Day 157 &158

 

Here is one of my own, all time, favorite recipes. Its quick and easy and you can use up all that zuchinni in your garden instead of putting it in people's cars at church. In fact, we have noticed people tend to lock their cars in late July and Aug because of "Zucchini Overload"!

I use Bragg's Liquid Aminos instead of Soy Sauce and it tastes great. I put a spray bottle of Bragg's on the table with this meal so you can really soak the Tofu. I also use more squash than the recipe calls for to minimize the tofu which is high in protein. Too much protein can cause problems as Bill often points out.

Have you read the new book called, The China Study? It has some great information regarding studies that have been done in China that strongly indicate a link between too much protein and cancer. I'll give you more info when I finish the book.

I will be away on vacation till Monday and off the internet but hopefully I'll have some new recipes to report when I get back. Happy cooking...............

Day 154 - 156

It was a very busy weekend and I am sorry to say I did not have time to cook any of the recipes until today. Our church put on a big Lobster Bake fundraiser for "Help A Kid". It was held here on our property and it was a sell out raising over $2300. for this great cause. Primarily, this organization provides transportation for children of working parents, so that they can participate in after school programs that would otherwise be impossible for them to attend. Art, Dance, music and afterschool sports are among the many programs now open to these students.

We served 65 Lobster dinners with lots of help from our Life church friends. I can't say that we didn't touch a lobster but I can say we did not eat one!

Tonight, I made Bills' Smoked Rice Delight (pg 137). It was delicious especially with my Tofu and Zucchini Stir Fry. I'll give you that recipe when I get back from Cape Cod Wed night.

Day 153 & recipe 128 Pesto pasta

Pesto Pasta (pg 124) is another great recipe. I used Whole Wheat Linguini to put the pesto on and it made a wonderful base to hold the pesto. I used much more olive oil than called for as otherwise it would have been quite dry. I put Braggs and non dairy parmesan on the table so people could season to taste and everyone loved it.

I also served more of Bill's Mediterranean Swiss Chard as I have an abundance of chard in my garden. It was just as delicious the second time around.

For dessert, I made peach shortcake which is Loren's favorite. I used Bill's dropped biscuit recipe, sliced peaches mixed with a small amount of maple syrup (note: only buy peaches that are marked Ripe and Ready, all others never taste like a peach should). Instead of whipped cream, I made a topping by mixing Almond milk, a little vanilla and a touch of maple syrup.

Day 151 &152 Bran Muffins check ++

Bill's Bran Muffins (pg161) are very good and full of nutritious ingredients: flax, sunflower seeds, wheat germ. They are dense and hardy. I added 1/3 cup of maple syrup and 1/2 cup of dried cranberries because I was serving them to company and wanted to make sure they were sweet enough and they were.

Just had my Welcome to Medicare physical (I know you can't believe that I am 65!). The doctor had a physician's assistant there and was using me as an example of perfect health at 65 and commenting "And she is not on any medication!" as if that was unbelievable. It should be the norm. Thank you Bill for helping us all live healthier lives.

I still have a few cookbooks left. Let me know if you want one. Using Bill's cookbook is the best way I know to make a lifestyle change for healthier living.

Day 150 Great Recipe alert!

You have never had Swiss chard at its best till you have tried Mediterranian Swiss Chard (pg 115) It rates the honorary check +++. Have you ever had someone rave about a Swiss Chard recipe? I don't think so! But I am raving about this one and so are Loren and Sam. You just want to keep eating more of it. Swiss Chard is about the most vitamin packed green you can eat so cook it up.

I also made the Tomato lentil Soup (pg 59) which was check ++. When the recipe called for 1 tsp allspice and 2 tsp cumin I was skeptical but as they say, "the proof is in the pudding"! It made a great meal served with a loaf of homemade bread. The soup serves 4. Try it.

Day 148 & 149 Super recipe

Spinach Fettuccini with Carmelized Onions (pg 143) sounds wonderful and it truly is. This was a huge hit. Everyone wanted seconds. The recipe serves six. We had a big garden salad and Italian bread to round out the meal. We topped the fettuccini with braggs, crushed red pepper and non dairy parmesan to taste. This dish is easy to make. It calls for six large onions which I had a hard time imagining cooking, but it is perfect with that amount.
Please try this one and let me know what you think.

By the way, tonight, we finished off the leftover Portobello Mushrooms with Wild rice and let me tell you it tasted ten times better tonight. I topped it with Braggs and crushed red pepper and I would rate it check ++. It was so good. Some recipes are like that and take a while for the flavors to mix and enhance each other.

