Vegetarian Moussaka with Sweet Potatoes

A vegetarian version of our original Moussaka. Instead of meat, we chose portobello for its meaty qualities. Plus, how can you not love portobello and eggplant together in one dish? This one also includes a layer of sweet potatoes on the bottom that really goes nicely with the cinnamon and nutmeg spices used throughout the dish.

Moussaka

Yield: 8-12 servings
Ingredients

• 3 eggplants, peeled and cut into half-inch slices
• 1 sweet potato, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 pound portobello mushrooms, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian herbs
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 egg, beaten
• 4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 6 tablespoons flour
• salt, to taste
• white pepper, to taste
• 1.5-3 cups parmesan, grated
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Cooking Directions

1. Lay the slices of eggplant on paper towels, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture. Then in a skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil. Quickly fry the eggplant until browned. Set aside on paper towels to drain.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the portobello, salt and pepper to taste, onions, and garlic. After the mushrooms have lost some of their liquid, sprinkle in the cinnamon, nutmeg, herbs and parsley. Pour in the tomato sauce and wine, and mix well. Simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool, and then stir in beaten egg.
3. To make the bechamel sauce, begin by heating the milk to about boiling. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Remove from heat and gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking constantly until it thickens. Season with salt, and white pepper.
4. Arrange a layer of sweet potato as shingles, then a layer of eggplant in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover eggplant with all of the portobello mixture. Cover with remaining eggplant. Pour the bechamel sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the nutmeg.
5. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Plethora of Roasted Vegetables

Sometimes a whole boatload (baking sheet load) of vegetables just sounds amazing. It's the right pizzazz to really take that meal to the next level. Plus, it's good for you (or so I'm told).

And what's better than a whole mess of roasted veggies? So just take whatever vegetables you want, preferably something from the rainbow of food colors, toss a little oil and salt and complimentary seasonings, and roast those suckers till tender. Add to some leftover chicken and mmm mmm. Enjoy!

Ingredients

red cabbage
carrots
garlic
green beans
radish
sweet potatoes
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cut harder vegetables into bite-size pieces. (the thinner they are, the quicker they'll cook.)

2. Toss with the oil and seasonings.

3. Place in a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven until tender (about 30-45 minutes).

4. Add any extra seasoning once done.

Spicy Sweet Potato and Winter Squash with Tempeh Stew

Sometimes you just throw together some crazy stuff and it fortunately happens to turn out all right. Thank goodness this was one of those times!

I was a little worried about adding the tempeh in, but hey, it worked.

The nice thing about this is that it can be savory or sweet. You get to decide. I love that. Either way, it's fantastic. Plus, the addition of yogurt makes it nice and creamy, like I know everyone likes their root stews. Enjoy!

Complete Veggie Dinner + Garlic Bread

The weekend was approaching. We were leaving. And I hate it when good food goes to waste. Absolutely hate it. So many veggies to use and so little time - what's a man to do?

Make a completely vegetarian dinner plus some garlic bread, of course! There were tomatoes, grilled onions, cucumbers, green onions, sweet potatoes, raw mushrooms, and mushrooms cooked in red wine.

I love veggies. I seriously cannot get enough of them, so this was a perfect dinner for me. If I could, I would make 2/3 of my meals more or less completely vegetables/fruit/vegetarian with a huge variety of fresh produce. Magnifique. Enjoy!

Multi-Baked Potatoes and Veggies with Sauteed Garlic Mushroom Blend and Baked Pear

Yes, this title is overly long. Sorry about that. But how do you convey all of the highlights of dinner in one title when everything was a knock out of the park?

So today it's two kinds of potatoes (purple potato and sweet potato) with carrots that were baked to soft, steaming perfection. Then mushrooms, red onions, green onions, and chives were sauteed with garlic over the flaming stove. And finally, as the dessert of the night, an elegant pear baked in its own juices - succulent and sweet. All paired with our favorite chenin blanc. Read on for more. Enjoy!