Mom's Oven Stew

I adapted this recipe from the Real Mom Kitchen cookbook. This is a super easy crock-pot meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cups potato, diced
• 2 cups celery, chopped
• 2 cups carrots, sliced
• 1 (10 3/4 oz) can tomato soup
• 1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cups water
• 2/3 c. quinoa (uncooked)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients into a crock pot. Cook on high for 3 hours, stir occasionally. Serves about 8. 

 Notes about this recipe:

1. After making it once I thought it might also be yummy to add some corn and green beans or peas to the mix as well. I haven't had a chance to try it out yet though.

Veggie Pot Pie

This recipe was sent in by Katie M. She found it at All Recipes.

Ingredients:

•  2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 8 ounces mushrooms
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 2 potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 stalks celery, sliced 1/4 inch wide
• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• 1 cup fresh green beans, trimmed and snapped into 1/2 inch pieces
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 recipe pastry for double-crust pie

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Heat oil in a large skillet or saucepan. Cook onions, mushrooms, and garlic in oil for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in carrots, potatoes, and celery. Stir in cauliflower, green beans, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to a simmer. Cook until vegetables are barely tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch, soy sauce, and 1/4 cup water until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Stir into vegetables, and cook until sauce thickens, about 3 minutes.
4. Roll out 1/2 of the dough to line an 11x7 inch baking dish. Pour the filling into the pastry lined dish. Roll out remaining dough, arrange over the filling, and seal and flute the edges.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the crust is brown.

Notes about this recipe:

1. I didn't follow the recipe exactly as written when it came to the veggies, but it still turned out great (seems like most pot pie recipes are flexible like that). I would say that the mushrooms and potatoes though are pretty important to give it that thick, filling texture.
2. For the crust I used my basic pie crust recipe but used half whole wheat flour and half white to up the nutrition value a bit as it is a dinner dish. The dough was slightly more fragile than normal but overall tasted and worked great for this.

Potato Pot Pie

While we were adjusting to life with a new born a friend brought us a chicken pot pie for dinner one night. I wondered as I ate it (it was yummy, by the way), how I could make a veggie version and still retain the yummy flavor of a pot pie. After a mediocre first attempt, I came up with this recipe. My hubby agrees--it was delicious!

Ingredients:

• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 large potato, diced small (you can choose to leave the peel on or take it off)
• about 1 Tb. olive oil
• 1/2 c. frozen peas
• 1/2 c. frozen corn
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• about 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp thyme 
• 1/4 c. flour
• 1 c. rice milk (or milk, or other milk substitute)
• 1 c. vegetable broth
• 2 Tb. fresh chopped parsely
• 2 pre-made pie crusts (or you could make your own)
• 1 egg white
• 1 Tb. water

Directions:

1. Saute carrots, celery, onion, and potato in the olive oil for 10-15 min. You want the potatoes to start getting tender.
2. Meanwhile, prepare an 8x8 baking dish by putting the first crust down on the bottom of the dish.
3. Once the veggie mix has cooked for about 15 min. add the peas, corn, salt, pepper, and thyme. Stir into mixture and cook a few more minutes.
4. Add the flour and stir to coat.
5. Pour in the rice milk and veggie broth. Simmer until thick.
6. Add the parsley.
7. Pour/spoon the veggie mix into your prepared dish. Cover with the 2nd pie crust. Mix one egg white with 1 Tb. of water. Brush the egg wash onto your pie crust. Place baking dish onto a baking sheet (just to be safe if there are any drips as it cooks). Bake at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes. If the crust is browning too quickly cover it with foil.

Empanadas de Papas

I found this recipe over at Moosewood Cooks. I've been trying to find a winner empanada recipe for a while and this one fit the bill. The only downside was that the dough was not super easy to work with, and I ended up having lots of filling left and no dough to put it in. We barely got a picture of the finished product because they were so tasty.


Ingredients:

Filling: 

• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 small onions, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 cup corn, fresh, frozen, or canned (drained)
• 1/2 cup chopped pimientos
• 1 cup cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup grated mild cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

Dough:

• 1/2 cup warm water
• tablespoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
• 3 tablespoons melted butter or margarine, or vegetable oil
• vegetable oil for frying

Instructions:

1. To make the filling, in a small pot, cook the potatoes in water to cover until soft.
2. Drain them well and mash them with a potato masher or wooden spoon.
3. In a large frying pan, saute the onions and bell peppers in the oil.
4. Season with the cumin, black pepper, salt, and cayenne.
5. When the vegetables begin to soften, stir in the corn.
6. Continue to saute until all the vegetables are tender, then transfer them to a large bowl and add the pimientos.
7. While the vegetables are still hot, vigorously mix in the mashed potatoes, cream cheese, and cheddar cheese.
8. For the dough, in a large bowl, mix together the water, vinegar, and salt.
9. Add the flour and melted butter. Mix well and work the dough a bit with your hands.
10. Turn the dough out onto a flat surface and form it into a large, long roll.
11. Cut it into eight equal pieces.
12. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out each piece into a 6- or 7-inch circle.
13. Place about 1/2 cup of filling on each circle leaving about a 1/2-inch border.
14. Wet the edge of half of each circle to help the dough seal well.
15. Then fold the dough over the filling to form semicircles and crimp the edges with the tines of a fork.
16. In about one inch of oil, heated to 360°, fry both sides of each pastry until golden brown.
17. Drain the empanadas on paper towels.

