Vegetarian Italian / Italian Vegetarian

Life is good. Food is good.
Italian and Indian seem to be the easier routes in making a substantial vegetarian meal...substantial being the constant challenge. Without that big, [nasty] chuck of meat (j/k)...what do I use to fill the plate besides rice and bread? Let me first just say that eggplant is awesome. Awesome tasting, an excellent replacement for meat and so simple to cook. Beans, potatoes and diced tomatoes are also a saving grace.

Let me share a few Vegetarian Italian recipes that I have tried recently and Luis and I have enjoyed.

Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients:
1 eggplant, cut into 3/4 inch slices
8 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces ricotta cheese
6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
4 cups pasta sauce
Additional Ingredients Sarah adds:
1 zucchini chopped
1 yellow onion chopped
mushrooms chopped (doesn't matter if they are canned or fresh)
Any color peppers you might have on hand chopped
Even a few tomatoes chopped if you so desire

(If you haven't noticed, I always add any extra veggies I might have on hand)
Now it's time to start cooking.
First, sprinkle both sides of the eggplant slices with salt. Place slices in a strainer, and place a dish underneath to capture any liquid that will sweat out of the eggplant. Allow to sit for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta, mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Mix in egg and basil.
Rinse the eggplant in cold water until all salt is removed. In a large skillet, heat 4 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Place one layer of eggplant in the pan, brown each side. Repeat with remaining eggplant slices, using additional oil if necessary.
In skillet, saute any additional veggies you are adding as well.
In a 9x13 inch baking dish, evenly spread 1 1/2 cups of spaghetti sauce. Arrange a single layer of eggplant slices on top of the sauce, then arrange additional veggies. Top the eggplant and veggies with 1/2 of the cheese mixture. Repeat layering process until all the eggplant, veggies and cheese mixture is used. (Do not worry about perfection). Pour remaining sauce on top of layers, and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.
Bake 30 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until sauce is bubbly.
ENJOY!
Original recipe c/o allrecipes.com.

Eggplant Mushroom Tomato Casserole

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Butter
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 large Onion diced
1 clove Garlic pressed
1/2 cup Green Bell Pepper diced
1/4 pound Fresh Mushrooms thinly sliced
3 large Tomatoes diced
1 tablespoon Parsley chopped
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Thyme
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
2 medium Eggplants diced
1 tablespoon Seasoned salt
1 tablespoon All-Purpose flour
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
(feel free to add additional veggies; zucchini, red/yellow peppers, etc.)

Preheat oven to 375 F. In a large skillet, heat butter and olive oil over medium low heat. Add onions and sauté a few minutes. Add garlic and green bell pepper and sauté. Add sliced mushrooms, continue to sauté a few minutes. Add diced tomatoes, chopped parsley, pepper, and thyme. Simmer 2 additional minutes. In large non-stick skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium heat. Add diced eggplant and seasoning salt. Sauté until lightly browned. Stir often. Remove skillet from heat. Stir in flour carefully with spatula. Return skillet to heat. Add tomato mixture. Simmer 2 minutes. Spoon mixture into greased casserole dish (8-inch x 8-inch). Sprinkle Parmesan (and/or mozzarella) cheese over top. Bake 35 minutes. ENJOY!
Original recipe c/o eggplantrecipes.net.

Vegetarian Chili

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon salt
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained (I did not have this, but think it would be a delicious addition)
3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in the celery, green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, garlic, and green chile peppers. When vegetables are heated through, reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 5 minutes.
Mix the tomatoes into the pot. Season chili with chili powder and pepper. Stir in the kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and black beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in the corn, and continue cooking 5 minutes before serving.
ENJOY!
Original recipe c/o allrecipes.com.

More Vino Por Favor

One of Luis and my hobbies include drinking wine. (What a great hobby, right?!)
Seriously though, it has come to be one of the things we really like to do together. And I don't mean drinking wine as in a drunken wine fest but rather a conversation.

I have enjoyed wine ever since I can remember. This probably sounds awful, but I remember getting the wine at catholic mass and thinking "Mmmm, that's tasty." In college, it wasn't all that appealing to the majority of my friends, but after college it started to become the drink of choice.

Luis was never a fan. I couldn't even get him to take a sip of wine until one day we decided to check out this wine bar near our apartment in West Chester; there was a $5 wine tasting that day. I think he was more-less entertaining me in his decision to go but none-the-less we had a blast.

This is where he met smoked Gouda; the wine pairing that changed his ways.
If you aren't familiar, smoked Gouda is a cheese that tastes like bacon. Seriously.
We sat through 5 different types of red wine accompanied by this meat flavored cheese; I finally found the way to his heart...bacon.

It was great though, he was enjoying the different wines, we were feeling so prestigious in our "deep" conversations of each of the wines and the different tastes, noses, legs, etc.(a little wine lingo for you).

For Christmas I received a wine journal. It gives you all these tips on smelling, tasting, describing wine and in the back there are pages for you to jot down your description of different wines.

Luis and I seem to be regulars at this little wine and beer shop up the street where we like to go and get different wines and beers and "rate" them. AND, the great thing about this is there is no right or wrong answer! :) It is one of our favorite things to do.

Fighting Fair

Fighting Fare...
This made me laugh; I looked up the definition to fighting and the first one read:
'a. To attempt to harm or gain power over an adversary by blows or with weapons."

"Luis, we're suppose to attempt to harm each other by blows or with weapons fairly!"

No that is not the definition we are suppose to use in this circumstance but I just wanted to share that. HA!

Last night we had dinner with friends and we started talking about fighting fair and we compared stories of how each one of us fights and how "good" we are at fighting fair. It's funny, our friends were saying how you could be doing so great at fighting fair and one bad move by one party and it's all down hill. Because really, if you're doing well and one person decides to break the rules, how can you maintain fairness? True.

For Luis and me, he will tell you with no hesitation that he is really bad at it. So for me, because he is so bad, I try my very hardest to maintain fairness; but as I think about it now, because I do that, I get to also use it against him when we talk about things later. For example: we're fighting. Even if he's right, because he blows up, I win because I don't. So, my question, is that fair? (probably not exactly).

Another funny thing, after we have resolved whatever the argument, I'll ask him what I can do to help him fight fair. He tells me to let him know in the midst of the argument to stop being mean, fighting unfair, etc. YEA RIGHT!
Here is a bad (and fake) example of that scenario...

Luis "Babe, you're dumb! You don't know what you're talking about. (slams door)"
Me (in extremely calm voice) "Luis, let's make sure we fight fair."
Luis "YOU'RE DUMB! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!" (slams door).

Ok, now that is a really awful example but you get the picture. There is no way that will go over well.

So what's the secret? Practice makes better? That's really not that motivational though because who wants to motivate themselves by the idea that the more fights we have, the better we will be?

It's a tough question. I will be sure to let you know when I find the answer.

To be continued...