Vegetarian Pasta Sauce

3 med. onions chopped
1 med. green pepper, chopped
1 med. sweet red pepper chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 T olive oil
3 med. zucchini, chopped
3 mec. yellow summer squash, chopped, 3 med. tomatoes, chopped
1 med. eggplant, peeled  and cubed
1/2 lb sliced, fresh mushrooms
2 cans (28 oz each) Italian crushed tomatoes
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
2 cans (2 1/4 oz) sliced ripe olives, drained
1/4 cup minced fresh basil
3 T minced fresh oregano
2 T minced fresh rosemary
2 t. Italian seasoning
1 1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper

Saute first 5 ingredients together until tender. Add the next 5 ingredients, cook & stir 5 min. Stir in remaining ingredients, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours or until sauce in thickened. 14 one cup servings.

Whole Wheat Bread (via Loreli Adkins)

Turn oven to 200 degrees, then turn off when preheated. Then start bread.
 Mix together:
3 c. whole wheat flour
1/3 c. gluten
1 1/4 T yeast (or 1 rounded T.)

Then add:
2 1/2 c. hot water straight from the tap

Mix 1 minute in the mixer; let rest 10 minutes, then add:

1 1/4 t. lemon juice
2 t. salt
1/3 c honey or 1/2 c sugar (might need a tad more flour if using honey)
1/3 c oil
2 c. whole wheat flour

Mix 6-10 minutes in mixer, then put in pans and let rise in the warm oven until almost doubled (about 20 min... it will rise quite a lot during baking). Turn oven to 350 (don't take bread out of oven) and bake about 35 minutes.

CAJUN CORNBREAD CASSEROLE

1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 small onion, diced
2 celery stalks, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 T. Cajun Seasoning (I used 1/2 T. Chile powder would work too.)
1 15-oz can kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 c. cornmeal
1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
3/4 c milk
1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce

Drain tomato juices into a skillet and add enough water to cover the bottom with a thin layer. Saute onion, celery, garlic, and bell pepper over high heat until onion is translucent, bell pepper is tender, and all water has evaporated., about 4 minutes. Turn off heat and mix in 1-2 T Cajun Seasoning, tomatoes, and kidney beans, stirring to combine, and set aside.
Corn bread: In a small mixing bowl, whisk cornmeal, baking powder, salt and addition Cajun Seasoning, if desired. Stir in milk and applesauce. It should be thick, but spreadable, and not dry. Pour bean mixture into a casserole dish and top with cornbread mixture. Bake at 400 degrees about 30 minutes, or until the cornbread is golden, cracked, and firm to the touch. Let set out for 15 minutes before serving.

White Bean Gravy (From Everyday Happy Herbivore)

This is a healthy alternative to regular gravy. I tried it on mashed potatoes and we really liked it. You can also use it for biscuits and gravy. The author likes it so well she says she often eats it as a soup. If you don't have all the seasoning ingredients, just jazz it up the way you like.

1 15-oz can navy beans, (or any other kind of white bean) drained and rinsed
1/4 c vegetable broth
2 T nutritional yeast
1/2  t. onion powder
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/4 t Cajun Seasoning
1/8 t. black pepper

Combine everything in blender and puree until silky smooth, adding more broth as necessary to achieve the desired consistency. You don't want to thin it out too much: it should be creamy and gravy-thick. Warm over low heat. (I always cook up a big batch of white beans from scratch, then freeze them in portions. Much better than canned beans, and much cheaper too!)

Here's a similar recipe from "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" by Mark Bitman

CHICKPEA FONDU

3 cups cooked chickpeas with 3-4 cups of their liquid
2 cloves garlic
3 T extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
3 T lemon juice

Puree all ingredients in blender until very smooth. Add more cooking liquid, broth, or water until the consistency is like a smooth dip or thick soup. Heat mixture over medium heat. Use for dipping such foods as cherry tomatoes, broccoli or cauliflower florets, slices of cucumber, bell pepper, cubes of cooked potato, etc. This fondu won't harden like cheese fondu. Hummus is also a nutritious dip for veggies.

Pie Crust

Makes top and bottom.

2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 cup butter or Crisco
1/2 cup ice water (You probably won't use it all.  Maybe half.)
1 egg yoke

Sift flour and salt together in a bowl.  Add butter or crisco and blend with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the texture of coarse meal.  Add water, a tablespoon at a time until dough is moistened.  Stir until mixture firms a loose ball.

Here's the whole wheat version of the King Arthur  flatbread recipe I linked to awhile back on our fitness group. If you don't have the seeds it calls for, leaving them out wouldn't affect the outcome of the basic recipe. They're supposed to add an extra nutritional punch to the bread. It's great for wraps, and I have several all-veggie wrap recipes, but of course you can make up your own easily enough.

Chia Seed Flatbread

2 cups white whole wheat flour                 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast                              2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds or whole flax seeds
2 tablespoons chia seeds                              2 tablespoons soft butter
3/4 cup warm water

Whisk together the flour, salt, yeast, and seeds. Work in the soft butter and water, then mix and knead the dough until it becomes smooth and pliable. Form the dough into a ball, place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise for an hour or more, until puffy. Turn the dough out onto a greased surface and fold it over several times. Divide the dough into six pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Cover the balls with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes. Starting with the first ball you made, roll each ball of dough into a rough 8" to 9" circle; circles should be a scant 1/8" thick. Heat a heavy frying pan or griddle on  medium heat for a minute or two, and brush the pan with oil just before cooking the first bread. Place a dough round in the pan. Cook the first side for 1 to 2 minutes, until it starts to bubble and has some darkish brown spots; flip over and bake the second side until firm. Stack the breads as they come off the griddle to keep them warm and soft. Yield: 6 flatbreads.

SHOYU CHICKEN

1 cup water
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar mixed
with 2T cornstarch
1/2 t. ground ginger (or fresh)
2 cloves garlic (or
1/2 t. garlic powder)
Boneless, skinless chicken breast

Mix all but chicken together. Pour over chicken pieces in a baking dish. Bake at 325 degrees. Recipe says for 2 hours, covered, but just test for doneness after an hour, which is about how long I bake chicken tenders. Probably depends on how thick the chicken pieces are.