Eat Your Veggies

Luscious Loaf

2011-10-13T05:24:00.000-07:00

There's something about fall that causes this palpable shift in what we crave and what our bodies are telling us to eat. The moment the leaves turn, I want apples, squash, pumpkin and savories. Even in the middle of a 75-degree day, I'm wishing for meatloaf.

I remembered the tastes I liked best about traditional meatloaf and ramped it up a bit. There were some leftover baked beans sitting in the crockpot, so I dumped them in. The result was unexpectedly terrific.

Meatless Loaf with Baked Beans

1 cup or less ketchup (I used bottled "tomato sauce" from the Indian store)
1/2 package veggie burger crumbles
1 green pepper, chopped finely
1 cup or more canned vegetarian baked beans
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbl. fresh basil (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
1 Tbl. fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oven to 325F/165C. Grease a loaf pan or an 8x8 pan.

Mix together all ingredients in a large bowl, adding ketchup a little at a time. Make sure your final product clings together and isn't too soupy. If it is, add a bit more of the bread crumbs.

Put it into the pan and bake for 45 minutes. At this point, cover the top with some more ketchup, if you like, and cook for 15 minutes longer.

The Sweetest Potato

2011-10-05T13:36:00.000-07:00

I love sweet potatoes. But I'm a little tired of eating them candied, sugared, or casseroled. So why not soup?

Here's my version of sweet potato soup that got rave reviews here at home. It's super low fat, and it's got this great mixture of flavors that make you feel like you're being treated instead of deprived of fat.

Sweet Potato Soup
Oil for frying (or water if you want to go oil-free)
1 large yam or sweet potato (about 3 cups), peeled and cubed
3 cups vegetable broth
1 Tbl. maple syrup
1/4 tsp. frehly ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. Adobo seasoning
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Topping ingredients:
1/2 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 Tbl. lemon juice
2 Tbl. maple syrup

Heat the oil or water in a saucepan and add the potatoes and Adobo seasoning. Brown and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add broth, maple syrup, and spices. Cover and cook until potatoes are soft.

In the meantime, mix together the topping ingredients. If you'd rather use fresh apples, dice a pie apple, such as a Granny Smith.

Puree the soup. Now either add the topping directly or spoon it on top of the soup after it's in the bowl.

Vacation with the Carnivores

2011-09-12T06:49:00.000-07:00

Probably the toughest meal situations I've had to deal with have revolved around family. My parents and siblings are die-hard carnivores, though my sister is much more vegetarian-friendly than the rest. Mom tries to cook for me, but she still thinks roughing it means going without meat in her spaghetti sauce.

So it's up to me. We spend time at their cottage in Ontario. I bring the food and I cook. Not much of a vacation for me, but it's how we manage to eat as a family without forcing tofu on my parents. Here's what I cooked this year:

Progresso soup for the evening we arrived

Mark's Favorite Chili

My Risotto with Smoked Gouda

However, Dad can't eat cheese and doesn't like rice. Plus, I take my ingredients along, so I have to have non-perishable things. You can't take fruits and vegetables across borders, so I do buy those when I get there, but the fewer things I need to buy, the better.

And did I mention they have a great stove, but a hand pump for water? If we want hot water to wash dishes, we haul it across the cabin from the bathroom sink (the only real plumbing is in the bathroom), so we try to keep dishes to a minimum.

Oy.

Here's what I think I'll take along next time:

Tortilla Pie

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (15 oz)
1 10-oz package frozen corn, thawed (or 1 can)
1 cup mild salsa
2 cups Pepper Jack cheese, grated
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
4 10-inch tortillas
oil

Preheat to 450 F.

Mix all ingredients except tortillas and oil together in a bowl. Heat a skillet to medium-high heat. Brush both sides of a tortilla with a little oil - heat until golden on each side for one minute.

In an oiled casserole dish or baking pan, put one tortilla, then top with some of the filling. Alternate two more layers the same way, ending with a tortilla. Press the top tortilla down gently to meld the layers a bit.

Bake for 12 minutes. Cut into wedges.

Feeding the Meat Eaters

2010-12-24T06:56:00.000-08:00

I love when they all come home. I hate having to find one thing that several picky eaters will want to eat. Worse - they're all carnivores and the idea of vegetarian has them heading to the nearest fast-food joint.

So far, I've managed to feed them "safe" foods that they're used to eating sans meat, like fettuccine Alfredo. However, once we get beyond vegetable soup and grilled cheese, I'm in a quandary. What now?

Here's a recipe I cooked up that may do the trick. I've been craving it since my favorite restaurant moved out of town to a downtown location. Crepes are great because even if I'm not eating meat, they can use leftover turkey to fill theirs with whatever keeps them happy.

Spinach Rice Crepes with Mushroom White Sauce

The Sauce:
2/3 cup sliced mushrooms
cooking spray
2 Tbl. butter
2 Tbl. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup water (or substitute both milk and water for 1 cup milk)

The Crepes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted

The Filling:
1 cup brown rice, cooked
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1/4 cup minced or finely chopped onion
white sauce
dash of Herbes de Provence

Make the sauce first. Heat a skillet sprayed with cooking spray to medium heat. Add mushrooms and saute until soft. Add butter, melt, then add flour and cook for a minute until the flour is browned a bit. Slowly stir in milk and water, making sure to get all the lumps out (except the mushrooms, of course). Heat until thick, adding salt whenever you like. Set aside. This is a medium-thick white sauce.

If you have troubles getting it un-lumpy, toss the whole thing in a food processor, mushrooms and all - unless you'd rather have whole mushroom slices in your sauce.

Make the filling next. Using the still-hot skillet, saute the onion until clear. Add the spinach for a minute, wilting it. Transfer to a bowl, then add about 1/4 cup of white sauce (keep things somewhat moist, but not wet) and the rice. Season with Herbes de Provence (or thyme/sage as you prefer). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Make the crepes last. Mix the flour and egg in a large bowl using a whisk. Add milk and water gradually, then salt and butter, beating it until it's all smooth.

Heat sprayed skillet to medium hot. Using a measuring cup, pour 1/4 cup of batter into the pan, turning it until the batter spreads to cover the bottom entirely. They'll be thin, as they should be. Cook on each side for about 2 minutes, then remove it to a dinner or serving plate (heated, if you prefer). Fill with filling mixture (I use about 1-2 Tbls. depending on crepe size). Spoon a Tbl. of white sauce over it, garnish it with a mushroom or sliced almonds, if you prefer, and serve.

Just Peachy

2010-08-31T08:35:00.000-07:00

I've had an up-and-down last few weeks with small health upsets and the loss of a long lost love, so I went into the kitchen looking for comfort. You'd be proud - I bypassed the Hershey Kisses. Instead, I put together a terrific peach cobbler that was less like cobbler and much more like a custardy thing. I can't explain it other than it was divine.

Peach Cobbler
2 lb. peaches
1 c. sugar, divided
1/2 c. flour
1 stick butter, cut into bits
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a square pan (I used a glass one). Slice peaches and mix them with half the sugar.

In a food processor, mix together flour butter, baking powder, and sugar. Stir in egg and vanilla.

Spread a small amount of the dough on the bottom of the pan. Put peaches on top. Drop remaining dough onto the top without spreading it. Bake for about 45 minutes.

Cool and eat.

Be A Pepper

2010-08-27T09:10:00.001-07:00

The weather here is still hot, but with that late-August dryness that makes evenings gloriously cool. The farmer's market is loaded with choices, and peppers are looking fantastic. So, stuffed peppers!

Meatless Stuffed Peppers
4 large peppers
1 package Smart Ground veggie crumbles
1 cup cooked couscous
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. fresh chopped basil
2 cans diced tomatoes
Ketchup for the top

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Either cut the tops of the peppers or slice them in half - whichever way you like to stuff them.

In a bowl, combine all but one can of diced tomatoes. Stuff into peppers. Top with a little ketchup. Place peppers in covered dish, dump the second can of tomatoes inside the dish, then cover and cook 20-25 minutes. Spoon some of the tomatoes onto the peppers and serve.

Chilling with Summer Soups

2010-07-05T13:04:00.000-07:00

This week the thermometer is topping 100 all week. Thankfully the humidity is blessedly low, but who wants to turn on an oven or even a burner in that heat?

Instead, I dug in the fridge for something cool, preferably cold. I'd just bought two packages of strawberries - soup!

I messed around with ideas and ingredients and here's the result:

Strawberry Soup
2 lb. strawberries
2 Tbls. Port wine
2 cups plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. cardamom
dash freshly ground cinnamon

In a blender, blend strawberries and wine until smooth. As it's blending, add yogurt.

Pour into a large bowl and add remaining ingredients. Stir well (until sugar is dissolved). Refrigerate an hour.

----

This was by no means my first chilled soup. I've made gazpacho before, but wasn't nuts about it (I'm not a fan of uncooked tomatoes). But I stumbled on a great mango gazpacho recipe that's been a favorite here for years.

Mango Gazpacho
3 soft mangoes, peeled and pulp removed any way you can manage it
2 cups mango nectar
2 cups coconut milk
2 Tbl. fresh minced ginger
1 Tbl. lime juice
1/4 cup brown sugar

In a blender, puree mangoes, ginger, and coconut milk until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and blend again. Chill at least an hour.

It's Pronounced "Krepp"

2010-05-26T14:19:00.001-07:00

My youngest enjoys when I make crepes - it's when she can correct my pronunciation. Three years of French and she thinks she's an expert....

What she doesn't argue is loving eating these things. For me, crepes are the most versatile thing because if it fits in there, it's all good. I've looked like a food genius numerous times because I managed to stuff the right things inside. This one in particular made everyone's day. And it's easy to make vegan, amen.

Broccoli Cheese Crepes

Batter:
Enough egg replacer to equal two eggs
1/3 cup or more water
8 Tbl. flour
dash salt

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix egg replacer first, taking care to avoid lumps.

Add flour to the egg replacer. Slowly add 1/3 cup of water, mixing very well as you go. Add salt. Set aside.

Filling:
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup fresh broccoli, steamed until mostly soft
1 Tbl. butter
1 Tbl. flour
1 cup fat-free milk (or soy)
3/4 cup fat-free cheddar cheese
1 tsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in saucepan. Add flour slowly. Add milk, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon and whisk to avoid lumps. Heat on a medium heat until the mixture begins to thicken, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and add broccoli, rice, and cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat a skillet sprayed with cooking spray over a medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup of the crepe batter into the pan and tilt the pan to spread batter over the bottom. (Note: if your batter doesn't spread easily, add water a tablespoon at a time until it's a bit thin.) Cook on each side about 45 seconds to a minute, until the crepe is browned slightly. Carefully remove each crepe, making sure not to stack them (they'll stick like crazy). Cool slightly.

Spoon the broccoli mixture right down the center of each crepe, making sure to leave about an inch of space on each end. Fold/roll and place seam-down in an ungreased baking pan. Sprinkle more cheddar on top. Bake about 5-10 minutes until cheese melts and insides are warm (I go for nearly 10 minutes).

You can serve this with a vegan hollandaise sauce, if you like.

