National Corn on the Cob Day

Today is National Corn on the Cob Day! Seriously, who doesn't love corn on the cob? It is such a summer food, in my mind, but with frozen cobs available year round, it can be enjoyed any time. And there is just something fun about eating it.

Corn on the Cob with Parsley Flavored Butter

Corn on the cob, fresh or frozen, as many ears as you like
Vegan butter
1/4 t. onion powder
1 T. dried parsley or 1/2 c. fresh parsley

Boil the corn in the manner you normally do. I tend to cover the corn with water in a Dutch oven and bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until done. Frozen takes longer, but I boil it the same way.

Soften the butter, then mix in the onion powder and parsley, until blended well. Serve the butter alongside the cooked corn.

Serve. Enjoy!

Garlic and Lemon Pasta

I was hosting a potluck the other day and wanted to try something new. I've warned friends and family in the past that potlucks are my opportunity to make guinea pigs out of them, LOL!

Garlic and Lemon Pasta

One package spaghetti
1/3 c. lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t. salt
1-1/2 t. agave nectar
1/2 t. dijon mustard
4 T. olive oil
1/3 c. walnuts, chopped
1/3 c. fresh parsley

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions and drain. Mix the lemon juice, garlic, salt, agave nectar, mustard and olive oil until well blended. Add the sauce to the spaghetti, along with the walnuts and parsley. Toss together well. Serve. Enjoy!

Scarborough Fair Meatloaf

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?

Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme

With apologies to Simon and Garfunkel and its possible 1670 origins, it was this ballad that came to mind as I was making this meatloaf.

Scarborough Fair Meatloaf

2 stalks celery, chopped
One onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
One block of firm tofu, frozen and thawed, drained and crumbled
1/4 c. walnuts, chopped
12 oz. vegetarian meat crumbles
1-1/4 c. quick cooking oats
3 T. Braggs Aminos
2 T. ketchup
1 T. Dijon mustard
2 t. parsley
1/2 t. each - sage, rosemary and thyme

Saute the celery, onion and garlic until soft. In a large bowl, add the sauteed vegetables and remaining ingredients. Mix well.

Here's where I confess my sins.

The original recipe said to spray a loaf pan, but this made more than my loaf pan would hold, so I sprayed a casserole dish instead. Dumped it all into the dish,  covered it with a coating of ketchup and baked at 375 for one hour.

Came out tasty, but definitely not a loaf. More of a hash. We dished it on top of the mashed potatoes and gobbled it up. Not sure how to make this more loafy - my son suggested going ahead with the loaf pan and maybe pressing it down a bit to compact it. Not sure if that would work, but we liked it well enough for me to give that a go. If anyone has a suggestion, or has tried the packing technique and it works, let me know, would you?

My non-vegan cousin teased me about using the term *meat* in the recipe, but another friend pointed out that the word *meat* is defined as the the edible part of something as distinguished from its covering (as a husk or shell), so can be used to describe both plant and flesh. So there!

The word meat comes from the Old English word mete, which referred to food in general. The term is related to mad in Danish, mat in Swedish and Norwegian, and matur in Icelandic, which also mean 'food'. The word "mete" also exists in Old Frisian (and to a lesser extent, modern West Frisian ) to denote important food, differentiating it from "swiets" (sweets) and "dierfied" (animal feed).

Fettuccine with Cilantro Lime Pesto

My kids and I discovered cilantro lime rice some time ago, and it is one of our favorite ways to make rice. We love it in tacos and burritos, especially. Imagine our delight to find a recipe for it using pasta!

Fettuccine with Cilantro Lime Pesto

This yummy recipe comes from one of the first vegetarian cookbooks I bought, Pasta For All Seasons, another winning cookbook by Robin Robertson. It features the obligatory cilantro and fresh lime, but also flat leaf parsley, garlic, peanuts and other seasonings. You can sprinkle extra peanuts on top, if you'd like.

Green Food for Green Thursday

Today Catholics all over the globe celebrate Holy Thursday. In the Czech and German traditions, it has another name: Green Thursday. They celebrate it by eating large green salads, so I thought, well, let's expand on this a bit. So, I made an all green supper.

Green Goddess Salad with Green Goddess Dressing

Green, leafy lettuce
Cucumber, peeled and chopped
Tomato - cut into bite sized pieces
Half of a red onion, chopped
One can of black olives
1/4 c. pine nuts, roasted
Fresh parsley, chopped
Green Goddess Dressing
Faux Feta

Mix salad ingredients together and toss well to coat.

Green Goddess Dressing

2 garlic cloves, minced
2 green onions, chopped
Fresh parsley, chopped
Fresh basil, chopped
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. tahini
2 T. apple cider vinegar
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper

Combine all ingredients and blend well in a food processor. Add to salad.

Faux Feta

One package firm tofu, drained and pressed and frozen, boiled, pressed again
2 T. olive oil
2 T. water
1/4 c. red wine vinegar (actually a little less, we thought it turned out a little tangy)
Fresh basil, chopped
1 t. salt
1/4 t. dried oregano
1/4 t. dried dill
1/4 t. black pepper

Crumble the tofu and mix with remaining ingredients. Let marinate at least an hour.

Green Beans with Brazil Nuts

Frozen or fresh green beans, steamed
2 T. olive oil
One onion, chopped
1/4 t. salt
Brazil nuts, chopped
Fresh basil, chopped
Lemon juice

In the olive oil, saute the onion, nuts and basil. Add the green beans and salt, sprinkle in a dash of lemon juice, mix well and heat through. Serve.

Okra Strips in Lemon-Tarragon Viniagrette

Frozen whole okra, thawed, ends trimmed and pods cut in half lengthwise
Flour mixed with Cajun spices of choice
3 T. lemon juice
1 t. red wine vinegar
1 t. Dijon mustard
One clove garlic, minced
1 t. dried tarragon
8 T. olive oil

Coat the okra in the flour mixture and set aside. Mix remaining ingredients in a frying pan and mix well. Heat to medium high and add coated okra. Cook until brown. Serve.

The plated food looked really lovely, even if it was heavily green!

These Vegetables are Very Gay

That's happy for those of us that remember the word differently!

I'm not sure how I found it. Probably looking for something else, and it popped up in a search. However I found it, though, it was fun to watch.

I'm talking about the Hardcore Vegan Chef and his cooking dvd. Language warning! The recipes were simple and delicious sounding, the cooking tips handy and all done in an entertaining style - if you are in your early twenties. I'm not, but that didn't detract from the recipes for me.

It was a day or two later when I realized I needed to take a dish to the potluck we always have when my women's group gets together. A delicious vegan soup and salad were already being planned, so I wanted something that would work with it. I remembered one of the recipes I saw whipped up by the Hardcore Chef, and voila! Instant success! He titles it Vegetable Medley of Hardcore Gaiety. I just call it yummy!

2 cucumbers, diced
3 tomatoes, diced
2 cans chickpeas, drained
2 cans whole black olives, drained
A handful of fresh parsley, minced
2 T. olive oil
2 T. balsamic vinegar
Pinch of oregano, celery salt and thyme

It's all very simple; mix the veggies together. Mix the olive oil, vinegar and seasonings until well blended and pour over the veggies. Stir until all are well coated. Serve.

It was quite a hit at my meeting, and even a bigger hit back home. We served it atop mixed greens with some extra dressing and literally devoured it. It was so simple to throw together and yet very tasty.

Try the recipe. Check out the dvd. You won't be disappointed!