Recipe(tried): Hearty Moussaka with Low Fat White Sauce and Applesauce Whatever Muffins - Yummy Moussaka and applesauce muffins for dinner!

I have made this dish a time or two, and it always turns out great! This time around, I used purple Russian potatoes and yellow and green zukes from my very own garden. Oh, and I used lamb instead of beef. This is something like a lasagna, but so much more healthy. Enjoy!

HEARTY MOUSSAKA WITH LOW-FAT WHITE SAUCE
Source: Bon Appetit Magazine, February 1998
Makes 8 servings

Loaded with vegetables and topped with Parmesan cheese, this will satisfy the biggest hunger on the coldest winter night.

Nonstick olive oil spray
2 12-ounce eggplants, peeled, each cut lengthwise in half, then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 1/2 pounds medium zucchini, trimmed, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1 pound red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
water
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 pound lean ground beef sirloin or ground round
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup plain dry white breadcrumbs
2 large egg whites, beaten to blend
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Low-Fat White Sauce (recipe follows)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray 2 large baking sheets with olive oil spray.

Arrange eggplant slices and half of zucchini rounds, overlapping slightly, on 1 baking sheet. Arrange potato rounds and remaining zucchini, overlapping slightly, on second baking sheet. Spray vegetables generously with olive oil spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake until tender and beginning to brown, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Spray a 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish with olive oil spray.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; saute until onion is tender, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons water if mixture seems dry, about 7 minutes. Stir in oregano.

Add beef; saute until brown, breaking up with back of spoon.

Add tomatoes with their juices and tomato paste, breaking up tomatoes with back of spoon. Simmer until mixture thickens slightly, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Mix in 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, egg whites and cinnamon.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup breadcrumbs over bottom of prepared baking dish. Arrange potatoes in dish. Spoon half of beef mixture over. Arrange eggplant slices over. Spoon remaining beef mixture over. Top with all of zucchini, overlapping slightly if necessary.

Pour warm Low-Fat White Sauce over moussaka. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheese over top.

Bake until top is golden brown, about 55 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.

LOW-FAT WHITE SAUCE:
This can be used to lighten any casserole that calls for a white sauce. Makes 3 cups.

6 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 cups low-fat (1%) milk
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg, beaten to blend
1 teaspoon butter

Whisk flour in heavy medium saucepan to remove any lumps. Gradually add 1 cup milk, whisking until smooth. Add remaining 2 cups milk and nutmeg; whisk over medium heat until mixture thickens and boils, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Whisk in Parmesan, egg and butter. Season with salt and pepper.

Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over low heat until heated through before using; do not boil.

---

APPLESAUCE "WHATEVER" MUFFINS

...so named because they are made with "whatever" I have handy.

MUFFINS:
6 cups flour (I used half whole wheat, half unbleached white)
2 cups sugar (I used 1 cup white granulated, 1 cup golden)
1 tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 cups applesauce
1/2 cup canola oil
3 eggs, beaten
2 carrots, coarsely grated
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup dried blueberries
1 (8 oz) can pineapple tidbits, including juice
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
TOPPING:
butter, melted
sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease muffin cups or line with paper.

Stir together flours, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make sure you get rid of the lumps!

Make a well in the flour mixture and put the remaining muffin ingredients into it, and beat it a bit with a wooden spoon to emulsify the wet ingredients. Incorporate the wet and dry with a few strokes. Put into prepared muffin cups.

Bake at 375F for 20 minutes.

Brush the tops of still-warm muffins with melted butter, and sprinkle with sugar.

Enjoy!

(as you can see, I had a lot of applesauce...one of my friends dropped off half a treeful of transparents last week, and I made applesauce with them...this is basically a triple recipe, it made 2 1/2 dozen muffins.