Stuffed Mushrooms
My version of stuffed mushrooms is probably my husband’s favorite item that I make. It is great to munch on with salad or soup for a relaxing night with a few drinks and a movie.
Ingredients:
Saute everything but the cheese in olive oil. Combine with the cheese. Stuff the mushroom caps (preferably baby bellas) and heat in the oven until the cheese melts.
Stuffed Mushrooms
To utilize the zucchini from my lovely bounty from Door to Door Organics recently, I found this dish in my “Vegan Planet” cookbook. It seemed healthy and well-rounded. There was protein from the chickpeas and everything, including the pasta, was organic.
For those that are not vegan, cheese can be added, such as fresh mozzarella and parmesaan. After I made it and served it, I realized I could have added sun dried tomatoes for more flavor – just got a huge bottle from Costco that I think was a good deal – along with all the other items that totaled $500.
2 tblsps olive oil
2 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4″-thick half-moons
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tblsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 14.5-ounce can plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 1/2 cups cooked or one 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound penne or other short, tubular pasta
Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the zucchini and cook until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the rosemary, tomatoes, chickpeas, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes to blend the flavors.
Meanwhile, cook the penne in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and place in a large, shallow serving bowl. Add the sauce and toss gently to combine. Serve at once.
Serves 4
Source: Vegan Planet
Just ordered a box of organic produce from Door to Door Organics. I’m looking forward to see what is delivered. On their site, they have a handy storage guideline for produce:
“Storage Tips
Here are some storage tips for you to help you get the most out of your produce:
APPLES – Refrigerate or store in cool area. (4-6 weeks)
APRICOTS – Ripen at room temperature, then refrigerate. (1-2 days)
ARTICHOKES – Refrigerate. (2-3 days)
ASPARAGUS – Refrigerate, unwashed, covered. (1-3 days)
AVOCADOS – Ripen in warm, humid place. Refrigerate only if necessary.
BANANAS – Ripen at room temperature. (2-3 days)
BEETS – Cut off tops 2 inches above crown. Refrigerate, covered. (3-4 days)
BERRIES – Refrigerate, uncovered. Wash just before serving. (2-3 days)
BROCCOLI – Refrigerate, in closed bag. (4-5 days)
BRUSSELS SPROUTS – Remove wilted leaves store covered. (3-5days)
CABBAGE – Refrigerate in closed bag. (1-2 weeks)
CARROTS – Remove tops, wash. Refrigerate in closed bag. (1-2 weeks)
CAULIFLOWER – Refrigerate in closed bag. (2-5days)
CELERY – Wash, refrigerate in closed bag. (1-2 weeks)
EGGPLANT
– Refrigerate in closed bag. (3-4 days)
GARLIC – Store at room temperature. (1-2 months)
GRAPES – Refrigerate in perforated bag. (1-2 weeks)
KALE – Wash, refrigerate in closed bag lined with paper towel. (3-4 days)
KIWIFRUIT – Ripen in warm humid place. Refrigerate. (1-2 weeks)
LEEKS – Refrigerate covered. (5-7 days)
LEMONS – if washed and dried and sealed in a ziplock bag will last for weeks with no change in taste or look.
LETTUCE – Wash, drain, refrigerate in closed bag lined with paper towel. (3-4 days)
LIMES – if washed and dried and sealed in a ziplock bag will last for weeks with no change in taste or look.
ONIONS – Keep dry. Refrigerate or store in pantry. (1-2 months)
ORANGES – Room temperature (3-4 days) or refrigerate. (2-3 weeks)
PEARS – Ripen at room temperature, then refrigerate, unwashed. (1-2 weeks)
PEAS – Refrigerate unshelled. (1-2 days)
PEPPER – Refrigerate or store in cool, moist area. (1-2 weeks)
POTATO – Keep cool, dry and dark.
RADISH – Refrigerate. (5-7 days)
SPINACH – Refrigerate covered. (3-4 days)
SQUASH – cool and dry in pantry. If cut, refrigerate covered.
