My broccoli can do tricks!

I was trying to think of an alternative to jarred pasta sauce. Something that incorporated some vegetables and that could be pretty versatile. I pondered on broccoli for a bit and thought to myself, why not teach an old veg new tricks? I threw the cooked trees into the blender with some other goodies and made a tasty sauce that can be eaten over pasta, or over baked chicken.

What you need:

2 bunches of fresh broccoli
1-2 garlic cloves depending on size (you can add more depending on how much you like garlic)
1/4 C. olive oil
salt or to taste
dash of pepper
juice from 1/2 a lemon
1/2 C. water

What you do:

Cut broccoli and cook in a saucepan until tender. Throw the broccoli into blender with other ingredients and puree until desired consistency. Serve over pasta, or on baked chicken.

I threw some sauteed mushroom and tomatoes in the mix for some extra flavor.

I love pumpkin.

I really, really do. Pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin waffles, pumpkin soup, pumpkin muffins. Yeah. I want it all. Especially the muffins. Apparently my boyfriend and his friend did too, because they only lasted 24 hours.

What you need:
1 C. Pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
1 egg, or Ener-G equivalent to 1 egg
1/4 C. vegetable oil
1/4 C. whole milk or soy milk
1/2 C. sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 C. flour
1 C. organic quick cook oats
3 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 C. pecans
1/2 C. cranberry sauce (the awesome homemade stuff)

What you do:
Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a muffin tin with muffin cups.

Beat together pumpkin, milk, oil, syrup, sugar and egg in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined well. Add in chopped pecans.

Spoon evenly into muffin tin and top each muffin with a dab of cranberry sauce and a whole pecan. Bake for 15-20 min.

These are great for a quick breakfast when your running out the door, or for a quick snack.

The Cranberries

I'm on a roll this week. Must be all the oatmeal that I've been eating for breakfast. Oatmeal is a great way to start your day. Not only are you getting a considerable amount of fiber first thing in the morning, but it can help cut cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. But I digress. This is not a post about the awesome benefits of oatmeal. I'm going to tell you how to jazz it up.

What you need:
1 12oz bag of cranberries
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Rinse the cranberries and pick out any that look smooshed or gross. Place the cranberries in a 1 quart glass baking dish. Add the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cover with tin foil and stick in the oven for 55 minutes. Stir the cranberry mixture to make sure all the sugar is dissolved. Let cool and serve in your favorite oatmeal. I prefer the old fashioned oats.

This is also a perfect pairing for a certain turkey dinner. Or you can use these cooked cranberries in muffins. It's quick, easy and super versatile.

Beets. It's What's For Dinner.

Did you know that you can eat the greens from beets? Neither did I. Apparently you can, and not only are they tasty, they are FULL of vitamins A, C, iron and calcium. Not to mention they have lots of fiber too. So why wouldn't you want to eat them? Check out how good they look...



But what do you do with them? You could try to eat them like a salad, but uncooked, beet leaves have a bitter nasty flavor. So, I decided to cook them as I would spinach.

Here's what you need:
1 pound beet greens
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
lazy 3/4 C. of water (by lazy, I mean fill up the 3/4 cup, just not all the way)
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Boiled and chopped beets

Here's what you do:
Cut the greens off the beets and wash them very well to make sure all the dirt has been removed. Soak the beet greens for about 20 minutes. Cut the ends off the beats, wash them well and boil for about 20 minutes. When the beats are soft, peel and chop, then set them aside. Be careful, they will be hot.

In a large skillet, melt butter. Add onions and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water to the pan, stirring and loose particles from the bottom. Stir in the brown sugar and red pepper. Bring to a boil.

Add the beet greens and gently toss in the onion mixture so that the greens are well coated. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover, stir and continue to cook, uncovered for an additional 5 minutes. The greens should be tender and smell great. Add the chopped beets and cook for about 2-3 minutes, giving the beets a chance to warm up. Serve with rice, or serve as a side dish. I paired it up with some leftover tempeh.

Non-vegetarians/vegans can add some cooked bacon for some extra meaty flavor. Mmmmm.....bacon *drool*

Note: I've now made this twice and I found that it works better with yellow beets.

Tempeh Stuffed Mushrooms

So your probably wondering what in the hell tempeh is and what the hell do you do with it. Tempeh is fermented soy beans. All hail the wonder that is tempeh!

I have recently embarked on a new vegetarian, slightly vegan adventure. I say slightly vegan because I'm having trouble giving up cheese. Oh and I'm not giving up honey either. I need that for my sinuses. So, I decided to experiment with this tempeh stuff that actually is pretty tasty.



What you need:
2 tbsp. of Earth Balance butter
1/2 onion minced
1 garlic clove minced
1 block of tempeh
1/4 C. of water
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 tsp. of ground thyme
1/8 tsp. of ground rosemary
4 portobello mushroom caps
Veggie Shreds - Mozzarella flavor

What you do:
Saute garlic and onion in 1 tablespoon of the earth balance butter. Once onions become soft, add the tempeh. Add the remainder of the butter and the water. Stir in the spices and cover. Simmer for about 10-12 minutes. Spoon into portobello caps and cover in cheese. Bake for 7 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve over rice and enjoy!