Category: Recipes

I adapted this recipe from one I found in a vegetarian cookbook that I’ve used for years. The recipe can use fresh or canned vegetables — whatever you prefer.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups dried kidney beans*
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 large red potatoes, cleaned and cut into large bite-size pieces
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 3 medium zucchini
• 1 cup fresh string beans*
• 1 medium leek, sliced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh parsley, chopped *
• Large pinch of celery seeds
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 head of cabbage, sliced thinly
• 1/2 cup long-grain rice
• 5 medium tomatoes
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Soak the beans overnight in enough water to keep them covered then drain them and put them in a large kettle with 4 quarts of water.
2. Add the garlic, onion and the olive oil then simmer
3. for about 1 1/2 hours.
4. Add the potatoes, carrots, zucchini, string beans and leek to the pot.
5. Season the soup with salt and pepper.
6. Add the parsley, celery seed, basil and oregano.
7. Simmer for another 45 minutes.
8. Add the cabbage and the rice to the soup and simmer for another 20 minutes.
9. Add more water if the soup is getting too thick for you.
10. About 5 minutes before the soup is ready to serve, add the tomatoes.

Have a small bowl of Parmesan cheese set out so people can sprinkle it on top of the soup if they wish.

*Note: For the fresh vegetables, you can substitute canned kidney beans, canned tomatoes, canned string beans. I’ve substituted these when I’ve been in a hurry and the soup is still delicious. You can also substitute fresh herbs for dried herbs and vice versa.

The original recipe was found in the book “The Vegetarian Epicure.”

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A quick and easy dinner with loads of good stuff!

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 sweet potato, peeled & cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup frozen corn or 1 can of corn
• 15 ounce can of black beans, rinsed
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat
2. Add the onion and saute until browned in spots
3. Add the sweet potato and stir until it starts browning in spots (approximately 5-7 minutes)
4. Stir in the garlic, cumin and salt then saute until fragrant (about 30 seconds)
5. Add water and cook the mixture (scraping up any browned bits) until liquid is absorbed
6. Stir in the corn and beans then cook until heated through and the sweet potato is soft (prick a fork through a piece to test it)
7. Season with salt and pepper

Very easy and you can have most of the ingredients in your cupboard most of the time.

Enjoy!

So, I have to say — I tried this recipe and it didn’t work for me. I don’t usually post recipes that don’t work but I’d like to know if anyone knows what I may have done wrong.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces fresh Capri goat cheese (I couldn’t find Capri so used plain goat cheese), at room temperature
• 3/4 lb butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 6 eggs, at room temperature
• 3 cups flour

Thanks for any feedback!

I found this recipe at the Westfield Farm website http://www.chevre.com/recipes.html

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These cookies are really good. I would not wait until they turn too brown on the top unless you want them crunchy. Either way though — they are good.

Ingedients

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Heat the oven to 375ºF
2. Mix the sugars, butter and egg in a large bowl
3. Stir in the flour, baking soda and salt (the dough will be stiff)
4. Stir in the chocolate chips
5. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet or use parchment paper as a liner on the cookie sheet
6. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown — the center will be soft, then cool slightly and remove from cookie sheet
7. Cool on a wire rack

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Summer is coming to an end quickly but I still had a hungering for potato salad so thought I would try this new recipe.

Ingredients

• 6 potatoes (peeled) and cut in half
• 6 eggs
• 1/4 cup sweet relish
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• Salt and pepper to your taste

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes; drain and chop coarsely.
2. Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil; cover then remove from heat and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, peel then chop coarsely.
3. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, eggs, sweet relish, garlic, mustard, mayonnaise and the salt and pepper. Gently mix together and serve warm.

One of our favorite homemade dishes is Three-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces elbow macaroni
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3 cups milk (I use skim milk)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded Gouda cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon anchovy-free Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• Bread crumbs (optional)

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I don’t normally make spaghetti sauce from scratch instead opting to buy the already-made-ones at the store as they are quick in a pinch.

However, I do like to accent the store bought spaghetti sauce with fresh vegetables.

Normally I add broccoli, green pepper, onions and carrots. But you can add whatever you like.

First I add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a medium sized skillet. I wait until the oil is warm and then add the fresh vegetables. I keep stirring until the vegetables are cooked. If you want crisper onions though, you can add them at a later time once the other vegetables are cooked.

