week night

Eggplant Mushroom Burritos

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Submitted by Mandy Mills, from Vegetarian Times, March 1, 2004 , p. 47

2 Tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing tortillas

2 cups sliced button mushrooms

1 onion, minced

3 cups peeled and diced eggplant

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon salt

9 cherry tomatoes, coarsely chopped (I use 1 or 2 plum tomatoes)

1 cup coarsely shredded jalapeno-flavored Monterey Jack cheese

4 9-inch flour tortillas

  1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and onion, and sauté for 6 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add eggplant, garlic and salt, reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
  2. Stir in tomatoes, cover and cook for 5-6 minutes more, stirring well. Stir in cheese, and remove from heat.
  3. Meanwhile, lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Toast tortillas on one side in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, just until golden. Divide filling onto toasted side of tortillas, and roll up. Toast filled tortillas in skillet, turning once, until golden and crisp, for 1 ½ – 2 minutes.

Serves 4

Chickpea Pasta With Almonds and Parmesan

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From Real Simple, January 2008

  • Tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 7 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • 1 pound angel hair pasta or thin spaghetti
  • 1 (15.5 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 cup unsalted roasted almonds, chopped
  • 1/2 cup grated or shredded Parmesan

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat

Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the broth, red pepper (if using) and salt and bring to a boil.

Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until the broth is nearly absorbed and the pasta is al dente.  Check package for approximate cooking time.  Stir in the chickpeas and parsley.

Divide among individual bowls and top with the almonds and Parmesan.

Serves 4.

Tuna Quiche

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The original version of this was in the very first Rehfwitz Cookbook.  It’s changed a bit over twenty years, but we still make it a couple of times a month.  The kids call it “Tuna Pie”

  • 1 9-inch pastry shell, baked for ten minutes and slightly cooled (We use the frozen “deep dish” kind)
  • 2 cans (6 1/2 ounces each) water-packed tuna, drained and flaked
  • 1 cup shredded cheese
  • 1/3 cup finely shredded zucchini
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup mayonnaise, Miracle Whip, or a combination.  We have also used half mayo and half bleu cheese or Ranch dressing
  • 1/2 cup milk

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine tuna, cheese, and zucchini

In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients and then add the mixture to the tuna mixture and stir just to combine.

Pour into pie shell.

Bake for 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Can be served hot, warm or cold.

Herbed White Beans Au Gratin

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Good over brown rice or couscous

  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (or substitute dried oregano, basil, and/or marjoram)
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 1lb cans of cannellini beans, drained
  • 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a corning ware dish or ovenproof skillet, sauté the onions in the

olive oil until they are soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add Italian

seasoning and pine nuts and mix well. Immediately stir in 3/4 cup

milk, salt, pepper, and beans. Continue to stir until the mixture

comes to a boil. Remove from burner.

Moisten the bread crumbs with the remaining 1 tablespoon milk. Add the

cheese and blend thoroughly. Spread this topping over the bean

mixture. Bake for 25 minutes.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

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Adapted from Familyfun.com

  • 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 3 largish potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
  • 1 1/2 cups peeled and diced rutabaga
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh green beans, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 2 pounds beef stew meat chunks
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 4 cups beef stock
  • 1 (14 oz.) can tomato sauce
  • just under 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 Tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 3 teaspoons tomato paste

Put everything but the flour and the tomato paste in a large slow cooker.  Stir to combine.

Cover and cook on “low” for 8 to 9 hours or on “high” for 4 to 5, until the beef is tender and the potatoes are just fork tender.

Stir the stew once or twice as it cooks, if possible.  About 30 minutes before serving, transfer a couple of ladlefuls of the broth to a small mixing bowl.  Add the flour and tomato paste and whisk until smooth.  Stir the mixture into the stew and cook for the remaining half hour.

Makes 8 servings.

Skillet Chicken and Rice

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Adapted from Bon Appetit, February 2002. For a more interesting version of this, see Brazilian Chicken and Rice with Olives.

Serves 4.

