Friday Fritters

From catholicculture.org http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/recipes/view.cfm?id=486&repos=3&subrepos=4&searchid=950409


INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon Ac'cent*
• 2 Tablespoons melted butter or margarine
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen mixed vegetables, cooked or 1 can (1 pound) mixed vegetables, drained, or various fresh vegetables

These fried vegetables can be served as an appetizer or accompanying your main meal. Serve with Cheese Sauce.

DIRECTIONS

Mix and sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Combine eggs, milk, Ac'cent*, and melted butter or margarine; add to flour mixture gradually, stirring until smooth. Add vegetables. Drop by spoonfuls in vegetable oil, 2 inches deep, heated to 375°. Fry 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper. Serve with Cheese Sauce (see recipe). Makes 6 servings.

*About Ac'cent: This is a form of monosodium glutamate (MSG), which is supposed to intensify flavor, but unessential in any recipe. Some people also have allergies to this ingredient.

Recipe Source: Cook's Blessings, The by Demetria Taylor, Random House, New York, 1965

Black Bean Soup

2 TB Olive Oil
1 small white onion
2 cloves minced garlic
3 chopped ribs of celery
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 big green pepper diced
4 15oz. cans of black beans (rinsed and drained) (mash them up for thicker soup)
5 cups of water mixed with 3 tsp chicken base
2 TB apple cider vinegar
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
salt to taste

Heat the oil over a low heat in a stock pot. Add onion, garlic,celery, carrots and green pepper.
Cook for about 15 minutes - until onions are clear.
Add everything else.
Bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for about 1 hour.

It's a sneaky heat with that cayenne so adjust according to your needs.

Low Fat Spinach Lasagna

16 oz. Low Fat Cottage Cheese
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach (thawed and well drained)
3-4 cups shredded reduced fat mozzarella (divide in 'half' either 2 cups each or 2 and 1)
1/2 cup grated parm (divided in half - 1/4 cup each)
2 eggs, beaten
26 oz. spaghetti sauce
9 lasagna noodles (cooked and drained)

Preheat oven to 350°.
Mix cottage cheese, spinach, 2 cups of the mozzarella, 1/4 cup of the parm and the eggs.

Lay 3 noodles out on the pan.
Spoon some sauce over the noodles and make sure it gets into every nook and cranny.
You don't want some kind of crispy yucky noodle in there.
Drop spoonfuls of the spinach mix on top of that.
Repeat til done and top with a whole lot of mozzarella (or just 1 cup) and the rest of the parm.

Bake for 45 minutes - check at 35 mins to make sure it's not too brown.
Let stand 10 minutes before serving.