Un-Chicken in the City

2010-03-25T12:40:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been craving comfort food - those things I ate from childhood that now that I'm vegetarian just aren't going to fly. When I was growing up we used to eat this wildly weird thing called city chicken. It was pork - on a stick, breaded, then either baked or fried (my mother was a fan of frying). Why was it called chicken? I have no idea. But I remember loving it.

So yesterday I decided the craving was strong enough for me to come up with a vegetarian alternative. I made my own seitan (you don't have to - just buy your favorite) and the result is this:

City Un-Chicken
Up to 1 lb of seitan (or a package of your favorite brand), cubed
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbl. turkey rub (if it's against your sensibilities to buy this, just mix up a combination of paprika, sage, thyme, garlic salt, pepper. rosemary, and onion powder)
salt and pepper to taste
Egg replacer for dipping
Wooden skewers
Olive oil for frying

In a shallow dish, mix up your egg replacer. On a dinner plate, mix together the dry ingredient. Thread seitan cubes onto wooden skewers. Roll them first into the egg replacer, then into the flour mixture. In a large skillet, fry them in a scant amount of olive oil (don't use canola - it just stinks something awful) or spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Fry until seitan is brown, turning until all sides are cooked, about four minutes each.

Filling the Pastry Shell

2010-02-26T07:44:00.000-08:00

I wanted something fast, different, and tasty. I was chilly outside and I was in the mood for pot pie. But I didn't want to make it and wait - it was after 5 already. So I dug in the freezer. Did I really buy these puff pastry shells? Yes, I really did. Hmmm....I feel a plan coming on.

Here's the result. I make rice or mashed potatoes to go with this:

Single Savory Pies
1 box puff pastry shells
1/2 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch bits
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 carrot, sliced
3/4 cup soy crumbles
1/2 cup cubed butternut squash (I cut mine up and freeze it for just these sorts of occasions)
1 cup (more or less) vegetable broth
1 Tbl. olive oil
1/2 tsp. thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven according to puff pastry directions (I think it's 450 degrees). Bake shells for about 25-30 minutes until they are browned. Scoop out the tops, leaving a decent bottom portion. Set aside.

In a saucepan, heat oil, then brown soy crumbles for a few minutes. add beans and carrots and saute until cooked through. Add squash and heat through until slightly soft. Add, peas and heat 2 minutes, then add broth and thyme and heat through. Thicken mixture with a little corn starch. It should be bubbly and the consistency of a good gravy. Add salt and pepper, then spoon into shells. Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.

When The World Gives You Lemons...

2010-02-09T05:36:00.001-08:00

Sometimes you just want something different. What's more satisfying than say limoncello in December? Well, limoncello in January. Or February. In fact, I'd say it's a very nice way to bring a little sunshine into a cold, snowy environment. So I decided to make my own.

There are some critical things to know about making limoncello - you have to start with good lemons. The best, in my opinion, have a vibrant aroma when you run your nail across the rind. Also, you're using just the rind, and you're using seven lemons. Try to plan out what to do with the actual juice and pulp.

And that rind? If you get even an ounce of the white pith on the rind, you're going to end up with bitter limoncello. When the recipe says "rind only" consider it a warning.

You should know that making limoncello today means you're about two weeks from a finished product. It takes time.

I peeled the rind carefully, sat the works on the kitchen counter and waited the two weeks. It was worth the wait. Because you control the ingredients, you control the amount of sugar. I like mine less sweet, as the ultra-sugary ones in the stores are headache-inducing.

Here's my attempt:

Limoncello

7 lemons
1 bottle (750 ml) vodka
4 cups water
2-3 cups white sugar (less sweet is better)

Carefully peel the rind, making sure there's no white pith on it. Place into a large pitcher (2 quarts works well). Add vodka to rind and cover tightly with plastic wrap or a lid. Let it sit at room temperature for 10-14 days.

Ten to fourteeen days later, mix water and sugar in saucepan. Heat until the sugar dissolves. Cool completely. Add to lemon/vodka mixture. Strain out lemon rinds. (You can take out the rinds prior to adding the water, if you like.)

Bottle and store in the refrigerator. It will keep up to a year.

Because it's yellow, do label it. Otherwise, it looks, well, rather like a sample for your doctor.

Super-easy Sweet Potato Casserole

2009-11-28T09:22:00.000-08:00

Admittedly, Thanksgiving Day is not the perfect time to decide to try something new. I'm a bit too spur-of-the-moment, though, and that's what I did about 45 minutes before dinner. The thought of those sweet potatoes just plopped onto a plate didn't appeal. The result is a new favorite -

Sweet Potato Apple Casserole

1 can yams/sweet potatoes (I added another big sweet potato that was here)
1 large pie apple, peeled and chopped (I used a granny smith)
2 Tbl. butter, melted
1/4 cup molasses
1/3 cup brown sugar (adjust to your own taste)
2 eggs
1/2 cup apple cider
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup raisins

Mash potatoes (cook any fresh potatoes first). Add the rest of the ingredients, mixing well to make sure the eggs are blended. Bake in a 2-quart casserole at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until set (should resemble a custard).

What Rhymes With Slumgullion?

2009-10-14T13:05:00.000-07:00

Warning - the following recipe is most likely not low in fat or calories. It's lower in fat than the traditional slumgullion (that's Irish Gaelic for "watery meat stew"), but I think it packs a wallop of flavor that the old "dump and eat" casserole provides. Since it's been chillier here this week, I needed something with some staying power. I remembered having slumgullion, which is a tomato-based casserole, when I was a kid. But I'm tired of tomatoes, so I decided to create a savory version.

Gourmet Veggie Slumgullion
1 12-oz. package of Smart Ground veggie crumbles
1 8-oz. package Monterey Jack shredded cheese (or your favorite vegan cheese)
1 small red pepper, chopped fine
1 head broccoli, chopped small
1/2 to 2/3 cup merlot
1 cup vegetable broth
1 sprig fresh tarragon
12 oz. egg noodles (or eggless if you're going vegan)
2 slices bread, buttered on both sides and cut into cubes
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In skillet fry pepper and broccoli in a little oil for about 3 minutes. Add wine and cook two more minutes, until veggies are soft but not limp. Add broth, cheese, veggie crumbles, salt and pepper to taste, and tarragon and simmer a few more minutes.

Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a separate pot. Cook egg noodles per package directions. Drain and set aside.

In a 2-quart casserole dish, layer noodles, then mixture, etc. End with noodles. On top, place buttered bread cubes. Bake 30 minute until the bread crumbs are browned on top.

This makes a thicker stew than the typical slumgullion, so no need for serving over anything.

Seitan-ic Versus Tempeh

2009-10-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

Couldn't resist the play on words. :)

I wanted cheese un-steaks last night. Badly. Alas, no seitan in the house and I wasn't tempted to drive 6 miles to get it. I had tempeh, but since I hate it, I refused to use it. So I hauled out the recipe books and pulled together a pretty decent substitute that was both tasty and easy to make. The fine ladies who have published Veganomicon, probably the best vegan cookbook imaginable, are to be thanked for the basis of the recipe. I tweaked to suit.

Seitan
1 cup plus up to 1/4 cup more wheat gluten (I buy Bob's Red Mill, available at my local supermarket)
3 Tbls. nutritional yeast
1 Tbl. dried sage
1 tsp. dried thyme (the fresher the better)
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup tamari
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 Tbl. olive oil

Mix dry ingredients (including spices) together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients. Pour wet into dry, mixing until it's absorbed. Pick this up and knead it in your hands until it becomes like bread dough. If you need more flour, add a bit more wheat gluten. Break apart into pieces.

Prepare a large saucepan with about 6 cups of water and 2 Tbls. Better Than Bullion (or use 2 bullion cubes or half water, half vegetable broth). Bring it to just about a boil, then reduce heat and partially cover for about an hour, turning the seitan hunks. After an hour, turn off heat and use a slotted spoon to remove seitan from the liquid. Drain until cool, then cut as you need it. I freeze some for later use. For a more meatlike flavor and texture, flash fry seitan in a skillet sprayed with cooking spray for 4 minutes on each side. You can freeze this, too.

It's-a Gouda Food (a)

2009-09-28T06:49:00.001-07:00

Ever get the urge to just do something different, to shake up the usual and take a chance? I did in a big way this weekend. I'd been reading a Scottish magazine I'd brought home from a recent trip, and in it was a restaurant review complete with a recipe for smoked salmon ravioli. Okay, so I've never been a fan of salmon, even when I was eating meat, and certainly not now. But I thought about the smoked part. Smoked. Hmmm. Then I got out the bowls, the ingredients, and got to work.

My pasta dough was laughably thick - how can any Italian women be heavy? You need muscles and stamina to roll that dough wafer thin. So I rolled out what I could muster of the dough I'd concocted (I won't even bore you with it as I wasn't impressed with the results) and went for an easy stand-by: wonton wrappers. Oh, if I'd started with them, I'd have made dozens of raviolis!

Here's what I did to fill them:

Smoked Gouda and Spinach Ravioli

1 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese
6 ounces fresh spinach, chopped and steamed
1 tsp. fresh dill, chopped
1 tsp. fresh tarragon, chopped
1 tsp. fresh chives, snipped
zest from 1/2 lemon
Wonton wrappers (large square ones)

Cut wonton wrappers into fourths. Place on a floured cutting board to keep them from sticking to everything in sight.

In a bowl, add all ingredients, adding steamed spinach last as it'll make everything stick together if it's hot. Place a smidgen of this (I used about 1/2 tsp. to 1 tsp.) mixture onto one wonton square. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush an empty wonton square, then place it wet-side-down onto the filling one. Carefully press all sides together well. If you have a crimping tool, this could be your chance to use it!

Cook for about 4 minutes in boiling water. Remove and serve with the following sauce:

Corn and Citrus Sauces
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 cup vegetable broth
1 Tbl. chopped leek
1 Tbl. whisky (I used Jack Daniels)
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup skim milk

1/4 cup passion fruit juice (I used Goya)
1 Tbl. ground cardamom
1/4 cup frozen corn

Add corn, broth, leek to saucepan and boil until it reduces to half. Blend in a blender (or use an immersable blender - safer). Press through sieve and remove corn bits. Return to pot. Add whisky and bring to boil. Add cream, again bringing to a boil, stirring constantly until it thickens a little (it may still be quite liquid - that's okay). Add skim milk and remove from stove.

In another pan, add passion fruit juice and cardamom. I also added a little more corn (about 1/4 cup) to maintain a consistent flavor between the sauces. Heat until the cardamom has melded with the corn and passion fruit. If you want, sieve this. If you prefer keeping the corn, by all means.

Place ravioli on your plate. Froth up your cream mixture using a milk frother (I use a little whisk). Pour about 2 Tbls. on your ravioli, and add the citrus sauce (about 1 Tbl.) on top of that. I don't mix them as I like to control how much citrus "bite" I get out of the sauce. My husband, however, mixed them together and loved every minute of it.

Lentil Love

2009-09-23T12:49:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's because they cook up so quickly, but I'm a lentil fan. The French lentils are my favorite - nice texture, super taste, and again, easy cooking.

