Vegetables — Page 3

Marinated Baby Onions

October 26, 2010 by Linda

The perfect accompaniment to hearty meats or ham. We enjoyed tham alongside beef short ribs.

1 lb. unpeeled baby onions
2/3 cup seasoned rice or tarragon vinegar
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. Italian Seasoning

Place the onions in a pot with enough water to cover; bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Drain and when cool enough to handle (about 10 minutes) slide off the skins. Place in a shallow-type glass bowl – such as a Pyrex pie plate. Set aside.

Meanwhile, place the vinegar and sugar in a small pan and bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes to dissolve the sugar; stir. Remove from heat and pour over the onions. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning over the onions and gently stir. Place a piece of plastic wrap tightly over dish and let it sit on the counter for several hours; occasionally gently shaking to distribute and coat. Store in glass or plastic in the fridge if you have any leftovers.

Filed Under: Frontpage, Vegetables Tagged With: marianted baby onions

Marinated Cucumber Slices

January 24, 2010 by Linda

This is the same recipe used for my Marinated Tomato Slices. Get the freshest cucumbers you can find or use the English version.

1 cup vegetable oil (I use canola)
1/3 cup vinegar – white, rice, or tarragon (not cider vinegar)
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley or 1 Tbsp. dry
3 Tbsp. minced fresh basil or 2 tsp. dry
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. dry mustard powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 medium sweet onion, sliced thinly into rounds
4+ large cucumbers peeled and sliced thin

In a small bowl or a jar with a tight-fitting lid, whisk or shake-up the first 9 ingredients.
Layer the cucumbers and onions in a shallow, non-plastic dish. Pour the marinade over; cover and let refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours.

Filed Under: Frontpage, Vegetables Tagged With: cucumbers, marinade

Eggplant Parmesan

January 20, 2010 by Linda

Anybody can make this! The secret lies in not using watery, soggy eggplant. So, with that being said, you prepare your eggplants ahead of time and let them “dry” in the fridge overnight. It comes out so perfect that you’ll be making this easy dish a lot.

2 medium sized eggplants, peeled and sliced into thin circles
1 15 oz. container ricotta cheese
1 egg, beaten
2 20+ oz. jars marinara sauce (I use Paul Newman’s, feel free to use whatever)
1 cup shredded Parmesan
8 oz. of shredded mozzarella

Night before: take a large plate and place 3 paper towels on it; place the eggplant circles around the plate in one single layer; place 3 more pieces of paper towels and repeat until all eggplant is used. Place another plate, or a medium sized cutting board, etc., on top of the last sheet of paper towels – this is for pressure – then place in the fridge overnight. (You won’t believe how wet those paper towels are gonna be, and that’s what always makes eggplant parm too soggy!)

When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350 degrees and get out a 9 x 13 in pan, spray it then spread about 1 cup of sauce on the bottom, set aside.

Into a medium sized bowl, empty the ricotta and mix in the egg well, then sprinkle some parm cheese in and mix again.

Now layer the eggplant, spread some ricotta mixture on top of that, some sauce and sprinkle parm cheese on top of sauce. Keep repeating until the last layer is sauce. Bear in mind that you may not use all of the sauce – I usually have about 1/2 jar leftover. Now sprinkle the mozzarella on top and cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes, take foil off then bake for 5 more. Let set for 10 minutes.

Wow!

Filed Under: Frontpage, Vegetables Tagged With: egg plant, eggplant, parmesan

Best Baked Beans

January 5, 2010 by Linda

Because these are made with canned beans, they don’t bake in the oven for hours and hours. They really are one of the best baked beans.

1 pound uncooked bacon, sliced into thirds
2 onions, diced
2 tsp. minced garlic (jarred is fine)
3 28-oz. cans of baked beans
1 1/2 cups ketchup based chili sauce
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup yellow ballpark mustard (not spicy)
3 tsp. dried basil OR oregano
1 tsp. red hot pepper flakes***optional but very good
2 tsp. ground cumin
A little less than 1/4 cup packed brown sugar – (preferably dark brown)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Saute the bacon for 10 minutes. Stir in the onions and keep cooking for 5 more minutes. Add the garlic and cook 3 minutes more. Scrape this into a large baking dish then add all the rest of the ingredients and gently mix/stir to blend together. Bake this uncovered until it’s bubbly and there’s a tad of brown crust on the edges – this takes about 45 minutes.

