basmati and wild rice over acorn squash with braised vegetables

This recipe, from October 2008, had one of those high-cuisine photos with everything piled up and fanned out like a big vegetable peacock. The veggies looked dry and bland, but I have learned that the picture in the magazine is always a dried-out uncooked looking version of the real thing. No one wants to look at what I made.
So, ok. On to the recipe. This was a good meal, but I don't feel like it was anything I haven't made on my own several times before. If you are just learning to cook, this would be a good standard, but otherwise, it was too much work to make the same old thing.
Here's the recipe.

halloween party mix

This is from the October issue, of course. This is a nice alternative to candy corn and other hi-cal treats that are the start of the binge season. This isn't really low-calorie, but it's certainly healthy. And it's got an addictive crunchy snacky quality that will keep you away from the bad stuff. My only complaint is that there is nothing to make it stick together, and the pieces are really tiny, so it falls all over the place when you eat it. I was most excited about the cocoa nibs, but they mostly sank to the bottom. The flavors all work well together- maybe next time I'll make it into sort of a brittle.
Here's the recipe.

creamy cardamom rice pudding

Yummmmm. Oh my god, this was sooooooo good. Except I used milk instead of soymilk. I actually made it a while ago, but was going through old pictures and found this. It was sooooo good. I used jasmine rice, but I bet basmati would be just as good. It tasted like creamy chai pudding, as the name suggests.

I also made the whipped pumpkin cream that accompanies another pudding in the magazine. It was less creamy than the chai pudding. 15 oz of pumpkin and 1/2 cup of whipping cream would have been better off the other way around. But who cares? I tossed it and ate the pudding all by itself. Maybe I'll make some more tomorrow.

Creamy Cardamom Rice Pudding recipe.

Whipped Pumpkin Cream recipe.

biscuits and gravy

Mmmm... the weather has been cooling off here, so it's time for warm hearty food. This recipe is from the October 2008 issue. It reads like a regular veggie gravy would go.... lentils, veggies, spices, milk, but then, at the end, you stir in 1/2 cup of ranch dressing. The recipe is from a reader's recipe contest where you have to use certain advertisers' products, which the ranch happens to be. I'm sure you could leave it out, but whatever. I didn't taste it before and after, so I can't say for sure. I would say the gravy was good. 7 out of 10. Tastes like thick soup. It might be good (and simpler to make) with something other than lentils, preferably something which you can cook in the same pan as the gravy. Tempeh? I am really loving Morningstar farms sausage lately..... that would be good. But on to the biscuits..... OK, so a biscuit recipe was not provided with the recipe... so I headed over to a friend's baking blog and got his biscuit recipe.... holy crap, that is one great biscuit recipe! Sadly, the biscuits were far too good for this gravy. So I ate most of them with the peach jam I just made. Wow! Do you see those layers?? Here is the recipe. I made the heavy cream version. Thanks mmmbiscuits! Let's not worry our pretty little heads with the fact that I have stopped posting weight watchers points.....

I suppose I might as well post the recipe for the gravy, too. I'm sure it could be improved upon!

easy kiwi jam (and amy's peach jam)

It must be country living and child-rearing that makes me love canning. Sabrina brought me over some kiwi jam that she made (thanks Sabrina!) and it was so good that I sat down that night and ate it all with a spoon. It tastes like..... kiwis! But so much more! You should really make it. Of course, it didn't occur to me to take a picture.

This weekend, my friend Stephanie brought over a ton of peaches because of a peach connection she has, so I made some peach jam, which is also so good that I can't stop eating it all by itself. And I did remember to take a picture. My friends are awesome!

Here's the recipe!

So long, summer! Hello fall!

yakima valley polenta

Well, this certainly looks good. But I am disappointed to say that it wasn't really worth the effort. I thought the flavors sounded like a weird combination when I read the recipe, and I wouldn't say they tasted bad together, but they didn't really combine into something new and delicious. When you break down the recipe, it is sauteed green beans and onions (kind of boring) with polenta and gorgonzola (good) topped with a balsamic-cherry reduction (good but overpowering). I was happy to have the excuse to buy some gorgonzola, and the reduction was good, but maybe could find a better dish to go with. It did remind me of how much I love polenta, even the tube kind.

