Breastfeeding Moms Unite » Vegetarian Recipes

Influenced Vegetable Stew

Melodie — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 02:23:38 +0000

Influenced by whom you wonder? Mollie Katzen again. While everyone else I know is loving up and “Tackling Mark Bittman” (blog hop anyone?), I remain in a state of Bittman ignorance and find kinship with my old pal Mollie instead.

I had no idea what to make tonight. All I knew is that I wanted to make something different. I decided to take the first cookbook that jumped out at me and work my way through them until I found something that a) I would like to eat, and b) I could make with the ingredients I had on hand. Luckily, I only had to make my way through 40-some pages of Mollie Katzen’s The Enchanted Broccoli Forest before I found Influenced Vegetable Stew.

It’s a strange name for a recipe and Mollie doesn’t provide any sort of illumination on the matter except to say “…similar to a Greek ‘stifado,’ but with Mexican-style seasonings.” I have no idea what a stifado is (do you?), but the seasonings looked intriguing so I thought I would give it a try.

Oh good mother I am glad I did. It took about 40 minutes to prepare but it was worth my time. Everyone said it was delicious. Me, my step-son, my kids, and my neighbour whom I gave some to because this recipe makes so, so much. (Hubby wasn’t home to try it). It was so flavourful that my taste buds are already craving it again only a couple hours later.

So here you go. If you have a large family (of 6 or more) and want to try something a little bit different, this recipe is for you.

Influenced Vegetable Stew

3 cups sliced potatoes

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cups sliced onion

2 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp cumin

3 Tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice

1 large cauliflower cut into 1″ florets

2 large carrots (I used broccoli)

8-10 medium cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups water

1 Tbsp honey

1 1/2 cups tomato puree/canned crushed tomatoes

2 cups cooked kidney beans (or a 15 oz can, rinsed and drained)

freshly ground black pepper

cayenne pepper to taste

minced fresh parsley

squeezable wedges of lemon or lime

Directions:

Place the sliced potatoes in a saucepan and cover them with water. Boil until tender. Drain well and set aside. (You can save the water to use later).

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large wok with a cover. Add the onion and 1 tsp. salt, and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the cinnamon and cumin and sauté for a few minutes longer.

Stir in the lemon juice, cauliflower, carrots, and remaining salt. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, half the garlic, and the water (saved from the potatoes if you remembered). Stir, cover, and cook until the vegetables are just tender (8-10 minutes).

Stir in the remaining garlic, honey and tomatoes (or purée). Cover and cook about 5 minutes more. Stir in the beans, season to taste with black pepper and cayenne. Serve hot over rice topped with parsley and garnished with wedges of lemon or lime.

Shared at Fight Back Friday, Foodie Friday, Food on Friday, Wholesome Whole Foods, Friday Favourites, Fresh, Clean and Pure Fridays, and Friday Potluck.

Vegetarian Foodie Fridays #32

Melodie — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 04:12:52 +0000

Welcome to Vegetarian Foodie Fridays! Where we’re not just Meatless on Mondays, but all week through! Hi! My name is Melodie and I’m a long time vegetarian who’s into real food, holistic nutrition, and healthy living but suffers from a sweet tooth! (I love homemade baked goods and ice cream). To learn more about why I became a vegetarian or why I choose to raise my children vegetarian please click on my links.

Carnival Guidelines

You do not have to be a vegetarian/vegan or have a vegetarian/vegan blog to participate.
Your dish must be completely meat-free (no fish or seafood and no meat based broths, etc). Eggs and dairy are fine.
Desserts and other baked goods are welcome.
Vegetarian-friendly food-related and health posts are also welcome.
You may link any appropriate post you want. The date doesn’t really matter to me, although most people will link to something within a week old.
Please link back to the carnival in the body of your post.
Please ensure you link back to your post and not your blog.
Please use your best carnival manners.
Please try to visit others’ posts.
Have fun!

What you get in return for participating:

I will comment on your post.
If you have a share button I will RT your post on Twitter or share it on Facebook.
If I make your recipe or especially love your non-recipe post, I will link to your post in my shout outs the following week.

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My Recipe This Week

Egg Nog French Toast is my contribution this week. Have you ever thought of substituting the milk in your egg mixture for some egg nog? It doesn’t look like much, but it’s pretty darn good I tell ya!

Shout Outs

Over Christmas I didn’t cook much other than the standard vegetarian version of Christmas fare. But I had some of the best contributions ever at my last Vegetarian Foodie Friday. These are a couple that stood out for me, but if you are looking for some good ideas for a dinner or some sweets, head back and check out week #31.

