Warm Pear Salad with Walnuts and Parmesan Cheese

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Juice of half a lemon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 extra virgin olive oil
4 pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1/3 inch slices
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sugar
Cracked black pepper
Pinch of salt
! cup walnuts, chopped
Parmesan cheese, shaved to garnish 8 cups mesclun greens, washed and dry

Directions:
1. Combine vinegar, honey, mustard, lemon, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the oil. Set aside.

2. Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium-high heat. Toss the pears slices in the sugar and add to melted butter .

3. Sauté pears until they are slightly caramelized but still firm. Add 3 turns of cracked black pepper and a pinch of salt. Remove the pears from the pan and keep warm.

4. Add walnuts to the pan and toss in the remaining butter to coat and warm through.

5. Toss the greens in enough vinaigrette to coat them. Divide the greens among the plates. Top with the pear slices and walnuts.

6. Shave some Parmesan cheese on top of the salad to garnish.

Sesame Maple Syrup Tofu

Ingredients

14 ounces tofu

1 medium red onion

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon tahini

2 teaspoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

3 cups sugar snap peas
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°F.
Toss tofu, onion, canola oil, sesame oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

Spread on a large baking sheet and roast until the tofu is lightly golden on top and the onions are browning in spots, 15 to 20 minutes.

Whisk tahini, soy sauce, maple syrup and vinegar in a small dish until combined.
Remove the tofu from the oven, add snap peas and drizzle with the maple sauce; stir to combine. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Return to the oven and continue roasting until the peas are crisp-tender, 8 to 12 minutes more.

Moussaka

Ingredients

• 3 eggplants, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices
• salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon fines herbs
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 egg, beaten
• 4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• salt to taste
• ground white pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

1. Lay the slices of eggplant on paper towels, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture. Then in a skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil. Quickly fry the eggplant until browned. Set aside on paper towels to drain.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the ground beef, salt and pepper to taste, onions, and garlic. After the beef is browned, sprinkle in the cinnamon, nutmeg, fines herbs and parsley. Pour in the tomato sauce and wine, and mix well. Simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool, and then stir in beaten egg.
3. To make the bechamel sauce, begin by scalding the milk in a saucepan. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Lower heat; gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking constantly until it thickens. Season with salt, and white pepper.
4. Arrange a layer of eggplant in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover eggplant with all of the meat mixture, and then sprinkle 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese over the meat. Cover with remaining eggplant, and sprinkle another 1/2 cup of cheese on top. Pour the bechamel sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the nutmeg. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
5. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Quinoa and Black Bean Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

Cracked Pepper Venison

Ingredients

• 2 (1/2 pound) venison steaks
• 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions

1. Season venison steaks with pepper and salt. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat; skim off solids (the 'milky' substance that forms) and discard. Transfer butter to a large skillet and heat over high heat.
2. Saute venison steaks in skillet for about 3 minutes each side, then reduce heat to medium and cook for about 10 minutes each side for rare steaks, 15 minutes each side for medium. Remove from heat and let stand for 2 to 3 minutes before slicing into long strips. Serve immediately.

Shepherd's Pie

• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 parsnip, peeled and diced
• 1 small rutabaga, chopped
• 1/4 cup frozen green peas
• 1 pound ground lamb
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/2 cup milk, or as needed
• 3 cups prepared mashed potatoes
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place the celery, carrots, parsnip, rutabaga, and peas into a large saucepan and fill with 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil, cover, and steam for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
3. Meanwhile, crumble the ground lamb into a large skillet set over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until lamb is no longer pink. Drain off any grease. Stir in the steamed vegetables and tomato sauce. Season with salt, pepper, thyme and sage. Transfer everything to a greased 7x11 inch baking dish.
4. Mix enough milk into the mashed potatoes to make them spreadable. Spread them over the top of the casserole and garnish with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top is browned and the casserole is heated through.

Mo's Rolls

From: Mo (my grandma)

2 c. warm water
2 T. yeast or 2 packages
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c oil
1 egg
2 tsp salt
5 1/2 flour

Put warm water in the bowl you plan to use. Sprinkle the yeast on the water and leave it a few minutes to see if it's good and begins to bubble. After it is a bit bubbly, add sugar and oil. Beat the egg with a fork in a cup and add it. Add salt. (you may not want to use that much) Then add flour. If you use whole wheat flour, it won't take that
much. The dough should be soft and very pliable. Make a soft mound in the bowl and oil the top of the dough. Then place a plate over the bowl and put it in the refrigerator. It should stay in the refrigerator at least 2 hours before making your rolls. You can make a "make-shift" place to do the rolls by wetting the counter top and laying waxed paper or plastic wrap on it until it adheres.
Put flour on the surface of the paper or plastic and flour your hands and the rolling pin. Or you can just pat the dough into a flat piece with your hands. Use a glass or cutter to cut circles. Or you can pinch off dabs and rolls them into balls. Put oil in a baking pan and place the rolls.
Spray the tops of the rolls and lay waxed paper or saran over them loosely until they have risen double.
Heat oven to 400 and put rolls in, then reduce heat to 350 to finish baking. At the high heat they get an extra push rising, but then need to have a lower heat to finish baking. Don't let them get too brown.

I use this recipe to do cinnamon rolls and even pizza. If you want to use it for pizza, reduce the sugar a little.