Home fries

This is a recipe chosen for the Sunday Game of the Week that I play on the Cooking Light Boards. I loved it although it didn't fit into my cast iron skillet and aggravated me for a while- DH has good cooking sense and helped to solve the problem. Threw half the batch in a bigger skillet and with a little patience, this dish came out great. What I discovered was that I loved it without the browning and I really loved the flavor. I can see making this with just onions for a side dish. I think the dill was the secret ingredient.


Tex-Mex Homefries
Horn of the Moon Cookbook

1 quart water
4 cups cubed unpeeled potatoes (I have 2# very small Yukon Golds)
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill weed (I used Penzeys)
3/4 cup diced green pepper (I left this out cus of DH)
1 medium sized red tomato, coarsely chopped (I subbed halved grape tomatoes)
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh jalapeno pepper
1 1/2 cups chopped onion (3 onions) I left the slices large so that DH could pick them out and I'm so glad that I did!
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (on DH's serving!)
1/2 cup sour cream (didn't use- a no- no for me and DH doesn't like)
1/2 cup salsa (I used Amy's Black Bean and Corn- my new fave)

(This is a description from the book) I've added a few more veggies, spices, and some hot pepper to the basic Home Fries recipe. Patti, a breakfast cook at the cafe, came up with the idea of topping home fries with cheese, salsa, and sour cream one morning. Everyone had it for breakfast that day and loved it.

Bring water to a boil in 3-quart saucepan. Add potatoes and cover. Cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are just tender and a fork goes into them easily. Drain.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix potatoes with salt, pepper, cilantro, dill weed, green pepper, and tomato. Stir well. Preheat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet; add oil. Saute garlic, hot pepper, and onion over medium heat. When onions begin to brown, add potato mixture. Continue to cook over low heat until potatoes are nicely browned. Sprinkle grated cheese over potatoes. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and serve with sour cream and salsa on the side.

4 servings

A bit about the cookbook- Horn of the Moon- my first vegetarian cookbook that I bought for myself right after I was married. I didn't have very much money but something about this book caught my eye and I splurged. I am so glad that I did. I did my first tastings tofu, tempeh and just having tasty meals without the meat. The author is Ginny Callan who move to Vermont from NYC to attend college. She became a vegetarian and then launced a natural food sandwich company in 1976. Then she opened the Horn of the Moon cafe. I've made the Tofu Mushroom Stroganoff (which is when I discovered that DH hated mushrooms and couldn't even stand the smell of them- and it was a small apt too!) and Marinated Tempeh Burgers (which he actually liked). I went out later and bought her second one Beyond the Moon which has two excellent salad recipes that I still make- a potato salad with no mayo plus green beans and a cashew rice salad. I've posted both of those on these boards a while ago. The recipes are very delicious but I haven't cook from it in a very long time. Thanks,cookiee (the mc for the SGOTW) for helping me blow the dust off this tasty cookbook.

I forgot to take a pic!!!

Hits and Misses for January

No misses- lots of yummy new dishes.

Excellent- 5 Flamingos
Argentine Black Bean Flatbread with Chimichurri Drizzle-CL J/F 07
Split Pea Soup-VCE
Polenta-Sunflower-Millet Bread-The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook
Pecan Wheat Bread- the walnut version- KA
Whole Wheat Pizza Dough- EW
Sauteed Wild Mushrooms- BC (I made it without the butter)
Chickpea and Spinach Curry- Vegan with a Vegeance
Ginger Roasted Winter Veggies- Vegan with a Vegeance
Pizza Sauce- Vegan with a Vegeance

Very Good- 3-4 Flamingos
Harvest Grains Bread- King Arthur- not excellent because of my changes- the original is excellent!
Chickpea Salad with Provencal Herbs- CL Jun 05
Braised Cauliflower with 3 Seed Sauce- Vegan with a Vegeance
Unprocessed Cheez Sauce- The Ultimate Uncheez Cookbook

A week's menu that worked...

I decided to post this week's menu- it worked so well and tasted so great. And my memory, well, there we are.

Sunday
Nachos- reg cheese for DH
- Unprocessed Cheez Spread from the Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook for me
also topped with black beans, chopped tomatoes, and chopped romaine lettuce
I made enough black beans for tonight and for Tuesday's black beans and rice.

Monday
Spinach Chickpea Curry- Vegan with a Vegeance
Salad
Grilled lamb

Tuesday
Black beans and rice
Salad
Steamed kale (I mixed it in my bowl of black beans and rice)

Wednesday
Ginger Roasted Winter Veggies- Vegan with a Vegeance
Leftover curry served over leftover steamed greens
Salad with leftover cheez spread as the salad dressing
Steamed broccoli
Grilled smoked pork chops- DH grills them in the George Foreman grill with a bit of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper

Thursday
Pasta with marinara sauce- spaghetti for DH and whole wheat elbows for me
Salad

5 flamingos- everything worked out great and tasted even better. I made extra black beans from scratch on sunday for the nachos and then had it easy for tuesdays black beans and rice. I also made a large batch of brown rice for the leftover chinese that I then used for the black beans and rice. I also had just enough curry and leftover greens so that I could spend my time making the new Roasted Winter Veggie menu.

I have great friends!

I have received the best support from my most thoughtful friends at work. RL brought in a menu from a thai place so I could have some veggie Thai and to show some ideas to my local Thai place that is all about the animal protein. NS subbed veggie broth for the chicken broth in her soup recipe for soup club. And MA brought me in a vegan pizza- heart shaped for Vday. She is having some of the kiddos over for an auction item but thought of me. All were so thoughtful! I have the best friends at work :) :) :)

I was so tempted last week to have my old fave white pizza from the Italian restaurant across the street. I wanted it soooo bad. It's and old tradition of mine to have this pizza when DH is out of town. I managed to talk myself out of it mostly because I had some leftover pizza in my fridge that turned out to be very delicious. This has been the only bump in the becoming near vegan road so far. I love all the veggies and haven't missed the meat. Really, I find that I'm becoming less interested in the meat as I think of meat as an animal- an intelligent living creature. I just can't do it. Never pictured myself as an activities but I seem to be heading that way.

