baggyslims: Captain's Lasagna!

I gotta write this down so I can remember. It was good. I call it Captain's Lasagna because it's consistent with the Captain's Challenge guidelines on the E2X website. I have pictures below that will contradict slightly my recipe because I'm modifying it based on what I think would make it better next time. As you read this, keep in mind that I don't really use recipes or measure things. I will list amounts but it's kind of arbitrary, depending on what I buy. And you can pick different ingredients as you wish, and as I will in the future. This recipe takes a long time from start to finish but you don't have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. It's good for a day at home when you are doing other things.

Ingredients:
4 Japanese eggplants or 1 largish globe eggplant (the Japanese are less bitter).
2 sweet potatoes
1 medium-large onion
1/2 large bulb of garlic or 1smaller bulb
An ear of sweet corn or some broccoli or cauliflower or something that looks good, or any combination
Some spinach (however much you like)
A can of tomatoes (16 oz)
Lots of fresh herbs (I used basil, parsley and sage from the garden) or dry Italian seasoning
1/3 cup oats or so (soaks up liquid)
1/2 lb mushrooms, more if you like them, less if you don't
Some small tomatoes to slice for topping
1/2-1 cup beans, any kind

Bake all the veggies in the oven. Just throw them in whole. Bake at 350 or 375 for 45 minutes. The garlic should be done then, so take that out. The eggplant and sweet potatoes probably need another 20 minutes. The corn and onion can go for even longer, maybe another 20. Don't worry about overcooking, it just makes it taste better. If using broccoli and cauliflower, you probably want to cut it up and bake in a dish with some water, covered in foil--but take it off in the last 20 minutes if you want it toasted. Here's everything going into the oven (I used zucchini, but preferred the eggplant after it was done). Cook up the mushrooms in a pan if you want (I didn't do that today and they weren't quite cooked all the way, though they were good, so I'm not sure which way would be best).

Let everything cool. Peel the skins off. Eat any that look good if you want (I kind of like sweet potato skins). Assemble all your ingredients on the counter.

Prep the veggies: Get the corn off the cob (knife works good). Today I sliced the sweet potatoes but I think next time I will mash them. And this time I pureed the beans but I think next time I will leave them whole, if they are small, or just slightly pureed if large. I'll see if I like that better. Slice the onion. Slice the eggplant lengthwise so it's like lasagna noodle. Slice the mushrooms, tomatoes. Take your can of tomatoes, put in a blender or food processor. Squirt the garlic out of it's cloves into the blender. Blend (or process). If using fresh herbs, add them and blend some more, not too much, just enough to see green pieces of the right size.

Get a baking pan that looks like it will fit everything, either 8x8 or 9x13. Mine fit in 8x8 today. Start assembling! Put a layer of tomato sauce on bottom, then eggplant. Then it's kind of as you like but add the oats fairly early so they absorb liquid. Here's a possible way to go: Add some onions, mushrooms, beans, oats, and more tomato sauce. Then spread the sweet potatoes. Then add spinach, more onions, mushrooms, beans. If there is any eggplant left, add that. Add the final layer of tomato sauce (doesn't have to cover, can just drizzle). Top with sliced tomatoes.

Here's an early layer