Here's the recipe!

peanut butter-oatmeal cookies

If there is a recipe for a peanut butter cookie- anywhere- you can be sure I'll make it. This one was really good, and slightly healthier due to the oatmeal. I didn't make mine vegan, so I used an egg instead of the egg replacer, and instead of the shortening and oil, I used a stick of butter. Ahhhhh... butter. The cookies were very delicious, and I didn't really notice the oatmeal. And for once, mine looked just like the picture in the magazine. Yum. From Sep 2008 issue.

Here's the recipe!

heirloom tomato and sweet corn pizzas

First of all, let me just say that I wouldn't dare use a store-bought pizza crust. But that's what the recipe calls for, so do what you must.

This pizza recipe actually has some interesting surprises- like no melty cheese on top, just feta. But the best part, hands down, was the garlic pistou. It calls for garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, fresh oregano, and lemon zest. I didn't have pine nuts (left them out) or fresh oregano (used dried), and it still was amazing. The lemon zest I almost left out, but it added a whole new dimension to pizza that I think I love.

Here's the recipe!

Take a look at my ultra-thin crust- mmmmm!

new picture

Dig my new header picture! I went to the big downtown farmer's market on Saturday and got some delicious produce. My definition of produce includes peaches 'n cream pastries. Anyway, I took the new header picture you see above with my sweet new Rebel xsi in an effort to make this blog less templatey. The pepper on the right is a pimiento de Padrón, which I'll cook up later and show you. Sorry I was gone so long, but there's a lot of new stuff coming up soon. Enjoy!

farfalle with feta and chipotle

My friend Sabrina just made me this for me a few nights ago (actually, more like I showed up at dinnertime), and I had to immediately run out and get the stuff to make it. The flavor is cilantro-lime smoky-spicy with a nutty crunch. This is so good that I'm actually making a new category - potluck - that is for food to dazzle people with at potlucks. The key ingredient is definitely the chipotle pepper powder, which is tough to find, but is totally essential. You can get it at Limbo in Portland (next to the Trader's on 39th) or if you can't find it, I would be happy to send you some. Here's the recipe. Also, 9 WW points, but you could cut the olive oil and save a few.

poppy seed noodles

There are actually a lot of peas in these noodles, too. I have never really used egg noodles much in the past, but I had some left over from the noodle kugel I made before. This dish is very simple but good in a nice, simple way. It's a perfect recipe for using up leftovers, and it can be made with non-perishables. The only bad thing about this recipe is that when you put it all together, the noodles go one way, and the peas go the other. So even though my picture looks like it was all just tossed together and served up, I actually had to artfully place the peas on top of the noodles. Oh, well. It was still good, and it tasted great with the soup and salad. I think I even like egg noodles better than regular pasta. Here's the recipe.

endive, pear & walnut salad with raspberry vinaigrette

Well, I made this salad with hazelnuts instead of walnuts, and spring mix instead of watercress and endive. New Seasons was out of endive. I did buy some watercress, but it was so strong and peppery tasting that I could barely finish one leaf. I guess all I ended up making from the recipe was the dressing, which was very good. Check out the recipe here. I have to say, though, homemade salad dressings are the best, for sure, but there's no sense going out and buying ingredients for them. It's the most fun to just make them up on your own, and anything would taste good with pears and hazelnuts.

roasted butternut bisque with spiced pumpkin seeds

This soup was really delicious, even though it's not really a good season to get butternut squash. First off, they're about $1.80/lb for organic, and the flavor is hit and miss. I got one sweet, delicious squash, and one bland squash, which dulled the richness of the soup. To make up for it, I ended up stirring in a teaspoon or so of curry powder into the soup. The pumpkin seeds were worth preparing the way they say to with curry powder and soy sauce. Also, I used apple juice instead of cider since it's June, but later I wondered if it wouldn't be good with a hard cider. Of course, it would be a complete waste of a good cider, and hard cider would probably taste good on the side with this soup. Here's the recipe again. 6 WW points with the seeds, 3 without. Oh, and I decided this was 8 servings instead of four. You'd probably want to cut this in half unless it was the only thing you were making.
Random thought: This soup with a grilled cheddar sandwich on rosemary bread. Mmmmmmmmmm.

