Pizza Casserole

I adapted a recipe from A Taste of Home and made this vegetarian version of a pizza casserole. It had all the flavours of pizza and could include other favourite toppings in the layers. I will include directions for the meat version as well in case the above link goes dead. This makes two casseroles so one can be frozen for another time.

Ingredients:

3 cups uncooked spiral pasta- I used cavatappi

2 -340 g packages of veggie ground round (or 2 lbs ground meat)**

16 ounces fresh sliced mushrooms (or 2 tins canned mushrooms)

1-2 green peppers, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped (optional)

1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce- I used a salt-free sauce

1 jar (14 ounces) pizza sauce

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

(or you can use 4-1/2 cups of prepared pasta sauce)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

4 cups (16 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

1-120 g package veggie pizza pepperoni

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven,* cook peppers, mushrooms and onions over medium heat until softened; drain.

Stir in the tomato sauce, pizza sauce, tomato paste, and seasonings.

Add the crumbled veggie ground round.

Drain pasta; stir into the sauce.

Divide half of the mixture between two greased 11-in. x 7-in. baking dishes; sprinkle each with 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. Top each with pepperoni and Parmesan cheese.

Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes.

Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until heated through.

Yield: 2 casseroles (6 servings each).

* if you are using ground meat, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain, and then cook the vegetables until softened

** the second time I made this I omitted the meat/veggie ground round and we thought it tasted even better with just the peppers/mushrooms/tomato sauce.

Lentil Mushroom Burgers

I have been eating a mainly vegan diet for a while and have been trying out many new recipes. This meatless burger is from Canadian Living and is absolutely delicious! I made it exactly according to the recipe. I will copy it here in case the link goes dead. I did not grill them but browned them in a frying pan on the stove.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped pecans
1 can (19 oz/540 mL) lentils, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
3 cups (750 mL) finely chopped mushrooms
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp (5 mL) chili powder
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/2 tsp (2 mL) pepper
1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cumin
1/2 tsp (2 mL) dried oregano
1/4 cup (50 mL) dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup (50 mL) salsa
6 hamburger buns

Preparation:
In large skillet, toast pecans over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Transfer to food processor. Add lentils; pulse just until smooth. Set aside.

In same skillet, heat oil over medium heat; fry mushrooms, onion, garlic, chili powder, salt, pepper, cumin and oregano until liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes. Scrape into food processor. Add bread crumbs and salsa; pulse to combine. Form into six 3/4-inch (2 cm) thick patties.

(Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate on waxed paper–lined rimmed baking sheet for up to 4 hours.)

Place on greased grill over medium-high heat; close lid and grill, turning once, until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Sandwich in buns.

Tofu Mayonnaise

I was looking for a vegan option for mayonnaise and came across this recipe on several sites. I did not have high expectations and was very surprised at how tasty it is.

½ lb of medium firm tofu
¼ cup canola oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar or equal amount of sweetener
1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon salt

Take all of your ingredients, and put them in a blender. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy for about five minutes. Transfer it into a jar or a plastic container. Use within a week.

Carrot and Onion Bahjis

The Becka modified this recipe from one in Jamie Oliver's cookbook Jamie's Food Revolution. She likes to make it on Friday nights but today I made it for the first time under her direction. She has substituted the self-rising white flour with chickpea flour which is readily available in our bulk and grocery stores. If you don't have it you can use regular flour. We serve these with hummus and limes and with a salad, they make a good vegan meal.

Grate 2 large carrots and 1 onion (I finely diced the onion)
Grate a 1 inch piece of fresh ginger (can use 1 tsp dried ginger)
Finely chop 1/2 to 1 cup fresh cilantro


Add the following spices and seasonings:

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin (seeds or ground)
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon mustard seeds

Add 1 cup chickpea flour
(also known as gram flour, garbanzo flour or besan)
1/2 cup of water

Mix ingredients to form a pasty mixture. I had to add another 1/4 cup of flour to this batch as the carrots were huge.


Heat a couple of tablespoons vegetable oil in a frying pan until hot. Add mixture by teaspoonfuls and cook both sides on medium heat until browned and crisp. The fritters need to cook for a few minutes to cook the vegetables. (like cooking potato pancakes).

