Vegetarian Mania!!!

For all my wonderful Vegetarian loving friends!!! Hope you all enjoy!!!

Ashley's AWESOME Mediterranean Baked Penne



1/2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 small zucchini, chopped
1 medium eggplant, chopped
1 medium green and 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped, juice reserved
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 pound dried penne rigate, or rigatoni
1 1/2 cups coarsely grated part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat a 3-quart baking dish with nonstick spray. Coat the dish with 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, tapping out the excess. Put a pot of water on to boil for cooking pasta.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, eggplant, bell pepper, onion and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Add wine and stir until almost evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and juice. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, cook penne (or rigatoni) in boiling salted water until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and rinse well. Toss pasta with the vegetable mixture and stir in mozzarella.
Spoon the pasta mixture into prepared baking dish and drizzle eggs evenly over the top. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup breadcrumbs and Parmesan. Sprinkle evenly over the top.
Bake pasta until golden and bubbly, 40 to 50 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.


Ashley's Comforting Butternut Squash Risotto

6-8 cups chicken broth (use vegetable broth for vegetarian option, and gluten-free stock for gluten-free version)
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided into 4 Tbsp and 1 Tbsp
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cups butternut squash, peeled, and finely diced
2 cups arborio rice (can substitute medium grained white rice, but arborio is preferred)
1 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp chopped chives or garlic chives
Salt

Preparation:

1. Heat broth in medium sized saucepan and keep warm over low heat. Melt 4 Tbsp of butter in a large saucepan; add onion and butternut squash. Cook over medium heat until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

2. Add rice to onion and squash. Cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine. Cook, stirring constantly until wine has been absorbed by the rice or evaporated. Add a few ladles of broth, just enough to barely cover rice. Cook over medium heat until broth has been absorbed. Continue cooking and stirring rice, adding a little bit of broth at a time, cooking and stirring until it is absorbed, until the rice is tender, but still firm to the bite, about 15 to 20 minutes.

3. During the last minutes of cooking, add remaining tablespoon of butter, 1/3 cup Parmesan, and chives. At this point the rice should have a creamy consistency. Add salt to taste. Serve with remaining grated Parmesan.


Zucchini Fritters



1 lb of zucchini (about 2 medium sized), coarsely grated
Kosher salt(to taste)
Ground black pepper(to taste)
1 large egg
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup grape seed oil or olive oil
Sour cream or plain yogurt

Preparation:

1. Salt the zucchini with about 1 teaspoon of salt. Try to remove the excess moisture from the zucchini by either squeezing the liquid out with a potato ricer, or by squeezing with paper towels. (The original recipe calls for putting the zucchini in a colander set in the sink to let it drain for 10 minutes after salting it. I think it works much better to use a potato ricer.)

2. Whisk egg in a large bowl; add the zucchini, flour, scallions, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Mix to combine well.

3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook fritters in two batches. Drop six mounds of batter (2 Tbsp each) into the skillet. Flatten slightly. Cook, turning once, until browned, 4-6 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle with salt. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve immediately, with sour cream or plain yogurt on the side.