'6 at 8' from the march 2005 issue

I was surfing through some back issues today and came across three recipes from a single article that I mostly had the ingredients for. I made the roasted butternut bisque with spiced pumpkin seeds, endive, pear & walnut salad with raspberry vinaigrette, and poppy seed noodles. I'll discuss them each in separate posts when I get around to it. It was a good dinner all together, but to eat a full serving size of each is a pretty huge meal.

provencal lentil salad

This salad was ok, but I probably won't make it again. I think if I am going to spend the time cooking up all those lentils, I might want to make something more delicious. Also note that most of the onion and the garlic gets cooked with the lentils, then thrown out, so it's kind of a waste. I suppose I could have thought of something better to flavor it with, but I wasn't really crazy about the fresh sage. Basil would be better. Mom suggested cilantro. Here's the recipe.

swirled berry cheesecake

I really have no willpower when it comes to cheesecake, so I was very excited to see a healthy-ish one in the June issue. Let me first just say that while there is a hint of tofu taste in this cheesecake, it is extremely delicious. The texture, when refrigerated, is so unbelievably creamy. It is just a good plain cheesecake recipe. Now, it does not taste as decadent as a big eating-disorder-inducing Costco cheesecake, but it is worth the trade-off for all that guilt. But I really want to stress that it is waaayyyy better refrigerated. We had it warm the first night, and it was just good. The next day it was fantastic, but the crust was starting to get a tiny bit soggy. That always seems to happen with cookie crusts. Mark says it is 75% as good as regular cheesecake, and he is highly suspicious of tofu desserts.

First I will mention a few ingredient notes. I used reduced-fat 'Nilla Wafers for the crust, which worked fine. I also realized that silken tofu comes in soft or firm. I always thought the silken firm tofu was like regular firm tofu, but it's not. It gets that same super-creamy texture when blended, but is better for pies. The silken soft tofu is better for smoothies. I used the silken firm, but opted to not get the low-fat. As good as this turned out, though, next time I'll try the low-fat. I also forgot the lemon zest. It would have maybe covered up the minor tofu taste. And the recipe calls for 1/2 cup of jam, but I only used about 2 or 3 tablespoons. Since the recipe says to strain it, I just saved a step and used jelly.

OK, now on to the assembly. The recipe says to press the crust 1/2 inch up the sides of the pan, but their picture clearly show a much higher crust. I made mine taller on the sides, but it took some patience. I think 7 or 8 ounces of cookies (instead of 6) would make a perfect crust. Mine was a little thin on the bottom.
A good resource on water-bath baking, and all other cooking topics, is the Joy of Cooking. If you are learning to cook, it is the single best resource for all stages of experience. Of course, you all who I know are already fantastic cooks. Maybe that's why you're my friends.
Here's a sum-up: Cheesecakes have to (or should, at least) be baked in a water bath. The whole process involving the towel makes it so that the springform pan is not in contact with any other metal, keeping the springform pan from getting too hot. The water bath also helps regulate the temperature of the pan, letting the cheesecake bake evenly, as opposed to baking from the edges inward. This results in a cake that is equally creamy and moist at the center and at the edges. And the foil wrapped around the pan keeps water from leaking in through the bottom of the springform pan. If you choose to bake this in some other sort of dish, you probably wouldn't need the foil. Am I wrong? Does the foil do something else? It may seem like a hassle to get out the big roasting pan, but you'll want plenty of room to pour the boiling water in. However, one teapot of water might not be enough for the big pan, so have lots of hot water ready. I needed two teapots full. Here's a picture of the whole water bath setup:

Also, I was bored with the same old stripey pattern they made with the jam, so I made cosmic swirls. Here it is just out of the oven:

This shows what a serving size looks like- just 5 WW points!! I put a few of the pieces in the freezer so I don't pull the old 'better eat this up so it doesn't go bad' move. I hope they survive.

