Grilled Eggplant Lasagna

I've been working on cutting back on the amount of meat I consume, for many reasons; my health, the health of the animals being raised for our consumption, and for the environment.

This has allowed me to branch out into new areas of food!  I never thought I could do much of a vegetarian diet, but I have been amazed at what I'm enjoying.

This recipe came because I'm also trying to cut back on carbs.  Yes, it does sound like I'm trying to take all the joy out of my life, but I'm finding it another opportunity.  AND, I'm not cutting out carbs or meat 100%, just cutting back.

Get to the point you say?  I agree.  Here's the recipe:

Cut two medium sided eggplants into 1/4 inch thick slices.  Cut length wise for long strips that will be used in place of the noodles.

In a bowl combine 1/3 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and 1 teaspoon of onion powder and stir.

Heat a grill pan to medium high (you could also use a grill, but I'd still use a grill pan as you may lose some eggplant in the slats of a grill and ain't nobody got time for that).

Brush the olive oil mixture to coat one side of the slices of eggplant and place on the grill pan, then brush the side that's still facing up so it's ready for flipping.  I could to 3 slices at at time on my little pan.  Cook about 3-4 minutes and flip once you have good grill marks across and cook another 3-4 minutes and repeat until all the egg plant is cooked and set aside.

Then dice one medium onion, shred 2 carrots, chop two stalks of celery, and chop one medium fennel bulb.  Place in a pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil  with salt and pepper and saute until the onions become translucent.  You want to cook out as much of the moisture as you can without browning the veggies.  Then set aside.

Slice one package of baby bella mushrooms and set aside.

In a bowl combine one container of ricotta cheese with 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, garlic power, and the juice from half a lemon, and...you guessed it, set it aside.

Now, take a 9x13 baking dish and brush with olive oil or use a cooking spray.  Then add a very thin layer of your favorite marinara sauce and top that with your first layer of eggplant slices and try to get as much coverage as possible.  Top with a layer of the sauteed onion mixture, then top with a layer of the ricotta cheese mixture, add a thin layer of marinara, then repeat.  On top add your mushrooms, then top with fresh sliced mozzarella (I needed to balls) and another 1/2 cup of Parmesan. Cover with foil and cook in a 375 degree over for 30 minutes covered, then removed the cover and let it cook another 30 minutes.  There's a lot of water in the veggies and you'll want to be sure that can get out.

Remove and let sit at least 15 minutes so the lasagna will set.

Then, enjoy!!!!!  A photo will come later, but this tasted so much better than I imaged it would.  It's also going to be great for a dinner with my vegetarian family and my gluten free family because it's both!

Meat"less"loaf

Another one I can't take credit for.  I did add worschtestireire sauce.
http://www.food.com/recipe/really-good-vegetarian-meatloaf-really-33921#activity-feed

GREAT vegetarian chili

http://www.kitchentreaty.com/slow-cooker-black-bean-pumpkin-chili/

I'd like to claim I created this, but I didn't.  I used the recipe above and substituted one can of fire roasted diced tomatoes for a plain one and at the end I added hot sauce, Hungarian smoked paprika, and more salt and pepper.  I also just used pumpkin pie spice instead of the cumin, cinnamon, etc.   VERY good!!!!

I really didn't know what to expect from this, but I think the pumpkin adds a depth of flavor that can be missed when doing a vegetarian chili..  

It was a hit at the ole' chili cook off at work!  Even with the meat eaters. 

Maple and orange glazed salmon on brown jasmine and wild rice, topped with sautéed leeks and corn made with a wine reduction.

That title is long, but it about explains it!

First,  add 1/4 maple syrup, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, zest of 1 orange,  and juice of 1/2 orange, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1 tablespoon soy sauce into a gallon bag and added 2 salmon pieces and let marinade for about 30 minutes. 

Start cooking your brown rice in chicken stock (or vegetable stock) and once almost done add prepared wild rice.

