Cauliflower Mac 'N' Cheese

This is a new family favorite. It gets regular requests.

1 med. Head cauliflower, core discarded, florets cut into 2-in. pieces

4 med. Carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

1 c. vegetable broth

¼ cup (4 oz) cream cheese

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Pinch cayenne

4 oz block Gruyere cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)

½ tsp salt

16 oz gluten-free elbow macaroni

3 cups broccoli florets

2 med plum tomatoes

¾ cup Parmesan cheese

1)  Heat 8-quart sauce pot of salted water to boiling.

2)  Add cauliflower and carrots to boiling water. Cook 15 minutes or until very tender.

3)  Meanwhile, in food processor, combine broth, cream cheese, mustard, cayenne, 1 ½ cups Gruyere, and salt.

4)  Remove cauliflower and carrots from pot when done and place in food processor. Puree until very smooth.

5)  Add pasta to the same sauce pot of boiling water. Cook half the time the label directs. Add broccoli during the last minute of cooking.

6)  Drain. Return to pot. Stir in cauliflower sauce and half of the tomatoes. Spread in shallow baking dish (like a lasagna pan).

7)  Top with remaining cheeses and tomatoes. Bake 35 minutes or until golden brown on top and heated through.

 

from Good Housekeeping magazine, September 2012, p. 151

Mexi-cam

This is a recipe Cameron made up (hence the name) because of his love of Mexican food. It's a regular staple at our house. There's not too many leftovers when we make this and what leftovers there are don't stick around too long. Similar, yet not to be confused with our Mexi-Mom recipe.

1 can of fat-free refried beans
2 cups rice
1 to 1 1/2 pounds ground meat OR precooked meat such as chicken or steak, chopped into small bite-sized pieces
salsa
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
1 Tbsp taco seasoning
salt
Toppings of your choice


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
 
Lightly oil a lasagna-style pan. Spread refried beans in the pan.

 
Cook rice in 4 cups water and add 1 to 2 Tbsp taco seasoning and some salt.
 
Cook meat (if not using meat already cooked).
 
Spread the cooked rice into the pan in one layer.

Spread the cooked meat into a layer on top of that.

 
Spread a layer of salsa on top of the meat.

Top with 1 1/2 cups of the cheese.

 
 
Bake in oven 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Yummmyyyyy.....

 
You can prepare this dish ahead of time, cover and refrigerate. If you do it this way, you'll have to increase the baking time to about 40 minutes.

To serve:
Place corn or tortilla chips on each plate, top with a generous portion of the casserole. Then add Mexican-type toppings of your choice: shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, chopped onion, the rest of the shredded cheese, hot peppers, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or whatever you like. Eat like nachos.

Meatloaf

This is an old Betty Crocker recipe I've been making for years. It is a standard in our house.

1 1/2 pounds ground meat (beef or turkey)
3/4 cup oats
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 small onion chopped small
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp rubbed sage
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup ketchup or barbecue (BBQ) sauce

Mix all ingredients except ketchup or BBQ sauce.

Spread mixture in loaf pan

and top with ketchup or BBQ sauce.

Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for one hour and about 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes. Slice and serve.

Makes about 6-8 servings.


Veggie meatloaf: Increase salt to 1 1/2 tsp. Mix in one small green bell pepper, chopped, 1 medium carrot, shredded, and about 4-6 medium mushrooms, chopped. Omit ketchup/BBQ sauce. During the last five minutes of baking time, take it out of the oven and put tomato slices on top, then put it back in the oven to finish cooking.

Old-Fashioned Baked Beans

from the cookbook Vegan Planet, p. 292

This is a quicker version of the traditional baked bean recipe, and every bit oh, so yummy.  Serve with cornbread and some slaw.

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp cayenne
one 14.5 ounce can tomato puree (or tomato sauce if you can't find puree in this size can)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp molasses
1 Tbsp prepared yellow mustard
1 1/2 Tbsp tamari or other soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)
salt and pepper
1 cup dried pinto beans, soaked overnight then cooked OR two cans of beans drained and rinsed

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Heat olive oil in medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in chili powder and cayenne.
• Add tomato puree, sugar, molasses, mustard, tamari and vinegar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until slightly reduced, about 15 minutes.

• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Mix in beans.

• Place mixture into lightly oiled 1 1/2 quart baking dish.
• Cover and bake 20 minutes. Serve hot.

serves 4 or so

Tofu Burgers

1 package firm or medium tofu
1 onion
oil
1/2 cup wholewheat or buckwheat flour
1/2 cup cornmeal or rice flour
1 Tbsp miso

• Drain and rinse tofu a few hours ahead. Squeeze as much water out of it as possible (for tofu tips, see 'A Word About Tofu' in my Dragon Bowl post).

• Chop onion and saute in a drizzle of either olive oil or veg oil in a large, flat, preferably non-stick pan.

• (Let the onion cool at least a little bit before going on to the next step.)
• Place onion in a food processor. Crumble in tofu and add remaining ingredients.

• Turn on food processor to blend. Stop when it becomes a ball of dough. This should take less than a minute.

• Take your large, flat, preferably non-stick pan and put about 1/8 to 1/4 inch of veg or canola oil in it. Turn on the heat and let it heat up for a few minutes. (You can do this step while blending the tofu mixture.)

• Scoop out the tofu mixture and form into patties, making sure they're around 1/2 inch thick. Fry in oil, about 10 minutes on each side. They will be golden brown. mmmm.....yummy.....

• Drain on a plate lined with several layers of paper towels.
• Serve with any toppings or condiments you like. We like ketchup, mayo, and sliced tomatos.

Makes about 6-8.

Mexi-Mom

1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced (more is OK)
1 red or green bell pepper, chopped
olive oil
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup black beans, soaked overnight then cooked
      (or 1 can of canned black beans, drained and rinsed)
1 cup rice
1 Tbsp taco seasoning

Cook rice according to package directions. If there are no directions, or in other words it's just plain old rice, remember the rice cooking rule: one part rice to two parts water. Bring to a boil then simmer until the water is absorbed.

While the rice is cooking, saute the onion, garlic and bell pepper in a drizzle of olive oil in a large saute pan. When they have cooked down, add the tomatoes and beans.

When the rice is done, add it to the saute pan and mix. Season with salt and taco seasoning.

To serve: place a layer of tortilla chips on each plate. Top with above concoction. Top that with a dollop or two of sour cream and the salsa of your choice. Eat like nachos.

Pig out.

The Best Broccoli

I love this broccoli recipe.

2 heads broccoli, washed and broken up into small pieces
a few cloves of garlic (the more the better in my opinion)
olive oil
salt

Place broccoli in a pot with no more than 1/2 inch of water. Mince garlic and add to pot. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle in salt. Mix.

Cook on medium heat. Once water boils, cook about five minutes. That's it.

Stir and serve. Serve with a slotted spoon to avoid excess water.

The broccoli will be a bit crunchy, and will have turned a bright green color. If you don't like crunchy, then cook it a bit longer, but don't overcook.

The taste of this reminds me of a chinese food type of dish - something that would be a side dish in a chinese food restaurant. It is absolutely yummy, quick and easy, easy, easy.