Veggies Doing Double Duty

 It's not just spinach steamed with garlic and butter anymore. Or cauliflower florets ready to be dipped into a viniagrette. Veggies now are getting double duty in foods and recipe usually occupied by traditional and time honored ingredients. The end result is a tasty new way of getting produce.

On e of the unexpected to find veggies is pasta. Many companies like Ronzoni are incorporating everything from broccoli to tomatoes in their spaghetti and rotelli.Barilla, the most tradtional of pasta companies is taking a different turn with their zucchini and spinach ones along with their red lentil and chickpea pastas. Yet are they worth it to those who love their whole wheat and Durham wheat kinds. Veggie based pasta is less in fiber and much less proteins than the traditional types. They are perfect for those with celiac disease, gluten sensitivites and wheat allergies.Keep in mind that they're not completely vegetable based.A mix of semolina and Durham wheat is added for body. Ronzoni 's has  The most important question however is how does it taste. Veggie pastas don't have the robust and distinctive flavor their one hundred per cent wheat cousins have. It won't work with a delicate butter and garlic sauce. Try a hearty tomato or fiery arriabiata one instead. The same applies to turning them into salads. Use a flavorful dressing and strong flavors like beans and broccoli along with vine ripe tomatoes.

Rice is also getting a run for its' money. There is a trend right now for riced veggies.It's a much healthier alternative to the regular grains (although rice is lower in calories and is rich in carbohydrates,magnesium and protein).Riced veggies have more Vitamins K and C. You can easily buy it at your grocery store . There are several different brands to choose from like Acme's Signature brand to Bird's Eye and Green Giant. It comes plain ro with flavorings like regular rice. It's great on it's own but perfect for a healthy side with grilled chicken or even plant based meats. Riced veggies can be easily be made in your kitchen. One popular recipe is riced broccoli. This is just trimming the veggie's thick ends or woody looking stems. Cut the broccoli into equal sized florets and cut the stems into coins or thin slices. Place all of it in a food processor or blender and pulse until the pieces resembles rice grains. You can easily turn it into a side or a salad. even fellow vegetables like potatoes are getting a run for their money. Mashed cauliflower has a popular side since Michelle Obama introduced it at The White House.It's mashing the cooked florets with sour cream and butter, although you can also use almind milk for a healthier side.

Veggies are doing double duties taking over form rice , pasta and even their fellow veggies potatoes, They're a nice alternative to these, being healthier and more flavorful. Try them as pasta riced or mashed for a new taste in the New Year.

Farfalla Soup Pasta

 One of my Mom's favorite dishes was a hybrid of chicken broth and farfalle or butterfly pasta in sauce. This fusion dish was and still is perfect for the cold days ahead. It's an easy mix that's sure to please. Just serve with garlic bread for a hearty week day or weekend meal.

It starts with two containers of veggie broth for a vegan spin on the recipe. I used Acme's Signature brand but you could use chicken or beef broth too.

This is cooked for twenty minutes and then the farfalle is added.

Farfalle is a tricky pasta to cook. The middle takes longer than the ends because they're pinched together. You have to be patient with it. It does take about twenty minutes to cook properly no matter what liquid you cook it in.

                        It's then adding the Ragu sauce and mushrooms to make it heartier

I think a smaller can of just roasted tomatoes would work better. This gave me a whole pot of pasta soup.

It was then cooking it for another few minutes until the farfalle were tender on the ends and al dente in the middle.

                                 Of course you have to have garlic bread with it . Salads work too with this

The end result was more like a tomato soup with pasta. I think it will taste even better reheated with some Melt plant butter added. It was good with the garlic bread, very tomato-y , thanks to Ragu's intense flavor.

This pasta soup is the best chill chaser you can make. It;s a tasty blend of traditonal farfalle and broth. Try it for a tasty way to combat the cold.

A Good Thanksgiving And Stuffing Too

 For all my readers whether in the US or around the world Happiest of Thanksgivings. May it have been as nectic and delicious as my own vegan one.

This is the day's masterpiece - a vegan French bread stuffing with fresh thyme, made with Acme's Signature brand veggie broth and Just Eggs as the softener and binder. It was pretty good - even better reheated.

Do you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share? Let me know. It could be just as good as my stuffing.

A Warm Winter Soup

 It is winter and that means good hot dinners that warms you to the toes.One of the best dishes for this is a simple minestrone that's easy to cook up and tasty to eat. It's perfect for these frosty days.

I wanted to create a vegan soup with plenty of flavor and protein. A hearty minestrone checks these boxes. Although it doesn't have the tomatoes like a traditional one it's still has veggies and beans.

Mine started off with these 

This is a mixed package of soup veggies from my local Acme. I love the mix of carrots, onions, parsnips and leeks. These are the base.

The beans were a three can (18 ounces each) mix of  two cans of kidney and one can of white cannelini beans.  You can use any mix from black to kidney beans 

to vary it

Of course you need pasta for this too. Acme's Signature shells were the best  fit for this.

