Monday, December 31, 2012
Enchilada-Inspired Polenta Pie
This dish was kinda funny. It was tasty & filling, but the polenta never got firm. You cook the polenta with onion & spices first for 6-8 hours, then add the bean-corn-chilli-salsa mixture on top. I cooked the polenta even longer, but it stayed the consistency of cream of wheat cereal the entire time. I used cornmeal like the recipe stated, but I think it might have been better to use coarse polenta grain instead. I would try it again to see before crossing it out.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Winter Squash & Sweet Potato Soup
Yum, winter squash. Over the summer, I grew acorn & butternut squash in the garden. Then I put them in the cupboard for winter. It got cold towards the end of December, so it was the perfect time for hot soup from the slow cooker. This recipe was super easy & delicious.
Basically you slow cook onions, sweet potatoes & butternut squash in veggie stock with thyme & sage. Then blend. Full recipe can be found in Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker.
Ginger-spiced Walnuts
I made these as part of my Dad's Christmas gift, cause what do you get for a man that has everything? First coat the walnuts with oil, then add brown sugar, cover & cook on high for 15 min. Then uncover & cook on low for 2 hours until the walnuts are crispy, stirring occasionally. Then stir in the spice mixture & let cool on cookie sheet. He loved them!
1 lb unsalted raw walnut halves
1/4 c corn oil or other mild oil
1/3 c packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp ground crystallized ginger - use spice grinder or chop very finely
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1 lb unsalted raw walnut halves
1/4 c corn oil or other mild oil
1/3 c packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp ground crystallized ginger - use spice grinder or chop very finely
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
Flageolet Beans with Rosemary and Thyme
Damn good. This recipe came from the December issue of Sunset magazine. It was super simple & took very little time to cook. The fresh herbs came straight from the backyard and really made the beans flavorful. I used small white beans from the regular grocery store instead of trying to find the called for flageolet.
Ingredients:
12 oz dried flageolet beans
6 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tsp salt
2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme
2 carrots, cut into 1/2 in slices on diagonal
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1. Put all but parsley into slow cooker. Add 5 cups boiling water & stir. Cover & cook until beans are very tender & most of water is absorbed, 2-3 hrs on high or 4-4.5 hrs on low.
2. Stir in 3 tbsp of parsley. Transfer to serving dishes. Add more oil to taste if desired. Garnish with sprigs of rosemary & thyme & remaining parsley.
Ingredients:
12 oz dried flageolet beans
6 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tsp salt
2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme
2 carrots, cut into 1/2 in slices on diagonal
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1. Put all but parsley into slow cooker. Add 5 cups boiling water & stir. Cover & cook until beans are very tender & most of water is absorbed, 2-3 hrs on high or 4-4.5 hrs on low.
2. Stir in 3 tbsp of parsley. Transfer to serving dishes. Add more oil to taste if desired. Garnish with sprigs of rosemary & thyme & remaining parsley.
Winter Squash Stuffed with Couscous, Apricots and Pistachios
I made this the week before Christmas when David & I were both busy with holiday parties & after-work shopping. It was super easy, but did require a bit of work to prepare before throwing everything in the crock pot. Next time I would make the couscous stuffing the night before so I wouldn't have to cook in the morning when still half asleep. I used the bottom part of a giant butternut squash from the garden (!) which took up the whole crock pot, but only used about half of the couscous stuffing. It was nice to have extra for leftovers, but I think you could also just cut the recipe in half. I might have put too much water in to steam the squash as it got really, really soft. But it was also cooking for way more than the recommended 6 hours or rather it was on stay warm for 3-4 hours after it was done. I also just noticed that the book recommends putting the squash in the microwave for a few minutes to make it easier to cut in half. I would do that if you have a microwave because it was really hard to cut into equal halves good for stuffing.
Ingredients:
2 cups apple juice
1 cup couscous
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1 c chopped dried apricots
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lg yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 c pistachio nuts, chopped
1 lg winter squash, kabocha or buttercup, halved & seeded
1 c hot water
1. Bring juice to boil in medium pot. Add couscous & spices. Reduce heat to low, cover & simmer 10 min. Remove from heat, stir in apricots, cover & set aside.
2. Heat oil in large skillet. Add onion & garlic, cover & cook until soft, ~5 min.
3. Fluff couscous with fork, add onion mixture & pistachios. Season w/ salt & pepper. Mix well.
4. Put squash in slow cooker. Pack stuffing in squash. Pour water into cooker around squash. Cover & cook on low until tender, ~6 hours. Serve hot.
 |
| Leftovers! |
2 cups apple juice
1 cup couscous
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1 c chopped dried apricots
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lg yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 c pistachio nuts, chopped
1 lg winter squash, kabocha or buttercup, halved & seeded
1 c hot water
1. Bring juice to boil in medium pot. Add couscous & spices. Reduce heat to low, cover & simmer 10 min. Remove from heat, stir in apricots, cover & set aside.
