Vegetables

Just because you've added a salad to the meal doesn't mean you have to leave off another vegetable.  Shopping price per pound, vegetables are cheaper than meat.  You can even make a meal of some vegetable recipes simply by adding a loaf of homemade bread to the table; it makes a filling meal. 

If you are blessed with a yard, this winter pick up a seed catalog (most companies will mail them to you on the cheap), plan a garden, and plant it in the spring.  I recommend Burpee's.  Grow a lot and learn how to can your own salsa, tomato soup, or freeze your zucchini slices for a nice treat in the middle of February.

Something else, buy in season.  A pumpkin purchased in the fall yields a LOT of food.  We like to coat it in bread crumbs and fry it.  Amazingly good!

Scalloped Corn

4 cups fresh or frozen corn
3 eggs lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup crushed saltines (about 30 crackers), divided
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine the corn, eggs, milk, 3/4 cup cracker crumbs, butter, sugar, onion, salt, and pepper.  Transfer to a greased 1 1/2 -quart baking dish.  Sprinkle with remaining cracker crumbs.  Bake uncovered for 1 hour at 325°.

Spiced Red Cabbage

4 cups shredded red cabbage
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 medium-sized apple
1 small potato, sliced
2 tablespoons vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon shortening

Combine cabbage, onion, apple, and potato in small amount of boiling salted water and simmer til tender.  Drain and combine with remaining ingredients.  Good for serving at Christmas dinner.

Boiled Asparagus With Balsamic Butter Sauce

1 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 400°.  Arrange asparagus on a greased baking sheet.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bake 12 minutes til tender.  Melt butter over medium heat.  Remove from heat.  Stir in soy sauce and balsamic vinegar.  Pour over baked asparagus.

Yellow Squash Ribbons With Red Onion and Parmesan

4 medium yellow squash, peeled and shaved to ribbons using potato peeler
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan shreds

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add squash ribbons, onion, and garlic; cook 4 minutes til onion is tender, gently stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.  Add salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper and toss gently to combine.  Sprinkle with cheese.

Fried Onion Strings

2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
2 cups thinly sliced onion
4 cups oil
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Whisk together buttermilk and Tabasco sauce; pour over onion strings in a shallow dish; cover and soak 20 minutes.  Heat oil over medium-high heat.  Whisk together flour, cumin, salt, and pepper.  Remove a handful of strings, allow excess buttermilk to drip off, then toss in flour; shake off excess.  Fry til golden, 3-4 minutes.  Repeat.

Fried Pumpkin

Peel a small, tender pumpkin; cut in slices of 1/2" thick and 2" square, sprinkle each piece with salt and let it stand in a non-reactive dish (such as glass) and let it stand for 1 hour.  Wipe the slices and pepper them.  Roll them in flour and fry them brown in smoking hot fat enough to cover them.  Lay them on paper to free them from grease after they are done, and then serve hot.  Squash can be prepared the same way.

String Bean Succotash

Take 2 quarts of string beans, cut fine; boil 2 hours with water enough to cover them without boiling dry.  Cut the corn from 6 ears and boil with beans 20 minutes; season with butter, pepper, and salt; just before serving, add a tablespoon of flour to 1/2 cup whole milk and whisk then add to succotash and let it boil 10 minutes.

Vegetable Toss

Cauliflower florets
1 pound red-skinned potatoes, quartered
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons each ground coriander, cumin, and black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 475°.  Toss all and bake on sheet 10 minutes.  Garnish with cilantro.

Glorified Green Beans

1 can green beans
1/4 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute mushrooms in oil.  Add green beans and heat through.  Place in serving dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Mix lemon juice and mustard and drizzle over green beans.

Smothered Cabbage

8 slices raw bacon, chopped
1 medium head red cabbage, sliced thin
2 medium golden delicious apples, cored, peeled, sliced thin
1 medium red onion, sliced thin
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot with a lid over medium-high heat, add chopped bacon.  Cook til crispy.  Remove some of the fat if you wish.  Add cabbage, apples, onions, and garlic with salt and pepper.  Stir and coat with bacon fat.  Add stock and vinegar.  Cover and simmer about 15 minutes.  When most of the liquid has evaporated, it's done.

Hominy and Green Chili Casserole

2 cans hominy
8 ounces sour cream
1 1/2 cups sharp Cheddar, grated
1 can chopped green chilies
1 can chopped sweet red peppers
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350°.  Set aside half the cheese.  Mix the remainder of the cheese with the rest of the ingredients.  Spread mixture into an 8x8 baking dish.  Top with remaining cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Spiced Apple Carrot Casserole

2 cups sliced carrots
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 medium apples, cored, peeled, and thinly sliced

Place 1" of water in a saucepan; add carrots.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 7 to 9 minutes or until crisp-tender.  Drain.  In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, ginger, and nutmeg.  In a greased 1 1/2-quart baking dish layer half the apples and carrots.  Sprinkle with half the brown sugar mixture.  Repeat the layers.  Dot with butter.  Cover and bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until apples are crisp-tender and carrots are tender.

Sauteed Greens and Tomatoes

1/2 cup sliced onions
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 cups thinly sliced collard greens
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
Salt to taste

Saute onions and pepper flakes in oil in pan over medium-high heat til softened, 3 minutes.  Stir in greens until starting to wilt; add broth.  Simmer greens until tender, about 5 minutes.  Stir in tomatoes and vinegar.  Season with salt.

Zucchini Saute

1 pound small zucchini
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, sliced thin
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute zucchini in olive oil for 3 minutes.  Add onion and garlic and saute 2 minutes.  Season with salt, pepper, and thyme.  Serve warm.

Baked Shredded Carrots

6 cups shredded carrots
3/4 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 cup butter, cubed

In a large bowl, combine the carrots, onions, sugar, salt, and celery salt.  Transfer to a 1 1/2-quart baking dish.  Dot with butter.  Cover and bake at 325° for 45-50 minutes or until carrots are crisp-tender.

Cheese and Celery Scallop

1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
2 cups milk
3 cups chopped celery
1 cup shaved cheese

Cook celery til tender.  Put layer of crumbs in greased baking dish, then celery; cover with cheese and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Repeat to fill dish.  Turn in boiling hot milk with 1 cup celery water.  Bake for 30 minutes.