Ginger Broccoli

I love broccoli, cooked or raw. It's great as a side dish.

Ginger Broccoli

One bunch of broccoli, cut into florets
2 T. mirin (you can use sake instead, if you have it)
1 T. tamari
1 T. fresh ginger, minced, or 1 t. ground ginger
1 t. sesame oil

Place everything in a skillet with about 1/4 c. water. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer gently for about 4 minutes, or until broccoli is a bright green. Serve. Enjoy!

Roasted Broccoli with Garlic and Lemon

I love broccoli. I eat it cooked or raw. It's delicious in just about every way.

Roasted Broccoli with Garlic and Lemon

One pound fresh broccoli florets, or one bag frozen broccoli florets
Olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t. oregano
Salt and pepper
2 T. lemon juice

Place everything in a large bowl and stir to coat well. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet, and bake at 400 for about 15 minutes. Stir at least once in the middle of the cooking time. Serve. Enjoy!

Stir-Fried Broccoli with Ginger and Garlic

We all know broccoli is good for us. It's an excellent source of fiber, and 1 c. of cooked broccoli provides 245% of Vitamin K, 135% Vitamin C, not to mention several vitamins and minerals. It even has Omega 3. It's a powerhouse in a cute little tree shape. And yet, there are some people who hate it! Fortunately, I'm not one of them. I love the stuff.

Stir Fried Broccoli with Ginger and Garlic

One head of broccoli, chopped (or buy frozen, if you're pressed for time)
Canola oil
Thinly sliced fresh, peeled ginger
1 t. salt
3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
3 T. vegetable broth
1 t. sesame oil

Heat the canola over high heat in a wok or frying pan. Stir in the ginger. Add the broccoli, garlic, and salt and stir vigorously. You don't want anything to burn. When the broccoli turns a bright green, and the vegetable broth, cover, and let cook over the high heat for about a minute. Remove from heat and stir in the sesame oil. Mix well. Serve. Enjoy!

National Broccoli Day

Today is National Broccoli Day! Sure, there are haters out there, but this stuff is delicious. I like it raw or cooked. Kids have fun with it because it looks like little trees. Since most people will only eat it slathered in cheese sauce, I am accommodating you here. In a good way.

Pan Scalloped Broccoli and Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower (cut in florets)
1 head of broccoli crowns (cut in florets)
2 T. vegan butter
2 T. flour
1 c. vegetable broth
1 c. non dairy milk
1 c. vegan shredded cheddar
1/8 t. white pepper

Cook the broccoli and cauliflower separately. Bring about 1/2" of water to boil for each, and cook the broccoli about 5 minutes and the cauliflower about 9 minutes. Drain.
Melt the butter in a separate pot. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Add the broth and milk. Simmer for about 1 minute. Add the cheese and pepper until cheese has melted.
Place the broccoli and cauliflower in a bowl together, and pour the cheese sauce over them. Serve. Enjoy!

You can boil the vegetables ahead of time and put in the refrigerator until ready to use, if you want or need to. Also, if you can find it, add a head of broccoflower cut in florets to the dish. You can cook the broccoflower with the cauliflower.

Oddly, I could not find anything on a National Cauliflower or National Broccoflower Day. If you find one, please let me know. And then celebrate those days, too, with this dish!

By the way, if you've never even heard of a broccoflower, they look like this:

Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad

My dad told me he doesn't like pasta salad. I told him he has never tried mine. I can make a convert of anyone!

Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad

One package vegetable spiral pasta
1 c. vegan mayonnaise
2 T. lemon juice
1 t. stevia
1 t. garlic powder
One bunch green onions, sliced
1/4 c. vegan bacon bits
One head of cauliflower, chopped
One bunch broccoli, chopped
One red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 c. shredded vegan white cheese

Cook pasta per package instructions, drain and let cool. Mix all ingredients in one very large bowl and stir to mix well. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for several hours. Stir again before serving. Serve. Enjoy!

Garlic and Lemon Broccoli

Garlic and Lemon Broccoli

One bunch of broccoli, steamed or one bag of frozen broccoli florets, cooked
2 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1/2 lemon or 1 t. lemon juice
1/4 c. vegan parmesan

In a frying pan, sauté the garlic in olive oil until fragrant. Add the cooked broccoli and stir to coat with the oil and garlic. Add the lemon juice and parmesan cheese, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Serve. Enjoy!