Filed Under: Frontpage, Vegetables Tagged With: bacon, beans

Roasted Balsamic Potatoes

December 4, 2009 by Linda

Easy and delicious. If using the small red potatoes then you don’t even have to peel them.

About 4-5 large russet potatoes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
A pinch of nutmeg
4+ cloves minced garlic (to taste)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Take out a large, rimmed baking sheet and set aside. Peel and cut potatoes into chunks and place on the sheet pan. Whisk together the oil, spices and garlic, drizzle over the potatoes and mix well.

Bake for 30 minutes, then drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and bake for 10 more minutes. Stir, add salt & pepper. Serve.

Filed Under: Frontpage, Vegetables Tagged With: balsamic, potatoes, roasted, vinegar

Scalloped Potatoes & Ham

June 29, 2009 by Linda

Life doesn’t get too much better than this!

2 cups cooked ham
8 med potatoes – peeled & sliced thin
1 med onion – peeled & sliced into rings
1/3 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 Tbsp. diced butter

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2-3 quart casserole.

Layer as follows: ham, potatoes, onions, and sift some flour over this layer; repeat about 2 more times. Season all over with sprinklings of kosher salt and ground black pepper. Pour the milk slowly over all and with a spatula press down gently to make sure it gets around evenly. Dot butter over the top. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes; uncover and bake 15 minutes more.

Filed Under: Vegetables

Bell Pepper Medley

March 30, 2009 by Linda

Because various bell peppers are sold year round, you can make and serve this colorful salad either warm, room temp, or cold. Leftovers are perfect on sandwich meats.

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced thinly
4 bell peppers, any colors you wish, cut into circles
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. minced garlic

In a large, wide skillet put the oil in and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for about 3 minutes. Turn heat to high, add the sliced peppers, salt and garlic. Heat over high for 1 minute then turn the heat to medium and saute for about 5 minutes more, mixing and flipping around while cooking.

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Rosemary & Garlic Potatoes

March 10, 2009 by Linda

The aroma wafting through your house while these potatoes are cooking is almost unbearable. I served leftover steak and sausages alongside.

5 lb. bag potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 cup olive oil – extra virgin if you can
3 large cloves garlic, peeled & thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. kosher or coarse salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. fresh, chopped rosemary or 1 tsp. dried

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and get out a large, rimmed baking sheet. Place everything up to the rosemary in a large bowl and mix well with your hands, empty onto the baking sheet making sure you get all the oil in the bowl onto the pan as best you can. Place in the oven for 45 minutes. Stir with a spatula, add the rosemary and mix well. Cook for 15-20 minutes more.

Filed Under: Vegetables Tagged With: potatoes

Stuffed Green Peppers

February 5, 2009 by Linda

Buy large, green peppers, slice them in half, remove seeds and insides as best you can. Don’t be concerned with removing the stems, the parboiling of the peppers softens it so you are able to stand them in a shallow casserole dish.

4 large green bell peppers – halved & seeded
2 Tbsps. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 lb. ground beef, pork, sausage, or turkey
2 tomatoes, chopped
About 2 Tbsp. minced parsley
1 1/2 tsp. basil or Italian seasoning
Salt & ground black pepper to taste
1 cup bread crumbs (seasoned or not)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a shallow baking dish, such as 9 x 13. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the prepared peppers for 2 minutes. Drain, then place standing in the greased dish, set aside.

Meanwhile, in a skillet place the oil and when heated place everything up to the breadcrumbs in the pan. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Lightly fill each each pepper half with this meat mixture (you will probably have extra) then sprinkle breadcrumbs on top. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Filed Under: Beef, Vegetables Tagged With: bell pepers, stuffed peppers

Baby Carrots & Dill

January 3, 2009 by Linda

I can’t believe I’m even classifying this as a “recipe” – it’s that easy.

1 lb. baby carrots, sliced in half lengthwise
1 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. butter
1 Tbsp. dried dill weed

Place carrots in a pan with a lid; cover with water and add the salt. Bring to a boil, cover, simmer 25 minutes. Drain then put carrots back in the pot with the butter and dill. Keep the heat on low; stir and mix until butter is melted. Serve and smile!