Vegetables

Cathy’s Sauteed Mushrooms

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Another great variation on sauteed mushrooms.  The cheese is an unexpected taste treat – sort of like stuffed mushrooms (the appetizer) only in sauce form.

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs mushrooms
  • 2 Tab olive oil (more if needed)
  • 2 Tab butter (more if needed
  • 1 lb Parmesan cheese – shredded
  • basil –  fresh if possible
  • red pepper flake

Directions:

  1. Wash and trim the mushrooms.
  2. Pat dry on paper towels.
  3. Coarse chop if large.
  4. Heat oil and butter in saute pan.
  5. Saute until most of the moisture is boiled off.
  6. Turn off heat.
  7. Add cheese, basil, red pepper.
  8. Stir to mix.  Do not over-cook or the cheese will melt and make a big mess!
  9. Serve.

Serves:   8 – 10

Source:  Cathy Painter

Quick Pickled Red Onions 

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There are countless uses for pickled onions. Tuck them into sandwiches, especially those with rich meats, like pulled pork; use them as a condiment to top tacos, bean dishes, and rich mayo-based salads, like potato or egg salad; toss them into lettuce salads, grain salads, and salads with sturdy greens, like kale. Their bright-pink color, crunchy texture, and piquant flavor will perk up almost any dish. They’re also perfect for serving with sandwich and salad buffets at parties.Can be made 2 weeks ahead.

Ingredients:

1/2 c red wine vinegar
1/2 c cold water
1 Tab kosher salt
1 Tab sugar
2 to 3 really good shots hot sauce
1 red onion, sliced into very thin rings

Directions:

  1. Whisk vinegar, water, salt, sugar and hot sauce in a small bowl until sugar and salt dissolve.
  2. Place onion in a glass or ceramic jar.  Plastic will pick up the flavor.
  3. Pour vinegar mixture over.
  4. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

DO AHEAD:  Cover and chill. Drain onions before using.

Source:  Alison and Cathy Painter

 

 

Pea Salad

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Peas straight from the freezer retain their crisp exterior and soft, creamy interior in this simple-to-make salad. For a subtler onion flavor, soak onion slices in cool water, then thoroughly drain before folding into the mayonnaise mixture.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 c mayonnaise
  • 1/4 c sour cream
  • 1 Tab white wine vinegar
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground
  • pepper
  • 1 lb frozen peas (do not thaw)
  • 1/2 small red onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (1/2 c)
  • 1/4 c packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • 4 oz bacon (about 4 slices), chopped
  • 2 oz aged white cheddar, shaved or coarsely grated

Directions:

  1. Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, and vinegar in a large bowl.
  2. Season generously with salt and pepper.
  3. Fold in peas, onion, and parsley.
  4. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.
  5. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until browned and fat is rendered, 8 to 10 minutes.
  6. Transfer to paper towels to drain and crisp.
  7. Let salad stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.
  8. Gently fold in cheddar and bacon just before serving.

Makes:  4 cups
Source:  marthastewart.com

 

Quick and Easy Potato Salad

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An interesting variation on potato salad.  It turns out a light brown color because of the onion soup mix – a bit odd, but tastes good – like onion soup dip.  I added a pound of bacon to a double recipe because, you know, BACON.

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 in pieces
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 2 celery ribs, finely diced
  • 1⁄2 medium red onion
  • 2 large hard-boiled eggs (optional)
  • 3 Tabs sour cream
  • 1⁄ c mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp mustard
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 -3 Tab onion soup mix (I put 3 but I like the onion’s)
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

  1. Put potato pieces in a large saucepan and add water to cover the potatoes by one inch.
  2. Salt the water.
  3. Bring to a gentle boil over medium high heat.
  4. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 5 to 8 minutes until potatoes are tender.
  5. Drain potatoes in a colander and allow to cool.
  6. In the meantime, mix sour cream, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, onion soup mix, salt, and pepper.
  7. Transfer potatoes into a medium bowl.
  8. Add celery, egg and onion.
  9. Pour dressing over top and mix gently.
  10. Chill for about an hour in the refrigerator. Four hours for best flavor.

