Quote of the week

Cookery is not chemistry. It is an art.
It requires instinct and taste rather than exact measurements.

Marcel Boulestin

Cracked Wheat with veggies

Ingredients

2 cups cracked wheat*
4 cups water
1 cup chopped green peppers
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 onion halved and sliced
1 cup shredded butternut squash or hubbard squash
1 can shredded chicken or turkey
1 cup tomato sauce
1-2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
2 TB olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Put cracked wheat into a big pot with water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and cover to cook until the water is mostly absorbed and the wheat is soft. Add some salt to taste. Turn off the heat but keep the pot covered with the steam inside to continue softening the wheat.

While the wheat is cooking heat oil in a skillet and saute onions until they turn golden brown. Take the onions out and add mushrooms and peppers and squash to the hot skillet. You can add more oil if needed. Once the veggies are soft bring the onions back to the skillet and add chicken or turkey, tomato sauce, garlic, salt and pepper and parsley. Bring it to a boil and pour the veggie sauce over the cooked wheat and let it cook for 5 minutes or so.

Makes 6 servings

*Araksya's Tip: I crack my own wheat with a blender by pulsing small batches at a time for 4-5 seconds!

Hubbard Squash Salad

Ingredients

4 cups raw shredded hubbard squash
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2/3 cup orange juice
1 TB orange zest
1 TB honey

Directions:

Combine cranberries, orange juice, orange zest and honey in a small saucepan and cook for 5 minutes. Pour it warm over the squash and mix well.


Makes 6-8 servings

Healthy Pasta Salad

Ingredients

1 lb pasta
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup fire-roasted red peppers* chopped
1 cup chopped Swiss chard or spinach
1 cup chopped zucchini
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (optional)
1 cup homemade Italian dressing (recipe below)

Italian dressing recipe
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dry basil
1 tsp dry Italian parsley
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup oil (any kind)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar


Directions

Cook pasta according to the instructions on the package. Drain and rinse with cold water.
Mix all the vegetables and herbs in a big bowl and add pasta to the bowl. Add the dressing and mix well and chill everything in a fridge for an hour or so.

Makes 10 servings

* Araksya's Tip: If you don't have fire-roasted red peppers you can use fresh red or green bell peppers.
Cucumbers and/or radishes are also good additions to this salad.

Minestrone Soup

Ingredients

1/2 cup minced white onions (about 1 small onion)
1/2 cup chopped zucchini
1/2 cup frozen cut Italian green beans or canned
1/2 cup minced celery (about 1/2 stalk)
2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
4 cups vegetable broth
2 TB olive oil

2 cups dry red beans
1 cups dry broad beans*
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup carrots shredded
1 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 TB fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil2 TB minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 cups hot water
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1 cup small shell pasta or any kind you have

Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.

Saute onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent.

Add vegetable broth to the pot, plus drained tomatoes, beans, carrot, hot water, herbs, and spices. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.

Add spinach leaves and pasta and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until desired consistency.
Makes 8 servings

Araksya's Tip: You can add cooked shredded chicken to the soup. I like it with ground turkey sausage with no spices in it.
* You can use any kind of beans you have or like. You can also use canned beans.

Borscht (Cabbage and Beet soup)

Ingredients

1 medium cabbage shredded
1 small beet peeled and diced
2 carrots diced
1 bell pepper coarsely chopped
3-4 potatoes diced
1 onion chopped
1 cup tomato sauce
2 TB tomato paste
1/4 cup Italian parsley chopped
2 TB olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dry basil or 2 TB fresh
1-quart broth (beef or chicken) or water
salt and pepper


Directions

Heat oil in a big pan, add onions and cook until transparent. Add tomato paste and sauce, basil, paprika, and stir well. Then add the rest of the vegetables to the pan, the broth, salt, and pepper and let it cook for 30-40 minutes or longer until the vegetables are cooked well but still a little crunchy. Add parsley and turn the heat off.

Makes 8 servings

Araksya's Tip: You can add beef (ground or chunks) to this dish. If adding ground beef then cook the meat with onions. Or you can cook any beef pieces in water with bay leaf and use that broth for the soup with the meat.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Veggie Soup

Ingredients

1-2 pounds butternut squash peeled, seeded and chopped
2 carrots cut into big chunks
1 celery stalk cut into big chunks
1 big bell pepper cut into chunks
2-3 cups chicken or beef stock
2 TB olive oil
1/4 cup Italian parsley
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 425F. Prepare a big cookie sheet with a foil and put all of the veggies on the sheet. Drizzle them with olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Roast them in the oven for 30 minutes or until the veggies get browned slightly.
Take them out and let them cool for a few minutes, and then blend them in the blender with parsley and the chicken or beef stock.