Once the vegetables are cooked, I add the spaghetti sauce and stir to get everything mixed together.

Then, I add the sauce to the cooked spaghetti and mix it all up.

It seems simple enough, but I never would have thought of doing it until a friend of mine made it this way.

Chockful of vitamins.

I hope you try this helpful tip if you aren’t already doing it.

What to do with leftover ripe bananas and french bread? Why not stuffed french toast?

This recipe is pretty easy to follow. The only complaint I received from my guests was that the bananas were too ripe and therefore I could have used less. But, I’m a banana aficionado so it didn’t bother me in the least bit. I did make 1 1/2 times the batter (already shown below) as otherwise it wouldn’t have been enough.

Ingredients

• 4 ripe bananas, mashed
• 8 slices French bread
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3 eggs at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4  teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Lightly spray a cast iron or an ovenproof skillet with cooking spray and then heat over medium heat.
3. Spread 1 mashed banana on top of 4 slices of bread (one banana per slice)
4. Place remaining four slices on top to make a sandwich.
5. In a bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, vanilla and cinnamon.
6. Dip the bread in the egg batter for about 30 seconds on each side then place the banana sandwich in the skillet.
7. Cook each side for approximately two minutes.
8. Place bread on an ungreased baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven for 8 minutes. Serve warm.

I added maple syrup on top of this french toast but I didn’t really need to. It tasted fine without anything on it. Next time though, I think a nice strawberry or blueberry compote on top would make it taste even better.

Original recipe courtesy of http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/karens-baked-banana-stuffed-french-toast/detail.aspx

What to do with extra pears, pecans and green onions? Make a roquefort pear salad! This recipe is delicious! Truly truly truly! I’m looking forward to making it again in the near future. The cheese is very expensive though so I only used 3.5 ounces which is what came in the container instead of the  5 ounces that the original recipe called for.

Ingredients

• 1 head of romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
• 3 pears – peeled, cored and chopped
• 5 ounces Roquefort cheese, crumbled
• 1 avocado (peeled, pitted, and diced)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoons prepared mustard
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a skillet over medium heat, stir 1/4 cup of sugar together with the pecans. Continue stirring gently until the sugar has melted and caramelized the pecans, then transfer the nuts onto waxed or parchment paper. Allow this to cool then break into smaller pieces.
2. For the dressing, combine the oil, vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, mustard, chopped garlic, salt, and pepper. I only used 1 teaspoon mustard instead of the 1 1/2 the original recipe calls for as I didn’t want a strong mustardy taste.
3. In a large bowl, layer the lettuce, pears, blue cheese, avocado, and green onions. Then add the pieces of pecan on top.

Enjoy this salad!

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Looking for a low fat easy dinner? Try the Morningstar Vegetarian Grillers. They can be found in the freezer section of almost any grocery store. Each box contains 4 grillers (burgers).

Below is the recipe for how our family makes them served with homemade gravy and mashed potatoes.

Ingredients

•  2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cubes of vegetable bouillon
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 4-8 grillers (broken into 4 pieces each)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Thaw the grillers (burgers) and cut each griller into 4 pieces then set aside
3. Melt the butter in a small saucepan
4. Add the flour to the saucepan and, using a whisk, stir both together until combined and heated through
5. Dissolve bouillon in the boiling water (have this ready before you combine the butter and the flour)
6. Add the bouillon water to the saucepan
7. Add the milk
8. Whisk everything together until all is heated through and it thickens
9. Put the grillers in a baking dish and cover with the sauce
10. Bake until the sauce is bubbling

Making Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

• 8 medium red potatoes, diced
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup of warmed milk
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of pepper

Directions

1. In a medium sized pot, boil the potatoes until a fork pricked through them comes out soft (about 10 minutes). Then drain the potatoes and put them back in the pot.
2. Add 3 tablespoons of butter, 1/4 cup of warm milk, 3 cloves minced garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper.
3. Using a masher, mash the potatoes. Adjust the consistency to your liking — if you like your mashed potatoes lumpy then don’t mash as much. Add more milk if you want a softer mushier consistency.

You can leave the garlic out if you don’t want the garlic taste.

Enjoy! They are a monthly staple at our house.

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