Recipes

Thanks for sharing it.

What is the secret to cooking eggplant well? Anyone have some advice?

http://homecooking.about.com/od/howtocookvegetables/a/eggplantstorage.htm

http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--1409/how-to-cook-eggplant.asp

Strongly disagreed on peeling skin.

Works well for indian recipes, curry, dal,

Thanks, AnnaZC.

Here's something simple I tried, and did alright on it,

Slice them thin, add salt and Turmeric powder [leave skin on],

You can let the flavor soak in, an hour is good,

Deep fry until golden brown, serve.

Note: just like fries, it is best not left out too long!

This one is dead easy, college boy dorm room easy, and it's not bad.

Put a chicken breast or a few chicken tenders in a bowl. Add some soy sauce, oil, and a squirt of sriracha sauce or something equivalent. Microwave until cooked thoroughly. Let cool and shred with two forks.

Prepare two packages of dry ramen noodles.

Add chicken after the ramen gets to boiling well.

Just when done crack an egg into the pan and stir.

Add the powder mix if you wish, or work out your own mix with soy, chili powder, garlic powder, and so forth, as per your taste.

The amount of liquid you prefer is something you'll have to work out for yourself. Not too hard.

You're done!

If you're feeling ritzy you can get fresh ramen noodles at a local asian store. Much better of course but less instant grub style.

I haven't added veggies to this one but I bet that'd work fine.

I made this for dinner tonight.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/penne-with-butternut-squash-and-goat-cheese-recipe.html

It came out really well. The only change I made was to reduce the amount of pasta.

Baaa ha ha baaaaaa!

Sushi would be a good vegetarian or semi-vegetarian dish, given so many variations are out there. You don't HAVE to put fish in to make a good seaweed and sticky rice variety, but if you don't mind a little meat (hence the semi-vegetarian part) I prefer a little crab meat in the center, then sticky rice, then avocado, followed by salmon flavored cream cheese, and finally wrap it all in seaweed. Top it with a good Wasabi and you're in business!

A nice thread from corri 

Here's something that isn't quick to make but once made--and it's an issue-free process--you can put it in the fridge for a long time and pull some out whenever you need it for a side dish or a quick meal.

It's refied beans without the frying. Refritos.

I make a large batch, so I start with 4 cups of dry pinto beans, sort them carefully to make sure there are no rocks in the mix, and put in an 8-quart pot. Add cold water nice and high and then cover and let sit for a day or so.

After they are done soaking, rinse a few times, refill the water level withing a couple of inches of the top, and place on high heat, adding a bay leaf or two. When it's boiling well, reduce the heat to about medium-high and place the cover so tha it nearly but not quite seals the pot. If you have a good level of water you won't have issues with boil-over.

Since the beans are thoroughly soaked, it will only take an hour. maybe even less, to cook them to a mushy softness. You probably won't even have to worry about refilling the pot with water to avoid burning the beans.

At this point, add a couple soup spoons of tomato paste (or tomatoes, or tomato sauce--as you wish), maybe a teaspoon or two of garlic powder (or some real garlic), salt to taste, 1/2 cup to 1 cup of vegetable oil (usually canola for me but it's not so important), and some spice. I am a chili head so I add habaneros or, just recently, a ghost pepper ot two. Just mince them up well and be sure to rub your eyes right away.

You can also go quick and splash in as much hot sauce as suits you.

After the pot is off to a good boil, reduce the heat to medium or so, just enough to keep it bubbling but not much more. You want a slow cook on this puppy.

Be sure the top is off the pot and after it is well stirred you can walk away for awhile. Maybe check on the water level every hour until you get a good handle on how fast it's cooking. You may want to refill the water level at some point. This fine. The longer it cooks the better it is, probably. Just make sure it doesn't cook down so far that beans are sticking to the bottom of the pot.

The only even slightly tricky part is knowing when the right amount of liquid has been cooked off. 

For me, this second part of the cook is 3-4 hours. Stir it up whenever you pass by.

Once you compete the next step, you'll have a good idea if you need more cooking or a bit more water.

Take a flat ended potato masher and mash the contents of the pot. You could puree it all but I think it's better to have some beans in the texture, not just a uniform paste.

If it seems too thick just add water. Too thin? Just cook it some more and watch it closely for the right time to take it off the heat.

At some point you'd want to remove the bay leaves.

Just let the whole pot cool now and then place in containers for the fridge/freezer. This stuff will keep awhile. When it's well-cooled you can then move the containers to the cold.

