American cookies

These cookies became affectionately known as "American" cookies among the members of Mark's lab when we lived in France.

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 (or a little less) cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 tsp salt (preferably sea salt)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 (or a little more) cup chocolate chips (or chocolot chunks, which I prefer)

Preheat oven to 375F. Beat together the butter, oil, and sugar until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well. In another bowl, mix the flour, oats, salt, and baking powder. Pour the flour mixture into the wet mixture gradually, until all is well mixed. Fold in the raisins, nuts, and chocolate all at once. Drop onto greased cookie sheet and bake 10-12 minutes until slightly golden. Let cool for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack or other place to cool.

Note: I plan to try this recipe with whole wheat pastry flour and agave soon, and I'll update with the results.

Be careful! These are really really good!!

One-bowl casserole

This is about the easiest type of casserole to make. You just throw rice and a bunch of veggies into one big bowl, mix, then pour into a cake pan and bake. It's also great for cleaning out the fridge, as just about any veggie you have on hand can go into it.

1 cup dried rice, cooked in 2 cups of water
2 eggs
3/4 cup soymilk
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup (or you can make your own, but I didn't have time)
salt to taste
2 tsp multi-herb seasoning
1 cup broccoli
1.5 cup frozen soybean, corn, and red pepper veggie mix
3/4 cup cheese of choice (I used white cheddar)

note: you can use any veggies you have, as long as the total volume of veggies equals about 2.5 cups

Preheat oven to 350F. Beat eggs and milk together in large bowl. Add cream of mushroom soup and seasonings and mix well. Mix in the cooked rice, and then stir in the veggies and half the cheese. Pour mixture into 9x13 baking pan, and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake 10-15 minutes more or until edges are brown (you can broil it the last 5 minutes).

Believe it or not Spagetti

Zucchini and tofu never tasted so good!

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 medium zucchini
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. extra firm tofu, diced into very small pieces
2 cups marinara sauce
salt to taste
8 oz. whole wheat spagetti, cooked and drained
Strong flavored white cheese (I used English coastal cheddar, though parmesan would be good too)

Slice zucchini as thinly as possible. Heat oil in non-stick frying pan, and add zucchini and garlic. Sauté on medium-high heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep from burning. Add minced garlic and a bit of salt and continue to sauté until the zucchini is soft. Add tofu and marinara, and simmer until the sauce is thick.

Meanwhile, cook spagetti according to package directions. When done, mix the sauce and spagetti together. Serve with cheese sprinkled on top.

Red lentils and broccoli over rice

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
2 Tbsp Braggs liquid aminos or soy sauce
1 1/2 cups red lentils, rinsed
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups water
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp Trader Joe's 21-Seasoning Salute or italian seasoning
salt to taste
1 cup chopped broccoli
2 cups cooked brown rice

Saute carrots in olive oil and Bragg's/soysauce for 5 minutes. Add lentils and garlic and saute 5 minutes more. Add water and spices, bring to boil, and let simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes. Stir well. Sprinkle broccoli over lentils, cover, and let cook 5 more minutes more or until lentils are soft. Serve over rice.

Baxter Enchiladas

Some of my earliest childhood memories included having enchiladas for dinner. I remember my mom telling me that this is how she was taught to make enchiladas while she stayed in Mexico one summer in the 60's. Instead of rolling the tortillas, you cook them in the sauce and then stack them like pancakes (and also top it with a fried egg, though we don't do this, but we think it would be good). The first time I had the more typical, rolled type of enchilada, I didn't know what it was, and I was surprised to hear it called an enchilada. When I went to college, this dish was labeled "Baxter Enchiladas" by my cousin and classmate Jeralee, and the name stuck. Later I adapted it to be vegetarian. I'm sure it will continue to get better and better with time. Here's the latest version:

One pot of vegetarian chili
15-20 corn tortillas
toppings of choice

Baxter Enchilidas are best assembled for each person, immediately before serving. Ask each person how many tortillas he/she wants. I usually go for 3 tortillas, and Mark will ask for 4-5, depending on his appetite.

With the pot of chili boiling away, put the first tortilla in the pot, being sure it is fully submersed. Add more tortillas, submersing each one as you go. Try to do this step quickly, so the tortillas are evenly cooked. Usually 4 is the maximum number that can be cooked together easily. Once all the tortillas are in the pot, let it cook for about 30 seconds.

Then, with a big, wide spoon, reach under the bottom tortilla and pick up the entire stack and set it on a plate. Spoon chili over the stack of tortillas, and top with desired toppings (cheese, green onion, sour cream, olives, avocado, etc.). Alternatively, take out each tortilla one at a time, and layer it with cheese and other toppings as you go.

With leftover chili and enchiladas, you can make what I call "enchilada goup." Heat the chili to boiling, and then tear up the remaining enchiladas into small to medium size pieces. Dump the enchilada pieces into the chili and stir. Cook for a few minutes, then remove from heat, and cover for 5 minutes. Top with desired toppings.

We seriously missed this dish when we were in France because we couldn't find the right kind of corn tortillas. It will always be one of my comfort foods!

Vegetarian Chili

I've been making vegetarian chili for years, and we'll never get tired of it! I've recently started cooking all of my beans from scratch, rather than opening up a can. I cook them in the crockpot and then freeze them until I am ready to use them.

1 onion, diced
olive oil for sautéing
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large tomato, diced
1 can kidney beans, half of the juice drained (equal to about 1.5 cups of beans with juice)
1 can black beans, half of the juice drained
1 can garbanzo beans, half of the juice drained (or you may use cannelini beans)
1/2 cup medium salsa (or tomato sauce with a little cayenne)
3/4 to 1 cup water
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
salt to taste
1 green pepper, diced

optional ingredients:
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 can of sliced olives
diced red pepper

toppings:
cheese
sour cream
green onions
diced avocado

Sauté onion in oil for 5 minutes until soft. Add garlic and tomato and sauté 5 minutes more. Add the remaining ingredients (including the optional ingredients) except the diced green pepper. Add the water last, using just enough to bring it to your preferred consistency. Bring to a boil, and let simmer for 20-30 minutes (or more). Five minutes before it's done, add the green peppers. Serve steaming hot with desired toppings.

Bran Muffins

Bran muffins, Evan-tested and approved!

1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/3 cups wheat bran
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg (or substitute 2.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice for all spices)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup molasses (preferably blackstrap)
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1 cup soymilk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup raisins
optional: chopped walnuts, diced apple, chopped dates, etc.)

In a large bowl combine flour, wheat bran, baking powder, spices, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, then add agave, molasses, oil, soymilk, vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, and stir until mixed evenly. Fold in raisins/nuts, etc.

Divide mixture evenly into greased muffin tin, and bake in a preheated 350F oven for 18 minutes (or until firm to the touch).

Moosewood Rice Pudding, Kendra Style

I recently found a recipe book in the library that I've been wanting to see for years. It's the Moosewood Cookbook, from a famous vegetarian restaurant in Ithaca, NY. I tried its recipe for rice pudding (one of my absolute favorite foods in the universe), and I adapted it to make it a bit healthier. The result was scrumptous!

2 cups cooked brown rice
2 eggs
1 cup soymilk (or regular milk)
1/3 cup agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup raisins
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 cup of whole milk yogurt

Beat eggs, soymilk, and agave together until well mixed. Add vanilla, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and stir. Fold in rice and raisins. Pour into a greased 8x8 baking dish. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 25 minutes, stirring the mixture well every 8 minutes or so. Remove from oven (mixture will be thick). Let cool for 10 minutes, and mix in yogurt. Serve warm.