Bake salmon at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes depending on thickness. At the same time sautee I chopped leek,and  2 sliced cloves of garlic in a pan with olive oil. After about 3 minutes, add 1/4 of a dry white wine and add frozen corn. Cook until wine has been cooked off and for about 2 more minutes utility leeks slightly brown.
To assemble,  place finished rice in the bottom of a bowl or plate,  top with salmon,  then top with leeks and corn! That's all! Then eat!

Soooooo good!!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/crispy-creamy-avocado-fries/

I put them on a tuna steak sandwich.  Holy hell.

Garlic Shrimp and Asparagus Flat Bread

A simple and GREAT, oh, and quick dinner!   I used raw jumbo shrimp and naan for the crust.  If you use cooked shrimp,  you'll just want to wait to put it in the pan until the last minute or two.

Add one tablespoon of butter and two tablespoons of olive oil to a sauté pan over medium heat. Add 1 clove of chopped garlic and 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Then chop asparagus into 1/2 inch slices and add to pan. 
Now is a good time to preheat your oven to 500 degrees.
Toss the asparagus for 2-3 minutes and add shimp. Squeeze 2 tablespoons of lemon juice over the top.(Again, if using cooked shrimp wait a minute or two before adding) and toss. Cook until shrimp is just cooked through. Add mixture on top of naan and drizzle pan sauce over the top. Grate parmigiano cheese and shredded Morzerella over the top. Add into oven and cook for 5-7 minutes until cheese is melted. If you have a pizza stone, you can cook it on that for a crisper crust.  I like it a little gooey so I did not. Top with chopped dill and eat!!!!

Ultimate Pub Burger

I call this the Ultimate Pub Burger because every bit of it has something to do with beer.  It is the ultimate in beer goodness married with burger goodness.  Or is that greatness?

So let's start with the bun.  I'd love to say I came up with this recipe, but I was not the genius who did.  This recipe can be found here and I highly recommend it!

http://thebeeroness.com/2013/09/04/homemade-beer-burger-buns/

Now, let's move on to the burger itself.  It's a Guinness burger.  Seeeeee, more beer!  If you're making 1 pound of hamburger, you're going to need 1/2 slice of pumpernickel rye bread.  But that in a bowl and add enough Guinness beer to just soak the bread.  mix with your fingers until the bread is finely grained.  You don't want big chunks of bread in your burger.  Then add 1 tablespoon of Worsteshire sauce.  Is that how you spell it?  Probably not, but i'm just going with it.  Then add salt, pepper, teaspoon of onion powder and garlic powder and then mix into your beef.  Make your patties and then set aside for the flavors to mingle.  Like a singles mixer, but one where no one is shy or awkward, they all up in each others business.

Okay, the onions!  Slice up 2 white onions and add to a pan with two tablespoons of butter, salt and pepper.  Saute on low heat for about 20 minutes.  Before the onions loose the majority of their crunch, add in 1/4 cup of Guinness beer.  All that to continue to cook and the beer flavor will soak into the onions and  the liquid will evaporate.  It will cook for a total of about 45 minutes to an hour.  Low and slow is the way to go. In the last 5 minutes add a few splashes of balsamic vinegar and a tablespoon of dried thyme.  if you use fresh (which I wish I had) use a little less.

Finally, what might be my favorite part.  Beer cheese sauce!

Add 3 tablespoons of butter to a pot on medium heat and once melted, add 3 tablespoons of flour.  That's right, a roux!  Keep whisking for 3 minutes.  now add 1/2 cup of heavy cream and 1/2 cup of warm beer (I used what I had left from the buns).  Continue to whisk and leave over medium low heat. It will slowly thicken. then add 1/3 of a package of cream cheese and whisk until incorporated.  Now, add 1 cup of shredded colby jack cheese. Then I added some pepper, cayenne pepper (just a bit, not as much for heat, but to break the richness a little), some nutmeg, and I added about 3 tablespoons of jalapeno juice from a picked jalapeno jar.  Continue to whisk and allow to simmer.  This will keep thickening.

Grill your burgers.  Or pan fry.  What ever floats your boat. The beer mixture will make it more moist and more prone to breaking apart so resist the urge to flip initially.  You want that thing to pull together.

All you have to do then is assemble.  Bun, burger, onions, then cheese sauce.  Then eat.

Then smile  :O)