Mexican Pepper and Bean Lasagna

This recipe for vegetable lasagna is based on one found in Chatelaine Recipes and has been modified slightly.

Ingredients:
1-2 red, yellow or green peppers
1 large portabella mushroom
1 can black beans19 oz (540 mL), rinsed
1 can white kidney or romano beans, rinsed
Olive oil
3 cups (750 mL) tomato-based pasta sauce*
475 g container extra-smooth ricotta cheese
2 tsp (10 mL) each ground cumin and dried thyme leaves
1 tsp (5 mL) chili flakes
1/2 tsp (2 mL) each salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 to 14 oven-ready or fresh lasagna noodles
3 cups (750 mL) grated Monterey Jack, light Havarti or cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (125 mL) or more coarsely chopped fresh coriander

* I used 1-28 oz tin of crushed tomatoes and 1-6 oz tin of tomato paste. The extra sauce is preferable if using oven-ready lasagna noodles. I also cooked in a couple of handfuls of spinach leaves.

Preheat oven to 350F (180C).

Method:
Core and seed peppers, then coarsely chop.
Dice portabella mushroom.
Drain and rinse beans.
Lightly coat a large wide saucepan with oil and set over medium heat. Add peppers and mushrooms. Stir often until softened, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in beans and pasta sauce. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl stir ricotta with cumin, thyme, chili flakes, salt and pepper.

Spread enough sauce to barely cover bottom of a 9x13-inch (3-L) baking dish. Cover with 4 or 5 noodles. Don't overlap. Spoon half the ricotta mixture in dollops overtop, then gently spread as best you can toward edges. Pour half of sauce overtop, then smooth surface. Sprinkle with 1 cup (250 mL) grated cheese. Top with 4 or 5 noodles, remaining ricotta mixture and 1 cup (250 mL) cheese. Finish with noodles, gently pressing them down. Cover with remaining sauce and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake, uncovered, in centre of 350F (180C) oven until a knife tip inserted in centre of lasagna feels warm, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with coriander.

Turkey Pie

My sister-in-law gave us left over turkey after Christmas dinner yesterday and I used it to make this pie today. I found the recipe here and modified it as follows. I added more turkey than the original recipe calls for as my pie plate is deep and needs about 6 cups of filling. It is a good way to use up turkey if you do not have any gravy. I made a two crust pie as suggested but this would also work with just a top crust.

1 cup sliced carrots

1 cup finely chopped mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 cup frozen cut green peas

or a total of 3-1/2 cups chopped vegetables

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

3 cups cubed cooked turkey or chicken

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed golden mushroom soup, undiluted

1/2 cup regular sour cream

1 pastry for double-crust pie (9 inches)

Directions:

In a skillet or wok, saute carrots, mushrooms, celery, thyme and pepper in butter and oil until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add turkey, soup, sour cream and green peas to the vegetable mixture and mix well. Line a 9-in. pie plate with bottom crust. Add turkey mixture. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie; seal and flute edges. Cut slits in pastry.

Bake at 425 degrees F for 12 minutes then reduce temperature to 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

This tastes as good as the filling of pumpkin pie. I cook and freeze pumpkin in the fall and have it handy for pumpkin loaf or muffins, pumpkin pie and also to add to soup. Quantities are approximate so feel free to adjust to taste and availability of ingredients.

1-1/2 cups plain soy milk

3/4 cup pureed pumpkin (frozen or thawed)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

4 packets of Splenda

Blend together in blender and pour into glasses.

Serves 2

Variations:

Sweeten with honey, maple syrup, ripe banana or other sweetener.

Use any kind of milk

Fruit Bouquet

Ingredients for this bouquet: (enough for two arrangements)

1 mini watermelon
1 fresh pineapple, core intact
6 kiwi fruit
1 pound whole fresh strawberries
1 pound of grapes
1 head of iceberg lettuce or florist foam

(you can use any firm fruit which does not discolour when cut)

Cut the watermelon in half and scoop out the fruit. Reserve for another use. You can cut a decorative edge on each watermelon if desired. Cut lettuce head in half and put it in the watermelon, rounded side up.

Slice pineapple in 2 cm rings and cut round or flower shapes with a metal cookie cutter. Peel and slice kiwi fruit the same thickness. Wash grapes and strawberries and trim tops of the berries.

Assemble the fruit on bamboo skewers. I cut 1/3 to 1/2 of the skewers off as they were too long for the size of the base. You need to put a firm fruit behind the pineapple ring as it tends to slide down. I found a ring of kiwi worked perfectly. Some people suggest using a gummy candy for support. Cover the pointed end of the stick with a grape or melon ball.

Caution: If doing this with children, I would cut off the sharp end of the bamboo skewer before threading the fruit.