So I was opening cabinets and trying to land on a dinner idea the other day - voila! Full jar of lentils. Hmmm. And it was a clear, warmish day. Lentil loaf!

I bastardized one I'd found in 1,001 Low-fat Vegetarian Recipes. If you've not bought this cookbook yet, you're missing tons of great recipes!

Anyway, my version goes something like this:

Low-fat Lentil Loaf
2 c. cooked lentils
1/2 cup cooked bulghur
3 carrots, shredded
1/4 cup diced onion
3 sticks celery, diced
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1 tsp. caraway seeds
1 tsp. celery salt
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar (I used that Mexican blend of cheddar and monterey jack)
2 eggs
salt and pepper

Coat skillet with cooking spray. Fry veggies and seeds for about 5 minutes until the veggies are soft.

In a bowl, mix together lentils, bulghur, veggies, cheese, and nuts. Mix in eggs. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Bake in a greased loaf pan at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve with your favorite sauce on top. I use this one:

Tomato Raisin Sauce
1 can tomato sauce (small can)
2 Tbls. fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. paprika
dash of cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves
1/4 cup raisins
salt and pepper

Heat all over med-low heat until hot. Let stand for 30 minutes. Serve on top of loaf.

Rolling On

2009-09-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the stuff in your fridge just happens to be the stuff you need to pull together a delicious miracle. If you're like me, it's more often the case that the one item you need is still at the store.

So last night I pulled out the leftover phyllo dough (you should always have this stuff around - it's so versatile!), the pepper with the waning shelf life, the onion, the aging broccoli, the Swiss cheese, and the butternut squash. What resulted was a tasty, low-fat strudel that had us wanting more.

Vegetable Strudel
1 cup chopped broccoli, steamed
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 bell pepper (any color), chopped small
1 cup butternut squash, chopped small
1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
phyllo dough (5 or 6 sheets for each roll - this can make a few rolls and lots of leftovers)
Sauce:
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tsp. thyme
1 Tbl. corn starch

Preheat oven to 375. Steam the broccoli. Next, make your sauce as you'll need to add it to your other ingredients later.

Saute onion and pepper together for about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and squash and cook through for about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add 1/2 cup sauce, the Swiss cheese, and the salt and pepper.

On a flat surface, lay one sheet of phyllo dough on a towel. Spray with cooking spray and layer the remaining sheets the same way, spraying each layer. Spread about 1/2 cup of the veggie mixture onto the dough. Tuck in the short sides, then use the towel to help roll the dough up. Carefully place the roll on a baking sheet (no spraying needed). Spray top and bake for 15-20 minutes or until it's golden brown on top.

Cut into slices and serve with the remaining sauce.

The Right Stuff (ing)

2009-07-29T03:57:00.000-07:00

Did you ever see those gorgeous little baby portobellos in the store? I wasn't even thinking of mushrooms when I saw them. But they were so white, fluffy, and cute. Yes, cute. I'm attracted to looks.

I found this recipe on Reader's Digest
and modified it to fit what I had on hand. It's amazing. My husband is not a mushroom fan - he wants me to save the recipe.

Stuffed Baby Portobellos

4 large or 8 baby portobello mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1 cup Pepperidge Farm herb stuffing, mashed a bit
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Parmesan cheese for tops (fresh stuff, not the grated kind)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking sheet lined with foil with cooking spray.

Remove and chop mushroom stems. Add stems and onion to a skillet. Fry until onions are clear (or microwave it for 2 minutes).

In a small bowl, mix together the sour cream and eggs. Add spinach, stuffing, feta and onion mix.

Spoon mixture into caps, making sure to gently push filling under cap rims. Place on baking sheet and bake 20 minutes for small mushrooms, 35 for bigger. Sprinkle with Parmesan and bake another 5 minutes.

The Russian Front

2009-06-24T15:02:00.000-07:00

The farmer's market this week had some interesting finds, including the nicest looking Russian kale I've ever seen. Well, the only Russian kale I've ever seen. I had to have it. Then came the obvious dilemma - what to do with it.

I decided soup. Soup seems to be the easiest way for me to test out new things, to mix their flavors with old familiars, maybe creating new familiars in the process.

If you don't have Russian kale handy, any kale will do.

Bean and Russian Kale Soup

1 large bunch Russian kale (about 1 1/2 cups), chopped
2 small carrots, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1 can Great Northern beans (or your favorite), drained and rinsed
1/2 can diced tomatoes or better yet, 1 fresh tomato, diced
2 cups vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

In a soup pot, heat a scant amount of cooking spray. Add celery and carrots and saute, adding water to keep the lot from burning and to keep the fat low. Cook about 4 minutes. Add beans and kale and stir. Then add the remaining ingredients and cook about 20 minutes, covered, until all is soft. Place in bowls and sprinkle with cheese.

That's Bulghur!

2009-06-15T15:54:00.000-07:00

I admit it - I hate the word "bulghur." It's the sound. Love the stuff, but hate the word. I'm the same way with "house finch." It sounds so ... common. In my world, they're linnets.

Anyway, we cooked some of that unmentionable stuff tonight for dinner. What to do with cups of bulghur? Burgers. Bulghur burgers. Here's what I did -

Bulghur Burgers
1 cup cooked lentils (if you have them lying around, as I did. If not, skip them.)
1 cup cooked bulghur
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives
1/2 cup chopped red/green pepper (red gives it nice color)
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 carrot, diced

Spray some oil in a skillet. Heat on medium and fry carrots and peppers until soft.

In a bowl combine bread crumbs, lentils if you're using them, bulghur and eggs. Add fried veggies. Mix in eggs, olives and spices. If you need to, add more bread crumbs until the mixture holds a solid shape.

Fry in skillet until brown and "crispy" on both sides, about five minutes each side.

I served this with corn and fried new potatoes (those itty bitty potatoes) - Here's how I did that:

1/2 pound new potatoes, cut into quarters
1 Tbl. chili powder
1 tsp. Adobo seasoning

Put all in a bag and shake until it's all coated. Cook, covered, in a skillet. I add a little spray oil and a little water to help steam cook the potatoes and keep the fat content down.

Sammiches!

2009-06-01T14:59:00.000-07:00

I'm a huge fan of a sammich. My old favorite used to be a bologna and mustard sandwich on white bread, washed down with a Coke. Alas, no more. My new favorite is ten times more flavorful and doesn't require any Coke to digest it.

Portabello Sandwiches
2 whole portabello mushrooms, stems and gills removed
1 Tbl. red wine
1 medium Yukon Gold potato, sliced very thin
1 onion, sliced
1 tomato, sliced thin
Lettuce

In frying pan, saute onion until clear. Set aside. Using a potato peeler or cheese slicer, slice the potato wafer thin. Fry over medium heat on both sides until soft (crisp on the edges). Set aside.

Saute mushrooms in wine on both sides four minutes or until liquid is reduced and mushroom caps brown. Assemble burgers by placing a slice of your favoirte cheese on a kaiser roll (I used Swiss). Put the mushroom on top, then the potato, tomato, onion, lettuce and top with the following sauce:

2 Tbls. chopped roasted red pepper (mine mashed easily)
2 mashed avacados
1 Tbl. chili powder
1 tsp. horseradish (I used my dad's home-grown stuff)
1 Tbl. Ranch dressing

Mix all and spread on rolls.

Tofu Made Edible!

2009-05-01T09:58:00.000-07:00

My husband has made it no secret that tofu could disappear from our dinners and he'd never miss it. So when I served up my un-fish fried fish, all he could say was "Oh," You know that one.

But to his surprise and delight, this was different. This time, I'd soaked the sliced tofu overnight in beer. When I was ready to cook it, I drained the beer off and used it to make the batter. Wow! What a difference in flavor!

Also made some potatoes to go with it. This wasn't so much a recipe as a dump-as-you-go method. Here's what I used:

chili powder
salt
fresh pepper

If you have paprika, add it. I didn't.

Add thinly sliced potatoes to the mix, shake 'em around, then remove them and fry them in your skillet until they're cooked. If you like them crispy, make those slices very thin.

Cold Day, Warm Bowl

2009-04-07T05:48:00.000-07:00

It's been what I consider to be a fairly cold March/April here on the Eastern seaboard. While I was raised on frost warnings in May (western PA), I've gotten used to the milder weather in eastern PA. However, this is the year that sweaters were made for.

So last week between the 60-degree days, we were hit with a 40-degree day or so with some mighty high winds. Okay, I can take it, but not everyone here can. It was that rainy, windy cold that seeps into your bone marrow and practically begs you for soup.

Soup it was. I wanted something minestrone-like without really being minestrone, so I opened the fridge and tossed in what appealed. It came together beautifully, and made a wonderfully rich soup without all the fat involved.

Mock Minestrone

1/4 cup chopped onion
2 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 tsp. vegetable buillion (I used Better than Buillion)
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp. thyme
1 handful veggie crumbles, optional (I used frozen)
2 heaping handfuls spinach
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a saucepan, add about a tablespoon of water and heat. Saute onions, celery and carrots in this for about 3 minutes or until water mostly steams off. Add vegetable broth one cup at a time, stirring in buillion to make sure it dissolves. Add beans, thyme, crumbles, salt and pepper. Heat for about 20 minutes, until veggies are softer and the flavors have blended. Turn off heat. Toss in spinach and stir in for a few seconds until it's wilted.

Lunch Time

2009-04-03T14:13:00.000-07:00

Had a craving the other day for something from elementary school. Remember those sloppy joes, dripping down the side of the bun, rife with ketchupy, oniony flavor that warms you from the inside out? Yea, that's what I wanted.

So I mixed and tasted and concocted until it was just so. Here's what I came up with:

Meatless Sloppy Joes

1 pkg. frozen veggie crumbles (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can rinsed kidney beans
1/2 tangy barbecue sauce (honey-flavored doesn't taste so good here)
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 cup water

Saute onion in skillet until clear. Add remaining ingredients except for water. Cook for a few minutes on medium, then stir in water as needed to the thickness you like. Simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes.

Fish and Chips, Minus the Fish

2009-03-26T16:05:00.000-07:00

Sitting at my favorite Irish pub the other day, I saw a big platter of fish and chips going by perched (pun intended) on the waitress's arm. A fish joint alumnae (I was First Mate at the seafood shoppe), I was struck with longing - not for the fish, but for the batter. Oh, that batter. So I concocted my own vegetarian version - beer batter...tofu. Yep. Tofu. White fish is relatively without flavor (not entirely), so this turned out to be a better idea than I first thought. And to be honest, my first thought was "Lori, you're crazy. That's going to taste like crap."

It didn't. It even passed muster with my England-raised husband, who thrived on fish and chips.

Beer Batter Tofu

3 egg whites (vegans, you can easily substitute Egg Replacer here)
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup beer (I used Boddingtons Ale, but any mild ale will do)
2-3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbl. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbl. cornstarch
1 Tbl. Old Bay Seasoning
1-2 tsp. salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
Oil for frying (eliminate if oven baking)
1 carton extra-firm tofu

Drain tofu and press slightly between paper towels to dry. Cut tofu on a diagonal, corner to corner, making two triangles. From there, stand one triangle on the "fat" end, then cut through, making three same-size triangles. Repeat with the other side. Set aside.