Here's the recipe!

late summer succotash

Nope, it's not late summer. And judging by this cruddy weather, I'd say it's not even springtime. So this was more of a freezer-section succotash. Trader's doesn't appear to carry lima beans, which is too bad since I haven't had them in forever. I got their soy-cu-tash, which is soybeans, corn, and a tiny bit of bell pepper. I used a whole bag in place of the lima beans and corn. This was really good! So fresh and light tasting, but still filling and carb-tasting, you know what I mean? It doesn't taste like you're eating a pile of vegetables. I used regular balsamic instead of white, because I wouldn't even know where to find white balsamic. If you don't love vinegar, it would still be great without- just add more basil. But don't leave out the tomatoes- they really make the dish. I also didn't cook the tomatoes in with the rest of the stuff like they say to-I just stirred them in after taking the pan off the heat. I also gave it a big dash of kosher salt, because nothing tastes better on corn and tomatoes than salt.

Here's the recipe.

2 WW points per serving with 1 tsp of olive oil in place of the butter and oil.

mango-wrapped bananas

Here's something that I made just because it was healthy, but actually turned out tasting really decadent and sweet. The recipe is from the current issue - June 2008. I even had just a so-so mango. I made it with nonfat yogurt, and only one tablespoon of honey instead of two. I also used 1/2 tablespoon of OJ concentrate instead of orange juice. I do that because we don't drink OJ, and Vegetarian Times often calls for a spoonful here and there.

Now, I understand that they like to make nice pictures for the magazine. I am not opposed to nice pictures. However, when you take a piece of banana and wrap it in a strip of mango, you really just end up with a choking hazard. That said, this was one of those recipes where all the flavors together tasted better that the sum of it's parts. And that's what being a BVTRE is all about. I will make this again for sure, but maybe in a salad form. Maybe it would be good cut into bite-sized pieces served on a toothpick with the yogurt as a dipping sauce. Besides, mangoes just don't slice into thin strips.

One serving is just 3 points. My picture shows one choking hazard less than a serving.

Willkommen!

My friend Hannah just told me she's got her family in Germany onto this blog - how exciting! It's so great when I hear that there are actually people out there reading this thing!

I just wanted also to make a few comments about nutrition info. I found a delicious looking cake I wanted to make, a tangerine-glazed polenta cake. How good does that sound? When I entered the nutritional info provided by Vegetarian Times into Weight Watchers, it came up with 8 points per slice. A splurge, but worth it. Then I entered the actual ingredient list into WW, and it calculated 12 points per serving. That's just too much of a splurge for me nowadays. So I had to consult a third party. I found the website http://www.nutritiondata.com/, which allows you to create recipes and it calculates the nutritional info for you. That website's results for the cake were consistent with Weight Watchers (thankfully, since I'm paying them), with the cake at around 350 calories per slice, while VT claimed it was only 241 calories per slice. The fat content was also off by a similar margin. Vegetarian times may have miscalculated the serving size, but they considered a serving to be 1/12 of the cake. I haven't tested out any more recipes, but for people who are counting calories, this is significant. Also, I am disappointed in my favorite magazine. Since this information is available online and for free, I don't think they should be making these kinds of errors.

That said, this it still my favorite magazine, and I am only being critical because I really use it allot. Just kidding, wanted to make you teachers crazy.
A lot!

noodle kugel with caramelized apples and raisins

This recipe may sound a little odd, but it is absolutely delicious. It would be a perfect brunch potluck recipe, because it is good hot or cold, or anywhere in between. It is a little sweet, tart from the yogurt, cheesy, and very filling. I suppose I didn't totally caramelize the apples, but it was still great.

I made a half recipe and it fit perfectly into a 1.5 qt casserole dish. Making this into four servings (instead of six) and with nonfat cottage cheese and yogurt, and canola oil instead of butter, there are 6 WW points per serving.

Also- I just got a new digital camera, so hopefully these excessively crummy pictures will be a thing of the past.

korean bbq marinade

Well, of course we had to try this. It's in the current (June 2008) issue - here's the recipe. I immediately thought that this would be a good addition to the chicago diner burgers. I added about 1/2 cup of sauce to the full burger recipe. I also caramelized the onions instead of boiling them. The marinade really added a lot of flavor to the burger. I got some broccoli and tofu today that I'll have with the rest of the sauce. The recipe calls for sherry, sake, or mirin. I used mirin- sherry might taste a little wierd. Also, I don't see any reason why this shouldn't last a really long time in the fridge. I didn't take a picture of this. It looks like a black liquid with little floaties.

