Thanksgiving Menu (vegetarian)

Today I'll share with you our usual go-to holiday menu and recipes.  I am sharing vegetarian recipes, even though hubby will usually also prepare turkey for himself. This year he's roasting a small turkey breast.

For those of us who are vegetarians (which includes at least Botanist Boy and me this year!), we will prepare one of the entrees.

Bread Dressing/stuffing with FriChik

Prepare a package of stuffing (we use Pepperidge Farms) on the stove top, following package directions. Chop up 1 or 2 cans of Worthington FriChick, and mix into stuffing. Serve. Often we put dried cranberries in this, as well.


Special K Roast

1 stick margarine
½ cup nuts (walnuts are my favorite to use), chopped fine
2 lbs. Cottage cheese
2 large onions
5 eggs
½ large box Special K
½ cup milk
3 pkgs. George Washington golden broth (or bouillon cubes)
½ teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon honey or brown sugar

Dissolve honey, garlic, salt, and broth in ½ cup milk and add last.  Mix well and bake 40-50 minutes at 350 degrees.  Bake in a fairly thin layer.
(thank you, Mom)

Harvest Nut Roast

1 ½ cup chopped onion
2 Tablespoon oil (olive is best)
2 ½ c finely chopped celery
¾ cup chopped walnuts
¾ cup ground pecans, or pecan meal   
1 ½ teaspoon salt
2 cup soy milk (plain Silk is good)
1 ¼ teaspoon basil
½ teaspoon sage or 1 ¼ teaspoon thyme
3 cup whole grain bread crumbs

Saute onions in water and oil until clear.  Put in bowl and add remaining ingredients, omitting bread crumbs.  Stir together well.  Fold in bread crumbs.  Pour into greased 8” x 8” baking dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes.  To prevent over browning on top, may need to cover with foil near end of baking time.  Delicious with gravy.
(adapted from Country Life cookbook)

Country Style Gravy

2 cup water
1/2 cup cashew raw pieces
1 Tablespoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoon Braggs liquid aminos (unfermented soy sauce)
1 Tablespoon Brewer’s yeast flakes
1 Tablespoon cornstarch

Place all ingredients in blender, and blend on high 2-3 minutes, until creamy. Pour into saucepan and cook on medium-high until thick, stirring constantly. Can be served over entrée roasts or loaves, potatoes, or biscuits.
Yield: 2 ½ cups
(adapted from Country Life cookbook)

Mashed Potatoes and gravy OR

Sweet Potato Souffle

3 cups sweet potatoes, baked and mashed
3 eggs, well beaten
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 stick butter
Mix together well and place in 9x13" pan.

Topping:
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 stick butter
Mix topping together until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of potato mixture
and bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until whole top is
bubbly. Let stand 5 min. before serving.

Lima Beans with Sour Cream

1 pkg frozen lima beans
2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 8-oz can mushrooms (optional)
1 Tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon paprika
1-2 cups sour cream
2 teaspoon chopped parsley
    
Cook beans with 1 teaspoon salt until tender.  Saute onions in butter
until golden.  Add flour and paprika, stirring until smooth.  Return
to heat and cook until bubbling.  Add drained beans, mushrooms,
remaining salt and sour cream.  Heat gently, do not boil.  Before
serving sprinkle top with chopped parsley. (This recipe comes from a friend of mine in Montana)

Greenbean Casserole (prepared as found on the can of French Fried Onions)
Relish tray (carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, olives, pickles)
Cranberry sauce
Dinner rolls
Cranberry Bread (from the back of the book, Cranberry Thanksgiving)

