Spinach and Mushroom Breakfast Casserole

I love breakfast casseroles- they're easy to throw together, and so great to just put in the oven and enjoy on a lazy Saturday morning. This one will make the non-meat eaters happy, and the rest of us, as well! I couldn't keep from sneaking the mushrooms as I was cooking them, though. *My sister-in-law gave me this recipe and calls it Spinach Stuffing, because it uses breadcrumbs. But, with my modifications, I prefer to eat it for breakfast!

                                                                                                       picture taken from  open.salon.com

Spinach and Mushroom Breakfast Casserole   adapted by Erin Taylor from Laura Webb's recipe.

 

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1/2 cup butter

1/4 pound mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 cup diced celery

1/4 cup chopped onion

3 cups fresh bread crumbs

1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese

4 egg

1 tablespoon minced parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tbsp Poultry gravy mix

1/8 teaspoon pepper

 

1. Squeeze spinach dry with paper towels.

2. In 4-quart saucepan over medium heat, in hot butter, cook mushrooms, celery and onion until tender, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally; remove from heat.

3. Add remaining ingredients and spinach; mix well.

4. Bake in an uncovered, greased  9 x 13 casserole  at 350F for 30 to 45 minutes.

Sweet Potato and Spinach Casserole

This casserole could also be called a quiche, which seems fancier. And this is certainly fancy looking- bright orange yams with a creamy, fluffy spinach layer- oh so good! Great as a side to pork, chicken, or beef, but also a delicious main course!

Sweet Potato and Spinach Casserole  by Erin Taylor

1 1/2 C. milk
3 eggs
1/4 C. butter, melted
1/2 C. Bisquick baking mix
2 C. chopped spinach (frozen would work well, I use fresh and chop it up)
1 1/2C. grated cheese (Gruyere, Gouda, or just plain old cheddar or monterey jack)
1 med. sweet potato or yam (get the kind with orange flesh- much prettier)
2 bacon strips, chopped (optional)
salt and pepper
season salt


Preheat oven to 375 deg. Peel sweet potato and slice in thin slices so you have about 24-30 slices. Set aside. In large bowl combine milk, eggs, melted butter and bisquick mix; whisk until well mixed. Add about 1 tsp salt and dash of pepper, add season salt (about 1/2 tsp) if desired.  Mix in spinach and  1 C. of the cheese.

In casserole or baking dish coated with pan spray or drizzle of olive oil (about 9X9 size for a thicker pie) place sliced rounds of potatoes side by side in rows until bottom of baking dish  is covered.  Pour spinach mixture over potatoes and spread evenly. Layer top with potatoes as you did the bottom, lightly salt and pepper potatoes, sprinkle cheese on top and add bacon pieces. (these can be pre-cooked, but raw is fine too- they will brown in oven.)

Bake, uncovered, at 375 for about 30- 40 minutes or until center is puffy and firm. When finished, remove from oven and let sit for about 10-15 minutes before serving so it can "set" a bit more.

Ratatouille... Julia Child's Style... sort of!

I made Ratatouille last night with eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes from our garden! This recipe never fails to amaze me, how layering each vegetable (like a lasagna) and baking (which is different from most recipes which are done stovetop) can result in such a rich, deep flavored dish- and all from vegetables!!! I highly recommend this recipe as a main dish, or a delicious, healthy side! *note: though this recipe takes more time than just "throwing" everything in a pot, you are rewarded with full flavor when you take the time to make it correctly!

Ratatouille ( recipe from Julia Child, adapted by Erin)

1 lb. eggplant, cut in long slices or rounds (about 1/4" thick, 3-4" long)
1 lb. zucchini, cut in half, and then sliced lengthwise (1/4" thick, 3-4" long)
1 1/2 C. sliced onion
2 green peppers (sliced thinly)(optional, can be omitted if not available.)
1 lb (approx. 4 med.) tomatoes- peeled, seeded, and sliced
3 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp. garlic, chopped
Salt
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 deg.

After slicing eggplant and zucchini, generously salt each slice and let sit for 10 minutes while preparing the rest of the vegetables. Remove moisture that has beaded up on the surface of the eggplant and zucchini with a paper towel, and wipe off excess salt. Heat large skillet. Brush each slice of eggplant and zucchini with olive oil and place on skillet. Lightly brown on each side, and set aside. In large skillet, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil and add onion slices. Cook about 10 minutes on med-high heat, stirring frequently until onions are soft and beginning to carmelize. Add green peppers, cover and cook another 5 minutes on medium heat. Finally, add tomatoes and cook until much of the liquid has cooked out- about another 7 minutes). Add chopped garlic and fresh parsley.

In cast iron casserole dish, (or glass baking dish if you don't have cast iron, and I don't!) place two large spoonfulls of tomato-onion mixture in bottom of pan. Spread to cover bottom. Next, place a layer of eggplant (sprinkle with a little salt) followed by a layer of zucchini (sprinkle with salt). Then, add a few spoonfulls of tomato mixture again. Spread evenly . Repeat with Eggplant,zucchini, and tomato mixture. Drizzle about 2 Tbsp. olive oil over top and sprinkle with a little salt.

Place, uncovered, in hot oven. After 20 minutes, pull out of oven and spoon juices from sides over the top. Return to oven and bake another 20 minutes. This dish will not have a lot of juices because they reduce during the cooking process. However, the flavors are all intensified through the baking process, and your final product should have a rich, dark color on top, and a very deep aroma.