2. Heat oil in large skillet. Add onion & garlic, cover & cook until soft, ~5 min.
3. Fluff couscous with fork, add onion mixture & pistachios. Season w/ salt & pepper. Mix well.
4. Put squash in slow cooker. Pack stuffing in squash. Pour water into cooker around squash. Cover & cook on low until tender, ~6 hours. Serve hot.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Farmhouse Stew
7.7.12
Another recipe with green beans from the garden! Carrots too! We even used the last jar of canned tomatoes from last year's garden just in time for the 1st red one of this year. I made homemade seitan first before adding some to this recipe. Seitan is made of wheat flour and vital wheat gluten and can also be made in the slow cooker. This recipe didn't call for any spices except salt and pepper and I was worried it wouldn't have much flavor. But the potatoes, carrots and beans were very tasty. I think the seitan added a lot of flavor.
Another recipe with green beans from the garden! Carrots too! We even used the last jar of canned tomatoes from last year's garden just in time for the 1st red one of this year. I made homemade seitan first before adding some to this recipe. Seitan is made of wheat flour and vital wheat gluten and can also be made in the slow cooker. This recipe didn't call for any spices except salt and pepper and I was worried it wouldn't have much flavor. But the potatoes, carrots and beans were very tasty. I think the seitan added a lot of flavor.
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| Stew with homemade rye sourdough bread. |
Mushroom and Green Bean Stroganoff
6.30.12
Patrick and I had a very busy Saturday planned to so we used the Crock-Pot to have dinner ready after our errands, including planted a fig tree which you can read about here: http://twinduplex.blogspot.com/
We have lots of green beans growing in our garden right now so we used the Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker recipe book to make stroganoff. It was very good and had very interesting flavor! Here is the recipe:
Patrick and I had a very busy Saturday planned to so we used the Crock-Pot to have dinner ready after our errands, including planted a fig tree which you can read about here: http://twinduplex.blogspot.com/
We have lots of green beans growing in our garden right now so we used the Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker recipe book to make stroganoff. It was very good and had very interesting flavor! Here is the recipe:
Monday, March 26, 2012
Homemade Veggie Broth
Lately I've been experimenting with making my own vegetable broth in the crock-pot. Vegetable bullion has a lot of added salt and can be expensive if you use it a lot in cooking. Instead of composting those carrot tops, onion skins, kale stems, broccoli stalks and garlic peels, I throw them in the freezer. When I have a full tupperware full, I put the frozen veggies in the crock-pot with 8 cups of water. You can spices like peppercorns and a bay leaf too but might not be necessary. 6-8 hours later, you have a nice pot of homemade broth. Press out the veggies through a sieve or colander. I usually freeze and label in 2-3 cup portions so next time I make soup, bulger or rice, I just have to defrost.
Some friends were over and mentioned they were juicing a lot of fruits and vegetables lately. I think the pulp leftover from juicing could be used in the same way to make broth.
Dueling Crock-Pots!
Soon after we bought our house, Patrick found a "new" crock-pot at a garage sale last summer.
So I borrowed Katie's vegetarian slow cooker cookbook and made a few soups this winter. Both were simple and tasty.
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| Kidney Bean and Sweet Potato Stew |
So I borrowed Katie's vegetarian slow cooker cookbook and made a few soups this winter. Both were simple and tasty.
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| Tortilla-Tomato Soup served with avocado and fresh cilantro |
3 Dishes in 4 Days
Thursday.
I still had lots of lentils on my shelf, so I decided to make the "What a Dal" recipe from my vegetarian slow cooker book. I had all the spices, but it just wasn't that tasty. I'm not sure why. It also wasn't what I thought of as typical dal. This had brown lentils & beans, not soupy at all. It was a little better as leftovers, but truthfully the best thing about it was the cornbread I ate it with.
Saturday.
Dessert!
This recipe was super easy & would be a great use of rice left over from a previous dinner.
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1 1/2 cups milk or vanilla soy milk
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup golden raisins or other dried fruit
1/3 - 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1. Combine all but raisins & almonds in lightly oiled slow cooker, stirring to mix well. Cover & cook on low for 3-4 hours, stirring once halfway through & add raisins.
2. Serve warm & garnish with toasted almonds.
Sunday.
Sweet & Sour Cabbage. This was another super easy & tasty dish. It only takes 10 minutes to prep & is a good way to get another winter vegetable in your diet. It is perfectly sweet & sour. I served it with veggie burgers, but the book suggests vegetarian sausage links mixed in. I might try that next.
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, minced
2 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 medium-size head red cabbage, cored & shredded
1 mediun-size cooking apple, like Granny Smith or Rome Beauty, peeled, cored & chopped
Salt & pepper
1. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion, cover & cook until soft ~5min. Add flour & cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add water, stirring until smooth.
2. Transfer onion mixture to slow cooker & stir in vinegar & brown sugar. Add cabbage & apple, season with salt & pepper, stir to combine. Cover & cook on low for 5-6 hours, until tender. Taste to adjust seasonings, serve hot.
