Vegetarian Cooking, the 411, take one

The other day, my darling daughter asked me where chicken nuggets came from.  My response- it comes from a chicken.  Being the curious kid that she is, she had to know exactly where it came from, so I had to go into the story of the farmer, the chicken, and the egg.  She thought it was awesome though, so I was a happy Mom!

Vegetarian cooking is a whole other world of cooking.  Yes, it is possible to substitute various other foods for meats in meat based dishes, but not always.  It is also possible to make entire dishes, main courses, using no meats.  Shocking, I know!

The crash course version of vegetarian cooking might involve the necessity of post it notes in your kitchen (you should see my kitchen right now).  It's worth it though.

First tip.... typically, vegetables cook quicker than meats.  Some vegetables in the root and squash departments do not though (those need much long to cook).

Second tip.... those veggies that take a while to cook, like a tough cut of meat, are usually best when slow roasted.

Third tip... like a meat, veggies can be cooked "rare" or "well done."  In this case, it means do you want your vegetables to have a bite or be floppy.

Fourth tip...  not all meat based dishes can automatically have a veggie substitute.  Sorry.  However, sometimes tofu can be used (tofu needs a whole tutorial on its own!).

Fifth tip... do not forget cooking times.  The general rule of the thumb is to half the cooking time, but not always!

Sixth tip... it will still taste good.  Sometimes, it might taste better.  Vegetables equal pure awesomeness, for reals.

Reminder- vegan is NOT the same thing as vegetarian!  Typically speaking, vegan means no animal products (cheese, eggs, butter, broth, ect.)


Ok, let's practice!  Remember my recipe for Stir Fry?  That one is a simple something for you to start out with.  Instead of chicken and mixed veggies, we're going to do a few substitutes.

Ingredients:

1 red bell pepper, diced
1 head broccoli, stems removed (or 2 cups broccoli florets)1/2 pound snow peas, ends trimmed
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 can sliced water chestnuts
1/2 cup Teriyaki sauce
1 T brown sugar
2 T rice wine vinegar
chopped garlic, as needed (1-2 T)
1 cup rice, cooked

Special equipment:
Wok

Directions:

1. In a zip lock bag, combine Teriyaki, brown sugar, and rice wine
2. Place prepared vegetables in sauce mixture for 10-20 minutes
3. Cook rice
4. In a large sauté pan or wok, cook vegetables. Halfway, add garlic (as much or little as you want).  Note: this will only take about 5-10 minutes to do (depending on how you want your vegetables).  
5. Serve over rice

For an extra "boost," try adding 1/2 T of fresh, grated ginger.

Serves 4-6


Remember my Chicken Salad recipe?  You can trade out the poached chicken for some diced zucchini and/or summer squash.  Personally, I wouldn't cook those veggies at all, but you can always bake them at 400 for 10-15 minutes to soften them up a little (don't forget to put some vegetable oil on them in your pan before you stick it in the oven!).  Tofu is doable, but that's a lesson for another day.

While we're at it, go ahead and substitute tofu pepperoni in my Pizza Sticks.  You won't even be able to tell the difference.  I do that sometimes just to make it healthy.

This was the crash course, but there will be more in the near future!

Almond Crunch

Almond Crunch

Ingredients:
1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/4 c sugar
2 T corn syrup
2 T water
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 cup toasted almond slivers
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Special Equipment:
Acrylic or Pyrex pot
Candy Thermometer

Directions:

1. Line a cookie sheet with foil, set aside
2. Combine first four ingredients in pot over medium heat and stir occasionally
3. When mixture begins to bubble, insert candy thermometer and begin to mix constantly
4. When mixture reaches 300F, remove from heat and add vanilla and almonds (vanilla will cause the candy to bubble momentarily, this is normal- it is the alcohol cooking off)
5. Spread evenly over foil (it will cover roughly 80-90% of the pan)
6. Add chocolate chips and let sit for 5-7 minutes
7. When chips look shiny, use a spatula to spread evenly over candy
8. Refrigerate for 1 hour, or until chocolate and candy is hard
9. Carefully remove foil and break up into bite sized pieces
10. Can be stored in an airtight container for up to one month