Spaghetti Salad

For the second year in a row, we've attended the lovely holiday get together at the home of our friend, Kristin. Everyone brings a dish to share and Kristin grills up a feast. It is a relaxed event and the company is always fascinating.

My offering this year was a pasta salad. I'm partial to them for summer get togethers because they are not only easy, but tasty, and most importantly, cool. When the temps hit three digits like they do here, cool is what you want.

Spaghetti Salad

One package spaghetti, broken in half
One bunch of broccoli florets (or one package frozen)
3 T. olive oil
3 T. red wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
2 cans diced tomatoes
1/4 of a red onion, chopped

Cook the spaghetti and broccoli together, according to pasta package instructions, drain. Drain the tomatoes on top of the spaghetti and broccoli. In a large bowl, add the drained pasta and veggie and the chopped red onion. Mix together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper and poor over the pasta and vegetables. Mix well and chill. Serve. Enjoy!

Phyllo Pie

I am in love with phyllo. It adds such a delightful flavorful crunch to dishes. Admittedly, it can be a little difficult to work with at times, but even then it is still worth it.

Phyllo Pie

Olive oil
One red onion, diced
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. black pepper
1 t. oregano
1/4 t. mustard
2 c. chopped broccoli
2 c. chopped mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T. soy sauce
3 T. non dairy milk
1 T. apple cider vinegar
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/2 c. breadcrumbs
1 c. walnuts
12 sheets phyllo pastry

Saute the onion, salt, pepper, oregano and mustard until onion is softened. Add the broccoli, mushrooms, garlic and soy sauce and saute until broccoli is a bright green. Place broccoli mixture, milk, vinegar, nutmeg, breadcrumbs and walnuts into a food processor and whir until vegetables are are chopped fine, but not obliterated.

Remove phyllo sheets from package and cut in half lengthwise. Lay out one sheet of phyllo and brush with olive oil. Lay a second sheet on top of that and brush again with olive oil. Do this for a total of five sheets, but do not brush olive oil on the top sheet. Place these sheets in a baking dish and top with 1/3 of the broccoli mixture. Repeat with a second layer and a third layer of five sheets of phyllo and broccoli mixture. Add one last layer of five phyllo sheets on top of the last layer.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

You can easily change up the vegetables to suit your own preferences.

Spring Dining

I visit my parents every weekend. Since Easter always falls on a Sunday, we decided to go whole hog (no Easter ham pun intended) for the day and made up a number of dishes, much like we've done for Thanksgiving.

Maple Glazed Tofu

1/4 c. maple syrup 
2 T. soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 t. garlic salt
1/8 t. ground black pepper
1 package extra firm tofu, drained and sliced

Mix the maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, garlic salt, and pepper. Place the tofu in a shallow baking dish, and coat with the maple syrup mixture. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator 30 minutes, turning once. Preheat oven to 400.  Place the baking dish in the preheated oven, and bake uncovered 20 minutes.

I added more of the sauce before baking. My son complained it made the tofu too sweet. This was not a problem for me. ;)

Broccoli With Cashews

1 package frozen broccoli spears
1/4 c. coarsely chopped cashews
1 T. vegan butter
2 t. finely shredded lemon rind

Cook broccoli according to package directions; drain. In a small skillet, cook, stirring constantly, the cashews in melted butter for 1 to 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon rind. Pour over broccoli spears.

Corn, Okra and Tomatoes

1/3 c. vegan butter
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 tomatoes, chopped
1 package frozen corn kernels
2 c. frozen cut okra
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper

In a large skillet, saute the bell pepper, onion and garlic in the butter for 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 8 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and continue cooking for 5 to 7 minutes, or until heated through. Serve immediately.

Roasted Spring Vegetables

1/2 lbs. carrots, cut diagonally in 1/2" pieces
2 lbs. asparagus, ends snapped off and spears cut in half
2 T. olive oil
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Line two baking pans with foil; place carrots in one and the asparagus in the other. Toss each with 1 T. olive oil, 1/4 t. salt and 1/8 t. pepper. Bake carrots in the oven with the tofu. Remove the tofu and bump up the oven temp to 450. Stir the carrots and add the pan of asparagus to the oven next to the carrots. Roast the veggies about 10 minutes until they are lightly browned.

