SIMPLE ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Ingredients:

1 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch cubes
3 garlic cloves
2 T olive oil
1 t salt
1/2 t black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Toss squash and garlic with oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Arrange in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet.

Roast until squash is tender and lightly browned, 25-30 minutes. Squeeze garlic out of its skin and sprinkle evenly over squash. Serve hot or at room temperature

Apple walnut dressing - gluten free

I found this recipe on one of my gluten-free sites. When I printed it out to use on a different date, I forgot which site I found it on.  I'm sorry, at this time, I can't give credit to the author. Tim and I enjoyed this bread free alternative to regular stuffing. 

Apple Walnut Dressing

4 tablespoons butter
1 crisp, tart apple
2 large stalks celery
1 medium onion
1 cup shelled walnuts
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
3/4 teaspoon salt or Vege-Sal
1 1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning

Start the butter melting in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat.

Quarter the apple and trim out the core, whack each quarter into two pieces (making eighths), and drop them in your food processor with the S-blade in place. Whack each stalk of celery into 4-5 big chunks, and throw them in, too. Quarter the onion, peel, and throw it in, and then dump in the walnuts. Pulse the food processor until everything’s a medium consistency.

Dump this mixture, along with the mushrooms, into the butter in the skillet, turn the heat up to medium-high, and saute everything for a minute or two, stirring. Then cover it, and let it cook for 10 minutes, uncovering every 3 minutes or so to stir the whole thing again.

Stir in the salt and poultry seasoning, let it cook for another minute or two, and serve.

6-8 servings. Assuming 6, each will have 9 grams of carbohydrate and 3 grams of fiber, for a usable carb count of 6 grams.

Jamie's Cranberry Spinach Salad

I needed a spinach salad to go with one of the meals I was cooking. Found this recipe from Jamie Hensley on allrecipes. com.

"Spinach, toasted almonds and bits of dried cranberries are tossed together in a bowl and dressed with a sweet and tangy vinegar and oil dressing full of sesame and poppy seeds."

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered
1 pound spinach, rinsed and torn into bite size pieces
1 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons minced onion
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS:

1.In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook and stir almonds in butter until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and let cool.

2.In a large bowl, combine the spinach with the toasted almonds and cranberries.

3.In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, onion, paprika, white wine vinegar, cider vinegar, and vegetable oil. Toss with spinach just before serving.

Mexican rice

This is a great side dish to use with tacos or other Mexican meals. Rice is sauteed with salt, cumin and onion, then simmered with tomato sauce and chicken broth.

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 cups chicken broth

DIRECTIONS:

1.Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with salt and cumin.

2.Stir in onions and cook until tender. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork

Quinoa Tabbouleh

In our quest to use more quinoa in our diet, I found this recipe on Allrecipes. com. It was submitted by SYNEVA B. I modified the recipe to fit our tastes.

Quinoa is a gluten free complete protein that contains all nine essential amino acids. Fast-cooking with a nutty texture, quinoa makes a delicious substitute for just about any grain in your pantry. Substitute quinoa to boost the protein profile in dishes like tabbouleh and couscous. Use it as a side dish, instead of rice or potatoes.

Ingredients:

2 cups water 1 cup quinoa 1 pinch salt 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3 tomatoes, diced 1 cucumber, diced and seeded 2 bunches green onions, diced 2 carrots, grated 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1.	In a saucepan bring water to a boil. Add quinoa and a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature; fluff with a fork.
2.	Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine olive oil, sea salt, lemon juice, tomatoes, cucumber, green onions, carrots and parsley. Stir in cooled quinoa.

Cheesy hash brown potatoes

This past Christmas Tim and I hosted the family Christmas dinner at our house. One of the meals I had to prepared was the hash brown casserole. It's been years since I made this so I had to hunt for a good recipe. I got onto Allrecipes looking for a recipe that had great reviews. I found this recipe and then modified it a little. When I got to the store to buy the ingredients there were two types of has brown potatoes, country style which is shredded and then there are the regular hash browns which are diced...... I had no idea which type to get so I bought the shredded ones.

