This recipe is inspired by the Tuscan White Bean Stew recipe in The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook.

Ingredients: 

2 cans of great northern white beans

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 yellow onion, coarsley chopped

3 carrots, peeled and coarsley chopped

2 stalks of celery

6 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus six sprigs

1 1/4 cups of vegetable stock or broth

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium to high heat.   Stir in onion, carrots then saute until the carrots are tender-crisp, 6-7 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook until softened, about 1 minute.  Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper, the chopped rosemary, the bean mixture and the broth or stock.   Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the stew is heated through,a bout 5 minutes.

Make crostini using whole wheat bread.  Arrange the bread on a pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Put in oven on 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes, until the bread is lightly crisp.    Cut the bread to crouton size.

Ladle the soup into bowls, srpinkle with croutons, and garnish with rosemary.

Ingredients:

• 1 TBL unsalted butter
• 2 small heads fennel, finely chopped
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 12 OZ white button mushrooms, sliced
• 3-4 white potatoes diced
• 1/8 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/8 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh chives
• 1/4 cup parsley
• 1 TBL white vinegar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 package of store-bought puff pastry

directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Melt butter over medium heat in a heavy bottom saucepan.  When it foams, add fennel, onions, and carrots, and cook until just soft and onions are translucent, about 2 minutes.  Add mushrooms and potatoes, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and stir to coat.  Cook, stirring rarely, until mushrooms are small.  Sprinkle flour over vegetables, stir to coat, and cook until raw flavor is gone, about 1 to 2 minutes.   Slowly add broth and milk, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook  slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat, add peas, herbs, and vinegar, and stir to coat.  Season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  

Pour the filling into an 8X8-inch baking dish.  Whisk egg together with 2 teaspoons water and a pinch of salt.

Place dough over baking dish and removed the excess., tuck to edges in.   Brush dough with the egg wash and cut slits in the top to vent.  Place on a baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown and mixture is bubbling for about 25 – 30 minutes.

Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

This recipe is inspired by Giada’s Capri Episode.

I only made a couple of changes.   I added one more clove of garlic, and I kept the skins thick by not taking out as much flesh, which means cooking in a 400 degree oven.

Ingredients:

-1 eggplant

-3 plum tomatoes

-1 clove of garlic

-1 Tbl olive oil

-1 tsp capers

-1Tbl grated Parmesan

-At least 4 basil leaves (the more basil, the better)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut the eggplant in half and scoop out the flash, leaving half an inch to 1 inch of skin.  Cut the flash into bite sized cubes.  Chop the tomatoes and mince the garlic cloves.

In a large saute pan, heat the oil and add the garlic.  When the garlic is golden brown, add the chopped eggplant and saute for 3 minutes.  Remove the eggplant and place in a large bowl, add teh uncooked tomaties and capers, add sea salt and freshly ground pepper.  Mix until combined.  In a baking dish, place the reservede eggplant halves and fill with the eggplant/tomato mixture.  Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Place baking dish in the oven and cook for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and garnish with fresh basil.

This was recipe was inspired by a couple of different recipes. I omitted peppers due to a pepper allergy.

Ingredients:

2 Tbl olive oil
1 medium yellow/sweet vidalia onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbl dried oregano
1 Tbl chili powder and or cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp of salt, freshly ground black pepper, dash of white pepper
1 can of diced tomatoes with their liquid (or 2 diced tomatoes, add more water)
1 can of red kidney beans (or cooked dried beans)
1 can of black beans (or cooked dried beans)
1 can of garbanzo beans

Method:
Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery and garlic and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until vegetables are softened but not browned. Add oregano, chili powder/cayenne pepper, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir to blend. Add tomatoes and 4 cups of water. Gently simmer over low heat, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Add beans and simmer an additional 30 minutes. Your choice to garnish individual bowls with green onions, sour cream, and/or chedder cheese.

Inspired by: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/492

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/the-best-vegetarian-chili-in-the-world/Detail.aspx