No meat for Lent

I never wanted to go meat-less.  I believe God put cows and pigs and chickens on earth for people to eat them. I enjoyed them a lot, especially Chicago Italian Beef, until I had surgery about 30 years ago, after that meat made me horribly sick.  (you don't want to know the details).  Basically I can't digest anything that ever walked or talked.  Thankfully that leaves me seafood, fish, chocolate and alcohol.


So, not that bad. Socially conscience veggies consume meat unknowingly.  Many of those vegetable soups, cream of broccoli soup, lots of mexican rice and beans, and some mashed potatoes--made with chicken or beef stock.  Yep. It's a fact.  Ask any waitress who's been so unfortunate to serve me. I have them interrogate the chef before ordering just about anything.

I still want to eat food that is tasty.  I have built up a collection of yummy meatless dishes.  Even my big-time carnivore hubby will eat those and not miss the meat.  No Tofu. No "healthy" recipes, They might be, but that isn't my #1 goal.

So, when a friend said she's giving up meat for Lent, I decided to help her, and maybe you.

This recipe has been tested by me.  No guarantees, But it's pretty fool proof, quick, easy and doesn't dirty too many dishes.

Potato Vegetable  Crisp (I thought I'd make it sound like a dessert)

One bag of frozen/ fresh hashbrown potatoes
One egg, slightly beaten.
Half a stick of butter, softened.
Onions, dice up a half to cup of onions, or use the packaged frozen baby onions
Bag of frozen vegetables. Use a mixture like Italian blend. You can also use two different assortments, plus some mushrooms or whatever is leftover in your freezer from last year.
Can of cheddar cheese soup, or cream of mushroom (not cream of chicken)
grated cheese
spices (oregano, basil, thyme,garlic, whatever you like)
bread crumbs or fried onions (the canned kind)
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375
Thaw everything that was frozen
In a bowl mix the potatoes, soft butter, salt, pepper, egg and onions. (better: saute onions in butter for a while first)
Spread into a pie plate, like you would do with a graham cracker crust. Across the bottom and up the sides
Put into the oven about 10 minutes
Mix the thawed vegetables with soup, spices, salt and pepper,  And more onion if you'd like
Dump (that's a chef's term) into the half baked (also a chef term) potato crust
Sprinkle cheese over top
sprinkle bread crumbs or fried onions on top.

Bake for about a half hour, or shortly before the potatoes get too dark.

If you must also feed a carnivore, This counts for the starch and side dish, Fry him a steak or pork chop or something and dinner is dome!