On Christmas Eve we went to Tim's sister's house for dinner. My sister-in-law, Lisa, made this great hash brown casserole that was delicious. Upon careful inspection I noticed that she used the dice hash browns...... I bought the wrong type of hash browns. It was too late to go out and buy the other potatoes so I just used what I had and made the casserole the next morning. To my amazement everyone loved the casserole. I told them I had used the shredded hash browns and they thought the ingredients were better blended because of it.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (2 pound) package frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed (I used shredded type)
  
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
• 1 cup finely chopped onions
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups crushed cornflakes cereal
• 1/4 cup melted butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine hash browns, 1/4 cup melted butter, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, chopped onion, Cheddar cheese, salt and pepper. Place mixture in a 3 quart casserole dish.
3. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, saute cornflakes in 1/4 cup melted butter, and sprinkle the mixture over the top of the casserole.
4. Bake covered in preheated oven for 40 minutes.

Sugar Snap Pea Salad with Lemon-Mint Vinaigrette

In our garden we planted some sugar snap peas. For the last week we have begun harvesting them. I wanted to find a recipe that would incorporate the sugar snap peas along with the fresh mint I have planted. Last week I stopped at Whole Foods and picked up the July/August 2008 Vegetarian Times magazine. This recipe had the ingredients that I was looking for and also incorporated some of the pistachios that I had left over from another recipe. Great way to use your abundance of sugar snap peas this summer.

I doubled the lemon-mint vinaigrette to use on a salad for a later date.

Surgar Snap Pea Salad With Lemon-Mint Vinaigrette

To keep sugar snap peas bright green, add the vinaigrette just before serving.

1/4 cup olive oil (I didn't use that much)
3 TBS chopped fresh mint
2 TBS lemon juice
1 TBS minced shallot
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp sugar

1 lb. sugar snap peas, trimmed
1/3 cup chopped pistachios

1. To make Lemon-Mint Vinaigrette: Whisk together all ingredients.

2. To make Salad: Cook sugar snap peas in boiling water 2 minutes, or until bright green. Drain. Toss peas with 3 TBS Lemon-Mint Vinaigrette. Stir in pistachios.

Seasoned Rice

In a number of my vegetarian recipes I've been seeing , "nutritional yeast". I had to do a google search to find exactly what that was. Nutritional yeast is a nutritional supplement popular with vegans and the health conscious, who use it as an ingredient in recipes or simply as a condiment . It has a strong flavor that is described as nutty, cheesy, or creamy, which makes it popular as an ingredient in cheese substitutes. It is often used by vegans in place of parmesan cheese. Another popular use is as a topping for popcorn . It a natural B12 supplement. It can be found in health food stores or in large grocery stores. I found nutritional yeast in the bulk aisle at Pick-n-save.

Last night I tried this rice dish with grilled salmon. I was really surprised on how good it was. Add whatever vegetables you have on hand. For this recipe I used red sweet peppers along with mushrooms. Add more or less for your taste.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup Basmati rice
• 3 2/3 cups water, divided
• 2 tablespoons margarine
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1/2 c chopped red sweet pepper
• 1/2 c chopped mushrooms
  
• salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a saucepan bring 3 cups water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until rice is cooked and all liquid is absorbed.
2. Melt margarine in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in remaining 2/3 cup water, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, basil and salt; heat for 5 minutes. Stir in cooked rice and cook until heated through, about 2 minute

Fiesta Salsa for pork or chicken

Fruity flavors and hot peppers make this a great accompaniment to chicken or pork.

Ingredients:
8 oz. cranberries chopped (2 cups)
1 small apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1 small pear, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1 orange, peeled, seeded, sectioned, and finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 green onion thinly chopped
1-2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1/3 cup sugar
1 T. fresh line juice
1 T. white vinegar

In a medium bowl stir together all ingredients. Cover and chill for 4-24 hours. Makes about 3 cups of salsa.

