Roasting Veggies Make my Night

There is something almost magical and lovely about roasting vegetables and I love love love making and eating them. Tonight one was of those such nights. Most people have made or at least eaten roasted potatoes, but I will pretty much roast anything I can. It turns plain vegetables into some kind of lovely carmalized tasty bit of yum. Tonight I roasted up some seasoned potato cubes with some onion and bits of garlic, as well as some carrots and broccoli with onion and garlic bits. The garlic melts on down around and the onion peices carmalize throughout. I have never been a fan of steamed broccoli, but roasting fresh broccoli in the oven is something wonderful. While my family chowed down on pork chops I sauteed up some onion and mushrooms to put atop of a Morning Star mushroom lovers veggie burger with cheese on a toasted kaiser bun.

"Vegetarians taste better." -- Author Unknown

I think. Therfore I am Vegetarian.

I served myself up a couple of those large portabella mushrooms sauteed with onion, garlic, and a bit of balsamic vinegar beside some sauteed peirogies (think potato stuffed pastry), cooked carrots, and a toasted bun for an easy lunch. Love, love, love mushrooms. They are so versitile, yummy, and use them in so many different ways. Dinner was another simple endeavor as I made homemade fried rice using mushroom slices (white button), shredded carrot, red and green onion, garlic, frozen spinach and a nutty brown rice. The vegetable egg roll was all I needed to compliment it. Fabulous. Dill pickles for evening snack (another food that I love.)

With the New Year I am trying to be more aware of certain food issues. I know how to cook and truly enjoy food without needing meat or meat products, but now I want to streamline a bit more. In other woods, I would like to slim down for the New Year, tone up, and get back closer to where I was physically back in high school and right out of it, maybe even better than I was. People often have this stereotype of the super skinny vegetarian with a frame that reminds a lot of people of a plant. I eat and eat vegetarian, but I maintain a loveable curvy figure (I just want to improve a good thing).

In the Words Of George Bernard Shaw: "My situation is a solemn one. Life is offered to me on condition of eating beefsteaks. But death is better than cannibalism. My will contains directions for my funeral, which will be followed not by mourning coaches, but by oxen, sheep, flocks of poultry, and a small traveling aquarium of live fish, all wearing white scarfs in honor of the man who perished rather than eat his fellow creatures."

Life is We Know It

Last night was my family's monthly game night. We get together (those of use who can) on a Friday night to play games, eat, and generally enjoy each other's company. I try to make things that I will eat as well as others in my meat-loving family. My brother made buffalo wings and my aunt fried up some cheese sticks and onion rings, but let's face it, this girl needs more than some fried vegetables. I made a quick, easy, and yummy cold veggie pizza with some
pre-packaged croissants, dill vegetable dip, and fresh vegetables. It was a nice switch from the heavy foods that surround the holiday season and the leftovers were appreciated by a shut-in friend of the family. It also made a nice leftover lunch today. (I often get more than one meal out of things I make, especially since my brother's are so picky.)

This evening for dinner I sauteed a nice big portabella mushroom with some diced onion and garlic in butter, than let it cook down with a touch of water and some balsamic vinegar (yum). I served it beside homemade mashed potatoes topped with some shredded cheese.


Easy Cold Veggie Pizza
Pre-packaged croissant dough (makes 6-8 croissants) (or other preferred dough)
Veggie dip (pre-made or other favorite), I prefer a dill dip here
Various vegetables diced, shredded, sliced, etc. (Such as shredded carrots, diced red onion, sliced mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, diced green onion, etc.)
Shredded cheese (4-8 oz depending on preferences)
* Roll out croissant dough to make one whole crust. Bake at temp indicated in package. Then let cool.
* Spoon layer of vegetable dip onto baked and cooled crust. Sprinkle and layer vegetables and cheese. Cut. Enjoy.

In the Words of Alice Walker: "Animals can communicate quite well. And they do. And generally speaking, they are ignored."

What are your Holiday Plans?

Eating out with my family is often an eventful experience. There is usually a debate over where to eat, especially since my options are limited to salad in some places, but this afternoon while I was out trying to take care of some things we were able to agree on a place (without argument) where I could eat without problems and my brother could still satisfy his supposed meat cravings. We began the shopping for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It is very hard to say at his point how many people will be here. I took it as a mini victory that while sitting at lunch discussing the menu my mother made a reference to needing more non-meat items. Yay!

From Berke Breathed, 'Bloom County Babylon': "Dear Lord, I've been asked, nay commanded, to thank Thee for the Christmas turkey before us... a turkey which was no doubt a lively, intelligent bird... a social being... capable of actual affection... nuzzling its young with almost human-like compassion. Anyway, it's dead and we're gonna eat it. Please give our respects to its family."

Trying Something New with Old Fav's

I had rehearsal tonight and went early to work on some costume things (that I have managed to get myself put in charge of). I knew I went be there awhile and when I made lunch I went ahead and packed myself a dinner. Now anyone who knows me, probably knows that I love food and enjoy eating. I love flavor and trying new things. I made a mushroom rice (with little pieces of sliced mushroom stems in it) then lighted sauteed some a garlic clove. I added a little balsamic vinaigrette I had in the refrigerator to the garlic and oil and let it all mix and warm. I cleaned and removed the stems from a couple small portabella mushrooms (about 2 inches in diameter) and placed in a small baking dish with the bottoms up. Then poured over the garlic/balsamic mixture. I roasted the mushrooms for about 20 minutes at 450 degrees. Then sliced a few carrot sticks and another small glove of garlic (its great for the immune system) and sauteed them. It was yummy even reheated at the theater. I packed some olives, a bottle of water, and some mini cookies to go with it. Definitely made the evening go easier. Oven roasting the mushrooms like that may also have become a new favorite (I use a lot of mushrooms at times). Sometimes its entertaining to me how non-veggies will look at what I am eating (or smell in cooking or reheating in the microwave) and look and comment and sometimes even drool a little. It's great to try something new and LOVE it. It makes me kind of want to experiment with preparing vegetables in all sorts of ways that I may not yet have tried. In the meantime I think I may curl up with a nice steaming bowl of homemade French onion soup (leftovers form the other night). Yummy yummy in my tummy.