Pour the mix into a pot and warm it up on the stove.

Makes 4 servings

Savory Muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/3 cups buttermilk*
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup chopped onions or scallions
• 3/4 cup diced bacon
• 1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped mushroom
• 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray.
2. Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, pepper and salt in a large bowl.
3. Whisk eggs, buttermilk, oil and butter in a medium bowl. Fold in scallions, bacon, cheese and bell pepper. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula until just moistened. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan (the cups will be very full).
4. Bake the muffins until the tops are golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges and turn the muffins out onto a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.

Makes 12-13 muffins

*Araksya's tip: You can substituted the buttermilk with milk.

Armenian Bughlama (Eggplant-pepper-tomato stew)

This is an Armenian dish that my Mom makes to can. I made this dish yesterday for dinner and canned 10 jars, as well!

Ingredients

2 eggplants, peeled and cut in big chunks
4 bell peppers seeded and quartered
4 tomatoes sliced
3 onions sliced
1/2 a stick butter
1/4 cup water
Salt and pepper


Directions

In a big pot layer all the veggies starting with the tomatoes, then onions, eggplant and then peppers. Continue layering until all the veggies are finished. Then add the water, salt and pepper, and the butter. Cover the pot and let it cook over a medium low heat until everything is cooked completely.



Araksya's tip: This is perfect to can like that but if you are making a dinner out of it you can add any kind of meat, potatoes and parsley.

Cabbage and Kielbasa stew

Ingredients

1 small head cabbage thinly sliced
2 cups diced potatoes
2 cups chopped turnip tops or spinach
1/2 big eggplant, peeled and diced
1 yellow squash, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 onion, quartered and sliced
1 link kielbasa, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup chopped tomatoes or canned tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley (or 2 TB dry)
2 TB tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 TB oil
1 tsp dry basil
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp hot sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Use an electric skillet or heat a big pot over medium high heat with oil. Add all of the veggies and kielbasa to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally until they start turning brown. Add the spices and herbs, tomato paste and water. Stir, cover and turn the heat down, then cook until the veggies are all cooked but a little crunchy.


Araksya's tip: It's better if you cook this dish in a large skillet without crowding the veggies too much, otherwise they won't be able to brown but they'll only steam.

Quote of the Week!

"Life may be as dull as a cold dinner,
but a little laughter makes a tasty sauce."

Mashed Potatoes with Roasted vegetables

I made up this recipe when my husband harvested some red potatoes from our garden.


4 potatoes
2 boneless chicken breasts quartered
1 yellow squash diced
1 zucchini diced
1 eggplant peeled and diced
1 big bell pepper, diced (I used red pepper)
1 onion chopped
1/2 cup milk
2 cloves garlic with skins
1 tsp paprika
2 TB parsley chopped
1 tsp dry basil
oil
salt and pepper


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Boil potatoes in a pot with water until cooked through. Drain and mash them in the same pot adding milk, salt and pepper to taste, half of the paprika and parsley. Cover and set aside to stay warm.

Meanwhile arrange the veggies and chicken on a big cookie sheet, drizzle with some olive oil, add dry basil, the rest of paprika, salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until the veggies are browned and the chicken is cooked.
Remove the skin from the roasted garlic and mash it with a fork.
Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and add to the potatoes along with the veggies and garlic.


Makes 4-6 servings

Araksya's tip: I used the red potatoes with skins.

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

BELIEVE while others are doubting.
PLAN while others are playing.
STUDY while others are sleeping.
DECIDE while others are delaying.
PREPARE while others are daydreaming.
BEGIN while others are procrastinating.
WORK while others are wishing.
SAVE while others are wasting.
LISTEN while others are talking.
SMILE while others are frowning.
COMMEND while others are criticizing.
PERSIST while others are quitting.


William Arthur Ward

Double baked vegetable delight

I had most of these veggies freshly picked from our garden and so I came up with this recipe today ("Obviously gorgeous - and SO tasty" - Jim)

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes sliced
1 big eggplant quartered and sliced
3 peppers cored and sliced
2 zucchini sliced
2 yellow squash sliced
4 big tomatoes sliced
8 oz package of sliced mushrooms
1 big onion cut in half and sliced
2 cups cooked chicken shredded*
1/2 cup tomato juice or sauce
1 cup shredded Italian cheese mix**
3 TB fresh flat leaf parsley
1 TB fresh basil or 1 tsp dried
2 TB balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic minced
olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste


Turn the broiler on low.

Arrange the veggies in one layer on the sprayed cookie sheets. Drizzle them with olive oil and salt and pepper. Drizzle balsamic vinegar on the sweet potatoes in addition to the oil. Bake them in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables start getting brown. Take them out and turn the oven on to 350 degrees F.

