A Massive Vegetable Roast. . .😁

I just realized that. . .I have too many vegetables right now 😳 as an obsessive Foodie, this can happen.  Rather than just feed some to the dogs and neighborhood bunnies. . .

Time To Roast!!

🌶🍠🧄🍄🥔🍅🧄🌽🥕🍅🧄🧅🥦🧄 and even a🍍!

I'm going to use the same ingredients to coat everything, EVOO, balsamic vinegar, pepper and garlic salt, in case this isn't quite enough garlic 😁 Mix coating ingredients in a big bowl and replenish as needed.  Roast in batches for different lengths of time since they all have their own density and susceptibility to heat.  I don't know the times, just stay with this and keep checking.  This will be a kitchen day.  Work on those projects while roasting.  Clean the kitchen, organize a cabinet.  If you walk off or get distracted, things will burn!

I'm not sure how anyone else peels this quantity of garlic, but I cut the end off each clove, heat a container of water until it feels hot, not boiling and drop them all in at once.  This will let the water do its thing.  Leave them a couple minutes, stirring a few times.  Drain them in a strainer and start peeling.  This pile of garlic only took less than 5 minutes to peel.  The warm water gets between the papery skin and the garlic breaking that bond and the skin pops right off.

I'll zip-lock these in compatible flavor groups for future Roasted  Blended Vegetable soups, or to add to a pot of roasted meat at the end for a stew.  Line a jellyroll pan (cookie sheet with short side and end walls) with parchment paper.  You can reuse the papered trays two or three times before changing the paper. It'll go from brown to burnt quickly. This happened during my tomato roasting.

One caution, I used more vinegar than I should have.  My vegetables didn't brown and crisp up like they should.  I used about a 3:1 ratio of oil:vinegar.  I think about a 15:1 ratio would be better.  Use mostly EVOO with just a splash of vinegar.  I let the tomatoes and peppers dry in the oven overnight. I forgot about the beets I have in my 'fridge and I didn't get to the pineapple.  It's a wonderfully rainy day today.  The oven will take the dampness out of the kitchen, while roasting those later.

Be SO careful when roasting any peppers other than sweet bell peppers.  Those long skinny ones set my hands on fire.  It happened once before, years ago, when my children were young.  The pain lasted two days.  This time I knew what to do.  Put straight liquid dish soap on your hands and work it in for a couple minutes before rinsing.  The detergent will emulsify the oils in the pepper if used without water.  Rinse this off completely with cool water.  This time the pain only lasted a few hours. I don't want to leave them in a form that will cause pain to anyone, externally or internally 😦 so, today I'm going to put them in my blender with a little olive oil and blend until they liquify.  I'll use the pepper oil to spice up my cooking. . .Happy Roasting! . .Lin 

Lemon Chicken Rice Soup. . .for someone special

2¾# (8) skinned chicken legs
3 quarts of fresh cold water
2t white vinegar

Today, I'm making a quick bone broth.  Bring this to a boil, skim the foam off the top, then drop the temperature to a low simmer. Cook this way for 40 minutes, remove from the heat, put the legs in a strainer over the pot. When the meat is cool enough to handle, remove it from the bone, set it aside and return the bones to the liquid in the pot.  Simmer this on a VERY low bubble, while moving on to the rest of the prep. This will be strained and added at the end.

While this is cooking, I combined the following ingredients in a small (and then larger) glass bowl: 

1 cup of bone broth
zest of 1 lemon - juice of ½ the lemon

1T black pepper, red and green bell pepper seasoning

1T minced ginger
1T minced turmeric root
1-2T bright, dark green dry dill
3 lg. cloves finely minced garlic
3T chicken soup base
1½c 20 minute white rice
3 lg. cloves of garlic - minced
1 big handful of fresh spinach

~ sliced in thin ribbons

1# of the cooked chicken

Put this bowl aside to 'marinate' and be added at the end.

Using a chopper, finely chop the celery heart, 4 carrots and 1 med. onion. I'm chopping everything small because they need to be soft. This soup is for my sweet Granddaughter who's having all four of her wisdom teeth removed today 😟 so I didn't want big pieces.

Sauté the vegetables in broth or 2T butter, stirring often with a flat edged wooden spoon. When they begin to steam, slowly add water to continue steaming them, so they don't brown or burn.

Add the bowl of seasonings, rice, garlic, spinach, chicken and about 2 quarts of water.  Cover and simmer on low 20 minutes.  Check the flavors, adding more water and soup base if needed.

This is one of my favorite things to make for anyone who's feeling down, sad, overworked, tired, or sick, or in any other way, physically or emotionally stressed. 