Mix flour, baking powder, soda, and cornstarch in a bowl. Set aside.

Beat together egg whites and milk. Add beer. Slowly stir in flour mixture, making sure all dry ingredients are wet. Add more flour as needed to make sure consistency is thick and doesn't run easily (this may take a little more flour - just keep experimenting until the batter is thin enough to adhere to the tofu and thick enough to not all run off).

Heat about 1/2 inch of safflower or vegetable oil in a skillet on medium heat. Once oil is heated, dip tofu into batter, using a wooden spoon or small spatula to keep the tofu from tearing or getting lost. Lower into oil carefully and fry, 4-5 minutes on each side, then transfer to paper towels to drain.

If you don't want to fry it, bake it! I did it both ways. Frying is much more flavorful, but the baking still retained a good deal of flavor. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Dip tofu as described above and place on tray (expect a bit more batter run-off with this method). Bake for 20 minutes (crust should be golden).

Serve with fries or boiled potatoes. And plenty of malt vinegar!

Red Hair, Freckles - Guess Who's Irish?

2009-03-17T10:15:00.000-07:00

Despite the blonde highlights to hide the gray hairs, I was born an auburn-haired girl. Though it's faded over time, one need look only to the freckles to confirm the obvious. And today is my favorite day.

Since I couldn't wait to post my Irish stew recipe last month, I'll share my favorite Colcannon recipe here. Enjoy!

Colcannon

3 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 small bunch of kale, sliced thin
2 cups cabbage, sliced thin
1/2 onion, sliced thin
3 Tbl. butter, cut into small pieces and softened
2/3 cup scalded milk
1/4 cup half-and-half (I use fat-free)
1/2 tsp. mace
salt and pepper to taste

Get your potatoes boiling. Meantime, coat a large skillet with cooking spray and heat. Saute onions, cabbage, and kale until cabbage and kale are soft. (I do this by adding water a few minutes into the saute and covering it.) Season with salt, pepper, and mace. Scald milk in a double boiler, making sure to heat it until just before boiling. NEVER boil it.

Mash potatoes in a large bowl, adding milk, half-and-half and butter as you mash. Add saute mixture and season again with salt and pepper to taste. If you like, add more butter or milk. There are no rules! Just enjoy.

How to Stuff a Wild Zucchini

2009-03-08T14:30:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I just want something more than steamed zucchini or fried zucchini. Sometimes I want zucchini to be just a touch more exciting than, well, zucchini.

I'd seen numerous recipes for stuffed zucchini, but none struck my fancy. So I made one up. It's not quite perfect, but it's better than plain zucchini.

Stuffed Zucchini

1 cup couscous
1 cup vegetable broth
2-4 zucchini, sliced lengthwise, seeds scooped out
1/2 medium green bell pepper
1/4 cup mushrooms (your choice)
1 3.5 oz container crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup chopped onion
3 Tbls. white wine (I used Riesling)
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375.

Heat broth in microwave until hot, about 1:30 minutes. Add to couscous and stir. Set aside.

Spray nonstick skillet with oil. Saute onions, peppers, and mushrooms until onions are clear, adding wine halfway through the sauteeing, reducing until almost gone. Add vegetable mixture and feta cheese to couscous and stir.

Stuff mixture into zucchini, pressing down lightly to compress filling. Place zucchini in a lasagna pan. Pour water into the pan until it's about 1/3-inch from the bottom (not the top!). Bake, covered with foil (or lid) 40 minutes. Take foil/lid off and cook 10-15 more minutes to brown the top. Or if you like your zucchini a bit more roasted, eliminate the water, spray the pan bottom with oil, and broil the entire thing for 15 minutes.

Rocking the Risotto

2009-02-23T10:11:00.000-08:00

A quick update on the 50 Million Pound Challenge that doesn't consider vegetarians - I got a note back from the doctor in charge of the food plan and he tells me this:

"Unfortunately, we can't change the diet that's currently on the website. We understand that many people have different dietary restrictions and requirements, but we currently lack the ability to alter the plan. However, you might want to try the 4 Day Diet which can be modified to meet your needs. Many vegans and vegetarians have found success with this plan as it has been better suited for their eating style since it allow substitutions and is more flexible."

The 4 Day Diet? Yea, you have to purchase that. While I truly appreciate the doctor's response, once again I'm left wondering why we vegetarians are overlooked by a meat-eating world (and a medical community) that is constantly expressing interest in cutting out meat from their diets. The eternal conundrum.

Perhaps if they ate more risotto, they'd understand. Mind you, I don't make a lot of risotto because it seems to be the only thing some restaurants can serve that's truly vegetarian. I appreciate the offer, but after five restaurants in a row, I begin to see the "offer" as more of an easy cop-out instead of truly understanding the vegetarian population. Whatever. Let's just say the doctor's note put me in a mood. It's certainly not as bad as the "vegetarian" meal I was served at a wedding a few years ago. I ask you - could YOU survive on a pile of white rice and three broccoli stalks?

Anyway, I've been wanting to make risotto, but not just any risotto. I looked for recipes, but nothing was really speaking to me. So I concocted this one, and my husband fell in love with me all over again (so he says). ;) I used smoked Gouda, which turned a good dish into an amazing one.

Cheese Risotto with Smoked Gouda

1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup arborio rice
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup white wine (I used Riesling)
1/2 cup grated or shredded Parmesan
1/3 cup smoked Gouda, diced small
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, heat onion in 2 Tbls. water, covered, until onion is soft (2 minutes). Add rice, broth, wine and salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until rice is al dente. Turn off heat and add cheeses, stirring well.

Can anyone explain how to make risotto without standing over it? Even then the darned stuff sticks like glue to the bottom of the pan. What do you do?

My Version of Fast Food

2009-02-21T05:53:00.000-08:00

I worked a little later yesterday, despite trying to get away from the computer at 3. I was here until nearly 5:30. When I got up, I realized I hadn't given one thought to what dinner might be. Time to go quick-and-easy. But do you sometimes feel that you can't make something either quick or easy that tastes good?

Since I'm not a processed-food user (or eater), opening a can of soup isn't going to work. I dug through my recipes and there on top was a white bean soup that saved the night. It took about 15 minutes to cook thanks to the potatoes, but we were eating by 6. Amen. Soup saves the day again!

Actually, I have a few soup recipes that are fast and perfect for when you're tired and don't want to take forever to get something good on the table. Here are a few:

Tomato Soup
4 tomatoes, chopped (I prefer Roma, but whatever is on hand is great)
1 or 2 Tbl. of fresh dried basil (or a small handful of fresh basil, chopped)
1 Tbl. sugar
2 tsp. salt or to taste
1/2 to 1 cup water

This recipe requires you to measure less, eyeball and taste more. Don't get hung up on amounts so much as how it tastes. It's literally 10 minutes from start to eating.

Heat all ingredients in saucepan until tomatoes are soft. Put all in blender and puree until smooth. If you like a thicker soup, serve as is. If not, press mixture through a sieve (I use a handheld metal colander). Serve.

White Bean Soup
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 Tbl. olive oil
2 carrots
1 medium-to-large potato, cubed
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup water (or more broth, if you like)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. parsley
Dash Herbes de Provence (or toss in some thyme)
salt
fresh ground pepper
1 can cannelini beans, drained and rinsed well

In a saucepan, heat oil and add onions and carrots. Saute until onions are soft. Add the rest of the ingredients, cover, and cook until potatoes are soft. If you want to make it creamy, try processing a cup of the soup and mixing it in to the rest of it.

Frustrated Foodie

2009-02-18T05:26:00.000-08:00

Have you seen the commercials for the State Farm-sponsored 50 Million Pounds Challenge? Great idea - sign up online and get tips, online support, and a month's worth of menus handed to you for free. Only...what about vegetarians? See, the menus are full of meat. And while I usually just substitute where I can, how do you substitute for a sirloin? Tofu? Beans? How much is that sirloin worth in terms of calories and fat?

It just seems shortsighted to me that a doctor-supported plan would neglect a sizable portion of the population in this weight loss program. I'm disappointed, State Farm. I was hoping that, like Weight Watchers, you understood that some of us don't eat meat. Weight Watchers does a great job of responding to that, but perhaps that's because they're in the business of weight loss - State Farm is merely dabbling. It could've been a great program, but I'm afraid I can't participate.

For those of you who do eat meat, please check it out at 50 Million Pounds.

What To Do with a Gazillion Eggplants

2009-02-16T07:22:00.000-08:00

In our neighborhood we have a produce market called, aptly, Produce Junction. It's a great place to buy fresh veggies and fruits. Only trouble is where you might want to buy oh, 3 tomatoes, you're actually expected (required) to buy a few pounds. It's cheaper, but it requires some pre-planning so there's no waste.

Alas, there was no pre-planning involved last week when he stopped by after work and came home with a bag of 24-30 baby eggplants. My first thought was "Great!" because it's tough to find baby eggplants. Then I saw the bag. Oops. Now what?

Here's what - ratatouille and eggplant soup. Mind you, ratatouille is going to be an easier sell with the kids thanks to the movie, but even my husband curled up a lip at the thought of eggplant soup. But he went for seconds. And thirds. It was a hit.

Ratatouille
1 eggplant (or 12 baby eggplants if your husband brings home a huge bag), sliced thin
1 small onion, sliced very thin
1 green pepper, sliced thin and chopped to about 1 inch
3 Roma tomatoes, sliced thin (I use Roma because they're meatier)
1 Tbls. thyme
2 Tbls. dried basil (I used what came from our garden - make sure it's really aromatic)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put sliced eggplant in colander. Salt and let stand for about 30 minutes. This releases some bitterness (if any) and a fair amount of excess liquid. Rinse thoroughly and pat dry on paper towels.

In a square casserole (8x8), spray a small amount of cooking spray, then put a thin layer of onion. Top with eggplant. Top that with pepper, tomato, and then sprinkle on basil and thyme, salt and pepper. Repeat until you're out of veggies. Make sure to end with tomatoes and then the spices.

Drizzle the oil on top (don't drench) and bake, uncovered, for an hour. Make sure to check on it occasionally and press down on the top once in a while to compact the veggies. Serve hot. This goes great with veggie dogs or lentil meatloaf.

Eggplant Soup
1 eggplant (or 8-10 baby eggplants)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 green pepper, chopped
1 Tbl. olive oil
4 cups vegetable broth
salt and pepper (I used white pepper, but black pepper works, too)
1 large roasted red pepper (from a jar - or about 3 Tbls)
1 tsp. sugar

Pierce eggplant skin a few times. Under broiler, bake eggplant for 20 minutes. Cool. Scoop out eggplant pulp and chop (if using larger eggplant).

Meanwhile, heat oil in large saucepan. Saute onion and green pepper until soft. Add eggplant and broth. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Blend soup in blender until smooth. Add salt and pepper, roasted red pepper and sugar.

Is There Anything Better Than Spinach?

2009-02-09T13:21:00.000-08:00

Like I promised, today's the day I share my latest find - a spinach au gratin that's baked in the oven.

