MEXICAN STYLE TOMATO RICE

This is another recipe from my new favorite vegan author...Chloe Coscarelli, and her new book "Chloe's Kitchen".  My husband loves rice, and it doesn't matter how it's cooked, as long as it is rice.  Me....not so much. But this recipe is great and I can see myself making it all the time and adding some black beans to make it a complete meal. This is actually part of Chloe's recipe called LA-Style Chimichurri Tacos, and the rice recipe is part of the ingredients in the assembly of the soft tacos.  But I kept lifting the lid of the pan and talking spoonfuls of the rice.  So here it is....

-2 TBL of olive oil
-1 onion finely chopped
-1/2 tsp of sea salt
-1 tomato finely chopped
-1/2 cup of brown or white rice (i did 1/2 brown and 1/2 white)
-1 cup vegetable broth

Heat oil over medium-high heat and add onions and salt.  Saute the onion until soft.  Add tomato, rice and broth and bring it all to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until the broth is absorbed. Usually about 15 to 20 minutes, but keep your eye on it. Turn off the heat and add black beans, or chick peas, and cover again for about 10-15 minutes.

Easy and so good :-)

THE BEST OVEN FRIES

My new favorite vegan author is Chloe Coscarelli and the name of the cookbook is "CHLOE'S KITCHEN".  I have tried a number of her recipes and they have all been great, and these oven fries did not disappoint.  You can find her book on Amazon.com.  I have been making oven fries for over 20 years, and basically using the same technique.  I tried this new recipe on my husband the other day without telling him that it was new.  He immediately asked me what I did that was different....He loved them! The cold water soak adds some preparation time, but it is well worth it.
Of course you can omit the malt vinegar, but my family loves malt vinegar on fries,  If you've never tried it, give it a shot, I guarantee you will become a fan.

Serves 4 (or 2 greedy people)

-2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4" fries
-1 to 2 Tbls of olive oil
-sea salt
-malt vinegar for drizzling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, submerge the prepared fries in cold water and let them soak for 15 min. Drain and pat dry thoroughly. (this step is really important.  If you don't pat them dry enough they will not be as crispy). Add the olive oil and toss to make sure they are evenly coated.

Lightly grease a large baking sheet, and transfer the fries to the baking sheet. Season with the sea salt, and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the edges are brown and crispy. Be sure to turn them with a spatula occasionally. Remove from the oven and lightly drizzle the vinegar onto the fries to taste. Season with more salt if desired.

ZUCCHINI TOMATO CASSEROLE

This is one of my favorite vegetable dishes. My mother used to make something similar and through the years I have adapted a version of hers. There has never been a written recipe, and each time that I make it I sort of eyeball the measurements.  My husband is not a fan of green peppers...not at all.  But he loves this dish even though it is layered with peppers through out.  He doesn't know why, but to my knowledge this is the only time he likes green peppers. We eat this the 2nd day for leftovers.  It is a little mushier but we don't care....the flavors are great.

ZUCCHINI TOMATO CASSEROLE

-2 zucchini unpeeled
-2-3 large tomatoes (or 4-5 small ones)
-1 onion
-1 green pepper
-plain bread crumbs
-grated veggie Parmesan
-earth balance butter spread
-salt and pepper

Set over to 375.  Assemble all the ingredients along with a really sharp knife.  Grease a baking pan 9X9 or the one I use is about 8"X 12".  Slice into separate piles the  zucchini, tomatoes, onion and green pepper into about 1/4"slices.  Put 1/2 the zucchini into the bottom of the dish spreading out as evenly as possible. Sprinkle some bread crumbs onto the zucchini...about 2 Tbs. Add a handful of the onion slices, and another handful of the green pepper. Top with tomato slices until the other veggies are covered.  Sprinkle some more breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan cheese.  Add some salt and pepper and dot each tomato with Earth Balance.  Repeat the layers.  Bake at 375 for 1 hour, until bubbly and crisp looking.

