Fran's Eggplant Casserole

Before I retired I worked in an all female accounting office. We all loved to cook and some loved to bake so we had potluck office meals fairly often. This dish started out as a simple casserole of my boss, Fran. As the recipe got passed around, almost everyone added something to it or made a variation of it. So it ended up being a potluck dish! I love it and every time if cook it, the house smells wonderful!

Fran's Eggplant Casserole

1 whole eggplant, peeled and sliced thin
3 zucchini, scrubbed and sliced
3 yellow squash, scrubbed and sliced
6-8 ounces sliced mushrooms, canned or fresh
1 bell pepper, chopped (use any color you want)
15 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
garlic powder, to taste
Parmesan cheese (non-vegan), optional OR
nutritional yeast (vegan), optional

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray cookie sheet with Pam, spread eggplant slices, and spray slices with Pam. Bake for 15 minutes to help tenderize the eggplant.

Prepare the other vegetables and place in oven-proof casserole dish. When the eggplant is ready, place in casserole dish and mix with the other vegetables. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a dash of red pepper. Sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast, if using. Cover and bake at 350F for 1 hour, until vegetables are tender.

Notes: 1. You can use flavored diced tomatoes and any other seasonings you wish to vary the dish. For example, use basil, oregano tomatoes and Italian seasoning (my favorite), or chili powder and Rotele tomatoes for Mexican, etc. Greek would be good too!
2. This is easy to make in the crockpot. Place all ingredients in the crockpot, stir, cover, and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Vegetarian Spaghetti Sauce

I wanted spaghetti, but I didn't want to use TVP (textured vegetable protein) or have thin, soupy sauce. So I just started chopping vegetables and throwing them in! My Mom used to call that being a "dump cook" (dump it in the pot and see what happens). So what happened was soooooo delicious! I'm really excited about figuring out a spaghetti sauce that is delicious, satisfying and filling without using meat!

Vegetarian Spaghetti Sauce

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 medium yellow squash, chopped
4 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
8 ounces whole white mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed, sliced
3 large celery ribs, halved lengthwise and sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 can Hunt's Traditional Spaghetti Sauce (use your favorite sauce, of course!)
1 - 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
salt and pepper, to taste
dried oregano, to taste
Italian seasoning, to taste
1/4 cup Marsala cooking wine, optional

Spray a Dutch oven with cooking spray. Add olive oil. Add the carrots and cook for a few minutes then add the bell pepper, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and celery, and stir to coat with oil. Sprinkle a little oregano on vegetables and stir. Cover and cook on medium to medium-low for a few minutes until the vegetables start to soften. Stir often to ensure the vegetables are not scorching. Add a couple of tablespoons of water if you need to. Add the minced garlic and cook a little more.

Add spaghetti sauce and diced tomatoes. Check for seasoning. Add salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to taste. Let the sauce come to a boil, then lower fire to low, cover and simmer until all vegetables are tender. Add wine, if using. Let sauce cook and reduce a little. Serve on top of whole wheat pasta, barley, quinoa, or just eat plain!

Tip: Clean and save your mushroom stems in a freezer bag to make a delicious stock!

Bob and I wanted pasta tonight (a rare occasion!) and I found this pasta. Look at the fiber grams! Look at the proteins! Look at the list of ingredients! And it tasted good too. It didn't have that gummy, pasty texture I hate in pasta.

Vegan Super Bowl Party Chili

I found a delicious vegan chili recipe and had to share! I made it tonight and Bob and I love it! It doesn't take very long to prepare and is so delicious that even if you're not vegan or vegetarian, you're gonna love it!

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2012/01/healthy-super-bowl-party-chili.html

I made a couple of changes to the recipe when I made this the second time: (You know I had to tweak!)

1. I sauteed my vegetables in water instead of oil. Heat your pot a bit then add the onions and the same amount of water as the recipe calls for oil. Keep a little water handy and add more as needed. You won't need much; the onions will release their own moisture as they soften.
2. I doubled the chili powder. The recipe calls for 1 tablespoon and I put 2. We like a little more chili flavor.
3. I didn't use salt at the end. I added the black pepper and the chili tasted great as it was so I left out the salt; we all need to cut down on salt anyway.
4. I'm not a hot sauce person since my wls, but I still enjoy using a little tabasco vinegar. Just a few drops in my bowl really livened up this chili.