Cold Plates

Day 162

Most people will think "lunch meat" at the mention of a cold plate, but our cold plates are salads and pickles and stuff.

Cold Plates

Cold Plates

• Potato Salad
• Broccoli Salad
• Lentil Salad
• Gherkins Pickles
• Stuffed Manzilla Olives
• Homemade Dills aka. Cian's Garlic Dills
• Kühne Pickled Beets
• Cheddar Cheese
• Soft White Rolls

Potato Salad

Ingredients

7 potatoes
5 eggs
1/2 white onion
1 1/2 cup salad dressing
1/3 cup coffee cream
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp white sugar
1 tbsp white vinegar
Salt & pepper
Paprika

Boil eggs and potatoes (separately), then chop them and let cool completely.

Boiled eggs

Boiled potatoes

Chop onion fine and mix with the potatoes and eggs.

Chopped onion (red for lentil salad & white for potato salad

Mix  salad dressing, mustard, sugar and vinegar to make the sauce, and fold into the potato mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the top of the salad liberally with paprika.

Potato salad

Broccoli Salad

We got this broccoli salad recipe from our friend, Marianne, many years ago.

Ingredients

1 package broccoli crowns
1 small red onion
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1/2 cup Thompson's raisins
1 cup red grapes, halved
1/2 cup salad dressing
3 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp white vinegar

Broccoli, red onions, walnuts, grapes, raisins

Blanch the broccoli. Let cool in a bowl and then add the walnuts, onion, grapes and raisins.

Broccoli salad, sans dressing

Mix the salad dressing, cream, sugar and vinegar until smooth and then mix into the broccoli mixture.

Broccoli salad

Lentil Salad

This tastes better than you would think.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup green lentils
3 cups water
4 or 5 green onions
1 lemon
6 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
sea salt

 Garlic, scallions, lentils, lemon

Cook lentils in the water about 20 minutes, then drain. Set aside to cool. Add the green onions and garlic and stir.

Cooked lentils with chopped scallion & garlic

Squeeze the lemon. Mix the lemon, oil and thyme and add to lentil mixture. Salt with the sea salt to taste.

Lentil salad

Other Cold Plate Stuff

Some of our favorite pickles, including the garlic dills we made last fall using some of our little cucumbers, as well as rolls to have with butter.

Pickles & rolls

Cold plates

Reviews/Comments

Like a summer picnic. Let's review separately (Molly will love this):

Potato salad:
Me: 10
Laura: 8

Broccoli salad:
Me:10
Laura:10
Missy: 9

Lentil salad: 
Me: 9
Laura: 8
Missy: 9

Overall rating: 
Me: 9
Laura: 9

Toast n Stuff

Days 155-161

These were dark days.

Peppermint tea & toast

On Sunday (Day 155) we had leftover empanadas and I did take a pic, but was feeling unusually poor and decided to wait and blog it. That's when the flu hit, or as I call it, The Wretchedness.

Leftover empanadas

Monday, Laura made me a grilled cheese and tomato, but she didn't get a pic and I was in no shape to remember to ask her to. Or care. About anything. Including living. But, I thought eating might help and the sandwich was pretty good. It was the last real meal I would have until Thursday at lunchtime.

Tuesday and Wednesday's suppers consisted of toast and water one night and toast and tea the next.

Tea & toast

On Thursday, I had a wake to go to and did not eat supper at all, but nibbled on some chips and dip and sweets at late uncle's house. By then, Laura was on Day 2 of The Wretchedness, but ordered some take out and tried to eat some rice.

On Friday, still lacking energy, we ordered a Greek Vegetable Pizza from Pizza Delight.

Greek Vegetable Pizza

On Saturday we had egg salad sandwiches. Very good, and I took lots of pics, too. I had tomato on mine and Laura had chips on hers.

Egg salad sandwich ingredients

Egg salad sandwiches

And now you're up to date!

Vegetarian Picadillo Empanadas & Mexican Rice

Day 154

We used to make Beef Picadillo Empanadas sometimes when we lived in Fredericton. And again, by we I mean Laura. Once or twice I took a batch of them to work and made some friends for life. I remember Dave DeJong and Becky Grant, in particular, were big fans of Laura's empanadas.

