Spaghetti Torte

I made this a while ago, but never posted it. I changed a lot and the recipe reflects that.

Spaghetti Torte

• 1 pound uncooked spaghetti
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese
  
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  
• 1/2 tsp oregano
  
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (I used 1 tsp dried basil, and added it to the cheese mixture)
  
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
  
• 4 slices provolone cheese, cut into fourths (I used shredded mozzarella)
  

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9x3 inch springform pan with cooking spray.
2. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Rinse with cold water, and drain.
3. While spaghetti is cooking, combine Parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese, Italian seasoning, and egg whites in a large bowl. Toss with cooked spaghetti to coat.
4. Press half the spaghetti mixture in bottom of prepared pan. Sprinkle with half the basil, and top with half the tomatoes and half the provolone cheese. Press remaining spaghetti mixture into pan, sprinkle with remaining basil, and top with remaining tomatoes. Place remaining provolone cheese over the top.
5. Bake for 30 minutes. Let stand about 15 minutes, remove sides of pan, transfer to a serving platter. Cut into wedges to serve.

Naan - Indian flat bread

I made this for a meeting that Aaron was hosting. The recipe came from someone Aaron works with. Next time I'll make them thicker. I rolled them too thin and they burnt easily. It was really good, but very time consuming to roll out and cook one at a time. This would be a good one to do as a team. I didn't use that much salt, and I just used all-purpose flour. I used less garlic, but I think it would have been better with more.
The original instructions said to cook it on a grill, but I used a frying pan, and a griddle works very well too.

1 pkg active dry yeast
1 c warm water
1/4 c white sugar
3 Tbsp milk
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp salt
4 1/2 c bread flour
2 tsp minced garlic (optional - but it's really good with it)
1/4 c butter, melted

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutess, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let is rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
2. Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray.cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
3. During the second rising preheat griddle to high heat ( I would do it lower)
4. At griddle side roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil griddle. Place dough on griddle, and cook for 2 -3 minutes or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter and cook until browned, another 2-4 minutes. Removed from griddle and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.
   

Vegan Curried Rice

I made this to go with the Naan. Very easy- and very good. I didn't have enough chili powder, and I don't know why you would only do 1 cup of water. I also used chicken bouillon - not vegan - oh well. And I forgot the pepper, oops.

Vegan Curried Rice

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon ground curry powder, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon chili powder, or to taste
• 1 cube vegetable bouillon
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 cup uncooked white rice

1. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over low heat. Sweat the garlic; when the garlic becomes aromatic, slowly stir in pepper, cumin, curry powder and chili powder. When spices begin to fry and become fragrant, stir in the bouillon cube and a little water.
2. Increase heat to high and add the rest of the water and the soy sauce. Just before the mixture comes to a boil, stir in rice. Bring to a rolling boil; reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed.
3. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.

oven-baked brown rice with mushrooms

I got this recipe from The Joy of Cooking. It's yummy and it fills you up! I reduced the amount of oil. You can also cook it on the stovetop (reducing the heat to low) if you don't have a dish that goes from stove top to oven. We often serve it with chicken and broccoli.

2 Tbsp butter or olive oil
1 1/2 c coarsely chopped mushrooms
1/2 c chopped onions
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 c long grain brown rice
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
2 1/4 c chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 35o F.
Melt or heat butter or oil in 2 qt stovetop- to-oven casserole over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onions and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add rice and pepper and stir until coated. Add chicken stock and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and bake until the rice is tender and the stock is absorbed, about 45 minutes. Let stand covered for 10 minutes before serving.