Just great taste, for those who like refried beans. Not as good as authentic refritos, as the final step for them is to fry in lard in a very hot skillet. 

I don't need more such fats in my diet, plus it's an extra step of complexity, and simplicity is really what I want from this dish; just take some out of the fridge and microwave up, and done!

I sometimes also make my own corn torillas but that's a hassle, though again the flavor of one's own fresh tortillas is much better than store-bought.

Homemade beans and tortillas? A little bit of heaven.

Boil some water..throw in a bunch of cheap azzed pintos.. After mincing a ton of habeneros, chili heads ftw, I hope you got a nad itch while cooking naked. LoL no well written Long version. I still look for stones though No one has actually found one in a bag of beans since 1958. Moms love to noid out kids. Some still see botchulism everywhere.

I'm there. I'll nosh a few bean rito's while waiting for NK to get back with the crab and lobster stuffed sticky rice sushies and ehhrolls. Hold that raw fish jive. ヅ

I'm soooo glad you resurrected this wonderful thread, corrijean! It's one of my favourites

Mine, too. :)

My hubby would really like this. He is a big proponent of using "real" (not canned) beans. 

By the way, I finally did find a company which makes vegetarian fish which is very good. I recommend "Gardein Fishless Filets":)

If I can find it in our local grocery store, I'll try it. 

This recipe is absolutely wonderful. I've made it a few times. Not sure what the vegetarian equivalent of pancetta would be. I used canned beans and I didn't make the toast.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/tuscan-bean-soup-recipe.html

Ingredients
1/2 cup kidney beans soaked overnight or 1 (14-ounce) can store-bought beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup cannellini beans soaked overnight or 1 (14-ounce) can store-bought beans, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling on bread
1/2 pound diced pancetta
2 cups diced yellow onions
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
4 cloves garlic, sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14-ounce) can chick peas, drained and rinsed
2 quarts chicken stock, plus extra water if needed
2 sprigs rosemary
3 sprigs thyme
1 sprig oregano
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
2 heads Lacinata kale, stems removed and cut into bite size pieces
1 loaf Italian peasant bread, cut into thick slices
Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated, for serving
Directions
Place the kidney beans in a medium pot, add water to cover by 2-inches and bring to a boil. (If using canned kidney beans, skip this step.) Turn the heat down, let simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until just-tender. Use the same process for the cannellini beans.

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta, rendering the fat and cooking until slightly crispy about 3 minutes. Saute the onion, celery, carrot and garlic for 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Add the diced tomatoes, the cooked and drained kidney beans, cannellini beans, chick peas, and the chicken stock. Using kitchen twine, tie the herbs and the bay leaf into a bundle and add to the pot. Season with the red chili flakes, salt and pepper. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, then add the kale. Continue cooking until the beans are completely tender.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Drizzle olive oil over the slices of peasant bread, season with a little salt and pepper and toast in the oven. Serve the soup in large bowls with grated Parmesan and a slice of toast.

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2007

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/tuscan-bean-soup-recipe.html?oc=linkback

This can easily be made vegetarian. It looks great!

I just finished eating oyster mushrooms, asparagus, garlic, and onions over rice, sauteed in a cabernet/extra virgin olive oil/celery seed sauce. It turned out pretty good:)

I just finished having a sandwich I used to buy when I lived in Ann Arbor. Grilled sour-dough bread, red cabbage coleslaw(red cabbage, carrots, veganaise, and some white vinegar and sugar to taste), baby swiss cheese, and thousand Island dressing(Annie's is my favourite brand). Melt the swiss cheese on the sourdough when you grill it, spead the coleslaw on the bread w/ the thousand island dressing! It's not entirely vegan because of the cheese, but it's one of my favourite vegetarian sandwiches.

You should have gone to Wisconsin. They have real food there.

LoL just kidding, even with all the mayo in the slaw the TI dressing still is needed and makes the sammich. Sounds Interesting and delish.

Biggest best and best selection of burgers was Wisconsin, for me, also because they seem to cherish the mom n pop places. And even the chain restaurants are localized just to that region.

I asked a younger than me guy, "hey, where can i go to get the biggest best burger". He tellls me a place and adds, "its 4000 calaries going down and five minutes after you're done you say to yourself, why the f did I just eat that?" I was sold! So we go there and sure enough 5 minutes after finishing, back in the car with the seat now reclined, on the verge of passing out with labored shallow breathing, I go, "Why the F did I just eat that?