  • 1 pound skinless boneless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1/2-inch wide strips.
  • Ground black pepper
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • water with lemon juice added to total 1 cup
  • 1 (10-ounce) package Vigo yellow rice with seasoning**
  • 1/2 cup (or more to taste) chopped flat-leaf parsley

**Vigo rice comes in two sizes.  If you use the 8 oz. size, or another brand of seasoned rice, just adjust the liquid to equal the amount called for on the package.

In a bowl, mix chicken, pepper, garlic and lemon zest.  If there’s time, refrigerate several hours before cooking.  If not, just go ahead with the next step.

When ready to cook, heat oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken mixture and sauté until chicken is lightly browned.  Add chicken broth and water/juice mixture and bring to a boil.  Mix in rice with seasoning.  Return to boil.  Reduce heat to low; cover and cook until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 20 minutes.  Remove from heat; let stand covered 10 minutes.

Stir parsley into rice mixture and serve.

Orange Meatballs

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  • 1 1/2 lb. ground turkey
  • 1 small zucchini, finely shredded
  • 1/2 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup fine bread crumbs (The “Italian” ones in the can work well.)
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 can condensed tomato soup
  • 1 soup can of milk or water

NOTE:  I have been known to sneak all sorts of “healthy” things into these meatballs.  For example, wheat germ and/or flax seed meal can be substituted for some of the bread crumbs and shredded carrots work well in place of or in addition to the zucchini.  Use your imagination!

Mix all ingredients EXCEPT soup and milk/water.  Form into golf-ball-size meatballs. This step can be done ahead and the meatballs refrigerated until ready to cook.

In a large skillet or Dutch oven, mix soup and water/milk; bring to a gentle boil.  Add meatballs, reduce heat to low, and simmer until done, about 20-30 minutes.  Serve with rice or noodles.

Pasta with spicy shrimp & sun-dried tomatoes

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Submitted by Deborah Gibbs, adapted from Cooking Light

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound uncooked large shrimp – peeled & deveined
  • 4 shallots, sliced
  • ¾ cup sliced, drained, sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
  • ½ cup sliced, pitted, Kalamata olives
  • 1 pkg frozen artichoke hearts ( You can substitute or add asparagus.)
  • 6 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
  • ½ tsp. dried crushed red pepper
  • 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes in juice drained ( I sometimes add fresh diced as well.)
  • ½ cup chopped fresh basil
  • 1 (12 oz.) package linguine
  • 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add shrimp & cook about 2 minutes. Transfer shrimp to a bowl. Add remaining oil to pot- add shallots, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, garlic, lemon peel, crushed red pepper, artichokes (and other vegetables as desired). Sauté about 4 minutes. Add canned tomatoes ( and fresh if desired) Simmer about 3 minutes until thickened. Mix in basil- add shrimp back.

Cook pasta. Drain. Add pasta to sauce. Transfer to bowl & top with cheese.

Rehfwitz Weeknight Chili

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  • 1 lb. ground beef or turkey
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 (28 oz.) can tomatoes, whole or chopped
  • 1 small can chopped green chiles
  • 3 cans of beans (can be black, Kidney, pinto, Great Northern, Canellini, or a combination)
  • 1 (14.5 oz.) can beef broth
  • 1/4 cup Chili Powder
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • Kosher salt to taste

In a large saucepan or pot, brown meat with onion, garlic, and pepper; drain fat.  (NOTE: I often brown and freeze meat ahead of time.  If using pre-cooked meat, start the veggies first and then add the meat to warm it up and mix the flavors.)

Add remaining ingredients and simmer 30 minutes to 3 hours.  Freezes very well.

Simmered Tuscan Chicken

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Submitted by Deborah Gibbs who cut it out of a magazine – sponsored by Ragu

  • 1 pound boneless chicken breast – cut into cubes
  • 2 gloves garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 medium potatoes cut in cubes (about 4 cups)
  • 1 medium red bell pepper diced
  • 1 jar (27.7 oz.) Ragu pasta sauce (or your favorite.
  • 1 pound fresh or frozen green beans
  • 1 tsp. dried basil

Saute chicken & garlic in olive oil until chicken is lightly browned. Add potatoes & pepper – cook about 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add rest of ingredients – bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover & simmer about 35 minutes until chicken is thoroughly cooked & potatoes are tender. Stir occasionally.