**** VEGETABLES ****

Cut of the stalk end to form a lid, on approximately 12 same-sized tomatoes. Remove the inside of the tomatoes with a spoon and put into a separate bowl. Put the cooking fat and thinly slice onions in a pan, saute until the color of the onions change. Wash the rice and add it to the onions, add water and close the lid of the pan and cook for about 10 minutes over moderate heat. Remove from heat, add the gorund meat , chopped dill, black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt, mix together for about 5 minutes. Take the insides of only 5 of the tomatoes, chop small and add that to the filling and mix. Stuff the tomatoes, replace the lids and place in a pan. Add the margarine, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 1/2 glasses water; close the lid and cook on moderate heat for about 30-35 minutes. Place on a serving dish and serve.

Stuffed chard

Ingredients:

250 gr. ground meat
1 onion
3 tablespoons rice
large chard leaves
salt
black pepper

Cut of the stalks of the chard leaves and put the leaves in fast boiling water, boil until tender. Drain the chard and leave aside. Knead the ground meat, rice, grated onion, salt and black pepper together. Spread the chard leaves over a board, put a small amount of filling on each one and fold from both right and left, roll like a cigarette. Put 1 or 2 layers of chard leaves on the bottom of a pan, place the stuffed leaves on top, put enough water to cover with a plate, close the lid of the pan and cook on moderate heat. After cooking, put in a serving dish and serve while still hot. If desired, serve with plain yoghurt.

Stuffed green peppers with ground meat

Ingredients:

500 gr. green peppers (suitable for stuffing)
2 tablespoons margarine
1 or 1/2 glass water

Filling:

400 gr. ground meat (without any fat)
2 tablespoons margarine
2 medium onions
1/3 glass rice
2 large tomatoes
3/4 glass water
1 bunch chopped dill
3 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Cut of the stalks and tops of approximately 12 peppers to form a lid and remove all seeds. Clean and wash the insides of the peppers and leave aside. Put margarine and thinly sliced onions in a pan and saute until the color of the onion changes. Add 3/4 glass water and previously washed rice, and cover. Cook over moderate heat for about 10 minutes. REmove the pan from heat, add the ground meat, chopped dill, black pepper, 1 teaspoon salt and knead for about 5 minutes. Pell the tomatoes, cut them into small pieces, add to the mixture and mix them all ingredients together. Stuff the peppers with this mixture, replace the lids of peppers and place in a pan. Add 2 tablespoons margarine, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 or 1 1/2 glasses water, close the lid of the pan and cook for about 40-60 minutes on stove on moderate heat, put into a serving dish and serve.

Stuffed eggplants

Ingredients:

6 eggplants
400 gr. ground meat
1/3 glass rice
2 tablespoons margarine
2 onions
2 tomatoes
1 lemon (juice)
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 bunch parsley
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 glasses water

Peel the eggplants in lengthwise strips at 1 1/2 cm intervals. Depending on their sizes cut accross into either 2 or 3 pieces and remove the insides of each eggplant.

Put the margarine and the chopped onions into a pan and saute until the onions are tender. Add washed rice and 1 glass of water, close the lid and cook for about 10 minutes over moderate heat. Remove from heat, add the ground meat, salt, black pepper, the peeled-sliced-chopped tomatoes and chopped parsley, mixing all together for about 5 minutes. Stuff the eggplants with this mixture, place in a pan and cover with a plate. Add 1 1/2 glasses water and the lemon juice and cook over moderate heat for about 40-50 minutes. Remove from heat, place in a serving dish and serve.

