Shakshouka

 Ingredients 

• 
  1 T olive oil
• 1 T harissa
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 1 large onion
• 2 cloves garlic (1 tsp minced)
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/8 c water
• 2.5 cups chopped tomatoes
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 greek yogurt (on the side)
  

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat
2. Add the harissa, tomato paste, onion, garlic, cumin, turmeric, salt, pepper
3. Cook until paste thickens
4. Stir in chopped tomato, bay leaf, and water and simmer 10-15 minutes
5. Make 2 dips in the sauce and break the eggs into them
6. Use a fork to swirl the egg whites with the sauce a little bit
7. Cover and simmer gently 8-10 minutes until whites have set 

This recipe is a blend of Jerusalem A Cookbook and America's Test Kitchen The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook, halved. 

French Toast Bake Casserole

 Ingredients

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 8 oz bread (French bread ideal) cut into cubes
• 2 cups milk
• 6 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping

• 1 T brown sugar, or to taste
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, or to taste

Directions

1. Stir brown sugar and butter together in a CorningWare casserole dish (oval) over medium-low heat until butter is melted and sugar has dissolved (2-4 minutes)
2. Scatter the bread cubes over top
3. Whisk milk, eggs, and vanilla in a bowl until well-combined
4. Pour liquid mixture over bread pieces, pressing bread into mixture with a spatula so the bread absorbs the liquid
5. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours to overnight
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees 
7. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over top of casserole
8. Bake about 60 minutes (until bubbling and a knife inserted comes out with soft pieces)
9. To serve, cut into squares and invert onto serving plates

Adapted from Easy French Toast Casserole Recipe (allrecipes.com)

Lemon Chicken

 Ingredients

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken (breast or cutlets)

salt and pepper (to taste)

flour (enough to coat chicken)

1 Tablespoon    butter

1 Tablespoon    olive oil

1/4 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup    white wine

1 teaspoon    flour or corn starch

2 Tablespoons    water (approximately)

3-5 lemon slices

Instructions

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess.
2. Melt butter with olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Cook chicken in skillet 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown and done.
4. Transfer chicken to a serving platter and keep warm.
5. Add broth, lemon juice, and white wine to skillet, and cook 1 to 2 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened, stirring frequently.
6. Mix water with flour or corn starch until combined. Add to sauce and stir constantly until thickened.
7. Add lemon slices.
8. Remove skillet from heat. Pour sauce over chicken.

Libby's Vegetarian Lasagna

Ingredients

• 2 Cups ricotta cheese
• 2 Cups mozzarella cheese, shredded (I use low fat)
• 1 egg
• package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 1 t salt
• ½ t pepper
• ¾ t oregano
• 1 jar (32 oz) spaghetti sauce
• 9 lasagna noodles

Directions

1. Mix ricotta, 1 C mozzarella, egg, spinach, salt, pepper, oregano.
2. In a 9 x 13 greased pan, layer generous ½ cup sauce, 3 uncooked noodles, ½ cheese mixture
3. Repeat.
4. Top with remaining noodles and sauce.
5. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella on top.
6. Pour scant C water around edges of container.
7. Cover with foil and bake at 350 until bubbly; about 1 ¼ hour.

Bread Pudding with Seared Beech Mushrooms and Thyme

from Shroom by Becky Selengut 

This is a decadent dish that would make for a fabulous vegetarian comfort-food main course served with a salad, or it could easily be used in a supporting role to a roast chicken. Recently it bumped out my family's traditional Thanksgiving stuffing. Alter baking, cooling, and cutting it into large squares, you could also freeze this for a later date. This is the dish to make if you have a lot of mushrooms on hand and a hungry crowd. I'm clearly not one for an Atkins-Paleo no-carb lifestyle, because when I see the words BREAD+ PUDDING, I get very, very excited. The beech mushrooms contribute nuttiness and earthiness to the dish, but you could very easily substitute whatever mushrooms you might have on hand. I've made this dish with chanterelles, buttons, and mixes of other types with great success. 