I love when I find a recipe that allows me to buy more fresh spinach. I love when that recipe is low in fat. This from a girl who used to hate spinach - LOATHE spinach. Now it's to the point where he says "Can we not have spinach again?" No problem - you cook then! LOL

Anyway, I was leafing through one of my favorite cookbooks - 1,001 Low-fat Vegetarian Recipes by Sue Spitler - when this one jumped out at me. It went great with the meatless loaf from yesterday. In fact, to me it was the bigger hit. Of course! Per usual, I've modified slightly to make this work for me:

Spinach Au Gratin

1 bag fresh spinach, washed
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 tsp. butter
1 Tbl. oil
2 Tbl. flour
1 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
Freshly ground nutmeg
salt and pepper
1/8 cup Parmesan cheese
1/8 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Wash spinach and put it directly into saucepan. Cover and cook on medium for 4 minutes, until wilted. Drain.

Heat butter and oil in saucepan. Fry onion until clear. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add milk and whisk. Bring to boil, whisking constantly, until it thickens. Take off heat. Add sour cream and mix.

Set aside 1/4 cup of mixture. Add spinach to saucepan and mix. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper. Pour into smallish casserole dish (I used 8-by-8). Top with remaining sauce and sprinkle first with Parmesan and then with cheddar.

Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.

Crockpot Meat-less Loaf

2009-02-08T14:31:00.000-08:00

It was a nice lazy weekend (we don't get those too often) so I hauled out the recipe books. I wanted a nice meat-less loaf recipe that would go in the crockpot. Alas, none. So on to the web - again, many nice recipes, but none with crockpot directions. I did find one with lamb involved, so I bastardized my own version of a meatloaf and used the web-found cooking directions. Here's what I made:

Crockpot Meat-less Loaf

1 package ground meatless meat (I used a Gimme Lean one, about 16 oz)
1 cup cooked lentils (French lentils)
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1/3 cup onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
3 sundried tomatoes, diced
2 Tbls. white wine
Cooking spray
1 egg
1 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/2 tsp. marjoram
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. crushed bay leaf
salt and pepper

Spray skillet with cooking spray. Heat, then saute diced veggies until the celery is soft, about 8 minutes, adding wine after 4 minutes. Set aside to cool a little.

Meanwhile, mix together the ground meatless soy and the lentils. Add spices and vegetable mixture. Mix, then add bread crumbs and egg. If it's too moist at this point, add a little more bread crumbs.

Press into the bottom of a crockpot. Add a thin layer of Tomato and Red Pepper Sauce (below). If you don't have that, don't bother with anything. Heat on high for an hour, then turn to low and cook for 8 hours. (If you can't let it pre-cook at high, just crank it up when you get home. )

Serve with tomato and red pepper sauce, below.

Tomato and Red Pepper Sauce

1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
1 large roasted red pepper, drained and chopped
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Blend all ingredients in a food processor. Heat in microwave and spoon over cooked meatloaf.

If you do this correctly, it'll look like it's burning on the sides. It is, but it gives you that wonderful meatloaf-y crust.

Originally, I used 1 cup of vegetable broth, but I recommend cutting it back as it was too watery and I had to cook it with the lid off.

I served this with a Creamy Spinach Au Gratin, which I'll share with you tomorrow.

Getting My Irish (Stew) Up

2009-02-04T11:37:00.000-08:00

It snowed here last night - absolutely beautiful to wake up to (especially since I work from home). But with the snow came a cold spell, so even though I was saving this recipe for St. Patrick's Day, I'm figuring today's a good day for it.

I can't take credit for this one entirely - the original showed up in a Vegetarian Times issue not long ago. But I've made it my own with a few changes while trying to stick closely to the original (because it really was so darned good). Full credit to VT for the idea.

Irish Stew

Nonfat cooking spray
1 tub Ray's Wheat Meat (or your favorite seitan)
2 carrots, sliced
1 Tbl. flour
4 slices Fakin' bacon, sliced into strips (I use one that looks like Canadian bacon)
1 tsp. fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme (use fresh if you can)
1 cup stout beer (I use Belhaven Scottish Ale, but Guinness works, as does any good brown ale)
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup butternut squash, cubed,
OR
1 Yukon potato, cubed (I prefer the potato)
1/2 cup frozen edamame

Spray a soup pot with oil and heat. Stir in carrots and cook for about 5 minutes. (add a little water if it begins to stick, but not more than a few Tbls.) Add flour and cook for 2 minutes.

Add seitan (without draining), bacon, and thyme. Stir and cook for 2 more minutes.

Add beer and bring to a boil. As it boils, scrape the bottom of the pan frequently. I tend to reduce the liquid to a little over 1/2 cup. Add broth and potato/squash. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add edamame and cook 5-10 more minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I serve this with mashed or boiled potatoes. Because you add flour to this, it usually gets thick enough to serve on a plate.

Meat eaters - this one's easy to convert. Just substitute beef cubes for the seitan.

Sometimes, You Just Need a Drink

2009-02-03T15:56:00.000-08:00

Oh boy, did I have a day today! A client issue that refused to clear up may mean that I have to turn my back on a lucrative, ongoing gig. But I'm of the opinion that sometimes things happen as hidden blessings. This situation may be just that as it will free me up to find more lucrative jobs (I'm a freelance writer by day - food fanatic by night).

So I did what anyone would do in times of stress - I exercised like mad, meditated, and then mixed up a pitcher of sangria. Here's my favorite way to make it, which I think makes it good enough to be lethal. Careful! If you use too much sugar, you'll end up with too much buzz, and then an unwelcome headache.

One note - I've made this with both white wine and red. I prefer the white (lower calories) for summer, but either will work for you.

Sangria the Right Way

1 bottle red wine, preferably merlot or pinot noir (I buy fairly cheap ones)
2 peaches, sliced thin
1 lemon, sliced thin
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup club soda
1/4 cup passion fruit juice (I've used guava juice with excellent results)

Pour wine into 2-quart pitcher. Add sugar and stir well. Add sliced fruit, juice, and club soda. For a deeper flavor, don't add club soda until you've let this mixture sit in the fridge for an hour or so. This allows the fruit flavors to really come out before you drink it.

Drink with care and please, drink responsibly. If you'd prefer non-alcoholic, this is great with a sparkling white wine substitute.

Game On!

2009-02-01T11:06:00.000-08:00

If you're not nailed to the television for the Super Bowl today, perhaps this post won't be your favorite. Likewise if you're not rooting for the Steelers, I'm not sure you're in the right place. ;))

Today I sit 300 miles from Pittsburgh and all the fever that envelopes the city and nearly all of western PA whenever their team goes to the big game. My daughter, who attends college there, said the restaurant where she works is closing at 6 today. In fact, most businesses will, as well. There's no point staying open - no one is out. If they're not glued to a television, they've claimed their spot at the local watering hole for game time. Kids in the area will enjoy a two-hour delay tomorrow morning. School districts know - they'll be up late tonight. Most of the area is swathed in black and gold and everyone from Gramma on down to newborns are wearing the colors and waving the towels.

I miss it. Alas, I'm not anywhere near the rallies and the excitement. I'm here in Philly, where the only mention of the game is a cursory "In sports, the Steelers and Cardinals will play in the Super Bowl. Locally, no games are scheduled." Thanks. Thanks for the support.

At any rate, I'm five hours from the best tailgate parties on the planet, but that doesn't mean I'm not eating! I've already made my chili. My guacamole (recipe below) is in the fridge. I'm even making cheese un-steaks. The food, to me, is as important as the game (or the commercials).

My guac is one I created after eating what I still believe is the best ever at my wedding reception. Since the caterer refused to give up her secret recipe, I began experimenting, trying to hit on the perfect combo. While hers is now a distant memory, mine has won a few rave reviews. The secret (and yes, I share my secrets) - corn and roasted red peppers.

Because the chips I use have plenty of salt already, I cut down on how much I put into this. You won't miss it.

Guacamole Heaven

2-4 hass avocados
1/4 cup diced onion
2/3 cup frozen corn
2 roasted red peppers (I use jarred)
2 Tbs. sliced jalepeno rings (again, I use jarred ones)
1/4 tsp. ancho chili pepper (McCormick's)
1 Tbl. butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
garlic powder

Heat skillet (I usually start with a small amount of oil, then add the butter) and melt butter. Add chili pepper powder, garlic powder, jalepeno rings and then corn. Saute until corn is cooked, about 5 minutes. Set aside. Add onion to the skillet and saute until it's clear, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Hollow out the avocados into a bowl. If you like, dice them. I don't. I use the "random slice" method, which means I just stab at it until it looks smaller. Dice the red peppers and add to the avacado. Add the corn mixture and the onion. Stir until mixed. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cool in the fridge. Serve with tortilla chips.

Lower-fat Eggplant

2009-01-27T05:50:00.000-08:00

Show of hands - who loves eggplant parmesan? Another show of hands - who avoids it because of the fat? What - you didn't know this stuff was loaded with fat?

The traditional eggplant parm uses oil, eggs, and a wad of cheese that could block arteries from fifty paces. For those of us watching our fat intake (and yes, even vegetarians have to be careful), it can be disastrous to the diet.

However, I've come across a great way to make this stuff without all the fat. Instead of frying the eggplant in oil, you bake it on a baking sheet sprayed with scant amounts of oil. And those eggs? Replaced with egg yolks. Add some reduced-fat or fat-free cheese and you'll be savoring this stuff without missing the clogged arteries.

Low-fat, High-flavor Eggplant Parmesan

1 smallish/medium eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 egg whites
1 cup plain or Italian breadcrumbs
1/2 cup low-fat/fat-free parmesan cheese
2/3 cup skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce
2 Tbs. dried basil or 10-12 leaves fresh basil, thinly sliced
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice eggplant and salt. Allow to drain in colander for about 20 minutes. Rinse thoroughly.

Mix egg whites and about 2 Tbs. of water to a froth. In a separate bowl, mix together the parmesan, bread crumbs, basil, salt and pepper. Dip eggplant into egg whites, then into dry ingredients.

Place slices on baking sheet sprayed with oil. Bake 15 minutes on each side. Remove from oven.

In a casserole dish, coat bottom with 1/2 cup of sauce. Add eggplant, then top with remaining sauce. Add mozzarella to top and bake, covered loosely with foil, for about 15-20 minutes, or until things are bubbly.

Because I'm Tenacious

2009-01-16T11:27:00.000-08:00

Remember my earlier post about my quest to perfect paella? I was at Ikea and found what I thought would be an excellent dish for paella. And it was, except for the fact that you can't use it on the stove top, which is where paella is perfected. So I modified, tweaked, and tried like heck (read that I tried once and got lucky) and managed to find a way to bake a pretty darned good paella.

Oven-baked Paella

Olive oil for sauteing
3 carrots, chopped
About a dozen black olives, sliced
1/2 cup onion, choppped
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp. vegetable bouillon (I used Better Than Bouillon)
1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms, rehydrated, reserving liquid
1 cup frozen corn
1/3 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 can diced tomatoes or 4-6 Roma tomatoes, chopped
3 shallots, sliced
1 cup brown rice
Salt and pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in cast-iron skillet and saute carrots and onion for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and broth, olives, corn, tomatoes and shallots. Saute a little more until the tomatoes soften. Transfer to a shallow baking dish. Add rice and broth and cook in oven, covered with foil or lid, for 45 minutes. Remove cover and add peas to top. Replace cover and heat through for about five minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This worked really well to help form that "crust" I've been trying for.