Whiskey-Glazed Carrots

My younger brother and his family joined us this year for Thanksgiving and I struggled with the menu until I came up with a working compromise.  My brother deperately wanted me to cook a turkey, stuffing in the bird, and turkey gravy.  Turkey has never been a favorite of mine, so I didn't anticipate any problems with temptation.  My husband prepared and stuffed the turkey, and I made the veggies and desserts.  This recipe for carrots is a new one that I tried and everyone raved. My brother reheated a leftover serving the next day and went home with the recipe.  In January we are having a family party and I have been assigned a few vegetable dishes and this will be one of them. This recipe makes a large quanity so adjust to suit. I would estimate that it make about 8-10 servings. The recipe and picture were borrowed from www.thepioneerwoman.com

1/2 cup of Earth Balance butter
3 Lbs of carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2"pieces
1/2 cup of Jack Daniels
3/4 cup of Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp of salt
Chopped chives if desired

Melt 1 Tablespoon of butter in large frying pan over high heat (I used my big cast iron pan). Add 1/2 the carrots and saute for 60-90 seconds.  Remove to a plate and repeat with the remaining carrots.  Remove and put with the other carrots.  In the hot empty skillet add the Jack Daniels (or other whiskey) and allow to evaporate for 30 seconds.  Reduce heat to medium and add the rest of the butter.  When butter has melted, sprinkle the brown sugar over the top and stir well.  Add the carrots and cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove lid and add salt.  Continue cooking with the lid off for another 5 minutes until carrots are tender and glaze is thick.  WARNING:  not low-fat!  But very delicious.....

SMASH CRASH POTATOES

The name comes from my grandaughter, and the recipe from http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/ .  You'll love her website and recipes.  She is not a vegan so I search for her veggies recipes and they are always really good. These potates are amazing!  They have been a hit with everyone I have served them to. Our neighbors came to dinner one night and these potatoes were part of the menu along with the Tomato Basil Bruschetta and she went home and made both the next day. One of the things that I love about this recipe is that you can prepare them ahead of time, then pop them into the oven when you are 1/2 hour away from eating.  Hot, crispy and sizzling.

SMASH CRASH POTATOES

-12 whole new potatoes
-3 Tbls of olive oil
-sea salt
-black pepper
-maybe some fresh rosemary if you like that taste
-fresh chopped chives would also be nice

Boil the potatoes in salted water for about 30 minutes until they are fork tender.  On a cookie sheet drizzle some olive oil.  Put the cooked potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving some space between them.  Crush them with a potato masher gently until the skin splits (I sometimes have to help this process by making an X on the skin with a sharp knife).  Then turn the pan 90 degrees and mash them again.  Brush the tops generously with olive oil and sprinkle with the sea salt and spices if using.

Bake at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes until crispy and golden.

Roasted Mixed Vegetables

I loved roasted vegetables and this mixture is one that I cook on a regular basis.  Makes enough for 4 people or 2 people with left overs. It looks like a lot of ingredients, but once the vegetables are prepared the whole thing goes together really quickly.  Promise! 

10 small potatoes, red or fingerling (must be petite potatoes otherwise they won't cook properly)
1 yellow pepper in large cubes
1 medium onion (red or yellow) quartered
4-5 carrots cut in half and cut into large pieces about 4"
8 cloves of garlic (leave the skins on for roasting)
1 zucchini sliced
handful of whole mushrooms (not pictured above)
handful of asparagus...tough ends removed then cut into 3 pieces
handful of grape or cherry tomatoes
olive oil
sea salt
cracked lemon pepper or regular pepper
dried thyme
dried oregano
garlic powder
(for a little heat add some cayenne pepper)

Preheat over to 375 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with olive oil cooking spray.  In a large bowl combine the potatoes, yellow peppers, onions, carrots and garlic cloves.  Drizzle with a small amount of olive oil and sprinkle with the spices.  Toss to coat the vegetables with the oil and spices.  Spread on the cookie sheet and bake for about 20 minutes.

