Vegetarian Vegetarian recipes

[Be Well]

What the heck, I have soooo much spare time.... For more than three years I've been writing a monthly recipe article for DH's Fire Department news letter.

I saw Packy's notice on the Main and although I know this SIG exists, I need to procrastinate actual cooking so I'll post a few recent articles here. If I could bring photos from my computer here I'd post 'em but I don't know how... I'm actually going to try to make the recipe below in a few minutes and cooked the brown rice and lentils already, but don't have enough of the right kind of veggies to add so it won't be as tasty... :-(

User Friendly Lentils

We all know that legumes or more familiarly, beans - are very nutritious to eat. There are many varieties, and all beans contain large amounts of protein, iron and other minerals, B vitamins and fiber. But - how to get people to eat them? Many beans require soaking and take a long time to cook, and a pressure cooker helps with most beans. Lentils, however, can't be cooked in a pressure cooker, don't need soaking, and take no more than a half hour to cook, maybe a bit more for soup. But how to make them tasty? My answer: Lentil Patties or Lentil Loaf. I experimented the other day and found that Lentil Patties were a big hit, and can be frozen after cooking for eating later. The herbs and spices not only add flavor but help with digestion of proteins, which is definitely user friendly! This recipe makes a lot; try making half into patties and half into a baked loaf, which can be sliced for sandwiches.

Step One:

Bring 2 cups washed lentils in 4 cups water and 1/2 t. salt to a boil, then turn heat medium low and cook until tender; probably won't need extra water but check. Drain off any extra water.

Meanwhile bring 2 cups washed brown rice in 4 cups water and 1/2 t. salt to a boil, turn to low, put lid on and cook until all water is absorbed (usually about 45 minutes).

Step Two:

Sautee in oil or butter until just soft:
1 c. each minced onion, bell pepper, celery including feather tops, mushrooms or any other vegetable desired, carrots should be shredded. Amounts can of course be varied. Some recipes add 1 cup finely chopped walnuts. Grated sharp cheese can also be added.

While cooking add:
Minced garlic and ginger if desired
1 t. each turmeric, basil, paprika, basil and dill, salt and pepper. Rosemary and oregano can be added but sparingly.

Step Three:

Mix rice, lentils, sauteed vegetables in a big bowl along with 1-2 cups bread crumbs or crumbled toast, 1/2 c flour, and half a can of tomato paste if handy. When well mixed, form into flattish patties and saute in hot oil for a few minutes on each side. it is much easier to get them to stick together if you cool the mixture first. To make a loaf, butter or oil a baking pan and press down well, bake at 350 until crusty. Try spreading a thin layer of spaghetti sauce or ketchup on the top before baking.

 

[Be Well]

Salad Can Be A Meal

Since it is not soup season any more, cool salads are much more appetizing when the mercury goes up. Even in the heat, everyone, especially hard working firefighters, need solid food to keep them going with plenty of protein, healthy carbs, and nutritious veggies. Here is one salad recipe I found on a bag of brown rice, and it is filling, chewy, tasty and gives energy to keep the body going for a long time. Even non-brown rice eaters (one in this house!) may find this delicious and even want seconds. It helps to cook a pot of brown rice and a pot of chick peas also known as garbanzos beforehand, and extras can be used in other ways if you have extra. I usually cook a large pot of garbanzos and freeze some, along with the cooking liquid, for later use.

Brown Rice:

2 cups short or long grain brown rice (I prefer short), washed well
4 cups water
Bring rice, water and 1/2 t. salt to a boil in a heavy pot (big enough so it doesn't boil over), then turn to low and cook until all water is absorbed and rice is just barely starting to stick, about 45 minutes

Garbanzos:

I usually cook 4 cups of dry beans so I have extra for later. Method: Wash beans, and let soak overnight in plenty of water. The next day, drain and rinse (this speeds up cooking time and helps with digestibility) and cook with a lot of water in a big pot - bring to boil, then turn to medium low, checking to add more water if necessary. Cook until soft and can be squashed between fingers. Or, use a pressure cooker - much quicker and easier.