Ginger Roasted Winter Veggies

"You didn't take any pictures of dinner??" my DH said last night! Well, it was black beans and rice, a tried and true dish that for whatever reason I didn't think post-worthy. I wanted black beans on Sunday for the nachos so I went ahead and made a bag of dried to have leftovers for Tuesday. I like the bite-ier texture of beans cooked from dried rather than canned. Nuked up with some leftover brown jasmine rice and some steamed kale mixed in and its almost instant dinner. Very tasty and healthy instant dinner :) and perfect on a night that I stayed later at school for a work out class.

Tonight was mostly leftovers again- the Spinach Chickpea Curry served over the leftover steamed kale. This really was so very very good the night it was served and even better tonight. I have a great new go-to fave dish. :) :) :) DH also had grilled smoked pork chops. Two nights of mostly leftovers- I had the time and energy to try a new recipe- Ginger Roasted Winter Veggies from Vegan with a Vegeance. Another winner from this cookbook. The veggies were perfectly cooked- not too mushy not too crisp. The ginger was noticeable but just right. The kitchen was scented with the cinnamon and allspice and mmmmmm that was so nice on a cold winter evening.

Ginger Roasted Winter Veggies

Vegan with a Vegeance

1 pound parsnips (about 2 average size), washed, peeled, and cut into 3/4-inch chunks

2 large carrots, washed, peeled cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch chunks

1 pound sweet potatoes (about 3 medium-size). peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks

2 heaping tablespoons grated fresh ginger

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/3 cup olive oil (I used 1/2 of this)

pinch cinnamon

pinch allspice

1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven 350F.

In a large bowl combine all ingredients, making sure all veggies are well coated. Doing this with your hands works best.

Place the veggies in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet (I used the large bar pan from Pampered Chef and it worked perfectly.) If there is any extra liquid, pour it over the veggies.

Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and flip the veggies. Bake for 20 or so more minutes, until the veggies are tender inside.

4 1/2 flamingos- just a bit of an issure chopping all the veggies- esp the butternut squash. my knives are not that sharp and my arms humming from my workout earlier in the afternoon.

This curry rocks!

Wow- this has to be one of the best curries I have ever made. I made the Chickpea and Spinach Curry from Vegan with a Vegeance. I loved the curry flavor but also that the taste of the chickpeas, spinach, and tomatoes came through. It's a curry that emphasizes the flavor of the veggies without a heavy sauce. Even DH, who is not fond of chickpeas, snuck a few nibbles. I notice he's been doing that lately :) I meant to make a full recipe but noticed that 1 of my cans of chickpeas had a dent in the rim- aarrrggg- I have to be real careful when I buy canned goods from my local grocery store- and as careful as I think I am, a few get by.
Here is what I made-

Chickpea and Spinach Curry
adapted from Vegan with a Vegeance

1 (14.5-ounce) can whole tomatoes
1 tablespoon veggie oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 vidalia or sweet onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
2 teaspoons curry powder (I used Penzey's Maharajah)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
pinch cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cardamom pods (I used green)
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 cups fresh spinach (I used baby and left it whole)
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Prepare the tomaotes by removing them one at a time from the can, squeezing out the juice, and cutting them into bite-sized pieces. Place the prepared tomatoes in a bowl and reserve the juice in the can.

Preheat a large-sized saucepan (esp if doubling) over medium heat; pour in the veggie oil and then the mustard seeds. Let the seeds pop for about a minute- mine didn't pop :( I wonder if I don't have the right seeds??) then add the onion; turn up the heat to medium-high and saute for 7-10 minutes, until the onion begins to brown. Add the garlic and ginger, and saute for 2 more minutes. Add spices, salt, and 1/4 cup of the reserved tomato juice; saute one minute more. Add tomatoes and heat through. Add the spinach, mixing until wilted. When the spinach is wilted and the mixture is liquidy, add the chickpeas. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust spices if necessary.


I had this curry with a bit of whole wheat couscous (made with veggie broth and garlic), and a salad. DH had the couscous, salad, and grilled lamb.

5 flamingos for taste- this curry is a repeater!
5 flamingos for time and effort

Soup Club

Another yummy Monday with Soup Club! And both were very delicious (perfect for a cold winter day) and vegan friendly- wahoo!

Rosemary White Bean Soup
Barefoot Contessa- prepared by NS

1 pound dried white cannellini beans
4 cups sliced yellow onions (3 onions)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large branch fresh rosemary (6-7 inches)
2 quarts chicken or veggie stock
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, cover the beans with water by at least 1 inch and leave them in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight. Drain.

In a large stockpot over low to medium heat, saute the onions with the olive oil until the onions are translucent, 10-15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook over low heat for 3 more minutes. Add the drained white beans, rosemary, chicken stock, and bay leaf. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30-40 minutes, until the beans are very soft. Remove the rosemary branch and the bay leaf. Pass the soup through the coarsest blade of a food mill, or place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until coarsely pureed. Return the soup to the pot to reheat and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Garbanzo Tomato Pasta Soup
allrecipes.com submitted by Joy prepared by DG

9 (14.5 ounce) cans veggie broth
2 1/4 cups small seashell pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 (15 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, chopped, juice reserved
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Bring veggie broth to a boil in a large pot. Add pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes or until al dente.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic until translucent. Stir into pasto and add garbanzo beans, tomatoes, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. Heat through and serve.