dill pickle soup

okay, the proper way to do this would be to start by making a roux, and then stirring in garlic and diced onions and browning them.

unfortunately, that whole gluten-allergy* gets in the way and i don't do that, but i used to. keep your eyes (and potatoes) peeled- there's a gf alternative at the bottom: 

1. if you can eat gluten, make a roux first, then go on to step 2. (if you cannot eat gluten, obviously skip this first step).
2. start by sauteeing onions & garlic in some olive oil.
3. add 4 cups of vegetarian broth
4. peel and chop 4-5 medium sized potatoes, bring to a boil
5. cook until potatoes are soft
6. add one jar of kosher dill pickles, chopped (including juice)
7. season as you wish (pepper, salt, fresh dill, etc.)
8. simmer until flavors are blended and pickles are slightly tender.

garnish with sour cream if you want.
*for gluten-free option, you can thicken the soup with instant potatoes.

recipe: 239 bean chili

this chili is ridiculous. it's meatless, gluten-free, and high in fiber. best of all, it's quick and easy to make:

in a crockpot dump in the following:

48 oz jar Randall* deluxe Mixed beans (drained and rinsed)
24 oz jar Randall* deluxe Great Northern beans (drained and rinsed)
14 oz jar Meijer Naturals* pizza sauce
2 T. each of cumin, oregano
1 t. each of garlic powder, cilantro
dash of pepper
28 oz can Meijer Naturals* petite diced tomatoes (do not drain- dump on top)

crockpot: low for as many hours as you want- I do at least 4 so my family thinks I'vc been cooking all day and the smell permeates throughout the house. Top with Daisy sour cream & fancy shredded sharp cheddar cheese

* I'm a Meijer shopper. I came up with this recipe because the beans are directly across the aisle from the pizza sauce. Randall's beans are flavorful and already cooked. You could sub them out for dried beans that you soak, along with fresh diced tomatoes, but that would not be quick nor easy. Enjoy.

recipe: quick tomato bisque

for years (seriously, years!) i have been working on the perfect all-vegetarian tomato bisque soup. my dad (a professional chef) makes an incredible soup, and even though i have his recipes, it just isn't right. i can make a delicious soup entirely from scratch- starting even with a roux. it's good- but not easy. yesterday, i wanted tomato bisque, but i also wanted to be lazy. and i only wanted to make it in my crockpot because i didn't want to scrub pots. it may shame my father, but it tastes damn good and was dirt cheap.

for your (horrifying!) pleasure:

-1 large can of whole peeled tomatoes (do not drain!)
-1 large can of tomato soup
-1/2 jar of classico vodka sauce*

(shameful) instructions:
dump all ingredients in crockpot. cook on high for 4 hours or low until you get home from work. just before serving, crush tomatoes using a masher, or large fork.

top with a dollop of sour cream (daisy is all natural/vegetarian) and french's fried onions**

*classico is currently on sale at target for $1.84 + printable coupon here
**french's coupon here

factory girl

our annual salsa factory opened for the season on saturday. after buying 200 pounds of produce from eastern market, we came home to can several varieties of salsa and some spaghetti sauce just for fun.

what does 200 pounds of produce consist of, you ask?
-2.5 bushels of tomatoes
-50 pounds of onions
-1 bushel of peppers (serrano, thai, banana, habanero, etc.)
-1 case of jalapenoes
-3 cantaloop (flip fantasia)
-3 lemons
and 1 ginger root

cost? $71.50
yield?
-30 quarts of salsa (and counting)
-8 quarts of pasta sauce

we'll finish canning this weekend, so if you'd like a lesson, please contact us soon~

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers, originally uploaded by Meagan Vanover.

SERVES 4

Ingredients

* 1 cup quinoa
* 2 cups water
* 4 large green peppers (or 6 medium)
* 1 medium onion, diced
* 1 bunch of basil, chopped
* EVOO
* 1 large tomato, diced
* 2 garlic cloves, crushed
* 1 small can of tomato paste
* grated Parmesan and shredded Italian cheese

Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Cook quinoa as per packet.
3. In a large skillet, saute the onion and garlic in EVOO
4. Fold in quinoa and add tomato paste, tomatoes and basil.
5. Place peppers in baking dish and fill with quinoa mixture
6. Sprinkle cheese over peppers and bake in 325 degree oven for 30 minutes.

dinner with ease

it's no secret. i rely heavily on the crock pot. vegetarians just don't like to cook meat.