When rice and beans are cool, now you assemble your salad. The recipe below makes a modest amount, increase for more people or decrease for tiny eaters! Different kinds of vegetables can be used, according to liking. Diced cucumbers would be good but I didn't have any. I did not have fresh basil so used 1 1/2 t. dried basil instead.

3 cups brown rice
1 cup garbanzo beans
1/3 c. golden raisins
1 bell pepper or sugar peas chopped
1/4 c. chopped green onion
1/4 c. fresh basil and parsley each, minced
4 T. chopped almonds or cashews
Mix with your favorite dressing and let marinate in the fridge for a while.
Garnish with chopped or cherry tomatoes, avocado diced cheese

Good dressing to try:
1/3 c. olive or other salad oil
1/4 cup wine vinegar
1 T honey (if you like sweetish dressing)
1 T. Dijon mustard
1 t. salt and 1/2 t. pepper

 

[Be Well]

I really like this potato salad, wish I had the ingredients on hand!


Potato Salad Polish Style (Sort of)

Potatoes are very common use in Polish cooking, and my potato salad recipe reflects some of the Polish recipes. Summer is a good time to eat salads and few people do not like filling but cool potato salad. I use sour cream and some yogurt instead of mayonnaise, sour cream is often used in Polish cooking. Two tablespoons of mayonnaise is about 190 calories, sour cream 60, and yogurt about 19. So for those not wanting to gain weight, the choice is clear!


Some hints to making really good potato salad:

• Use yellow, white or red skinned potatoes, not russet/baking potatoes. Red you need to peel, sometimes white or yellow skinned are okay not to peel
  
• Mince the parsley very fine and first pull or cut off the stems
  
• De-string the celery carefully and dice in small pieces, no big chunks
  
• Use enough dressing so the result is not dry but not too gooey
  
• Wait until the potatoes are cooled down before assembling the salad

Mix in a large bowl:
3 quarts boiled and diced potatoes - cook until fork tender but not falling apart
2 bunches of green onions chopped
1 bunch of regular parsley minced
1 bunch celery de-stringed and chopped - about 3 cups - more is fine
1 cup frozen green peas cooked

Mix in a separate bowl (adjust amounts to liking)
3 cups sour cream
1 cup yogurt
2 t. salt
2 t. sugar
1/2 t. black pepper
1 heaping t. dill weed (or more!)
2 dill pickles chopped fine

When the dressing is well mixed, stir into the other ingredients, check to see if you need more sour cream or yogurt, and store in the fridge. Polish potato salad often has some small cubes of cooked beets in it as well. Try sprinkling with dill and paprika.

 

[Be Well]

I was hoping to prime the pump so others would post their recipes too....

 

[BoPeep]

One Pot Cheesy Lentils, Black Beans, and Rice

http://reciperunner.com/one-pot-cheesy-mexican-lentils-black-beans-and-rice/
Ingredients

1/2 of a yellow onion, diced
1 clove of garlic minced
1/2 cup uncooked long grain brown rice
1/2 cup uncooked French green lentils, rinsed
2-3 cups low sodium vegetable stock
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle powder (optional)
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup fire roasted tomatoes, drained
4 ounce can diced green chiles
1 small zucchini, shredded
1/2 cup defrosted frozen corn
1 cup red enchilada sauce
3/4 cup shredded cheese, I used sharp cheddar and part skim mozzarella
Cilantro for garnish (optional)

Heat a large pot or saucepan over medium high heat.
When the pot is heated spray with cooking oil and add in the onion and garlic.
Sauté for a couple minutes then add in the brown rice and lentils.
Add in the vegetable stock, stir and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, cover and reduce the heat to low.
Simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until lentils and rice are tender.
If there is any excess liquid drain it.
Season the rice and lentils with salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin and chipotle powder.
Add in all of the remaining ingredients except 1/4 cup of the cheese and stir together.
Heat the mixture until the cheese is melted.
Top with the remaining cheese and cover with a lid.
Heat on low until the cheese is melted and the mixture is bubbly.