My mom added some cinnamon glazed sweet potatoes and a second dish of regular white potatoes to the mix.

Now dine in style. Break out the nicer dishes and pile on the deliciousness.

Loaded Chili

If you live in Texas, you know there seems to be a great deal of debate as to whether or not chili should contain beans. If you are vegan, this is a no brainer. OF COURSE it contains beans! LOL!

Loaded Chili

Olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
One onion, chopped
One jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized cubes
2 c. broccoli florets, cut into bite sized pieces
3 T. chili powder
1 T. cumin
1 T. oregano
1 t. paprika
1/2 t. each salt and pepper
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 c. frozen corn
2 28 oz cans diced tomatoes
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, saute garlic, onion and jalapeno in the olive oil, until softened. Add the sweet potato, broccoli and spices and stir until everything is well coated with the spices. Add remaining ingredients, stir well, and let simmer about 30 minutes. When the sweet potatoes are fork soft it is ready to eat.

Good and spicy and delicious! While you might wonder at the addition of things like sweet potatoes and broccoli to chili, trust me, you'll like it.

It's Thanksgiving Every Day!

I think I may have mentioned I have been collecting recipes for over 30 years. I started as a teenager for my hope chest - one day I would be married and have to cook. Sounds a little sexist now, when I think about it, but such as it was. I would periodically shuffle through them, discarding those I knew I would never make or had an ingredient that made us shudder. Additionally, I have two bookcases stuffed with cookbooks. Yes, I'm a bit obsessive...

My kitchen had stacked in one corner several boxes of recipes that had not been filed or sorted through, and last year I decided come hell or high water I would plow through them. I did. It took me six months, but I did it. Okay, I didn't work on it every day, but most days I did!

At any rate, the sorting and organizing resulted in multiple bags for the recycle bin and several glorious labeled binders. One of the first I worked diligently on was the binder for Thanksgiving. Not only is it huge, but required at least two binders. Afterward, I mentioned it to a friend about what I'd done and how I was looking forward to Thanksgiving now. She remarked, "Why wait? Every day is Thanksgiving!"

I realized she was right, and while the recipes remain currently in that designated binder, I do now periodically go through it for ideas for my weekly meals. Kind of out of character for me, but hey, new year, new ways, right?

Cheezy Gratin of Cruciferous Vegetables (not a sexy title, but sums it up well enough!)

4 slices vegan bacon
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 package frozen Brussels sprouts
1 package frozen broccoli/cauliflower mix
1-1/2 c. vegan milk (I used plain soy)
1 c. vegetable broth
4 T. vegan butter
5 T. flour
1 T. Dijon mustard
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. thyme
Pepper to taste
1 package Daiya cheddar cheese

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until softened, set aside. Boil Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower according to package directions. Drain. Cook bacon and set aside.
Combine milk and vegetable broth in a pot, bring to a simmer and remove from heat.
Melt butter in another pot, add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until flour is a light golden brown. Whisk in half the milk/broth mixture until thick, then add remaining milk/broth mixture. Cook about 5 minutes, whisking often. To this whisk in the mustard, salt, thyme and pepper.
Add vegetables to a casserole dish and pour the sauce over it. Sprinkle with the Daiya cheese and crumbled bacon.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Home Style Succotash

1 package of baby carrots
1/2 c. vegetable broth
1 package frozen lima beans, thawed
1 package frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 package sliced mushrooms
1/4 c. vegan milk
1/4 t. pepper

In a large pot, bring the broth and baby carrots to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes, until carrots are still a little crisp. Stir in lima beans, corn, mushrooms, milk and pepper. Simmer, covered until all vegetables are tender.

Delectable Ambrosia

2 grapefruit
3 oranges
2 tangerines
1/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. shredded coconut

Peel all the fruit and break into sections. Cut each section in half and remove any seeds. Mix fruit in a bowl with the sugar and coconut. Chill at least one hour.

And it just wouldn't be complete without the

Cumberland Cranberry Sauce

2 lbs. thick, whole-berry cranberry sauce (the directions are on the back of the cranberry bag)
1/2 T. dry mustard (more if desired)
Juice and grated rind of 1 or 2 oranges
1 to 2 T. cornstarch
1 t. lemon juice
2 to 3 T. sugar

Dissolve the mustard in the orange juice, together with about a teaspoon of cornstarch. Add to the cranberry sauce, along with the lemon juice, grated orange rind, and 2 Tablespoons of sugar. Heat the sauce, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes. Taste the sauce for seasoning, adding more sugar if needed. If the sauce is too thin dissolve another teaspoon of cornstarch in a little juice or water and stir it in. Chill well before serving.

