no posts for awhile

My mother-in-law is visiting from Germany, so she will be cooking for the next week. I should have taken a pic of HER food on Thursday but forgot. She made us a casserole with egg noodles, sour cream (she said it really needed creme fraiche), and different veggies, like zucchini, broccoli, green onion, and carrots. I think next week I will just post pics of her dinners. I will be back in action on April 7.

Sauteed Garlic Potatoes

I was going to have these with some grilled cheese done up in the ol’ George Foreman, but I didn’t have the right bread for those, so I decided to have them with egg salad sandwiches. The recipe says you should peel these potatoes, and man, that took forever! It also says that you should add the garlic unpeeled, then later take it out and peel it, then add it back with some lemon juice. Well, I didn’t think they tasted lemony OR garlicky. I MUCH prefer the potato recipe from Veganomicon that we tried early on. So we had these potatoes, egg salad sandwiches, and a green salad. And Dang it Mommy brain- I forgot to take a pic.

Rating: 3

Sauteed Garlic Potatoes
(from the cookbook “Favorite Brand Name Vegetarian Cooking”

2 lbs boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ pieces
3 tbsp Filippo Berio Olive oil (I used some other brand)
6 cloves garlic, skins on
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place potatoes in large colander; rinse under cold running water. Drain well; pat dry. In large nonstick skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat until hot. Add potatoes in a single layer. Cook, stirring and turning frequently, 10 minutes or until golden brown. Add garlic. Cover; reduce heat to low and cook very gently, shaking pan and stirring mixture occasionally, 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender when pierced with fork. Remove garlic; discard skins. In small bowl, crush garlic; stir in lemon juice. Add to potatoes; mix well. Cook 1-2 minutes or until heated through. Transfer to serving dish; sprinkle with chives and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 4 servings.

Backyard Beans

Well, we are all have a crummy cold here (thanks Toby, for bringing the plague home). I don’t feel too horrible, but I didn’t want to spend alot of time in the kitchen last night. I decided to make another side-dish, and chose this one from “Better Than Peanut Butter & Jelly” . It was a snap to make, but honestly, I couldn’t tell that big a difference from how the baked beans normally taste straight out of the can. I served these with (faux) hot dogs and potato chips.

rating: 5

Backyard Beans
(from the cookbook “Better Than Peanut Butter & Jelly” by Marty Mattare and Wendy Muldawer)

2 cans (16-ounces each) vegetarian baked beans
1/2 cup catsup
1 tbsp molasses
1/2 clove garlic, minced

In a medium saucepan, mix up all ingredients well. Heat and serve. Serves 6.

Curried Lentil Soup

Ok, here’s the last recipe we tried from the WW cookbook. It was better than Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s (but I prefer Monday’s). Toby said he liked it, but he has a cold and can’t taste anything. I thought it was ok. Not bad, not especially wonderful. I will probably not make it again. I served it with some Italian bread (from the mozzarella fiasco) and a green salad.

rating: 4

Curried Lentil Soup
(from the cookbook “Down to Earth- More than 130 Vegetarian Recipes” by Weight Watchers)

cooking spray (didn’t use)
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onion (about 2 medium)
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 3/4 cups water
3/4 cup dried lentils
1 tbsp peeled grated fresh ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (I used cayenne)
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 (19-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can vegetable broth (such as Swanson), undiluted
1 cup seeded chopped tomato
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup 30%-less fat sour cream (such as Breakstone)

1. Coat a Dutch oven with cooking spray; add oil, and place over medium0high heat until hot. Add onion and garlic, and saute 5 minutes or until onion is tender.
2. Add water and next 8 ingredients, and stir well. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until lentils are tender. Stir in tomato and salt.
3. Ladle soup into individual bowls. Top with sour cream. Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup soup and 1 tbsp sour cream). Points: 5

Southwestern Vegetable Bake

Well, tonight’s dinner was better than last night’s. But does that really say much?? This dish was easy, almost too easy. There was no seasoning, really, except for some pepper. I subbed a little here and there (in the recipe), but ah, I don’t know. I think after tomorrow’s recipe (from this cookbook), I will move on to better things (uh, hello, Veganomicon!). We served this big ol’ mess o’ veggies with a great green salad (with a ranch dressing and (fake) bacon bits and croutons and…) and some dinner rolls. Hey, at least the veggie bake was healthy.

rating: 3

Southwestern Vegetable Bake
(from the cookbook “Down to Earth- More than 130 Vegetarian Recipes” by Weight Watchers)

