Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas

preheat 350

Mix together cooked brown rice, black beans, the flesh of 1 baked butternut or acorn squash, 1 onion, 1 bell pepper, 1 can green chilies diced and drained, cilantro, grated cheddar cheese. Roll into tortillas and place in a baking dish. Top with green enchilada sauce. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Top with cheddar cheese and serve with yogurt and avocados.

Green enchilada sauce:

* 1 pound peeled (paper skin) and washed
tomatillos, cut in halves
* 2 medium white onions coarsely chopped.
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 4-6 cloves garlic, smashed or 2 -3 teaspoons garlic powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
* 1 tablespoon mild chili powder (or to taste)
* 2 cups roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped Anaheim chilies 0r 1 4oz can diced green chilies

* 3 cups mild chicken broth
* Salt and pepper to taste

Instruction:
In a medium sauce pan, place the olive oil, onions and garlic and cook until soft. Add the broth,tomatillos, cumin, chili powder and green chilies and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to a simmer and cover, continue cooking until the tomatillos are soft. Cool until room temperature. At this point, you may refrigerate sauce for later or freeze. When ready, process sauce until smooth in a blender or food processor.

Spinach Souffle

Preheat oven to 375
Use room temp eggs
Prepare souffle pan by buttering bottom and sides and coating with grated Parmesan cheese (grate a handful in and then rotate pan until evenly covered, dump out any extra)

In a saucepan melt 3 Tb butter. When the butter starts bubbling add 3 Tb yellow cornmeal and stir. Let cook a minute or so until it starts to brown. Then add 1 1/2 cups HOT milk (not boiling). Whisk until it thickens. Turn off heat and add splash of Worcestershire sauce and a sprinkle of yellow mustard. Remove pan from heat

You will now be separating eggs so get a bowl for the whites and put it next to the saucepan with your sauce. Separate 3 eggs, putting the yolks in the sauce (whisk each one immediately into the sauce) and the whites in their own bowl. Add 2 more whites (for a total of 3 yolks and 5 whites--you can do 4 and 6 for a slightly bigger souffle).

Add 1 cup of grated sharp cheddar cheese to the sauce. Add a handful of chopped spinach (optional) to the sauce.

Whip the whites until they are stiff (not dry). Carefully, carefully fold the whites into the sauce. Pour everything into the buttered souffle pan and place in the middle of oven. Cook for 40 minutes. Do not stomp while it is cooking. Take it out, admire, and serve immediately.

This makes enough for 2 very hungry people.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

3/4 cup sugar (succanaut, date, agave, maple, brown, brown rice syrup or combo...)
1/2 cup fruit sweet or fruit juice reduction or apple butter
1/3 c oil
1 t vanilla
1 egg
2 egg whites
1/3 cup soymilk as needed (may not need the full amount)
1/3 c applesauce

1 t baking soda
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 c cocoa powder
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt

2 zucchinis, grated
1-1.5 cup chocolate chips

Mix dry in one bowl, wet in another. Add wet to dry alternately with the zucchini. Add the chocolate chips as you stir.

Put in oiled bunt pan Cook 50-55 minutes at 350. Let cool 10 minutes then flip pan.

Can top with powdered sugar or frosting or a glaze.

Tofu Spinach Lasagna with Basil and Olives

8 oz of whole wheat lasagna noodles
1/2 lb silken tofu
1 pound fresh spinach
2 cups basil, chopped
1/4 cup olives, chopped
1 cup grated skim mozzarella (plus more for the top)
1/2 cup parmesan
1 egg
26 oz canned diced tomatoes (or petrocelli tomato sauce)
1 onion, grated or very finely chopped
3 cloves garlic
olive oil

400 degrees, grease 8 x 12 casserole dish
Wilt spinach in large skillet over high heat, squeeze off excess moisture
Mash spinach with tofu, cheese (both kinds), basil, egg and 2 cloves of garlic

In another bowl, combine tomatoes with olive oil, garlic, onion and olives

layer in dish: half of tomato sauce, noodles, tofu filling, noodles, tofu filling, noodles, sauce, mozzarella cheese.

Bake 20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes.

Petrocelli Pasta Sauce

For two people, blend about 12 roma tomatoes (seeds removed) with 1 onion and at least 4 cloves of garlic. You can use a can of diced tomatoes (strained) to replace about 4 of the fresh without compromising the end result. Pour into pot and simmer until thickens (about an hour). While cooking, add olive oil and a splash of balsamic. Also, add herbs, hot pepper flakes, and salt to taste. Red wine can be added too. Serve over pasta with freshly grated parmesan on top.

