Vegetarian Stew (Elsie)

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion diced finely
1 medium carrot diced finely
1 stalk celery diced finely

Heat oil in large dutch oven, add onion,carrot & celery.
Saute , stirring frequently until vegetables brown, about 10 minutes.

Add
1 medium onion , chopped
1 pound small portobello mushrooms, chopped
1/2 pound white button mushrooms, chopped
Saute about 10 minutes, then add

1/2 tsp thyme or oregano
1 tsp fresh rosemary
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup white wine
Cook about 2 minutes scraping up any browned bits stuck to pot.

Add
2  1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp salt
1 cup canned diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
4 large carrots ( about 1 pound) sliced
4 medium potatoes, cut into about 1 inch pieces
1 can of  drained can of black beans (optional)

Bring to a boil, and then simmer until potatoes & carrots are tender.
Just before serving add 1 can peas or 1 cup frozen peas that have been thawed.
Simmer until peas are hot
Stir in 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar and 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley.

Adding meat to this would work easily if you wanted a beef stew.

Roasted Squash, Spinach and Caramelized Onion Lasagna (Sandra)

This recipe comes from the "Kitchy Kitchen" Blog. We had this at our last gourmet night- it is one of the best lasagna's I've had.

4 cups butternut squash, cut into 1/2" cubes

16 oz spinach, washed and dried

3 onions, thinly sliced

1 lb lasagna strips (enough for three layers)

12 oz ricotta

3 balls buffalo mozzarella (or about 2-3 cups regular mozzarella)

1/2 cup grated parm (or any other hard cheese, I sometimes use gouda)

chili flake

4 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup basil, julienned

Olive oil

Butter

for the beschamel:

1 3/4 pints milk

several sprigs of parsley

1/4 teaspon nutmeg

10 peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon chili flake

1 bay leaf

6 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup flour

2/3 cup grated parm

Preheat oven to 425F.  Drizzle the butternut squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast the butternut squash for about 30 minutes, or under soft and browned.  Meanwhile, over medium heat, saute the spinach in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add 2 minced cloves of garlic and a pinch of chili flake.   It should be totally wilted.  Set aside on a paper towel to drain.  To caramelize the onions,  melt 1 tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Add the onions with a big pinch of salt and cook down for about 30-40 minutes (just be patient, it's worth it), until a dark brown.  Halfway through add the remaining two cloves of  minced garlic. Set aside.  

Boil the lasagna noodles until just al dente (one minute before what the box says to cook it to).  Set aside in a bowl of cool water (from the tap is fine).

Slice the mozzarella into 8 slices per ball.

For the beschamel:

Bring the milk and everything else except for the butter, flour, and pram to a simmer.  In a separate sauce pan, melt the butter and add the flour.  Stir until doughy and smelling a bit nutty (about one minute).  Strain in the milk about a half cup at a time, whisking to incorporate with the butter and flour mix.  It should be smooth and velvety, not chunky or too thick.  If it is, just add some more milk to thin it out.  Add the parm and set aside.

Pre heat the oven to 375

In a pyrex dish, place a layer of noodles, a bit of the veg, the mozzarella, dot with a third of ricotta, add the basil, and cover with a 1/4 of the beschamel.  Repeat three times, and finish with the remaining beschamel and grated parm.  

Bake for 25 minutes, or until bubbling.  Turn the broiler on and bake for another 5 minutes, or until brown and crunchy on top.  Allow to sit for 20 minutes.  Enjoy

Quinoa Patties ( Elsie)

2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa ( I cook the quinoa in low sodium beef broth for a bit more flavour, just water is a bit bland)
4 large eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup fresh chives, chopped
1 med onion chopped fine
1/3 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated ( I used shredded mozzarella,it's much better)
3 cloves garlic, minced ( I use toppits garlic)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup whole grain breadcrumbs

In a medium bowl combine quinoa, eggs, and salt. Stir in garlic, chives, onion, cheese, and cayenne pepper.
Add breadcrumbs,and allow to sit for a few minutes.
The mixture should be quite moist. You may need to add extra water to moisten or additional breadcrumbs to make the mixture dryer.
Heat a bit of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
With a large spoon gather some of the mixture and drop into the pan. Flatten slightly with the back of the spoon and brown. Test by lifting the patty slightly to see if it's set enough to flip. Turn patty and brown the other side. Remove to a plate. Can be served hot, warm or cold with a salad or on buns or bread.
I find that I can only manage about 3 in a pan at a time and still have room to flip them.
I usually get about a dozen or so patties .

Vegetarian Moussaka (Sheri)

2 medium eggplant, thinly sliced

2 large zucchini, thinly sliced

2 large red potatoes, thinly sliced

olive oil cooking spray

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 large can diced peeled tomatoes with juice

1/2 (14.5 ounce) can lentils, drained

2 teaspoon dried oregano, separated 1 tsp for roasted vegetables and 1tsp for tomato mixture

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups crumbled feta cheese, separated into 1 cup each

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups milk

black pepper to taste

1 pinch ground nutmeg

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Slice eggplant, zucchini and potato slices, place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, sprinkle with salt, pepper, dried oregano, and nutmeg and spray with olive oil cooking spray.
3. Roast until tender (about 30 minutes), remove from oven and reduce heat to 350 degrees F.
4. Saute onion and garlic until lightly browned. Pour in vinegar and reduce. Stir in tomatoes with juice, lentils, oregano and parsley. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 15 minutes.
5. In a 9x13 inch casserole dish layer eggplant, zucchini, potatoes, and 1 cup feta. Pour tomato mixture over vegetables; repeat layering, finishing with a layer of eggplant and zucchini.
6. Cover and bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan combine butter, flour and milk. Bring to a slow boil, whisking constantly until thick and smooth. Season with pepper and add nutmeg. Remove from heat, cool for 5 minutes, add 1 cup to beaten egg and wisk vigorously, then return egg/milk mixture to saucepan and wisk together.
8. Pour sauce over vegetables and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and remaining cup of feta. Bake, uncovered, for another 25 to 30 minutes.