Green Bean Casserole

I'll be honest. The thought of the traditional green bean casserole turns my stomach. Lifeless, canned green beans with salty, fake onion thingies on top? No thanks.

I recently had some fresh green beans, and wanted to do something special with them. Something saucy!
I made my own casserole based on this recipe for Green Bean Casserole Redux at Chow.com. And boy oh boy, was it ever good!



Like everything, I just eyeballed it. I used what I had on hand, which was a handful of green beans, enoki mushrooms, powdered garlic & thyme, and onions instead of shallots. No biggie, still delicious! I also used individual bowls to bake it in.

Green Bean Casserole Redux

* Béchamel Sauce (warmed) [Vegan Ronin's Béchamel Recipe]
* 1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, ends trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1/2 pound fresh cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 teaspoons minced thyme leaves
* 5 medium shallots, sliced (about 1 1/3 cups)
* 3/4 cup flour for dusting shallots
* 2 cups vegetable oil for frying

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans and cook until bright green and just tender, about 6 minutes; drain in a colander and rinse under cold water until cold. Set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When oil is hot and shimmering, add mushrooms and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are brown on edges, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.

3. Combine green beans, mushroom mixture, béchamel sauce, and thyme in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Transfer into a 2-1/2-quart baking dish and set aside.

4. Dust sliced shallots in flour and shake off excess. Set aside.

5. Pour vegetable oil into a large 10-inch frying pan (should be 1 inch deep). Heat over medium-high heat to 350°F, about 4 minutes.

6. Fry shallots in batches, until light golden brown on edges, about 2 minutes. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

7. Top casserole with fried shallots and bake in oven until shallots are golden and crispy and casserole is bubbly and heated through, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Traditional Lasagna with Béchamel Sauce

I've been making and eating this so much in the past weeks no wonder I couldn't update!




AND IT TOTALLY FOOLS OMNIS!

Our European brothers and sisters make lasagna a little differently than we do in North America. They use a white (Béchamel) sauce, where as we just tend to pile on mountains of cheese (which I have made before if you rather make that lasagna.)

You will need:
12 pieces of lasagna
Tomato sauce
Béchamel Sauce
Any veggies or fake meat crumbles (opt)
-recipes following them-

OVEN: 350F (180C)

1. Cook lasagna according to box.
(that no-bake lasagna is a waste of money)

2.Combine and simmer tomato sauce
(Or use 2 jars of purchased marinara sauce & skip to #3)

TOMATO SAUCE RECIPE:
1 reg size can of diced or stewed tomatoes (about 14 oz)
1 reg size can of tomato sauce
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic
pinch of nutmeg

-Put everything in a pot, bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer until ready to be used. (This will cook down some excess liquid and make it more flavorful) If, after cooking, it's too chunky for your tastes, use a potato masher.

3. Make Béchamel Sauce

BECHAMEL SAUCE RECIPE:
4 Tbsp margarine
1/3 C flour
2 1/4 C non-dairy milk
1/4 C nutritional yeast (opt)
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
salt to taste
pinch of nutmeg

-On low heat melt the margarine. Take off heat.
-Slowly sift flour in while stirring.
-Add the non-dairy milk a little at a time while stirring.
-Bring to a boil while stirring slowly. It will thicken.
-Take off heat. Add nutritional yeast, salt and nutmeg.

NOTE: If you are using soymilk, it will taste a little sweet. Do not worry! Once baked, you won't notice it at all.
Traditionally, this is where you would add in some crumbled cheese. Feel free to add in vegan cheeze, or even crumbled tofu for texture, but it honestly doesn't need it.

4. If using veggies, lightly sauté any "hard" veggies like squash, peppers, or eggplant. "Soft" veggies like mushrooms and spinach can be used raw. Also sauté any veggie meats you wish to use.

5. Grease a lasagna or casserole dish (10" x 12") with margarine. Place a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom.

6.Layer the bottom with 4 pieces of lasagna. Cover with a layer of tomato sauce and then the béchamel sauce. Add layer of veggies and faux-meat.

7. Repeat step six.

8. Lay your final 4 lasagna pieces on top. Cover with tomato sauce then béchamel sauce.

9. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes.

10. Let cool for 10 minutes (this lets the lasagna set-up so you don't have scalding hot sauce oozing everywhere).

DIG IN!!



I enjoy mine plain, with no extra frills. I did crumble half a block of firm tofu for the first one to texture, but like I said it's not necessary.
The picture above I made was for an extended family get together. I didn't say anything and no one knew none-the-wiser. It was deliciously fantastic!
Except for soymilk, it is a traditional recipe, so your relatives won't get as scared as if it were made from tofu!!