2 (10-ounce) packages frozen Southwestern-style corn and roasted red peppers (such as Green Giant), thawed (I used plain frozen corn)
1 (14.5-ounce can chili-style chunky tomatoes, undrained
1 (15.5-ounce) can white hominy, drained
1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 tsp pepper
cooking spray
.5 cup (2-ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers (I used shredded Mexican blend cheese)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray; stir well. Cover and bake for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Yield: 4 servings

Mozzarella Sandwiches with Marinara Sauce

Yikes. This one sounded so good, and looked so good in the picture! To be fair, I think I had the wrong kind of bread. It calls for French bread, but all I could find was a big Italian loaf. I found it was too big and bulky to brown in the skillet. I gave up on the Italian bread and had to go to plan B, which was regular ol’ whole wheat sandwich bread. But you know what, those weren’t much better! Toby didn’t like it- he said it was too weird- almost like french toast, but not. I didn’t like it either (not even the marinara), and I had to warm up some leftovers of last night’s leek and artichoke casserole. Ugh. 2 thumbs down.

rating: 1

Mozzarella Sandwiches with Marinara Sauce
(from the cookbook “Down to Earth- More than 130 Vegetarian Recipes” by Weight Watchers)

cooking spray
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp minced fresh parsley (I used 1/4 tsp dried)
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp salt
dash of freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup of undrained canned diced tomatoes
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup egg substitute
1/2 cup fat-free milk (I used Silk)
8 (1-ounce) pre-sliced part-skim mozzarella cheese slices
16 (1/2-ounce) slices French bread
3/4 cup finely crushed shredded whole wheat cereal biscuits (such as Shredded Wheat)

1. Coat a small saucepan with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion and garlic; saute 3 minutes or until tender. Add parsley and next 4 ingredients; saute 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, wine, water, tomato paste, and bay leaf. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring frequently. Discard bay leaf. Set marinara sauce aside.

2. Combine egg substitute and milk in a pie plate or shallow dish; stir well. Place 1 cheese slice on each of 8 bread slices; top with remaining 8 slices. Carefully dip sandwiches into egg substitute mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Sprinkle each sandwich with crushed cereal.

3. Place a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat until hot. Coat sandwiches with cooking spray. Add 4 sandwiches to skillet, and cook on each side until crisp and golden. Repeat procedure with remaining sandwiches. Serve immediately with warm marinara sauce. Yield: 8 sandwiches. Points: 4.

Navy Bean-and-Artichoke Casserole with Goat Cheese

This week all of our meals are coming from the Weight Watchers Cookbook. I sat down on Saturday to start picking out recipes for this week, and I kept finding stuff in this cookbook that sounded really good! This first recipe was not a big deal to make. I couldn’t find navy beans at the store, so I used Great Northern. Be sure and keep an eye on the casserole in the oven- after about 18 minutes, it was lightly brown on top. If I had left it in there for 25 it would have burned. This was really good! And good for you- for you WW peeps, it has 7 points a serving. I served this with a caeser salad.

rating: 7.5

Navy Bean-and-Artichoke Casserole with Goat Cheese
(from the cookbook “Down to Earth- more than 130 Vegetarian Recipes” by Weight Watchers)

2 (1-ounce) slices whole wheat bread
2 (15-ounce) cans navy beans, undrained (I used Great Northern)
2 tsp chopped fresh or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp chopped fresh or 1/2 tsp rubbed sage
1/4 tsp pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced and divided
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
3 cups chopped leek (about 3 large)
2 tsp chopped fresh or 1/2 dried rosemary
1/8 tsp salt
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke bottoms, drained and each cut into 8 wedges (I used artichoke hearts)
olive oil-flavored cooking spray (I used regular Pam)
1 1/4 cups (5-ounces) crumbled goat cheese, divided

1. Place bread in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs form to measure 1 cup.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Drain beans in a colander over a bowl, reserving liquid. Add enough water to liquid to measure 1 cup. Combine beans, thyme, sage, pepper, and 1 garlic clove.
4. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 garlic cloves, leek, rosemary, salt, and artichokes; saute 4 minutes. Stir in bean liquid mixture. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
5. Spread half of bean mixture in an 11×7″ baking dish coated with cooking spray, and top with half of goat cheese. Spread artichoke mixture over goat cheese, top with remaining bean mixture and remaining goat cheese. Combine breadcrumbs and remaining 1 tbsp oil; sprinkle over casserole. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes 6 (1 cup) servings.