Dessert:
Pecan Pie
Pumpkin Pie
 
Chocolate Meringue Pie

1 (9 inch) prepared pie crust (the kids and I like graham cracker crumb crust; hubby prefers flour crust)
3/4 cup white sugar
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons flour
1 pinch salt
2 eggs, separated
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup white sugar (we use less)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C)
2. Prepare chocolate custard: In a large saucepan or double boiler, combine 3/4 cup sugar, cocoa powder, flour, and salt. Mix well, then stir in the egg yolks and milk. Whisk until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches the consistency of pudding.
3. Stir vanilla and butter or margarine into custard. Pour mixture into prepared pie shell.
4. Prepare meringue: In a medium bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. It's best if they are room temperature. Gradually add the scant 1/4 cup sugar, continuing to beat until whites form stiff peaks. Spread meringue over chocolate custard, covering completely. (It's best if the custard has cooled quite a bit)
5. Bake in preheated oven for 5 to 6 minutes, until meringue is golden brown. Chill before serving.

We won't be serving everything on this menu. We pick and choose from it. Maybe you'll find something you might want to try. (By the way, these are great additions to the Christmas menu, as well! And some of them even show up on our Sabbath dinner table.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins {try a new recipe}

This recipe has long been a favorite of mine. I found it in a 1995 Country Woman magazine, and have "tweaked it" for our own liking. I'll just share it using our alterations.

4 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 15-16 ounce can of pumpkin
1 cup of oil (we used sunflower oil this time)
2 drops cinnamon essential oil
1 drop clove bud essential oil
3 cups fresh-ground whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

In large mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin, cooking oil and essential oils until smooth.

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips.

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full.

Bake at 400 F for 16-20 minutes or until muffins test done.

Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to wire rack.

Yields about 24 standard-sized muffins.

I hope you enjoy them. They truly are delicious, and a favorite especially during the autumn season.

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Scones with Devonshire Cream {try a new recipe}

My young friend, Jaime, began a blog a couple months ago. The very first recipe she shared was this one for scones. We've made them a couple times, with a couple tweaks of our own.

Scones

2 cups flour (we used fresh ground whole wheat flour)
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup buttermilk

Combine dry ingredients; cut in butter, then add in buttermilk. We have found that with the fresh whole wheat flour, the dough seems rather moist. (When we made the peach scones, we added two drops of lemon essential oil along with the liquid ingredient). Add fruit. (Our first batch was frozen blueberries, about 1 cup. The second time we made the scones, I diced up a can of peaches to add in). Form into a circle on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse sugar (we used Florida Crystals).

Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, maybe even a little longer.

Devonshire Cream

1 8 ounce package of cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
6 Tablespoons powdered sugar
(1-2 drops lemon essential oil; we might try orange sometime)

Beat together until smooth.

Serve scone with a dollop of cream. Enjoy!

 

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Chewy Peanut-Butter Cookies {try a new recipe}

 Ingredients:
1 cup soft margarine (I use Earth Balance)
2 cups sugar (or 1 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup creamy peanut butter (I prefer using the old fashioned peanut butter)
2 1/2 cups flour (we use freshly milled whole wheat)

Cream margarine, sugar, salt, and eggs. Add peanut butter and cream well. Add flour and mix well.

Make balls the size of a walnut, and flatten on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press a crissscross design on each cookie with a fork.

Bake at 350 F about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool before removing from pan. These cookies keep well if stored covered. 

I hope you enjoy them! (Recipe adapted from the Better Meals for Less cookbook)

 

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Washington Chowder {try a new recipe}

2 c. diced potatoes
3 c. boiling water
2 tsp. salt
2 onion, chopped
1 ½ c. canned tomatoes
1 can corn
1 Tbsp. honey
3 c. soy milk (plain)
2 Tbsp. margarine

Pour boiling water over potatoes and onion. Cook until tender.
Add rest of ingredients and bring to boil.
Optional: may add imitation bacon bits.

Serves 8-10

Try a New Recipe Tuesday

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Vegetarian "Chicken" Enchiladas (recipe)

Last week I shared a photo on Instagram of our lunch, which was vegetarian "chicken" enchiladas. I had a request for the recipe. Frankly, it's just one that's in my head, and I borrowed the concept from my sister-in-law, but I'll share it here with you anyway. 

