Sun Dried Tomato Spread

"The second day of a diet is always easier than the first.  By the second day you're off of it."  Jackie Gleason

Sun Dried Tomato Spread

Here is a little recipe to serve with crackers, thinly sliced grainy breads, and veggies.  It's fast, easy, and it makes a bunch.  It's also the secret ingredient in other recipes after you make a bunch and have to use it up.  More about that next month, which is tomorrow.

Ingredients:
  1 cup sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained
  1/2 cup sunflower seeds
  2 T olive oil, plus or minus one or two
  3 cloves garlic
  Juice of 1 lime
  Pickled jalapenos, 3 to 6 slices
  Fresh basil, large leaves, 6 to 8
  Salt to taste

Place all in the blender and whip it until it's a chunky paste.  Adjust the amount of olive oil to get the consistency you want.  You don't want to add so much olive oil that you blend the mixture into a paste, unless you do want to blend the mixture into a paste.  Personally, I like foods with a bit of texture.

What to do with the oil that was drained from the sun dried tomatoes??  I whipped it up with a splash of apple cider vinegar, added a dash of agave nectar, and used it as a salad dressing on some red cabbage.  I'm sure you could have thought of that too.  You're very clever.  

Loveya
The Mom

Measure Twice

"The problem is not the problem.  The problem is your attitude about the problem."  Anon

It's a pretty sorry state of affairs when a person follows their own instructions and finds themselves at a loss.  That's what happened when I followed my recipe for Veggie Burger, posted on September 18.  It seems that when it comes to giving directions I'm about as adept as I am at following directions.  Let's not go there.

At any rate, in the ingredients for the veggie burger I listed 6 T ground flax seeds.  It should have read, 6 T flax seeds, ground.  This makes about 2/3 cups ground flax seed.  It should have also read 2 cups sunflower seed, ground, and not 2 cups ground sunflower seeds.  I've gone back and made the changes in the September 18 recipe for future generations.  Sorry about any inconvenience I may have caused.

But that isn't the end of my saga.  Once I figured out the glitch, and added the correct amount of ground flax seed and sunflower seeds, I formed the mixture into little patties and got them going in my dehydrator.  When what to my wondering eyes should appear but a bowl of carrot pulp that was supposed to be in the veggie burger mix.  I removed the little burgers from the dehydrator and dumped them into the bowl with the carrot pulp.  Mix, form, and back into the dehydrator.

That was my worst problem of the day, so I lived happily ever after.  I'm a pretty lucky person!

Loveya
The Mom

Forks Over Knives

"If people let government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny."  Thomas Jefferson

Whoa, Tom!  Government will only have a say over my food and medicine when government subsidizes certain crops over others and industries that support political candidates, rather than doctors, make decisions about what medicines and treatments will be covered by health insurance.

OK.  So I've been going through an internal struggle.  I want my food blog to be tolerant of other people's lifestyles.  Maybe I should share my award-winning recipe for pork tenderloin from my days as a carnivore.  I also want the recipes that I share to be delicious and easy.  What's a little butter among friends?  Finally, I want hair like Farrah Fawcett and a body like Sophia Loren.  Yes, I'm shallow.

Then I watched a documentary on Netflix about a plant-based diet, which I struggle to follow.  Not Netflix, but a plant-based diet. The documentary was "Forks Over Knives."  It refers to healing the body with food rather than medical intervention, such as surgeries.  I'm a believer.

When discussing this movie with a friend, who happens to belong to a family of cattle raisers, the discussion was interesting.  She consumes large amounts of meat and cheese declaring her belief that I'm no healthier that she is in spite of my vegetarian bent.  To all appearances, which include her lean body, I might be tempted to agree.  But I kept remembering the day we took a stroll along a country road and she wanted to head back because the road was slightly inclined and she was huffing and puffing.

There is no big money in raising fruits, veggies, and whole grains.  There is big money, for a select group, in drugs and health insurance.  And so I'm going to continue to pelt you with vegetarian recipes that will, for the most part, also be vegan.  I'm aiming for a long life filled with good friends and delicious food.  The Farrah hair and Sophia body would also be appreciated.

Loveya
The Mom

Butternut Squash Revisited

"The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers.  The original meal has never been found."  Calvin Trillin

As promised, I'm sharing two ideas on what to do with leftover butternut squash.  OK.  Let's make that three. 

First, you could mix it with cooked rice and serve it as risotto.  That's cheating and isn't real risotto but I won't tell if you won't.