Put zucchini, mushrooms, asparagus, and tomatoes into the mixing bowl and repeat the mixing with the olive oil and the spices. 

Take cookie sheet out of the oven and mix in the rest of the vegetables and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender.  Remove the pan from the oven and pick out the garlic cloves (make sure you count them so that you don't miss one).  Cut the ends off the garlic cloves with your kitchen scissors and squeeze the garlic out of the buds and toss with the vegetables.

This recipe was adapted from www.fortheloveofcooking.com

Vegetable Tian

For the Love of Cooking: Vegetable Tian:

This vegetable recipe tastes as good as it looks! I substituted vegan parmessan cheese but for you vegetarians just follow the recipe and use regular parmessan.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

For the Love of Cooking: Roasted Sweet Potatoes: 

We love this recipe and have made it several times over the past few months and it has always been a hit!  Anytime I see a vegetable recipe and it says "roasted" it grabs my attention.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes (1)

Sweet potatoes are so good!  They are a complex carbohydrate, high in fibre, rich in beta carotene, and have a low glycemic index (which means that it metabolizes slowly in your body, keeps you from getting hungry, and prevents sugar spikes which make you tired).  Yams and sweet potatoes are so similar that they can be interchanged as far as I'm concerned.  When I bake sweet potatoes I line the cookie sheet with foil which helps the clean up.....the sweet potatoes ooze sugar and burn the pan otherwise.  I will bake 4 potatoes for hubby and I, with the intent to use the other two the next night to add to another meal. Remember what I said about left overs?  If you plan ahead you can really cut down on the time you spend in the kitchen. When the sweet potatoes are cooked, I take two off the cookie sheet for our dinner.....then just wrap up the other two in the foil that I used to line the pan. The pan is clean, we have part of our dinner cooked for tomorrow night.....what could be easier?  This recipe is just simple baked sweet potatoes, and I will follow up with another recipe that would be suitable for putting on a buffet.

Heat over to 475 degrees

4 sweet potatoes...scrubbed and patted dry
1 cookie sheet lined with foil
Earth balance butter, and brown sugar

Poke the potatoes with a sharp knife in a few places and place on the cookie sheet.  Bake for about 45 minutes until a knife inserts smoothly in the center of the potato. Run a knife down the center of the potato lengthwise and carefully open.  Put a pat of Earth Balance and sprinkle with a touch of brown sugar.

Roasted Garlic

For a long time, when I was experiencing the low-grade nausea that I refered to in my second post, I couldn't eat garlic, or any spice for that matter.  The smell made me sick, and by the time the meal was ready I couldn't eat it.  But with my improving health that symptom has disappeared....don't know why it was there in the first place...but all I know is that it is gone!  We had dinner one night at Mandy's and she cooked a dish with cauliflower and I got very sick.  This is the only vegetable that I haven't introduced back into my diet...just looking at it in the store reminds me of that night. Sorry Mandy, not your fault.

Garlic is something that I would buy once in awhile when we were having company and a recipe would call for it.  But other than that I would substitute garlic powder or that awful tasteless stuff in a jar that is chopped up and soaking in oil. In the grocery store I would see large bags of garlic and would wonder who would buy that much garlic....the one little clove that I bought would go bad before I finished using it.  Now I buy 3-4 cloves a week!  I love the smell of it cooking, the aroma fills the whole house.

Roasting garlic is absolutely new to me.  The flavor when it is done, is very mild, and not at all like the raw garlic taste that I was used to. If you haven't tried this, please give it a chance.  I am roasting most of my vegetables now and garlic is always a part of the process.  This recipes can be used to mix with vegetables, stirred into mashed potatoes (so good) and spread on a baguette for garlic bread.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/05/how-toroast-garlic/



picture and original recipe by: http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/