Broccoli Rice Casserole

Ingredients

• 2 cups Cooked Rice
• 2 cups Broccoli, cooked and drained
  
• 1 can Cream Of Mushroom Soup (I use homemade)
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• 1/2 cup Chopped Onion
• 2 cloves minced Garlic 
• 10 oz. Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1 1/2 cups Milk
• 1/4 cup Butter
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 3 1/2 quart baking dish.
2. Saute onions and mushrooms in butter in a skillet until the onions get translucent. 
3. In a large bowl, mix together rice, broccoli, soup, cheese (reserve 1/2 cup for topping), milk, onion and mushrooms, and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Pour into prepared casserole dish and bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes until hot and bubbly. Add reserved cheese and bake for 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Makes 6 servings

Araksya's Tip: I like to add cooked chicken or turkey

Quinoa Pasta with veggies

Ingredients:


6 slices bacon chopped
6 oz quinoa pasta*
6 oz sliced mushrooms
1 small onion sliced
1 bell pepper sliced
1 cup zucchini chopped
2 cups spinach
2 cups marinara sauce
2 cups water
1/3 cup fresh parsley and cilantro chopped
1 TB dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh
olive oil (if needed)
salt and pepper to taste
parmesan cheese


Cook bacon in a big skillet until cooked through but not too browned. Add onions, mushrooms, peppers, and zucchini and cook until they are tender, stirring occasionally.
Then add quinoa pasta, marinara sauce, water, dried basil, salt and pepper, cover the skillet and cook until pasta is done.
Add spinach and fresh herbs, stir well and serve with parmesan cheese.


*Araksya's tip: You can use regular pasta instead of quinoa pasta. You can also add 1/2 cup regular quinoa with pasta
like I did to give it more texture.

Casserole in a bowl

Ingredients

1/4 lb ground beef (or any kind of meat)
1 cup marinara sauce
1/4 cup sweet peppers chopped
4-5 mushrooms sliced
3 cups spinach
1/4 cup sliced zucchini
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or any kind you like)
2 small or 1 big naan bread
salt and pepper to taste
1 TB olive oil
1 TB butter


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat olive oil in a small skillet and cook the meat until brown. Add marinara sauce and sweet peppers and cook 2-3 minutes. Season it with salt and pepper.

Take 2 oven-safe bowls/ramekins and divide the meat sauce mix into the bowls. Layer the raw mushrooms on top of the meat sauce.
Meanwhile, in the same skillet cook spinach with butter just until they start to wilt. Add that to the bowls. Then layer the zucchini on top of the spinach and cover them with cheese.

Put the bowls in the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Then cover the bowls with naan bread and continue cooking for another 5 minutes or until the bread gets toasted. You can finish the last step under the broiler to get a nice brown color on the bread.




Makes 2 servings

Araksya's tip: The bowls will be hot the whole time you're eating so please be careful.

Healthy and hearty soup

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (or Thanksgiving turkey)
1 10oz container mushrooms, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
10 cups chicken broth or water
1 15oz can pinto beans (or any kind you like)
4 cups kale or bok-choy, or both, chopped
1/2 cup millet
1 cup couscous
2 bay leaves
1 tsp turmeric
1/3 cup parsley, dill, and cilantro, chopped (or any one of them)
olive oil
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 black pepper
1 tsp paprika


Heat oil in a large pot and saute onions, carrots, and celery for about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for another 3 minutes.
Stir in garlic and the rest of the ingredients except for the herbs and kale, and bring to a boil.
Cover and turn the heat down and cook for 15 minutes. Add the herb mix and the kale and cook for another couple
minutes.


Serves 10

Cabbage Stew

1 medium head cabbage shredded in food processor
1 lb ground beef (turkey or pork)
1 cup cooked rice
1 cup tomato sauce
1 1/2 cup broth or water
1 cup mushrooms chopped (optional)
1 medium onion sliced or chopped
1 red or green bell pepper chopped
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (optional)
1/3 cup chopped mixed herbs (parsley, dill, cilantro)
1 tsp dry basil
olive oil
salt and pepper


Heat oil in a Dutch oven pot and add onions. Let them get a little brown on the edges. Add ground beef, mushrooms, dry basil, salt and pepper and cook until the meat gets nice and brown. (If you are using pork sausage, no need to season the meat). Add the cabbage to the pot and stir a few times until the cabbage shrinks and gets moist.
Put the remaining ingredients, except for the herbs, into the pot, cover and let it cook until the cabbage is tender but still a little crunchy. Finish it off with the fresh chopped herbs.


Serves 6-8

2 in 1: Greek Mousaka & American Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant (2 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 can (14.5oz) stewed tomatoes
• 1 cup chopped bell peppers
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms 
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 2-3 large potatoes
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1 cup (9 ounces) ricotta cheese*
• 1 large egg
• Salt and pepper to taste
• red paprika
• olive oil 
• 2 TB butter 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a baking sheet, toss eggplant with oil and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer, and roast in the oven until soft and golden, 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer eggplant to casserole dish, spreading in an even layer. In a large saucepan, warm oil over medium heat. Add onions, and ground meat; cook, stirring to prevent sticking, until meat is browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add peppers and mushrooms and cook a couple more minutes then stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. Simmer 15 minutes. Spread the mixture evenly over the eggplant. 

In a pot boil potatoes in water until cooked. Drain and mash them with butter. Add ricotta, egg, 1/8 teaspoon pepper and salt to taste.  

Pour mixture over the casserole, and spread evenly to the edges. Sprinkle some red paprika on top. 

Heat broiler.  Broil until topping is browned in spots, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve hot. 

Makes 6 Servings   

*Araksya's Tip: You can use other kinds of cheeses you have. You can replace cheese with sour-cream.