I have a stack of cook books now so let me know if you want one at $15 each plus postage if necessary. It would be great to have you all cooking along with me

Day 147 and recipe 123

Everytime I write out the number of recipes I've cooked I get a little nervous as I am having a hard time getting caught up. I feel like I am cooking and cooking and cooking! Next week I'll really go at it. How did Julie ever do it?

Tonight, I prepared Portobello Mushroom with Wild Rice (pg129) for a potluck supper at Sebago Cottage with family. It was a difficult recipe to understand, so I winged it a little. It looked heavenly with the asparagus spears, red peppers, olives and mushroom caps, but I think I should have seasoned it more. Bill is so good at putting that final touch on things and it makes all the difference. I am going to work on that!

Dayn 146 Top Rated Salad

I served Bill's Grilled Corn Sweet Onion Salad (pg 39) as our main course and it was a big hit with everyone. It will serve 10 people easily. AS you can see it is picturesque and I rated it check +++, my top rating. This would be a wonderful salad to bring to a family gathering.

Good corn is vital to this recipe. I buy my corn at Wal-Mart which may surprise you, but they have the best corn. I asked one of the managers there how they were able to have consistently fresh, delicious corn. He told me that Wal-Mart buys directly from the farmer and ships to the store that day....no middle men involved, therefore it is really fresh and sweet.

Along with the salad, I served with zuchinni, sliced, dipped in almond milk and dredged in bread crumbs and non dairy parmesan and then sauteed in oil till crumbs are brown and crispy. It is very tasty and seemed to go perfectly with the salad. Please try this one!

Day 145 two more recipes cooked

Hope you saw the eggplant recipe on yesterday's blog. I really want you to try it and let me know what you think.

Tonight, we brought dinner up to Chris, Katie and family who have just arrived to stay in our Sebago cottage for a few days. I made the Green Bean and Cashew Casserole (pg99)which made a nice side dish. Everyone liked it. The second dish I made was Basic Risotto which was delicious. It had fresh basil for my herb garden and non dairy parmesan for flavoring. It has a nice texture and great taste. You can add fresh veggies to the last five minutes of cooking and have a wonderful main dish. I continue to marvel at the variety in Bill's Cookbook...........

Day 145: Recipe for Eggplant Parmigiana

Church supper tonight so nothing cooked, but we have family coming tomorrow and I will be cooking up a storm with my little grandaughter, Lewella. She loves to cook with Nana.

My good friend, Darlene, made the Eggplant Parmigiana (pg86) last night and absolutely loved it. I cooked it back on Day 20 and I think I gave the recipe. So try it. She gave it a check ++ rating.

Day 144 and recipe 119

If you would like a great summer soup recipe check out the one on pg17, Barley and Lentil Soup with Swiss Chard. It is fantastic!!! Although it is cooked and served warm you feel like you are eating fresh vegetables, as it is very light and colorful. I used the swiss chard fresh from my garden. I was amazed at how quickly it grew and now I will have it at my fingertips.

The major seasoning is fresh dill and, there again, pop out to the kitchen garden and snip it just minutes before going into the soup. Gardening can be time consuming but it is also very rewarding.

Please try this recipe and serve it with Bill's Whole Wheat Maple Bread pg 169. This bread is sooooo good. By the way, I now have some copies of Dining with Bill irwin. Let me now if you would like one. You will save on the shipping and handling and get an additional $5.00 off the retail price. The recipes are so good.......

Day 143 Check ++ recipe

Made a wonderful dip that we enjoyed with crackers and vegies called Spinach-Artichoke Baked Dip (pg7). This would be a great item to bring to a party or serve to guests at home. It has a great flavor and texture. There is one ingredient missing from the list of ingredients and that is the can of artichokes. It is quick and easy to make and Sam absolutely loved it.

This afternoon, we went to the Taste of Maine Restaurant in Woolwich with friends because I had heard that they had a vegan menu available, as well as, all the usual Maine fare. Sure enough, they had about ten vegan items from appetizers to desserts. I had baked potato skins with broccoli, vegan cheese and vegan sour cream. It was delicious.

The owner of the restaurant had switched to a vegan diet after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. Now he is a confirmed believer in the health benenfits of this lifestyle.

Day 142 More Chaos in the kitchen

More chaos in the kitchen, only this chaos was completely unplanned. Let me paint the scene for you: Nine people are arriving for dinner at 6:30. Bill and Debra arrive at 5:30 and we are planning to cook dinner together. However, somehow, I was thinking that Bill and Debra were bringing the ingredient for 2 dishes from the cookbook and Debra clearly remembers me emailing her that I would pick up the ingredients (which, now that I think about it, I do recall emailing that). Long story short, we have not got any of the ingredients for the recipes we thought we were cooking!

