I used this recipe, almost as written...
I skipped the wine, doubled the tomato sauce. (After the last wine fiasco, well, wasn't messing with it again!) I didn't cook up onions and garlic. I wasn't feeling well. Instead I just mixed dried onions in with the sauce mixture. I did use Italian seasoning.
I made my layers like this:
sauce (a bit less than 1/3)
ravioli
mozarella (a bit more than 1/3)
sauce (a bit more than 1/3)
ravioli
mozzarella(a bit more than 1/3)
sauce (the rest)
mozzarella (the rest)
parmesan (fresh grated, not canned; about 1/4 cup)
It will cook 6 or so hours on Low and be served with garlic bread.
Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts
Monday, March 30, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
For Thur. 3/26: Black Beans and Rice with Cumin
I started with this recipe, doubled. I made the following alterations (to the doubled recipe):
I quick-soaked the beans (boiled with some water-- and baking soda, our water is hard-- and as soon as they were boiled, put the lid on and let it sit for an hour with the heat off.)
I used 1 1/2 cups of dried onions (I'm sick and didn't feel like chopping onions after I did a whole head of garlic.)
Instead of fresh jalapenos, I used a can of green chiles (drained) and a few Tbsp. of ground chipotle (which is smoked dried jalepenos.) I was going to use one can of green chiles and one of jalapenos, but Emma lost the can of jalapenos. Good job, Ems. ;) So I improvised; I figure the slight smoky flavor might make this a little more like Moros y Christianes, the classic Cuban dish, which I am fond of. I decided that was not a bad thing.
Toward that end (and also because it would not all fit) I reduced the water to 6 cups. I want it more like beans and rice and less like beans and rice soup.
Oh, and I omitted the pepper, because I'm sick and lazy tonight.
It will cook for 6 hours on Low (the beans were already pretty soft, I think I may have overdone the quick soak...) and then go to High for 15 minutes after Jeff removes the bay leaves and stirs in the instant brown rice (which Uncle Bens makes, if you were wondering-- and one box is a perfect size for this recipe, well, two if you double it, because one box is 2 cups.)
So yeah, less the soup it started out as, and more like Moros. Not a bad thing, IMO. Now, hopefully it works... So I'm classifying this as "Cuban" though it might not be so much really, because the flavors remind me of Cuban flavors. :) (Though I could throw a bit of cloves in there and make it even more Cuban-tasting, yummy.)
I quick-soaked the beans (boiled with some water-- and baking soda, our water is hard-- and as soon as they were boiled, put the lid on and let it sit for an hour with the heat off.)
I used 1 1/2 cups of dried onions (I'm sick and didn't feel like chopping onions after I did a whole head of garlic.)
Instead of fresh jalapenos, I used a can of green chiles (drained) and a few Tbsp. of ground chipotle (which is smoked dried jalepenos.) I was going to use one can of green chiles and one of jalapenos, but Emma lost the can of jalapenos. Good job, Ems. ;) So I improvised; I figure the slight smoky flavor might make this a little more like Moros y Christianes, the classic Cuban dish, which I am fond of. I decided that was not a bad thing.
Toward that end (and also because it would not all fit) I reduced the water to 6 cups. I want it more like beans and rice and less like beans and rice soup.
Oh, and I omitted the pepper, because I'm sick and lazy tonight.
It will cook for 6 hours on Low (the beans were already pretty soft, I think I may have overdone the quick soak...) and then go to High for 15 minutes after Jeff removes the bay leaves and stirs in the instant brown rice (which Uncle Bens makes, if you were wondering-- and one box is a perfect size for this recipe, well, two if you double it, because one box is 2 cups.)
So yeah, less the soup it started out as, and more like Moros. Not a bad thing, IMO. Now, hopefully it works... So I'm classifying this as "Cuban" though it might not be so much really, because the flavors remind me of Cuban flavors. :) (Though I could throw a bit of cloves in there and make it even more Cuban-tasting, yummy.)
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
St. Patrick's Day Dinner
It's St. Patrick's Day, and in our family that means one thing. No, not corned beef (though we'll have that some other time, and actually my dad served it to us on Sunday evening.) Colcannon!
I love colcannon but it's a bunch of work so I don't make it often-- but I ALWAYS do for St. Patrick's Day. It's, like, a tradition and stuff. ;) It's my favorite Irish food, and since I don't drink and am not Catholic the main point of my St. Patrick's day celebration is to celebrate my Irish heritage (I've got a lot of it, and am fond of it.)
So no crockpot cookery today, the crockpot will just be used to keep the colcannon warm.