crunchy chocolate truffle pie and tropical fruit tart

Our friends, whose birthdays are only a couple days apart, have opposite tastes in desserts. So I decided to make them each a dessert of their choice for their birthday presents. They are the ones who first introduced me to Vegetarian Times, and got me hooked after making us one great recipe after another. It was no surprise that Jamie's top choice was VT's Crunchy Chocolate Truffle Pie. When you look at the recipe, you may think it's a little odd. Chocolate chips, peanut butter, maple syrup, and, shhhhh....tofu. But it is so rich and fudgy, even the Markivore liked it. I highly recommend this recipe, and I don't even think it would be unethical to forget to mention the tofu. Also, I made the entire thing with my hand blender.

I made Stephanie the Tropical Fruit Tart, which also contains undetectable levels of silken tofu. This one is sooo good- it's coconut tapioca pudding with fruit and toasted coconut. The only problem was that there was too much filling, so I would recommend reserving a small bowl of the tapioca pudding for later so you can get more fruit in. I barely has room for 1 small mango, a kiwi, and a small banana.

Here's the birthday boy and girl:

And the clean-up crew (we don't have a dog for these kinds of things):

The final damage- Chocolate pie- 12 points for 1/8 pie. Tropical pie- 7 points. Oh, well!
Happy Birthday!!!

vegetable pot pie

There are a lot of different veggie pot pies on VT's site, but I made this one because it had a high rating. It turned out good, and even Mark ate it. The only thing I have to say is that there wasn't enough vegetable filling per biscuit. Other than that, I'd say this was a good anyone-will-like-it recipe.

How about next time topping it with the Sunset Sweet Potato Drop Biscuits? That sounds good! At only 5 WW points per ample serving, this is a really healthy and filling recipe.

mango with goat cheese and basil

OK, so this is not from vegetarian times. I just made this up. I don't even know if this is a socially acceptable flavor pairing. All I know is, I just woke up from a loooong nap and went straight to the fridge and started grabbing things I wanted, and ended up with this. The cheese is from the Hollywood Farmer's Market in Portland, and the mangoes are the smaller yellow variety from New Seasons. The goat cheese is so mild, so it doesn't have that 'smells like a goat' kind of a smell. It's just a tiny bit pungent, but so much more creamy than the more mass-marketed brands. Which all adds up to the best after-nap snack you can imagine.
1 oz goat cheese + 3 oz mango = 3 points.

chicago diner burgers with red pepper aioli

Wow, is that a beautiful burger, or what? Here's the recipe for the burger, and here's the recipe for the red pepper aioli that goes with it. This burger has an oatmeal base with onions, celery, mushrooms, and some seasonings. I was very impressed- it was really good! You couldn't really taste the oatmeal. I didn't get out the grill to make one burger, so I broiled it in the oven for a while, which got the outside nice and crispy. However, it did lack that good smoky taste that other burgers have, obviously since I didn't grill it.

The one odd thing I noticed about this recipe is that the onions and celery are boiled in water, then the other ingredients are added. Next time I will definitely caramelize the onions beyond recognition in order to deepen the flavor. I might even add more onion, garlic, or whatever I find. I bet teriyaki sauce in place of part of the water would be good.

Now on to the red pepper aioli. This was the most amazing three-ingredient dish I've ever had (I left out the olive oil). Someone told me once- was it you?- that the best way to make roasted red peppers was to wrap them in foil and put directly over a flame. I don't know if this would work on an electric range, but it's worth a try. I cut off about 1/3 of the pepper, wrapped in foil, and put the skin side down. After a few minutes, smoke was seeping out of the foil. The skin blackened nicely, and the smoky flavor permeated the pepper. I'll never buy the jarred peppers again- this method is the best. It takes a while to get done after it becomes smoky, so be patient. You can open it up to make sure it's done, but wrap it up tight again to let it cool. I made the sauce with Miracle Whip, and it was so, so, so amazing. Three thumbs up.

The burger with a whole wheat bun and sauce (w/out oil) was only 7 WW points.

