Oven Roasted Vegetables

The turkey will be safe at our house this Thanksgiving! And every Thanksgiving for that matter! We are vegetarians! So what does a vegetarian eat for Thanksgiving...besides a Tofurky loaf? A "must have" dish for our Thanksgiving table is Oven Roasted Vegetables! It just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it:) We could more easily live without the Tofurky loaf than without our roasted vegetables!!! A few years ago a friend gave me an issue of Everyday Food magazine that had a recipe for Roasted Fall Vegetables. We tried them and YUM! So delicious!!! We have since made the recipe our own by adding more veggies to the mix. To make your own roasted vegetables, just follow this recipe.

Oven Roasted Vegetables

2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

2 pounds new red potatoes (12 to 14), well scrubbed and quartered

1 pound medium red onions (2-3), peeled and quartered

1 pound carrots (6-8 medium) cut into 1 1/2 inch lengths

1 pound beets, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

4-6 cloves Elephant garlic

1/2 pound mushrooms, wash and leave whole

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary

2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper or to taste (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place all vegetables in a large mixing bowl (I use my BIG stainless steel bowl. Add olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper. Mix well. Divide vegetables between two parchment paper lined baking sheets.
2. Roast until vegetables are tender and beginning to brown, 40 to 50 minutes, tossing them and rotating baking sheets from top to bottom halfway through. Serve hot or at room temperature.

So, today we continue to get ready for our Thanksgiving company. We (mostly hubby) shampooed the carpets and I cleaned the guest apartment yesterday. Today I have more cleaning to do and tomorrow will be cooking, cooking and more cooking! Tomorrow I will share our Thanksgiving menu with you.

Have a great day! 

Kat

Tofu Spinach Lasagna

Spinach tofu lasagna (Photo credit: serenejournal)

I have been a little slow getting around the last two days--granddaughter wore me out:) but it was worth every second! Yesterday I caught up on the laundry and did some dusting; today will be vacuuming, mopping and some clutter busting! 


When the kids were growing up, I made Tofu Spinach Lasagna about once a month but until I made it at my daughter's last week, it had been about two years! Hmmm...what's wrong with me?!!! It is one of my favorite entrees so will make it for church potluck this week. My recipe is vegan so no cheese. When you taste it you will realize it doesn't need any but you can always add it if you wish:) 

TOFU SPINACH LASAGNA
(makes 9" X 13" rectangle pan)

12 lasagna noodles (no not need to precook)
1 package firm or extra firm tofu
1 box frozen spinach, thawed (can use fresh, chopped small)
32 ounces (or more--I like lots of sauce) of your favorite pasta sauce (we like Newman's Own for this recipe but used Prego for a lot of years--you want a pasta sauce with a lot of flavor)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Drain and mash tofu. Add spinach, garlic powder, basil and salt
2. Spread some sauce in the bottom of baking dish.
3. Layer uncooked noodles--usually 3
4. Layer 1/2 of tofu mixture on top of noodles
5. Spread some more sauce.
6. Repeat layers 2 through 5 one more time.
7. Add one more layer of noodles with sauce to cover.
8. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for one hour at 350 degrees (F). Remove foil during the last 15 minutes.

Serve with a big green salad and a loaf of garlic french bread for a super yummy meal!

I hope you are having a wonderful day. My hubby said we would have good weather today and tomorrow but then storms are supposed to blow in! I guess summer is REALLY over:( Time to get out the warm clothes and put the summer things away! Goodbye flip flops...sniff! sniff! Hello to my Keen Bern Baby Bern Boots:D

Kat

Potato Corn Chowder

Potato and corn chowder (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A reader requested my recipe for Potato Corn Chowder so thought I would break from the cards long enough to share the recipe. My Potato Corn Chowder recipe is vegan but you can easily change by using your favorite dairy products. Also of note is this recipe makes enough for a family of six so plan on leftovers (very yummy) or cut the recipe in half.

POTATO CORN CHOWDER

6 medium potatoes
2 cups frozen or fresh corn (canned will work in a pinch)
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup celery sliced or chopped
1/2 cup coconut oil (can use margarine, butter or light olive oil)
2 quarts rice milk (soy, coconut or dairy milk can be substituted)
1 1/2 tsp salt (add more to taste at the end, if necessary)
1/2 cup unbleached flour (see note for gluten-free)
1 tsp dried basil
dash Red Pepper Flakes (optional)

1. Peel potatoes. Cut into bite size pieces. Put in saucepan; cover with water. Add 1 tsp salt. Cook till fork tender.
2. While potatoes are cooking, put coconut oil in very large pot over medium heat. Add onions and celery and cook till tender. Add flour and 1 1/2 teaspoon salt; stir to make a paste. Add "milk" and stir with wire whisk till blended well.
3. When potatoes are cooked, drain (I save the water to make bread). Mash potatoes leaving several big pieces of potato. Add to "milk" mixture.
4. Add corn, basil and red pepper flakes. Only add the red pepper flakes if you like hot or can be added to individual bowls.
5. Heat almost to boil but do not let it boil.
6. Enjoy:)

Note: When I am making the Potato Corn Chowder gluten-free, I omit the flour and add about 1/2 cup of instant mashed potato flakes in step 2.

Quinoa Taco Burger

Uncooked whole grain Quinoa

Have you heard about Quinoa? I have been hearing a lot about it in the last several months and have had a bag in my pantry for at least a month but wasn't sure what to do with it. So, why did I buy it?

"Quinoa is gluten-free, has a low glycemic index and provides all of the eight essential amino acids, creating a complete protein." (quoted from my bag of truRoots Organic Quinoa). That is why I purchased Quinoa! I am always interested in food that will give our family good nutrition and taste good too. 

"Quinoa is an ancient traditional grain grown at 12,000 fee above sea level. It is a whole grain and has been classified by the National Academy of Sciences as one of the best sources of protein in the vegetable kingdom." (also from the back of my Quinoa bag).

Quinoa cooked

Quinoa cooks in just 15 minutes and can be substituted for rice in many recipes.

I LOVE tacos so decided to try my hand at making taco "burger" with my cooked Quinoa. 

Taco "Burger"

1/2 cup Quinoa, rinsed
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt

Bring Quinoa, water and salt to boil and cook for 15 minutes on low heat. Let cool for 5 minutes then fluff with a fork.

1/4 cup chopped onions
1 Tablespoon olive or coconut oil
Cooked Quinoa
2 ounces diced green chilies (mild)
1 Tablespoon chili powder 

Saute` onions in oil till soft then add remaining ingredients and cook while stirring for about 5 minutes. Tada...done!!!

Quinoa Taco "Burger"

Now you are ready to use your Quinoa Taco "Burger" just as you would use hamburger! I am sure I will make some improvements to this recipe over the next few months but it is really yummy as is. Hubby was eating it with a spoon!!!

1/4 cup of dry Quinoa has...

• 172 calories
• 3 grams fat
• 31 carbohydrates
• 3 grams fiber
• 3 grams sugars
• 6 grams protein

I hope you will give Quinoa a try soon! Don't wait like I did!

Have a great day!

Kat