Black bean soup

I really love the Vegetarian Black Bean Soup at Panera Bread, so when I came across a recipe for BBS on a can of beans, I had to try it. I'm not as concerned with the "vegetarian" part as others might be, but I'm thinking you could substitute a veggie broth for the chicken broth if you wanted to.

2 cans Black Beans (I used Bush's seasoned recipe, which is where this recipe came from. Do not drain the beans)
1 can low/reduced sodium chicken broth (or veg broth if you'd rather)
1/2 cup salsa (any kind you want, I used safeway brand mild, and put in 1cup total)
1/2 tsp chili powder (I didn't have any, so left it out. I am not that into the spicy stuff, so it worked well for me)

Mash contents of one can of beans with food processor or potato masher. Pour into saucepan with other can of beans and can of broth, and heat on stovetop. Add salsa and chili powder, and simmer until heated through. Serve as is, or add what we call "soup stuff" - sour cream, cheddar, onions, etc.

It was very tasty, IMO, and I'm looking forward to trying a bowl of leftovers cold as well.

Mediterranean Polenta

My midwife fed me this amazing polenta one day when she checked my blood glucose at a prenatal appointment and saw that it was 51. Well, she fed me after she yelled at me.

1 c cornmeal
1 c water
3 c stock (veg or chicken)
2 tsp dried basil
3 tomatoes, diced
2 zucchini, diced
1 sweet red pepper, diced
2 tbs olive oil
dash salt and pepper

1. In a bowl, combine cornmeal and water.
2. Combine the stock, herbs, salt and pepper in a nonstick pan. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and stir in cornmeal mixture slowly. Cooking, stirring constantly, for five minutes until the mixture boils and thickens. Reduce heat and simmer for ten minutes more until thicker and smooth.
4. Add the diced veggies and oil and cook until veggies are soft. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand five minutes.

Salatat Bathinjan

Because Amy needs more eggplant in her life, obviously. Hahaha.

1 lg. eggplant, peeled and sliced thick
8 tbs olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1-2 chopped jalepeno or other hot pepper
3 tbs lemon juice

1. Sprinkle eggplant with salt, allow to drain on paper towels for half hour.
2. Heat olive oil in frying pan. Fry both sides of slices until golden brown. Remove, dice, set aside.
3. Mash garlic cloves with a pinch of salt. Add to eggplant with peppers and lemon juice. Serve slightly chilled.

The Solution To Too Many Tomatoes Pasta Sauce

Oh my god! I have tomatoes coming out my ears! They are taking over my house! I have been eating tomato sandwiches for days! What do I dooooooo? Why, you make spaghetti sauce!!! I just kind of invented this one but it's gooood.

About six or so medium-large tomatoes, diced
1 can tomato paste
3 garlic cloves, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 T olive oil
1 T sugar
1 t salt
some pepper
fresh basil snipped from your garden, to taste
pinch cloves
some oregano (remember, I don't measure things: do to taste.)
some rosemary

In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium and saute the garlic and onion. Then add your diced tomatoes (don't forget to save the seeds from the heirloom tomatoes when you chop them up. They could be worth MONEY someday! At the very least, you can try to regrow them next year), the tomato paste, the sugar, salt, pepper, basil, and spices. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally. Taste from time to time (but don't burn your lip) and adjust any spices accordingly. I have no idea how long to simmer for. I'd say 45 minutes at the least but the longer you simmer it, the better it tastes. Sit down, relax, read your Surfer magazine or some Faulkner. When the house smells good, it's good. Serve over pasta of your choice or use in recipes like lasagna, etc. You can also put this in those freezer ziplocs and freeze for later use.

Artichoke Fettucine with Basil-Mint Pesto

My GOD, I am fancy.

8 oz fettucine, cooked and drained
1 large clove garlic
1 c fresh basil
1/2 fresh mint
1/3 c toasted pine nuts
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp epper
1/2 c olive oil
14 oz artichoke hearts, quartered
1/2 c roasted red peppers*
3/4 c grated romano

* I roast my own and it is super easy, but Rachel buys them in jars and really they are quite okay, too.

1. In a food processor (or Amy's magic bullet) combine garlic, basil, mint, pine nuts, salt, and pepper and chop finely. Add oil slowly until blended. Bam, that's pesto.
2. Add pesto to cooked pasta and toss with artichokes and peppers and cheese.

One of the recipes Rachel passed me: simple and crazy-delicious.

Not so spicy

My own rendition of homemade salsa. I don't actually measure anything, but it's always turned out well for me.

