and who am I not to give the people what they want? Especially Pinoy and honorary Pinoy friends? YOU GUYS - IT'S SO EASY. DO NOT BE INTIMIDATED BY CHICKEN ADOBO. ALL YOU DO IS DUMP THINGS IN A BOWL, THEN DUMP THINGS IN A POT, AND THEN COOK IT AND THEN EAT IT.

Emjoy's Version of Chicken Adobo

Choice of libation: It was a muggy day (again) so I went with Effen black cherry vodka and diet coke, a boozy wink to the childhood favorite.

Choice of music: Apertif for Destruction by Richard Cheese, also a boozy wink to childhood favorites (specifically his versions of "You Oughta Know" and "Somebody Told Me")

Like a good Gavino, I began exactly as my Dad would - marinate the chicken (though you can use any meat or veggie you would like) in soy sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper, rubbing in some of the minced garlic, just to make sure that flavour (and smell) is inescapable. I usually marinate it overnight but as long as it soaks in for 3 or 4 hours, that's fine. 

When you're finally ready to cook, saute the rest of the garlic (and at this point I also add sweet onions - GASP! - deviant) until fragrant and soft then add the chicken and sauce, bring to a boil and simmer on low for 3 hours or until the meat is literally falling off the bone.

I added green beans at the last 10 minutes because (say it with me) THEY WERE ON SALE. Also at this point I added coconut milk because I like a creamier sauce to pour over the rice.

Um. Dude.  You're done.  Wasn't that easy? NOW EAT. Like my parents and their parents before them, I will watch you until you finish everything on your plate.  

AND YOU WILL FINISH EVERYTHING ON YOUR PLATE.

Stolen (and heavily adapted) from my Dad

2 lbs chicken, cut into serving pieces (I used drumsticks and breasts)

3 pcs dried bay leaves

a bunch of soy sauce (I used low sodium)

a bunch of vinegar (I used balsamic)

*recipes usually call for a few table spoons, but I usually cover the chicken in soy sauce and vinegar

3 cloves garlic, crushed (I used 6 large cloves)

1 sweet onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup water

1 can coconut milk

1/2 lb green beans

salt and whole peppercorn

1. In a large container, dump the soy sauce, vinegar, salt, pepper and 3 cloves crushed garlic on the chicken. Marinate the chicken for at least 3 hours

2.  Place the cooking oil in a pan and apply heat. When the oil is hot enough, add 3 cloves crushed garlic, and the sliced onion and cook until soft

3. Dump in the marinated chicken. Cook all the sides for about 5 minutes.

4. Dump in the remaining marinade and add water. Bring to a boil

5. Add the dried bay leaves. Cover and simmer on low for 3 hours or when the meat is falling off the bone.

6. 10 minutes before serving, dump in the coconut milk and green beans.

Serve hot over rice

What I Lack in Carbs I Make Up For in ALL THE CHEESE

I know, I know. Between this and that one time I replaced rice with cauliflower, you're starting to worry about me.  Don't fret, while I don't blog about it, I am usually eating all the pasta and bread I can get my hands on. I think I was mainly inspired to do this dish because in my current Barrel of Monkeys show, I play a summer squash in not one but TWO stories. Ugh.  Typecasting, AMIRIGHT? But what can you do?  I don't currently have a picture of me in the costume, but this should suffice for now.

I mean, this isn't EXACTLY what I look like, but it's pretty close.

Recipe #24: Zucchini Lasagna

Choice of libation: I was torn because I wanted a cold beverage since it's SO FREAKIN STUFFY IN CHICAGO but I was making a lasagna, so felt like I needed a red wine.  I settled on a sparkling red -- Good Vines Marzemino.  It is definitely a summer wine, with notes of strawberry. You'll want it really chilled. Good Vines, as a company, is pretty great actually. They donate 5% of their sales to Chicago children's charities and their products are made in farmer cooperative-owned vineyard that is 70% solar powered.  So really, by drinking their wine, I am saving lives. 