Stuffed vine leaves with ground meat

Ingredients:

500 gr. ground meat
300 gr. vine leaves
3 onions
1/3 glass rice
1 tablespoon margarine
1 bunch chopped parsley
1 lemon (juice)
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Place the vine leave in boiling salted water. At the same time, place the margarine and chopped onions into another pan and saute until the onions are tender. Add 1 glass of water and the washed rice. Cover and cook over moderate heat for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat add the ground meat, salt, black pepper and chopped parsley, mix together for about 5 minutes. Take a small amount of this meat and place it on the hairy side of each vine leaf. Fold the leaf from both right and left, roll it as if rolling a cigarette and then place in a deep pan. After having stuufed all vine leaves, add enough water to cover up to the surface of the leaves. If desired add 1 tablespoon margarine and the lemon juice and cook on moderate heat. When the leaves become tender, remove from heat and serve.

Spinach with ground meat

Ingredients:

2000 gr. spinach
3 tablespoons margarine
3 medium onions
200 gr. ground meat
3 glasses water
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste (unsalted)
2 tablespoons rice
1 teaspoon salt

PREPARATION: Cut the roots off the spinach and wash spinach several times. Place in fast boiling water and boil for 5 minutes. After boiling, drain the spinach bt squeesing with the hands, then chop.

Put the margarine and chopped onions into a pan, saute until the color of the onions changes. Add the ground meat and continue to saute until the meat simmers, while occasionally stirring. Add the water or meat broth, salt, tomato paste, chopped spinach and rice. Cover the pan and cook until the rice becomes tender, then serve.

Chick peas with meat

Ingredients:

400 gr. chick peas
250 gr. lamb (cut into small pieces)
3 large onions
4 tablespoons margarine
3 large tomatoes or 2 tablespoons of tomato paste (unsalted)
5 glasses of water or meat broth
2 red peppers
1 teaspoon salt

Put the margarine and chopped onions into a pan, saute for 5 minutes. Add the meat and continue to saute until the meat simmers. Add the peeled and chopped tomatoes or the tomato paste, the red peppers, water or meat broth and salt. Cook for 45 minutes over low heat. drain the chick peas that were soaked overnight in water, and put in fast boiling water. Boil for about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and drain off the water. Add the chick peas to the cooking meat and cook over heat slightly less han moderate until the chick peas become tender. Place on a serving dish and serve.

Stuffed cabbage with ground meat

Ingredients:

500 gr. ground meat
3 tablespoons margarine
3 large onions
1/3 glass rice
1 tablespoon tomato paste (unsalted)
1500 gr. cabbage (suitable for stuffing)
6 glasses of water
2 1/2 tablespoons salt
black pepper

Cut halfway into the cabbage and remove its center. Put 3 glasses of water and 2 tablespoons of salt into a pan. Put the cabbage without its center in the pan, close the lid and boil over high heat until leaves are soft. Take out the cabbage and let it cool. Remove the hard and veined parts, cut cabbage into pieces the size of a hand and leave aside. Place 1 tablespoon margarine and diced onions into a pan. SAute until the color of the onions changes, then add 1 glass of water and the washed rice, cover and cook for 10 minutes over moderate heat. Remove from heat, add the ground meat. 1/2 tablespoon of salt and black pepper; mix together for about 5 minutes. Take small amounts of the filling and put it on the boiled cabbage pieces. Fold cabbage from both right and left, and roll as if rolling a cigarette, place each rolled cabbage piece into a pan. Put 2 tablespoons margarine, and tomato paste melted in 2 glasses of water in the same pan, cover with a plate then close the lid and cook over moderate heat for about 30-40 minutes. Place is a serving dish and serve.

Beans with pastirma

Ingredients:

500 gr. dried beans
200 gr. pastirma
3 tablespoons margarine
2 onions
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 green pepper (suitable for stuffing)
2 medium tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
5 glasses meat broth

PREPARATION: Soak the beans overnight in cold water, then remove from water and put in a saucepan. Add enough water to cover about 1 inch above the surface. Boil for half an hour. Drain the beans and leave to cool. Slice the onions in crescent shapes, scoop out the seeds of the pepper and slice thinly.

Melt the margarine over moderate heat, add pastirma and saute for half a minute. Add the onions, cook for 2 minutes while stirring, add the tomato paste, tomatoes, pepper, salt and meat broth. Boil until bubbles rise to lower than moderate until the beans are tender.