8-10 ripe tomatoes
1 medium onion (yellow or white, whatever you prefer. I want to try sweet onion in this sometime)
1 can white corn (drained and rinsed very well)
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed very well)
lime juice
salt & pepper


Chop or dice tomatoes and onions. Drain and rinse canned corn and beans and add to tomato mixture. Mix in approx 1T lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste (I usually do "once around the bowl" with both of them, a la Rachael Ray).

My sister told me the other day that she adds garlic as well, which I've never tried in my homemade salsa, but enjoy in storebought salsa, so I may have to give that a try sometime.

I like to keep it in Mason jars, I use the wide-mouth quarts, which work well. This recipe fills 3-4 of them. Store in fridge for a few hours to let the flavors mix, and then enjoy. :)

You can also add cilantro and any kind of peppers you like, but I don't care for those things, so I leave them out.

General Tao's Tofu

(Totally ganked from some random veg website at some point in the last decade.)

1 box firm tofu
1 egg
3/4 c corn starch
3 chopped green onions
1 c steamed broccoli
1 c sliced mushrooms
1 tbs minced ginger
1 large clove garlic, chopped
2/3 c veg stock
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs sugar
1 tbs white vinegar
toasted sesame seeds
oil for frying

1. Cube your tofu. If you have a problem with cubed tofu falling apart when it's stir-fried (shout-out to Tristin), try freezing it overnight first. Beat egg, and dip tofu cubes first into the egg and then into cornstarch, taking care to avoid clumps.
2. Heat oil in wok or skillet and fry tofu until golden. This takes a few minutes.
3. Add green onions, ginger, and garlic. Cook for two or three minutes, taking care as usual not to burn the garlic. Add remaining ingredients. Mix 2 tbs water with 1 tbs cornstarch and pour into the mixture in the pan, stirring well to combine. Cook until broccoli is soft. Serve over rice.

Tofu Chili

Mm, "meaty." Complete with quotation marks. I made this for Mason's biodad once, back when I cared whether or not he starved to death. Haley is a fan of it as well. Hey, even my DAUGHTER will eat this! And you know how Rayna is about... you know, eating stuff.

1 package extra firm tofu, in small cubes
1 large can (26 oz?) crushed tomatoes
6 oz tomato paste
8 oz can kidney beans, drained & rinsed
8 oz can black beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 vidalia onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 finely chopped jalepeno peppers
3-4 cloves garlic, pressed
The following spices, to taste:
chili powder, paprika, cumin, turmeric, cayenne pepper

1. In a bowl, combine the tofu with the seasonings. Do remember that tofu will take on the flavor of whatever it's cooked in - so add the spices DIRECTLY to the tofu before you start cooking.
2. Transfer tofu mixture to a (lightly greased) pot and add garlic and onion. Cook over medium heat until the tofu and onions are softened and browned, taking care not to burn the garlic.
3. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste, heat through.
4. Add veggies and beans and simmer until cooked through. 20 minutes? Whatever.

I usually serve it with shredded cheddar (soy if you're a better person than I) and a dollop of plain yogurt on top.

Like Lasagna!

I made this one up today. It's good! Yes, I realize I'm on an eggplant kick. What can I say?

1 bag grown up (not baby) spinach (find in salad section of market), chopped
1 large purple eggplant (at least a lb), peeled (try not to lose any fingers)
1 jar of spaghetti sauce, tomato and basil or whatever the heck you fancy
1 16-oz container part skim ricotta (Supreme brand if you come to RI! Woo hoo!)
1 cup of shredded mozz/Italian blend cheese, plus extra for sprinkling
Some parm
1 egg, beaten
Olive oil
Spices like garlic powder, pepper, basil snipped from the garden, etc.

Preaheat oven to 375 at some point. Spray a 9x13 glass baking dish with our good friend Pam. Saute chopped spinach in a pan for a short amount of time, you can add a bit of fresh basil or some pepper if the mood strikes you. Mix beaten egg, container of ricotta, 1 C of the shredded cheese, some parm (whatever looks good), some snipped basil, garlic powder, pepper...you know. Mix up and set aside. Spread a thin layer of sauce on bottom of glass dish. Cut the eggplant in very, very thin slices lengthwise, not unlike lasagna noodles. Arrange some slices on bottom of dish on top of sauce. Spread 1/2 the ricotta mixture over the eggplant slices, then distribute 1/2 of the spinach on top of that. Drizzle some sauce over this, spread gently with spoon. Repeat this process, using other half of ricotta mixture and spinach. Place one more layer of eggplant slices on top of this. Top with the last of the sauce. Sprinkle some shredded cheese and parm on top. Bake in oven for about 40-50 minutes, until cheese on top is melted and bubbly.