SWEET POTATO – Keep cool, dry and dark.
TANGELO – Room temperature (3-4 days) or refrigerate. (2-3 weeks)
TANGERINES – Room temperature (3-4 days) or refrigerate. (2-3 weeks)
TOMATOES – Store at room temperature (stem end down) until ripe. Then refrigerate”
Source: Door to Door Organics
Chili Fest Chili With Yogurt-Cilantro Topping
This is chili with a kick. I entered it into my husband’s coveted chili cook-off at work today. I won 2nd place last year. Back then, I had by chance already made chili for the family when Porter had mentioned the contest. It was different because I had just tried a tip I picked up from the Food Network about using couscous to thicken the chili. It worked!
This year, I decided to pull out the big guns with this recipe I found in “Moosewood Restaurant, Cooking For Health.” It looks like their latest book and I consider whatever they write to be a bible for vegetarians. It has some intriguing ingredients like cinnamon, molasses, cloves and the big kick and flavor from chipotle pepper in Adobo sauce. Not being conservative with the chipotle led to my downfall for this competition as it turned out too hot for most. It was helped with the use of chips and the topping of cilantro yogurt also cooled things off.
I am telling you as a warning so you don’t make my mistake, esp if you are cooking for others who don’t like their food too spicy, like my husband. I do just fine and I kept wanting more. The chipotle burns your tongue and you can feel the warmth from the cloves in the back of your throat. I my eyes got teary and my nose was getting runny, but I was ready for more…Maybe it would be a great cold reliever!
Serves 6 to 8, yields about 9 cups, time: ~ an hour
Ingredients
Directions
Variations: (I’m looking forward to trying this in the future) Add tempeh: Cut 8 ounces of tempeh into 1/2-inch cubes. Warm a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a skillet on medium-high heat and cook the tempeh cubes, stirring often, until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in a tablespoon of soy sauce. Add the browned tempeh to the chili just before serving.
Adjust the amount of chipotles to suit your taste for “hot.” You can start with less and add more finely minced chipotles after the chili has simmered for 15 or 20 minutes.
Use 1 can of red kidney beans and 1 can of black beans.
Per 1 serving, 1 generous cup – calories: 210, protein: 11g, carbs: 34g, fiber: 8g, total fat: 5g, saturated fat: 1g, monounsaturated fat: 2g, cholesterol: 1mg, sodium: 212mg
Being from India, I grew up eating Indian food and then making it. I’ve loved getting to know the different spices and their flavors. More recently, I’ve come to appreciate the spices for their medicinal purposes as well. It seems that I am often learning about some new benefits to the various spices. Most recently, I learned more about asafoetida, or “Devil’s Dung.” The spice is being looked at by drug manufacturers to prevent colds and the flu.
I’ve used the spice in primarily lentil dishes to prevent flatulence. I know that Hare Krishna devotees use it instead of onion and garlic, which they don’t use. It was once believed that the spice enhances singers’ voices.
Another super spice is turmeric, the yellow spice used in mustard and in curry powder. Turmeric has been used as an anti-inflammatory agent to treat conditions such as jaundice, bruises, colic, and menstrual difficulties. It has even been effective in treating Crohn’s disease, arthritis, and Cystic Fibrosis.
There are many more spices with many additional health benefits. As the weather gets colder and I try to protect my family from the cold and flu, I intend to cook more Indian food.
Source: World’s Healthiest Foods
Cooking has taken a much simpler path since the internet has gained popularity. Although I have a myriad of cook books and recipes I’ve collected for decades, I inevitably end up turning to my lap top and google a recipe I want rather than turn to my books. A top website of 2009 as rated by Time is Super Cook.
This site allows you to input ingredients you have and the site provides recipes that incorporate these ingredients. The recipe search engine is user-friendly and ingenious. There are so many recipe sites and this site will search them and pull the information I need. Now I don’t have to improvise as much and less will go to waste.