Variation. Blend the tomatoes, onion, and garlic as above (can add 1 can of good tomatoes as well if you want). Pour into pot with some olive oil and a splash of balsamic. Once it cooks down add a couple handfuls of kalamata olives and a spoonful or two of capers. Use an immersion blender to break down the olives in the sauce (you can just chop them before hand if you don't have an immersion blender but I like how they get shredded and the juices get incorporated right into the sauce). Add in little pastas (shells or spirals etc) and top with freshly crumbled feta cheese and parmesan.

White Bean Provencal Soup

In a large stock pot, saute 2 cups onions, 2 cups celery, and 6 cloves garlic in olive oil. Add 4 cups water, 29 oz chicken broth, 1/2 cup white wine (optional), 1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, 1 lb chicken breasts, and Bean Cuisine soup mix (includes beans, spices, and red bell pepper). Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 3 hours. Shred chicken with a fork before serving. Salt to taste.

Banana Curry

Oil, mustard seeds, chopped bananas, yogurt, turmeric, chili. Shouldn't take more than two or three minutes. The yogurt will sort of seperate if you don't use greek yogurt, so try (1) to keep the skillet not too hot, and (2) to sort of drop the yogurt down on the bananas instead of on the skillet itself. This should help a bit.

This dish is a quiet epiphany.

Pasta with Broiled Eggplant

Cut an eggplant into french-fry sized strips. Oil both sides of each strip. Don't skimp on the EVOO. Array them on a pan and broil each side for five minutes, and not a minute longer. You will not eat a tastier eggplant. Throw in some pine nuts near the end of the broil.

Saute onions, garlic, tomatoes, yellow squash, zucchini. Add olives, eggplant/pine nuts, pea pods, fresh basil, grated parmesan.

We put this on top of linguine.

Doro Wat

Doro Wat

½ red onion
1 lb chicken, cut in chunks
½ can tomato paste
½ cup red wine
½ cup water
2 T Berbere
Grated fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic

Cook in sauce pan until chicken is done. Serve with yogurt and injera

Polenta with Stewed Pinto Beans

Boil 5 cups water. Add 1 1/4 cups coarse corn meal and 1 tsp salt while stirring. Simmer on low for 15 minutes. Pour into 9"x9" pan and cool in fridge for an hour. Saute in hot oil at last minute.

Meanwhile... roast 2 quartered peppers at 400 for 25 minutes, blend with 1 cup tomatoes. Saute 1/2 onion and lots of garlic, add 1 cup tomatoes, pepper blend, and 3 cups pinto beans. Lots of rosemary and a little salt.

Note: Alternatively, you can make soft polenta by continuing to simmer it on the stove for another 20+ minutes, stirring regularly until it thickens into a mush (you should be able to move it away from the sides of the pan with a spoon). Serve immediately!

Vegetarian Moussaka

Straight from the Cafe Brenda cookbook.

1. Tomato Sauce: Use a really good store-bought or if you live in Norfolk, get sauce from Bellas on 22nd st. Add chopped up olives.

Or make your own: 6 cloves crushed garlic (saute briefly in olive oil before adding everything else), 2 cups chopped tomatoes (seeded and peeled), fresh herbs, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup olives. Simmer 10 minutes.


2. Slice 2 eggplants into thin strips about 1 inch wide. Cover both sides of strips in olive oil. Broil for 5 minutes on each side. Set aside

3. Cook up 1/2 cup lentils: cover with 1 1/2 cups salted water, bring to boil, simmer for 15 or until tender.

4. Slice 3-4 big yukon gold potatoes (you'll want about 2 cups or a little more) into 1/4 inch slices. Simmer on stove in water 5 minutes or until tender but not mushy

5. Slice up 1 big onion and saute with 6 cloves of crushed garlic

6. Bechamel sauce: Bring 1 1/2 cups milk to boil in microwave. Set aside. Meanwhile make your roux. Melt 2 T butter, add 2 1/2 T flour and cook 3 minutes so flour gets slightly browned. Add milk. Add 1/2 cup parmesan, salt,pepper, and pinch of nutmeg. Wisk until thick.

Layer in your casserole pan: potatoes, onions, lentils, sauce, potatoes, eggplant, bechamel. Bake at 375 covered for 20 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 5.