Easy eggplant mini-pizzas

Yesterday I was thinking, "what to do with the leftover chicken? I really want to make chicken pizzas, but...I don't feel like dealing with the dough." Then I remembered I had an eggplant! And so I decided to try this recipe. It worked out pretty well and is yummy.

1 large purple eggplant
pizza toppings and cheese of your choice
cheese(s) of your choice
pizza sauce
olive oil
salt, pepper, and garlic powder

Cut the eggplant into 1/2" thick round slices. Brush each side lightly with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder if you would like. Grill eggplant slices on the grill, turning once, until they are slightly soft (if you usually cook eggplant you know what I'm sayin'.) I'm thinking you could also saute the slices in a pan as well if you don't have a grill or don't wish to grill them. Take slices off grill, bring indoors. Heat oven to 350. Arrange eggplant slices on a plate, pyrex dish, or cookie sheet/pizza pan. Top each slice with sauce and desired toppings. Place dish in oven and bake until cheese melts.

I was going to do the oven part on the grill as well, but I was really afraid that the eggplant slices would burn on the bottoms, so that's why I put them in the oven.

Really quite good, and vegetarian if you aren't putting the chicken on top like I did :). I'm thinking kids might like these...the individual "pizzas" are cute sized, they reminded me of the English Muffin pizzas I would make as a kid.

Stuffed eggplant

I have no clue if this is really how you make stuffed eggplant; I made this one up, too. but it's good.

1 med-large eggplant (about 1 lb)
rice, brown or whatever you like
1 can of Italian-style diced tomatoes
Mushrooms, sliced (about six?)
1/2 large onion, diced
A couple garlic cloves, minced
basil, pepper, and oregano to taste (add other spices if you feel like it)
Shredded cheese, if desired
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 350. In a glass baking dish, spread a thin layer of olive oil on the bottom. Cut eggplant in half lengthwise. Scoop out most of the meat, leaving a very thin layer (about 1/8") of meat inside the eggplant. Save scooped meat. Place eggplant halves in baking dish and put in oven. Meanwhile, prepare rice according to package directions, either on stovetop or in microwave. In a saute pan on medium heat add 1 1/2 T of olive oil. Saute reserved eggplant meat, mushrooms, onion, garlic, and spices until all are soft. Add vegetables to rice, and stir in can of diced tomatoes. Remove eggplant halves from oven. Spoon rice mixture into halves. Top with shredded cheese, if desired (if you go without the cheese, it's vegan!) Return eggplant to oven and bake for approximately 25-30 mins. The key here is to make sure the actual eggplant halves themselves are soft and not tough so you can eat them too. Generally if the skin gets all wrinkly, that's how you know, but it can take some trial and error. You will probably have some rice mixture left over too, yummy for the next day!

Eggplant Parmigiana

One day I decided to get over the dislike of eggplant I had as a child. And I wanted eggplant parm. I'm not sure if this is really how you make it...but it's good, and it works for me! Remember, I don't really measure things unless it's a "real recipe" so these things are all. Um. Approximate.

1 purple eggplant, about 3/4 lb-1 lb (if you have other types of eggplant from the garden or whatever, you can use those too. If they're small you just might need more.)
2 eggs
milk
Some white flour
Some wheat flour
Bread crumbs
Wheat germ
Oregano, basil, and pepper
Parmesan cheese
Olive oil
About 1 1/2 jars of marinara or tomato & basil pasta sauce
Shredded mozz
Feta

Preheat oven to 350. Slice the eggplant into thin slices about 1/8 " thick. Spray some Pam (poor lady! Here she is again!) on the bottom and sides of a 9x13 Pyrex dish. Pour a light layer of sauce on the bottom of the dish and spread with a spoon. In one bowl, use a fork to beat the eggs and milk together. In another bowl, make a mixture of the flours, bread crumbs, wheat germ, parm, and spices. I couldn't tell you amounts at all but believe me you'll know when it LOOKS right. It should be...tan. A little heavier on the parm, germ, and crumbs than the flours. Heat about 1 1/2 T of olive oil in a saute pan over medium. Dip each eggplant piece in the egg mixture, then coat each side in the flour mixture. Fry eggplant pieces in oil, flipping once, until each side is golden brown. Arrange eggplant pieces in bottom of pyrex dish. Pour a thin layer of sauce over pieces, spread with spoon. Lightly sprinkle feta and parmesan cheese over sauce; you may add a very thin amount of mozz as well. Again saute more pieces of eggplant, arrange over first layer. Spread more sauce over the pieces. Sprinkle more feta, a larger amount of mozz, and some parm over the sauce. Place in oven and cook approximately 45 minutes, or until mozzarella is melted and bubbly.