Sweet Potato and lima beans

This is an unusual vegetable side dish that I saw on the today show. This is the original recipe below. I would modify it next time I make it. I did not like the ginger taste so would omit that from the recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1⁄2 pounds sweet potatoes

• 1 pound frozen lima beans

• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons vegetable oil

• 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

• 1 dried whole red chili

• 1 onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, sliced

• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

• Salt

• 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon or lime juice
• 1⁄2 cup fresh chopped cilantro

DIRECTIONS

Boil sweet potatoes, in enough water to just cover them, until tender, about 25 minutes. At the same time, in another saucepan, boil the lima beans in just enough water to cover them, about 15 to 20 minutes. Peel and dice the potatoes once they are cool enough to touch. Drain the lima beans.

In a frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds; when they pop and start to crackle out of the pan, add the cumin, red chili, onion, garlic, and ginger. Stir well and mix. Let the onion turn golden brown; then add the reserved lima beans and stir. Add the sweet potatoes. Mix all the ingredients well, and sauté for just a few minutes more to mingle tastes evenly. Salt to taste. Add lemon juice and stir. Garnish by sprinkling cilantro over the top. Serve warm.

Acorn squash with apples

This is one of those recipe you have to try especially if you shy away from squash. Squash has so many health benefits for you. The combination of squash, apples and walnuts makes this a real treat. My husband use to hate squash not anymore. On one of the recipe sites, a couple reviews compared this recipe to eating apple pie with no crust.....

INGREDIENTS

• 1 acorn squash
• 2 apples, cored and sliced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoon finely chopped walnuts
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1. To easily peel the acorn squash without losing a lot of vegetable, gently drop the squash in a large pot of boiling water, and boil for 15 minutes. Pour off the boiling water and fill with cold water and let sit 5 minutes to cool. When cool enough to handle, use a knife to slice off the peel on the ridges and use a teaspoon to dig out the peel in the valleys. Slice the squash in half and remove the seeds and stem. Then slice the halves into sections and finally cut into 1 inch chunks.
2. Place the squash chunks into a large microwave-safe bowl along with the apples. Dot with pieces of butter. Sprinkle the brown sugar, walnuts, salt and cinnamon over the top. Cover with plastic wrap, and poke a few holes in it for ventilation.
3. Cook in the microwave for 7 1/2 minutes on full power. Remove, uncover, and stir. Return to the microwave, and cook for another 7 1/2 minutes on full power, until tender. Serve hot.

Variations

You could use butternut squash for variety. Pecans work well in this recipe instead of walnuts. Honey or maple syrup can used with or instead of the brown sugar.

If you prefer roasted squash, you can place this (uncovered) in the oven at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for just under an hour. But be sure to add 1/4 cup of water to the recipe before baking.

Jake's famous onion rings.

Jake's is a famous restaurant in the Milwaukee area that has been around for over 47 years. In today's Milwaukee Journal, the food section printed the recipe for Jakes famous onion rings. The recipe was provided by the owner, Jake Replogle.


Makes 6 to 10 appetizer servings

Vegetable oil for frying

10 large white Spanish onions, cored

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup eggs, beaten

3 cups flour for dusting

Salt to taste

Heat oil in a home deep-fryer to 375 degrees. If you do not have a home fryer, use a large pot and a fry basket. Fry onions in multiple batches. Use a thermometer to make sure temperature returns to 375 degrees between batches.

Slice onions as thin as possible using a mandoline or cut with a knife.

Make an egg wash by combining milk and eggs. Put onions in colander set over a bowl. Pour egg wash over onions. Allow the wash to drip out. Onions should be completely covered, but not too wet. Use egg wash that seeps into bowl if needed or discard.

Dredge in flour so onions are lightly covered.

Fry according to manufacturer's instructions on home fryer. If using a pot, place a few cups of prepared onions into fryer basket and slowly lower into pot.

Onions will make the oil bubble and foam up considerably; lowering the basket slowly will prevent oil from dangerously spilling over the sides of the pot. Fry onions until golden brown, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, moving constantly so they brown evenly. Remove from oil and season with salt to taste. Serve immediately.