Mediterranean Casserole

Oh boy. I picked this recipe from another book I’ve had a long time and never used (“Food for the Spirit”). As I was preparing this dish, I had a feeling that things were not going to turn out well. I am not a huge fan of tomatoes, and Toby is not a huge fan of zucchini, so why in the heck did I pick this recipe?! I thought that somehow it would all magically come together and be wonderful. Well, I thought wrong. Blech. Granted, in the recipe’s defense, I did omit and substitute a couple of things. Um, yeah, for dinner Toby and I had leftover mac & cheese and we split a banana sandwich.

rating: 1

Mediterranean Casserole
(from the cookbook “Food for the Spirit- Seasonal Vegetarian Recipes to Warm the Kitchen and Nourish the Soul” by Manuela Dunn Mascetti & Arunima Borthwick

casserole:

2 tbsp sunflower oil (I used safflower)
2 onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 zucchini, sliced and salted
pinch of sea salt
pinch of ground black pepper
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil (I used purple basil)
1/4 cup vegetable stock
1 tbsp tomato puree (I used tomato paste)
1 tsp pesto (I omitted)

topping:

3 tbsp dry bread crumbs
2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley (I used dried)
2 tbsp chopped celery (I omitted)
2 tbsp chopped onions (I omitted)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 9″ round or square baking dish.

To make the casserole: In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions and garlic. Cook until slightly softened.

In the prepared baking dish, place a layer of zucchini, then a layer of onions, and finally a layer of tomatoes. Repeat until you have 3 layers, finishing with the tomatoes. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and basil.

In a medium bowl, combine the stock, tomato puree, and pesto. Pour evenly over the casserole. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.

to make the topping: In a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs, parsley, celery and onions. Remove the foil from the casserole and spread the bread crumb mixture on top. Place under the broiler for 5 minutes, or until the top is browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Makes 4 servings

White Bean & Roasted Garlic Soup

I don’t think I have made anything from the Vegan with a Vengeance Cookbook, and I’ve had it for a while, so I decided to thumb through it. This soup recipe looked almost too simple. I roasted 2 bulbs of garlic beforehand, and I think peeling them afterwards was the only time-consuming part of this recipe. This just came together in a snap (except for said garlic), and let me tell you, it is REALLY GOOD. And garlicky. I left out all mention of fennel, because, well, it’s a devil weed. I served this with a couple of croutons for garnish, some whole wheat yeast rolls, and a green salad with a champagne vinaigrette.

rating: 8.5

White Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup
(from the cookbook “Vegan with a Vengeance” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz)

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium-sized onion, chopped (about 1.5 cups)
1 tsp salt
a few dashes fresh black pepper
.5 tsp fennel seeds, crushed (I omitted)
4 cups vegetable broth, or 2 bouillon cubes dissolved in 4 cups water
3 cups cooked great northern (white) beans, drained (or canned beans, drained and rinsed)
3 fresh sage leaves, chopped (I used dried sage)
1 bay leaf
juice of .5 lemon, or to taste
2 heads garlic, roasted

In a stockpot over medium-high heat saute the onions in the olive oil for 5-7 minutes.

Add the salt, black pepper, and fennel seeds; saute for 1 minute. Add the broth, beans, sage, and bay leaf, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Add the roasted garlic and puree in batches in a blender or preferably a food processor. Return to the pot and add lemon juice. Serve garnished with fresh fennel leaves if you have some, and/or some peeled carrot and/or parsley.

Macaroni and Cheese

I have attempted home-made mac & cheese before, and it wasn’t very good. In fact, I shoved most of it down the disposal, and it stopped up the sink, and Toby had the take the sink apart to unstop it. It wasn’t pretty. I looked on the allrecipes site, and the recipe I picked to try had alot of favorable comments. It’s funny, though, because most people who commented on it said that they took the basic recipe and tweaked it a bit. So I did the same thing. I only used 1 egg (instead of 2), I used a tiny bit more cheese than they said, I only had sliced Gruyere cheese, so I used tiny pieces of it instead of shredded), and I used a little bit more half-n-half, just to use up the stuff. I did not need any vegetable oil (not sure where you are even supposed to use it). I added some bread crumbs to the top, under the little blanket of cheese. Whew! In any case, this is some AWESOME mac & cheese! Healthy it is not, but sometimes you just have to have some ooey-gooey comfort food. And this is it! We had a big bowl of this with a caesar salad.

rating: 9.5

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Four-Cheese-Macaroni/Detail.aspx