I'm thinking this would be pretty good if you incorporated some garden-fresh herbs like basil and oregano.

Easy breakfast egg sandwich

1 egg
milk or water
bagel, english muffin, or 2 slices of bread, toasted
spices to taste
toppings, if desired: cheese, salsa, bacon, canadian bacon, sausage patty, etc.

Put bagel/English muffin/bread in toaster and toast. Crack egg into ceramic (microwave-safe) coffee mug. Add a splash of milk or water, and any spices (pepper, basil, oregano, etc), beat with fork. Microwave egg in mug on high for 35-38 seconds, Remove mug (egg will still be very soft), beat egg again. Return to microwave for another 35-38 seconds.* By this time your toast will be done. Simply tip the mug upside down onto your toasted item and add toppings if you wish. This is vegetarian if you don't put any bacon/sausage/etc on it.

*The cooking time takes a bit to perfect, based on the differences between microwaves. It might take a few tries to get it right so your egg is not too soft. Also, when you first make this recipe, be sure to keep an eye on the egg during the second cooking cycle. If you see it rising and bubbling near the top of the mug, it's done! Press stop and remove that egg before it explodes all over the inside of the micro!!!

Fettucine Alfredo

One of the few things everyone, including Rayna, will eat in this godforsaken house. In fact, it is what I made for lunch. I am fairly sure that the sun dried tomatoes are not a part of authentic fettucine alfredo, but they make a lovely tangy addition.

Fettucine noodles*

3 tbs butter
3 tbs flour
3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 c half-and-half
1/3 c grated parmesan
2 tbs parsley, snipped
1 tbs fresh basil, chopped
1 c sliced white mushrooms
2 green onions, sliced
1 cup broccoli florets, cut into pieces
1 pkg sun-dried tomatoes

*Uh, we have a huge family, full of boys, so we tend to eat a whole BOX at a time. Adjust accordingly.

1. Melt butter in large skillet. Add garlic and green onion and sautee until softened.
2. Stir in flour, cheese, and half-and-half, heat stirring until bubbly and smooth.
3. Add herbs, mushrooms, broccoli, tomatoes and cook stirring occasionally until vegetables are soft and cooked.
4. Serve over pasta. Top with additional grated parm if desired.

Bubble and Squeak

Katie informs me that (normal) Americans don't eat bubble and squeak. I cannot believe it! What do you do with your leftover greens? Pff. I know, people always make fun of English cooking and yes, it is true that my parents tend to eat bland, overcooked vegetables; but I really. Really. Love. Bubble and squeak.

2 cups cooked, shredded Cabbage
1 Onion sliced or chopped
1 lb Potatoes
3 tbs Butter
salt and pepper to taste
oil

1. Peel, boil, and mash potatoes with butter. (Do not add milk.) Season with salt and pepper.
2. Usually we use leftover cabbage for this, but if you aren't: cook in water and 1 tbs butter until tender. Mix together with potato.
3. In a skillet, heat some oil and add the onion, cooking until soft. Add the potato and cabbage mixture and press down atop cooked onions to form a flat cake.
4. Cook over medium heat until browned on the bottom, for about 15 minutes. Transfer upside down onto a plate and heat another 2 tbs (approximately) of oil. Replace cake in the skillet and brown on the other side.

Transfer to plate again, cut into wedges, and serve.

Rarebit

Welsh rarebit is probably one of my all time favorite British foods (aside from beans on toast, of course) and here is how we make it. It's good any time, all the time, every time.

3 tbs butter
6 oz cheddar cheese
1 tbs beer
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp Worcetershire
1 egg, beaten
Baguette sliced and toasted
salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in salt & pepper, mustard, and worcetershire. Cook until bubbly and smooth. Remove from heat. Add beerand cheese, stir until melted.
2. Spoon over toast.

That's it! You can also substitute the beer for either whiskey or milk. Sometimes this is called "Welsh Rabbit" but I don't know why, since it's quite vegetarian.

Roasted Garlic and Spinach Dip

Very good with pita chips. Or if you just dive head first into the bowl. Either way.

