Pinwheel Pasta Bake

1 1/2 lb dried rotelle (pinwheels)
dash of olive oil
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1/2 lb mushrooms, quartered
1/4 lb zucchini, chopped
3 tbsp chopped, fresh parsley
2/3 cup vegetable broth
2 1/4 cups grated mature Cheddar cheese

Bring a large saucepan of water to boil, and add the rotelle with a dash of olive oil. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Drain, and set aside.

Heat the sunflower oil in a large frying pan, and saute the garlic for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and zucchini, and cook, covered, for 5 minutes, or until softened.

Stir the chopped parsley and vegetable broth into the mushroom mixture, and continue to cook, covered, for a further 10 minutes. Add the rotelle, and stir in the grated cheese.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Transfer the pasta mixture to a deep casserole dish, and bake for about 20 minutes.

Vegetarian Pasta Cookbook, Sarah Maxwell, 1998

Cranberry Couscous

This is great for Thanksgiving, or for any time. This is an amazing couscous dish! I usually use only half an onion. A frying pan was too small for this recipe.

1 large onion
2 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. butter
salt as needed
3 3/4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 cups couscous

Peel the onion, cut it lengthwise into 8 wedges, then slice the wedges very thinly crosswise. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large non-stick saute pan and saute the onion, with a little salt, until it is lightly browned.

Add the vegetable broth and the dried cranberries and bring the broth to a boil. Lower the heat to a mere simmer, add the couscous, cover the pan, and leave it to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave covered for another 2-3 minutes, then fluff up the couscous with a fork and serve.

The New Vegetarian Epicure, Anna Thomas, 2007