Vegetarian "Chicken" Enchiladas

1 package burrito-sized tortillas
2 cans Worthington FriChik
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup
1 16 oz. container of sour cream
picante sauce or salsa
sliced olives
grated cheese

Cut up the FriChik into smallish cubes. Set aside for now.

In a large mixing bowl, combine soup, sour cream, and salsa. Use however much salsa/pincante you wish. (You can even use a can of diced tomatoes with chiles, which is what I did this last time).

In a separate bowl, combine cubed FriChik, olives, grated cheese and a bit of the sour cream mixture.

Spread some of the sour cream mixture in the bottom of large baking dish. Roll FriChik mixture in tortillas, and place seam-side-down in the baking dish. Depending on how tightly you roll them, you should be able to fit 8 in a 9 X 13 inch baking dish.

Sprinkle some grated cheese over the top, then pour and spread the remaining sour cream mixture over all, making sure to spread clear to edges so all tortillas are covered (so they don't dry out in the oven).

Bake at 350F for 30-45 minutes.

Try a New Recipe Tuesday

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Cauliflower Cheese Soup

The kids and I have been eating soups and stews quite a bit lately. One of our favorites, that at least Jen and I are almost always craving, is this Cauliflower Soup. I thought I'd share the recipe with you today.

1 medium head cauliflower          
  broken into small pieces               
1/2 stick (4 TBS) butter             
2/3 cup finely chopped onions     
2 TBS flour                                
2 cups broth                                 
2 cups light cream (half and half)
Salt to taste
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
Grated cheddar cheese
Fresh cut chives, for garnish

1. Cook cauliflower in boiling salted water to cover until just tender. Drain and save the liquid. In a large pot, melt butter over low heat. Add onions and saute until soft and transparent.
2. Stir in flour, cook for a minute or two, then blend in broth. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Add 1 cup of the reserved cauliflower liquid, the light cream, salt and Worcestershire sauce, then add reserved cauliflower.
3. Just before serving, heat soup to boiling; remove from heat and stir in grated Cheddar cheese to taste. Ladle into bowls, sprinkling more grated cheese and some fresh cut chives over the top of each serving.

Sometimes, if we can't get fresh cauliflower, we use a one pound bag of frozen cauliflower.

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S is for Sunflower

S is for Sunflower

Yes, you saw this one coming, didn't you? When I think of "S" for flowers, sunflower is certainly the first one to come to my mind.

When I think of sunflowers, I think of Kansas, the Sunflower State. The sunflower is the state flower of Kansas. Incidentally, I lived in Kansas a couple years, when I was around the ages of my oldest two children. I remember seeing field after field of sunflowers. Such cheery, sunny flowers!

The sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is an annual plant native to the Americas. It possesses a large inflorescence (flowering head), and its name is derived from the flower's shape and image, which is often used to depict the sun. The plant has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves, and circular heads of tangential petals. The heads consist of many individual flowers which mature into seeds, often in the hundreds, on a receptacle base. From the Americas, sunflower seeds were brought to Europe in the 16th century, where, along with sunflower oil, they became a widespread cooking ingredient. Leaves of the sunflower can be used as cattle feed, while the stems contain a fibre which may be used in paper production. (Wikipedia)

Not only are sunflowers beautiful to look at, but their seeds are important nutritionally. They are a tasty snack, but are also useful in various dishes.

I'll share a few recipes:

Sunny Banana Pancakes

3 cups whole wheat flour
½ tsp. salt
1 T. aluminum-free baking powder
2 eggs
2 T. oil
2 T. honey
2 ½ cups milk
1 cup chopped sunflower seeds
2 diced bananas

Mix dry ingredients. In another bowl, beat eggs, oil, honey, and milk. Add to dry ingredients and stir just until blended. Stir in seeds and bananas. Makes 25-30 small pancakes.

