Veggie Wellington

Two years ago, I had surgery to repair a hernia I had in my groin. Not only did I have this surgery four days before my daughter's blow out 4th birthday party, but I had it days before my own birthday. One friend of mine, offered to bring me dinner on my birthday. She said to me before she came over, "Now the meal will be vegetarian, as we are vegetarians, is that ok?" I told her it was more than ok with me. She brought the dish oven ready, so all I had to do was bake it. We loved, so I begged her for the recipe.

I love how you can play with the veggies you include. I normally use broccoli, spinach, onions, peppers of some sort. I've also done spinach, mushrooms. I mean the combinations are endless. Once, instead of goat or feta cheese, I used my almond feta cheese (a vegan cheese). That was awesome. You can include the sun dried tomato pesto or not. Seriously, this is a recipe you can so play with.

Veggie Wellington

1 sheet of puff pastry (You can double this recipe easily if needed)-thawed

4 oz of goat or feta cheese

4 oz of sundried tomato pesto (you can opt this out)

Mixture of fresh vegetables (for example, I like to use broccoli, asparagus, and

/or mushrooms, onions).

1 large Egg (opt)

homemade or jarred sauce.

Preheat oven to 425. Spray a baking sheet (or 2) with cooking spray. Chop up

desired veggies. Mix in a bowl with cheese and pesto. Set aside. Roll out dough....

cut into four triangles (per sheet if using multiple sheets). Pile on veggie mixture

on each triangle. Make sure you can seal the triangles. Seal the triangles and

place them on the baking sheets. If desired, beat egg and brush onto tops of

triangles. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until triangles are golden and puffy. Heat

sauce and serve on top of pastry. Enjoy!

oothapams - Part II

Ouch, I shouldn't take a whole week to post a follow up to this...so mean of me to make you all hang. I'm still recovering from Christmas and honestly having a hard time making my life flow...but anywhoo...here goes:

There I was last week, ready to take a big challenge, making oothapams (lentil pancakes). Meanwhile, I'm dealing with trying to supplement teach my three year old at home. In life, many things in life are learned. You learn by doing. Especially in cooking, you learn by doing. You could look at a recipe five million times and think it's hard, but you don't know until you actually tackle the steps. Many times, you surprise yourself in realizing, it's not hard at all...it just takes time. And in life, you have to take time for things you love. If something doesn't work, you've learned either not to do it again, or how to do it right the next time.

With Merrick, I realized, his inability to hold a pencil, had to be tackled by getting a pencil he can hold (I recommend the Twist n Write pencil for any parents having this problem). I had to reformat how I teach him things...I could not have high expectations that he could write a straight line or follow the dots perfectly, but I still made him do it. And instead of following directions exactly on a ditto, I asked Merrick to do something simple like circle the correct number of hats (something like that). It's all a learning process. Suffice to say, one week later, it's working. Merrick is more confident with his counting and seems to recognize more shapes...

but you don't want me to ramble about how I'm trying to teach my son ABCs and his shapes, you want me to tell you how to make these lentil pancakes.

What's what oothpams are...lentil pancakes. They call for ivory lentils, but I used regular (just gave them more of a beige color). You use lentil and rice for the 'dough' with yogurt, baking soda, salt and water. It's great cause it's vegan and it's gluten free. This recipe wasn't hard persay, but it took time...I'll throw the ingredients at you (courtesy of Vegetarian Times) and I'll tell you how I tackled it.

Oothapams (Lentil Pancakes)

1 1/2 cups of basmati or long grain rice (rinse and drained)

1/2 cup of ivory lentil (or regular or red...whatever you'd like or can get cheap)

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup lowfat/plain yogurt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

1 small red onion, minced (1 cup)

3 jalapeno chiles (stemmed, seeded, and chopped) so optional I didn't do...and I'll explain why later...

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

You can use melted coconut oil or ghee (purified butter) for frying...I used butter.

Now....one morning, after I got Tori to school, I combined the rice and the lentils in a big pot and covered it with about 2 inches of water. They say put it in a cup or bowl with three inches...but three seemed alot in this pot I was using. I soaked them for the whole day. After the kids went to bed, I drained the lentils and rice, then moved them to the food processor. Then I pureed them with sale and 1 cup of water until it was smooth. This took maybe 2-3 minutes. Then I transferred the mixture into a bowl, covered it with a towel and let it stand overnight then well into the morning (again after Tori was in school and after I did morning chores). The batter has to ferment and be slightly bubbly. Then you stir in the yogurt, baking soda and another 1/2 cup of water.

Set your oven onto the 'keep warm setting' (if you have or set it at 200). Combine the peas, red onion, chiles (opt), and cilantro in a bowl.

