Broth Bag

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broth, cheap, easy, homemade, NaBloPoMo, stock, tip, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian

Yeah, I started this bag a while ago…

A few years ago, I posted a recipe for vegetable broth. It wasn’t even based on my own. I used a cookbook as a guide and bought vegetables specifically to make broth.

Do you know how ridiculous that was? At some point since then, I ran across this idea for a broth bag.

What you do is save all the ends, peels, etc. when you cut up vegetables (avoiding starchy things like potatoes) and throw them in a big Ziploc bag that lives in your freezer.

Lopped off the tops of some green onions in a jar and added them. Why not?

Favorite Veggie Recipes

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cooking, NaBloPoMo, recipes, vegetables, vegetarian

So with the constant supply of vegetable earnings, I have been cooking a lot. Often this just means I sauté some veggies and top with an egg or toss with pasta. That gets boring pretty quickly, so then I look up recipes, especially when I have somewhat unfamiliar produce on hand.

Here are a few keepers that I loved. Yes, they’re summery, but maybe I’m just looking out for our friends in the other hemisphere.

Will Work for Veggies

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Austin, farm, fruit, JBG Organic, Johnson's Backyard Garden, NaBloPoMo, organic, produce, Texas, vegetables, volunteering

A little over six months ago, I began volunteering at Johnson’s Backyard Garden, an organic CSA-based farm in Austin. I found out about this opportunity shortly after moving here three years ago. If you know me, I don’t really seem like a farm-y person, which is partly why it took me so long to try it out. But you know what? I keep going back because it’s kind of addictive.

Why? Because being outside, working with veggies, and maybe getting a little dirty is fun. Really! And it also might have something to do with the bounty of beautiful vegetables that you receive at the end.

I think my biggest concern about doing this was wondering what the heck I would do with all of that produce. This is also what kept me from joining a CSA because I only cook for myself. You quickly learn to use up the things that go bad first, and if you have a fear of pickling like I did, well, you get over it. (Pickled peppers are the BEST.)

Gloves because okra is prickly.

Turnip Return

Tags

blogging, cooking, fall, NaBloPoMo, soup, turnips, vegetables, vegetarian, winter

So we’re one week into December, and I have to say that while it’s been nice not making myself post every day for NaBloPoMo, it’s also been weird. More often than not, I feel like I’ve been in a bit of a funk, though not entirely because of not blogging. NaBloPoMo did often feel like a struggle, but having the daily purpose/accomplishment made up for it, which was something I noticed last year. I did need the breather, though. Last weekend I washed an absurd amount of dishes due to baking for Austin Bakes, so there wasn’t any real cooking or baking for the next few days to write about anyway.

I’m not sure what led to this realization, but it occurred to me the other day that I had never (knowingly) had a turnip. How had this not happened? I am 31 years old. Turnips are pretty basic, right? I seem to think of them as “northern” vegetables, along with the somewhat equally foreign parsnips and rutabagas. They are all available here, so I guess it’s more that my family never ate them. In my quest to try pretty much anything once (and to also pull myself out of mopey-ness), turnip soup needed to be made.

Daring Cooks’ Challenge: Moo Shu!

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bell peppers, cabbage, carrots, Chinese, cooking, Daring Cooks, garlic, ginger, green beans, healthy, hoisin, moo shu, mushrooms, napa, pancakes, sauce, stir fry, tofu, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian

The October Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by Shelley of C Mom Cook and her sister Ruth of The Crafts of Mommyhood.  They challenged us to bring a taste of the East into our home kitchens by making our own Moo Shu, including thin pancakes, stir fry and sauce.

Okay, I’m days late with this challenge, but wanted to complete it because 1) I’ve missed a couple of recent ones, and 2) I can’t pass up Asian recipes.  I’m glad I did it because it is SO good!!!

Traditionally moo shu is made with pork, so being vegetarian, I went with a different stir fry recipe than what was provided for the challenge.  Otherwise, I used the hoisin and pancake recipes from Shelley and Ruth!

This is an easy dinner to make, but the prep can be pretty time-consuming.  If you chop the veggies and make the sauce the day before you want to eat it, I would approve of that (it’s what I did)!  The pancakes are a little high-maintenance as most doughy things can be, but aren’t complicated.  

What I usually eat…

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coconut oil, cooking, mushrooms, onions, sweet potatoes, vegetables

I typically don’t go all out when I cook because most of the time, I’m just feeding myself.  On top of that, I like to make enough for a few days of leftovers, but not too much that I’ll get sick of it.  In other words, I’m a slacker at heart and a lot of what I eat isn’t blog-worthy.