Variation: for extra nutrition add 1 T. each of ground chia seeds, sesame seeds, and 1 T. nutritional yeast flakes. (Sometime I'll experiment with this one, to make it vegan)

Oatburgers

1 ½ c. water
½ unfermented soy sauce (Bragg’s Liquid Aminos)
4 ½ c. rolled oats
¼ c. oil
1 large onion, chopped
½ t. garlic powder
1 c. sunflower seeds
½ t. Italian seasoning
2 T. nutritional yeast flakes

Bring water and soy sauce to boil; add oats and cook for about 8 minutes on medium heat. Set aside to cool. Saute onions in skillet until tender. Add to the oat mixture. Mix in rest of ingredients. Form into patties. Bake at 350 approximately 10 minutes each side.

Sunflower Seed Sour Cream

2/3 c. sunflower seeds
¾ c. water
½ t. salt
2 T. lemon juice
¼ t. garlic powder
½ t. onion powder

Place all ingredients in blender, and blend until smooth.

In case you haven't discovered yet, we love feeding and watching our backyard birds. Their favorite seed is sunflower. We buy large bags of it at the feed store, just plain sunflower seeds, nothing else mixed in.

Here's a fun time-lapse video to show your kids, of a sunflower blossom.

(find video on YouTube)

Other interesting resources about sunflowers:

Sunflowers: A Growing Guide

How to Grow Sunflowers

The Old Farmer's Almanac

National Sunflower Association

Vincent van Gogh: Sunflowers

How to draw a sunflower

(find video on YouTube)

Can you think of any other flowers or plant which begin with "S"?

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Found a new recipe!

I got the inspiration for this recipe from one I saw on Facebook. Of course, we made our own variations to it.

Pasta with Sauce

A large handful of uncooked, thin spaghetti, broken in half (12 ounces, give or take?)
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes with liquid
1 large sweet onion, cut in julienne strips
4 cloves garlic, minced with my garlic press
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or less
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Several leaves of fresh basil, chopped
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth (4 ½ cups warm water, with 4 packets of golden George Washington Broth, and 1 tsp. of McKay‘s Chicken Style Seasoning)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 Worthington Big Franks, sliced
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

We put all the ingredients (except the Parmesan cheese) in to a large stock pot, brought it to a boil, then reduced to a low simmer, with the lid on. We cooked it for about 10 minutes, then removed the lid, and kept cooking till most of the liquid had evaporated, probably another 5-10 minutes.

We served it with fresh, steamed broccoli. Kid approved meal! I think we’ll be trying it again, many times.

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E is for Eggplant

E is for Eggplant

I remember back when Tim was born, the hospital we stayed in would prepare a steak dinner for the new parents. I think the hospital where Jen was born did, too. The problem we faced with that was, their father and I were vegetarians!

So, the hospital prepared Eggplant Parmesan for us instead. Ever since then, Eggplant Parmesan has been a favorite dish of mine! But I have yet to "master" cooking it myself.

Three years ago, I even attempted to grow some in our garden.

Small eggplant

The bugs really enjoyed eating the leaves! If I remember correctly, this was the only eggplant we grew that year (on the 3 or 4 plants we grew).

The blossom was lovely! (Sadly, the camera lens fogged over)

Although we haven't mastered the Eggplant Parmesan (and believe me, Tim and I have tried! LOL), we have enjoyed experimenting with ingredients and recipes.

Eggplant Dish

1 large eggplant, diced
fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 can tomato sauce
grated cheese

In a large skillet, saute the eggplant, then add the mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper. When this is cooked well, add the tomato sauce. When almost ready to serve, add the grated cheese. It is good as a sauce over rice.

What is your favorite eggplant recipe? I would like to hear some more recipes.

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Teaching Creatively--Schooling in the Kitchen

We spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so naturally a lot of schooling and learning take place here.

While we are working in the kitchen, we are learning: math (measuring), nutrition, health, following directions, and, hey! I am even trying (very hard) to teach them how to clean up after themselves. Yeah, that one doesn't always work so well!

Jen also has had to learn how to keep track of her carb intake, so she can calculate how much insulin she needs to take.

Cookie making is always fun!