So what do you do? As vegans you can't call Dominos! We began pulling things out of everywhere: the freezer, the frige, the pantry, the garden........what can we make? As we thumbed through the cookbook, we came across Farro Jambalaya pg 90. "Yipee," I said as my finger ran down through the list of ingredients. "We've got it all.". I began throwing things on the counter, left and right. Last item was the okra, the most essential item for jambalaya. I run to the freezer because I know I have 2 packages in the freezer. "Oh, no, who stole the okra?" I ripped the freezeer apart top to bottom...no okra.

"Bill, can you use brussel sprouts instead? He replied, "Not if you want to call it Jambalaya!"

Somehow, Bill and Debra whipped together the most incredible meal. Our company never would have known our dilema if Sam hadn't told them!!!!

Tomorrow, I will give you the recipe for Maine Jambalaya................

Day 141 and recipes 115 &116

Two more fabulous recipes: Holiday Salad (pg 41) and Spaghettini Squared (pg 141). The Salad was both colorful and delicious. I did not add the seared cheese package or the pomegranite seeds and even still it was great. I have some of the dressing left over so I think I will do a repeat tomorrow night. The dressing is wonderful!

This salad made a nice compliment to the main course: Spaghettini Squared. All five of us at dinner tonight went back for seconds so that tells you something. I did not have basil oil so I just used olive oil and added extra basil to the pot. I served it with warm bread.

Both recipes earned a check ++. Bill and Debra are coming tomorrow.............

Day 140 Wonderful, quick and easy recipe

Red Beans (pg 133) made a perfect summer supper accompanied by my cucumber salad and warm rolls. When you are short on time, like I was tonight, you can use canned kidney beans to create this delicious and colorful dish. My son, Loren is nibbling on the cold leftover beans as I write and says they are great cold. We rate this dish check ++.

Tonight we picked up my rain barrel in Scarbough from "The Barrel Man". What a character. He works for the town and makes whiskey barrels into planters and rain barrels in his spare time. Hopefully, we will get it all set up tomorrow. I must say the barrel smells like 100proof. Hope my plants won't get intoxicated.......................

Day 139 Rain chain photo

 
Here is the picture I promised you of my new Rain Chain....what a beautiful alternative to a gutter! It will be totally functional, as well. It will fill my rain barrel which I will then use to water my plants with fresh water instead of the semi salt water in our well.

By the way, Bill and Debra are coming this weekend so I will be cooking with Bill again.

Day 138

 
Here is the best musakka recipe you will ever find. It was given to me by a friend who lived with the Bedouins in the Middleast for several months. We serve it with warmed pita bread to sop up the juice. Enjoy............................

Days 136 &137

The big cookout was a great success. We prepared two more recipes: Grilled Asparagus (pg 112) and Cuban Black Bean Burgers (pg 113). Both recipes earned a check + rating. We did have to grill the burgers on aluminum foil as they kept falling through the grill.

The Wild Rice Salad (pg 111)and the Spicy Black Eyed Peas (pg 113) that we prepared on friday were served as well. The salad was wonderful, great texture and color. It kept well in the frige and even tasted great 2 days later (We finished it tonight).I would give it a check ++. The spicy black eyed peas were good and might have been better if I had cooked the dried beans instead of using the canned variety as I did.

We rounded the meal out with Tofu Pups ( I am not crazy about them) and a big Vegan Potato Salad with dill (my recipe). I will share it tomorrow.................

Day 132-135

We had our Chaos in the Kitchen Party tonight preparing for our big cookout tomorrow. Two recipes from Bill's book were cooked: Spicy Black Eyed Peas (pg68), Wild Rice Salad (pg 64)and one of my own favorite recipes: Musakka with eggplant, onions, chic peas and tomatoes. I will pass on the recipe to you soon. Tomorrow, we will make Cuban Black Bean Burgers and the Holiday Salad.

We celebrated my 65th birthday tonight, with 3 of my sons and daughter-in-laws. They did all the cooking which was a big treat for me. They served the musakka with a wonderful arugula salad, pita bread and topped it off with a delicious homemade carrot cake that my son made for me. I have to say it was the best I've ever had. I think the secret was the ginger.

After dinner, I was surprised with a professional chopping knife and sharpener that will cut my veggie prep time in half. Also, I received a new roof gutter, which would not normally be exciting except that it comes with a copper "Rain Chain" downspout and rain barrel. I will have to send you a photo. It is the most amazing thing as the water feeds down through a series of copper, flower shaped, cups to the rain barrel. It is absolutely beautiful and very functional as our tap water has some salt in it and that is not good for my garden. So now I will be able to water liberally. I can't wait to see it all go up.

I'll let you know how everything tastes tomorrow................