Vegetable Moussaka and a little love story...

David and I were Greek for our anniversary this year. I made Vegetable Moussaka and Greek Salad and we enjoyed our dinner after James was tucked snugly into bed. We had planned to watch My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but we sipped wine, talked about everything and did other important things instead. :]

There is a story behind the Greekiness so let me explain...

September 13th, 2002 fell on a Friday (Friday the 13th!) and I was 16 (about to turn 17 in January). My dad and I were planning to meet with our good friends Richard and Cathy and their young daughter, Lauren, for dinner and a movie that night. This was sort of a bi-monthly tradition, and we always had a lot of fun!

This particular Friday afternoon held a phone call from Cathy asking if we minded if they brought along a young (male) family friend of theirs since he would be finishing piano lessons with Lauren close to dinner time. She also mentioned that he was very cute and good enough of a pianist to get into Julliard. I said of course we didn't mind if he came along, the more the merrier!

Fast forward to that evening when they arrived at our house and it was love at first sight for both of us. I ran to the bathroom to (squeal like a girl) and to make sure I had deodorant on and fixed my hair and then we were off to have dinner at an Italian restaurant in Bonsall, CA, where I proceeded to eat more than I should have. (true love knows no shame)

{{Disclaimer: Okay, so obviously the whole love at first sight thing is debatable, especially among Christians, but I truly felt drawn to him like a bee is to honey and time told that it was not just the initial attraction stage, (ie, lust). Thankfully, the Lord has guided our relationship ever since that moment, through almost hell and back and for that we are thankful!}}

Then we hopped over to the Bonsall theatre to see "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" which was hilarious and surprisingly fitting. I do believe we ended with ice cream from Baskin Robbins, but that part is a blur. That was the night I met David, and believe it or not, the first "real" conversation we held in the car was exchanged in the form of an argument about music. We got married 17 long months later and the rest is history!

So on to the recipe for Vegetable Moussaka (since we don't eat no meat)!

1/2 cup +/- olive oil, for frying
1 onion, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
14 ounces canned chopped tomatoes
11 ounces canned green lentils
2 tablespoons chopped parsley (I used dried)
1 large eggplant, sliced into 1 inch slices
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese


Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, stirring frequently. Add the celery and garlic.

Then add the tomatoes and lentils (add the can juices from the lentils).

Season with parsley and salt and pepper, to taste.

Reduce the heat, cover loosely and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a little of the remaining oil in a large skillet. Add the eggplant slices in batches, sprinkle lightly with salt and fry until golden brown on both sides. Remove with a slotted metal spoon and drain on paper towels.

Layer an oven-safe baking dish with the lentil mixture and the eggplant slices.

Ending with a layer of eggplant.


Now, to make the sauce, put the butter, flour, and milk in a sauce pan over medium-low heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. (this is why there are no pictures of this part... I was whisking, constantly.) Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and mix in the egg. Pour the sauce over the eggplant, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake for 40 minutes,



or until golden brown and bubbling.

Serve immediately, and enjoy!

To make this Greek salad, simply chop large tomatoes and cucumber, add some feta cheese and kalamata olives and sliced white onions. Mix together (to taste) red wine vinegar, olive oil, sea salt, sugar, a teensy bit of olive juice and some pepper. Shake it up and pour over the salad mix and place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.


Oh, and if you haven't seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding, grab a glass of wine and go watch it!

recipes from: The Vegetarian Cookbook, edited by Nicola Graimes.

Caramel Layer Bars

I got this recipe from a sweet friend a very long time ago. I found it typed out in pink and blue in my recipe notebook. Note to self: If I asked for the recipe and actually followed through to get the recipe, it had to be a good one. I made this delightful layered bar tonight for our 6th Wedding Anniversary, AKA, Valentine's Day! This is my first time making these since having them so long ago, and boy am I glad I asked for the recipe!




This is probably one of the most decadent desserts I have ever tasted in my life. That is probably the reason why the original copy says that this yields 3 dozen servings, which is good because this is certainly not the most healthful dessert out there... Cut yourself a small serving and enjoy!

Caramel Layer Bars

What you need:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups butter, softened

1/2 cup whipping cream
11 oz caramels
12 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts




In a bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Mix in butter with fork.



Set aside 1 cup for topping.


Press remaining mixture into a greased 13"x9" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, until lightly browned.

Meanwhile, combine caramels and cream in a saucepan over low heat.

Stir frequently,

until melted and smooth.

