Ridiculously Easy Vegetarian Chili

 

This recipe came from CNN correspondent Candy Crowley, who won the veggie division of the annual CNN Chili cook-off. I found it here at Rachael Ray's website. I love that it's simple, has hominy in it, and is vegetarian. The taste was a little lacking, but come on, it's vegetarian. The cheese greatly improves it's taste though. It's the best vegetarian chili I've tasted...

Ridiculously Easy Vegetarian Chili


Ingredients

• 2 28 ounce can  crushed tomatoes
• 2 28 ounce can  hominy, rinsed
• 3 15 ounce can  pinto beans, rinsed
• 1 4 ounce can  chopped green chiles
• 2 small zucchinis, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese, plus more for serving

Directions

• In an 8-quart pot or Dutch oven, combine all of the ingredients except the cheese. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer until the vegetables are soft and the chili has thickened, about 35 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese and serve more on the side.

Green Bean Casserole I

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it's time to break out some of my traditional Thanksgiving recipes. I think this one is a classic, and if you haven't had it before, shame on your family!

Green Bean Casserole I
Ingredients:
2 (15 ounce) cans cut green beans, drained
3/4 cup milk (I reduced to 1/2)
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (2.8 ounce) can French fried onions
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium casserole dish mix together green beans, milk, cream of mushroom soup, and 1/2 of the can of onions.
Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until heated through and bubbly. Sprinkle remaining onions over the top, and return to the oven for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Here are the results:

Brussels Sprouts with Mushrooms

I don't get why people don't like Brussels Sprouts. They are delicious to me and I needed a change of pace in my vegetable department. I'm sick of canned green beans. I loved this recipe.

Brussels Sprouts with Mushrooms

Ingredients:
4 cups Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1/2 pound whole mushrooms
5 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
fresh lemon juice

Directions:
1. Cook Brussels sprouts in a pot of lightly salted boiling water for 15 minutes, or until fork-tender; strain through a colander, removing as much water as possible. Set aside.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook and stir mushrooms until lightly browned. Toss Brussels sprouts with mushrooms, and sprinkle with parsley and lemon juice. Serve immediately.

Here are the results:

Connie's Zucchini 'Crab' Cakes

Are you exploding with zucchini's out of your ears? Well have I got a recipe for you! Connie's zucchini 'crab' cakes were awesome. Although they claim to taste like crab, I didn't think they did BUT they did taste great in their own way. I followed some popular review on allrecipes.com and instead of frying them, baked them in a 400°F oven for 15 minutes ON EACH SIDE. I also used Panko bread crumbs on mine since they needed to be used up. Mine also needed another egg. So what if I changed the recipe a bit, that's what good chefs do right??

Connie's Zucchini 'Crab' Cakes

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups grated zucchini
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup minced onion
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning TM
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine zucchini, egg, and butter or margarine. Stir in seasoned crumbs, minced onion, and seasoning. Mix well.
2. Shape mixture into patties. Dredge in flour.
3. In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium high heat until hot. Fry patties in oil until golden brown on both sides.

Here are the results:


Not the best picture I've ever taken, but it's a work in progress.

Lemon Pepper Green Beans

My sister just picked a ton of green beans and I had to find a good recipe for them quick! I had some almonds I needed to use up so this one fit nicely. Hubby adored them so it's a keeper.

Lemon Pepper Green Beans
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed and trimmed
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 teaspoons lemon pepper(I reduced this to 1 tsp)
Directions:
1. Place green beans in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water. Cover, and cook until tender but still firm, about 10 minutes; drain.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Saute almonds until lightly browned. Season with lemon pepper. Stir in green beans, and toss to coat.

Here are the results:

Baked Asparagus with Balsamic Butter Sauce

I'm always on the lookout for a good side vegetable. I love asparagus and decided to try this new recipe for cooking it. It's rated very highly on allrecipes.com. It was good, not very healthy, but a nice change.

Baked Asparagus with Balsamic Butter Sauce

Ingredients:
1 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed
cooking spray
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Arrange the asparagus on a baking sheet. Coat with cooking spray, and season with salt and pepper.
3. Bake asparagus 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tender.
4. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat, and stir in soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. Pour over the baked asparagus to serve.

Here are the results:

Butter Browned Cauliflower ( AKA Burnt Cauliflower)

This is a family recipe that dates back to before I was born .... probably. It's the only way I'll eat cauliflower. I'm sure it's full of fat but it's tasty! The true name for it is probably just fried cauliflower but I like it went it's burnt so I renamed it.