Spray a 9x13" casserole dish with oil and then sprinkle with 1/4 cup tomato juice or sauce. Then start layering the vegetables, starting with sweet potatoes, then the squashes. Sprinkle half of the cheese on top of squash and then continue layering with the tomatoes, then minced garlic, onions, herbs, and chicken with one layer each. Then add a layer of peppers, then mushrooms, and finish off with eggplant. Sprinkle the rest of the tomato juice and the cheese on top, cover the dish with foil and put it back into the oven to bake 25 more minutes.



Araksya's Tip: * You can use any kind of cooked meat. The leftovers are great. I used some grilled chicken leftovers.

**Any kind of cheese will work. I had a mix of Provolone, Parmesan, Asiago and Mozzarella cheeses.



Quote of the week

"If you want to do something, you'll find the way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse."

"World’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookies"

Revised & adapted from numerous “Doubletree Hotel” recipes

by Jim Kennard


5 cups Rolled Oats – Measure first and then grind until fine
4 cups whole wheat flour – fresh milled preferred
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon salt
½ Tablespoon cinnamon
2 ½ cups butter, softened
1 ½ Tablespoons vanilla
2 ½ cups brown sugar, packed
2 ½ cups granulated sugar
8 ounces Hershey’s Cocoa – and ½ cup honey - OR
18 oz Hershey chocolate bar-melted
½ Tablespoon lemon juice
6 eggs
4 cups semi-sweet choc chips
5 cups chopped walnuts
2 cups coconut
2 cups raisins

Grind oats in a food processor or blender until fine. Combine the ground oats with the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

Cream together the butter, sugars, vanilla, Hershey’s cocoa & honey OR melted chocolate bar, and lemon juice in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Add the eggs and mix until smooth. Stir the dry mixture into the wet mixture and blend well. Add the chocolate chips, coconut, raisins, and nuts to the dough and mix by hand until ingredients are well blended.

For the best results, chill the dough overnight in the refrigerator before baking the cookies.

With an ice cream scoop, scoop rounded 2 ounce portions onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten slightly. Place the scoops about 2 inches apart. Bake in a 350°F oven for 20+ minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. When cool store in a sealed container to keep soft.

Why such a large recipe? You’ll know after you make them!

"Fear less, hope more, eat less, chew more,
Whine less, breathe more, talk less, say more,
Hate less, love more, and all good things will be yours."

Spaghetti with Italian sausage

2 red bell peppers - thinly slices
1 big yellow onion - sliced
2 cups chopped white mushrooms
1 lb spaghetti
4 links Italian sausage - chopped
3 cups tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic - minced
2 TB fresh parsley - chopped
2 TB fresh basil - chopped
2 TB olive oil
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese


Heat oil in a big skillet and cook the sausage until browned. Take them out and keep them warm in a bowl. Meanwhile saute onions in the skillet until translucent and add mushrooms, peppers and herbs and spices. Cook until the veggies start browning. Put the sausage back with the veggie mix and add the tomato sauce and cook for 5-10 more minutes.

While the sauce is cooking heat water in a big pan and bring to a boil. Then cook the spaghetti until done. Drain and add the pasta to the sauce. Serve with Parmesan cheese on top.


Serves 6 - 8 people

"Look on the world as a big fruitcake, it wouldn't be complete without a few nuts in it!"

Lentil and Bean Soup

2 cups lentils uncooked
1 can beans, any kind, drained and rinsed
1 can diced or crushed tomatoes
2 quarts chicken or beef broth
2 cups cooked chicken - cubed or shredded
2 cups broccoli - bite-size pieces
1 yellow squash - cubed into 1/2" pieces
1 zucchini - 1/2" cubes
1 red or green bell pepper - 1/2" cubes
1 small onion - chopped
2 stalks celery - chopped
2 big carrots - sliced
2 cloves garlic - minced
2 TB chopped fresh basil (or 2 teaspoon dry basil)
2 TB fresh Italian parsley (or 2 teaspoon dry parsley)
2 TB tomato paste
2 TB oil
1 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper


Directions:

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a big pot and put lentils in for a minute. Add broth and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and let it cook until lentils are tender, 20-30 minutes.
Meanwhile in a skillet heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and saute onions until translucent, then add garlic, herbs and spices and cook another minute. Add the onion mixture to the lentils along with all of the veggies, chicken and tomato paste. Continue cooking 20 more minutes.


Serves 10-12 people

Araksya's tip: I prefer to use green french lentils. I have used hot smoked sausage instead of chicken, too. Any kind of meat will do the job.
Also, you can sprinkle some Parmesan cheese before serving.

"The ambition of every good cook must be to make something very good with the fewest possible ingredients."


Urbain Dubois