What a Crock!

2008-12-31T05:19:00.000-08:00

I did it - I broke down and bought a crock pot. My third one in my life, the other two disappearing after divorce and moves here and there. I can honestly say my last one - a massive Rival with removable crock - just vanished. I have no idea where it is now. But at the time I figured I'd probably not use it again, so I forgot about it.

But something strange is happening - people are beginning to use crock pots again. Not just a little, either. Pick up any food magazine and you'll see recipes for crockpot dinners, breakfasts, etc. I caved in yesterday when I picked up a veggie cookbook and there was an entire section on crock pot meals. I can't ignore that!

I'm glad I didn't. For some things, crock pots are great. They allow food to cook slowly, bringing out even more flavor in the ingredients. Yesterday's experiment was a new twist on an old favorite - Lentil Soup. I tried some new ingredients to give it a bit more oomph in the flavor department. This is now on our list of favorites.

Crockpot Lentil Stew

1 Tbl. olive oil
1 cup brown lentils
3 carrots, sliced
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 cup cubed butternut squash
1 c. red wine
2 cups vegetable broth
1 to 2 cups water
2 tsp. Herbes de Provence

Saute onions and carrots in olive oil until onions begin to soften. Add wine and saute until wine is reduced to at least half a cup. Pour into crock pot. Add broth, water, squash, herbs, and lentils and stir. Cook on high for 4-5 hours (or switch to low and cook longer if yours tends to burn everything). Season with salt and pepper.

Paella!

2008-12-30T17:10:00.000-08:00

There's this crepe restaurant in town that serves the most amazing vegetable paella I've ever eaten. And that steaming dish of paella, served in its own cast-iron pan, has had me on a mission for the last month to find both a perfect paella pan and to perfect a paella recipe that is completely vegetarian. (I suspect my favorite restaurant has used chicken stock.)

I'm still minus the pan, which means I'm minus that wonderful thick "crust" on the edges of the paella, but I've finally hit on a combination of ingredients that drench the thing in flavor (minus chicken stock, amen).

My Paella

1 Tbl. olive oil
2 carrots, sliced thin
1 cup corn
1 can diced tomatoes (soup-can size)
1 cup brown rice
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 can artichoke hearts, drained
1/2 tsp. saffron threads
1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Saute carrots in oil about 3 minutes. Add corn, tomatoes and artichokes and heat another 2 minutes. Add rice, broth, and saffron. Bring to a boil. Cover and lower heat, simmering 40-50 minutes. Add peas and steam for a few more minutes.

Emptying the Fridge

2008-12-24T05:23:00.001-08:00

I bought cauliflower? Really? No one here is a huge fan, but there it sat in the veggie drawer. Now what? I know when I bought it I'd had a plan, but the plan was lost in the brain matter and the cauliflower sat there staring at me, threatening to turn black if I didn't do something soon.

When in doubt, soup. This one turned out fantastic - and I may have converted a few non-cauliflower believers with it. Unlike a lot of "cream of cauliflower" creations, cheese is not a main ingredient, though it adds that extra layer of taste.

Cauliflower Soup with Cheese

1 head cauliflower, separated into flowerettes
2 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. oil (I use olive)
1/2 cup sweet onion, chopped
3 leeks, chopped
3 sticks celery, chopped
1/4 cup flour
3 cups vegetable broth
1 cup milk
4 oz. Gruyere cheese, cubed
White pepper (or black if you're not picky about the color) to taste

Steam about a cup of the cauliflower and set aside. You'll be putting this in the soup after you puree it, so steam it to your preferred level of crunchiness.

Heat butter and oil in soup pot at medium heat and add onions, leeks, celery and remaining cauliflower. Cook until onions are clear and veggies are fairly soft. Stir in flour thoroughly (no lumps!), then add broth slowly, stirring well between each addition. Add the milk last, then reduce the heat to low, partially cover it and simmer for 20 minutes. Make sure to stir it often lest your milk and flour burn on the bottom.

Blend the soup in a blender on a low speed (to avoid splashing and burning). Return to pot and stir in cheese (if you choose to turn on the burner, make it very low so as not to scorch the entire thing). Add pepper and stir. Ladle into bowls and add the reserved cauliflower flowerettes to the bowls.

I served this with buckwheat (kashi), which we stirred right in. It's definitely not a main course because of the lack of protein, but it goes well as a "side" for all sorts of dishes.

Next!

2008-12-15T04:00:00.000-08:00

With the Firebird Festival party over, I'm concentrating again on the holidays. Gotta feed both the meat eaters and the veggies, which means yours truly is in the kitchen most of the freakin' season. The past few years, he and I have eaten some terrific pot pies to go with the Chestnut Stuffing I make for everyone. I'm thinking something new for this year, but it's hard to pass these up - they're so easy to make!

If you're using dried mushrooms (or any canned mushrooms), reserve the liquid from reconstituting or the can. You'll need it.

Holiday Pot Pies

Cooking spray
1/2 c. porcini mushrooms (or your own favorite - I used dried ones I "revive" in water)
1/3 c. chopped onion
3 stalks celery, sliced thin
1 Tbl. fresh thyme, chopped
1 container of Ray's Wheat Meat (or 1/2 lb. of beef, if you're a meat eater)
1 1/2 c. cubed butternut squash
1 c. green beans, cut
1 c. frozen corn, thawed
3 small red potatoes, sliced or cubed
1/2 c. dry white wine or cooking wine
2-3 c. vegetable broth
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
4 to 6 single-serve ramekins

Spray medium-sized pot with oil. Cook mushrooms, onion, celery, and thyme, covered, about 10 minutes on low, stirring to make sure nothing sticks or burns. Uncover and add wine and simmer, reducing liquid, for about 2-4 minutes. Add vegetables and broth/mushroom liquid. Cook for 10 minutes, reducing the liquid once again. Add seitan and heat until seitan is heated through.

Using a little of the liquid, mix in some cornstarch/flour in a separate cup and add this to the pot. Simmer another few minutes, stirring constantly, until it's thick and bubbly.

Spray ramekins with oil. Pour in about 1 cup of the veggie mixture. Set aside on a baking sheet.

Unfold puff pastry sheet. Using a dough cutter (I use the top of an unused ramekin to get the size right, then a knife to cut it out), cut as many circles from the dough as you have ramekins filled. Cut a small hole in the center of each circle (for ventilation). Place pastry on top of filled ramekins.

Bake in a 425-degree oven for 15 minutes until the pastry is browned.

Fillo or Phyllo? Who Cares As Long As It's Good?

2008-12-08T11:01:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to Gina for a fantastic recipe I made for lunch yesterday. Thanks to a can of canellini beans, this was one filling bowl of soup!

I'm back to sniffing out things to serve guests for our party. I came across phyllo dough shells and now I'm on the prowl for something to put in them. I'm leaning toward a meatless mincemeat filling with apples, chestnuts, and dried fruits, but who can resist filling them with cheesecake or something equally sweet and decadent?

Anyone have any favorite mini tart recipes?

Bring on Tuscany!

2008-12-05T04:58:00.000-08:00

Just a short break in my quest for appetizers for the Firebird Festival. We had this casserole a few nights ago. It's high in flavor and low in fat. And talk about fast! You chop onions, peppers, and a bit of parsley, put it all in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients and pop it in the oven. The tough part is waiting until it's finished! The original came from 1,001 Low-fat Vegetarian Recipes by Sue Spitler, but as always, I've modified.

Tuscan Bean Bake
1 can small white beans, rinsed
1 cup vegetable stock (I use my own homemade)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 tsp. ground sage
1 tsp. rosemary
5 or 6 sundried tomatoes, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a 2-qt. casserole, pour beans, stock, onion, pepper, sage, rosemary, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Mix breadcrumbs and parsley together and press onto top of casserole and bake, uncovered, another 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.

This puppy serves about 4 people and has an amazing 250 calories, no cholestrol, and just makes you feel good all over!

Chowder Head

2008-12-03T04:25:00.000-08:00

My great-uncle Gallagher has this favorite phrase for those of us kids who weren't thinking with a full brain - he calls us "chowder heads." And he does so with that devilish grin that makes you feel like part of his inner circle, even if you are a chowder head.

Maybe it's because I was researching some family stuff two nights ago, but he popped into my mind as I was thinking about what to make for the Firebird Festival party. Why not corn chowder? I can serve it in a cup so it's not messy or cumbersome, and if we're heading out into the cold, what better way to ward off the chill?

Here's a version I've yet to perfect, but I've certainly given it a go and love it.

Creamiest Corn Chowder on the Planet

1 onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
2 c. vegetable broth
1 medium potato, grated (I used Yukon gold)
1 can cream-style corn
2 c. frozen corn, thawed
3 c. milk (or soy milk for vegan)
1/4 c. chopped parsley
1/2 tsp. turmeric
2 sun-dried tomatoes, diced
salt and pepper to taste

Spray a little nonstick cooking spray in a soup pot. Fry onion, pepper, and tomatoes for 5 minutes. (I use a little oil to start, then add water to steam them once there's a little flavor. Cuts down on the fat.) Add broth and potato and cook uncovered until the broth reduces a bit. Stir in canned and thawed corn and milk. Heat until hot, but not boiling. Make sure to stir constantly so nothing sticks. If you want to make it thicker, you can add 1 c. of cream, but since we shy away from added fat, I'd suggest flour or cornstarch instead. Serves about 8.

For me, reducing liquids such as broth and wine bases is a great way to thicken a soup without adding flours or creams. It takes just a few extra minutes and it really helps if you're watching your weight.

Also, I'm a big fan of reducing oils and using water to "fry" with instead. Once I fry for a minute or two and the veggies take on the frying "flavor" I add water to speed up the softening and reduce any additional oil I might add.

Do you have any tips to make food lower in fat or calories?

I'm a Won Ton Woman

2008-12-02T04:12:00.000-08:00

It's true - I spent the better part of Sunday afternoon making yet another appetizer "test" for the upcoming Firebird Festival pre-party here at the house. This one's easier than it sounds. The reason it took me a few hours was because while mixing and wrapping, I was also fielding phone calls from my youngest, who was having fun finding a taxi to take her from hotel-to-campus. Long story. Boring, too. 'Nuff said.

Anyway, I've found a perfectly good won ton mixture that I think is a hit. You can add water chestnuts too, if you like. Whatever suits. I've made these for dinner before (and served them with bok choy and rice).

Won Ton and Peanut Dipping Sauce

1 bunch of asparagus
3 Tbs. fresh ginger
1 Tbs. fresh chives, cut up
1/2 cup frozen edamame, thawed
4 Tbs. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. red curry paste
1 tsp. (more or less) sesame oil
1 tsp. (more or less) rice vinegar

Make your dipping sauce first (recipe to follow).

