Easy Greek Moussaka

Quick Moussaka Recipe #249477
Not authentic, but way healthier and much quicker!
by KatMcCombs
40 min 30 min prep
SERVES 6
· 1 large eggplant, peeled and cubed
· 4 tablespoons olive oil
· 1/2 lb ground beef or ground turkey or soy crumbles
· 1 onion, diced
· 1 garlic clove, minced
· 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
· 1 teaspoon oregano
· 1 tablespoon dried parsley or 1/3 cup fresh parsley
· 2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
· 1 tablespoon tomato paste
· 4 ounces feta, crumbled
· 1 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
· 1 egg
· salt
· pepper
Preheat oven to 450°F.
toss cubed eggplant with 3 tablespoons olive oil and bake for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in large skillet, saute onions and ground beef in 1 tablespoon olive oil until beef is browned and onions transparent.
Add garlic, cinnamon, oregano and salt and pepper and saute for about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and parsley and simmer for about 10 minutes.
In small bowl, combine egg with cheeses.
Place roasted eggplant in bottom of 1.5 quart baking dish. Layer beef/tomato mixture on top.
Spread cheese mixture on top, covering entire dish to the edges.
Broil for 8-10 minutes or until browned in some areas.

Little Winnie’s Irish Soda Bread

Courtesy of: Linda Loiselle

This is the one I got from the instructor at Moorpark. Apparently this one is her family's recipe. It looks like it has more sugar and butter.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of flour
• ¾ cup of sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp cream of tartar

Sift the above ingredients together.

• Cut in 1 stick of butter or margarine
• 1 ½ cup of buttermilk
• Add raisins 1 cup or less

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

German Soup

Enjoy a tangy broth with just a hint of sweetness that's chock full of veggies and German sausage!

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced and halved
1 celery rib, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 clove minced garlic
2 cups water
2 cups chopped cabbage
1 large russet potato or 2-3 smaller ones of any variety
1/2 pound German sausage or bratwurst, cut and uncooked (it will cook in the pot)


1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 can (15 ounces) white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 ounces) chicken broth (you may want more depending on the amount of veggies added)
4-5 tablespoons vinegar (We used a combination of malt and white, but any type will work!)
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon pepper -- I recommend more
Oregano to taste
1 can of beer
Minced fresh parsley



Directions: In a 3-qt. saucepan, saute onion in oil until tender. Add carrots and celery; saute for 3 minutes. Add caraway and garlic; cook and stir 1 minute longer. Add water, cabbage, sausage, tomatoes, potato, chicken broth and brown sugar; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add beans, vinegar, beer, salt and pepper. Simmer, until ready to serve (20-30 minutes at least). Make sure sausage is thoroughly cooked. Sprinkle with parsley.





FYI -- use as much sausage as you like! Same with the vinegar...I love the tangy taste!

Irish Soda Bread

4 C. sifted flour

1 T. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 C. butter or margarine

1 C. raisins, if desired

1 1/2 C. buttermilk

Sift together first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly (this is where you can use a pastry blender). Stir in raisins if desired, until evenly distributed. Add buttermilk stirring to make a soft dough. Tun onto lightly floured board and knead to form a smooth ball. Knead lightly and just for a short time because this dough shouldn't be treated as roughly as yeast dough.

Pat by hand on greased baking sheet to 1 1/4-inch thickness. With a sharp knife score into four sections. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 mins. until bread is browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm with butter. Dance an Irish jig when finished, or try it with yer pint o' Guiness!

Banana-Chocolate Chip Bars

So I had some overripe bananas on my counter, and my usual mantra is "when life gives you overrripe bananas, make banana bread." But I was a little bored of banana bread, so I consulted my Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook (a gift from Christmas past, courtesy of our Mether). Even with all of the online recipes sites, I still look to this book quite often for inspiration and great recipes. Using my reference skills I looked to the index for "banana" and what did I find but a wonderful recipe for these tasty treats. As luck would have it, I had all ingredients on-hand except for the optional walnuts (although next time I'll make sure to have these too), so I gave it whirl!

Ingredients

• 3/4 C butter or margarine, softened
• 2/3 C granulated sugar
• 2/3 C packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1 C mashed ripe bananas (2-3 medium)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 C all-purpose flour
• 1 6 oz package (1 C) semisweet chocolate pieces...or more if you are so inclined
• 2/3 C chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pan; set aside.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the butter or margarine w/ an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt; beat till combined. Beat in the egg, bananas, and vanilla till combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the electric mixer (if you have a KitchenAid, no problem!) Stir in the remaining flour. Stir in chocolate chips and if desired, nuts.
3. Spread the dough in the prepared baking pan. Bake 25 minutes or until golden.
4. Cool lightly and cut into bars. Makes 36 reasonably sized bars or fewer Markle-size bars.

Black Bean & Cheese Enchiladas

This dish came to me on Ash Wednesday, whilst I was speaking to Spank about the fish tacos she was preparing. I thought that sounded quite delicious, but alas, I had eaten my last fish on Fat Tuesday (what?!). So I was left with two options to satisfy my craving for a Mexican style meal: 1) Go to the store during grocery rush hour or 2) Scour my pantry for other meatless options. Fortunately, I found a can of black beans and came up with the following concoction without that dreaded trip to the store. And when Larry doesn't miss the meat in a meatless dish, I know it's a success!

Ingredients

• 1 Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 Cup of your favorite salsa (I think a chunky one works well)
• Desired Mexican seasonings (I added cumin and onion salt, but if you have a flavorful salsa, you can skip these)
• 8 6-in tortillas (corn or flour)
• 2 Cups shredded cheese
• 1 Can Enchilada Sauce (I used a can of El Pato aka "The Duck" here)
• Sour Cream (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together beans, salsa, and seasonings in a pan over low heat. Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Coat the bottom with a couple of spoonfuls of the enchilada sauce. Heat tortillas to make them easier to roll(about 20 seconds in the microwave, or 10 seconds each side on a stovetop burner). On each tortilla, place a spoonful of the bean mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Roll up and place in the baking dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Spray one side of the foil with cooking spray and cover the enchiladas, spray side down. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Top with a dollop of sour cream, if desired and serve!

Country Mushroom Soup courtesy of our Mether

1/4 C. olive oil
1/4 C. flour
Stir these together until smooth. You are not making a roux.

2 C. chicken broth; gradually stir in

1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1-2 bay leaves
Add in these ingredients.

Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occaisionally. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet saute 2/3 C. chopped celery and 1/4 C. chopped onion in 2-3 TBSP of olive oil. Add in 4-5 C. of shrooms (not the magical kind). Cook and stir until tender. Add to broth mixture. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add 2/3 C. half and half, cream, milk, or evaporated milk. (A small can of evaporated milk works well for creaminess.) Heat through, and do NOT boil. Discard bay leaves and serve.

As you know, mushrooms tend to suck the moisture out of things! We did about 5 C. of mushrooms, which really sucked the moisture out of our soup and made it thick. Really, it had quite an odd consistency. If this is the case for any of you, I recommend adding more broth. It was flavorful and worked out perfectly!