I made this for the family three nights ago...it was a HUGE HIT! It is delicious! I doubled the recipe, and we had leftovers for lunch the next day. You do NOT miss meat in this recipe!! I cooked some corn tortillas till crispy to eat with (cause the 2 bags of tortilla chips we bought last week were GONE). Ds added sour cream to his, cause he must've gotten every last German gene from both parents....and can barely tolerate pepper. The chipotle powder was DELISH!

 

[Melodi]

My "world famous" (OK my friends) favorite vegetarian chile

This is a process as much as a recipe but if you do it even meat eaters will chow down on this one...

2 to 4 cups of dried beans soaked over night (2 cups is enough for a family, 4 cups for a pot lot large dish) - Pinto beans are best but will work with just about anything - black, white, kidneys etc

In the morning rinse the beans with cold running water and drain

Now the "secret" of this method is LONG term cooking so the crock pot is your best place to make this followed by a cast iron pot with lid (works especially well on a wood or turf stove) either in the oven or on top of the stove. The IP will work but you may need to simmer afterward and/or let it sit over night in the fridge for flavors to blend better.

Secret number two:

In a cast iron or another good pan (can be the bottom of your intended bean pot if OK to use on the stove) chop 1 to 2 Onions fine and cook them on a low heat for about 20 minutes; that sounds like a lot but Be Well will recognize this trick from Indian cooking - this makes all the difference in the world and even if you are like me and hate most onions - this is important - you can cheat with "roasted" ground onion but it won't be as good.

Towards the end of the 20 minutes (at about 15 minutes) add the chopped garlic to sautee as well

Onions and garlic should look like caramel but not be burned, ditto the garlic

Now, slowly pour water/wine/beer or vegetable stock into the bottom of the pan to deglaze the onions and garlic (if you want you can also pre-cook peppers and tomatoes but it isn't required)

Add beans (some people like to bring their beans to a boil in another pan first - this does help with the cooking time but isn't required if you are going to cook all day).

If you choose NOT to precook your beans (even after soaking) waiting about 2 hours before adding tomatoes and salt will help the chili cook much faster

Now add at least 1 cup to 5 cups of chopped tomatoes (or a combination of fresh tomatoes and tomato paste) again tastes vary but it will affect the amount of liquid

This is also the time to add salt if your not using commerical vegetable broth or other salted base (about 1 to 2 tsp)

This is also the time to add some of the following:

Dried Chile Powder (about 1 to 5 tsp depending on how "hot" you want it)
A pinch of sugar (like 1/4 tsp)
Cumin Powder (at least 1 tsp)
Scant Pinch of clove (1/8 to 1/4 tsp)

You really need the above four.

Opitional are:
Fresh chilies chopped (if hot use gloves - I throw the seeds in but I like it HOT)
Chilies from jars (again heat varies)
Bell peppers chopped
Pumpkin chunks (some like it, some hate it)
Potato chunks (more Peruvian than Mexican but works well)
Corn (my Native Elder friend adds in the last 10 minutes of cooking, I have tried it both ways and it seems to work better added closer to the end but if you are in a hurry just throw it in)
Homeny (not a real option in Ireland but works well)

Amounts are something you get used to - flavor variations can be made with using different liquids as your base:

1. Red Wine - works especially well combined with water for white bean chili

2. Beer - traditional with meat chiles it works well for vegetarian too

3. Home made or commerical vegetable broth (just make sure there is no cabbage or other strong flavors in the home made stuff).

4. Commerical or home made tomato juice (add after beans have softened and start with water).

And yes, you can "cheat" with home canned or commercially canned beans; it just costs a bit more but it does take less time.

