Spanish Style Vegetable Casserole

One can never get enough vegetables. Rather than go with the standard fare, try different ways of serving them. Here's one example!

Spanish Style Vegetable Casserole

One onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
One tomato, chopped
One green bell pepper, chopped
One large potato, diced
1/2 t. paprika
1/4 t. cayenne
1 c. brown rice
2 c. vegetable broth
2 carrots, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
2 c. frozen green peas

Saute the onion and garlic in water until beginning to soften. Add the tomato and bell pepper and saute until the onion is softened. Add potato, paprika, and cayenne and saute briefly to get everything mixed well. Add the rice, broth, carrot, zucchini, and peas. Bring to a boil, reduce, cover and simmer for about 30 - 45 minutes, or until the vegetables and rice are done. Serve. Enjoy!

West Indian Potato Bean Stew for the Instant Pot

I've discovered how much I really love using an Instant Pot. My gosh, so simple! So far I've still only used the pressure cooking function, but I will eventually brave the other options.

West Indian Potato Bean Stew

One onion, diced
One red onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, sliced
4 c. vegetable broth
2 cans white beans, drained
3 red potatoes, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
One sweet potato, cubed
1 t. turmeric
1/4 t. black pepper
1 t. cinnamon
One package frozen corn, thawed
One package frozen green peas, thawed

Once again, I didn't use the saute function, but feel free to saute the onions and garlic in oil until soft. Otherwise, all the ingredients to the pot, cook for 8 minutes. Let pressure release for 5 minutes, then do quick release. Serve over rice if you like. Enjoy!

Cabbage Stew

Not everyone likes cabbage, and the smell it makes while cooking isn't particularly appealing. However, mixed in with other things while it cooks, and you won't even notice.

Cabbage Stew

One package sliced mushrooms
4 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots, diced
One onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 t. basil
1 t. oregano
1 t. paprika
1 t. salt
1 t. thyme
4 c. vegetable broth
One large can diced tomatoes
One small can tomato paste
Half a head of cabbage, chopped
2 T. apple cider vinegar

Saute in oil or water the mushrooms, celery, carrots, and onion until the onions are softened. Add the garlic, seasonings, vegetable broth, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer about 10 minutes. Add the cabbage and simmer another 10 minutes, or until the all the vegetables are tender. Add the vinegar, season with salt and pepper, and serve. Enjoy!

Carrots and Onions with Ginger

A friend of mine and I try to attend monthly vegan potlucks. The food is always simply divine! I love the variety of dishes and the chance to try so many different kinds of foods! The last time we attended, I took this dish. I came home with an empty container, so I'm going to say it was a success!

Carrots and Onions with Ginger

One pound of carrots, sliced
Zest and juice of one lemon
Zest and juice of one orange
2 t. finely minced ginger
2 onions, chopped fine
Salt and pepper to taste
2 T. vegan butter

Add everything except butter together, and mix well. Melt the butter in a pot, and stir in the carrot mixture. Mix well to coat, then cook over medium until carrots have softened somewhat, about 20 minutes. Serve. Enjoy!

National Green Beans Day

Today is National Green Beans Day. I typically associate them more with summer, but since I can buy them year round frozen and canned, I guess every day can be a green beans kind of day.

April 4 is International Carrot Day. I know a lot of people who will eat them raw, but not cooked. It's a consistency thing, apparently. I like them both ways. So, if you miss eating this dish today, you can make it for that day.

Or, you could just make it any darn time you like!

Carrots and Green Beans with Ginger

1-1/2 lbs. carrots, sliced
1-1/2 lbs. green beans, trimmed
1/4 c. vegan butter
2 t. freshly grated ginger

Boil carrots and green beans separately, about 7-10 minutes each. Drain. Melt butter in a skillet or Dutch oven. Add the ginger and saute over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the green beans and carrots to the melted butter/ginger mixture and stir to coat well. Serve. Enjoy!

Marinated Spring Vegetables

I picked up some beautiful asparagus the other day, for a really reasonable price. The stalks were all thin, not the usual thick. I couldn't wait to use them.

