Recipe #73 - Lo-Cal Squash/Veggie/Bean Stew

This hearty stew has very few calories or fat. We had it with some homemade herbed foccaccia bread and a green salad with pear and fennel.

3 Tbsp. good quality olive oil

1.5 cups quartered and slivered sweet yellow onion

1 cup thinly sliced celery

3 cups cremini mushrooms, stemmed and quartered

4 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash, about 1/2" cubes

1 cup peeled and diced carrot

1 cup diced fennel bulb, core removed

1 15-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes, with juice

4 garlic cloves, finely minced

2.5 cups rich vegetable stock

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

1 tsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped

Salt & pepper, to taste

2 15-ounce cans white beans, drained and rinsed well

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery, mushrooms and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms give off their liquid and start to brown slightly.

Add the squash, carrot, fennel, tomatoes, stock, tomato paste, rosemary, salt and pepper. Cover the pot and bring to a bubbly simmer. Let the stew simmer for about 20 minutes, until the squash, fennel and carrots are very tender.

Add the white beans and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings and serve in wide soup bowls with bread and salad.

Recipe #72 - Tomatillo Avocado Salsa

Today Mark was acting as Chef de parte' on a team at Le Cordon Bleu making some gumbo dishes, and pretty much had the team working the gumbo line. (We did both a seafood gumbo with prawns and a meatier one with chicken and andouille sausage.)

Meanwhile, Mark went to the box and gathered some available stuff to make some salsa, seeing as how we were doing sort of a "South-of-the-border-mixed-with-Cajun-cuisine" range of food.

So ... here's what he came up with:

8 tomatillos

4 serrano chiles

6 green onions

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 lime, juiced

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. chile powder

1/4 tsp. cayenne powder

1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced

Core and dice the tomatillos. Trim the serranos and remove about 3/4 of the seeds and pith. Finely mince the rest. Slice the green onions thinly. Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan and add the veggies. Saute until the tomatillos release their juices and the veggies are cooked through. Add the lime juice and seasonings. Stir and cool slightly. Add the diced avocado and serve.

Recipe #71 - Sheri's Easy Lasagna

Sheri' DuMond has been doing the menu-planning and cooking here since Mark has been in culinary school. This is a wonderful lasagna recipe she came up with which will feed us many times.

1 lb. whole wheat lasagna noodles

Salt

1 lb. assorted veggies (we used portabella mushrooms, spinach, zucchini, red bell pepper)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 carrot, grated

Bay leaf

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

4 Tbsp. tomato paste

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 14-oz. cans crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

3 Tbsp. AP flour

1.5 cups milk, warmed in the microwave for 45 seconds to warm

Nutmeg, to taste

2 cups asiago cheese, grated

2 cups ricotta cheese

Bring a large pot of water to boil; break the lasagna noodles into odd shapes. Add salt to the water, put in the pasta and cook until not quite al dente. Drain in a colander, toss with a little olive oil to prevent sticking, and set aside.

Heat olive oil in another pan and add the veggies. Saute until the veggies are getting tender. Add the tomatoes and basil, and simmer for 10 minutes until the flavors meld nicely.

In yet another pot, melt the butter and add the flour. Whisk the roux, then slowly add the warm milk, whisking constantly. Add the nutmeg and season with a little salt and pepper. Whisk until thickened, then stir in half the asiago cheese and remove from heat.

Preheat the broiler in your oven.

Toss the cooked pasta with the veggie-tomato mixture and put it into a lasagna baking pan. Add dollops of ricotta cheese, and smooth all the bechamel cheese sauce over the top, smoothing it to cover the entire pan. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top and put it into the oven until it's all bubbly, browned and great.

Serve with a green salad, garlic bread and wine of your choice.