In food processor, pulse ginger until it's minced. Put in bowl. Cut up asparagus and chives and add them and the edamame, soy sauce, oil and vinegar to processor, pulsing until chopped. Add to ginger. Mix in curry paste. Using won ton wrappers, put about a tsp. of mixture in the center of the wrapper. Moisten the edges and fold over to make a rectangle. Seal edges. To cook, place the won ton in a steamer basket and steam about 6 to 8 minutes tops. Serve hot with dipping sauce.

Peanut Dipping Sauce

1/2 to 3/4 cup coconut milk
1 tsp. red curry paste
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
2 Tbs. raw sugar (or brown sugar)
1 Tbs. lemon juice

Whisk milk and curry paste in saucepan. Add peanut butter and whisk until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients and heat over low-to-medium heat, stirring often. Cook for about 5 minutes until it's heated through.

Like a Phoenix Rising

2008-12-01T05:17:00.000-08:00

Never mind holiday shopping, post-Thanksgiving laziness in the kitchen, and the general feeling that now, things are about to get busy. We're preparing for the annual Firebird Festival. Since leaving a small town in a remote area of the state for a larger one in the suburbs of Philly, I've longed for a town celebration to match the one I grew up with - the Moon Landing Celebration. I mean, really. If your town is named Apollo and it's in Armstrong County and you hear that a man named Armstrong flying in an Apollo mission walks on the moon, aren't you going to have a party?

But back to the Firebird Festival. It's held in mid-December and the residents gather in the center of town, where a massive wooden phoenix is set ablaze to the beat of native drumming. It's invigorating, which is good given the cold weather. This year, we've decided to host a pre-bird burning party, and my wheels are already turning. What to serve people who are about to head into the cold?

I'm starting with appetizers. This one's so simple, and the hot pepper gives you just enough heat to ward off a chill -

Chipotle Canapes

1/2 cup cream cheese
box of Triscuits (or your favorite crackers)
1 or 2 radishes, sliced thin
About 8 fresh chives, chopped
1/2 of ONE chipotle chili in adobo sauce, minced (no sauce - you'll regret it if you do!)
salt and pepper to taste

Mix together the cream cheese, chives, and chipotle chili. Add salt and pepper. Spread on crackers and top with a radish slice. Serve. Makes about 3 dozen crackers.

See? Simple. One thing to note - don't make these too far in advance. We brought some back from a party and within about 12 hours, they were soggy. Not sure what the "tray life" is on these, but they're so easy to make you can wait until last minute.

More festival party food tomorrow....

Berry Good

2008-11-26T04:23:00.000-08:00

When Mom was asking me for the cranberry sauce recipe, I went digging. Alas, nowhere to be found. But I remembered most of the ingredients, so I did an online search to try piecing together the recipe. Here's what we've come up with - and Mom concurs:

Orange-Cranberry Sauce

1 1/2 cups water
2 cups sugar
3 cups clean, picked-over cranberries
1 medium orange, chopped fine
1 tsp. ground ginger
dash of cinnamon
dash of cloves
dash of cardamom powder

Wash the cranberries and remove stones or stems. Peel and finely chop the orange.

Combine the sugar with 1 cup of the water in a medium saucepan and heat until sugar dissolves. Add cranberries, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes, uncover, and simmer for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the remaining 1/2 cup of water, chopped orange, ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom powder, then simmer for 20 minutes, stirring often. Chill until ready to serve. You can make this up to three days ahead.

Low-fat Chowder?

2008-11-24T05:14:00.000-08:00

Since it was gawd-awful cold here yesterday morning (according to the spouse - to me, it was a typical western PA morning transplanted in southeastern PA) and since we'd spent a mighty frigid day in Manhattan on Saturday, I decided it would be a good soup day. Since the youngest is home from college, I am once again challenged to find something to fill her meat-loving body. To say she's picky is an understatement. She has a reperitoire of ONE meat - chicken - and one vegetable beyond an iceberg-lettuce salad - broccoli. Corn doesn't count; everyone loves corn! I swear I raised her better, but she's stubborn.

I knew she liked potato soup and hated mushroom soup (see? she's impossible). And any hint of it being vegetarian-specific has her in a mood. The fact that we were able to go to Angelica Kitchen with her was a large sacrifice for her, I'm sure. She didn't fuss, though she did look as though we were trying to kill her (and in fact uttered that a few times over her salad). And yes, we had to find her "real" food afterward. Ugh.

Anyway, potato soup was yesterday's menu. Thanks to a few moments of "Oh lord, I've forgotten to stir!" it turned out to be the best I've made. Here's how I wowed even the picky one:

Low-fat, High-taste Potato Chowder

1 celery stalk, sliced small
2 Tbs. (more or less) onion, diced
2 Tbs. fresh chives, cut about 1/2 long
1 pat butter (less than a Tbs)
2 tsp. celery salt
2 cups vegetable broth (I used homemade blended and unstrained so all the veggies remains are still in there)
2 large-ish potatoes, skins on, cubed (I used red-skinned potatoes, but you could use Idaho, if you prefer)
1 cup fat-free milk
Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a soup pot and saute celery, chives, and onion over medium heat to avoid burning butter, until veggies are soft. If you like, add a touch of water to help with softening the veggies while not burning things. Add 1 cup of the vegetable broth and continue sauteeing until the broth is reduced to about 1/2 cup (or until you remember you forgot to stir it). Add potatoes and the other cup of broth and cook on low heat, covered, until the potatoes are soft. I let it cook about 15 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in milk.

Take some of the soup (I took the majority of the potatoes and left just a few chunks) and blend on low in a blender for a few seconds. Return to the pot and stir in. If you have to, heat it up on low with the lid on just until it's hot. This makes a very creamy, thick soup without having to add any flour or cream.

I'm guessing there are about 350 calories in this and maybe 15 grams of fat. Not much, as there is very little butter (only to give it flavor) and fat-free milk. In fact, if you don't like butter or are vegan, skip that altogether. I've not worked with soy milk enough to know how it heats up, but since this milk is stirred in at the end, you should be fine.

Coobies!

2008-11-23T14:13:00.000-08:00

That's what my youngest used to call cookies. Well, she still calls them that - even at 20, she's a "coobie" fan.

She came home from college Friday evening and naturally, Mom had her favorites waiting for her:

Snickerdoodles

Mix thoroughly:
1 c. softened butter (not melted)
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs

Sift together and stir in:

2 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. salt

Roll into balls the size of small walnuts. Roll in a mixture of sugar and cinnamon and place on a buttered cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

And try not to eat them all in one sitting. :-)

Patties from Heaven

2008-11-21T03:27:00.000-08:00

I love recipes that are good to eat and make you feel good well after you've eaten. This one's no exception - it combines low-fat, low-calorie ingredients and yet still is filling.

Rice Corn Cakes and Black Beans

1 cup instant brown rice
1 Tbl. fresh chives, snipped small
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
salt and pepper to taste
2 egg whites (or Egg Replacer)
1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp. cumin
dash red pepper flakes

Cook rice according to package adding chives. Take off heat and add corn, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Cool for about 5 minutes.

Whisk egg whites/replacer in bowl. Add rice mixture and mix. Shape into patties (about 6). Spray skillet with cooking spray and saute patties about 4 minutes on each side.

In a separate pot, combine beans, tomatoes, cumin and red pepper flakes and heat, stirring occasionally, until hot.

Put some beans on plate, then top with rice corn cake. I added steamed broccoli to the beans on the plate.

(about 350 calories, 8 grams of fat, and somewhere around 12 grams of protein - my esitmates)

essen Sie Ihr Sauerkraut

2008-11-20T07:32:00.000-08:00

It didn't matter that Gramma was an Irish/Scottish mix (her father was the Gallagher; her mother was the Leslie). She married a German/Irish man and that meant you'd better be making sauerkraut. I remember most the smell - that gawd-awful rotting stench coming from the basement, which she tended to daily, skimming scum from the top with great detail and care. I remember her making it, using that big wooden mandoline to grate the cabbage and the wooden tamper to pound down the alternate layers of cabbage and salt into the big crock. She made a ton of it, and even as a kid I thought it was one of the best tastes on the planet.

Luckily, I'd paid attention while she made it, and subsequently as my mother learned from her mother-in-law how to make it. During my first marriage, I was heavily into canning everything in sight. And sauerkraut was right up there. I showed my own kids how to make it, and I have photos of them tamping the cabbage carefully so as not to pound the bottom right out of the crock.

After years of sauerkraut drought (Gramma passed away in 1989 and Mom stopped when Dad filled the garden with Christmas trees), I decided a few weeks ago to resurrect the tradition. My husband, who is nowhere near German, has never had a good homemade sauerkraut, which in my opinion has robbed him of experiencing real stuff, not the swill you get in the stores. We're about three weeks away from his first taste of it, but oh, the anticipation!

It's simple, really. And the days of skimming scummy water from the top of the crock are over - I've found an equally simple method of preventing any scum and any loss of the top layers of kraut (about 2 inches is lost in the traditional plate-weighted-with-a-brick method). I've included the recipe below. If you start it now, you'll have some for Christmas and New Year's!

Traditional Sauerkraut

Before you start, figure out where you're putting the crock and make sure you're able to move it there once you're finished. It should be in a dry, cool place, such as a basement or a laundry room. Don't put it in the garage if you live where the temps dip below 40 at night.

cabbage (here it's tricky - you can use one head, which yields about a pound and a half of kraut, or go for broke and use 5 heads, making about 10 pounds)

Salt (I prefer pickling salt)

A crock (Mine is 5 lbs., which keeps me under control)

A wooden mallet (do NOT use anything metal! the taste will transfer and ruin the whole deal)

Slice your cabbage very thin using either a mandoline or a knife. Put a thin layer of cabbage in the bottom of the crock. Sprinkle about a Tbs. of salt on top, then use the wooden mallet to tamp down the cabbage, which brings out the juices in the cabbage, as does the salt. Note: this process will be the most time-consuming. Be patient and tamp away! Repeat the process, layering and tamping, until the crock is about 3 inches from full.

Fill a small trash bag (such as a bathroom trash can would use) with about 4 cups of water. Double bag it. (It's important that you do not use Ziploc bags. The bag has to be quite flexible, and Ziplocs have very defined corners.)

Place the bag on top of the cabbage, which seals out all the outside air (which typically causes the water to get scummy). Make sure the crock and cabbage are placed in a cool, dry place and for safety's sake, put a towel or a sheet of plastic under it!

In six weeks, scoop kraut out of crock, rinse if desired, and cook and serve. Or can it following traditional canning instructions.

Kitchen Gadgets I Can't Live Without

2008-11-19T04:52:00.000-08:00

I do like shiny objects, but I'm less inclined to love them beyond the store shelf unless they prove useful to me in some way. Anything that makes my life easier and gets dinner on the table faster works for me. I'd be like a one-armed woman without my blender, for instance. And I think life without the panini maker would be dull as dirty dishwater.

And don't you love the gadgets, the little things you can tuck away that come in handy in a pinch? Here are some of my favorites:

Food Chopper. This is the one I have, and it's in my dish strainer more than it's in the drawer. I use it for everything. It chops the daylights out of veggies!