1 whole head of garlic
olive oil
1 bag frozen spinach
1 can chopped artichoke hearts
8 oz of cream cheese, cubed OR 1 pkg soft tofu, cubed
dash lemon juice
1 tsp soy sauce
dash tobasco sauce
1 tsp paprika

1. To roast the garlic for the spinach dip, take the outer skin off the head but leave the individual cloves intact. Cut off each end of garlic head. Drizzle with olive oil, wrap in tin foil, and cook in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Cool.
2. Cook spinach according to package directions and drain well.
3. Combine, in food processor or blender (or Amy's magic bullet) all ingredients. Remove garlic from pulp by squeezing one end - it will literally fall out of its skin. Blend until smooth.
4. If desired, transfer to saucepan and heat through until bubbly.

This dip is freakin' amazing. It's really just as good with tofu - I make it that way when the kids are around, since Liam is allergic to.. you know.. the world. Plus, it is vegan this way!

Tex Mex lentil casserole

This is a pretty fast and easy dish to make. I think I found the recipe online at some point.

1 C red lentils (I've used brown ones too and it works fine)
1 can vegetable stock (if I was out of veggie stock I've used chicken which also worked well although obv. wouldn't be vegetarian if you went that route)
1 C chopped onion
1 can diced tomatoes (I like to use the ones w/the chilies but plain is fine)
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 C grated fat-free cheese
2 T chopped cilantro if desired

Combine all the ingredients except cheese and cilantro in 1 1/2 qt covered microwaveable dish. Microwave on high for 18-20 mins. (Depending on the strength of your micro, you may need to do it a little longer than that...keep an eye on the container near the end of the cooking time, and adjust accordingly.) Carefully remove cover and stir, sprinkle with cheese, cover and let stand for 20 mins. Garnish with cilantro.

3-Cheese Vegetarian Pizza

This isn't really much of a recipe, per se, it's just something the kids and I usually eat on the weekends because I'm a big pushover. Also, I really am not a huge fan of making my own pizza dough, so when I feel espescially lazy I use the premade Barilla shells. They aren't as good, but they are much faster.

Crust:
Any basic recipe for pizza dough works, BUT:
I add 1 tsp dried oregano and 1 tsp dried basil to the dough.
You can even use the boxed crust mix and just add herbs to it.

Toppings:
Pesto sauce OR pizza sauce (jarred is fine)
artichoke hearts
chopped spinach
sliced tomatoes
mushrooms
cooked broccoli florets
mozzarella cheese (fresh, sliced)
crumbled feta
grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Make your dough according to whichever recipe you normally use plus the herbs. Press it out onto a greased pizza pan.
2. Spread pesto or pizza sauce, as you like, over the crust. Lay slices of mozzarella to cover sauce.
3. Layer vegetables atop cheese. Sprinkle feta over veggies and grated parm over feta.
4. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until crust is crisp and brown and veggies are soft.

If you don't already use fresh mozzarella when you make pizza, shame on you!! Processed shredded cheese does not compare. Also, chopped basil leaves on top of the sauce give it a really good flavor, if you are as big a fan of basil as I am (especially if you are using the preprepared crust). I also sometimes brush the crust with oil before cooking and then sprinkle sesame seed on it, so they toast while in the oven. Yum!

Stuffed shells

Growing up I loved stuffed shells when Mama made them. I got my own recipe from the back of a Barilla pasta box but made a few modifications.

1 box (12 oz.) large shells
1 jar of pasta sauce of your choice; I find tomato/basil or marinara is the best.
2 eggs
2 15-oz containers of Ricotta cheese (If you live in RI or New England and can get Supremo brand cheese, yay! If not, others will work.)
4 C shredded mozzarella, divided
1 1/2 C grated parmesan cheese, divided
special seasoning*

*When I started making my own stuffed shells, I added some "scampi mix" spice from Wildtree Herbs (you buy them at a party, not unlike a tupperware party) to the ricotta mixture. Everyone LOVED my shells. I've since run out of the stuff, but info about it can be found here. I've recently emailed the company about getting more scampi mix, but if you are unable to get it, you could add in probably some lemon pepper blend as well as some garlic powder and some parsley. Nothing can ever replicate the scampi mix but it comes close.

Preheat oven to 350. Cook shells according to package directions. Spray the bottom of a 15 X 10 X 2 glass baking dish with Pam or the like. Spread 2 C of the sauce in the bottom of the dish. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Stir in ricotta, 2 C of the mozz, 1 C of the parm and the special seasoning. (My seasoning was added to taste...probably about 1 or 1 1/2 T.) Fill each cooked shell w/ricotta mixture. Put the shells in the baking dish. Top with remaining sauce, mozz, and parm. Bake covered with foil until bubbly, about an hour. Uncover and continue cooking until cheese is melted, about 5 mins. Let stand 5 mins before serving.