Cassoulet

1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 onion, chopped (doesn't need to be small)
1 lb sausage
1 lb chicken legs
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
1 quart chicken stock
1 bay leaf
parsley
thyme
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp tomato paste
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 carrots, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the onions and sausage; sauté them for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pan and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Drain all but 4 tablespoons of the fat from the skillet. Brown the chicken legs in the skillet; remove from pan and set aside.

Combine the onions, sausage, chicken legs, tomatoes, wine, chicken stock, herbs to taste, garlic, tomato paste, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper in a large casserole dish. Cover with a lid or foil, and bake the casserole for 25 minutes. Add the carrots to the casserole, cover, and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Add the white beans to the hot casserole and gently stir the mixture. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour. Discard the bay leaf and serve the cassoulet hot.

NOTES
Adapted from about.com.
My amounts of some ingredients didn't quite match the recipe but it still turned out tasty anyway.

Spinach Artichoke Pizza

5 Tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 Tbsp chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
2 c chopped spinach
1/2 pint halved cherry tomatoes
1 can quartered artichoke hearts
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
pizza dough

Shape pizza dough into a large rectangle and place on a baking sheet.

Combine oil, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Use 3 Tbsp of oil mixture to spread on prepared dough. Toss remaining oil mixture with spinach, tomatoes and artichokes. Sprinkle cheeses over dough and top with vegetable mixture. Sprinkle a little more Parmesan on top.

Bake in a 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

NOTES
Originally from Rachael Ray.
My favorite pizza, easily customizable. I like to add black olives and red onion, and often use tomato slices or skip tomatoes entirely. Often out of laziness I'll use thin slices of mozzarella instead of shredded.

Black Bean Mushroom Quesadillas with Mango Salsa

Quesadillas:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small diced onion
2 c chopped mushrooms
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1-3 jalapenos, seeded, chopped
1 (14 1/2 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp chipotle powder or chipotle in adobo, or to taste
ground cumin to taste
salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
6 tortillas
1 c shredded cheddar cheese

Mango Salsa:
1 pineapple, peeled, sliced into 1/2" thick rings
1 ripe mango, peeled and chopped
1 large tomato, peeled and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-3 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Quesadillas:
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and mushrooms for 5 minutes or until onion softens. Add garlic and jalapenos; saute 1 minute more. Add beans, chipotle, cumin, salt and pepper; reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring, til heated through. Add cilnatro and adjust seasonings to taste.

Place 1 tortilla on a flat surface and spoon about 1/3 c of the filling onto half of the tortilla. Sprinkle with about 2 Tbsp cheese. Fold in half; set aside. Repeat until filling is used.

Grease a skillet and heat. Heat quesadillas until browned on both sides (about 3 minutes per side). Top generously with mango salsa.

Salsa:
Grill or broil pineapple rings until light brown on both sides. Chop into cubes and mix with remaining ingredients. Refrigerate overnight for best flavor.

NOTES
From Vegetarian Times.
Haven't tried the mango salsa, but I have made a version of the quesadillas and they're very good.

Chunky Vegetable Stew

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, thickly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14 1/2 oz) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
2 c cooked garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
2 yams, peeled, cut into 2" chunks
3/4 tsp crushed rosemary
1 large zucchini, cut into 1/4" thick slices
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, separating slices; cook 5 minutes or until soft. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes and juice, beans, yams and rosemary. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. (You may need to add a little water at this point to make sure there is enough liquid to cover the bottom of pan.) Add zucchini and stir. Cover and cook 15-20 minutes or until yams are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste and top each serving with cheese to taste.

NOTES
From Vegetarian Times.
One of our favorites!
We like to add sliced kielbasa to this (add at the same time as yams etc.).
I usually use diced tomatoes instead of stewed.
When we have the time we like to cook this long enough for the yams to mush (a couple of hours). In this case we add the zucchini in the last 15-20 minutes so it doesn't also turn to mush.

Spicy Red Lentil Chili

1 c red lentils
4 c + 2 Tbsp water, divided
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 c diced onion
1/4 c diced celery (about 1 stalk)
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 medium tomato, cored, diced (1 c)
2 c vegetable stock
1 Tbsp Tabasco sauce
1/8 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp chili powder
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 c finely diced green bell pepper
salt to taste

Bring lentils and 2 c water to boil on high; turn off heat. Remove half the lentils and liquid; place in blender or food processor and puree about 1 minute.

Melt butter in stockpot on medium low. Add onion; cook, stirring, about 2 minutes, until soft but not browned. Add celery and garlic; cook, stirring, 5 minutes, until soft but not browned. Add tomato; cook 5 minutes.

Add stock, 2 c water, Tabasco, turmeric, cumin, cayenne, salt, pepper and chili powder. Bring to a simmer.

Add reserved whole and pureed lentils plus liquid. Cook about 15 minutes, until lentils are tender.