Eat when hot. Makes about 25 fritters and serves 4 to 8 people depending on your appetite.

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.

Roasted beets, carrots and onions

I found this recipe (and picture) on the Meatless Monday blog, tried it and loved it. I have been eating the leftovers for lunch. I added the *spices and also put in some slivered fresh ginger. I cooked it for over an hour to get the vegetables very tender and the onions were starting to carmelize. Yum! I have cut and pasted this recipe and my changes are in italics.

Beets, carrots and red onions are seasoned with middle-eastern spices and oven-roasted in this terrific veggie medley. The Ras el Hanout spice blend can be constructed by mixing many everyday spices, so you can enjoy this veggie side dish without leaving the comfort of your own kitchen. This recipe comes to us from our friends at Foodista.

Serves 4

• 1 lb carrots, peeled and cut in half vertically
• 5 medium-sized beets, peeled and cut into quarters
• 2 large red onions, peeled and cut into quarters
• 3 teaspoons Ras el Hanout*
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

* Ras el Hanout is a spice blend which can be found in the spice section of many grocery stores and Middle-Eastern specialty shops. To make your own, mix together equal parts of cardamom, ginger* (fresh), allspice, cinnamon*, paprika, coriander*, cumin*, nutmeg and turmeric*. Add a pinch of cloves and black pepper at the end. This spice blend is flexible, so don’t worry if you’re missing a few spices.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. (375F)

Place carrots, onion wedges and beet quarters in a roasting pan in one layer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle the Ras el Hanout spice blend evenly over the vegetables. Drizzle the extra-virgin olive-oil over the seasoned vegetables.

Roast in oven for 25-30 (60) minutes, or until vegetables are cooked through. Let vegetables cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Apple Cake

This recipe is adapted from the cookbook Simply in Season, an excellent resource celebrating fresh, local foods.

5 cups thinly sliced, unpeeled apples
1-1/3 cups of sugar or sugar/Splenda blend
Combine and let stand while mixing other ingredients

1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1-2 tsp vanilla (optional)
Combine in a separate bowl

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup nuts or raisins (optional, I have not added them)

Combine in a third bowl. Stir flour mixture into apples alternately with egg mixture.
Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 50-60 minutes
until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

I have topped this with cream cheese icing or a crumb topping. The picture above shows the crumb topping...1/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar mixed together into coarse crumbs. Sprinkle on top before baking.

Quinoa Salad

This delicious salad can be made ahead and keeps for a couple of days in the fridge. Other grains such as couscous or rice could be substituted for the quinoa.

1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed under hot water for 3 minutes and drained in a fine sieve
1-1/2 cups of water
Dash of salt

Rinse quinoa and put in pot with water and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 7-10 minutes until grains are tender and water is absorbed. Put quinoa in a medium sized bowl.

Cut up finely and add available vegetables to quinoa such as:

celery
carrot
green onion
sweet peppers, red and/or green
seeded tomato
roasted mushrooms, zucchini, peppers
fresh cilantro

Add 1 tin cooked lentils (about 2 cups)

Mix together and add the juice of 1-2 fresh limes or lemons to the salad. Add a couple of tablespoons of good olive oil to the juice if desired.

Chicken Fiesta Salad

Our daughter in London introduced us to this fast and delicious meal.

2 chicken breasts cut into strips
1 pkg dry fajita or taco mix (we used PC BlueMenu low sodium taco mix)
1 14 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 10 -12 0z can corn or cut kernels off 2 cobs of corn
1/2 c salsa
salad greens
grated cheese, tomato, onion, sour cream, cilantro
lime wedges, guacamole, taco chips for garnish as desired

Coat chicken strips in fajita mix and cook then in a lightly oiled frying pan until done. Take the rest of the fajita mix and add it to the beans, corn and salsa. Heat in a pot on stove until warm.

Place salad greens on plate, add bean mixture, top with chicken strips and garnish as desired.

Makes 4 generous servings.

Vegetarian Option: Cut extra firm tofu into strips, coat with fajita mix and fry in lightly oiled pan until crisp. Serve instead of chicken.