I still had lots of lentils on my shelf, so I decided to make the "What a Dal" recipe from my vegetarian slow cooker book. I had all the spices, but it just wasn't that tasty. I'm not sure why. It also wasn't what I thought of as typical dal. This had brown lentils & beans, not soupy at all. It was a little better as leftovers, but truthfully the best thing about it was the cornbread I ate it with.
Saturday.
Dessert!
 |
| Brown Rice Pudding with Golden Raisins and Toasted Almonds |
This recipe was super easy & would be a great use of rice left over from a previous dinner.
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1 1/2 cups milk or vanilla soy milk
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup golden raisins or other dried fruit
1/3 - 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1. Combine all but raisins & almonds in lightly oiled slow cooker, stirring to mix well. Cover & cook on low for 3-4 hours, stirring once halfway through & add raisins.
2. Serve warm & garnish with toasted almonds.
Sunday.
Sweet & Sour Cabbage. This was another super easy & tasty dish. It only takes 10 minutes to prep & is a good way to get another winter vegetable in your diet. It is perfectly sweet & sour. I served it with veggie burgers, but the book suggests vegetarian sausage links mixed in. I might try that next.
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, minced
2 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 medium-size head red cabbage, cored & shredded
1 mediun-size cooking apple, like Granny Smith or Rome Beauty, peeled, cored & chopped
Salt & pepper
1. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion, cover & cook until soft ~5min. Add flour & cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add water, stirring until smooth.
2. Transfer onion mixture to slow cooker & stir in vinegar & brown sugar. Add cabbage & apple, season with salt & pepper, stir to combine. Cover & cook on low for 5-6 hours, until tender. Taste to adjust seasonings, serve hot.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Tomato Soup
So glad I had this to come home to after a cold, rainy spring day.
All I had to do was blend it up & add some Israeli couscous. Put together with a fresh salad & dinner is done!
To make: saute a chopped, medium onion & a minced clove of garlic in olive oil. Add to crockpot. Add 3 cups veggie broth, lg can of chopped tomatoes (I used a quart of canned garden tomatoes), 1 tbsp tomato paste or ketchup, 2 bay leaves, a pinch of sugar, salt & pepper to taste. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove bay leaves. Blend in food processor or blender or better yet, use immersion blender right in the crockpot. Add more salt & pepper if desired. Eat!
All I had to do was blend it up & add some Israeli couscous. Put together with a fresh salad & dinner is done!
To make: saute a chopped, medium onion & a minced clove of garlic in olive oil. Add to crockpot. Add 3 cups veggie broth, lg can of chopped tomatoes (I used a quart of canned garden tomatoes), 1 tbsp tomato paste or ketchup, 2 bay leaves, a pinch of sugar, salt & pepper to taste. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove bay leaves. Blend in food processor or blender or better yet, use immersion blender right in the crockpot. Add more salt & pepper if desired. Eat!
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Sloppy Lentils
3.1.12
I knew Thursday afternoon/evening was going to be busy, so I found this recipe & prepped the onion & pepper the night before. That way, I could go to yoga, come home, eat dinner, go to the neighborhood meeting & check out some friend's bands. All without cooking!
This might be one of the best dishes to come from the slow cooker yet. It was super easy, I even overslept & got it all ready before heading to work on time. And it was super tasty. I used tomatoes from my mother's garden that I had canned last summer which made it a little extra juicy. Served with slider rolls & crisp lettuce. As leftovers, I ate it as soup with slices of tomatoes on top.
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped
1 small red or green bell pepper, seeded & chopped
1 tbsp chili powder
1.5 cups brown lentils, picked over & rinsed
14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
3 cups water
2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1 tbsp prepared mustard
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion & pepper, cook until softened ~5 min. Add chili powder, stirring to coat.
2. Transfer to slow cooker. Add lentil, tomatoes, water, tamari, mustard, brown sugar, salt & pepper to taste & stir to combine. Cover & cook on low for 8 hours.
Serves 6.
I knew Thursday afternoon/evening was going to be busy, so I found this recipe & prepped the onion & pepper the night before. That way, I could go to yoga, come home, eat dinner, go to the neighborhood meeting & check out some friend's bands. All without cooking!
This might be one of the best dishes to come from the slow cooker yet. It was super easy, I even overslept & got it all ready before heading to work on time. And it was super tasty. I used tomatoes from my mother's garden that I had canned last summer which made it a little extra juicy. Served with slider rolls & crisp lettuce. As leftovers, I ate it as soup with slices of tomatoes on top.
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped
1 small red or green bell pepper, seeded & chopped
1 tbsp chili powder
1.5 cups brown lentils, picked over & rinsed
14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
3 cups water
2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1 tbsp prepared mustard
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion & pepper, cook until softened ~5 min. Add chili powder, stirring to coat.
2. Transfer to slow cooker. Add lentil, tomatoes, water, tamari, mustard, brown sugar, salt & pepper to taste & stir to combine. Cover & cook on low for 8 hours.
Serves 6.
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