Serve with homemade corn bread or good tortillas.

Basic recipe
2 cups dried beans soaked over night
5 cups liquid to cover rinsed beans (or amount needed to cover them)
1 to 2 chopped and sauteed onions
1 clove to 1 head of garlic (by taste, my family likes the whole head) also lightly sauteed
1 to 5 tsp chile powder and/or mix with fresh/canned chilies
1 to 2 bell peppers
1 tsp (or less) sugar or honey
1 to 2 tsp cumin (max tablespoon)
1/4 tsp cloves
1 to 2 tsp salt (after beans are soft)
Optional to fill our vegetarian chile:
chopped potatoes
corn
pumpkin
plantains (cooking bananas GREEN only)

Secret: cook for HOURS on a low heat such as a crock pot (over night works well) or in an oven on low or the top of the stove on low to medium/back of the wood stove etc.

If you cook in an IP to fast-track put in the fridge over night if you can and/or leave on warm for two hours after cooking on manual pressure for at least 30 to 40 minutes.

For died hard carnivores this recipe is easy to divide and add some chicken broth and browned ground meat to a second pot without changing anything else (stock cubes are your friend).

Speaking of stock cubes I have used organic French Onion stock cubes and Organic Tomato and herb stock cubes in a pinch and had good results - just don't add any extra salt until you taste it.

Other trick I learned recently:

For a change of pace use Orange Juice and Lime Juice for part of your liquid and up the sugar/honey to about 1 to 4 tsp (max is about 1/3 cup of honey if you want a real sweet and sour taste).

This is very good and I've started adding some lime juice to almost all my chile stuff and orange juice sometimes (pinapple is another one) this is more South Western/California than Mexican but it is nice.

 

[Melodi]

Oh and to add to the above - of course you can add other herbs like Mexican or Italian Oregano, basil, rosemary etc it just varies the flavor;

For "Italian Beans" just lower or omit the chili powder and add Italian herbs; use red wine or red wine vinegar as part of the liquid and cook with or put on pasta (add in the last 10 minutes of cooking).

 

[Be Well]

Thank you, Melodi - I need more recipes!!! I've been writing recipes for more than 3 years and I am not that inventive of a cook, I can make some really fancy Indian food but those recipes would not be suitable for the readers who are mostly all habituees of fast food joints or just regular standard American fare. I'm trying to provide healthy but not "health foody" simple recipes with lots of good nutrition.

I will copy this and try it and see if DH likes it.

 

[Melodi]

Your welcome BeWell, I used to live in a partly vegetarian group house in California and our current housemate is a vegetarian (well she does eat fish so more of a pescatarian) husband is a rabid carnivore and I'm in the middle.

But I've got lots of good vegetarian recipes I can share and only a few of them are Asian Indian (I'll leave that one to you for the most part).

 

[Melodi]

My Mom's Depression Era Corn Casserole

There are variations of this recipe all over the place and if you live where there is no creamed corn, just use canned (or pre-cooked home raised) corn with the custard mix (you can also run 1/3 of the corn through the hand blender if you like if you want a better blending).

Creamed Corn/Corn:1 can (about 2 cups) and/or regular canned corn (with 1/3 whizzed with a hand blender if you like)

Saltine Crackers (smashed) or Bread Crumbs

2 to 3 tbsp of flour

2 Tbs butter

2 to 3 lg eggs (5 banty eggs)

1 Cup milk (appx)

1 tsp salt

Directions: crack eggs and mix completely with the milk and either a bit of oil or small amount of melted butter (I use a whisk or egg beaters for this usually)

When almost mixed add in the salt and flour (or you can sprinkle it on the corn - either way, works).

Have a pyrex or other oven proof dish (about 8 to 10 inches) line it with a mix of crackers/bread crumbs and the rest of the melted butter (add more butter if mixture is too dry; crackers must be made into crumbs first -this was my Mom's way, I just use bread crumbs). If you have enough left about 1/4 of the bread crumb mix out for topping (optional).