But here I am, blogging about the boring (yet tasty) dinner I made last night.  Cuh-razy!

Often I’ll saute some veggies and call it a meal.  What you see here is onion, sweet potato, and mushrooms cooked in coconut oil.  (I’d read that coconut oil + sweet potatoes = a good idea.  It is.  Try it!)  Usually there’s a green thing in the mix, but I was craving bagels and chocolate during a post-pilates grocery store pit stop, so it’s enough of a feat that I made it to the produce section.  (and yes, I did buy bagels and chocolate.  mmm…)

PB &…V?? Sandwiches

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easy, healthy, peanut butter, recipes, sandwiches, Thai, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian

If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m just a little bit crazy.  Last night I had a dream about Colin Firth, and it was a typically (not atypically) weird one.

This friend of mine called me up and told me to go with her to this place because Colin Firth was going to be there.  I’m not sure what or where this place was, but we went.  Lo and behold, there was Colin Firth and his wife sitting at one of the many picnic tables!  Maybe this dream wasn’t very realistic because no one was bothering them.  My friend sat next to CF, and I sat next to his wife.  I might point out now that he was wearing a hideous sweater à la Mr. Darcy in Bridget Jones, but that it was somehow Nickelodeon-related instead of Christmasy.  (I really hope that it was SpongeBob.)

Daring Cooks’ Challenge: Cold Soba Salad and Tempura!

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cooking, Daring Cooks, Japan, noodles, sauce, soba, tempura, vegetables, vegetarian

The February 2011 Daring Cooks’ challenge was hosted by Lisa of Blueberry Girl.  She challenged Daring Cooks to make Hiyashi Soba and Tempura.  She has various sources for her challenge including japanesefood.about.com, pinkbites.com, and itsybitsyfoodies.com.

Although in my fourth month as a Daring Baker, this is my first Daring Cooks challenge!  I figured that since I also like to cook, it would be good to challenge myself in that department, especially since I feel more comfortable with baking.

I was really excited about this challenge because I love tempura and Japanese food in general, but hadn’t ever tried to actually make either of these dishes.  Let’s face it: I most likely wouldn’t have tried tempura on my own because deep frying is NOT something I ever contemplate attempting.

Anyway, despite my excitement, I didn’t actually complete this challenge until last night!  Tsk!  It took me a long time, too…I don’t know why I am SO SLOW in the kitchen.

But I did it. 

Veggies ‘n Dumplings

Tags

cooking, dumplings, recipes, soup, vegetables, vegetarian

I’ve pretty much been a vegetarian for a year now (I think the anniversary of the last day I had meat was literally a few days ago!).  It really wasn’t a difficult change for me as I didn’t eat very much meat anyway, and I was never a fan of cooking with it due to the whole raw thing.  One major difference I’ve noticed is that I eat out WAY less than I used to and therefore end up cooking quite a bit more.

There are so many yummy non-meat things to eat that I rarely miss it.  When I do, it’s usually chicken that I crave most.  Despite how bad it is for you, I occasionally find myself with a crazy craving for Chick Fil-A.  Ugh…SO good, yet so bad.  It’s like everyday is Sunday.

Most of all, I miss my grandma’s chicken ‘n dumplings.  I grew up with them, and no other versions have compared.  Most dumplings are usually biscuits thrown on top of the soup, but my grandma’s are actually strips of dough cooked in the soup.  The result is this dense, almost chewy texture that I love.  

New Zealand Yams

Tags

cooking, easy, gluten-free, NZ, potatoes, recipes, sides, vegetables

I am such a sucker for anything claiming to be from New Zealand.  Is it possible to have a crush on a country?  Evidently…  It’s not just because I’ve been there.  Oh, no.  Why would a girl with an unstamped passport just pack her bags on a whim and head to New Zealand of all places?  Don’t most Americans tend to make Europe their first big trip?  I mean, I’ve never even been to Canada, let alone Mexico, which is probably about a 3 hour drive away.  New Zealand customs were suspicious!  And then, you’d think that since I’ve been there, I’d be satisfied, yet every day my thoughts are consumed with the place.

I haven’t gone completely off my rocker, though.  The nearby snooty grocery store sells 24-packs of New Zealand water.  Seriously, folks.  I bought a bottle of water once in Auckland, and it was at an outdoor music festival where containers weren’t permitted through the entrance.  So, no, I haven’t been tempted by the imported water…yet.