Egg Rolls

2 T. oil
2 T. fresh grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
10 c. cabbage, shredded
spring roll wrappers

Warm oil and gently heat ginger and garlic. Add cabbage and saute for 3-4 minutes, no longer.
Wrap a couple tablespoons of cabbage mixture in each wrap. Follow the directions on the package for wrapping the egg rolls.

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. These can also be frozen and baked (or deep fried) from frozen.

Makes about 30 egg rolls.

Winter Veggie and Grain Bake (serves 8)

1st layer:
1 cup wild rice
1 cup barley
1 medium onion-chopped

Rinse the rice and boil it for 10 minutes then drain, in another pan saute the onion. Then mix the barley, rice and onion and spread in the bottom of a pan, I used the turkey roaster as it has a lid.

2nd layer:
Various winter veg chopped about 4-8 cups total. We used 1 parsnip, 1 turnip, 1 sweet potato, 1/2 large yam, and about 10 mushrooms sliced. [We don't like winter squash that the original recipe calls for] Mix together and spread over the grains. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Pour over all this 1 cup apple juice and 3 cups water, lid on and bake 1 hour at 375 degrees.

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My newest cookbook is "Simply in Season" a Mennonite cookbook that focuses on cooking with what is available in each season. This is an adaptation of their winter recipe 'Wild Rice Vegetable Bake'. YUM YUM YUM

Black Bean and Brown Rice Burgers (serves 8)

Original recipe on Hello Veggie.

3 cups cooked Black Beans - mashed
3 cups cooked brown rice - cooked til it's mushy
1 tsp. Cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1-2 tsp. salt - to taste

Mash all up and see if it sticks together, add a little water and maybe 1/2 - 1 cup bread crumbs if it isn't. Might help to run it through the food processor.

Fry them til crisp, I used a lot of oil! Serve like regular burgers, fell apart too much but tasted yummy :o) Easy to make and a good use for leftover rice and beans.

Mommy's Yummy Zuchinni Pancakes.

4 Cups Finely Shredded Zuchinni
1 Cup White Flour
1 Tbs Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp Salt
Dash of Pepper

Stir well and add 1 cups of water. Scoop large spoonfuls into frying pan and flatten into pancake shape. Fry and enjoy.

Master Lists....

I keep losing the paper versions of these master lists for menu planning. I thought I could store them online here AND have them available for my children who are leaving home (& you too!)

Fasting Suppers Planner

Fasting Lunches Planner

Could use tweeking but there you are...

Vanilla Cake

Makes 2 round cake layers.

Dry Ingredients:
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Tsp Salt
2 Cups Flour
2 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda

Wet Ingredients:
1 1/2 Plain Rice or Soy Milk
2 Tbsp Unsweetened Applesauce
1 Tsp Lemon Juice
2 1/2 Tsp Vanilla
1/4 Cup Canola Oil

In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients. In another bowl mix the wet then add to dry. Lightly mix so there are no lumps. Pour into lightly oiled pans and bake at 350 F (180 C) for 23-25 min.
When cooled dust with icing sugar and enjoy!

Grandma's Rhubarb Cake

Cream together 1/2 c. butter and 1 1/2 c. brown sugar.
Add 2 eggs. Blend well.
Combine 1 t. baking soda and 1 c. sour cream (or yogurt); add to creamed mixtures alternately with 2 c. flour. Stir in 2 c. chopped rhubarb, 1 t. vanilla and 1/2 c. chopped walnuts.
Pour in 9 by 13 baking pan.
In small bowl combine:
3/4c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
2 T. flour
Cut in 1/4 c. butter with pastry blender till crumbly. Sprinkle over cake batter.
Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

Enjoy!! This is the cake that I've been bringing to church so regularly lately.

Pickled Mushrooms

A couple notes:

If you are using the 6x version add 3 cups of water to the brine, it got missed in the figuring.

If you are canning these, leave out the oil, and process for 20 minutes.

Mushrooms reduce in size by half, I did 3 produce bags of mushrooms and got 5 quarts canned.

