Potato, Broccoli, and Peanut Casserole

Potato, Broccoli, and Peanut Casserole

If you can imagine the classic coconut peanut sauce (which you have  probably poured over noodles) then you can imagine this casserole. You can see from the photo that it makes a great presentation. Underneath that layer of potatoes is a whole bunch of broccoli, which make this a double whammy in the veg department.

This recipe comes from the tiny book "Vegan...Made Simple" published by Love Food. I have mentioned it here on my blog more than a few times because every single thing I've made from it has been great. The book was a gift from my mom (thanks Mom!) and at first glance it appears to be the type of book from the 'dollar' shelf at the back of the book store. But seriously, the pages are FULL of treasures. I love this book! 

Here's what you need: 

1 pound new potatoes, sliced

1 T olive oil

1/2 small onion, diced

1 3/4 C coconut milk

1/2 C chunky peanut butter

1 T soy sauce

2 t sugar

1/2 t crushed red pepper

3 C broccoli florets

1/2 C unsalted peanuts

2 t non-dairy butter, melted

salt and pepper

Here's what you do:

Drop the potato slices in boiling water and cook for about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. Saute the onions in a bit of oil until they are soft, stir in the milk, peanut butter, soy sauce, sugar and red pepper flakes. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Steam the broccoli until tender (don't over cook it) 

Stir the broccoli and peanuts into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into a greased baking dish. Arrange the potatoes over the sauce and drizzle with melted butter. Bake 20 minutes or so in 375 oven. 

Chunky Portabella Veggie Burgers (from The Kitchen Whisperer)

This recipe was floating around my Facebook page a few months ago. I kept looking at it and looking at it and looking at it.  If you peek HERE at the original photos at TheKitchen Whisperer, you'll see a most gorgeous burger, shiny, grilled to perfection. Who wouldn't want to eat it? I simply had to try them!

My burgers and photos are a bit more dull and flat, but the burger was delectable! I served it with a chickpea salad that had a lime dressing and some rice to which I added the remaining broccoli and some green onions.

I think this burger could be improved by drizzling something great over them.....a roasted tomato dressing? A jalapeno crema? Cilantro pesto?  Another tiny complaint - the recipe was huge! Do you see those 9 gigantic burgers? They did not hold up very well as leftovers.....tasted fine, but turned into a type of 'Portabella/broccoli/black bean casserole.' No worries, we ate them all. Stuffed them in pita bread, rolled them in tortillas, packed them for lunches.

Thanks to The Kitchen Whisperer for an excellent recipe - Go check out the recipe and try these hearty burgers! 

Miso Ramen Stir-fry with Greens and Beans – Vegan Month of Food

Poesy and Plate
 Vegan Month of Food  2014

(check out the hundreds of VeganMoFo blogs HERE)
My goal: cook and blog about vegan food 20 times
  during the month of September. 
My theme: words and food

This had so much flavor! Delicious and easy to throw together after a busy work day. 

The Bean Eaters

By Gwendolyn Brooks (1963)

They eat beans mostly, this old yellow pair

Dinner is a casual affair.

Plain chipware on a plain and creaking wood,

Tin flatware.

Two who are Mostly Good.

Two who have lived their day,

But keep on putting on their clothes

And putting things away.

And remembering….

Remembering, with twinklings and twinges,

As they lean over the beans in their rented back room that is full of beads and receipts and dolls              and cloths, tobacco crumbs, vases and fringes.


This poem almost makes me cry when I read it. You too?

Here’s what you need: (from Appetite for Reduction, Isa Chandra – the vegan goddess of the universe)

1 pound broccoli – stems and florets

8 ounces  noodles (I used ramen, Isa suggests  udon )

Garlic

1 bunch Swiss Chard, stems removes, chopped

1 C green onions, sliced

16 ounce can azuki beans, drained and rinsed

1/3 C miso

½ C hot water

4 t sesame seeds

Sriracha hot sauce

Sesame oil (my addition)

Here’s what you do:

Cook noodles according to package. Set aside but be sure to keep ½ C of the starchy pasta water. Satue broccoli in a tiny bit of oil until for tender. You can add a splash of water and cover the pan to encourage it. It’s OK if there are a few brown spots. Set aside. In the same pan, gently saute the minced garlic, making certain it does not brown. Add the Swiss chard and onions to the pan. When the leaves have cooked down, add the beans and heat through. Use the hot pasta water to thin the miso and pour this over the Swiss chard. Heat through and mix with the noodles. Garnish with sesame seeds and sesame oil. 

