You need …..

2 1/2 Qt Baking Dish

1 Bag of Veggie Meatballs, your favorites of course

4 Cups Marinara Sauce.  Homemade is best or again, your favorite kind

1 cup water

12 oz Spaghetti noodles broken in half.  Not cooked

3 Sprigs fresh basil and 1 sprig fresh oregano  (you can substitute a half teaspoon of dried per “sprig”)

8 oz Fresh mozzarella sliced

3 Cloves minced garlic

And you can add spinach too.  I cram a bag into the mixture

You can add some sliced mushrooms too.  a few handfuls

Here’s what you do:

350 oven

Mix sauce with 1 cup water in your baking dish.  Add the pasta and coat evenly.

Add Veggie meatballs, herbs and whatever veggies you’d like to throw in.  Top with Fresh Mozz.    Cover and bake 50-60 minutes.

If looking cooked enough, uncover to brown on top for the last 10 minutes

side note

if you have leftover pasta you can use it!  just do not add water.   Mix sauce with cooked pasta, you can eyeball the amount of sauce since its already cooked

You need:

• A handful of Stoned Wheat Crackers crumbled
• 1 Pack of Trader Joe’s Steamed Lentils (or make your own, I do both)
• 1 Big bunch of broccoli crowns
• 1 Can Broccoli Cheese soup (your favorite…any brand)
• 1 Small bunch of parsley and cilantro, chopped about 1/2 cup
• 1/2 of a yellow onion chopped
• 4 Cloves of garlic chopped or minced
• 1/2 Pack of cheddar cheese or vegan cheese
• 1 Tbs butter

Saute onion and garlic in butter until soft..a few minutes keep an eye on it.  Throw in all other ingredients EXCEPT CHEESE AND CRACKERS.

Cook for about 10 minutes on medium heat.

Throw mixture into a 2 QT casserole dish and top with cheese and crackers

350 Oven

30 minutes covered.  5 min uncovered.

This is hearty and good for fall or anytime.  Serve with salad or even on pasta.

• 1 large or 2 medium eggplant~~Peeled and very thinly sliced
• 1 jar prepared tomato sauce for pasta or pizza, or make your own..recipe to follow
• 2 eggs~~beaten
• 1 cup non dairy milk for dipping (soy or almond) you may need more keep it close
• A small plate of flour for dredging
• Olive Oil
• Garlic~~ a few good sized cloves minced ~~to add into egg mixture and into fry pan
• Parm cheese or Vegan Parm cheese about 1 1/2 cups
• 1 or 2 packs mozzarella cheese slices or vegan mozz cheese slices (depending how cheesy you’d like this)
• Salt and pepper

Oven 350 degrees for 30 minutes ~~~ 2 QT casserole

Set up your work area:  shallow bowl with beaten egg, garlic, parm cheese and salt and pepper

A plate of flour about 1/2 cup (you may need more keep close)

Dip slices of eggplant in flour then into egg mixture

Fry in olive oil and garlic for a few minutes on each side to golden brown, let drain on paper towel.

When all eggplant is fried, start to layer in dish.

Add some sauce to bottom of dish then layer eggplant

Add sauce and mozz cheese.  Repeat layers until all gone.

Top with more cheese.

BAKE and EAT!

This recipe is one I have been making for years.  Its kind of like a “put as much stuff into it as you like” kind of deal.  Play around with it.

1 Pound spaghetti

1 large red pepper chopped kind of fine

1 can chopped black olives (you can chop your own, this is easier)

Bunch of flat leaved parsley Chopped fine

Couple of handfuls of walnuts (maybe 1/2 cup) chopped as large or fine as you prefer.  I chop them on the finer side

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs Olive oil

Parmesan  Cheese (or vegan parm cheese)  Lots of it grated maybe 1 1/2 cups.  Or as much as you would like

LOTS of garlic…depending on how much garlic you like it.  I use about 6-7 cloves very finely chopped.  Because I LIKE GARLIC

Boil pasta

while doing that, add olive oil to a giant pan I use a wok just cause its big.  Add garlic and saute for a few minutes then let sit for a few more minutes to infuse the oil.  (don’t burn it!)

Add cooked and drained pasta to your olive oil garlic pan and toss well.

Then start throwing in all the other ingredients.  I literally just start throwing handfuls in and tossing to my liking.  This dish is supposed to be room temp.  Although I have heated it slightly which is nice as well.  Top with more parm cheese and black pepper

ENJOY!  I love this one

2 Oz Dried porcini/or fresh portobello mushrooms

Porcini is really good in this.  but if you cant get them or don’t have them, its still really good with cremini and portobello mushrooms

1 1/2 lb  mixed white and portobello mushrooms

8 Tbs (1 stick) unsalted butter or vegan margarine

2 bunches scallions, chopped

3 carrots peeled and minced

2 Cups Italian Arborio rice

1/2 Cup dry white wine

4-5 Cups Vegetable Stock

4   Cloves garlic minced

3/4   Cup chopped fresh parsley

2  Cups grated Parmesan cheese or Vegan parm cheese

2   Eggs or egg substitute

1   Cup heavy cream/ or half and half or vegan milk of choice

salt and pepper to taste

pinch ground nutmeg

Re-hydrate porcini in a small bowl of hot water for 30 minutes.  Melt 4 T butter or vegan margarine in a 12 inch skillet over medium heat.  Add scallions and carrots and saute for 10 minutes.  Add rice, stirring to coat with the butter and veggies for about 1-2 minutes.  Drain porcini, strain well and add liquid to the rice.  ( chop porcini mushrooms and set aside) add wine and enough stock to cover the rice.  Simmer covered over low heat adding more stock as needed until the rice is tender but still firm..about 30 minutes.

Now start the mushrooms.  Melt remaining butter/margarine in skillet over medium high heat.  Add all of the mushrooms and cook for about 10 minutes.  Stir in garlic and parsley and simmer uncovered for another 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350 and butter a 2 quart – 2 1/2 quart baking dish.

Spread half the rice in the bottom of the baking dish, top with all of the mushrooms and sprinkle 1 cup of Parmesan cheese over the shrooms.  Top with remaining rice.

Whisk cream, eggs and nutmeg together and pour evenly over the rice and sprinkle with another 1 cup of Parm cheese.

Bake until top is puffed and golden…about 30 min.