Advent Week 1 Meal Plan

GF Lasagna and Latkes:

We are doing advent again this year, following last years outline. It is so wonderful, to see the children excited about lighting the candles every night and learning the memory verses.  We have added songs and I have been working out a meal plan for each Sunday night of  advent.

Here's our plan for the first night of advent:

Meal: 
      
Latkes:Serve with French Apple Sauce

We choose latkes because this is the week Hanuka begins and our first candle is Old Testament Prophecy. This week we pray for the nation of Israel, rejoice for the Christian Jews and pray for the opening of the hearts and protection of Jews world wide to the message of Christ. Christ IS the Savior promised to us in the Old Testament  !

Recipe:

• 4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or as needed
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup canola oil, or as needed

you need a cheese cloth or open weave fabric to strain the potatoes...

1. Shred the potato and onions by hand or with your processor. remove from bowel onto the cheese cloth and wrap it up tight around the mixture. Squeeze hard, remove all the excess water from the potatoes and onion. 
2. Place back in bowl and add remaining ingredients.
3. Heat small amounts of canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. Scoop up about 1/3 cup of the potato mixture per latke, and place into the hot oil. Press down into a patty.  Fry the patty until brown and crisp on the bottom, flip it, and cook the other side until brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Repeat with the rest of the potato mixture, replenishing the oil as needed. Serve hot.

French Apple sauce:

4-6 large apples peeled and chopped into pieces

1/4 cup water

1tbsp butter

Place apples into a pot with the water and cook on low heat until they begin to soften. Stir to keep from burning. Do not mash the apples, the apples will fall apart on their own as the cook and are stirred.  When apples are chunky and soft like apple sauce, add the butter and remove from heat.  Serve hot over pancakes or latkes.

Lasagna made with homemade Gluten Free pasta

Ingredients:
Lasagna Noodles (see recipe for fresh variety)
1 large jar Tomato sauce
1 can mushrooms
1 recipe of meat mixture. (see below)

Pasta Recipe:
4 cups Basic Gluten Free Flour Mix (or all purpose wheat flour if you aren't GF)
1 tsp Xanthan gum (omit if using all purpose wheat flour)
2 t. salt
1/4 c. butter
1 c. boiling water
Mix all, (I used my bread machine) roll out really flat,

Ground Meat Mixture:
1 onion, diced small
1 lb ground beef or turkey
2 tsp garlic powder
Italian-type seasonings (oregano, basil, parsley, salt, pepper)
Brown together, remove from heat.
Add 1/4 c grated Parmesan and 1 egg.

Roll out the dough as  thin as possible but still holds together, and cut into strips that will fit your pan (Work quickly with the dough, as it dries out fast!)
Pour some tomato sauce into bottom of 9x13 a pan
Layer fresh noodles  into pan with the Ravioli meat mixture, mushrooms and tomato sauce. On the third layer of noodles add the remainder of the sauce and a layer of mozzarella or cheddar cheese
Place in oven at 350o for 45-60 min. covered. Uncover and cook 10 more minutes.