Cooking - for a new lifestyle (Our Test Kitchen)

Tofu haters are going to go ew! yuck!  I didn't even try to serve it to Hal, the king of the tofu haters.  And it is his loss.  This chili was lovely and meaty and flavourful.  It also freezes very nicely (without the sour cream). 1 onions, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 dried chili peppers, minced 1 carrots, finely diced 1 stalk celery, finely diced 1/2 green peppers, finely diced 3 tbsp canola oil 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tbsp brown sugar 260 g firm tofu, finely diced 1 2/3 cup red beans (canned) 1 1/2 cup canned tomatoes (diced) 1/2 cup water approximately 1 pinch salt [optional] ground pepper to taste 2 tbsp fresh cilantro [optional] 1/3 cup Cheddar cheese, grated Keep the serving plates in the oven at the lowest setting so they are warm when you serve. Prepare the vegetables: Chop the onion, mince the garlic and chili pepper, finely dice the carrots, celery, and bell pepper. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic ...

I found this recipe at  http://www.sparkrecipes.com and it sounded so good I just had to try it. 1 medium onion, diced 6 oz fresh baby spinach 2 large eggs 1/2 cup egg beaters (I didn't have any so added 3 more eggs.  Why 3?  Because there were 5 in the carton . . . LOL) 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1/2 tsp baking powder pinch cayenne pepper 1-1/3 cups non fat milk 1/2 cup feta cheese Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly great a 10 inch quiche/tart pan  or pie plate. In a medium frying pan, cook diced onion with a bit of vegetable oil or cooking spray over medium-high heat until translucent and tender.  Add in fresh spinach and cook until just wilted.  Set aside to cool for a few minutes. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, flour and baking powder.  Whisk in milk, then stir in spinach-onion mixture. Pour quiche base into prepared pan.  Top with feta cheese. Bake for 25 minutes, or until centre is set and outside edge is golden ...

from soscuisine.com 2 servings Prep time 10 minutes cooking time 1-1/2 hours 150 calories per serving 1/2 Spanish onion, cut into 2 cm pieces 1 carrot, cut into 2 cm pieces 1 zucchini, cut into 2 cm pieces 1/2 aubergines/eggplant, small, cut into 2 cm pieces 1/2 yellow or red sweet pepper, cut into 2 cm pieces 1-1/2 tbsp olive oil 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced 3/4 cup canned tomatoes (diced) salt and pepper to taste Choose a baking dish in which the vegetables will fit tightly.  Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare the vegetables.  Generously oil an oven safe dish.  Add the garlic.  Layer the vegetables in the dish with the following sequence:  onion, carrot, zucchini, aubergine, pepper, and tomatoes on top.  Drizzle with oil, then add salt and pepper to taste. Bake in the middle of the oven 1-1/2 hours, until the vegetables are soft. Serve with steamed quinoa.

1 large butternut squash - peeled and cubed 1/2 green pepper 1 large onion garlic (I used garlic oil but minced garlic or dry garlic would work) holiday seasoning (sage, italian seasonings, S&P) 1 cup water I baked the above items in a Pampered Chef casserole dish covered with a cookie sheet to keep in the moisture at 350 for about 1 1/2 hours or until quite soft. (*the smell of garlic through the house was awesome! so I must have used quite a bit.) baked squash cubes 1 can evaporated milk 2 cans water 3 tsp chicken boullion Allow to cool, so you don't crack your food processor bowl or blender, for about 1/2 - 3/4 hour. Then process everything into a puree. Pour directly into a crock pot. It took 2 loads to process all of my squash without making a mess. In the bowl of the food processor, pour 1 can evaporated milk, 3 tsp chicken boullion powder and 2 cans of water * the reason I do this is to ensure I get all the spices and vegetable out of the bowl. Blend and then add to the ...

I made this soscuisine.com recipe up the other night. It is supposed to make 4 servings but it actually seems to be enough to feed a small banquet. Hal didn't like it, but Hal doesn't like zucchini or eggplant. I loved it. The recipe won't freeze well and I didn't want it to go to waste, so I took the leftover ratatouille and some red quinoa to Ladies Day Out. All the ladies seemed to enjoy it. So, here goes . . . 2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, pressed 1 cup green beans, cut into 2 cm pieces 2 zucchini, diced into 1.5 cm squares 1 eggplant, small, diced into 1.5 cm squares 1 yellow or red pepper, cut into 1.5 cm squares 1 carrot, cut into 1.5 cm squares salt and pepper to taste 300 g firm tofu, cubed 1-1/4 cup canned diced tomatoes 1 tsp Herbs aux Provence 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper Heat oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Saute the crushed garlic and chopped onion, taking care not to burn. Cook 4-5 minutes until the onion ...