Top of the Town Tuna Salad

Top of the Town Tuna Salad

2 cans tuna, drained
1/2 c mayonnaise
1/4 c chopped pecans
1/4 c diced apple
1/4 c diced Swiss cheese
1 T diced red onion

spicy mustard
lettuce
tomato slices
sliced pumpernickel bread

1. Combine all ingredients, mix well
2. Prepare sandwiches as desired, with mustard, lettuce, tomato and bread
3. Place enough tuna mix over bread to cover, and cut sandwich in triangles

Best served with a fruit salad or chips

Chicken I Dunno

Chicken I Dunno

Person A: What do you want for dinner?
Person B: I dunno
Person C: I don't care
Person A: Chicken it is!

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 t Italian seasoning
1/4 t garlic salt
1/4 t ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425F
2. Coat a Pyrex dish with cooking spray.
3. Lay chicken in dish and lightly coat with cooking spray
4. Sprinkle seasonings evenly over both chicken breasts
5. Bake chicken for 20-25 minutes, until chicken is done
6. Let chicken rest for 2-5 minutes before serving

Best served with rice and cheesy broccoli

What's an "I Dunno" got to do with this?!

The following is a real conversation, that sadly, takes place in too many households far too often...

Person A: What do you want for dinner?
Person B: I dunno
Person A: What's I dunno?
Person B: I dunno, something edible?

Frustrating, isn't it?! I've had that conversation far too often with my own family, and it leaves me wondering what to make for dinner. Not that only ago, I told my husband that if I heard that one more time, I was going to come up with a recipe called "I dunno," and every time he said he wanted I dunno for dinner, that's what I would make. For the past month, I have been working on developing versions of "I Dunno." But now I need to know, what sort of things do you guys like?





I can't wait to hear your answers! Once I do, I'll start posting some versions of "I Dunno" for you all!

Sponge Toffee

Sponge Toffee

Ingredients:

1 c dark corn syrup
1 c sugar
1 T vinegar
1 T baking soda

Special Equipment:
Acrylic or Pyrex pot
Candy Thermometer

Directions:

1. Line an 8x8 or 9x9 dish with foil. Make sure the edges come up several inches past the top of the dish
2. Pat down the foil to make it as smooth as possible
3. Generously coat the foil with cooking spray
4. In a large acrylic or Pyrex pot, combine corn syrup, sugar and vinegar
5. Over medium heat, continue stirring until sugar has dissolved
6. Place candy thermometer in pot (do not let the bottom of the thermometer touch the bottom of the pot)
7. Bring the mix to a boil and let continue cooking until the candy thermometer reads 300 F
8. Quickly remove from heat and stir in baking soda, quickly mixing to combine ingredients
9. Add mix to foiled pan. Candy mixture will "foam up"
10. Let candy sit for 45 minutes to an hour, until it has cooled
11. Remove foil and place candy brick in a large Ziploc bag to break apart into bite sized pieces (if you have a mallet or hammer, you can use that, gently)
12. Candy can be stored for up to 1 month in an airtight container

Lazy Good Chicken Bake

Lazy Good Chicken Bake

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup brown rice*
1 can mushrooms
1 can sliced olives
1 can diced tomatoes
1 t oregano
1 t basil
1/2 t ground black pepper
1/2 t salt
3 T Champagne vinegar**
Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Trim chicken of excess fat and skin and cut into small, bite size pieces
3. Place all ingredients, except Parmesan, in an 8x11 Pyrex casserole dish (do not drain cans prior), and mix
4. Snuggly place foil around dish
5. Bake for 1 hour
6. Remove foil from dish, mix, and sprinkle desired amount of cheese on top of casserole
7. Continue baking, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes, until remaining liquid has evaporated
8. Let casserole sit for 10 minutes before serving



*white rice can be substituted for brown rice
**red wine vinegar can be substituted for Champagne vinegar