Making applesauce

Baked apples

To be honest, I tend to teach my children how to cook vegetarian; my goal is vegan, though.

Baked oatmeal

Baked Oatmeal

1 or 2 15 oz. cans of sliced peaches, drained and diced
½ cup chopped dates
2 cups old fashioned, rolled oats
¼ cup grated coconut
1 ½ cups soy or almond milk
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Layer peaches, dates, oats, then coconut in 8” x 8” baking dish. Mix salt and vanilla in the milk, then pour over the oats, etc., making sure oats are evenly covered. Bake at 375F for 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. YIELDS: 3-4 servings.

Because we use Five in a Row, and have for several years now, time in the kitchen is usually a part of our week, since we use the cookbook as well. Sometimes I have to alter the menu by substituting with a vegetarian alternative, but that isn't usually very hard to do.

Making donuts for Homer Price

the Clown of God meal

What do you like to do in the kitchen with your children? Read what the rest of the Crew does in the kitchen.

Be sure to come back tomorrow, when we'll talk about using games, puzzles, and toys in our home school.


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365 Days of Photos--January 29, 2013/Good-bye, Max!

It was a sad day when we had to pack up Max, and ship him out. Little Bit really misses him now.

Before he left, I did make Mississippi Mud Pie.

2 packets of graham crackers, crushed/crumbed (enough to make about 2 cups of crumbs)
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2-3/4 cup Earth Balance margarine (or butter), softened
1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped
topping, thawed
3/4 cup white sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 (3.9 ounce) packages instant chocolate
pudding mix
3 cups milk

Directions:
Place graham crackers in a large ziploc bag, seal, and crush/crumb with a rolling pin. Thoroughly blend graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, and margarine/butter. Press firmly in bottom of 9x13 inch pan. Blend together half the whipped topping, 3/4 cup sugar, and softened cream cheese. Spread mixture on top of crust. Whip together the puddings and milk and spread on top of cream cheese mixture. Top with remaining whipped topping.


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5 Days of Preparing for the Holidays--Cooking

Welcome back to Preparing for the Holidays. Today we are talking about cooking!

I'll share a couple of my favorite recipes, which could be used for either Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Special K Roast

1 stick margarine
½ c. nuts (walnuts are my favorite to use), chopped fine
2 lbs. Cottage cheese
2 large onions
5 eggs
½ large box Special K
½ c. milk
3 pkgs. George Washington golden broth (or bouillon cubes)
½ tsp. Garlic salt
1 tsp. Honey or brown sugar

Dissolve honey, garlic, salt, and broth in ½ cup milk and add last.  Mix well and bake 40-50 minutes at 350 degrees.  Bake in a fairly thin layer.
(thank you, Mom)

Harvest Nut Roast

1 ½ c. chopped onion
2 Tbs oil (olive is best)
2 ½ c finely chopped celery
¾ c chopped walnuts
¾ c ground pecans, or pecan meal   
1 ½ tsp salt
2 c soy milk (plain Silk is good)
1 ¼ tsp basil
½ tsp sage or 1 ¼ tsp thyme
3 c whole grain bread crumbs

Saute onions in water and oil until clear.  Put in bowl and add remaining ingredients, omitting bread crumbs.  Stir together well.  Fold in bread crumbs.  Pour into greased 8” x 8” baking dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes.  To prevent overbrowning on top, may need to cover with foil near end of baking time.  Delicious with gravy.
(adapted from Country Life cookbook)


Country Style Gravy

2 C water
½ cashew raw pieces
1 TBS onion powder
¼ tsp garlic powder
14 tsp salt
3 TBS Braggs liquid aminos (unfermented soy sauce)
1 TBS Brewer’s yeast flakes
1 TBS cornstarch

Place all ingredients in blender, and blend on high 2-3 minutes, until creamy. Pour into saucepan and cook on medium-high until thick, stirring constantly. Can be served over entrée roasts or loaves, potatoes, or biscuits.
Yield: 2 ½ cups
(adapted from Country Life cookbook)

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