 SERVES:

 4 

 Ingredients 

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan 

¼ cup extra~virgin olive oil

½ cup minced shallot 

1¾ teaspoons fine sea salt 

 6 large cloves garlic, minced 

1 pound button mushrooms, medium diced 

1 pound beech mushrooms, base trimmed, mushrooms separated but left intact 

¼ cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley 

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme 

1 tablespoon minced fresh sage 

1 tablespoon tomato paste 

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 

½ cup dry (white) vermouth 

5 large eggs 

½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 

2 cups half-and-half 

1 cup heavy cream 

6 cups day-old 1-inch rustic bread cubes 

 PAIRING: 

French white Burgundy (preferably a Meursault) 

Steps 

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 by 12-inch baking dish with a little butter. Heat 2 large skillets over medium heat and place 1 1/2 teaspoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in each skillet (if you don't have 2 large skillets, prepare the mushrooms in batches). 

 After a moment, evenly divide the shallot and 1 teaspoon of the salt between the skillets and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, until soft. Add half the garlic to each skillet and saute for another minute. 

Add half of both kinds of mushrooms to each skillet. Increase the heat to medium-high and saute for 4 to 6 minutes, until the mushrooms have wilted and have started to brown. 

At this point, combine everythmg into one skillet. Add the parsley, thyme, sage, tomato paste, mustard, and cayenne. Cook for 1 more minute. 

Turn the heat to high and add the vermouth. Reduce until the vermouth has evaporated, and then turn off the heat.

 In a very large bowl whisk the eggs. Add the cheese to the eggs and whisk together. Whisk in the half-and-half and cream. Add the bread cubes and mushroom mixture along wnh the remammg ¾ teaspoon salt, and mix together.

 Pour the bread mixture into the greased baking dish and bake, covered, for 30 mmutes. Raise the heat to 375°F uncover and bake until browned on top, another 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Chickpea & Sweet Potato Stew

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 small sweet potatoes, cubed
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• Pinch of cayenne
• 14 oz can chickpeas, drained
• 14 oz can chopped tomatoes
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• 5 oz baby spinach
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in the InstantPot on sauté setting and cook the onions and garlic for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the sweet potatoes and continue to sauté for another 4-5 minutes.
3. Add the spices and cook for another minute, stirring frequently.
4. Stir in the chickpeas, chopped tomatoes, and vegetable stock, salt and pepper.
5. Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes.
6. Release pressure ans check sweet potatoes are fork-tender. (If not, cook longer.)
7. Add the baby spinach and cook on sauté for another 5 minutes until the spinach has wilted.

Adapted from https://skinnyspatula.com/spanish-chickpea-sweet-potato-stew/?utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=grow-social-pro

Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

Ingredients

▢ 

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1.5 cups onion chopped
• 1 cup celery chopped
• 1.5 cups carrots chopped
• 1 lb mushrooms chopped
• 32 oz vegetable broth sodium-free
• 0.5 cup white wine
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp ground sage
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 cup wild rice, uncooked (2 cups cooked)
• 1 tsp sea salt, or to taste
• black pepper to taste
• 0.5 cups heavy cream (optional)

Instructions

1. Cook wild rice according to package instructions. 
2. In small bowl, combine heavy cream and cornstarch, stirring constantly with fork until mixture is smooth. Set aside. This is your roux.
3. Add olive oil, onions and garlic and sauté until onion is translucent. 
4. Add carrots, celery, cumin and sage. Stirring frequently for 5 minutes, or until veggies begin to soften. 
5. Add mushrooms and stir well. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until mushrooms begin to "sweat.”
6. Add white wine. Stir and simmer for 1 minute. 
7. Pour in vegetable broth. Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste. Bring to boil.
8. Slowly stir roux into soup mix, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened, usually only about 1 minute.
9. Add in cooked wild rice and thyme. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. 
10. Add the rest of the heavy cream and warm through.

Adapted from One Pot Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup (V, GF) | Vegan Vigilante (veganvigilanteblog.com)