Food. Soil. Thread. shared these amazing looking and sounding Chocolate Chip Almond Cookies With Smoked Salt. Wow! Yum!

Chandelle from Chicken Tender shared this wholesome Chipotle-Maple Kabocha Squash With Beans and Greens.

Please take a moment to link one of your recipes or food or health-related posts below.

Egg Nog French Toast

Melodie — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 23:36:24 +0000

Stale bread plus a litre of un-drunk eggnog equals a good idea for breakfast. My mom made the bread for Christmas. It was one of those lovely braided loaves that you pull apart like buns. It had lemon zest in it which made it a perfect breakfast or tea bread. A couple days after Christmas it was too stale to enjoy with a spread but perfect for French toast.

If you’re wondering where the soy egg nog came from, I’m afraid I have no answers. I don’t even remember why I bought it. I. Have. No. Idea. I just knew it had to be drunk and since I don’t like spiked egg nog (or egg nog plain for that matter, although with coffee it’s nice) I thought I should substitute it for something milky in a recipe. What a great idea!!

Anyway, as you can see, the bread my mom made was not conducive to sliced French toast so I tore the bread into manageable pieces for frying. The result was really nice – it was rich and flavourful, and I didn’t even have to cut it into bite size pieces.

This is what I used, which will serve 1-2.

Egg Nog French Toast

2 eggs

about 1/4 -1/3 cup egg nog (any kind)

1/2 tsp vanilla

1-2 Tbsp butter for frying

I whisked the ingredients together and then soaked pieces of bread until the egg mixture was all gone. Then I fried the battered bread in butter until it was golden all around.

It tasted awesome with real maple syrup.

Enjoy!

I am sharing this recipe with Pennywise Platter Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet, Frugal Food Thursday at Frugal Follies, Foodie Friday at Designs By Gollum, Food on Friday at Ann Kroeker, Friday Potluck at EKat’s Kitchen, Hearth and Soul Blog Hop at A Moderate Life.

Vegetarian Foodie Fridays #31

Melodie — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 04:28:30 +0000

Carnival Guidelines

You do not have to be a vegetarian/vegan or have a vegetarian/vegan blog to participate.
Your dish must be completely meat-free (no fish or seafood and no meat based broths, etc). Eggs and dairy are fine.
Desserts and other baked goods are welcome.
Vegetarian-friendly food-related and health posts are also welcome.
You may link any appropriate post you want. The date doesn’t really matter to me, although most people will link to something within a week old.
Please link back to the carnival in the body of your post.
Please ensure you link back to your post and not your blog.
Please use your best carnival manners.
Please try to visit others’ posts.
Have fun!

What you get in return for participating:

I will comment on your post.
If you have a share button I will RT your post on Twitter or share it on Facebook.
If I make your recipe or especially love your non-recipe post, I will link to your post in my shout outs the following week.

*************

My Recipe This Week

Chocolate Sparkle Cookies

With Christmas right around the corner I thought I would save my supper posts until after the holidays and share my holiday treat recipes instead. This week I posted two recipes: Chocolate Sparkle Cookies, rich little orbs of chocolaty goodness and my tried, tested, and true Pecan Squares.

Pecan Bars

Shout Outs

photo credit: Our Family's Journey to a Healthier Life

I was looking for new treat ideas last week and this one stood out for me as being very easy and very tasty. I was able to turn this Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Cups recipe into a two-ingredient recipe and it is now a feature in my Christmas tin. Thank you to Lisa from Our Family’s Journey to A Healthier Life.

Please take a moment to link one of your recipes or food or health-related posts below.

Have a great week! And please note that there will be no Vegetarian Foodie Friday next week. Since it is Christmas Eve I will be spending time with my daughters, eating all the fabulous foods we’ve created over the past few weeks, thanks in part to all of you!

Merry Christmas to my fellow foodie bloggers!

Pecan Squares

Melodie — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 00:41:16 +0000

These have become a yearly Christmas tradition, mainly because I like them better than pecan or butter tarts and this recipe makes so many. I hope you will like them too.

Pastry

2 cups flour (any kind)

1/4 cup organic sugar

1 cup organic butter

2 Tbsp white vinegar

Combine dry ingredients and work in butter with fingers or a pastry cutter. Mix in vinegar and spread dough in a long baking dish, shaping up the sides. Reserve.

Topping

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup organic sugar

2 Tbsp flour (any kind)

2 eggs

3/4 cup heavy cream/evaporated milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans OR 2 cups pecans and 1/4 cup coconut and 1/4 cup raisins.

Combine all ingredients, except the last, to blend. Stir in pecans, and pour into crust. Bake on the oven middle rack at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until the topping is set and the top is caramel coloured. Cool completely before cutting.