Now feast!

Jeweled Rice

Rice is so versatile. Have rice, can cook.

Jeweled Rice

One onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 t. salt
Olive oil
One package firm tofu, drained and cut into little bite sized pieces
One green bell pepper, sliced small
One package frozen chopped broccoli
2 carrots, sliced
One small can mushrooms stems and pieces, drained
2 cans kidney beans, drained
1/2 t. dried basil
1/2 t. dried oregano
black pepper to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
1-1/2 c. basmati rice
2 tomatoes, chopped
One can small black olives, drained

Saute the onions, garlic and salt in the olive oil, until onions are softened. Add tomato juice, tofu, bell pepper, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms and beans. Stir gently but well. Add basil, oregano, black pepper, cayenne pepper and rice. Add water if necessary to make sure the rice will cook. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 30 minutes, longer if needed to ensure rice is cooked. Add the tomatoes and black olive, stir. Serve when the liquid has all been absorbed. Serve. Enjoy!

Country Vegetables

It was hot today, and to top it all off, my air conditioner is on the fritz. Argh! I came upon this recipe in my files, and thought, what the heck. It looks easy and I won't have to spend too much time in the kitchen! The picture is from the recipe. I didn't get to snap a picture, it got gobbled up so quick!

Country Vegetables

Olive oil
One package of sliced mushrooms
2 stalks celery, sliced
One pint of cherry tomatoes
One package frozen broccoli and cauliflower
One onion, sliced
One c. water
2 T. Braggs Aminos

Saute the onion, celery and mushrooms in the olive oil until softened. Add broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, water and Braggs. Heat to boiling, cover, reduce to simmer for 20 minutes.

This was really nice, and like I said above, got gobbled up by my family. The original recipe listed carrots and snow pea pods, but since I had neither of those, I used celery instead. The vegetables came out tender with just a slight crunch, which I liked. I cooked up some mixed wild and regular rice just to go alongside it. Nothing left for leftovers for tomorrow's lunch!

Veggie Biscuit Pie

There are so many ways one can make a potpie. I mean, really, the possibilities are endless. It simply has to be the simplest way ever to use up leftover veggies. I think I found an even simpler version.

Veggie Biscuit Pie

Olive oil
One package of sliced mushrooms
One turnip, cut into chunks
2 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
One onion, diced
1-1/4 c. non-dairy milk
3 T. flour
One container vegetable broth
One can corn
One small bunch of broccoli, or one package cut up broccoli
Salt and pepper to taste
Biscuits - your choice

Saute the onion, mushrooms, turnips, carrots and celery in the oil until slightly softened. Mix the milk and flour together until there are no clumps, then pour this into the onion mixture. Add the broth, corn with its liquid, broccoli, salt and pepper. Stir well, heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer about 20 minutes.

In the meantime, make your biscuits.

To serve, spoon up some of the delectable vegetable mixture into a bowl, and top with a biscuit. Enjoy!

Broccoli with Garlic and Cashews

Broccoli - you either hate it or love it, but you don't meet too many people who are indifferent to it. I remember my mother-in-law being absolutely amazed that my kids would eat it raw. Her other grandchildren wouldn't eat a raw vegetable for love or money, but my kids would nosh on raw veggies like nobody's business. They still do. We like our veggies all ways - raw, pickled, fried, baked, boiled, steamed - you name it, we'll probably like it.

Broccoli with Garlic and Cashews

Olive oil
5 cloves garlic, chopped
Broccoli - fresh or frozen (I used fresh), chopped
1/2 t. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c. raw cashew pieces

Saute the garlic in the olive oil until soft. Add the broccoli and saute until well coated, add the salt and cashews and continue stirring until all are well coated and softened. Remove from heat and add a few twists of freshly ground black pepper. Serve over buttered Basmati rice. Enjoy!

