Creamy Broccoli Soup, West African Accara, New Green Bean Casserole, Moroccan Eggplant

Moroccan Lentil-Stuffed Eggplant
Not my usual stuffed eggplant!  This one is stuffed with spiced, tomato-sauced lentils.  I used this huge globular eggplant that I've been getting from a local Farmer's Market.

1 or more Eggplant
2 cups dry Lentil, cooked to package directions with 1 tsp Cumin added to the water
Tomato Sauce, marinara,
1+ Tbsp Ras al-Hanut spice blend, to taste
1/4 cup each Panko and grated Parmesan

Halve the eggplant and carve hollows for stuffing.

Cook up a batch of lentils.  Add 1-2 Tbsp of Ras el Hanut, and a 1/4 cup each of Panko breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan and stir to combine. 

Roast the eggplant, cut side down, until the flesh is softened and the skin is darkening.  Don't overcook -- you want the eggplant to retain its cup shape.

Fill the  cups with stuffing and bake them for about 20 minutes at 350F.  Plate and serve.

Creamy Broccoli Soup w/o dairy
That's right -- no dairy.  Just a food processor to puree things very well.

3-4 heads Broccoli
1 White Onion, diced
2 stalks Celery, chopped fine
3 cloves Garlic, chopped
Song Herbs, to taste -- Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
1 Tbsp Paprika -- Hot or Medium
Black Pepper to taste
1/2 cup AP Flour
2-3 Tbsp Butter
4-5 cups Vegetable Broth or water + Vegetable Base
Red Bell Pepper for garnish

Start the onion, garlic and celery saute-ing in a splash of EVOO with a first dose of seasoning.  Disassemble the broccoli into very fine pieces... first the florets.  Then mince the stems into very small pieces so they cook readily.

Add the minced broccoli stems to the other vegetables in the saute.  Cook until the onion is getting translucent and the broccoli stems are soft.   Now add the uncooked tops to the mix as you remove the cooked veg to your food processor along with a splash of water.  Puree until silky smooth.  This way you keep the soup green, not gray!

In your soup pot, melt the butter, add the flour and make a roux.  Cook it just a couple minutes to get rid of the floury taste and firm up -- you want a white or blond roux, nothing darker. 

Start thinning the roux with the broth.  In stages add the pureed veggies and the rest of the broth.  Continue cooking, and balancing the spices, until you get the taste and consistency you prefer.  If you aren't worried about dairy, you can, at this point, add up to a cup of Icelandic Skyr or Greek yogurt to adjust the consistency.  

As you can see, I plated my soup with a garnish of diced red bell pepper for color as well as flavor bits.

Accara -- Blackeyed Pea Fritters
Versions of these fritters are found throughout the countries of the region known as West Africa.  Some are fiery hot, others more mellow; some have tons of spices, others only salt.  I made these mild,  from the leftover beans I cooked to make my New Years Day's Hoppin' John, featured last week.

2-1/2 cups cooked Blackeyed Peas
1/2 White Onion, diced
1/4 Red Bell Pepper, diced
1/2 cup AP Flour (corn meal is also good but I didn't have any)
2 tsp Thyme
1/2 tsp each Oregano, Basil, Sage, Marjoram
Hot Pepper Sauce or Powder, To Taste -- to give the fritters some heat.
1 Egg, beaten

Take the peas, flour, spices and egg for a pulse in your food processor to get a rough, thick  "dough".  Fold in the uncooked onion and pepper.  Form into patties and fry 6-8 minutes per side until GB&D.

I served mine with a slice of fresh tomato,

and a Za'atar-Yogurt sauce made by stirring together some za'atar spice and Icelandic Skyr:

Not Yo Mama's Green Bean Casserole
This is my version of a recipe by Healthy Happy Mama, a blogger by the name of Maryea. I was looking for something to do with a ton of green beans – other than the usual Green Bean Casserole, and this is it!

2 Onions*, sliced
1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 lb Green Beans, topped, tailed and cut
1 Tbsp EVOO
8 oz or more Mushrooms, sliced
1/4 tsp Italian Seasoning
5–6 cloves Garlic, chopped
1 can Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup Vegetable Broth or water and vegetable base
1 Tbsp Worchestershire Sauce
1/2 cup chopped Almonds

*In the interest of using up things in the fridge, I used one onion, a leek including most of the green part, and a shallot

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Spread the onions on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet and sprinkle with high-heat oil and Italian seasoning. Toss to coat. Roast onions until brown and crispy 25-30 minutes.  This part I did in my Ninja Fliptm countertop oven, so as to not heat the whole kitchen using the full-size oven.

Meanwhile, boil a pot of water, and boil the green beans for 5-10 minutes. Remove from water and reserve.

Saute the mushrooms in a splash of EVOO for about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute or two. Remove from heat. Transfer half of the mixture to your food processor. Add the white beans, broth and Worchestershire sauce. Puree until smooth and creamy. Add the remaining mushrooms to the mixture.  What you've done here is make a mushroom-enhanced "white" sauce from pureed white beans.  No added fat or flour from a roux. 

Combine the green beans and mushroom mixture in a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish and top with the onions.

Bake the casserole for 20 minutes at 350F, add the almonds and bake 5 more minutes.