Serves lots.

I’m sharing this at 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies at Abby Sweets, Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum, Finer Things Friday at Amy’s Finer Things, Food on Friday at Ann Kroeker, Friday Potluck at EKat’s Kitchen, My Meatless Mondays at My Sweet and Savory, Meatless Mondays at Midnight Maniac, Tasty Tuesday at Who Is Dr. Laura, Hearth and Soul Blog Hop at A Moderate Life, Tuesday Twister at GNOWFGLINS, Tempt My Tummy at Blessed With Grace.

These Are a Few of My Favorite (Christmas) Things

Melodie — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 06:03:53 +0000

The Christmas plaque my oldest daughter made for me when she was in pre-school

Homemade Christmas tree ornaments

The painted cardboard glitter stars (and candy canes) that hang from our living room ceiling

The wooden star made by a friend.

Chocolate Sparkle Cookies

How to Make Chocolate Sparkle Cookies

1/2 pound bittersweet chocolate

3 Tbsp butter

2 eggs

1 Tbsp honey

1/3 cup organic sugar

3/4 cup ground almonds

2 tsp cocoa powder

granulated sugar for rolling

powdered sugar for dusting

Directions

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in your microwave. Remove from heat. Mix butter to heated chocolate until melted. Beat eggs with a mixer, gradually adding the sugar and honey until the mixture falls in thick, smooth ribbons from the beaters (about ten minutes). Fold in the chocolate-butter mixture.

Stir together the cocoa powder and almonds and gently add to the chocolate mixture. Cover and refridgerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease your cookie sheets or put down parchment paper. Roll balls about 1″ in diameter in granulated sugar. The “dough” will be hard. I had to spoon it out with a heavy spoon and work it with my hands. Place 2″ apart on the cookie sheet.

Bake 12 minutes, until centers are moist but not wet. Cool slightly. Dust with powdered sugar.

Makes 36.

Notes: You could serve this as a warm dessert with whipped cream. You could try using ground hazelnuts instead of almonds.

These are amazing. Rich and delicious. A true treat!

Oops, I forgot one! Natural greenery!

This was almost a Wordless Wednesday post but I couldn’t help but add the recipe. I knew a few of you would want it.

Click the link to read more about my family’s emerging Christmas traditions.

Vegetarian Foodie Fridays #30

Melodie — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 02:25:32 +0000

Carnival Guidelines

You do not have to be a vegetarian/vegan or have a vegetarian/vegan blog to participate.
Your dish must be completely meat-free (no fish or seafood and no meat based broths, etc). Eggs and dairy are fine.
Desserts and other baked goods are welcome.
Vegetarian-friendly food-related and health posts are also welcome.
You may link any appropriate post you want. The date doesn’t really matter to me, although most people will link to something within a week old.
Please link back to the carnival in the body of your post.
Please ensure you link back to your post and not your blog.
Please use your best carnival manners.
Please try to visit others’ posts.
Have fun!

What you get in return for participating:

I will comment on your post.
If you have a share button I will RT your post on Twitter or share it on Facebook.
If I make your recipe or especially love your non-recipe post, I will link to your post in my shout outs the following week.

*************

My Recipe This Week

I made a Raw Applesauce Cake With Cinnamon Maple Icing. No, it’s not a raw cake, just the applesauce is raw, so if you don’t have a Vita-Mix to pulverize a bunch of apples to oblivion like I do, you can still use regular cooked applesauce.

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Shout Outs

Where did the week go? I haven’t written anything this week in the way of posts other than to post my above recipe, nor have I really cooked much this week. At least not anything new. (What did I eat? – thinking to self – oh right, lots and lots of spaghetti – note to self – cook less pasta next time). So my apologies for that. It happens to the best of us, I guess. Christmas is coming and more than anything I need to start my cookie baking. Is anyone posting a cookie recipe this week? Please feel free to do so if you have one. I need some inspiration!

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My favorite posts that you liked up last week included this one from Penniless Parenting. I admire all the math she put into Calculating True Bean Prices. She even figured out what price you are paying per gram of protein! Wow! Send your appreciation her way!

This Quince-Pomegranate Relish recipe from Cooking Manager is also lovely and it would make a great holiday gift. I know quinces grow around here somewhere… I need to get my hands on some!

For a sweet treat, Santosh’s Kitchen posted this Chocolate Cream Pudding With Marie Biscuit. I have no idea what a Marie Biscuit is but I am sure I could find something that works. It was the rest of the recipe that caught my eye and tempted my taste buds anyway. Can you say “yum?”