Once the "crust" is in the oven proof bowl or dish; place the corn into on top of the "crust" and then pour over the mix of eggs/milk/salt

Add remaining butter crumbs to the top if you like (optional)

Also optional is black pepper, paprika, a bit of chili powder, garlic powder or a bit of cheddar/jack cheese - my Mom only used the pepper and salt

Now place the cooking dish into a larger tray or oven proof dish that has water in it and cooks at a low heat (about 325 or 140) for about 1 hour or until the custard has set.

Kids of all ages will love this stuff (unless you are my husband then you hate it) it makes a great vegetarian main dish and is a good side dish to serve both vegetarians and meat eaters at potlucks or dinners.

It also keeps well and reheats easily.

 

[Be Well]

Your welcome BeWell, I used to live in a partly vegetarian group house in California and our current housemate is a vegetarian (well she does eat fish so more of a pescatarian) husband is a rabid carnivore and I'm in the middle.

But I've got lots of good vegetarian recipes I can share and only a few of them are Asian Indian (I'll leave that one to you for the most part).

Oh goody - I was hoping for lots of new (to me) recipes! haha -

I will keep copying ones from the FD newsletter and add others as I think of them and have time. Please don't hesitate to add Indian (dot not feather, or feather kind if you have them!) recipes - I bet you have ones I don't have.

 

[Melodi]

Melodi "cheating tomato" Sauce

This is a basic sauce recipe that I know several people sent with their kids off to college it can be the basis of a lot of student/bachelor/bachelorette cooking; it takes about 5 minutes to pull together once you have the basic ingredients and is so much cheaper and healthier than buying pre made sauces.

Basic Sauce
1 can of Tomato Puree (you can use a can of crushed tomatoes or box of puree if that's what you've got)
water (see individual recipes for amounts)
salt (1/2 to 1 tsp)
Herbs and spices (see each sauce)

Things you need to keep on hand:
dried onions
dried garlic
dried oregano (or Italian herbs)
dried rosemary
dried thyme
dried chili powder
dried curry powder (for Asian/Indian sauce)
red wine vinegar
lime juice (optional)
sugar (pinch)

If you are using the small cans of concentrated tomato paste the water measurements will work; if you have to use other forms of tomatoes you will need to eye ball this.

Water amounts
Pizza sauce 1 can of paste plus 1 can water
Chili sauce 1 can of paste plus 2 cans water
Pasta sauce 1 can of paste plus 3 cans water
Taco Sauce 1 can of paste plus 4 cans of water
(Optional liquid can include lime juice, red wine vinegar etc).

Italian flavor
Pizza sauce or Pasta sauce water combinations as desired
Add:
1 tsp dried garlic powder
1/2 to 1 Tsp dried onion powder
1 to 2 tsp Italian oregano
1 to 2 tsp mixed Italian herbs: rosemary, basil, parsley etc
1/4 Tsp sugar
1 tbsp red wine or red wine vinegar
Simmer for between 15 minutes for pizza to one hour for pasta sauce (meat can be added but plain sauce will keep better up to 2 weeks in the fridge)

Mexican version
See water for sauce variations (for a very thick chili sauce use pizza liquid directions)
leave out all Italian herbs and replace with
1 tsp cumin
1 to 3 tsp of chili powder
1/2 Tsp Mexican oregano (optional)
1/4 Tsp cloves

also, add the onion and garlic powder; salt if desired about 1/2 Tsp


If possible add some lime juice and optional can of canned chilies/bell peppers (fresh or dried)

----------
Asian/Indian version (I have never made this one)

Same basics for liquid to tomato paste
1 tsp each garlic and onion powder
1 tsp curry powder (your favorite brand)
1/4 Tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

cook 15 minutes to 1 hour (friends report it works well simmered with vegetables and poured over rice).