Forty-Clove Chickpea and Broccoli

What to do with all these chickpeas! I just spent all morning simmering them and getting them to the perfect creamy consistency. Hummus is in my near future. And I think some freezer bags might also be in my near future.

From “Appetite for Reduction” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz here is my take on her Forty-Clove Chickpea and Broccoli.  I couldn’t believe how delicious this recipe is – it looks very plain and really too ‘vegan’ (if you know what I mean.) But it is an absolute winner! We have eaten it twice this week. The broth is scrumptious and perfect for spooning over rice. The broccoli melts in your mouth and has nice crispy brown spots. Did you know that broccoli is packed with tons of nutrients - more vitamin C than an orange! Yes. And it even has protein!

Your mother was right, “Eat your broccoli!” (I don’t think my mother ever said that.)

Here’s what you need: (my changes are reflected here)

2 bunches of fresh, raw broccoli

12 cloves garlic, smashed and peel removed

1 15 ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 t olive oil

Salt, pepper to taste

Lemon zest from one lemon

1 ½ t dried oregano

Pam vegetable oil spray

2 C vegetable broth

Fresh lemon juice

Here’s what you do:

Wash and cut the broccoli into large pieces. Smash the garlic cloves with the side of a large knife until the paper is loose and the clove is, well, smashed. Remove the paper skins. Chop the cloves roughly – you do not want small bits. Place the broccoli, garlic and chickpeas in a 9x13 baking dish. Drizzle olive oil over all and stir a bit. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, lemon zest and oregano. Spray with oil and stir some more.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes, stirring at the half-way point. After 30 minutes, add the vegetable broth and continue cooking for another 15 minutes. Squeeze with fresh lemon juice before serving. It’s perfect over white rice!

And for those of you who want a chicken version of this recipe click here for my Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic. 

Enchanted Broccoli Forest – Moosewood Cookbook

One thing I cannot get over is how much my cooking has changed in the last year. Meals used to revolve around the ubiquitous boneless skinless chicken breast. Mushrooms, eggplants and squash were only side dishes. Cheese was melted over everything.

Up until a year ago I was cooking for a crowd, or at least more than two people. I used the crock pot and the pressure cooker; my freezer was packed full of whatever was on sale. Huge amounts of food were consumed.

When my children were little, I loved nothing better than to make ‘kid food,’ but this never meant boxed man ‘n cheese! It meant homemade meatballs served with fun shaped pasta. Or Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes. Or individual pizzas, each made to everyone’s personal preferences. Toothpick night, dip night, eat dessert first night.

I recently remembered this fun recipe and made it when my sons were home for dinner. I served it with Ina Garten’s Lemon Chicken (which, if you are still eating chicken is absolutely the best chicken dish on earth. Check it out here.)

Silly, I know….make a rice pilaf and stand some broccoli up like a little forest….then label it ‘enchanted’…… but I like it….and my kids used to love it….and that warms my heart….and besides, it tastes great. Kid food for grown-ups.

Here’s what you need:

1 small bunch broccoli

1 T oil or butter

1 C chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

2 T lemon juice

6 C cooked rice – white or brown

Salt, pepper, cayenne to taste

2 t dried dill

1/4 – 1/2  t dried mint

1/4 C minced fresh parsley

1/2 C toasted sunflower seeds (or salted sunflower seeds)

1 C grated cheddar

More butter, melted for drizzling over the top

Here’s what you do:

Trim the broccoli making sure you have about 15 ‘trees’ that are long enough to stand up. Trim the tough spears. Plan to serve the remaining broccoli on the side. Steam the broccoli until just fork tender. Run under cold water to stop the cooking and to retain the bright green color.