These are tiny, like ditilini and perfect for soup. Then the extras, .I used a mix of olive oil and Melt plant butter to saute the veggies. Pepper and a garlic herb mix were used to flavor it.Acme's Signature  brand low sodium broth was the liquid.

It was first sauteing the veggies in a mix of Melt plant butter and olive oil

Cook the veggies for about five to seven minutes until the onions and celery turn translucent. This is now the time to add the beans , broth and spicings, then the pasta. Cook until the pasta is tender.

 You can add a cup of water for a thinner , more broth like soup.  You can also half the pasta so it's not so thick as well.

The  soup was the perfect winter supper. Be sure to have some warm crusty rolls and salad to round it out. This minestrone was a good blend of beans, shells and veggies.Best of all this vegan dish can provide enough leftovers for a few days. You many want to freeze half or serve the leftovers for lunch  the next day.

It is  winter and that means a hot, satisfying  homemade soup. Create a minestrone that will warm you  as well as providing a delicious bowl. It's an easy make  to be enjoyed all season long.

A Good Old Fashioned Celery Soup

What do you do with a bunch of celery? Use it in salad? or as a crunchy snack. However it's winter and that calls for soup. I decided to try an update of my Mom's recipe.

Unfortunately I didn't have it. Mine is a mashup of improvising on a recipe I found on The Daring Gourmet blog. I varied it and add whatever I could remember of the family recipe.
It starts with celery which I had in abundance from making lobster salad with the lobster balls I made last Monday.

I sliced the stalks and the heart into chunks the way my Mom did.

It was sauteed in organic butter (I know I shouldn't have this on a cirrhosis diet. but I felt it would add a rich flavor to the potage)

Half went in, (about  a quarter cup)

A third of a cup of a flour was added to create a roux with the celery. This thickens it. The Daring Gourmet called for a whole onion and garlic to also be sauteed. I nixed these and added a heaping tablespoon of onion powder by McCormick.

I let all this cook down for about ten minutes before adding an entire container of vegetable stock.

This is Acme's Signature line and it's a rich broth. Then it was Almond Coconut milk

And three cups of Almond Breeze's almond coconut blend. 

It was cooked down for another ten minutes as another dash of onion powder was added for more flavor and an extra three teaspoons of flour was added to thicken it. I didn't add salt but freshly ground pepper for more flavoring and bite.

It was a delicious hot bowl. The celery chunks cooked down for still crunchy on the inside , soft on the outside texture. There was also a lovely buttery aftertaste and a smoothness to the soup.

This celery soup, a mashup of recipes, is the perfect dish for a cold February night. Make it for dinner to ward off the chill. It's lovely and green, a reminder of Spring and summer to come.

The Dazzle of Paul Hollywood

Yes, it's that time of year when all home bakers go into a frenzy about what to make for the holidays.ABC knows this and rolls out their annual baking show, The Great Holiday Baking Show, based on the UK's The Great British Baking Show. It even has that main attraction Paul Hollywood, he of the piercing blue eyes and stinging criticiques.

The show is on ABC every Thursday night , with two back to back hour long episodes starting at 9PM. Fans of the original will love this and it features bake loving Yanks from all corners of the country. There was even a priest, Father Kyle, who was sadly booted off Episode Two.Like the original every episode features a signature bake, a cake or cookie they might make for family and friends, a technical bake that features a challenging recipe from the judges and the final - a show stopper, something that would bring gasps if if were made at home. The judges in the past were Mary Berry and Johnny Iuzzini who returns this year with Hollywood. Paul Hollywood 's background is that of being the son of a baker who eventually owned a chain of bakeries in England. Paul, himself, became a baker, working at several five star hotels in the UK and on Cyprus. Iuzzini is also a pastry chef , from the Catskills region in New York State where he learned how to cook and bake as a child. He also attended the CIA, the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park where he specialized in Baking and Pastry Arts. The hosts are chef Ayesha Curry who has written several cookbooks and forer football player and media personality Anthony Adams,

The show lacks the wit and sparkle that the British version had under Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins. Ayesha and Anthony are likeable enough,  especially Anthony when 'he's cadging candied cherries off contestant Cindy Maliniak. They do add to the show especially when they interact with the bakers and are a nice foil to Paul's snark. Yesterdays episodes featured making naked cakes. which are layers cakes with just fillings and iced top layers.These  were pretty in their own messy ways,but I feel that British bakers would have handled the challenge better. The second hour featured everything yeasty. This is where the bakers got truly creative , especially with the first one which featured doughnuts . They reflected the contestants backgrounds. The episode's show stopper was a sweet bread with different fillings and decorations. Again the bakers became truly creative with flavors reflecting  Hector De Haro's Mexican heritage and Vallery Lomas' Louisiana's influenced King Cake, Hopefully upcoming episodes will feature more Christmassy  challenges like mince pies and cookies. They did have to recreate a log but it was more of a sponge cake.

Will the American holiday version  stand up to the British? Hopefully it will .It is entertaining and inspiring to home bakers , longing for a challenge