Here is the cookie base, it looks good enough to eat by itself!

Sprinkle chocolate chips (and watch them melt)

and walnuts...

then top with caramel mixture.

Sprinkle with reserved oat mixture (hopefully you resisted the urge to eat this with a spoon)

and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.

This little cookie will satisfy any sweet tooth!

Enjoy!

Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

Blueberries are on sale in my area right now. Not sure if it's a regional thing or what, because I thought Summer was the season for blueberries... but maybe it was Fall? Anyways. We love blueberries! James eats them fresh by the pound, but he also likes them (just like his Daddy) in his pancakes and pretty much any other baked good I make.

I was thumbing through my old recipe book looking for a yummy muffin recipe the other night when I stumbled across this one. It is dated 3/26/2005 and rated a 9 1/2 (out of 10 stars). I don't remember making these in 2005, but boy oh boy am I glad I made them the other night! I made them again the next day because we ate them all up between breakfast and tea time. Sadly, even though I made these twice, I managed to forget to take a picture both times... maybe next time!

Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

Makes 6 jumbo or 12 regular muffins

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I used half whole wheat)
3/4 cup rolled oats (quick cooking)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup fresh or thawed blueberries

Directions:

Grease your pan or use baking cups and pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, stir flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix well.

In a larger mixing bowl, combine the egg, milk, brown sugar, oil and vanilla and mix with fork until smooth. Add flour mixture and stir just until moistened, batter should be lumpy. Gently fold blueberries into the batter and spoon into muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full.

Bake for 16-18 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Serve warm with butter. Enjoy!


this recipe is from Better Home and Gardens.

Confit Byaldi {Remy's Ratatouille}

Since we became vegetarians 3 weeks ago, this was our first Thanksgiving without a turkey! I used to think that the idea of Thanksgiving without a turkey was not much of a Thanksgiving at all, but keeping my priorities in order, I thankfully washed all of the vegetables and proceeded to make our Thanksgiving dinner: confit byaldi, Remy's take on Ratatouille.



His looks a lot better than mine.


But ours tasted absolutely amazing and left us wanting more!





Confit Byaldi

INGREDIENTS
FOR PIPERADE
1/2 red pepper, seeds and ribs removed
1/2 yellow pepper, seeds and ribs removed
1/2 orange pepper, seeds and ribs removed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
3 tomatoes (about 12oz. total weight), peeled, seeded, and finely diced, juices reserved
1 sprig thyme
1 sprig flat-leaf parsley
1/2 a bay leaf
Kosher salt


Piperade:



FOR VEGETABLES
1 zucchini (4 to 5 ounces) sliced in 1/16-inch rounds
1 Japanese eggplant, (4 to 5 ounces) sliced into 1/16-inch rounds
1 yellow squash (4 to 5 ounces) sliced into 1/16-inch rounds
4 Roma tomatoes, sliced into 1/16-inch rounds
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper




FOR VINAIGRETTE
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Assorted fresh herbs (thyme flowers, chervil, thyme)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

DIRECTIONS
1. For piperade, heat oven to 450 degrees. Place pepper halves on a foil-lined sheet, cut side down. Roast until skin loosens, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest until cool enough to handle. Peel and chop finely.

2. Combine oil, garlic, and onion in medium skillet over low heat until very soft but not browned, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes, their juices, thyme, parsley, and bay leaf. Simmer over low heat until very soft and very little liquid remains, about 10 minutes, do not brown; add peppers and simmer to soften them. Season to taste with salt, and discard herbs. Reserve tablespoon of mixture and spread remainder in bottom of an 8-inch skillet.

3. For vegetables, heat oven to 275 degrees. Down center of pan, arrange a strip of 8 alternating slices of vegetables over piperade, overlapping so that 1/4 inch of each slice is exposed. Around the center strip, overlap vegetables in a close spiral that lets slices mound slightly toward center. Repeat until pan is filled; all vegetables may not be needed.

4. Mix garlic, oil, and thyme leaves in bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle over vegetables. Cover pan with foil and crimp edges to seal well. Bake until vegetables are tender when tested with a paring knife, about 2 hours. Uncover and bake for 30 minutes more. (Lightly cover with foil if it starts to brown.) If there is excess liquid in pan, place over medium heat on stove until reduced. (At this point it may be cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Serve cold or reheat in 350-degree oven until warm.)