but, here's a favorite (easy) recipe for my fam:

crock pot lemon chicken
1 package of chicken (boneless/skinless) tenderloins or breasts
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp lemon pepper
1.5 fresh lemons
1/2 stick of unsalted butter, quartered


cover bottom of crock pot with juice of 1/2 lemon. put the rind and peel into garbage disposal to freshen kitchen. fling chicken into crock pot using fork. try not to think about chicken, nor look directly at it while flinging. sprinkle lemon pepper and ("waiter") pa-pree-ka onto tops of chicken. slice the whole lemon and layer on top of chicken. add butter quarters around chicken. cook on high for 3 hours. serve with rice and asparagus if you're feeling especially fancy.
enjoy!

the factory has reopened!

prepare the chips! fresh vanover salsa is on the way!

mama mia! that's a some-a pesto!

since my basil crop is practically doubling in size daily, i decided to make some homemade pesto.

3 cups packed basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts (kylinn's favorite!)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup evoo
3 cloves garlic

chop the basil and toss into a bowl. chop pine nuts and add to basil along with parmesan. mix well. mince garlic and add to evoo in a separate bowl. when thoroughly combined, add to basil mixture. blend and enjoy.

add to your favorite pasta, use as a dip with pita, or make a fabu pizza with the rest of your homegrown crop.

queen of the kitchen

okay, so i know that i said that i wouldn't be back until after the holidays, but i just wanted to share some of my fab new cooking talent.

last night, i made these festive little brownies (or lil' brownables) (recipe here) and on top of the three dishes that i'm making for christmas eve, i'm also going to make these for my olive loving cousin. how cool is that?

just call me betty freakin' crocker

here is a picture of the fabulous potato and leek tart that i made for dinner on monday. the recipe can be found online here.

i was very proud of the results. it kind-of reminded me of back when jon of hb used to blog about his cooking all the time. yum.

a recipe: summer salad

the blend of textures and rich flavors in this salad make it incredible.

ingredients:
1 avocado, peeled and cut into chunks (preferably organic)
10 oz. baby salad greens, washed
ranch flavored cheese crumbles
ranch-style salad dressing

preparation h:
in a bowl, layer salad greens and avocado
drizzle salad dressing over and top with cheese crumbles
serve immediately in chilled salad bowls

variations:
bleu cheese crumbles with bleu cheese dressing
feta crumbles, greek dressing and sliced black olives

servings: 4

a recipe: easy manicotti (serves 5)

2 packages of dry manicotti shells
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 package (15 ounces) low-fat ricotta cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup dry grated parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
3 cups of pasta sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. cook and drain pasta following instructions on package.

2. combine spinach, ricotta, egg, parmesan cheese and pepper in a bowl

3. spoon carefully into manicotti shells and place in 9x12 ungreased baking dish.
4. pour sauce mixture over and around shells. sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
5. bake in preheated oven at 350*F for approximately 35 minutes.

6. enjoy!

a thought: toddlers and spaghetti

a recipe:
1 c. cooked d'itali pasta and broken spaghetti noodles
1/2 c. pasta sauce
1/2 c. cooked vegetable blend
1/8 c. shredded cheese

instructions: throw into big bowl and mix well.

now this could go one of two ways:
1. toddlers would enjoy a well-balanced meal
2. toddlers could destroy a kitchen in 0.5 seconds

after plating the meal, it finally occurred to me... a 19 month old and a 14 month old were not responsible enough to eat spaghetti by themselves let alone together. and i was completely insane for even attempting it.

finally- the holidays are over

and we can relax for a bit. we had the family easter chez-nous this year as it is the only home slightly baby-proofed. so the celebration began with my sister, joshua rosshua, my mom, aunt and cousin coming over on thursday to make eight million pierogies. after four hours the kitchen was covered with flour, but we were finished. we made potato and cheese as well as kapusta. (that's sauerkraut for all of you non-poles). we also served leg of lamb, sliced ham, carrots with dill and a spinach salad. i hope everyone enjoyed it as there was an obscene amount of clean-up to do come monday morning.

btw, the link above is to recipezarr.com, not the original recipe of my authentic polish Babcia. there are many recipes online for various pierogies, including one by emeril lagasse, but would you really trust an italian to make a traditional polish dish? i'm just saying.

sarah, nate, joshua and kylinn trying to say "kapusta!"