That's my three main variations but there are others, and of course they can be made with all fresh vegetables but it takes longer; this recipe is more for nights when you are too tired (or too short on time) for that sort of thing and/or new cooks just getting their toes in the water - I use this a LOT.

Stir and cook for about 30 minutes for best flavor (but I've used in 5 minutes on burritos).

 

[Be Well]

One more for now. They aren't all this "healthy"....I have baked things, Killer Fudge, Christmas Sweet Bread, Cinnamon rolls and more. I had photos accompanying this (and some of the others) but can't post 'em.

Bean Sprouts At Home - And How To Eat Them and Like It

About 3 months ago in Smoke Signals Chief [name deleted] mentioned going to training about preparing for earth quakes, and that he thought having several months' of food on hand might be sensible. That reminded me of the four articles [DH] wrote way in the beginning of Smoke Signals called "Be Prepared". [Actually
we wrote them together...]

Since beans are cheap and easy to store and thus a good basic food to have on hand, here is this month's recipe - Bean Sprouts. Beans can be stored almost indefinitely and are high in nutrition. Taking a look online, bean sprouts are high in protein, Vitamins C and all the Bs, A and even Vitamin K. They're also a good source of potassium, needed for heart health, fiber, and are low calorie.

They're also cheap, so it's easy to buy a 25 pound bag and have not for "just in case" but to eat as a regular part of meal planning. Making sprouts is way to eat them without hours of cooking, which is especially nice when it's hot outside. When people think of "bean sprouts" often what comes to mind are those unpleasant long white things that have no taste, but home made bean sprouts not only look different but taste infinitely better. I made three different kinds - mung bean, brown lentil, and chick pea or garbanzo. It is important to buy only green looking mung beans, as when there are a lot of brownish mung beans, they are old.

For the photo*, I used 1/2 cup of each kind of bean. Wash well, then put in mason jars with sprouting lids*, cover with a lot of water, and soak for 12 to 24 hours, garbanzos need 24, the other beans will soak adequately in 12 but can soak longer. In summer keep them in a cool place.

Then drain out the water and store horizontally but ideally on a slant so excess water can drain out, and rinse them about 3 times a day. Soon you will see tiny tails pop out - and then they are ready. No need to wait for long tails, they get tough and bitter then. As soon as they are ready, store in the fridge until you want to use them, they will last a few days.

Now, how to eat them?

• 1. Sprinkle on salads - liberally
• 2. A tasty salad can be made with mung sprouts, minced ginger, chopped cucumbers and salad dressing.
• 3. Use in sandwiches
• 4. Sautee with any spices

Mung sprouts go well with curry type spices, garbanzos and lentil seem to like Italian herbs. Heat oil or butter, add spices or herbs, stir for a moment, and add whatever sprouts you are using. Add salt and pepper to taste. Minced onion and peppers are tasty, too. They only need a few minutes of cooking, and you can also help cooking by steaming - add a small amount of water and put a lid on for another few minutes at the end of cooking. Garbanzos are tasty cooked this way and added to tomato sauce.

For the photo I cooked all three kinds of bean sprouts with ginger, spices, and some onion and bell pepper.

Try serving with rice or pasta.

*If anyone knows how to bring photos from my computer here, PM me...

 

[coloradohermit]

Brocolli Casserole
2 c lightly steamed broccoli (also good with cauliflower)
2 eggs, beaten
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 c grated cheese(colby or cheddar) + 1/2 c grated cheese
1/2 med onion, chopped
1 c mayo
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all except 1/2 c cheese and place in a lightly greased casserole dish or brownie pan. Top with 1/2 cheese and bake at 350* for 45-55 minutes. 4 servings as a side dish.