Notes about this recipe:


1. I ate mine with avocado slices. 
2. I omitted the pimientos, because I couldn't figure out where they were at the store. I now know what they are and have a better idea of where to look in the store for next time.
3. I also left out the cheese and had my hubby just sprinkle it on top of his, if he wanted it.

Vegetable Quiche

This recipe was sent in by Aubrey B. She adapted it from a recipe over at For The Love of Cooking. 

Ingredients:

• 2 russet potatoes, peeled and grated
• 2 medium/large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped
• Handful of spinach or kale, chopped
• 1 carrot, grated
• 5 eggs
• Splash of milk
• Big spoonful of greek yogurt
• Several ounces of goat cheese
• Dill spice blend and salt/pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 3 quart round casserole dish with cooking spray.

Peel, then shred, the two potatoes onto 2 paper towels; add another two paper towels to the top and press all the liquid out of the potatoes. Smash the shredded potatoes all over the bottom and sides of the pie pan, making sure to press them firmly. Spray with cooking spray and season with sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, and garlic powder, to taste. Bake in the oven for 12-13 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Sprinkle the diced tomato, spinach/kale, zucchini, carrot and ½ the goat cheese on top of the potatoes Beat the eggs with the milk and yogurt and season with dill, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper. Pour the egg mixture on top of the veggies then top with the remaining goat cheese.

Place in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center of the quiche comes out clean – don’t overcook. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before slicing.

Enjoy.

Potato Cheese Soup

This recipe comes from Vanessa H. She got it in her high school Home Economics class and still uses it. She says it's easy to make and delicious and her husband is always asking her to make it.

Ingredients and Directions:

Soup:

• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 Tbsp minced onion
• white sauce*
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
  

Combine broth, potatoes, and onion. Bring to boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook about 15 minutes until potatoes are soft.

*While the potatoes are cooking, make the white sauce:

• 2 Tbsp butter/margarine
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
  

Melt butter and flour together in saucepan over medium heat. When mixed well and bubbling, pour in milk. Stir until thickened and liquid comes to a boil. (This takes a while, be patient!) Boil for about 10 seconds and remove from heat.

Combine the potato broth and white sauce. Mix well. Stir in the cheese (At this point, I don't measure. I always put more than 1 cup because we love cheese around here. I just do a couple of big handfuls.) Season with salt and pepper. (I add a LOT of salt. Potatoes soak up salt like crazy, so anytime you cook with potatoes you usually have to over-salt.) If it's too thick for your liking, add more milk to get it to the consistency you want.

Notes about this recipe:

1. I like to eat it with saltine crackers or bread. It's also really fun in bread bowls! I'm sure you can add anything you want into it, too. One of these days I want to experiment and make this a Broccoli-Potato Cheese Soup!

Pancakes, Potatoes, and Smoothies

Around here we enjoy eating breakfast foods for dinner.


Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes (adapted from BHG)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 cup buttermilk or sour milk (1 cup milk with 1 Tb. lemon juice, let sit for about 5 min.)
• 2 tablespoons applesauce

Directions:

1. In a medium mixing bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture; set aside.
2. In another medium mixing bowl combine the egg, milk, and applesauce. Add egg mixture all at once to the dry mixture. Stir just till moistened (batter should be lumpy).
3. For standard-size pancakes, pour about 1/4 cup batter onto a hot, lightly greased griddle or heavy skillet. For dollar-size pancakes, pour about 1 tablespoon batter onto a hot, lightly greased griddle or heavy skillet. Cook over medium heat about 2 minutes on each side or till pancakes are golden brown, turning to second sides when pancakes have bubbly surfaces and edges are slightly dry. Serve warm. Makes 8 to 10 standard-size (4-inch) or 36 dollar-size (2-inch) pancakes (8 servings).

You can serve them up with jam, fruit, syrup, or yogurt on top.

I made some Oven Fried Potatoes to go with our pancakes. The amazing thing about these potatoes is that if you put these in the oven before starting anything else they will be finished by the time the rest of your meal is done, and you don't have to worry about stirring them in a frying pan. I love them!

(before and after cooking)

Oven Fried Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 3-4 potatoes, sliced as thick or thin as you would like--I usually do about 1/4 of an inch or smaller.
• 1 Tb. olive oil, plus about 1/4 tsp for the pan.
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 tsp. seasoned salt or regular salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spread 1/4 tsp of olive oil on a baking sheet.
   
2. Slice the potatoes and lay them in one layer on the baking sheet.
3. Combine olive oil, pepper, and salt in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush spread the oil mixtures all over the potatoes.
4. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until desired tenderness (or crispiness) is reached.

And to top off our meal we drank fruit smoothies.

Fruit Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 9-10 oz. of orange juice
• 1 banana
• about 1 cup of frozen strawberries
• 1 small strawberry yogurt

Directions:
Put all the ingredient in the blender, starting with the juice. Blend until smooth. Makes enough for 3 small adult servings.

Notes about the recipes:
1. The crispier you make the potatoes the harder it is to get them off the pan.
2. You can get creative with the potatoes and try other spices or herbs. If you do please add a comment and let me know how they turned out!
3. If the pancake batter is too thick for you just add a little bit of milk to thin it out.
4. Sometimes we like to add oats and/or flax seed to our smoothies.