Spicy Shrimp

2 T. vegetable oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
3/4 tsp. course salt
1 tsp. sugar

Heat oil in skillet (we've discovered that cast iron is the best!!) over medium-high until hot. Add garlic; cook, stirring constantly about 2 minutes.
Add shrimp; cook until pink, about 5 minutes. Add pepper, salt and sugar.

Can be garnished with lime wedges.

Served with Hot and Sour Salad and Jasmine Tea Rice.

Jasmine Tea Rice

Bring 2 1/4 cups water to boil. Remove from heat and add 2 jasmine tea bags.
Add 1/2 tsp. salt and 1 1/2 cups basmati (or jasmine) rice; cover and cook until tea has been absorbed and rice is tender, about 15 minutes.

Just a note: because your tea water is already hot you don't need to start the rice on a high heat. It'll cook too fast if you do.

Serve with Spice Shrimp and Hot and Sour Salad.

Hot and Sour Salad

Dressing:
1/4 c. lime juice
2T. rice vinegar
2 tsp. fish sauce
2 tsp. fresh, grated ginger
1 tsp. sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
salt
dash of Tabasco

Salad:
1 small Napa cabbage (also known as Sui Choy)
1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 grapefruit, peeled and segmented
fresh cilantro, to taste

Whisk together the dressing. Toss with salad ingredients.

We had this with Jasmine Tea Rice and Spicy Shrimp. Yum!!

A Week of Packed Lunches 1

Monday:
Veggie soup mix envelope made with added macaroni
Crackers
Peanuts in the shell
Grapes

Tuesday:
Tomato sandwiches made with tomatoes in a container to be added at lunchtime
Apple
Veggie sticks

Wednesday:
Leftover Pizza
Banana

Thursday:
Noodle Soup bowl from store
crackers
Apple
Trail mix, homemade

Friday:
Cucumber Sandwiches with cucumbers in a container to be added at lunchtime
Rice Krispie Squares
Dried fruit

Teriyaki Pepper Stir-fry on Hash Browns (serves 6)

1 kg hashbrowns in a pan sprinkle with seasoned salt, pepper, and garlic powder bake at 400 degrees while you make the stir-fry. Stir a couple times, cook til a little crispy.

Slice:
2 green peppers cut into short strips
1 yellow pepper cut into short strips
5 mushrooms sliced thinly
1 little zucchini cut in half lengthwise then sliced thinly
1/2 onion sliced thinly

Stir fry lightly then add:
1 jar Teriyaki sauce
2- Tbsp. Honey

Serve the stir-fry over the hashbrowns.

Peanut Noodles

12 oz whole wheat spaghetti
1 carrot halved and thinly sliced
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
1 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts

4 cups shredded Napa Cabbage (also known as Sui Choy & Chinese Cabbage)
1-1/2 cups bean sprouts

In large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until tender but firm, about 8 minutes. Add carrots; cook for 30 seconds. Drain and rinse under cold water; set aside in colander.

In large bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup water, hoisin sauce, peanut butter, vinegar, garlic and hot pepper sauce until smooth. Add pasta mixture, 3/4 cup of the coriander; toss. Sprinkle with peanuts and remaining coriander. Serve Napa Cabbage and bean sprouts in a separate bowl to be mixed in individually.

This meal met with approval by all family member - no mean feat!!

A Recipe for Koliva

Koliva is a boiled wheat dish traditionally used for the commemoration of the departed. The wheat is symbolic of the resurrection of the dead, reminding us of the Lord's words: " Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. " (John 12:24) The koliva is brought to the memorial divine liturgy, along with a list of names of our departed loved ones. At the end of the service, it is customary for families to hold their bowl of koliva while we all sing "Memory eternal." Many recipes and variants exist. Here is a standard recipe.

Ingredients
1.5 lb. wheat berries
1/2 - 3/4 c. chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds, pistachios, etc.)
1/2 - 3/4 c. raisins, golden or regular
1/4 c. chopped fresh mint (optional)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. sugar or honey

For the topping:
1 c. fine crumbs of graham crackers
1 c. sifted powdered sugar
1/4 - 1/2 lb. white Jordan Almonds (sugar-coated almonds) or yogurt covered almonds

The day before the Memorial Service:

1. Rinse and drain the wheat. Cover with water and cook 3 hours or until tender, stirring often. Add more water if necessary. Do not overcook so that the grains explode.
   