Sauté the onions over medium heat until softened and not brown. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the lemon juice, seasonings, herbs, seeds, cheese and rice. Mix well and pour into a prepared 9 X 13 pan.  Arrange the broccoli in a pleasing way throughout the rice. Drizzle with melted butter. Create a tent out of aluminum foil to partially cover the veggies. Bake 15-20 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Serve right away.

Reflecting back on a menu

Last week I was bragging how great I was simply because I managed to jot down a menu.  I want to brag again a bit today, and mention that I stuck to said menu almost to the letter. You see, for me, menus work! They mean dinner gets done….and I don’t just mean *done* …. I mean *DONE.*  Hot food on the table.

Only problem is if the menu is not of high quality: not enough variety; too many trips to the grocery; recipes that are too involved; too bland; too boring….. you name it.

My problem last week was that two of my main dished were, well….. how to put this….. not very tasty.

I call this the big yellow blob meal. 

The red lentil dahl was very thick and weird somehow. I served it with brown rice, yellow and green beans from my garden (stashed away in the freezer) and roasted onions, which all ended up in a yellowish reddish blobby pile on our plates. Not overly proud of this meal. And a lesson learned, even for a weeknight meal: it is important to have a balance of textures and colors on the plate.

Looks good, I know....but it's NOT.

The broccoli rice casserole was also very strange: too much nutritional yeast in the  ‘no-cheese’ sauce. We  could barely eat it and that’s rare for us. I admit that I threw away all the leftovers the next day. Too stinky. Too strong. Too vegan. Thank goodness for the awesome and most delicious Gardein Chicken Nuggets! (LOVE those things!)  A huge side of sautéed mushrooms is always a good thing as well.

I never got around to making the cauliflower steaks: those have bumped up to this week’s menu. And I highly, highly recommend the LotsaVeg Soup which was the star of last week’s menu.

Another MAJOR distraction for me this past week: I entered the 21^st Century. 

Vegetable Bake with Crispy Topping

You may recall that I made it through MoFo2012…...that’s Vegan Month of Food, for those of you ‘not-in-the-know.’ I powdered through 30 days of complete vegan foods and only cheated a few times…mostly because of my love affair with feta cheese. There is not a Greek salad on earth that stands a chance with me in the room.

I also am happy to say that I followed the MoFo (that’s ‘Month of Food’) rule to post 20 times during the month. Let me tell you, it was difficult! I work two part-time jobs, still have a kid at home, have a husband who works a demanding job and also travels….meaning, I have a LIFE! But I did it! You can read all about my vegan journey by clicking over on the October 2012 link in the right hand margin. The recipes there are excellent, plus I share what it was like to ‘go vegan’ from a carnivore’s point of view.

Have I become a vegan? Well, probably not. But I have become super aware of the food on my plate. I just wondered what it would feel like to get the beef off of my buns, so to speak. Plus, my cholesterol is sky high……I am at the point of doing whatever it takes (besides meds… I refuse at this point…. I am probably labeled “uncooperative” in the file at my doctor…. Sigh…. )

Let me stop rambling about cholesterol and share a very interesting recipe I found during my MoFo (that’s ‘Month of Food’) experience. See here for the original recipe.

Here’s what you need:

4 C cooked vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, frozen peas)

1 C soy milk

6 T Nutritional yeast (found in health food stores. Gives food a cheesy flavor)

1 T Earth Balance non-dairy butter

1 ½ T cornstarch

2 t Dijon mustard

¼ t garlic powder

½ t salt

½ C mashed chick peas

½ C oats

1 t dried herbs (like basil, oregano)

2 T Nutritional yeast

2 T crushed walnuts

Here’s what you do:

Steam the veggies till tender. Set aside. To make the sauce: melt the butter. Whisk in the milk, 6 T nutritional yeast, cornstarch, Dijon, garlic powder and salt. Stir till thick and pour over veg.

To make the crumbly topping: Mix the chick peas, oats, herbs, 2 T nutritional yeast and nuts. Sprinkle over vegetables. Bake at 350 until brown, maybe 20-30 minutes. Broil for just a minute if you want a crispier top.

(printable recipe)