I have everything I need to make more of these except the mushrooms, so bring some over and we'll break out the grill. Really!

broccoli dipped in wonderful peanut sauce

This is such a great recipe. As I was making the sauce, I had to taste it after every ingredient, you know how that goes. And I kept thinking, 'where are they going with this sauce?' But when I added the garlic- mashed through a press- it all came together. Don't skip anything in the ingredients- I almost left out the vinegar. Don't! The cilantro is so unexpected, and my cilantro-hating taste-tester even liked it.

The only change I made was that I cut the recipe in half and still made four servings. Be aware that you add a cup of water to the cup of peanut butter... that's 2 cups of dip before the rest is even added. You can look and decide for yourself. I ate a half a pound of broccoli for dinner with this sauce, and I was stuffed! It was super fast to make, and for leftovers, takes no time to prepare. For my alteration with 1/2 lb. of broccoli, and 1/8 recipe of sauce, it was 6 WW points. A little high, but filling.

sunset sweet potato drop biscuits

Yesterday our friends came over with some fantastic strawberries from the farmer's market, so I was looking for a relatively healthy biscuit recipe to make for strawberry shortcake. These were really good- very soft, and a little bit sweet. But they weren't flaky and crusty like a traditional biscuit, if that's what you're looking for. However, they turned out much tinier than what I consider a reasonable size for a biscuit. They looked like sad little cookies. I was disappointed until I tasted them- yum! I'll definitely keep these on my list. Instead of rolling them out and cutting out circles, I just rolled the dough into balls and flattened them.

Here's the recipe. 2 WW points per teensy biscuit.

10 bucks for 3 years of vt?

Yup, it's true. Check out the ebay listing here. We buy all our magazine subscriptions on ebay through resellers who buy large blocks of subscriptions to help the magazine hike up their advertiser's rates. It's totally legitimate- we have been doing this for years, and trust me, I am totally suspicious of magazine scams. It took a few years for my husband to convince me, but when I got four years of Bon Appetit for $12, I was convinced. (As it turns out, that's about the right price for that crummy magazine.)

You can't find every magazine you want, and it is wise to check the seller's feedback. Also, do not buy from anyone who charges shipping fees. It's not clear to me whether it's a one-time fee or for every issue, so I just steer clear. The variety changes all the time, so shop around!

One more thing- If you already have a subscription, but want to extend it, follow the seller's instructions for doing so very carefully. I am set until 2011, so I hope to be blogging to you all for at least that long!

Please let me know if you have questions about this- I hate for anyone to miss out on such a good deal.

quinoa, corn and zucchini medley

If you're in my neck of the woods, then you know we have some record heat coming in the next couple of days. Which is why I think it is so fabulous that our fridge is near death. All of my beloved Skinny Cow sandwiches are as soft as marshmallows in the sun. But I'm not going to let that stop me from telling you about my new BVTRE, quinoa, corn and zucchini medley. It tastes just like springtime, and tastes even better if you are standing in the sun. I like it best in its current state of about 46 degrees.

This dish would be perfect for a potluck. I made it two days ago and it is still as good as the day I made it. So it would also be a good lunch-for-the-week food. I nixed the pine nuts (sadly) and all but 1 Tbsp of olive oil, and gave it a big pinch of kosher salt, and made it 4 servings instead of 6, and it totaled 4 WW points per serving.

If you would like some, or some mayonnaise, or semifreddo fruit salad, come on by.

crispy oven-fried okra (made with zucchini)

I was scanning through some of my old VTs when I came across this one. I hate okra, so I decided to make it with zucchini. It is simply zucchini dipped in egg, then dipped in seasoned cornmeal and baked. It turned out pretty good- I will definitely make this again- especially during zucchini season, when you really start thinking up crazy things to do with all that zucchini. It is about the fastest thing you can make, and healthy. I didn't even use oil on the pan- the cornmeal stuck to the zucchini and didn't stick to the pan.