French Springtime Soup
5 medium potatoes
2 carrots, sliced
1 med onion, chopped
1 lb fresh spinach or 2 pkg frozen chopped spinach
1 lb fresh asparagus
1/2 c rice, uncooked
1 pint heavy cream
1 TBS salt
Boil carrots for 5 minutes in 3 quarts water. Add potatoes and onions and cook15 more minutes. Add rice and cook 15 more minutes. Add spinach and cook 5 more minutes. Add asparagus and cook 10 more minutes or until all ingredients are tender. Add cream and salt and serve. Makes about 12 servings.


Cheese Souffle
3 TBS butter
3 TBS flour
3/4 c milk
1/2 TBS Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
dash tobasco
6 eggs, separated
1 1/2 c grated sharp cheddar cheese
In sauce pan, melt butter. Blend in flour and seasonings. Add milk and stir until thick.

Add cheese and stir until melted. Remove from heat. Beat egg whites until stiff. Add egg yolks to cheese mix, stirring while adding. Gently fold cheese mix into egg whites. Pour into well greased 2 qt casserole/souffle dish. Bake 1 hour at 325*.

 

[Be Well]

Anyone have any home made ice cream recipes without eggs? (I don't use eggs.) DH got some kind of small commercial ice cream freezer thing (I cannot control him at garage sales) which he plans to figure out how to use, thankfully it has some kind of manual, looks to be at least 40 or even more yrs old) and plans to use at Fire Dept. events. I could look online but I'd rather have recipes from people I "know"! I looked through the manual and it is all about the machine but says nothing about what to make the ice cream with.

 

[Be Well]

Okay - cake with no eggs. More FD newsletter recipes... Some healthy, some not!

Chocolate Pudding Cake

Another recipe for the sweet tooths. Most people have a sweet tooth (make sure you brush it after) and anything homemade will be cheaper and tastier without a long list of very strange ingredients. This is a simple no-fail recipe that people often top with vanilla ice cream. And since it is eggless, it is easy to make if you run out of them. You can easily double the recipe for a 9X13 pan. In fact, I can't see why anyone would make a smaller pan than 9X13 unless they live alone.

Whisk or stir in a bowl:
1 cup flour
3/4 c white sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt optional: 1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Add:
1/2 cup milk
3 T. melted butter or oil
1 1/2 t. vanilla

Spread into an unbuttered square or round cake pan (glass works well), and sprinkle on the top:
1/2 c. each white and brown sugar mixed with 1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
Pour on top: 1 1/2 c. very hot water and do not stir!

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until done. The top will be a brownie-like cake, with pudding underneath. Leave in the pan and serve warm, scooping out the pudding onto each serving.

 

[Be Well]

Delicious Oven Roasted Vegetables

Who has not heard as a child, or said to their children, (or told yourself!) "Eat your vegetables!". Well, here is a vegetable recipe that everyone loves and can be changed to suit tastes and what is available. The amounts are not precise; it is flexible and most of all, yummy!

Place chunks of any of the vegetables below into a large bowl. Harder vegetables like white potatoes, winter squash, beets or turnips should be in medium chunks.

Softer or quicker cooking vegetables like zucchini, cauliflower, yams or sweet potatoes should be in bigger chunks. Some vegetables like green beans do not lend themselves to roasting. Because this is a mix or medley of many vegetables, even ones that aren't someone's "favorite" are often eaten with relish. I always peel any hard squash, potatoes, turnips or beets.

Here is a list of possibilities:

• White, red or gold potatoes
• Sweet potatoes and yams
• Any kind of winter squash
• Beets
• Turnips
• Zucchini
• Cauliflower
• Bell Peppers
• Small chunks of onion
• Whole medium tomatoes

Melt enough butter so all the vegetables will get some (or use a good oil like olive oil) in a small pot and mix in some of these spices or herbs and then pour over the vegetables in the bowl, stirring well:

• Black pepper
• Dill
• Basil
• Marjoram
• Oregano (pinch)
• Rosemary
• Turmeric for a golden color
• Salt
• Garlic optional

Pour the vegetable mix into a large baking pan or casserole dish, I prefer glass. I usually make sure the bottom of the pan is buttered so nothing sticks or burns. Bake in a 400 degree oven until everything is tender, stir every now and then after about 20 minutes. They're done when fork tender. If you like them more tender and less crispy, use a cover for the first 1/2 hour. To make a really rich dish, serve with sour cream or pour over the top for the last 15 minutes. Sprinkle with dill and paprika for nice flavor and color.