Serves:  6

Source:  Genius Kitchen

Pepperoni Green Beans

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Pepperoni gives this sauce its kick. Or try other hot sausages such as cured chorizo.  You could even serve it over pasta.
Ingredients:
  • 4 ounces thin-sliced pepperoni, slices cut in half
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 cups canned tomatoes with their juice (one 16-ounce can)
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 lb frozen green beans
Directions:
  1. In a large frying pan, sauté the pepperoni over moderate heat until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.
  2. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
  3. Pour off the fat from the pan and wipe the pan clean.
  4. In the same pan, heat the oil over moderately low heat.
  5. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes.
  6. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
  7. Stir in the tomatoes with their juice, breaking them up.
  8. Add the salt, cover, and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
  9. Add the green beans and pepperoni.
Serves : 4
Source:  Food & Wine

Green Beans + 50+ Things

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Cook the green beans – soft or al dente – and add:

butter

  • browned
  • butter with almonds
  • basil
  • dill
  • garlic
  • lemon
  • lemon dill
  • lemon herb
  • lemon mint
  • miso
  • mushrooms
  • rosemary
  • sesame seeds
  • shallots
  • tarragon

Sour cream with

  • basil
  • garlic
  • mushrooms
  • shallots
  • toasted panko/parm cheese

cheese

  • Parmesan
  • feta
  • cheddar
  • brie
  • goat
  • you name it

pickled onion
teriyaki and cashews
tomato and feta
sesame and soy
honey butter and almonds
garlic aioli
bacon
colored peppers
yogurt and walnuts
Caesar dressing
Italian dressing
dried cranberries
caramelized onion
stew tomatoes (Fagiolini in umido)
roasted with balsamic vinegar
roasted with pancetta
roasted with pepperoni
with wax beans
red pepper flakes, lemon, garlic
Jack Daniels/bacon/onions
cherry tomatoes
brown sugar, bacon, garlic, mustard
lemon and capers
tofu

Or make

quinoa salad
that Thanksgiving casserole

Some of these will work on other vegetables as well – play with it!

Grilled Vegetables

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Like roasted vegetable, just about anything goes.  The clue is don’t move them around and watch the cooking time.

Ingredients:

  • 3 red bell peppers, seeded and halved
  • 3 yellow squash (about 1 pound total), sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick rectangles
  • 3 zucchini (about 12 ounces total), sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick rectangles
  • 3 Japanese eggplant (12 ounces total), sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick rectangles
  • 12 cremini mushrooms
  • 1 bunch (1-pound) asparagus, trimmed
  • 12 green onions, roots cut off
  • 1/4 c plus 2 Tab olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 Tab balsamic vinegar
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tap chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves

Directions:

  1. Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or prepare the barbecue (medium-high heat).
  2. Brush the vegetables with 1/4 cup of the oil to coat lightly.
  3. Sprinkle the vegetables with salt and pepper.
  4. Working in batches, grill the vegetables until tender and lightly charred all over.
  5.  The key to getting those great grill marks is to not shift the vegetables too frequently once they’ve been placed on the hot grill.
  6. Arrange the vegetables on a platter.
  7. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, parsley,
    basil, and rosemary in a small bowl to blend.
  8. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  9. Drizzle the herb mixture over the vegetables.
  10. Serve the vegetables, warm or at room temperature.

Timing:

  1. about 8 to 10 minutes for the bell peppers;
  2. 7 minutes for the yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, and mushrooms;
  3. 4 minutes for the asparagus and green onions.

Serves:   6

Source:  Giada De Laurentiis  Show: Everyday Italian | Episode: Al Fresco Dining

Other things to grill:

  • Portabella Mushrooms
  • Yellow Peppers
  • White/Baby Portabella Mushrooms (on skewers)
  • Corn on the Cob (with many variations – Google it)
  • Leeks
  • Tomatoes – Roma
  • Romaine
  • Brussels Sprouts (on skewers)
  • Artichokes (cut in half)

 

Grandmother”s Baked Beans

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This grandmother was a teetotaler but her baked beans always got raves.  Then we found out why – the secret ingredient she would sneak in when no one was looking – bourbon!  This is a quick update on the many ingredients and long preparation of her generation.