I also made a baked ham to go with. I used the same recipe I did last year. You can view that recipe, and my colcannon recipe, on this blog post from last year at my personal blog. The ham will be served cold.
Have a happy St. Patrick's Day!
I love colcannon but it's a bunch of work so I don't make it often-- but I ALWAYS do for St. Patrick's Day. It's, like, a tradition and stuff. ;) It's my favorite Irish food, and since I don't drink and am not Catholic the main point of my St. Patrick's day celebration is to celebrate my Irish heritage (I've got a lot of it, and am fond of it.)
So no crockpot cookery today, the crockpot will just be used to keep the colcannon warm.
I also made a baked ham to go with. I used the same recipe I did last year. You can view that recipe, and my colcannon recipe, on this blog post from last year at my personal blog. The ham will be served cold.
Have a happy St. Patrick's Day!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Mon. 3/16: Lentil-Veggie Soup
I used this recipe. Doubled, of course. The only change was that I put the pepper in at the beginning.
It looks to be very hearty. It will cook probably several hours on Low and then finish up on High. I have some kind of interesting bread I found at the bakery called schwartz brot. It's a sourdough made with part rye and part wheat flour. Looks good. Smells good too!
It looks to be very hearty. It will cook probably several hours on Low and then finish up on High. I have some kind of interesting bread I found at the bakery called schwartz brot. It's a sourdough made with part rye and part wheat flour. Looks good. Smells good too!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
For Thurs. 3/12: Aloo Rajma (Potato-Bean Curry)
I used this recipe (doubled) with the following changes:
-My onions were really strong, I used half as much. But then, I added like 8 cloves of minced garlic, so...
-I used half curry powder and half garam masala, upped the ginger, added coriander (did you know coriander seed is the same plant as cilantro? But they taste way different), and added a bit of turmeric (because I like a really nice strong turmeric color and flavor in a yellow curry.)
-I used half red and half white new potatoes and garbonzo beans.
-I used store-brand tomatoes with chiles, not Rotel. Because I'm cheap that way. ;) I almost used tomatoes with jalepenos instead of tomatoes with green chiles but I thought that might be too much for a few of them to handle.
It will cook on Low for about 8-9 hours. I made some steamed rice to serve it over and I'm sending some yogurt to cool it off for those who are wusses in the heat department. ;) (I know at least one person will put hot sauce on it. And really, I didn't put NEAR as much heat in as I would if I were cooking just for me. But, you know, some people just can't take spicy the way I can.)
-My onions were really strong, I used half as much. But then, I added like 8 cloves of minced garlic, so...
-I used half curry powder and half garam masala, upped the ginger, added coriander (did you know coriander seed is the same plant as cilantro? But they taste way different), and added a bit of turmeric (because I like a really nice strong turmeric color and flavor in a yellow curry.)
-I used half red and half white new potatoes and garbonzo beans.
-I used store-brand tomatoes with chiles, not Rotel. Because I'm cheap that way. ;) I almost used tomatoes with jalepenos instead of tomatoes with green chiles but I thought that might be too much for a few of them to handle.
It will cook on Low for about 8-9 hours. I made some steamed rice to serve it over and I'm sending some yogurt to cool it off for those who are wusses in the heat department. ;) (I know at least one person will put hot sauce on it. And really, I didn't put NEAR as much heat in as I would if I were cooking just for me. But, you know, some people just can't take spicy the way I can.)
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Thurs. 3/5: Spinach-Stuffed Pasta Shells
I doubled this recipe.
I added 4 cloves garlic and fudged the parmesan because, um, I forgot to buy it, so I dumped in what we had and a bit extra mozzarella, and hoped no one noticed. ;)
I added some dried onion and Italian seasoning to the spaghetti sauce because I bought the cans of store-brand and, well, not so flavorful. ;)
I poured in 1 26 ounce can of sauce, layered shells, poured in a bit more than half of a second can, layered shells, poured the rest of that can and another half, layered shells, and then the rest over the top. It seemed like the right amount to me. I did have cheese mixture left over when no more shells would fit in the crockpot, but all my shells left were broken anyway, so I just dumped them. It wasn't THAT much left over.
I boiled the shells "al dente" and then drained in a colander, rinsed, and put straight back into the pot, but this time filled with COLD water. That's a trick my dad taught me. It keeps the pasta from getting sticky while you're filling it. A great technique for any kind of stuffed pasta (shells, manicotti, etc.)