It's like love and care in a bowl. . .🥰. . .Lin

A GIANT Pot Of Purple Vegetable Soup

I decided to clean out the vegetable drawers in my refrigerator.  This is what's Soup Worthy!  On the left are the ingredients for this recipe.  On the right those for another day very soon.

The first thing I did was scrub, cube and simmer the beets. Changing the water several times during cooking, then drain and run them under very cold water several minutes while they were still a little crisp. Be careful not to overcook them. I've made vegetable soup before where I put the beats in at the beginning, and everything ended up looking like beet colored vegetables. This time it wasn't as purple. I sliced or cubed all the rest shown here. I started with the onion, green cabbage, purple cabbage, 3 carrots, celery and tops, sautéing those about a half hour on medium in 2T EVOO. When it sizzles, add a couple cups of water and stir occasionally.

Add 2+ quarts of water after the original vegetables sautéed, then I put 3T orange ginger spices, 3T vegetable soup base, a good amount of fresh ground pepper and 2t of sugar into the pot and then simmer everything on low about a half hour, then continued with the simmer another half hour after adding the beets, chopped kale, 6 big cloves of minced garlic, half a zucchini, purple potatoes and butternut squash. The last group of vegetables takes less time to cook. Turn the burner off, cover and remove from the heat and let the soup stand 10 minutes before serving. The beets are definitely dominant, but also The Star of the Soup! They taste awesome simmered minimally, this way.

Remember . . .  SOUP!  =  It's Not Just For Winter Anymore!  Forage in your pantry and 'fridge - Make some today! . . Lin

Venison Steak, Vegetables and Salad

I can't believe I forgot to post these!

From 6 weeks ago! The vegetables: half a tomato, a small kohlrabi, cucumber and two small white turnips, were sliced, and drizzled with a touch of the dressing and peppered.

The 3-4oz. venison steak was sautéed with the potato, onion, a tiny bit of poblano pepper in a little butter and a splash of the salad dressing. This is another 500 or less calorie plate, and it was delicious! 😋And, it came together in no time at all. Be Bold! Be Adventurous! Happy Cooking. . .Lin

Swiss, Garlic, Florentine Scramble

2 lg. eggs

salt and pepper

a splash of coconut-almond milk

Whisk this together in a small bowl and set aside.

1T butter

1 lg. elephant garlic clove - sliced

1 lg. handful of fresh spinach - sliced

1 slice of Swiss cheese

In a medium non-stick pan, sauté the garlic slowly for a couple minutes then add the spinach.  Cover and simmer on low for a couple minutes until the garlic scents your kitchen. Pour the egg mixture on the vegetables, cover and continue to cook over low heat another minute or two.

Loosen the cooked egg letting the liquid slide underneath.  Cook this way until the egg is done the way you like it.  Tear up the cheese and put it on top.  Cover again and remove from the heat.  Slice the orange and avocado or whatever edible garnish you'd like, then plate the eggs.  I'm not sure of the exact calorie count on this but I think it's between 400-500 and it will energize you for several hours. . .Lin

Mini Cheese and Vegetable Quiches

6 large eggs

¾c half and half

⅓c corn flour

1t baking powder

1t baking soda

salt and pepper

chili powder - cumin*

1 med. tomato

1c carrot matchsticks

1 med. broccoli crown

¾c green onion-shallot

some chopped cilantro-parsley

4-6 slices American cheese

a little grated parmesan cheese

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the half and half.  In another bowl, combine dry ingredients with a clean whisk.  *(eggs and cheese go well with these warm spices - try a little of each if you're feeling adventurous - they create a nice Tex-Mex flavor)  Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients, whisking until smooth.

Dice the tomato and broccoli, break up the long carrot matchsticks and combine this group in medium bowl.  Spray muffin pans with oil, then put a spoonful of the vegetables in each one.  Cut the American cheese into squares for however many muffin cups you've filled, putting a square on each.  Ladle on the well-mixed egg and dry ingredient mixture.  Top each with a nice pinch of parmesan cheese.  (these were what I had in the fridge - an easier way would be to just sprinkle your favorite grated cheese on top.)  Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 20 minutes.  My house is now wonderfully scented!  Extra Vegetables = Salad for lunch, with a bowl of hot Scotch Broth!!  Mmmm!

When cool, put them in a zip type plastic bag in the 'fridge, or frozen for another time.  This is not one of my 5 or 10 minute breakfasts!  It's labor and time intensive, but today I was awake at 4 am.  Putzing in the kitchen is a good thing, here in my Little-House-On-The-Creek, on a -22° day, with even colder windchills.  Stay warm and safe all my Fellow Northerners! . .Lin