Combine cornstarch and remaining 2 Tbsp water in a small bowl. Bring soup to a boil and add cornstarch/water mix. Stir 30 seconds to thicken slightly. Turn off heat; add green peppers. Season to taste with salt.

NOTES
From Wegmans.
Untried.

Braised Chuck Roast with Stew Vegetables

2 1/2 - 3 lbs boneless beef chuck roast
salt and pepper
3 Tbsp flour, plus additional for dusting
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 1/2 lbs assorted stew vegetables (carrots, potatoes, onions, celery, etc), chopped
10 oz mushrooms
1 c red wine
1 (28 oz) can cut tomatoes with Italian seasoning
1 3/4 c beef stock
1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

Season roast generously with salt and pepper. Dust with flour; pat off excess.

Heat oil in large oven-safe pan on medium high until oil faintly smokes. Add roast; brown, turning to brown all sides, 10-15 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Discard all but 1 Tbsp drippings from pan.

Reduce heat to medium. Add stew vegetables and cook 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms; cook 4-5 minutes, until lightly browned. Stir in wine. Simmer until reduced to syrupy consistency, 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally to loosen browned bits on bottom of pan. Add tomatoes and cook 5 minutes. Add stock; heat to simmering. Return roast to pan and cover. Braise on center rack of oven 2-2 1/2 hours, until fork tender.

Remove pan from oven and carefully remove lid. Skim fat from surface of sauce and discard. Transfer roast to platter and season to taste with salt and pepper; let rest 10 minutes.

Stir thyme, rosemary and remaining 3 Tbsp flour into pan liquid. Heat to simmering, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Slice roast and serve with vegetables and sauce.

NOTES
From Wegmans.
Untried.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

2 medium-large sweet potatoes or yams
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
2 (14-15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 (14-15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (4 ounce) can chopped mild green chilies
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 - 1 tsp chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt to taste

Microwave the sweet potatoes for about 3 or 4 mintes per potato. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut into 3/4-inch dice. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the onion and garlic and sauté over medium heat until golden. Add the bell pepper, beans, tomatoes, chilies, corn, cumin, chili powder, and oregano. (I like to add a dash or two of chipotle seasoning or cayenne pepper; not necessary, but tasty if you've got 'em and don't mind a little heat. You can feel free to add whatever spices you normally like in your chili -- it's easily customizable.)

Bring chili to a simmer. Cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and continue to simmer until the vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Season lightly with salt.

At this point you can eat it, or let it sit for an hour or two before eating, to give the flavors a little time to blend. Either way, it's delicious.

You can garnish with all your favorite chili toppings: cheese, sour cream, lime, tortilla chips, avocado, whatever.

NOTES
My recipe, adapted from various others.

Black Bean Salad with Rice or Quinoa

2 c cooked rice or quinoa, cooled
1 c black beans (canned, or dried and cooked)
1 c chopped fresh tomato
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/2 c corn kernels, cooked and cooled
5 oz fresh spinach leaves, torn into small pieces
salsa
taco seasoning
lime juice

Combine in a large bowl rice (or quinoa), beans, tomato, cheese, onion, corn and spinach. I've never measured the salsa out, but you want enough to coat your salad like a dressing. Stir some taco seasoning (or spices like cumin, garlic, chili powder, a little oregano) and lime juice into the salsa until it tastes good. Toss the salad well and serve at room temperature.

NOTES
This is basically my own creation based on a much simpler recipe that uses Italian dressing instead of salsa. Sorry about the imprecision but I don't measure when I'm creating, I just keep seasoning and tasting until it's good.
Quinoa works really nicely here.
Tastes good minus the cheese as well, which makes it vegan.

Tomato and Green Bean Salad

3/4 lb green beans, trimmed, cut in half on a bias
2 small tomatoes (1/2 lb), seeded and chopped
1/2 c garlic vinaigrette

Bring pot of water to a boil and blanch beans 1-2 minutes. Drain and transfer beans immediately to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking; drain well.

Combine beans, tomatoes and dressing in a bowl. Marinate 2 hours, uncovered at room temperature. If made more than two hours in advance, chill and serve at room temperature.

NOTES
From Wegmans.
To make the vinaigrette, combine 1/2 c oil with 3 Tbsp vinegar (I like balsamic), salt and pepper, and minced garlic to taste (I'd probably stick to one clove here).
Great summer side.

Hamburger Casserole

2 medium sliced potatoes
2 medium sliced carrots
1/3 c uncooked rice
2 small sliced onions
1 lb ground beef
1 quart canned tomatoes
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp brown sugar

In a 2-quart greased casserole dish, layer potatoes, carrots, rice, onion, beef and tomatoes, sprinkling salt and pepper to taste over each layer. Sprinkle brown sugar over all. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 1/2 - 3 hours.

NOTES
I think this comes from an Amish or Mennonite cookbook.
Untried.