The old saying proves true: you can’t judge a book by it’s cover.
I was given the recipe for Eggplant-Tomato Stir-Fry years ago when my husband and I were in a gourmet group. Looking at the ingredients, I was completely unimpressed. However, when I made and tasted it, I was completely IMpressed by how well the flavors blended.
As with most stir-frys, it’s all about the prep. With Eggplant-Tomato Stir-Fry, you wash and chop the veggies, and the cooking goes quickly. Yes, at the end, you do need to cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes, but that’s hands-off.
EGGPLANT/TOMATO STIR-FRY
- 2 T vegetable oil
- 1 onion, cut into bite-sized slices
- 1 medium eggplant, unpeeled and 1″ cubed
- 1 red pepper, cut into slices or cubes
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed
- 3½ oz (3½cups) fresh spinach leaves, chopped (or 1 frozen 10 oz package chopped)
- 1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise then cut into half moons
- 2 tomatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Prepare veggies.
Heat oil in large skillet – I used a 14″ stainless steel pan. When oil is shimmering, add onions and sauté over medium/high for 2 minutes. 
One by one, continue to add eggplant, red pepper, garlic & spinach together, zucchini, and finally the tomatoes, cooking each 2 minutes before adding the next. Stir in the salt and pepper.
Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until veggies are tender but not mushy. 
Taste for seasoning, adjusting as needed.
I’ve almost never found a potato recipe I didn’t like. My love of potatoes (and chocolate) are most likely passed down from my Irish mam. While baked, hashed browns, mashed, and braised are all delicious, roasting potatoes kicks it up a notch making them one of my favorites.
Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes – until there’s a little resistance when you poke the centers with a sharp knife. (You don’t want to fully cook them at this point.) 
Drain potatoes
then empty them into a large bowl. Add in the salt and vegetable oil. Gently blend. 
Pour potatoes onto a rimmed baking sheet, making sure you scrape out all of the oil. Lay all the potato discs flat, spreading the oil under each piece.
Bake at 425º F for 15-20 minutes, until bottom is well browned. Flip potatoes and bake for another 10-20 minutes, until both sides are well browned.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with parsley, if desired. Serve immediately.
Bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook over low heat for a total of 30 minutes. At first, stir now and then – until it’s been cooking for about 20 minutes. At this point most of the liquid will have been absorbed into the rice. Stir more often now to prevent burning. If all the liquid has been incorporated before the 30 minutes is up, turn off the heat and let the covered pot sit on the hot burner. This is to make sure the rice is completely cooked. 
Eat as is, or do something crazy (like I do) and serve as an open faced sandwich on a homemade 
When asked to attend a potluck, my Spicy Macaroni Salad is often specifically requested. Unlike the usual bland pasta salads, this recipe will wake up your mouth…in a good way!
Stir the carrots, radishes, cucumber, scallions, parsley, and dill into the dressing. Mix well and chill.
Cook pasta in salted water until just tender. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking (don’t worry, it will continue to soften when mixed with the dressing) and drain. Mix into the dressing. Chill at least an hour to allow the flavors to penetrate the pasta.
Avocado Sauce is a quick and easy topping for tacos, salads, quesadillas, or anything else you want. As opposed to guacamole, which is usually chunkier, it’s meant to pour – thus covering more territory.
Pulse until creamy – scraping down sides as needed.
Adjust seasoning to your preference.
One of my favorite flavor combinations is lemon and garlic, so it’s no surprise that Greek Potatoes are a go-to side dish in our house. Not only is it delicious, but it’s super fast and easy to prepare. (It does take about 40 minutes to bake, but that’s hands-off.)
Place in 475º F oven 
Remove from oven and sprinkle on parsley. Serve while hot.
Mexican Rice is one of those foods that can be both a side dish and an ingredient in something else. For example, Monday night you might want a side dish with a bit of a kick to perk up a main course, and then on Tuesday it can become part of a burrito or taco. One preparation, two meals! Love it!!!
Empty into a large measuring cup and add enough stock or water (both work fine) to add up to 4 cups total. Set aside.
Put uncooked rice in a sieve and rinse well to remove excess starch. 
In a saucepan, heat oil. Add rinsed rice and sauté 6 minutes. 
Stir in the tomato purée, garlic, salt, jalapeños, and tomato paste. Pour into casserole dish. 
Cover and bake at 350º F 30-40 minutes, stirring halfway through, until rice is fully cooked. (Make sure rice is fully cooked – it won’t continue to soften off-heat.) 
Add in cilantro and lime juice to taste. If you want more kick, stir in another minced jalapeño.
Apple season is upon us. While there are a plethora of pie, tart, and bread recipes made from these red beauties, I decided to try something a little different: APPLE-SWEET POTATO HASH. The combination of apples, sweet potatoes, and onions works surprisingly well.
Cover, decrease heat to low, and cook for 8 minutes. Check to see if sweet potato is easily pierced by a sharp knife. If not, cover and let cook a little longer.
When cooked, add in apples, cinnamon, salt, and dill. 
Increase heat to medium/high and sauté until browned, stirring now and then. Add in lemon juice. 
Adjust seasoning, if needed.
As so often happens, I got the idea for CAULIFLOWER GRATIN from America’s Test Kitchen. Rather than using cream or milk for the sauce, they pureed some of the cauliflower with water to get the liquid. Brilliant!
Slice off and discard the discolored end of core. Then slice remainder into 1/8″ thick slices. 
Place cauliflower right side up and slice into 3/4″ slabs. Remove florets from stalks. Cut the stalks into 1/8″ slices and place them with the core pieces. (The stalk and core pieces will become the basis for the sauce.)
Into a Dutch oven, place 3 cups of water, 6 T butter (cut into pieces so it melts faster), all the sliced stalks and core pieces, and 2 cups of the florets. Bring to a boil.
Place the remaining florets on a large steamer basket. (It’s a bit of a balancing act!)
When water/core slices comes to a boil, carefully place steamer basket in Dutch oven. (You may need to remove some of the florets before placing the basket in the Dutch oven – they tend to roll – then replace them once the basket is set in place.) You’re going to steam the florets and boil the core/stalks at the same time.
Cover and let cook until florets are easily pierced with a sharp knife (about 15 minutes). Don’t undercook the cauliflower in the hopes it will continue to cook in the oven – it won’t.
When florets are tender, remove steamer basket from Dutch oven and pour cooked florets into a large bowl. Add in the scallions.
Check to see if the stalks in the water are tender (mine always are). If not, cover and continue to cook until they are tender. Remove lid and let cool about 10 minutes.
Pour this into the blender, then blend another minute. Pour sauce into the bowl with the florets and gently mix (you don’t want to break the florets).
Empty mixture into a 9″ x 13″ casserole dish.
Into the cooled panko stir remaining Parmesan (1 cup) and chopped parsley. 
Sprinkle evenly on top of cauliflower. 
Bake, uncovered, at 400º F for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let set 20-25 minutes before serving.
When the weather is hot and you don’t feel like cooking a vegetable, try this non-cook vegetable salad. BONUS: it’s fat free!
In a small bowl, stir together the vinegar, brown sugar, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Pour on veggies and blend. 
Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Stir in mint and serve.
Vegetarian Cooking For Carnivores BLOG 