Vegetarian Picadillo Empanadas & Mexican Rice

Vegetarian Picadillo Empanadas

For these we just substituted the beef for veggie ground. You would be surprised how close they are, especially in something like this.

Empanada Dough Recipe

Original recipe here

Ingredients

1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 egg
1/3 cup ice water
1 tbsp vinegar

Directions

1. Sift flour with salt into a large bowl and blend in shortening.
2. Beat the egg, water, and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork. Add to flour mixture, stirring with fork until combined.
3. Knead the dough a couple times and then form it into a flat disc. Wrap in plastic and chill in the fridge or an hour.

Empanada dough

Picadillo Empanada Filling

Original recipe here

Ingredients

1 package of veggie ground
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
4 cloves garlic
1 onion, chopped fine
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup vegetable broth
3/4 cup tomato sauce
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
20 green olives, pitted and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp butter and a splash of water for sautéing

Directions

1. Peel, chop, mince and prepare everything.
2. In a frying pan, heat the butter. Sauté the onions, red pepper and garlic until soft.

Onions, red peppers & garlic sautéing

3. Add the potatoes, veggie broth and tomato sauce. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes.

Potatoes, tomatoes & veggie broth added

4. Remove the cover. Add the olives and cook uncovered 15 minutes or until the liquid is fully evaporated, then add the veggie ground last.

Picadillo empanada filling

Ready to fill your empanadas.

Making Empanadas

Divide the dough into 12 and roll each piece into a flat disc. Add 1/2 cup filling to the center and fold over into a crescent shape. Wet the edges, turn them back and press firmly to seal.

We spread a hefty amount of coconut oil on the pan before placing the empanadas on it, so they will be nice and crispy. The tops have an egg brush.

Filled empanadas, ready for the oven

Into a 350 degrees F oven they go for 10 or 15 minutes until heated and browned. We served them with sour cream and a side of Mexican Rice.

Vegetarian Picadillo Empanadas

Mexican Rice

Original recipe here

Ingredients

1  onion
2 jalapenos
2 cups long grain white rice
1⁄4 cup coconut oil
4 minced garlic cloves
2 cups veggie broth
1 cup canned tomatoes
3 Roma tomatoes
1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
1 lime for serving

Chopped olives, jalapenos, garlic, onion, red pepper

1. Wash and dry the rice. Cook it in a skillet in oil on medium heat until golden brown.

Browned rice

2. Add half the chopped red pepper, jalapeno and garlic.

Rice with peppers & garlic

3. Whiz the onion and the other half of the red pepper. Add 2 cups of it to the rice.

Pureed pepper & onion

Tomato & onion added to rice mixture

4. Add 2 cups veg broth. Bring to a boil. Take it off the heat, pour it into a casserole dish and cover.

Rice in casserole dish

5. Cook 250 degrees F oven for 40 minutes.

Mexican Rice

Vegetarian Picadillo Empanadas & Mexican Rice

Reviews/Comments

OMG. Laura has outdone herself again. These are just as good-in fact, better-than the beef version. And nearly as good baked instead of deep-fried. Oh, how I have missed empanadas. Just one more reminder that being vegetarian or vegan does not necessarily mean giving up your favorite dishes.

The empanadas get a perfect 10 from both of us. I give the rice an 8. It would have been better with the cilantro, more jalapenos, and more garlic.

Northeasterns on Bagels

Day 153

So we couldn't resist having these again. Too easy, and we had all the stuff, and it's all perishable, and we like them a lot. Not that we need an excuse.

Northeasterns on Bagels

Tonight's Northeastern Ingredients

Ingredients

2 everything bagels
4 eggs
1 tiny piece of red pepper
1 shallot
1 handful spinach
3 mushrooms
6 skinny slices of Havarti cheese
Salt & pepper

Northeastern ingredients

Directions

Chop all the vegetables, except the spinach, and sauté in a non-stick frying pan. No oil is necessary, since the mushrooms provide the moisture.