2. Drain and rinse under cold water.
   
3. Allow to drain thoroughly. To dry wheat, spread out on double thickness of cloth. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon. Cover with another cloth and leave overnight.

The morning of the Memorial Service:

1. Grind nuts and 1/2 cup graham crackers. Combine with wheat, raisins, sugar and spices.
2. Transfer the mixture to the bowl to be taken to Church. Place a piece of waxed paper on top of the mixture and flatten the top so that it is evenly distributed.
3. Sprinkle the remaining graham cracker crumbs evenly over the wheat mixture. This keeps the moisture from the powdered sugar layer.
4. Sift the powdered sugar atop the crumb layer.
5. Use the Jordan almonds to form a cross atop the powdered sugar. The edge of the bowl can be lined with Jordan almonds if desired.

Plan to be at Church before Liturgy begins so that you can give the bowl and a list of names of your deceased family and friends to the priest. A candle is often placed in the bowl and lit during the memorial service.

Bread (6 loaves)

In a medium bowl pour 6 cups lukewarm water and stir in 1/2 cup sugar. Sprinkle 3 Tbsp. active dry yeast and let sit 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile into a large bowl scoop out 6 coffee mugs of whole wheat flour(or white flour for white bread) Add 2 Tbsp. table salt. Stir into flour.

Once the yeast is ready stir it with a fork and add 1 cup vegetable oil. Pour all this into the big bowl and beat the dough. Add flour as you knead it to a soft dough stage. Turn out onto a well floured counter and continue kneading and adding flour till it is done. (Feels a bit like an earlobe, no longer sticky either.) I use unbleached flour for the kneading part as the whole wheat doesn't get picked up as well.

Form dough into a ball and let rise for 45 minutes, set a timer, really. No need for that vague 'rise til double in bulk'.

Punch down and form into loaves, placing each into a well greased loaf pan. Arrange the loaves in your oven 4 vertically across the back, 2 horizontally across the front. Leave equal gaps for air circulation. TURN ON THE OVEN LIGHT. (gives enough heat for the dough to rise in a cold house) and set the timer for another 45 minutes.

When the timer goes turn the oven on to 350 degrees and set the timer for 46 minutes. No need to preheat, adjust to suit your oven. Bread needs to cool out of the pan on racks or doubled towels.

If you are going to freeze the loaves slice them first. Frozen slices can be chipped off and toasted in an emergency.

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Adjustments

For instant yeast, mix the yeast directly into the flour and let sit 30 seconds or so. The water can be a bit hotter, dissolve the sugar as above.

For freshly ground whole wheat flour, use 7 cups of water instead of the 6. Mix just enough dough to make a sponge and let it sit 15-20 minutes to give the flour time to soak up some moisture. Then continue on, I use about 3 lbs. of whole wheat and the rest unbleached. Knead more than you would for store bought flour to work up some gluten action. (One ice cream pail of wheat berries = 6 lbs. of flour = two batches of bread for the week.) Freshly ground flour bread can be dry and crumbly hence the extra liquid and the extra kneading.

Shaping: You can use this dough to make baguette, subs, rounds and 'French bread' shaped loaves. Not as fancy as the artisan recipes but it passes the lunch test around here.

Oatmeal from oats (served 6)

Faster than a speeding bullet . . . CSA oatmeal! Well definitely faster than store bought rolled-oats oatmeal. It was quite the surprise.

4 cups water
1 and 1/2 cups oats, not yet rolled
your choice of brown sugar, dried fruit, nuts, etc.

Put the water on to boil and go get the oats and oat roller. Hook the roller to the table, roll them oats. Put them in the just boiling water,reduce heat, maybe to off. Stir a couple times and SHAZAM! you have oatmeal way-way-way faster than the store bought pre-rolled oats ever took.

My usual oatmeal makers, aged 11, said it was a lot faster, tastes better, and they don't have any weird chemicals and preservatives in them. (their words not mine) We added diced dried apricots, I added a dash of walnuts, note to self, add nut trees/bushes to garden plan.