5. For vinaigrette, combine reserved piperade, oil, vinegar, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl.

6. To serve, heat broiler and place byaldi underneath until lightly browned. Slice in quarters and very carefully lift onto plate with offset spatula. Turn spatula 90 degrees, guiding byaldi into fan shape. Drizzle vinaigrette around plate. Serve hot.

Yield: 4 servings

Stout Portabello Stew

I am a lucky girl, that much is for sure!

Yesterday, I went to the mall to shop for some jeans, and to see New Moon (more on New Moon later) and I came home with a few extra things from Aero due to some awesome deals and a 30% off coupon, of course.

When I got home, this delicious stew was waiting for me, along with my two favorite people in the world. I made some Irish soda bread and we had a delicious dinner together.



Recipe by my husband David

combine:
1 brown onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
3 Tbs olive oil
in a skillet over medium high heat. saute until onion is soft.

then add:
16 oz baby portabello mushrooms, sliced thick
1 bottle stout beer (we used Samuel Adams Cream Stout)
6 red potatoes, diced
and water to cover potatoes + 1 inch or so.
simmer until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.

add:
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp peppercorn pepper
1/2 tsp soy sauce

In a separate pot over low heat, melt 6 Tbs butter. Add 1 1/2 C milk, 1/2 C flour and stir. Quickly add up to 2 cups of broth from soup pot, and stir until smooth and creamy, about 10 minutes. Transfer back to the soup and allow to simmer until well blended.

Makes 8 servings.

Serve with White Irish Soda Bread

Give Thanks and Enjoy!!

Vegan Split Pea Soup

We recently tried Amy's Organic soups and were highly impressed with the quality and flavor, but at $2.15 a can (1 serving per can), I was determined to make my own organic soup at a much lower cost.
I found this recipe on one of my new favorite websites for environmentally friendly living called The Daily Green and found it to be easy pea-sy! ;)
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as our family did!


Vegan Split Pea Soup

SERVINGS
4 to 6

INGREDIENTS
2 cups (450 g) green split peas
6 to 7 cups (1410 to 1645 ml) water or vegetable stock
1 medium-size yellow onion, diced
2 creamy yellow potatoes (such as Yukon gold or fingerlings), diced
2 or 3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke, optional
Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
Rinse split peas, checking for any impurities, such as stones or residue. Place all ingredients except salt and pepper in a soup pot, and bring to a simmer. Cover loosely and cook until peas are tender, 1 hour or longer. Check occasionally to make sure water has not completely evaporated. Heat should be low-medium.

The resulting soup should be thick and creamy, with the split peas quite broken down and mushy. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS AND VARIATIONS
For creamier soup, puree in a food processor or blender. This is also a great soup for a slow cooker; add all ingredients, and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

COMPASSIONATE COOKS' TIP
The liquid smoke (found near the barbecue sauce in your local grocery store) takes the place of the ham (!) that people have been known to add to their soup. Because it's the smoky and salty flavor that we desire (not pig!), the liquid smoke does the job perfectly! (Yes, I needed to use that many exclamation points.)


This soup was delicious! I used almost all organic ingredients, and it still cost less than $4 for 6 servings! We'll be enjoying leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Did you know that this soup is also great for your heart? It tastes good and it's good for you! Dried peas are packed with fiber, B vitamins, protein, manganese, potassium and molybdenum, a trace mineral that has detoxifying properties.

For more information on the health benefits of split peas, visit The World's Healthiest Foods.

White Irish Soda Bread

This bread is soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside. It goes well with some butter and agave syrup or honey! We all love it!



Ingredients: (the loaf in the picture above was made by halving this recipe- perfect size for our little family)

4 cups of all purpose flour (we used half whole wheat and half white)
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1 Teaspoon salt
14 oz of buttermilk (if you don't have buttermilk, mix 2 T vinegar/lemon juice with milk)


Method:

Preheat the oven to 425 F. degrees. Lightly crease and flour a cake pan.

In a large bowl sieve and combine all the dry ingredients.

Add the buttermilk to form a sticky dough. Place on floured surface and lightly knead (too much allows the gas to escape)

Shape into a round flat shape in a round cake pan and cut a cross in the top of the dough.

Cover the pan with another pan and bake for 30 minutes (this simulates the bastible pot). Or just use a glass baking dish with a lid. Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

The bottom of the bread will have a hollow sound when tapped so show it is done.

Cover the bread in a tea towel and lightly sprinkle water on the cloth to keep the bread moist.





Source of Recipe