Put on a serving plate and serve.

Chard mousakka

Ingredients:

1 kg. chard leaves
250 gr. ground meat
2 onions
1 1/2 tablespoons margarine
1 glass meat broth
salt
black pepper

Wash the chard leaves, drain them and put into a pan filled with hot water, add some salt and boil gently. After the color of the leaves changes,drain and pour fresh cold water over the leaves. Drain once again and leave aside. Place the margarine and grated onions into a pan and saute until the color of the onions changes. Add the ground meat and continue to saute while stirring. Spread 2 spoons of the onions and margarine over the bottom of the pan, and place some of the chard leaves on top, spread only half of the remaining onions and margarine over the leaves, cover again with the rest of the leaves and spread the remaining half of the onions and margarine over the leaves. Sprinkle salt and black pepper, then pour the meat broth over and cook on stove at moderate heat. After the chards are cooked and there is almost no water left in the pan, put on a plate and serve.

Couliflower mousakka

Ingredients:

1 medium couliflower
5 tablespoons margarine
3 large onions
200 gr. ground meat
4 glasses water or meat broth
2 teaspoons salt

For blanching:

16 glasses water
1 lemon (juice)
3 tablespoons salt

Put the margarine and chopped onions into a pan, and saute until the color of the onions changes. Add the ground meat and continue to saute until the meat simmers, while occasionally stirring. Add water or meat broth and salt, cover and cook over low heat. Place water, lemon juice and salt into another pan and bring to the boil, then add the cauliflower after having removed its leaves abd stalk, boil for 5-6 minutes. After draining, divide into flowerets and add to the ground meat. Cook for about 40-50 minutes until the cauliflower becomes tender and serve.

Mucver

Ingredients:

1000 gr. zucchini
2 onions
150 gr. white cheese
1 glass flour
4 eggs
2 bunches chopped dill
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 glass olive oil
salt

Peel and then grate the pumpkins, add the grated onions, chopped dill, eggs, black pepper, white cheese, 2 teaspoons salt and the flour, mix tehm all together. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, take 1 tablespoon of the mixture and put into the pan. Fry both sides, drain away the excess oil and place fritters on a serving plate. Repeat this until the mixture is finished and serve.

Okra with lamb

Ingredients:

750 gr. okra
3 tablespoons margarine
2 large onions
200 gr. lamb
3 green peppers
1 lemon (juice)
3 glasses water
1 teaspoon salt
3 tomatoes

For the okras:

1/2 glass vinegar
3 tablespoons salt

Cut the heads off the okra in the shape of a conical hat, put into a pan, add vinegar and salt, mix all together and allow to stand for about half an hour. Place the margarine and chopped onions in a pan and saute until the color of the onions changes. Add the meat and continue to saute for 5 more minutes while occasionally stirring. Add salt and 1 glass water, cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and after the meat has cooled down spread it over the bottom of the pan. Cover it with a layer of thinly sliced tomatoes, and over that, a layer of okra. Repeat this until all of the okra is used. Add to that, the lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 glasses of water and the onion and margarine mixture. Close the lid of the pan and cook first over high and then over moderate heat on the stove for about 40-60 minutes. Remove the pan from heat, turn upside down onto a plate so that the okra is now on the plate and ready to serve.

Zucchini carrot bread

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups sugar
2/3 cup shortening
3 cups shredded zucchini (2 medium)
1 big carrot shredded
2/3 cup water
4 eggs
3 1/3 cups flour
1/3 cup oat meal
2 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon cloves
2 tablespoons vanilla or orange zest
1/2 tablespoon baking sode
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Stir eggs and sugar. Add shortening, mix well. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Pour in greased baking loaf pan. 2 normal size or four mini loafs. Bake at 350F preheated oven about 60 to 70 minutes until done. Check with clean knife inserted to the bread, if knife comes out clean, its done.