Vegetables sautéing

Whisk the eggs and spinach and toss on top of the vegetables in the pan. Using a spatula, scramble the mixture, and form into 2 bagel-sized shapes. Let fry for a couple minutes until bonded, flip over and top with cheese.

Eggs added to veggies

Cover the pan and allow the egg to cook through and cheese to melt.

Eggs & veggies with Havarti

Place on a buttered and mayoed bagel.

Northeastern

Reviews/Comments

Laura found the egg patty was too thick, but was still really good. Maybe 3 eggs would be better. I give it a 8. Laura rates it an 8 with a "Was tasty." comment.

Sloppy Joes

Day 152

Sloppy Joes again! I posted pretty good directions on how to make Sloppy Joes back in December and January, but we always make them a little differently anyway.

Sloppy Joe on Toasted Bun

Ingredients:

1 package of veggie ground

1 onion, chopped (we also chopped half a red pepper)

1 1/2 tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp chipotle powder

3 tbsp barbeque sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 tbsp vinegar

1 tbsp flour

*Note: If you don't like a lot of heat in a dish, I suggest you skip the chipotle powder and go with 2 tbsps of chili powder instead.

Sloppy Joe ingredients

Directions

Start with an onion. Chop it up.

Onion on cutting board

Sauté it. I did a healthy sauté in just water until it was cooked clear.

Onion sautéing water & buns toasting

Gather the other ingredients: flour, vinegar, BBQ sauce, ketchup, milk, chili powder, chipotle powder, and veggie ground. The recipe also calls for salt and Worchestershire sauce but we didn't miss it.

Measure everything out and add it to the onions, adding the veggie ground last. Cook a minute or two and serve on toasted buns. It's super simple.

Everything added except the veggie ground

Veggie ground added

Sloppy Joe

Reviews/Comments

Very spicy! Super good. This got rave reviews from Laura, who is usually the one who makes Sloppy Joes around here. Again, she mentioned her Dad, so this is a nostalgic meal for her. Actually, it got a 10 from both of us! :)

Northeasterns

Day 151

So, a Northeastern is like a Western sandwich but instead of the traditional ingredients of ham, onion, green pepper and cheddar, we use whatever veggies are on hand and whatever cheese is on hand. We call it a Northeastern, although last time we made it we called it Toasted Egg-n-Veg Sandwich.

Northeastern Sandwich

Northeastern Sandwich

Basically, by our definition, a toasted sandwich on any bread, with any vegetable or cheese and no meat is a Northeastern. Tonight we had ours on bagels. We decided to stop calling them Westerns since they really aren't Westerns in the traditional sense and renamed them Northeasterns.

Eggs and veggies

So Many Ways to Make Them

The vegetables can be mixed with the raw egg and scrambled, or added in with the half-cooked egg and scrambled, or even added to the top of a half cooked fried egg, like we did tonight!

Bread options include:
Bread, bagel, English muffin, croissant, tortilla, pita or whatever bread you like or have at the time. We love our potato bread, but tonight we had sesame bagels that had to be used, and were the catalyst for the whole meal.

Bagel toasting

Veggie options include:
For vegetables you could use spinach, mushrooms, green onions, white or yellow onions, red, orange, yellow or green peppers, tomatoes, or whatever you happen to have.

Spinach and mushrooms

Cheese options include:
You can skip the cheese for these, but if you prefer to have it, we've tried lots of different ones with eggs, including Swiss, feta, Havarti or cheddar.

Tonight's Northeastern

Normally I scramble the eggs and veggies together, but tonight I was feeling more like a fried egg, so I added the vegetables to the uncooked side...

Tonight's ingredients included:
Red onion
Mushrooms
Red pepper
Havarti cheese
Sesame bagels

Veggies on frying egg

...and the cheese to the cooked side after flipping it.

Egg with Havarti

Pop it onto the bottom half of a buttered bagel...

Open Northeastern sandwich

...and top with the top half of bagel. And enjoy! Simple and cheap and delicious.

Northeastern sandwich

Reviews/Comments

Surprisingly delightful meal, even or supper. Good with fruit or home fries. I give mine an 8.