Ok....so you need to laugh at me...

I thought about using some chiles I have in my house. I've only cooked with them once, and that's a whole other story for a WHOLE other blog I have...but anyhoo...I started chopping some of them for this recipe. I inadvertently wiped my upper lip after chopping...and oh my god, my upper lip practically caught on fire. I did everything...ice on it...milk because I hear it's great for burns...tried fanning it...it took a good half hour just to get my upper lip to stop...Needless to say, I skipped the chiles.

Back to the recipe, I put some butter in a small skillet, heated to medium-high heat, poured 1/2 cup of batter into the skillet (do not spread out thinly). The recipe says to drizzle 1/2 tsp of oil or ghee around the pancake to keep it from sticking. All I can say, is you have to practice making these. the first three may be icky...but you'll get the hang of it by four or so (I did).

Sprinkle 3 TBS of pea mixture over the pancake (mine always ended up in the middle). cook 3 minutes or until bottom is golden. Flip carefully, and cook other side 1 minute more, or until golden brown. When it is done, put the finished pancake in the oven, repeat until out of batter.

Again, thanks to Vegetarian Times for the recipe. I loved these pancakes, they made a great snack or afternoon veggie fix. The baby ate them because he eats anything food like I can give him. Merrick only ate them if I put no pea mixture and cinnamon on them. And he didn't finish them. Tori started to eat one...but after a few bites, it was a different pancake taste than she is used to and she didn't fall for it. Oh well...can't win them all!

oothapams - Part I

I think I know how that chick from "Julia and Julia" felt. Not that I've seen the movie...but I'm seeing how blogging about what I'm cooking is starting to mix itself into my normal life. Tonight...I'm tackling a recipe I've been mulling over trying for three years...oothapams (aka lentil pancakes). I saw the recipe in one of my first Vegetarian Times magazines. At first sight, I thought "how cool, but it's so hard...but it would be nice to know how to cook like this...". It almost seems like a survivalist recipe...

Today, I started the recipe. And I find it ironic I started a challenge on a day that I also attempted to do schoolwork with my son. Both were challenging for me. Both I'm doing to not just better myself, but better my family...

I'll post the recipe after I eat the oothopam. The recipe takes nearly two days to complete...but it looks like it's worth it. First I start by rinsing and draining both the basmati (I used basmati) rice and the lentils (I used regular lentils...cause I didn't have ivory). I put both into a pot and let it sit in alot of water.

During the day, while the pot sat, I attempted to sit with Merrick and help him with his tracing, learning shapes and learning numbers. The tracing was our hard part of the day. At three, Merrick is still having issues with holding a pencil. To help remedy this, I've ordered the Twist and Write pencils. My friend Barbara introduced them to me. Unfortunately the ones she gave me ran out of lead...so I had to order more. As I sit and wait, I still try to encourage Merrick to use a regular pencil. Sadly, today wasn't his day.

He would just barely hold the pencil, rush through everything and not even attempt to follow the lines, or he would just ask me to help. I'm trying to not do that as much with him, so I encouraged him to keep trying...

This is really as far as I can go cause let's just say...it's been a long day...we eventually did get through his lesson that started at 12:30 today and finish and 4:30...

*sigh*

Later, after everyone was asleep, it was time to drain the rice and lentils, then put them in a food processor with salt and fresh water. As I scooped out the mixture I created into a bowl, I thought about how tomorrow is another day. Hopefully, I can take something like and make it into something different. Hopefully, with a different approach, I can have better luck at school with Merrick.

It's at least acknowledging that you're wrong and trying to fix it...

Tomorrow, let's see how my 'pancakes' come out...

Vegetarian Rueben

Yes...I know, the name alone sounds like an oxymoron. When I posted on Facebook the other night that we had these sandwiches, a friend asked "Are you trying to put the universe out of balance? And how exactly do you make a vegetarian rueben?" To this another friend said "Easy...take 5lbs of vegetarian..." Har har...

Don't get me wrong! I love the rueben! It's one of my favorites/must haves in a diner. Right up there with tuna melt and taylor ham & cheese (on a kaiser...). But one of my New Year's resolutions this year was to get back onto the 3 Vegetarian/Vegan meals a week thing. And I not only have to convince myself, I have to convince my husband, who didn't eat vegetables before he met me. I figured a ruebenesque sandwich may help convince him to eat his veggies.

