Faux Tuna/Chickpea Sandwiches

A vegan alterative to canned tuna. It's so yummy!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of cooked chickpeas or 1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained
3 TB vegan mayo ( I use vegenaise)
1 TB mustard
1/2 lemon
2.5 Tb of relish
1 TB soy sauce
1/2 tsp kelp granules (You can find this at Whole Foods and they and it is a great source of iodine).
pepper to taste


Directions
1. In a medium bowl, mash the chickpeas with a fork ( I also found that adding them in little quantities in the blender or food processor, also gets them to the right consistency without all the extra work of mashing by hand).
2. Pour out to a medium sized bowl and add remaining ingredients. Mix well and serve on your choice of bread. (I like sourdough from the Friday or Sunday Farmer's Market.)

Noodle-less Eggplant Lasagna - More Meatless Monday!

8oz mozzarella, shredded

15oz. container ricotta

3 lb. frozen eggplant cutlets

4 oz. pancetta, diced small

I cup dry white wine

1 tsp. crushed red pepper

5 cups basic tomato sauce

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 ̊ F.

1. Bake eggplant per package instructions,reserve. (I had to make my own, slice 3 eggplants egg them, bread crumbs, bake for 10 min each side)

2. While eggplant bakes, make sauce. Heat pancetta in a medium saucepot on medium heat until rendered and crispy. Add white wine and cook for 2 minutes.

3. Add red pepper, tomato sauce, and parsley. Simmer for 5minutes. Reserve.

4. Season ricotta with salt and pepper in a small bowl. Reserve.

5. To assemble, spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1 cup of the sauce on the bottom of the dish. Layer 1/3 of the eggplant, followed by 1/2 of the ricotta, and 1 1/2 cups sauce.

6. Layer the next 1/3 of the eggplant, remaining ricotta mixture, and 11/2 cups sauce.

7. Top with the remaining eggplant, sauce, and mozzarella.

8. Cover with parchment and then aluminum foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and parchment and continue to bake until top is browned, about 10 minutes more. Cool 15 minutes before serving to allow lasagna to set up.

Quinoa and Fresh Corn with Scallions - Yummy!! Great for meatless monday!

Quinoa and Fresh Corn with Scallions
"Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone"

3 plump ears of corn
2 cups stock or water (I used water)
1 cup quinoa, thoroughly rinsed (red quinoa makes for a prettier dish!)
salt and freshly milled pepper
1 tablespoon butter or canola oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/3 cup crumbled feta or grated cheddar

Shuck the corn, slice off the kernels, and set them aside. Reserve your knife and scrape the cobs to get the milk. Bring the stock to a boil in a saucepan; add the quinoa, corn scrapings, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Melt the butter in a small skillet, add the scallions and corn kernels, and cook over medium-high heat until the scallions are bright green, about 3 minutes. Toss them with the quinoa. Season with pepper and serve, garnished with the crumbled cheese.

Yogurt Dip Yumminess

Go to Costco.  Right now.  Or look online if you don't have a Costco.  You must absolutely try Skotidakis Jalapeno Yogurt Dip.  It is, by far, the best veggie dip ever. EVER. It would also be so yummy with crackers or on a hamburger (I can't wait to try that) or sandwich/wrap/etc.  It is made with seriously natural ingredients and 2 tablespoons has 50 calories and 3.5g fat.  But do not think you will stop at 2 tablespoons if you are dipping your favorite veggies (I love it with red peppers).  I have consumed about 1/3 of the container (Costco sized) in 2 days.  It is SO. GOOD.  You're welcome.

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution: Creamy Caesar Dressing

I nabbed this from Jamie Oliver's website.  I made a few changes to suit our family's taste.  This is a fantastic dressing.  The flavor is strong and tangy, and the yogurt really makes the dressing stick to your salad, so you can use a lot less dressing and still get all the fabulous flavor.  Eat up!

1 head romaine lettuce, cleaned and chopped


1/3 cup 2% Greek yogurt (I used fat free)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese, (plus 1-ounce for sprinkling over the top; optional.)

2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce

1 small clove garlic, minced

Juice of ½ lemon (I used a whole lemon)

2 chopped anchovy fillets (I skipped this, because, for me, there is plenty of anchovy flavor in the Worcestershire)

1/8 teaspoon sea salt (also unnecessary)

freshly ground pepper, to taste

(I would also add a teaspoon or 2 of dijon mustard)

Whisk the dressing together and use sparingly on your clean lettuce.  Yum.