Chickpea Cakes Piccata

I had an awesome Piccata dish at Sublime restaurant in Florida (http://www.sublimeveg.com/home.html), so when I saw this recipe I thought I would give t a whirl. For the chickpea cake recipe, I substituted lite soy cause for the tamari, minced onion for the onion (it’s like a spice), and then whole wheat flour for the chickpea flour. These were easy to make, and it did indeed make exactly 6 cakes. The cakes turned out a little dry and crumbly. I am wondering if it’s because of my substitutions? As for the sauce, I did not use any lemon zest. I think that the sause was actually a little too oniony for me. I will keep looking for a Piccata sauce like Sublime’s. These were ok, but not great. I served these with some roasted asparagus, leftover cole slaw, and mashed potatoes. Note, Toby liked me to roast the asparagus until it practically disappears! rating: 6

http://happyherbivore.com/2009/03/chickpea-cakes-piccata/

Barbeque Tempeh Sandwiches

I really miss BBQ sandwiches, so I decided to try this one from a blog that I frequent often: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mighty-appetite/. I have made BBQ tofu before (2 versions), and I was interested to see how it would work with tempeh. I did leave out the chipotle chile in adobo sauce (I figured this would be too spicy for me), and I used honey in place of the agave necter. I also used soy sauce in place of the tamari. These were pretty easy to make (just slicing the tempeh up, mixing the sauce and then pouring it over the tempeh, and then turning it all over once it has cooked for 30 minutes).  The verdict? These were good. Not great, but good. I do prefer my BBQ tofu over this. I think it’s because of the sauce. I prefer a sweeter BBQ sauce. Toby liked it, although he said it was more Asian-tasting than BBQ-tasting. He ate 3 sandwiches! I made a different slaw to go with these, and served it on the sandwich. We also had some season fries. Like I said, it was good, but not great.

rating: 7.5

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/mighty-appetite/2009/03/meatless_monday_bbq_tempeh.html

Cheesy Drop Biscuits

I made some Chickpea & Spinach soup last night (made it back in Nov. 08- go look!), and I wanted to make something bready to go with it. This recipe comes from another blog I look at frequently: http://mommywhatsfordinner.blogspot.com/. I find alot of recipes and inspiration there! I actually forgot about making these biscuits until the last minute. The soup was ready, so I scrambled to get all the ingredients together. But, before I knew it, ta-da! Biscuits! I wasn’t really sure how I needed to “form them into biscuits”, so a couple of them turned out kinda big. But you know what? They’re good! They had a really good texture and taste (and Toby ate two!). These will go into my recipe box!

rating: 9

http://mommywhatsfordinner.blogspot.com/2009/01/cheesy-drop-biscuits.html

Stove-top Macaroni & Cheese

This week I am trying recipes from fellow food-bloggers, and last night I tried Stove-Top Macaroni & Cheese from www.startcooking.com. One thing that sets this blog apart from others is the detail! Kathy posts tons of pics so you are never lost. I am always game for trying different versions of mac-n-cheese! This version turned out to be really cheesy and creamy! Toby said that it had a little kick to it (because of the hot sauce! ha, beat you to it!). I did sprinkle on some Jane’s Krazy Mixed-up Salt at the end, but I really liked this recipe. I will keep it on hand for days when I need some quick comfort food! With this we enjoyed some Riblets, some spinach patties, and a biscuit.

rating: 8.5

http://startcooking.com/blog/94/Stove-Top-Macaroni-and-Cheese

Ziti Lasagna Bake

This is the second recipe from a loyal reader’s blog (Hi Stacey and Joel, Jr.!), and I have to say….drumroll….it’s two for two! This was great! And a piece of cake to throw together. Mmmm, cake. I used a whole box of ziti, and I chose to use the ricotta instead of the cottage cheese, although I may try the cottage cheese next time. Toby said it was great (and he didn’t add anything to it!), and we both enjoyed more of it for lunch today. Yay!

rating: 9.2

http://www.dingybroad.com/?p=86

Potato Plops

I decided that this week I was going to make recipes from fellow food bloggers. This first recipe is from a fan of this blog, Stacey! She and her son, Joel Jr., have created their own cooking blog, and it’s got some fantastic-looking recipes that I need to try! Last night I needed a recipe that would be quick to make. Toby had an early soccer game, so dinner needed to be ready as soon as he walked in the door. I chose this potato recipe, and I am SO glad I did! These little “plops” are wonderful! I made the instant mashed potatoes according to the directions on the box, and I made 4 servings worth. I used a little scoop that I have, and this made 8 plops. On top of the plops I did the spray butter, then some grated Parmesan cheese and Jane’s Krazy mixed-up salt. They went into a 400 degree F oven for about 15 minutes or so (I also had the Chick’n Tenders in there cooking). I wish I had made more! We enjoyed these with some Chick’n Tenders and Stir-Fried green beans with peanuts. These will go into our rotation, and I am so glad to have a new potato side dish! Yay!