Marinated Spring Vegetables

1# thin asparagus, tough bottoms removed and tender parts cut into 2 inch pieces

Marinade:
2 c. vegetable broth
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
2 bay leaves
3/4 t. thyme

8 carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 bulb fennel, stalks removed and bulb sliced
Feathery fennel fronds

Boil 2 c. of water and add the asparagus. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain, and immediately rinse under cold water. Drain again. Refrigerate.

In another pot, bring the marinade ingredients to a boil. Add the carrots and cook about 5 minutes.

Pour marinade and carrots into a ziploc baggie and refrigerate.

About an hour before serving, add the asparagus and fennel to the marinade. Chop a few of the feathery fennel fronds and also add to the marinade. Leave at room temperature.

To serve, drain the marinade and place vegetables in a bowl.

Enjoy!

Oven Roasted Vegetables with Garlic

A friend of mine from Germany came to visit recently. We spent a lot of time discussing all things vegan. She shared with me two of her own recipes for vegan cheese. I can't wait to try them out myself! She stayed with another friend of ours while here, and the three of us together was so much fun! On one of our outings, I was introduced to colored carrots. Of course, I had to buy some! They worked beautifully in this oven roasted vegetable dish.

Oven Roasted Vegetables with Garlic

Parsnips (as many as you want), chopped
Carrots (as many as you want), sliced
Shallots, chopped
One red onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, halved
2 T. olive oil
2 T. vegan butter
2 T. fresh rosemary

In a baking dish, combine the vegetables. Combine the oil, the butter (melted), and the rosemary. Salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle this all over the vegetables and toss gently to coat. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for an hour. You want to see the vegetables just to begin to brown, and be fork tender. Stir it occasionally to even cooking. Serve. Enjoy!

Carrots with Dill

My family is not a fan of cooked carrots. They'll eat the heck out of raw carrots, but cooked? They'll pass. I like them, though, so will find numerous ways to cook them that just might appeal. This got half to say they liked them, the other half still said no. But I liked them!

Carrots with Dill

One bag of frozen, sliced carrots (you can use fresh, but I went for quick here)
1/4 c. vegan butter
1/2 t. salt
1/4 c. fresh dill (or sprinkle on dried dill)

Cook the carrots according to package instructions. Drain. Heat the butter in a frying pan and add the cooked carrots. Stir in the salt and cook until everything is coated with the butter. Sprinkle on the dill. Serve. Enjoy!

Gingered Carrots and Green Beans

Gingered Carrots and Green Beans

1# carrots, sliced
1# green beans, trimmed
1/4 c. vegan butter
2 t. freshly grated ginger
1/2 t. salt

Boil the carrots until just tender, then add the green beans. Continue boiling until carrots are tender. Drain. Set aside.

In a skillet, melt the butter and add the ginger and salt, cooking over medium heat for a minute or two. Add the carrots and green beans to the skillet, and stir to mix everything well. Serve. Enjoy!

Moroccan Carrots

If you don't like cooked carrots, then chances are your exposure to them has been the overcooked frozen variety. In that case, I don't blame you. Bleh. Boring. Try these instead.

Moroccan Carrots

1# carrots
1/4 c. slivered almonds
1 T. vegan sugar
1/8 t. cilantro
1/8. t. ground cinnamon
1/8 t. cumin
1/16 t. cayenne pepper (in other words, a pinch :) )
Salt to taste

Slice the carrots and cook them in boiling water until they are fork tender, about 20 minutes. Drain. In the same pot, melt a little butter and add the almonds. Cook over medium low heat until they just start to change color to a gold or light brown. Add the carrots and the remaining ingredients, stirring to mix well, and cook over low heat until everything is heated through. Serve. Enjoy!

National Picnic Month

One of the designations for July is National Picnic Month. Pretty much any month that isn't cold is well suited for a picnic. I mean, do you really need an excuse to go on one?

The hubby took a week off for some vacation down time, and decided we would all go as a family to a water park. He and I had never been to this one, so barring rain, we were going. And what a beautiful day it turned out to be! Despite the delay in getting our food, due to someone (I won't mention any names...) shutting the keys to the car in the trunk and having to have someone come out to unlock the car for us, it was a great day and the food turned out fantastic!

I like to shop the food section at Marshall's because I always find the coolest pasta. I was originally only going to make one pasta salad dish, but the recipe on one of the packages just sounded too good, so I decided to make both.