1 lb (454 g) firm tofu, drained 1/4 cup soy sauce 2 tbsp hoisin sauce 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 tsp sesame oil 1/4 Asian chili paste or hot pepper sauce 2 tsp vegetable oil 2 cups sliced shitake mushroom caps or cremini mushrooms 1 green onion, sliced 1 tbsp gingerroot, minced 4 baby bok choy 1 sweet red pepper, diced 1/2 cup vegetable stock 1 pinch salt 1 pinch pepper Place tofu on large plate.  Cover with second plate and weigh down with 2 large, heavy cans.  Let stand for 10 minutes; drain.  Cut in half horizontally. Meanwhile, in shallow baking dish large enough to hold tofu in single layer, whisk together soy and hoisin sauces, garlic, sesame oil and chili paste.  Add tofu; turn to coat.  (This can be done up to 8 hours in advance and refrigerated until you are ready to complete the meal.)  Bake in 350F oven, turning once, until golden, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, brush large nonstick skillet with vegetable oil; heat over medium-h...

This should have been titled garlic with brussel sprouts. Although not my favourite (I actually LIKE brussel sprouts) this was loved by everyone else. I used 14-16 small brussel sprouts. (although larger ones are easier to work with the smaller taste less bitter) 1 tsp garlic 2 tbsp veg oil leeks or green onions chopped So as usual, you will trim off the bottom and remove the first 2-3 outer leaves. Place in salted water and boil until tender (NOT MUSHY!) Drain and cut in 1/2. In a small pan, place oil and garlic at med/high heat. Toss in onions/leeks. Stir fry for a couple minutes, then add sprouts. Fry only until thouroughly mixed. Then turn off heat. We actually reheated this one and they were VERY well received. Personally I would reduce the garlic to 1/2 tsp. Nice change. "Bon Appetit!"

This recipe appealed to Judy who is currently on a squash kick, but not being a big squash fan, Ididn't expect much. This was lovely. She loved it even more than the squash I stuffed with marshmallows a couple weeks ago! I will give you the easy way and at the end, give you a quick "presentation" idea we did. So peel and seed the squash (we used a butternut but the recipe actually called for acorn). Dice and boil cubes. Drain squash and mash. Now for each squash you have used add: 3 tbsp of brown sugar 1 tbsp butter/margarine 1/2 tsp grated orange rind 3 tbsp orange juice Mash and bake in oven at 350. Top with toasted nuts (they called for pecans, I used almonds....whatever) What we did was hollow out the Squash and used the shell as a serving dish. It looked lovely on the table. "Bon Appetit!"

Barley is a source of B-complex vitamins and a good source of soluble fibre, the kind that helps to reduce blood cholesterol levels. I thought the salad was okay . .. but not exciting. My fellow testers seemed to feel the same way. 1 cup pearl barley 1 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 2 cloves garlic, minced 4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved 2 cups corn kernels, cooked Bring large pot of water to boil; add barley. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 50 minutes or until tender. Drain; chill under cold running water and drain again. Meanwhile, in food processor or blender, puree basil, Parmesan, oil, salt and pepper ; stir in garlic. Toss with barley. add tomatoes and corn; toss again. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Source: CanadianLiving.com

I've renamed this "Tomato Stew". Delicious. Simple. Very filling. 2 servings 190 calories per serving 7 tbsp green-brown lentils(dried), rinsed and drained 1 cup My Mother's Tomato Sauce (recipe below) salt to taste It is not necessary to soak the lentils in advance. Rinse the lentils and pick out any small stones and debris. Cook them in a saucepan of salted water, about 20-25 minutes until tender but still somewhat al dente. Drain the lentils, discard the liquid and set them aside. Heat My Mother's Tomato Sauce in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the lentils and cook 5-7 minutes, with occasional stirring, until the lentils are fully cooked. Serve with steamed couscous, steamed basmati rice or steamed brown rice. I served it with whole wheat couscous and it was perfect. My Mother's Tomato Sauce makes 2-1/2 cups 1-2/3 cup canned tomatoes (diced or chopped) 1 clove garlic 1/2 onion, finely chopped 1/2 carrot, finely chopped 1/4 stalk celery, finely ch...

There are many versions of the out there, but here's my variation.  I have been known to eat a couple of pieces of this with a salad for lunch or supper, and it makes great "picky" food too. It makes a great potluck offering, too. Ingredients: 2 packages Pillsbury crescent roll dough 1-2 cups of chopped raw veggies of choice (I use red pepper, zucchini, green onion, broccoli and shredded carrot) about 1/2 a tub of garlic and herb cream cheese (you can use more or less depending on your taste of course) 1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or mozzarella usually, but use whatever you like) Directions: Open both packages of crescent rolls, one at a time, and unroll dough side by side onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  press down on perforations so that it forms one solid sheet of dough. Bake at 325 for 10-15 minutes until lightly golden brown.  Set aside to cool completely. Spread cream cheese over dough, leaving a small border around much like you would expect fro...