rating: 9.5

http://www.dingybroad.com/?p=61

Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

There was no new recipe for Tuesday’s dinner. A friend was supposed to join us for dinner, and I told her to go through this blog and pick several recipes that she might like me to make. Out of the 5 or so that she picked, I chose to make the Tortellini Florentine Soup (any excuse to make this, I do!). Well, she canceled the day before, and I wasn’t going to go back to the grocery store, so that’s what we had for dinner (with some garlic bread). Still so delicious! Anyway, for last night’s dinner I tried this recipe for Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes. I usually just make instant mashed potatoes, thinking that making REAL mashed potatoes takes too long. Well, it really doesn’t! I halved this recipe, and it turned out great! No problems at all. With these great mashed potatoes, we had some Quorn Gruyere cutlets, jazzed-up green beans, and some bread. Delish.

rating: 8.5

Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
(from the Nov. 2007 issue of Real Simple magazine)

5 pounds white or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2″ pieces
Kosher salt and pepper
8 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and add 2 1/2 tbsp salt. Reduce heat and simmer until just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return to the pot. Add the butter, buttermilk, cream, nutmeg, 1/2 tsp salt, and 3/4 tsp pepper. Mash the potatoes with a hand-held masher. Transfer to a serving dish.

Cheesy Mushroom Bread Pudding

This dish ended up being very similar to a quiche, except without a crust. You could probably substitute many different veggies in this and it would turn out just fine. I could not find cremini mushrooms, so I used regular button mushrooms and also some shitake mushrooms. I used Vanilla Silk soy milk (I used to use the plain, but have since switched to their Lite soy milk, and it happens to be vanilla). I haven’t noticed any difference in taste. This dish is really simple to make, and it turns out so pretty! I should have taken a pic of the dish right out of the oven. It was perfectly browned! I really liked this dish. I was worried what Toby would think…he’s not too keen on pudding-like textures. But he went back for seconds (and no hot sauce!), so that says something! With this we had a green salad.

rating: 8.5

Cheesy Mushroom Bread Pudding
(from the magazine Everyday with Rachael Ray)

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 (6-ounce) packages cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper
6 large eggs
2 cups milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 baguette, cut into 1/2″ cubes
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, garlic, thyme, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are browned, 8-10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, 2 tbsp Parmesan and 1.4 tsp salt. Stir in the bread cubes and let soak for 10 minutes. Stir in the mushroom mixture and the mozzarella. Transfer to a greased 1 1/2-qt. baking dish; sprinkle the remaining 2 tbsp Parmesan on top. Bake until golden, about 45 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Sloppy Joes

This isn’t a new recipe for me…I’ve made it for YEARS. I think it’s the only recipe that I make out of this cookbook, The New Farm Vegetarian. This cookbook is one of the first cookbooks I got after I became vegetarian. It’s from the 70’s, I believe, and it’s filled with pics of very Manson-family-looking people eating basic veggie food. It’s got recipes for making your own tofu and soymilk! I’ve made this recipe so many times that the book automatically opens to the page that it is on, and it splattered from past meals. I usually omit the onion and peppers, and just add the remaining ingredients to the pot and let simmer for as long as possible. This stuff is really better the longer it sits. And it’s REALLY good the next day! I used to get my tvp from a big bin at Whole Foods, but since we have moved, I had to get it online. TVP is like tofu- it has no taste. It takes on the taste of what else is in the pot! I served these on some soft hamburger rolls (I like to microwave mine for like 20 seconds to get it hot!), some coleslaw, and some potato chips.

rating: 9

Sloppy Joes
(from the cookbook “The New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook”

1 large onion, diced
2 medium green peppers, diced (I omitted)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups boiling water
2 1/2 cups tomato sauce
1-2 tbsp chili powder
good pinch pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp mustard
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 cups dry TVP

1. Saute the onion and green peppers in the olive oil.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer together for 20 minutes.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Garlic

Brussels sprouts are not my favorite green vegetable, so I am always looking for new ways to cook them. This was really easy to do, but I was afraid that they wouldn’t be done enough for Toby. He doesn’t like them to have any crunch at all. Basically he likes them to be mush. But, surprise, surprise, he liked them! They made the house smell kind of funny, but that’s ok. We ate them all! I served these with some Morningstar Farms Riblets, mashed potatoes and gravy, and a biscuit.

rating: 8

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Garlic
(from the cookbook “Vegan with a Vengeance” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz)

1 pound Brussels sprouts, washed and halved
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lay the Brussels sprouts on a rimmed baking sheet; douse with the olive oil. Roast for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, add the chopped garlic, and sprinkle with coarse sea salt, using tongs and toss to coat. Return to oven, roast for 5 more minutes. Before you remove the Brussels sprouts from the pan, rub them into the garlic, and, when you serve them, sprinkle with whatever toasted garlic remains in the pan.