Vegetarian Matzo Lasagna

I like lasagna or pretty much anything containing pasta. I also like most vegetables.
I still had matzo crackers left over from when I made Matzo Crack aka Matzo Toffee.
I searched for recipes that would allow me to use the remainder of the matzo crackers. I'm not a vegetarian but I will consume vegetarian dishes just the same as I do dishes containing meat. I try to be fair.😊 The recipe below is from Abbey's Kitchen.


Vegetarian Matzo Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic minced- (I used garlic powder)
• 1 small onion diced
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms sliced-(I used regular canned mushrooms)
• 2 zucchinis halved and sliced into 1/2 moons (I used yellow squash)
• 3 1/2 cups low sugar low salt marinara sauce
• 15 oz tub part skim ricotta cheese
• 300 grams frozen spinach thawed and squeezed to remove excess moisture
• 1 egg beaten
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 matzo crackers whole wheat or gluten free
• 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese grated
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
• Basil for garnish

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a deep 9" square baking dish.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add in the onion. Saute until it starts to soften, then add in the mushrooms and zucchini. Cook for an additional 4 minutes, then add the garlic for another 30 seconds. Set aside.
• In a bowl, mix together the ricotta, spinach, egg, pepper and salt.
• Layer 1: Add about 1/2 cup of the sauce to the bottom of the greased dish. Add 1 matzo cracker, then about 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, 1/3 of the veggies, about a cup of the sauce, and 1/4 of the cheese.
• Layer 2: Repeat with matzo, ricotta, veggies, sauce, cheese.
• Layer 3: Repeat with matzo, ricotta, veggies, sauce, cheese.
• Layer 4: Finish with the remaining matzo, sauce and cheese.
• Cover in foil that has been greased to prevent the cheese from sticking, then bake for about 40 minutes. Remove the foil and increase the heat to broil. Broil for 5 minutes or until bubbly and golden. Allow to sit before cutting into squares and topping with basil, if desired.

Yes, it's labor intensive.

These are the ingredients. Most I prepped the night before so that saved some time.

Cooking the squash, onions, and mushrooms

Preparing the ricotta, egg and spinach mixture.

I'd forgotten that I'd thrown away my square pan (it was old and rusty) so I used a deep 

1. cast iron skillet. 

2. sauce at the bottom

3. matzo crackers. I had to break them to fit.  NOTE TO SELF: Buy  

     another square pan.✌️ 

4. spinach mixture

5. vegetables

6. cheese

                                                        Repeat

All of the layers are done.

5. Oiling the foil so that the cheese won't stick

6. Covering the lasagna

7. Lasagna in the oven

8. Timer set for cooking or else I'll forget

DONE! That's a lot of lasagna!

That's it***

I went on a Cooking Spree (11 photos)

Basil from the garden: Before and after.

Presto!- Pesto

What do you do when you buy a bag of SOUR grapes?

Rinse the grapes

 You make Grape Salad.

Halve the grapes so that they can absorb the sweetness you'll be adding.

The brown sugar and pecans really dress it up.

 Find a recipe online

The results. Deee-licious

 Miniature eggplant grown in a pot +  one from the farmer's market.

I chose not to peel mine. Rinse and slice about 1/4 of an inch.

Find a recipe for Eggplant Parmesan.

My recipe came from an old cookbook I was given over 35 years ago. But, you can always  go online or ask Alexa.

Here is the Eggplant Parmesan before I put it in the oven.

After pulling it out of the oven. It was delicious.

Squash Casserole

I had so much squash and really got tired of it. But, I would make the casserole, portion it out and freeze it. I used a recipe that my Mom got from one of her friends who was an excellent cook.

*THAT'S  ALL

Squash and Celery Slaw

 Fresh vegetables  are good for you but it's not good to leave them  too long.

This all began when I was baffled as to what to do with leftover celery and squash. Once again, stalking the NET, I came across celery slaw. Since I didn't follow their recipe exactly, I won't put a link to it. I'm  not sure what defines a dish as slaw or salad but I'm  guessing the slaw is shredded.

Sure I could look it up but I'd rather fly by the seat of my pants.
I washed and  scooped out the seeds of  four squash.

Seeded raw squash



Pulp/seeds from squash that I'll use in something else.
 HEY! I had to pay for it. Nothing's going to waste.



Here I've julienned the squash into fine slices.

The Loosely Pulled Together Recipe

Combined  about two cups of  julienned squash with one cup of chopped celery.

Mixed in  two tablespoons of  dried cranberries and two tablespoons of sour cream, salt and pepper to taste. 

NOTE: Since I failed to take a photo of celery and squash slaw, this photo is of  one I did without the celery.

All in all it was refreshing, different and tasty.

But Wait---There's More...

**********

Celery for Fun

I'd read  somewhere that celery could be regrown from  it's base by putting it in water and then soil, allowing it to resprout from the center into a new stalk.

Gardening 2012

A

B

I came across this collapsible, reusable vase at Office Depot after Christmas. It was on a sales table for 25 cents. The plastic vase is reusable and collapses for storage and reuse.  A shows the vase standing with water inside. B shows the bottom of the vase with water. C is the vase emptied of water and pressed flat for storage. The filled vase has enough room for maybe 4 long stemmed flowers. It is more of a bud vase than a flower vase. Something like this could come in handy during a last minute gift.

C



D, side view

This year's garden began with me laying black plastic in the area where I planned to place my plants. This cuts back on having to weed around the plants. Most of the containers have been settled on top of bricks. The ones in the concrete blocks are set directly on top of plastic. I prefer to use containers since the ground is mostly clay and the soil would need to be amended and etc. Instead I buy Miracle Gro potting soil and use it. If you enlarge the photos you might see a black plastic chain inside the pots or foot locker. This is to try to dissuade cats and any other creatures from using planters as toilets. Don't know how useful it is but I try.

2012 Garden

 I used last years pots and 2 concrete blocks I had sitting inside the garage serving no purpose. I'd seen  plants placed inside some of the blocks and so I'm trying the same planting stringless beans in one and dwarf sugar snap peas in the other. The sticks and cage are there for the vines to grow on. I have since replaced the sticks with a collapsible metal trellis. The tomato rocket is one of the As Seen On TV plants I picked up at Walgreen's. Herbs include pineapple sage, and citrus mint. Cinnamon basil is in the bottom photo .
You may or may not be able to tell that I have planted squash and bell peppers inside the bottom of a foot locker which I purchased at a thrift store for $9.00 and then took the lid off of when I got home.  I've never planted squash so it is a little crowded in with the peppers.

Cinnamon basil (in pot). Roll out flowers used the top of the foot locker as a bed for the roll out flowers.

The roll outs were left over from last year. They have a few sprouts but nothing like I thought they'd be. Still I will keep them just in case they turn out to be late bloomers.
THAT'S IT***