Choice of music: Fastball's All the Pain Money Can Buy. Do not judge me.  It is a great album.  That's right. I said great.  I got to see them in concert last year and I could sing along to every one of their choruses.  I am not ashamed.

Remember how I said I had awful knife skills? That is still true. I went ahead and salted the zucchini strips and drained them because they can get pretty watery otherwise.  

This wasn't at all in the recipe, but I though it odd to make lasagna without ricotta - I mean, that recipe only had ONE kind of cheese. This is me improvising, half a bottle of Marzemino, in.

The layering process begins - just a little of the meat sauce to start.

Then add the zucchini strips. Had I used a mandolin (which we don't own), this would probably be a lot prettier, BUT SOMETIMES WE DON'T GET WHAT WE WANT, DO WE?

Then add the meat mixture

Next the cheese

Then the spinach and mushrooms -- look how healthy we're being!

Maybe I stole a handful of string cheese from my little brother's lunch stash. I'll pay him back in cheese, later. I actually just ran out of cheese on the other layer but needed something to melt on top of the lasagna, so I chopped them up. And then off to the oven it goes...   

On the Food Network, they're always telling you to taste every part of what you're making. I'm sure they actually meant taste it WHILE you're making it, not INSTEAD of cleaning your pans like civilized people.  Oh well.  It's good sauce.  

Success! Kind of!  Actually I didn't realize we didn't have foil, so it would have browned a lot better had I not skipped that step.  But honestly, I had been to Mariano's 3 times that day and I simply couldn't handle the snicker from the front cashier once more.  

In the end, it didn't LOOK like a lasagna because it didn't hang together very well, but it tasted pretty dang close.  If I had thought, I would be making lasagna without the lasagna I would have said  I was "Out of My Head"...

HAHA! NOW IT'S STUCK IN YOUR HEAD TOO!

stolen (and then heavily adapted) from nilsenpantry.com

1 pound ground beef (I used ground pork)

1 cup yellow onions (1/2 medium-sized onion), chopped

12 ounce bag of shredded cheese (I used 1 cup ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and 4 sticks of string cheese) 

(1 egg - I added for binding)

(1 tsp nutmeg - I like nutmeg in lasgana)

(2 handfuls of spinach)

(1 package of mushrooms)

1 tablespoon basil 

1 tablespoon oregano

2 tablespoons parsley 

3 small zucchinis or 2 large zucchinis, sliced in half vertically and then sliced horizontally into 1/4 inch thick slices

15 ounces organic tomato sauce (I used Classico's fire-roasted tomato and garlic)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

6 ounces tomato paste

Himalayan salt (to taste)

fresh ground pepper (to taste)

Coconut oil for greasing baking dish (I used olive oil)

(Place zucchini slices on paper towels and lightly salt and place in colander for 20 minutes)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Brown ground meat in a large skillet.

Add garlic and onion and cook for 5 minutes.

Stir in tomato sauce and tomato paste.

Add in parsley, basil, oregano, salt and pepper and continue to stir.

Bring sauce to a light boil, then remove from heat.

Meanwhile, saute mushrooms and spinach until slightly wilted.

Mix ricotta, Parmesan, egg, nutmeg, 1 tbsp parsley, salt and pepper 

Grease a 9×13 baking dish with oil.

Put a little bit of the meat mixture on the bottom of the baking dish, about 1/4 cup

Next place a layer of zucchini strips

On top of the zucchini strips put the meat mixture and then add a layer of cheese

Repeat with a second set of layers: spinach/mushrooms, Zucchini, meat mixture and then ending with cheese on the very top (that's what I used the string cheese for - WHAT? We didn't have mozzarella).

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes

Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes, until all the cheese is melted and the zucchini is cooked through.

Pull out of oven and let set for 5 minutes before cutting and serving