Butternut Squash Topped with Veggie Chili

Next, you can warm the butternut squash, place a serving sized amount on a plate with a well in the middle, and fill the well with vegetable chili.  Talk about too easy to even consider work.  If you don't have a recipe for vegetable chili here's one that's easy and delicious.

Ingredients:
  Diced onion
  Diced pepper - red, green or yellow
  A bit of oil in which to saute' the above 
Add:
   Diced carrots
  Medium sized can diced tomatoes
  Sprinkle of chili powder
  Sprinkle of cumin
  (Secret ingredient) 1 to 3 t of cocoa powder 
  Vegetable broth 
Optional:
  Can of corn, drained
  Can of green beans, drained

Distructions:
  Saute onion and pepper in oil for a few minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer until veggies are tender.  Salt to taste.

Butternut Squash Topped with Swiss Chard, Mushrooms & Onions

And third, you can saute' a few veggies, such as onions and peppers, and add them directly to the butternut squash.  I got this idea from my friend, Marilyn, who puts a gaggle of veggies in her butternut squash soup.  Top the whole thing with greens that you've sauteed with diced onions and sliced mushrooms.  I used Swiss chard because, in spite of my gardening abilities, the Swiss chard continues to thrive in my garden as fall descends upon the land.  Almost makes me want to break into a soliloquy. 

OK, one more idea.  Place the leftover Swiss chard in a container and freeze it for use at a later date.  If you don't label the container you'll get to play, "What in the world is this," as you examine the contents of your freezer in the middle of winter.  It's a nice way to pass the time on a winter day.

Loveya
The Mom

Butternut Squash Soup

"When I was having that alphabet soup, I never thought that it would pay off."  Vanna White

I love soup.  Not only is it easy to make but it can also be made in big batches, comes in endless varieties, and can generally be frozen for consumption at a later date, which provides an occasional day off from cooking.  In the fall I like hearty vegetable soups or soups made from winter squash.  Here's one of my favorite takes on a butternut squash soup.  It's vegan and delicious.

Ingredients:
  1 cup butternut squash, cooked or baked and mashed
  1 cup almond milk - can use soy or rice or cow
  1 T coconut butter
  1 t curry powder
  Salt to taste

My favorite way to prepare a butternut squash is to roast the whole thing for about an hour, remove it from the oven to allow it to cool, an then cut it open, remove the seeds, peel, and mash the pulp.  Another option is to peel and dice the raw squash and then cook the chunks, sans seeds, of course.  Either way it's necessary to get yourself a cup or two of mashed butternut squash.

The amount of almond mild will depend on the consistency you'd like for the soup.  I made this one rather thick and rich with a one to one ratio with the squash.  It made a great first serving, but a little goes a long way.

But there's more!  Tomorrow I'll be posting other ways to use up the rest of the butternut squash.  Unless you found a rather small butternut squash you'll be wondering what to do with all that golden deliciousness.

Loveya
The Mom
  
 

Recipe for a Vacation

"The alternative to a vacation is to stay at home and tip every third person that you see." Anon

Did you ever browse through one of those cookbooks that have those cutesy little recipes for happiness that begin, "Take three smiles and two hugs and add..."  By the time I get to the part about mixing in the sunshine I'm ready to set fire to the book.  But that might just be me.

With that in mind I'm about to give you a recipe for a vacation.  My husband and I seldom vacation together because of our schedules and our very diverse interests in life.  I don't want to spend time at a NASCAR event and he doesn't want to spend time exploring quaint little shops.  What to do?

We recently spent one day together in a largish city that was a mere two hours away.  We stayed at the finest hotel that the city had to offer where we were treated like royalty.  We both enjoyed that.  We also walked through a renovated area of the city where there were quaint little restaurants.  For brunch he enjoyed French toast smothered in candied pears, pecans, and maple syrup while I enjoyed a beet salad that was festooned with goat cheese. 

Sunday afternoon found us in our opulent room enjoying a rousing football game while nibbling on a few exquisite chocolates.  We'd found a gourmet chocolate shop on our walk back to the hotel.  In the evening we took a long stroll along the river walk and discovered a microbrewery where we enjoyed a delicious veggie pizza (me) and a burger worthy of a king (he).  Fortunately, the weather was perfect for the entire day.

In the morning we ate at the hotel restaurant and then headed for home, both of us refreshed and ready to get back to our day-to-day lives.  Total cost, besides the room and gas to drive there and back, was about $100 for food.  I've now become a proponent of the one-day vacation.  I recommend you mix in perfect weather and a partner who's a good walker and willing spring for a great hotel. 

Loveya
The Mom