But make no mistake- it tastes baked. The magazine description actually says 'it tastes just as good as traditional fried okra.' I don't think they thought anyone would really believe that. If you wanted to give it a little more fried-crisp (as opposed to cornmeal crunch) you might try spraying it with oil before baking. But as I made it, it was just 2 WW points for a medium zucchini's worth. Yum! Next time I'll experiment with more seasonings- cumin? Dill? Garlic powder! Here's the recipe. Oh yeah- best thing about the recipe- all that dry cornmeal baking makes the kitchen smell like popcorn.

perfect steamed artichokes with jalapeno-orange dipping sauce

I just love artichokes, but I'm afraid that dipping them in melted butter is a luxury of the past. I have been searching for alternatives, usually ending up with something mayonnaise-based, but have not found anything until now. This sauce is so simple, and has a slightly thick texture from the cornstarch. I thought the sauce by itself tasted only OK, but it was sooooo good with the artichoke.
I also usually boil artichokes, but this recipe called for steaming- I liked it a lot better. I usually have to squeeze out all the water (and nutrients, probably) after I boil it, but I was really happy to discover this method- I'll never go back to boiling.
This sauce would be great on so many things- tacos, bean salad, Three Sisters Casserole, scrambled eggs. You could probably keep a jar in the fridge for a while. I go through a lot of the Trader Joe's green salsa, but I think I could use this instead and save some money.
Using a third of the olive oil, one artichoke with sauce is only 2 WW points. I dare anyone to beat that for a lunch!
Here are the recipes-
Perfect Steamed Artichokes
Jalapeno-Orange Dipping Sauce
There were lots of other dipping sauces for artichokes in the May '08 issue, but I haven't gotten to them yet.

three sisters casserole

This is one of those good, healthy, easy recipes that you can make any time of the year. It looks nice, and you can easily adapt it to use whatever ingredients you have on hand. It would also be really good with cheddar cheese under the polenta topping. Also, this is a super cheap and filling meal. I made this with only 1 Tbsp total of olive oil, so it's only 5 WW points for a nice big serving. Here's the recipe.

creamy quinoa with dried cranberries, revisited

I just remade this with the quinoa instead of oat bran, like in my older post. I totally forgot how good quinoa is (sorry mom!). It's a little nutty and a tiny bit crunchy. But I still think the spices are a little intense. Next time I'll make it without any spices at all and add a little chopped crystallized ginger- don't you think that would be good with the cranberries? Also, only 5 weight watchers points when you make it without the nuts.

tempeh with zucchini, peas, and tomatoes

Ok, after a backlash from my friends who apparently love tempeh, I tried again. Yummmmmmm! I retract all former statements about tempeh.

The only reason I made this was because I needed to use up some zucchini and wanted to try tempeh again. OK, so you look at the ingredients and think - 'I know what that's gonna taste like'. Nooo! You have no idea! You must run home and make this now. It tastes... rich, buttery, sweet and salty, meaty... so hearty. I don't know why this is, but I used 5-grain tempeh instead of soy, and reduced the oil to 4 tsp from 2 T. Other than that, you know me, I followed it exactly.

You can find the recipe here. Note however that the instructions are off- I think you are supposed to add half the salt, half the broth, and the spices to the tempeh while it's cooking. The instructions got chopped off for some reason. I know all you smarties can figure it out.

I am now on weight watchers, and this is only 4 points per serving when made with 4 tsp of olive oil instead of 2 T.

cheese grits with chunky tomato sauce

Once again, this is something you can make with stuff you already have around the house. I've never had grits with tomato sauce before, and once I did, it made me wonder- what's the difference between grits and polenta? It doesn't matter to me- I love them both, especially when home-made. This is a simple, delicious recipe, and also a great way to use up any tomato sauce leftovers. You can find the recipe here.

broccoli-potato stratas

Aside from this being one of those recipes that doesn't really look like the picture that is presented, it was pretty good. Look at VT's picture- what is all that white stuff on top? More ricotta mixture, I guess. The recipe calls for two teaspoons of Parmesan on top of the broccoli- two teaspoons. Anyone who says they don't triple any cheese topping is a liar. I put the chips on top, since I got a tip from a friend. She said, and I agree, that this strata is good but generally only mushy in texture. The chips on top give a tiny bit of crunch. I do think that the ricotta could have had a little something extra in it- maybe rosemary? -but was pretty good. Also, this is a perfect toddler food. I might just freeze it in cubes for that purpose.

Here's the recipe!