Let sit a few minutes before serving.

Great as leftovers the next day eaten cold or hot!

Easy Eggplant Parmesan

                                                
If you've never tried eggplant, you're probably wondering "Whaaaaat???" But, this dish is just yummy, crispy, flavorfully, delicious!!!! Aaaaand... it's super easy, so there's really no reason NOT to try it!

1 med. eggplant, (preferably more long than fat.)
2 C. dried bread crumbs (plain or italian style)
1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp. milk or water
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese (from the can is fine)
1 tsp. garlic powder
Salt

1 can or bottle of favorite store bought spaghetti sauce (or homemade, of course!)

Slice eggplant in rounds about 1/2 inch thick. GENEROUSLY salt each side of each slice and place on papertowel. Let sit for 10-15 minutes. Mix garlic powder, parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs together and place in bowl or large plate. When beads of water form oun outside surface of eggplant, wipe off with papertowel. Heat large skillet with 1/4 C. oil until drop of water crackles and sizzles when sprinkled in oil. (Lower heat to med-high so as to not burn) Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture and then in breadcrumbs. Place in oil and cook for 3 minutes each side until golden brown. Remove from pan and place on paper towels.

Layer 3 or 4 slices on a plate, gently resting on the edge of eachother and cover with spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle with fresh parmesan and serve with noodles of your choice!

Grilled Veggie Paninis

by Erin Taylor
(picture courtesy of The Food Network)

This is a great summer treat, but in the cold winter you can still enjoy it indoors. If you've got a George Forman grill, it works great for grilling up these tasty sandwiches. It's a little time intensive to prepare the veggies, but well worth it!

1 med. eggplant, sliced in 1/4" circles
3 med. zucchinis, cut in half, then sliced lengthwise at about 1/4" thickness
2 red peppers, (cut top and bottom off, then slice in quarters)
1 med. sweet onion, sliced in 1/4" slices
Large button mushrooms- (about 2 C. whole, sliced into 4 slices)
2 med. tomatoes, sliced
1 loaf, pre-sliced sour dough bread, OR hoagie buns with a bit of the top sliced off
cheese of your choice (Mozzerella, Cheddar, Monteray Jack, Grueyere, Pepper Jack...all good!)

Pre-grill veggies (or broil in oven until browning and soft) and place in container until ready to assemble sandwiches. Heat up table-top grill and brush outsides of bread or bun with olive oil or butter. Place favorite cheese on bottom slice, then layer eggplant, zucchini, red pepper slice, onions, tomatoes and mushrooms. Top with a little more cheese. Place on grill and close lid. Let lid slowly sink down as it smashes the sandwich and warms it up. After about 3 minutes gently apply pressure to grill to smash down the sandwich and seal in all that flavor!

Remove from grill and place on plate. Serve with Garlic Parmesan sauce (below) to spread on the sandwich, or dip in it.

Garlic Parmesan Sauce

1/2 C. light Mayo
3 Tbsp. Sour Cream
1/4 C. milk
1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
2 Tbsp. parmesan cheese (from can)
1 tsp. salt and fresh ground pepper
1 tsp. chopped basil
1 Tbsp. ketchup

Vegetarian Crock Pot Lasagna

I have another recipe for crock pot lasagna I got from a friend's recipe website,and it's the best lasagna I have EVER tried, honestly! But I adore veggie lasagna with alfredo sauce, so I made up my own. Be sure to use a crock pot liner (found in the foil and ziplock bag section of most grocery stores), it makes cleanup much easier!

Vegetarian Crock Pot Lasagna (Erin Taylor)

(this recipe is using a medium size crock pot. If you have a great big one, double the amounts, or you will have a very thin lasagna.)

step 1: assemble the sauce

1 bottle alfredo sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp olive oil
bottle of milk after sauce has been dumped into bowl
salt and pepper to taste

pour sauce into a bowl. Fill bottle with milk, shake to get all the sauce off the sides and dump into sauce. Add garlic powder and olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. set aside.

Step 2: Prepare vegetables and ricotta cheese

3 small zucchini (about 9 inches long and 2 inches across) sliced in small rounds
1 C. grated carrotts
2 C. spinach leaves, chopped or whole
2 medium tomatoes, sliced in rounds

1 small container ricotta cheese mixed with 1 egg, dash of salt, 1 tsp garlic powder,and 1 C. grated Mozzerella cheese

Step 3: layer lasagna

place 1/2 c. of the sauce in bottom of crock pot. Break up lasagna noodles (uncooked)so they will fit on bottom of pot. Spread half of the ricotta cheese mixture over noodles. Add one layer of half of the zucchini rounds neatly across ricotta cheese, then half the carrots, then all the spinach. Layer another layer of noodles, sauce, ricotta cheese, zucchini, carrotts, then chopped tomatoes. Pour half the sauce that's left over the top. Add one more layer of noodles and cover with remaining sauce.

Let cook in crock pot on medium for 6-7 hours or high for 4 hours. Add shredded mozzerella cheese the last 15-20 minutes of cooking until it's melted.

Fantastic!!!

*You can use pretty much any veggies you like, and a tomato based sauce would be delicious as well! Dare to experiment!!!