Broccoli is a spectacular and unique package of versatile disease fighters and abundant in numerous strong, well-known phytochemicals and antioxidants, including indoles, isothiocyanates, quercetin, glutathione, beta carotene, vitamin C, folate, lutein, glucarate, and glutathione. Broccoli is extremely strong in anticancer activity, particularly against lung, colon, and breast cancers. One of the most well known and extensively studied is the isothiocyanates. These powerful chemicals are thought to stimulate certain enzymes produced by the liver which act to neutralize the effects of cancer causing agents that enter the body. The result is less damage to DNA which can give rise to tumors. These chemicals are so powerful they have even been shown to slow down the progression of existing cancer cells. Like other cruciferous vegetables, it speeds up the removal of estrogen from the body, helping suppress breast cancer. Scientists believe there are other important cancer preventative agents in broccoli that have yet to be identified.

Broccoli is rich in cholesterol-reducing fiber and has antiviral and antiulcer activity. It is a super source of chromium that helps regulate insulin and blood sugar. Broccoli is also a good source of calcium.

However, broccoli is one of the leading intestinal gas producers. To reduce its gas production, eat broccoli with ginger or garlic. Like this dish!

Heavy cooking and processing destroy some of the anti oxidants and phytochemicals such as indoles and glutathione. Eat raw or lightly cooked as in microwave and stir-fry.

Whatever or however, just make sure you make broccoli a frequent visitor to your dinner repertoire!

Quick Pasta Special

We all have them - those days when we are just so busy and fast food beckons to us. So convenient. So quick. So yucky. I don't know about you, but I get tired of going to a fast food restaurant and having to special order. And even then not being sure about how it was prepared. Ugh!

These times call for something quick and easy to prepare, that still tastes good!

Quick Pasta Special

12-14 oz. pasta of your choice
4 c. broccoli florets
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 c. chopped red or green onions (or a mixture of both!)
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
2 T. lemon or lime juice
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1-1/2 T. extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t. curry powder
pinch of black pepper, cayenne pepper and salt
dash of Bragg's Aminos or soy sauce

Cook pasta, but before draining, add the broccoli. Let set together about 5 minutes, then drain together. Toss in the tomatoes, onions and walnuts. Mix remaining ingredients together, then add to the pasta. Serve. Enjoy!

What the heck is balsamic vinegar? I remember when I first started seeing it used in recipes and thought, wow, this is fancy stuff! I'd thought I was being upscale by using red wine or white wine vinegars! How does a lowly vinegar come to reap such praise?

The ancient art of making a sweet condiment from grape juice dates back centuries. Romans invented the art of making ’sapa,’ a mixture made from boiled down grape juice. As far back as 900 years ago, vintners in the Modena, Italy region were making balsamic vinegar which was taken as a tonic and bestowed as a mark of favor to those of importance. In earlier days, the families cared for the vinegar, perfected it over years and passed it on as a treasured heirloom. They presented small vials to their special friends and even bequeathed it to their daughters as a valuable part of her dowry.

Although it is considered a wine vinegar, it is not a wine vinegar at all. It is not made from wine, but from grape pressings that have never been permitted to ferment into wine.

Sweet white Trebbiano grape pressings are boiled down to a dark syrup and then aged under rigid restrictions. The syrup is placed into oaken kegs, along with a vinegar "mother," and begins the aging process. Over the years it graduates to smaller and smaller kegs made of chestnut, cherrywood, ash, mulberry, and juniper until it is ready for sale. All of these woods progressively add character to the vinegar. As it ages, moisture evaporates out, further thickening the vinegar and concentrating the flavor.

Some balsamic vinegars have been aged for over 100 years. It is this aging process that makes true balsamic vinegar from Modena in Northern Italy so expensive. Luckily, a little balsamic vinegar goes a long way.

In Medieval times, balsamic vinegar was valued for its healing properties. The word balsamico *(from Latin balsamum , from Greek balsamon*) means "balsam-like" in the sense of "restorative" or "curative". During the later part of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance era, the nobility enjoyed the different varieties of vinegar as a refined drink. They believed the vinegar was a natural remedy for the plague. Balsamico was stored in the family attic and tended to as meticulously as an other facet of the family estate, as it slowly matured into a liquid gold. Balsamico came to be a symbol of peace and an extension of the hand of friendship from one family to another, and from one friend to another.

All I know is I like using it in my dishes. Not sure how my daughter would feel if I were to give her a bottle on her wedding day. She'd probably look at me funny. Once I told her it was made from grapes, though, she would totally understand!