Chili with Mole; Eggplant Parmesan; Mild Vegetable curry with lime leaves; Lentil & Walnut Pate..How to's and PHOTOGRAPHS

The base for the mild Vegetable curry with lime leaves

The baked eggplant slices

Steamed red rice

The weather is getting cool again and this morning I actually drove through drizzle, we need the  rain (expected tomorrow) as we are 8 inches below our seasonal  target, which will mean more water rationing later in the summer.
For tomorrow I am creating a BIG bumper menu with 6 different vegetarian entrees, 3 vegetable sides, a vegan lentil and walnut pate and the roasted banana-polenta cake.
I found some marvelous field spinach and red Chard..these 2 greens always remind me of Juan-les-Pins in France and the great pies/tarts  that are made with white Swiss Chard and cream ( no cheese)..the stalks are chopped and added to onion and garlic, sweated down them a roux is made and fresh cream is added and the greens wilt down.
It is allowed to cool and added grated nutmeg ( an Italian idea I think) and placed in a pie shell and covered with more pastry and then baked.
This is often served at room temp and is a great addition to any vegetarian meal.
Prep so far

The BIG Menu is:

Vegan Lentil and walnut Pate with pita chips..fabulous made as in a traditional English chicken liver pate style.


Soups:
Asparagus and green peas soup..enhanced with fresh dill

Spicy Black bean chowder with corn tortilla chips..this will break out a sweat on anyone!


Entrees:
Mild vegetable curry with red rice..packed with root vegetables, broccoli and cauliflower and lime leaves

Roasted yams with red beans, cashew nut Salad with romaine and a fresh orange dressing

Tabouleh salad with  chickpeas and pita chips, mint, parsley, no bulgur as the chickpeas take that place and zucchini in place of cucumber ( makes it less  wet).
With a lemon and olive oil dressing

Eggplant Parmesan..I bake the eggplant rather than frying to reduce the oil used.

A spicy red bean chili with a mole of chocolate, allspice, cinnamon and own grown and dried, habanero peppers, This is served Ohio style with whole wheat spaghetti.

The side dishes are :
Brussel's sprouts sauteed with  mixed green and mellow garlic

Butternut squash and zucchini with basil

Mixed greens with spinach and onion

The dessert is the Roasted banana-polenta cake..which I have been assured by my testing panel ..is "out of this world"

  I want to show you how to make a base for almost any French or Italian dish and certainly for most major soups, stews and stews.
Finely chop (everything has to be approx. the same size, for soups small dice, for stews 1 inch cubes) carrots, celery, onion, then add to hot oil and sweat down ( cook slowly on high simmer without browning) until all vegetables have released their moisture.

Sweating the vegetables for the soup/stew base

Sweated down..removed from heat and allow to cool

Adding salt half way through will enable this.
Remove from heat and place in a bowl..this is the base of almost any dish.

The lentil and walnut pate

The cooked lentils

The base for the lentil pate, plus bay leaves and fresh sage, dried thyme..saute then simmer in white wine

Add cooked lentils and broken walnuts, salt & pepper

The pate mix, cooling down

These 2 the pate mix, having been processed with fresh parsley, place in oiled oven proof pans and bake 45- 60 mins in 350f oven, uncovered

The soups:

The spicy black bean chowder

These 2 the asparagus and green pea soups

finished with sunflower seed oil

The red kidney bean-mole-habanero chili

The tomato-white wine sauce for the eggplant Parmesan

The mixed vegetable, mild curry with lime leaves

These 2 the roasted banana-cornmeal polenta cakes