Apple Wedger. When he first saw this, the husband thought it was a waste of space. Then he tried it. Now he thinks it's the best invention. I got this one at Pampered Chef.

Bamboo Cutting Boards. I feel so eco-friendly using these. They don't hold any odors and they last forever. I got mine at TJMaxx on sale, but they are Totally Bamboo brand.

My Next-to-Favorite Serving Bowl. I got so excited when he gave me this bowl from Anthropologie. It replaces my grandmother's bowl, which has been retired from daily use to preserve it for my kids.

Kitchen Timer. Have you ever seen a grown woman dance? Don't ask me why, but I couldn't contain myself when he gave me the timer along with the bowl. I love this timer. That it's magnetic makes my life so much easier. The retro vibe is just icing on the cake.

Mini Food Processor. Mine's this one and I use it frequently, much to my husband's dismay (he hates cleaning it - I say what's to clean?).

What are your favorites?

Cheese Steak Withdrawal

2008-11-18T04:41:00.000-08:00

I live in the land of cheese steaks. Mind you, I went veggie way too early, for I have never had either a Pat's or a Geno's authentic Philly cheese steak (shame on me). But thanks to some wonderful contributor on Vegweb.com, I now have what could be a rival to the best - a veggie version and one that pleases even my meat-eating kids.

Again, I've adapted this to fit with our tastes.

Seitan Cheese Steaks

1 container of Ray's Wheat Meat (I get this at Whole Foods)
2 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
cheese slices (I use provolone, but you can use vegan cheese if you prefer)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
steak rolls

Cut seitan into strips or other small chunks per your own preference. Put into covered bowl with broth and soy sauce. Let it marinate while you saute the vegetables.

Saute vegetables until soft. Set aside. Add seitan to skillet and brown. Add the marinade to the skillet, reducing it until it's thick. Turn off heat.

Pile seitan into steak rolls and add sauteed veggies and a slice of cheese on top. If you want to melt the cheese, give it a zap in the microwave. Serve with plenty of napkins!

Holiday Stuffing

2008-11-17T04:16:00.000-08:00

Let's face it - that first Thanksgiving without turkey makes you feel like you're twisting in the wind. What the devil will you eat? Fear not. You can have it all, including mock turkey (never tried the Tofurky, but I did try my own creation, which failed miserably). Last year I hit upon a stuffing that had everyone at the table wanting more - and since our kids are meat eaters, that's saying something!

Chestnut Stuffing

1 bag cubed stuffing (I use Pepperidge Farm)
1 stick butter, melted
olive oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
3 celery sticks, diced
1 to 2 Tbl. ground sage
1 1/2 c. vegetable broth
1 can of chestnuts, chopped (8 or 10 oz.)
chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil (as much as you like - I used 1 Tbl.). Fry onion and celery until onion is clear. Add to bowl with bread crumbs. Add the remaining ingredients, mixing until all the stuffing is moist.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes in a loaf pan or 2-quart casserole, covered tightly with foil.

If you like carrots, add them when you're sauteeing veggies.

What to do with Leftover Squash and Coconut Milk

2008-11-16T14:02:00.000-08:00

I'll admit I was a little nervous trying this combination. This was a case of use-the-stuff-in-the-fridge. In this case, it was some leftover parsley, butternut squash, and half a can of coconut milk. What a creamy, rich flavor this turned into! Here's what I did:

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

1 cup chopped butternut squash
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup cheap merlot wine
3/4 to 1 cup coconut milk
1 1/2 to 2 cups vegetable broth
2 Tbs. fresh parsley, chopped
salt
freshly ground pepper

Spray bottom of soup pot with cooking oil (I used Pam because it was on hand). Heat pot and add squash and pepper and saute for 5 minutes. Add red wine and reduce (about 5 minutes). Add vegetable broth, parsley, and coconut milk and heat until the veggies are soft. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I also added 1/3 cup rehydrated TVP. You can even add seitan or edamame, if you like.

Saucy Wench

2008-11-15T04:08:00.000-08:00

Since meat is usually looked upon to carry the flavor of a meal, I've been on the lookout for some sauces that wake up the senses a bit. I played around with this particular sauce until I hit on something that worked. Mind you, it's a deep flavor and the day you make it it'll have a bolder flavor than if you refrigerate it and use it later. I recommend trying it both ways. I loved it on Day Two much more than on Day One.

Chocolate Wine Sauce

1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 tsp. fresh rosemary (MUST be fresh - otherwise, it's like tossing in sawdust)
2 cups red wine (I used Three Blind Moose merlot, but any cheap merlot will work)
2 cups vegetable broth
2 Tbl. tomato paste (no added flavors, please)
2 Tbl. cocoa powder
1 chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 stalk chopped celery

Saute the veggies until soft. Add the liquids and tomato paste, bay leaf and thyme. Simmer uncovered until this is reduced to 1/2 c. of liquid. Strain out veggies and add rosemary and cocoa. Serve over something substantial, such as seitan cutlets or chickpea steaks. You can also return the veggies to the sauce and eat them, too!

Mark's Favorite Chili

2008-11-14T04:02:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's the weather today, which is damp and cold, but I'm in the mood for chili. I made one for my husband the other day that was such a hit he begged me to write it down. Here you go. Note that even though this has no tomato in it, I still consider it chili. Why? Because I add chili powder. That's all that ties this to chili.

Mark's Favorite Chili

2 carrots, chopped small
2 celery stalks, chopped small
1 green pepper, chopped small (see a pattern here?)
1/2 cup red wine (I used cheap stuff - Three Blind Moose)
1 can kidney beans, rinsed
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. chili powder
2 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp. oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Saute the vegetables for 5 minutes until they soften a bit. Add wine and reduce for five more minutes. Add the remaining ingredients. Enjoy!

You'll notice that I don't use onion or garlic. He's not a fan. Feel free to add them with the other veggies if you like. You can even add some seitan or TVP (textured vegetable protein) to this for some more texture.

Drinks Anyone?

2008-11-13T13:23:00.001-08:00

During a trip to Italy, we happened into a small food joint behind the touristy sections of Verona. We ordered a glass of amarone. Since then we've been on a search for that same fantastic glass of wine we had in that hole-in-the-wall in amarone country. We bought a horrifically expensive bottle (okay, $40, which is considered low-end on the amarone price scale) that tasted like a $5 bottle of swill that the liquor store can't unload. He decided we weren't going to be able to find that wine again and if we did, we'd never afford it.

I don't give up that easily. Up until that moment in that restaurant in Italy, I wasn't much of a wine drinker. I shied away from it, not sure what to order and afraid of looking dumb to those in the know (which is why I can't bring myself to order Zinfandel in public, though I do like the lightness of it sometimes). So I searched. I sampled. I searched some more. Lo and behold, five years later (I told you - I don't give up easily) I found what could be the rival of that very wine. In fact, I'd venture to say it's better. And lord, is it cheaper.

It's an Italian wine from the same region - Verona. It's Cesari Mara Vino di Ripasso. At my state store (in PA, we can't buy this stuff willy nilly - liquor must be controlled lest we all want it!), I turned to a clerk and asked, hoping he'd have a suggestion or a clue. I asked the right person. He not only knew amarone brands well, he knew what tasted most like it and what would be an excellent albeit cheaper alternative. Amen. For $19.99 instead of $119, I'm pleased. The texture is amazing, and it's one of those wines that just leaves you feeling like you've experienced something. Forgive me - I'm not a wine expert. I'm just a gal who enjoys tasty stuff, and this hit the spot very nicely. It went very well with this tortilla casserole I put together, which I found on the Yahoo! Food website and adapted to fit what I had on hand:

Tortilla Casserole

1 Tbl. olive oil
1/3 cup diced onion
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes (soup-sized can)
1 carrot, diced
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 tsp. ground cumin
salt to taste
6 tortillas, cut into quarters
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray lasagna baking dish with cooking spray.

Heat oil and saute onion and carrots until onion browns a little. Add beans, tomatoes, corn, cumin and salt and cook until heated through.

Line bottom of dish with half the tortillas. spoon half the veggie mixture on top, then top with remaining tortillas and the remaining veggies on top of that. Sprinkle cheese over top, cover with foil, and bake 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake ten more minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Why Vegetarian?

2008-11-13T12:47:00.001-08:00

My poor mother. For years she's been worried about me, concerned I'm nutritionally bankrupt because I don't eat meat. "But what do you eat?" she beseeches, trying to understand how anyone could shy away from a t-bone steak for any other reason than the price.

It's okay. I understand her confusion. Had anyone asked me ten or twenty years ago if I'd stop eating meat, I'd have laughed and said "Pass the steak sauce." But here I am, a lifelong carnivore, and I'm living quite well without meat on my plate.

Don't worry - I don't preach my cause to anyone who doesn't want to hear it. That's not why I'm here. I'm here to share recipes and tips with other cooks, carnivore and otherwise. I won't try converting you by browbeating you or demeaning your personal choice. That's just wrong no matter what your ideals are.

I will give you the explanation that I feel much better, much healthier, and I haven't been sick in ages. I do attribute diet to that. Whether it's lack of meat or lack of processed foods, who can tell? But I made a choice eight years ago to try this vegetarian thing. After a few false starts, I learned how to cook vegetarian, which if you're first starting out, that's the hardest thing to overcome.

So stick around. Let's share recipes! To you non-vegetarians, please feel free to post your recipes here in the comments section. Many times we vegetarians can adapt a recipe to make it meatless (unless it's pot roast or braised pork chops, but you get the idea). If you have questions, ask! It's just me and my recipes and my hope that you'll find some of them just as delicious as a meal containing meat.

Oh, the ground rules - sorry, gotta have them. No sniping. No one - and I mean no one - who is either vegetarian or not, is welcome to pass judgment on anyone here for their choices or preach or attack. Any of that is considered out of bounds and not cool at all. This is neutral territory for everyone. I'm keeping comments open, but if things get ugly (and I trust you guys), I'll moderate them.

Let me start with one of my favorites - stew baked in a pumpkin. I saw a version of this in the latest Vegetarian Times magazine, but I have a different way of approaching it.

Stew Baked in a Pumpkin

1 4-6 lb. cooking pumpkin
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
2/3 c. edamame
1 1/3 c. frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, beans, and corn)
1/3 c. red wine
½ c. vegetable broth
2 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 oz. seitan, cut into pieces
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat oil in soup pot and add celery, carrots, onion and red pepper. Cook until soft. Add red wine and reduce. Add vegetable broth, edamame, mixed vegetables and seitan and cook until broth is reduced and absorbed. Note: make sure there is very little liquid left. The pumpkin has more than enough as it cooks. Don't worry - it's not going to dry out!

Clean seeds and strings from pumpkin and lid, saving lid. Rub inside with 1 Tbs. oil and sprinkle with salt. Add cheese to bottom of pumpkin. Add stew (should be thick, not watery) to pumpkin. Replace pumpkin lid, cover stem with foil to prevent burning, and bake at 350 for 1 ½ - 2 hrs. or until pumpkin is fork tender. Cool for a few minutes, then scoop stew and pumpkin into bowls.