Jeff cooked it 4 hours on Low then let it sit another 2 or so on Warm. I sent 2 loaves of pre-sliced garlic bread with him. Hopefully they enjoy it but not so much that none comes back for me to taste. ;)
I added 4 cloves garlic and fudged the parmesan because, um, I forgot to buy it, so I dumped in what we had and a bit extra mozzarella, and hoped no one noticed. ;)
I added some dried onion and Italian seasoning to the spaghetti sauce because I bought the cans of store-brand and, well, not so flavorful. ;)
I poured in 1 26 ounce can of sauce, layered shells, poured in a bit more than half of a second can, layered shells, poured the rest of that can and another half, layered shells, and then the rest over the top. It seemed like the right amount to me. I did have cheese mixture left over when no more shells would fit in the crockpot, but all my shells left were broken anyway, so I just dumped them. It wasn't THAT much left over.
I boiled the shells "al dente" and then drained in a colander, rinsed, and put straight back into the pot, but this time filled with COLD water. That's a trick my dad taught me. It keeps the pasta from getting sticky while you're filling it. A great technique for any kind of stuffed pasta (shells, manicotti, etc.)
Jeff cooked it 4 hours on Low then let it sit another 2 or so on Warm. I sent 2 loaves of pre-sliced garlic bread with him. Hopefully they enjoy it but not so much that none comes back for me to taste. ;)
Monday, February 23, 2009
Tues. 2/24: L'hamraak Garagh (Moroccan Pumpkin Soup)
I used this recipe.
Notes:
-Made 1 1/2 recipes' worth
-Used canned instead of dried beans; since dried beans approximately double their volume, used about twice as much.
-Used 2 leeks and a large onion, since leeks are expensive and it's a strong onion. I skipped sauteeing them, just put them straight in the crockpot (after washing of course-- have to be careful washing leeks, dirt can get trapped in them as they grow.)
-Used vegetable broth
-Used canned pumpkin for an easy no-puree smooth texture; will leave beans whole though
-Used allspice AND cloves AND nutmeg, because you can't have too much flavor. ;) Used ground cinnamon.
It will be served with yogurt to dollop in and chunks of "finger bread" which is just a plain, sturdy-textured wheat bread that's excellent with soup.
Notes:
-Made 1 1/2 recipes' worth
-Used canned instead of dried beans; since dried beans approximately double their volume, used about twice as much.
-Used 2 leeks and a large onion, since leeks are expensive and it's a strong onion. I skipped sauteeing them, just put them straight in the crockpot (after washing of course-- have to be careful washing leeks, dirt can get trapped in them as they grow.)
-Used vegetable broth
-Used canned pumpkin for an easy no-puree smooth texture; will leave beans whole though
-Used allspice AND cloves AND nutmeg, because you can't have too much flavor. ;) Used ground cinnamon.
It will be served with yogurt to dollop in and chunks of "finger bread" which is just a plain, sturdy-textured wheat bread that's excellent with soup.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Monday 2/9: Ratatouille
So, I started off doubling this recipe, but it was so much that it didn't fit. So a quarter of the double batch (half a batch) went in our home crockpot, and they're getting a 1 1/2 recipe batch.
As some reviewers did, I also put the tomato paste and the olives in from the beginning. I used fresh instead of dry basil. I chopped up extra basil to go in at the end and put it in a baggie in the bag with the cheeses (besides feta crumbles I'm sending shredded mozzarella for anyone who wants it.) I used 1 green, 1 red, 1 orange, and 1 yellow bell pepper. And, um, the full amount of olives may not have made it in, due to me, um, eating them out of the cans as I chopped... *looks innocent*
Other than that I didn't really change it. Besides the cheeses I'm sending wheat french bread (pre-sliced for them); I was going to send rolls but they were sooo expensive and the bread was on sale, so they get bread. Whatever, it's all bread anyway. ;)
It will go in for about 3 hours on high, then have the extra fresh basil stirred in just before serving.
As some reviewers did, I also put the tomato paste and the olives in from the beginning. I used fresh instead of dry basil. I chopped up extra basil to go in at the end and put it in a baggie in the bag with the cheeses (besides feta crumbles I'm sending shredded mozzarella for anyone who wants it.) I used 1 green, 1 red, 1 orange, and 1 yellow bell pepper. And, um, the full amount of olives may not have made it in, due to me, um, eating them out of the cans as I chopped... *looks innocent*
Other than that I didn't really change it. Besides the cheeses I'm sending wheat french bread (pre-sliced for them); I was going to send rolls but they were sooo expensive and the bread was on sale, so they get bread. Whatever, it's all bread anyway. ;)
It will go in for about 3 hours on high, then have the extra fresh basil stirred in just before serving.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Friday, 2/6: Macaroni and Cheese
I used this recipe, with the following changes:
-I doubled it (it fit perfectly in my 6 qt. crockpot, with a bit of headroom over it even.)