Ingredients:

  • 1 #10 can of baked beans
  • 1/2 c brown sugar
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 1/4 c dried onions
  • a good slug of bourbon

Directions:

  1. Mix everything but the bourbon.
  2. Heat
  3. Send everyone away and add the bourbon.

Serves:  25 – 40 (You know how people are about beans)

Source:  Let’s go for easy!

Crunchy Onion Spuds

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These are an easy variation on roasted potatoes – and delicious!  If desired, you can add additional herbs such as parsley, oregano, marjoram, or basil.

Ingredients:

  • 2 large onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 2 pounds baking potatoes, such as russets, unpeeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 c butter, melted
  • 1 (1 ounce) package onion soup mix (dry)Directions: 
  1. Preheat your oven to 450°.
  2. Combine the onions and potatoes in a 9 x 13 pan.
  3. In a small bowl combine the oil, butter and soup mix.
  4. Pour over vegetables and mix well.
  5. Roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
  6. Reduce heat to 325°.
  7. Bake, stirring frequently, an additional 40 minutes or until golden.

Serves:  6

Source: Take five – Orange County Register.  Ann Cook

How to Roast Any Vegetable

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The way to get anyone to eat Brussels sprouts!!  I like to “finish” the roasted vegetables with a splash of balsamic vinegar – adds a touch of je ne sais quoi.

What Vegetables to Roast
Root vegetables — like potatoes, parsnips, sweet potatoes, and carrots — are old standbys when it comes to roasting, but take a look and you’ll find all sorts of roasting candidates — from broccoli and Brussels sprouts to zucchini, onions, bell peppers, and cabbage. Even tomatoes can be roasted.  If you’re not sure if a particular vegetable can be roasted, give it a try. It might not end up being your favorite way to eat that vegetable, but it’s definitely worth the experiment to find out.  Note:  if veggies are damp from washing or juice, dry them with paper towels.

Dice or slice the vegetables into bite size pieces.  Smaller cooks faster.

The Oil
Toss them with some good-tasting oil – olive, avocado, or other. Use enough to give the vegetables with a slick, glossy coating, but not so much that you have puddles in the bottom of your bowl — a tablespoon or two will usually get the job done.  Add salt and pepper and any other spices that strike your fancy.  Add a couple of garlic cloves (or more – roasted garlic is really good).

You can toss with your hands or put them in a Ziploc bag and mush them around.  Be sure they are really coated.

The Process

Give the vegetables space.  Spread the vegetables out onto a baking sheet. You want to see a bit of space around the veggies. Crowding will make the vegetables steam instead of roast.  You might want to line the pan with foil, parchment, or Silplat mat to make cleanup easier.

Make sure your oven is hot before you put the vegetables in to roast  – around 425°. Roast until the vegetables are tender enough to pierce with a fork and you see some charred bits on the edges. Those charred bits are what make roasted vegetables so good, so even if the vegetables are already tender and cooked through, keep roasting until you see the vegetables start to turn toasty around the tips and edges. It’s the sugar caramelizing.

3 Ways to Roast Mixed Vegetables

Roast vegetables individually: First, and easiest, you can roast the individual vegetables on separate trays and combine them after roasting.
Pair “vegetable friends”: Second, you can pair together “vegetable friends” — ones that roast at roughly the same rate. For instance, you could roast cauliflower and broccoli together, or butternut squash with potatoes.
Roast in stages: Third, you can add different vegetables to the baking sheet in stages — start roasting the hardest, longest-cooking vegetables first, and then add softer, quicker-cooking vegetables later on. If the baking sheet starts to get full, split the vegetables between two pans so you don’t crowd the them.  A little extra roasting time is unlikely to hurt.

Cooking times are for roasting vegetables at 425°F.

Root vegetables (beets, potatoes, carrots): 30 to 45 minutes, depending on how small you cut them
Winter squash (butternut squash, acorn squash): 20 to 60 minutes, depending on how small you cut them
Crucifers (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts): 15 to 25 minutes
Soft vegetables (zucchini, summer squash, bell peppers): 10 to 20 minutes
Thin vegetables (asparagus, green beans): 10 to 20 minutes
Onions: 30 to 45 minutes, depending on how crispy you like them
Tomatoes: 15 to 20 minutes.

Serves:  Plan on about 1/2 pound of veggie per person.

Source:  Mostly from Donna Barasch with some from Kitchn.com