Walnut Chick'n Salad

1/2 c. fresh spinach, chopped
One container plain soy yogurt
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. dry mustard
3 green onions, chopped
Handful of fresh dill, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
3 c. cooked vegan chicken, your choice
One apple, cored and diced
1/2 c. walnuts, chopped

Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Add some vegan mayonnaise if it is too dry. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon onto your favorite slice of bread and enjoy!

Sesame Pasta Salad

1-1/2 c. vegan mayonnaise
1/3 c. water
3 T. soy sauce
1-1/2 T. fresh ginger, chopped
1 T. dark sesame oil
1 T. white vinegar
One package of pasta, your choice (mine looked like margarita glasses), cooked and cooled
1 c. carrots, chopped
1/2 c. radishes, chopped

Mix everything together in one large bowl and stir well to coat. Refrigerate.

Fishy Pasta Salad

One package of pasta, your choice (this one was shaped like lobsters), cooked and cooled
3/4 c. vegan mayonnaise
1/2 bunch of green onions, chopped
2 T. lemon juice
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. onion powder
1/2 t. Old Bay seasoning
1/4 t. black pepper
1/4 t. hot sauce

Again, mix everything in one large bowl and stir well to coat. Refrigerate.

Fruit Salad with Mint

2 nectarines, pitted and cut into small pieces
3 kiwi, peeled and cut into small pieces
2 navel oranges, peeled and cut into small pieces
One pint of strawberries, hulled and quartered
One pint of blueberries
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
3 T. lime juice
1/4 c. fresh mint leaves, chopped

Mix the brown sugar, lime juice and mint leaves in a food processor until well blended. Add all of the fruit together in one large bowl, pour the sugar sauce over it and mix well. Refrigerate.

Add some iced tea and you've got a great picnic meal!

National Macaroni Day

National Macaroni Day was July 7, but a series of distractions prevented me from taking advantage of the day. Not to be denied, I made my mac and cheese, finally, last night. I had to rescue some of it from my son for my lunch today. Otherwise, he couldn't stop eating it. He plans to go buy all the ingredients just so I'll make it again this weekend. Probably all for him! LOL!

In addition, to round out the meal, I made a couple of different mixed vegetable dishes.

Macaroni and Cheese

One package elbow macaroni, cooked according to package directions
1/4 c. vegan butter
1/4 c. whole wheat flour
2-1/4 c. rice milk
1/2 t. salt
Dash of black pepper
One package of Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds

Melt the butter over medium heat and whisk in the flour. Gradually add the milk and some of the Daiya until creamy. In a lightly greased casserole dish, layer the macaroni, then Daiya, the macaroni, then the sauce and top with more Daiya. Bake at 400 for 35 minutes.

Summer Garden Vegetables

1/4 c. chopped onion
2 T. butter
2 c. fresh or frozen corn
3 tomatoes, cut into chunks
4 small yellow squash, sliced
1 t. salt
3/4 t. dried oregano leaves
1/4 t. pepper

Saute the onion in the butter until softened. Add the remaining ingredients and cook, covered, over medium heat until vegetables are tender.

King of the Jungle Vegetables

Handful of carrots, sliced
Olive oil
One package of frozen green beans
One package of frozen cauliflower florets
One bunch of green onions, sliced
2 c. water or vegetable broth
Dash of garlic powder

Saute the carrots in the olive oil until beginning to soften. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and cook 20-30 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Enjoy!

Layered Crockpot Dinner

Today is World Environment Day, so it seems appropriate that I should make a dish in my crockpot. It's cheaper, and saves energy, right?

Maybe.

According to Does Crock Pot Cooking Save You Money?, maybe yes and maybe no. In my house, the answer is yes, it does.

Layered Crockpot Dinner

6 potatoes, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
1 c. green peas
1 onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 c. corn kernels
2-1/2 c. tomato sauce
1 t. thyme
1 t. basil
1/2 t. cinnamon
2 T. parsley
1/4 c. tamari soy sauce
1 t. dry mustard
2 t. chili powder
1/8 t. sage

Layer vegetables in the crock pot in the order given. Mix together the remaining ingredients and pour over the vegetables. Cook on high for six hours or low for 12.

When done, stir it, serve it, enjoy it!