GOOD LUCK STEPH!!!!!

autumn red cabbage with pears

Did today feel like autumn, or what? Cold and wind, then sunny, then really windy- I thought for sure the power was going to go out. On the way to the store, there were a bunch of kids at the elementary school flying homemade kites! It all reminded me that I have been meaning to make a recipe to use up some red cabbage- autumn red cabbage with pears. It's in the "Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook." I made it with apples instead of pears, because that's what I had. It tastes just like that German side dish that is served with sausages, and is seasoned with vinegar, sugar, salt, nutmeg, and pepper. I'm sorry this picture makes it look so disgusting- it really turned out delicious, and the kitchen smelled like mulled spices while it cooked. I am just having a hard time trying to figure out a vegetarian entree that I could serve with this.

banana cocoa smoothie

Didn't I just make something chocolate last night? I suppose I'll get over it. This smoothie tastes exactly like you think it would! Really yummy! Sometimes I get irritated when I see a recipe like this because I feel like I should be able to think it up on my own. Did I think this up on my own? Of course not. So apparently I do need the recipe.

One of my favorite things about VT is that the recipes remind me that I don't need to add sugar or other sweeteners as much as I think I do.

Here's the recipe!

jamaican curried tempeh tacos (sounds good); chocolate zucchini cookies (actually good)

I was soooo excited to make these tacos.... if you've seen the picture in the magazine, then maybe you were tempted, too. They weren't really all that bad, it just turns out tempeh has a strong, bitter taste. I had all the right seasonings- no substitutions, and they were boring and dry. I had to keep adding water while the tempeh cooked to keep it from drying out. The recipe then calls for a topping of plain bell peppers and mustard greens (I used lettuce). Too dry! I melted some mozzarella cheese on it, not the right flavor, but it needed something. It was edible, and I'll probably do the same with the leftovers tomorrow.

Can you buy prepared jamaican jerk sauce? I think that would be better on top of sauteed tofu (no more tempeh, thanks).

The one good thing about this recipe was all the things you cook the tempeh with- pineapple, ginger, cilantro, curry powder- smelled so good together. There must be a better way to use these ingredients together.

Jamaican Curried Tempeh Tacos recipe.

And then there were the chocolate zucchini cookies..... soooooo good, and I didn't even make the glaze. Well, I did, but I messed it up. Totally my fault. Didn't even miss it- the cookies are like soft cupcake tops. Mmmmmmmmm.

Chocolate Zucchini Cookies recipe.

creamy quinoa with dried cranberries

I was wondering why VT didn't put in a picture of this ... until I made it. It looks like a pile of prison gruel. I made it with oat bran instead of quinoa and it was pretty good. I was suspicious of the amount of spices- enough for an entire pumpkin pie- but dumped them all in anyway without thinking. It tasted good at first when it was still warm and creamy, then started to taste a little gross after becoming cold and gelatinous. However, it did add more flavor where I normally would start adding more sugar. I will definitely try this again when I get some quinoa.

Here's the recipe!

Beet-Top Crustless Quiche

This month's issue looks so amazing already that it was part of the inspiration for the blog. I almost passed over this recipe because I didn't know what beet tops are, but the recipe says you can use chard instead. The rest is stuff most everyone has in the kitchen already.

It turned out delicious-but it needs salt.

Also-
Vegetarian times puts most of their recipes online, so they are really easy to find.
Here's this recipe!

Low expectations... but still going for it!

OK, so I have made many attempts at putting things online. Or just getting things done in general. However, I am going to really try to stick with this. The fact that I can already see something wrong with the font that I cannot fix that is making me crazy will not stop me.

Enough rambling. Here is my mission statement.

Vegetarian Times magazine is a favorite of so many of my friends and family, who are scattered all over the place. I am always going on and on about the B.V.T.R.E.s (best vegetarian times recipes ever), so I decided to put it down somewhere.

I will also put in other recipes (there will be meat, sorry!) but since I cook out of VT weekly, if not daily, that will be the focus. I'll do pictures if I can, but I'll never stick with it if I try to force it.

I hope you enjoy!
Update:
I have decided to keep this blog to vegetarian times recipes only - no meat! I really want this to be a resource for those of you who are interested in knowing how some of these recipes turn out for me before making them for yourselves. Enjoy!
I still have no idea what is going on with this font, but it seems to only be affecting this post. I will try to forget about it.