Left Over Pizza

Just adding this to the ideas list. Make more pizza than you need and serve it for lunch the next day. A real lunch box pleaser. Use soy cheese during the fasts with lots of yummy vegetables for toppings.

M&V - The Vegan M&C

Macaroni and Vegetables

Cook enough macaroni or other pasta for your family, add in some frozen mixed vegetables while they cook. Drain and each person can add various salad dressings to their portion. We like Italian, soy ginger, French, Honey Dijon, red wine vinegar, just check the ingredients first. Add a sprinkle of sunflower seeds to give it a bit of crunch.

Orzo Soup (serves 8)

2 quarts canned tomatoes
6 cups water
1 cup orzo pasta (1/2 package)
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. dried basil
3 oz. tomato paste
2 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/8 tsp. black pepper
2 cups frozen mixed veg, or equivalent

Toss the orzo with the oil and set aside. Dice the tomatoes by hand or in a blender, pour into soup pot, add water, tomato paste, and spices. Heat to a boil, add orzo, return to a boil, reduce heat, stir constantly and cook for approx. 10 minutes. Add vegetables. Cook til veg and orzo are done.

Spaghetti Salad (serves 8)

leftover spaghetti or 500 g of pasta, cooked
1 tomato, diced small
1 green pepper, diced
1 green onion, sliced thinly
3 radishes, diced small
1/2 cup roasted and salted sunflower seeds
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
lots of Italian salad dressing

I toss leftover spaghetti with a little Italian dressing before I put it into the fridge to keep it from sticking together. The next day I use two knives to chop the spaghetti into shorter pieces and add all of the chopped veggies and other ingredients. Toss well and serve. On fish days we add a can of drained tuna.

Beans and Toast

Lots of toast
tins of vegan baked beans, heated

Scoop of beans and slices of toast for each person. May like to dip beans with the toast.

(one of my lame lunch ideas)

Pizza Buns (serves 8)

24 English muffins, split and toasted
3 tins (213 mL each) pizza sauce
1 block soy mozzarella, shredded

Turn oven onto broil. Place muffins open side up on cookie sheets. 1 Tbsp.(approx.) pizza sauce spread on each. Sprinkle with soy cheese. Broil til cheese is melted. Keep a close eye on these!

Cocktail Sauce

1 cup ketchup (or 1/2 c. ketchup & 1/2 c. chili sauce)
4 tablespoons prepared horseradish
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
salt

Combine and enjoy.

Chick'n Nuggets (serves 8)

Also known as Felafel from scratch, made in nugget-sized bites and served to little people with plum sauce as veg chicken nuggets. Adults may prefer hummus and a pita with crisp lettuce, tomatoes, and pepper strips.

2 cups dry chickpeas, soaked and cooked. results in about 4-5 cups.

Mash well and then add:

2 Tbsp. dried parsley or 1/4 cup fresh
1 Tsp. salt
dash pepper
1 tsp. tumeric
dashes of tabasco sauce
1 tsp. cumin
5 cloves garlic minced
1 small onion diced small, about 1/2 cup
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/3 cup water

Mix well then add 1/2 - 3/4 cup flour, knead well. Should make little patties without feeling either too moist or too dry.

Fry in hot oil, flip and fry other side. go for a nice deep brown. Flip onto a cookie sheet covered in a tea towel to drain.

Serve warm with plum sauce for the little people. French fries would add to the illusion. ;o)

Creamy Turkey Curry (serves 8)

1/2 cup margarine
1/2 flour
3-4 cups milk

2 cups leftover turkey
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 stocks celery, diced

1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. curry powder

1- 500 g package noodles cooked.

Melt the margarine in a pot add the flour and whisk together. Heat for a bit then whisk in the milk slowly. Keep stirring over medium high heat until thick. Set aside.

In a large fry pan put all vegetables and heat til soft. Add turkey, white sauce, and spices. Stir well and serve over noodles.

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Leave out the curry and use chicken and you get chicken-a-la-king. Add some seasoned salt.