Burnt Cauliflower
Ingredients:
1/2 half cauliflower broken up
4 T butter (or as needed)
1/8 C Water (or as needed)

Directions:
Place all ingredients in non-stick pan or skillet. Cook on medium heat stirring frequently. Dish should be ready after about 10 minutes or until cauliflower is soft. I like to cook it a few extra minutes and get nice burnt pieces because they taste the best in my opinion.


Here are the results:

Provincial Tomatoes

I HATE whole, fresh tomatoes! That said, I'll eat tomatoes any other way. I found this recipe a few years ago and fell in love with it. It's not really an appetizer as it is a side dish. I usually add a little bit of mozzarella cheese (instead of asiago) to hold the toppings together.

Provincial Tomatoes

Ingredients:
2 large tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil, or as needed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated Asiago cheese
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons dried parsley

Directions:
1.Preheat your oven's broiler.

2.Place tomato slices in a single layer on a baking sheet or in a baking dish, season with a little salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil. Mix together the Parmesan cheese, Asiago cheese, bread crumbs and parsley; sprinkle over the tomato slices. Drizzle a little bit more olive oil over the top.

3.Broil for 5 minutes, or until the top is golden and toasty.

Here are the results:

Nana's Acorn Squash

Acorn Squash?? What is that?? I just happened to get one of the little babies when I picked up my basket at the fruit co-op. I had no idea what to do with it so of course I went to allrecipes.com (my favorite recipe website) and did a search for acorn squash. Most of them had you cook for them for an hour in the oven and I did not have the time. I chose this recipe that microwaved the squash and then broiled it for 5 minutes to let the brown sugar and butter melt. I really enjoyed the recipe but my husband ate one bite and ask me if I wanted his (the nice way of saying HE didn't want it). That's OK. He's not a big squash fan and at least he tried a bite or two. If I get an acorn squash again, maybe I'll try another recipe that isn't so sweet. But for the record, I liked it!

Nana's Acorn Squash
Ingredients:

• 1 acorn squash, halved and seeded
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions:

1. In a microwave safe casserole dish pour enough water to reach 1 1/2 inches in depth. Place the squash halves cut side down in the water, and pierce the skin with a fork a few times. Microwave on high for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain.
2. Sprinkle each half with salt and pepper to taste. Place 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons brown sugar in each half.
3. Broil 5 minutes, or until butter is melted. Mix the melted butter and sugar into the flesh, and serve

Here are the results:

Italian Stuffed Zucchini

It's time to use up those ingredients sprouting from the garden! Yay!! So I cook this delicious Italian Stuffed Zucchini one night for the husband. He eats it and really enjoys it. Then he tells me I can never make it again because he doesn't like zucchini, even though it was really good, he just can't get over the fact that it was zucchini. Well...... I told him I WILL be making it again and he WILL like it. I have made it several times since and he has liked it every single time. So there!

Italian Stuffed Zucchini
Ingredients:

• 1 zucchini
• 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce
• 2 tablespoons Italian-style dried bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 2/3 cup frozen burger-style crumbles (I just leave these out)
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Slice each zucchini in half lengthwise. Hollow out the zucchini.
3. Place the scraped out zucchini into a medium bowl. Combine zucchini, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, TVP and pasta sauce. Mix well.
4. Place mixture into hollowed out zucchini. Arrange zucchini in a baking dish, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese; bake for 40 minutes.

Here are the results:

Garlic Asparagus with Lime

Since I've been posting so many photos without the recipes attached, I though ya'll deserved a good recipe. So here it is:

Garlic Asparagus with Lime

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium shallot, minced (You can use a small amount of red onion instead)
1 bunch fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
1/4 lime, juiced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt butter with olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic and shallots, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in asparagus spears; cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Squeeze lime over hot asparagus, and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving plate, and garnish with lime wedges.

Here are the results:

Scalloped Cheese Potatoes

I didn't get a picture of the Scalloped Cheese Potatoes I made the other night for dinner but I did try them and they turned out OK. It was a basic recipe for side of easy potatoes. I needed something fairly easy with the ingredients I had on hand, and this did the trick nicely.

Scalloped Cheese Potatoes:

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, divided
• 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine potatoes and soup. Layer half of the mixture in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Dot with half of the butter and sprinkle with half of the cheese. Repeat layers. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 60-70 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.