Two nights ago, I was going through my magazine pile. Currently in my subscription list are: Taste of Home's Simple and Delicious (been a subscriber since it was Quick Cooking), Vegetarian Times (something I was sucked into when kids were selling magazines in my neighborhood four years ago...I paid too much for two years...now I only pay $15 for two years...believe me...that's UNBELIEVABLE), Southern Cooking (a gift from my friend Karen...has GREAT dessert ideas), and Rachel Ray (a new addition, courtesy of my mother in law). A great bulk of the recipes I use come from Vegetarian Times and Taste of Home.

So here, I am, going through my latest magazines, and of all places, in Taste of Home, I stumble upon this recipe. Taste of home actually has had a few good vegetarian recipes every month in their magazine for the past two years. They much realize that there is a higher demand for this. I'm loving it.

Anyway, I decide to attempt the recipe. I followed the recipe by the letter and we loved it. The only thing I didn't do that I probably should have, was drain the sauerkraut. I was in a bit too much of a hurry...and it made the bread a little soggy, but cooking it helped that....so here goes...Vegetarian Ruebans...

1 pk (6 oz) sliced bay portobello mushrooms (I used regular, was easier to put on sandwich and made it 'meatier'...pun totally intended)

2 TBSP olive oil, divided

1 pkg. (6 oz) fresh baby spinach

8 slices marble rye bread

1/4 cup prepared thousand Island salad dressing

8 sliced Swiss cheese (they said process, I just got cheese from the deli)

1 cup sauerkraut, rinse and well drained (doh! I guess reading is fundamental, see above)

2 TBSP butter, softened

Saute mushrooms in 1 TBSP oil in a large skillet until lightly browned; remove with slotted spoon and set aside. Saute spinach in remaining oil in the same skillet (cause extra dishes suck and you'll be putting it all together later anyway) until wilted. Remove from heat.

Spread bread sliced with salad dressing (Kevin said I was not liberal enough with this) and top with a cheese slice. Layer four slices with mushrooms, spinach and sauerkraut. Top with remaining bread. Butter outside of sandwiches (note: I just melted the butter in the pan, fried one side, then put more butter in the pan for the other side...mostly cause butter is a pain to spread and we don't do the margarine thing anymore).

Toast sandwiches in a small skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side or until cheese is melted.

Yum!

Blueberry cucumber smoothie

Blueberry-Cucumber Smoothie

2 large garden cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks (2 cups)

1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt

1 cup frozen blueberries

1-2 TBS honey or agave nectar

1 TBS. Lemon juice

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth

Behold the power of the smoothie…I have been making smoothies since Tori was a baby. I found it was a great way to sneak stuff to her. She fell for it for a while…but she’s not a big smoothie drinker now. Most of her smoothies get left with a lot in them still. Merrick, however, is my smoothie drinker. He lives for them…he’ll drink a whole blender full if I let him. This is fine by me because I put good stuff in them.

I found this recipe in my vegetarian times and I was making this once for myself and it ended up being breakfast for the family. Everyone was interested in what I was doing with the cucumbers and even Kevin wanted to try it. It turned out to make a nice, refreshing smoothie. What’s great is we not only got a serving of fruit, but veggies too! I honestly didn’t do the ‘seeding’ thing the recipe called for…but the cukes I got didn’t have terribly big seeds and the blender chopped it up all just fine. No one noticed anything…like I said, they were gone very quickly! Add some banana or replace with strawberries to change it up a bit.

Chicken Kiev...my way

Just made this tonight, had to share. I found the recipe in my Simple and Delicious magazine, but it called for breasts that had to be flattened and I had to do this thing with the butter that involved me shaping it into a square...either way...I had not time for this kind of stuff...so I modified the recipe (cause I didn't have chives either...dang it)...and I cooked it this way...so here goes:

Chicken Kiev

5 TBSP of butter

1/2 tsp minced chives (I used parsley cause I didn't have chives...I bet chives would have been awesome)

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp pepper (I used my Paula Deen lemon pepper seasoning)

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (I used a whole package of tenders)

1/3 cup cornflake crumbs

1 TBS parmesan cheese (was out of this too...would have been great I bet...see what kind of night I was having)

1/2 tsp. dried parsley flakes (hey I had this...)

1/4 tsp of paprika (opt...I didn't have)

Preheat over to 350. Grease a pyrex pan with cooking oil. Melt butter in a microwave safe dish. Sprinkle in all the spices. Crush corn flakes in a ziploc bag, add Parmeasan cheese. Put into a bowl. After rinsing the chicken pieces, dredge the pieces in butter bowl, then dredge in the corn flake mixture. Place pieces in pan. Cook for 20-30 minutes (or until chicken is done in the middle...duh). Serve with desired sides.

I cooked for about 30 minutes and honestly it was like I put it in the crock pot...the chicken just separated apart...so good!