-I used fat free evaporated milk instead of regular
-I used 2% milk low fat sharp cheddar instead of full fat cheddar
-I used non-fat milk instead of regular, and because I was using no whole milk products and fat free tends to be thinner, I shorted the milk a bit-- 2 1/2 cups or so instead of the 3 cups that a doubled recipe would usually call for
-I used organic, whole wheat macaroni. It cost $0.50 more a box (store brand) than the other brands of pasta, and it ups the fiber from 3% of your daily requirement per serving to 9% with that one simple change. More on the health differences later.
-I mixed it in the pot I cooked the macaroni in. Why get a bowl dirty?
-For that matter, I beat the eggs in an empty can from the evaporated milk, too. And also, I used the can as my measuring cup for the milk. Seriously, why get more dirty than you have to?
The changes I made, other than doubling, were mostly for health reasons. Here's a look at how the changes I made affected the nutrition of the dish (based on the un-doubled recipe making 8 servings):
Original recipe (full fat products, regular macaroni)
Per serving (1/8 of recipe):
Calories 438
Calories from Fat 227 (51%)
Amount Per Serving %DV
Total Fat 25.3g 38%
Saturated Fat 15.4g 76%
Monounsaturated Fat 7.3g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.0g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 130mg 43%
Sodium 728mg 30%
Potassium 317mg 9%
Total Carbohydrate 28.6g 9%
Dietary Fiber 1.0g 3%
Sugars 0.9g
Protein 23.8g 47%
Modified recipe (non-fat milk, low-fat cheese, whole wheat pasta):
Per serving:
Calories 259
Calories from Fat 51 (19%)
Amount Per Serving %DV
Total Fat 5.7g 8%
Saturated Fat 3.0g 15%
Monounsaturated Fat 1.8g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 67mg 22%
Sodium 721mg 30%
Potassium 309mg 8%
Total Carbohydrate 28.9g 9%
Dietary Fiber 2.4g 9%
Sugars 6.8g
Protein 23.8g 47%
See what a big difference a few different choices in ingredients makes? And I'm sure that it will still taste delicious. :)
This will cook for 5 hours on Low, then stay on Warm for a few more hours. It should make 16 servings, with 10 people eating it, there ought to be some left over, but we will see what happens with that. ;)
-I doubled it (it fit perfectly in my 6 qt. crockpot, with a bit of headroom over it even.)
-I used fat free evaporated milk instead of regular
-I used 2% milk low fat sharp cheddar instead of full fat cheddar
-I used non-fat milk instead of regular, and because I was using no whole milk products and fat free tends to be thinner, I shorted the milk a bit-- 2 1/2 cups or so instead of the 3 cups that a doubled recipe would usually call for
-I used organic, whole wheat macaroni. It cost $0.50 more a box (store brand) than the other brands of pasta, and it ups the fiber from 3% of your daily requirement per serving to 9% with that one simple change. More on the health differences later.
-I mixed it in the pot I cooked the macaroni in. Why get a bowl dirty?
-For that matter, I beat the eggs in an empty can from the evaporated milk, too. And also, I used the can as my measuring cup for the milk. Seriously, why get more dirty than you have to?
The changes I made, other than doubling, were mostly for health reasons. Here's a look at how the changes I made affected the nutrition of the dish (based on the un-doubled recipe making 8 servings):
Original recipe (full fat products, regular macaroni)
Per serving (1/8 of recipe):
Calories 438
Calories from Fat 227 (51%)
Amount Per Serving %DV
Total Fat 25.3g 38%
Saturated Fat 15.4g 76%
Monounsaturated Fat 7.3g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.0g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 130mg 43%
Sodium 728mg 30%
Potassium 317mg 9%
Total Carbohydrate 28.6g 9%
Dietary Fiber 1.0g 3%
Sugars 0.9g
Protein 23.8g 47%
Modified recipe (non-fat milk, low-fat cheese, whole wheat pasta):
Per serving:
Calories 259
Calories from Fat 51 (19%)
Amount Per Serving %DV
Total Fat 5.7g 8%
Saturated Fat 3.0g 15%
Monounsaturated Fat 1.8g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 67mg 22%
Sodium 721mg 30%
Potassium 309mg 8%
Total Carbohydrate 28.9g 9%
Dietary Fiber 2.4g 9%
Sugars 6.8g
Protein 23.8g 47%
See what a big difference a few different choices in ingredients makes? And I'm sure that it will still taste delicious. :)
This will cook for 5 hours on Low, then stay on Warm for a few more hours. It should make 16 servings, with 10 people eating it, there ought to be some left over, but we will see what happens with that. ;)
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