Vegetarian Lasagna

I rarely make lasagna except for special occasions. It is not the type of meal that can be made in thirty minutes after work. One of our regional grocery chains is now selling fresh lasagna noodles made of 100% whole wheat flour (President's Choice). I bought a package of them and put this lasagna together very quickly. It was handy to skip the "boiling noodles" stage of the process, but you could use regular dried lasagna noodles that have been cooked instead of the fresh noodles.

In a large frying pan or wok heat 1-2 tbsp oil. Add:

1 onion, diced, diced
1/2-1 sweet pepper, diced
2 portobello mushrooms thinly sliced (or equivalent amount of another mushroom)

Cook until softened and then add

1 pound of chopped raw spinach.
Cook until spinach is wilted
Add 1 jar of pasta sauce of your choice

Assemble lasagna in a 9x13 inch pan.

Put a little pasta sauce in the bottom of the pan
Add a layer of fresh or prepared noodles
Add another layer of sauce, sprinkle with parmesan or other grated cheese, then
Add a layer of noodles, then
Mix 1 egg into a 500 ml container of cottage cheese and spread on top of noodles, then
Add a layer of noodles and the rest of the sauce.

Sprinkle the top with grated mozzarella cheese. You can top the lasagna with another layer of noodles if desired. I find noodles on the top get hard, so I end with sauce.

Cover lightly with foil and bake for 45-50 minutes at 350F.

(Vegetables and cheeses can be varied)

Venison Stew

A friend from our church, John, gave us some game meat from moose and deer he hunted last fall. I checked a few recipes and then created this dish with what was on hand. It was very good! This type of recipe can be modified in many ways.

Heat 15-30 ml of oil in a dutch oven or stew pot

Add one diced onion (I would have added green pepper if I had some) and cook for a couple of minutes until it is starting to soften.

Add 500 g diced venison and cook until browned

Add 30 ml cider vinegar
250 ml vegetable or beef broth
250 ml tomato sauce (I used some left over pasta sauce)
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
5 ml allspice
other seasonings to taste

Simmer slowly for 40- 50 minutes until meat is tender.

Add chunks of potato (4 medium), carrots (2), onions (1) as desired and simmer until vegetables are done.

I served it with a salad and Canadian wild rice.

Dessert Crepes

There are endless possibilities when it comes to filling basic crepes for dessert. We tried this simple and delicious end to our crepe experiments and the warm fruit and ice cream was quite perfect. The Becka assembled and photographed the finished product.

Cook two sliced bananas on high in a frying pan with a little butter until slightly browned and soft. Drizzle the inside of a crepe with chocolate sauce and place bananas inside. Fold crepe in thirds over the fruit. Place a scoop of ice cream on top and drizzle with a little chocolate sauce.

Chicken and Spinach Crepes

We created this dish today with ingredients on hand. I cooked 2 bone-in, skinless chicken breasts in 2 cups of salted water and saved the broth for the sauce. Make the crepes using this basic recipe.

Creamed Chicken and Spinach Filling

Saute one onion and one large portobello mushroom in 1 tbsp butter over medium heat. When softened, add 1 pound chopped raw spinach and cook until wilted. Add 6 tbsp flour to mixture and stir in. Slowly add 1 cup of chicken broth and 1 cup milk, stirring until thickened. Add 1/4 parmesan cheese and/or grated cheddar cheese and stir until it melts. Add 2 cups diced chicken if desired.

Spoon into crepe and fold over or roll up before serving.

Makes 8 filled crepes.

May 15/08 -Variation- We liked this filling even better!

6 tbsp flour
3-4 cups milk or soymilk
1/2 tsp salt
curry powder
cumin powder
4 cups spinach
3 chicken breasts grilled and chopped up

Blend milk slowly into the flour, add seasonings and cook in microwave stirring often until thickened. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Add chicken. Adjust seasonings as desired.

Crepes

We visited a new restaurant in our area called Cora's last weekend. They serve breakfast and lunch only and feature decadent but healthy platters of fruit, crepes, pancakes, sandwiches, omeletes, etcetera. Crepes were very popular in the 1970's before people felt guilty about eating eggs and creamy sauces. Our weather today is horrid, so Becka and I experimented with making crepes. The results were delicious! Here is a basic crepe recipe, easy to make and handle.

In a blender mix:

1 cup flour (I used high fiber white flour)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons melted butter

Lightly oil and large skillet (10") and add about 1/4 cup batter. Tip the pan quickly to let the batter cover the entire pan in a very thin layer. Cook until bubbles form on the surface and then turn crepe for until done. Each crepe takes a minute or less to cook once the pan is hot.

Makes 8 -10 inch crepes. Fill as desired with a savoury or sweet filling.

Seven Layer Casserole

Before our children were born, one of my patients gave me a cookbook put together by the New Dundee Women's Institute. (No. 3-1973) It is full of the best of local cooking, meals to fill hungry people after a day working on the farm, meals to serve large families on a budget, meals featuring locally available foods, and meals that are quick and easy to assemble.
I made this casserole many Sunday mornings before church and put it in the oven to be ready at 1:00 PM. It is a perfect one dish meal and can be varied as needed. Add a salad and the dinner is complete.

Lightly grease a small roasting pan or large casserole dish.

Spread one pound of lean or extra lean ground meat on the bottom of the pan. (We prefer ground turkey) Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Next, sprinkle 1/4 cup raw long grained rice evenly over the meat.
Add one layer each of raw onion, sliced raw carrots, frozen or canned peas, thinly sliced raw potatoes. The potatoes are the thickest layer. Season each layer as desired. Mix one 10 oz can of tomato soup (or mushroom soup) with 1 cup of water and pour over the mixture. Cover and bake at 325F for 1-1/2 hours