I liked this dish but I'm on the fence about the addition of cinnamon. Even half a teaspoon was very detectable. I might try it again without the cinnamon just to see what difference it makes. This recipe also lends itself to adding any leftover veggies you have in the fridge.

You can easily double this recipe and invite friends over while you find ways to celebrate World Environment Day. There are plenty of suggestions on things to do here.

Crumbles Pie

Is there anything really simpler than throwing ingredients into a pie shell and baking it? The answer would be no, there isn't anything simpler. It's just a matter of combining the right ingredients to make a tasty dish. And, let's face it, even that isn't hard!

Crumbles Pie

One package vegan beef crumbles
One onion, chopped
2 t. chili powder
1 t. oregano leaves
One can tomato soup
One can sliced carrots, drained
One can kernel corn, drained

And here is the truly difficult part - mix everything together and pour into a pie shell. I actually threw some leftover veggies from the fridge into the mix, too. You can make a topping if you'd like, but I went for quick and simple. Bake in a 400 oven for about 15 minutes, or until piecrust in nicely golden.

Now wasn't that hard? No? I didn't think so, either. Now enjoy!

Rosemary Stew

Someone offered me a couple of rosemary bushes awhile back. The poor things didn't survive the transplant, but before they passed I harvested as much of it as I could. I love the smell every time I open the container I put it all in.

Rosemary Stew

Olive oil
One onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
3 carrots, thinly sliced
1 t. rosemary
One small head of cabbage, shredded
2 cans white beans, drained
4 c. vegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste

In a Dutch over over medium heat, cook the onion, garlic, potatoes, carrots and rosemary in the olive oil. Cover and stir occasionally until the vegetables have softened a little. Add the cabbage, beans, broth, salt and pepper, bring to a boil, cover and simmer until all of the veggies are fork soft.

Serve with some good bread and butter and enjoy!

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!

Peasant Food

Last night my oldest told his friends he was dining on "peasant food". While this made me laugh, it also probably fairly well described our supper. Peasant foods are described as: those dishes specific to a particular culture made from accessible and inexpensive ingredients and usually prepared and spiced to make them more palatable.

I can't speak for the *particular culture* aspect, but I can attest that it was made from *accessible and inexpensive ingredients* and was indeed *prepared and spiced*, but not to make it more palatable!

This dish was intended as part of our celebration of Jacob Grimm's (of the Brothers Grimm) birthday. You can find the recipe here. I paired it with the leftover red cabbage from the other night.

What can I say? It was quite good!

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!

Lettuce Wrap

I just had the tastiest lunch, so wanted to type this up before I forget the ingredients!

Lettuce Wrap

Shredded red and green cabbage
Julienned carrots
Cucumber sticks
Few sprigs of cilantro
Chopped peanuts
Thai peanut sauce
Romaine lettuce

Layer cabbage, carrots, cilantro and cucumber sticks on top of the romaine. Pour peanut sauce over the vegetables and sprinkle the chopped peanuts on top. Roll the entire thing up in the lettuce, burrito style. Enjoy!

I'll need to find a recipe for a peanut sauce now. This was slightly sweet. It was messy to eat, but truly finger lickin' good!

Nothing Medi-Okra About This!

I've been a bit on an okra binge. Fortunately, my family likes okra, so all is well in my household. I saw a quote today about how so few people like okra that it doesn't even make it into the top ten most hated foods list! I think they are missing out!

Creole Peas

One c. diced celery
One c. diced green pepper
One c. diced onion
2 hot peppers, diced
Olive oil
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans black eyed peas
One bag frozen sliced okra
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute the celery, green pepper, onion and hot peppers in the olive oil until softened. Add tomatoes, black eyed peas with liquid, okra and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, simmer for about 20 minutes.

This is a really flavorful dish. My family will sometimes season their food individually, but none of us found a need to do so with this. I served it over a lemony-dill rice.

Lemon-Dill Rice

Make your choice of rice according to your preferred method. Once done, melt butter with some fresh dill (dried if you can't get your hands on any fresh) and about a tablespoon of lemon juice. Pour this over and mix into the rice.

Butter Stewed Carrots

I had some carrots sitting in the crisper drawer, so I pulled them out, peeled and sliced them, then sauteed them in butter and maple syrup. They looked quite lovely next to the peas and rice.

Round it all off with some fresh strawberries and some pineapple slices and enjoy!