Monday dinners are sans meat in our house — are they in yours?
The “Meatless Monday” movement is an international campaign that encourages people to not eat meat on Mondays to promote personal health as well as the health of our planet. It is a not-for-profit initiative of The Monday Campaigns, in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for a Livable Future. Its goal is to encourage Americans to make healthier food decisions at the beginning of each new week.
Why Mondays? (Besides the cool alliteration, and that we could change it to Marvelous Meatless Mondays for even greater “cool factor.”) It was decided that Monday should be the day for a couple reasons: Friday is already a meat-free day among Catholics and Orthodox.
And given that Monday is typically the beginning of getting back into a weekly work routine, it was thought that people would view it as a fresh start to healthier living. (You know, kind of like after you’ve totally blown your diet on Saturday but you say you’ll get back on it on Monday.)
This week’s recipes are all deliciously perfect to serve on a Marvelous Meatless Monday. Enjoy!
Creamy mushroom lasagna
This is one of my favorite dishes of all time, and some of you may be recognize it. I served it at a Boothbay Region Land Trust “Morning with Mushrooms” lecture I gave several years ago. It takes a little effort but the end result is so worth it.

• 1 box (9 oz.) no-boil lasagna noodles*

For the béchamel sauce:

• 4 cups whole milk
• 1 stick (8 Tbsp.) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1-1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. white pepper
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

For the mushroom filling:

• 1-1/2 lbs. Portobello mushrooms, stems removed and gills scraped
• 8 oz. mixed mushrooms (white button and crimini are good choices)
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided use
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided use
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced, divided use
• 2 shallots, peeled and minced, divided use
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme, divided use
• 1 tsp. salt, divided use
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, divided use
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese

To prepare the noodles: Fill a 13 by 9 by 2-inch casserole dish with hot tap water. Place lasagna noodles in hot water and let stand 5 minutes to soften slightly. (May need to do in batches, changing water each time.) Pat noodles dry.
To prepare the béchamel sauce: Place milk in a medium saucepan set over medium high heat and bring just to a simmer. Remove pan from heat and set aside. In a large saucepan set over medium low heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly. Pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture all at once. Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg, and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly for 4 to 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
To prepare the mushroom filling: Clean mushrooms and slice to about 1/4-inch thick. Heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil with 1 Tbsp. of the butter in a large (12 inch) skillet. When the butter has melted, add half the mushrooms and one clove of minced garlic, one minced shallot, 1/2 tsp. thyme, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper.
Cook over medium heat, stirring often, for about 6-7 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender. Transfer mushrooms to a medium bowl; repeat with the remaining 1 Tbsp. oil and 1 Tbsp. butter and the rest of the mushrooms, the remaining garlic, shallot, salt and pepper. When cooked, add to bowl with first batch of mushrooms.
To assemble the lasagna: Spread a couple of tablespoonfuls of the béchamel sauce in the bottom of an 8 by 12 by 2-inch baking dish. Arrange a layer of noodles on top, then 1/4 of the béchamel sauce (about 1 cup), then 1/3 of the mushrooms, then 1/4 cup grated Parmesan. Repeat 2 more times, layering noodles, sauce, mushrooms, and Parmesan. Top with a final layer of noodles and the remaining sauce, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.
Bake (uncovered) in a preheated 375 F oven for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the sauce has bubbled around the edges of the pan. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes before serving. Yield: 6 servings, (May be prepared early in the day and refrigerated. Add an additional 10-15 minutes of baking time.)
*Use the plain, flat non-ruffled edge lasagna noodles.
Creamy fettuccine with zucchini and peppers:

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium zucchini, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1 yellow pepper, cored, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 3 Tbsp. all purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken stock, heated
• 1/4 cup heavy cream, whipped
• 1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
• 8 oz. fettuccine, cooked according to package directions — drain and keep warm

Heat oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. When hot, add zucchini and yellow pepper; sprinkle with the salt and pepper and cook 4 minutes. Sprinkle veggies with flour and stir until well coated. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring once or twice. Pour in warmed chicken stock; increase heat to medium high and cook, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes. Stir in whipped cream and cook another 2-3 minutes. Stir in Gruyère and cook 1-2 minutes or until melted. Add hot pasta and toss gently to combine. Reheat 1-2 minutes or until hot. Yield: 4 servings.
Spinach pizza pie

• 2 cans (10 oz. each) refrigerated pizza crust dough, divided use
• 1 can (8 oz.) pizza sauce
• 1 jar (4-1/2 oz.) sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1/4 cup sliced ripe olives, drained
• 1-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided use
• 2 pkgs. (10 oz. each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry
• 1 tsp. vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Unroll 1 can of pizza crust dough. Place dough in a 9-inch pie plate coated with non-stick cooking spray. Press dough against bottom and sides of pie plate to form a crust. Set aside.
Combine pizza sauce and mushrooms in a small bowl; spoon onto dough in pie plate. Layer with olives, 3/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese, the spinach and then the remain­ing 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese.
Unroll the remaining can of dough. Press dough into a 9-inch circle; place over filling. Pinch edges of dough together and flute to seal tightly. Using the tip of a sharp paring knife, cut several slits in the top dough. Brush with the vegetable oil and sprin­kle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake in a preheated 400 F oven for 35-40 minutes or until deep golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes and cut into wedges. Yield: 6 servings.