 

[Be Well]

Healthy Drinks that Taste Good

Firefighters hear over and over about the need to stay hydrated. Everyone - firefighters or not - have all experienced working hard and hot and the need for replacing fluids. Of course there is always water - nothing can beat it - but for rehydration purposes, some other drinks actually work better, and good tastes helps people drink enough. Soda is very popular but is not healthy (aka "good for the body"!). Here are some common ingredients in soda pop, they vary from colas to "fruit" flavored sodas. To make a home made version of Gatorade or Recharge, add a couple of pinches of salt and one pinch of baking soda to a big serving of drink.

Do these look good???

• High fructose corn syrup - now linked to obesity
• Artificial sweetener - mostly aspartame, controversy about safety
• Citric acid
• Phosphoric acid - an acidifying agent, adds sharp flavor, linked to osteorporosis
• Theobromine - similar to caffeine
• Caffeine - dehydrates
• Artificial colors and flavors - many linked to cancer and ADHD
• Caramel color - now linked to cancer: http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/23/health/consumer-reports-soda-caramel-coloring/
• Preservatives - often sodium benzoate, sodium citrate or potassium sorbate
• Orange soda contains glyceryl abietate ("glycerol esters of wood rosin") and brominated vegetable oil

Plus, if people drink many sodas a day, that adds a huge amount of calories with absolutely no nutritional benefit. So, what to drink? Here are some tasty and cheap drinks, recipes don't include specific measurements, experiment and find what tastes good to you.

Healthy Drinks - tasty and good for health

Many herb teas taste good in combination. Different teas help circulation, heart health, reduce cholesterol and blood pressure, natural Vit. C, anti-oxidants, aid digestion, help nervous system, lungs, metabolism and more. Pour boiling water over herbs, let steep for 5 to 10 minutes and strain, for best flavor. Buying herbs in bulk is the cheapest way to go.

If you like fizzly, make or buy carbonated water and add juice for a healthy soda alternative.

• Peppermint
• Hibiscus
• Rose Hips
• Lemon Grass
• Lemon Balm
• Green Tea
• Chamomile
• Orange or Lemon peel

Spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger (in moderation!) can be added while steeping.

After straining the tea, juices can be added to herb teas for extra flavor; I often adds home canned juice or fruit (like blackberries, grape juice, peaches, etc) and if needed, some extra sweetener. An easy method is to make a concentrate of about a half gallon of herb tea and fruit juice, that can make many quarts of thirst quenching goodness.

Milk and Yogurt

Milk is not only thirst quenching but adds protein, calcium and other needed minerals, and tastes great with chocolate - a good mix is strong peppermint tea, milk and cocoa powder. My husband's favorite - he drinks hot in the winter and cold in the summer. Yogurt (good for digestion too) can be mixed with any kind of fruit juice or blended with fruit for a refreshing drink in hot weather.

For extra fun, this is a good read by a "Food Industry Insider" about how they make junk food addictive:

Confessions of a Former Coke “Addict”
http://www.brucebradley.com/food/confessions-of-a-former-coke-addict/

 

[Melodi]

I should point out that "citric acid" occurs naturally in citrus fruits and is used by those of us who home can and home dehydrate to preserve fruits (you can do it with just lemon, lime or orange juice but citric acid is more concentrated and you can get organic at many health food stores).

As for the eggless ice cream; there may be two options I can think of.

One is making traditional "ices" which or "sorbets" which are pretty much juices and other flavors; frozen and whipped half way through to give it an ice cream like feel (some have cream, but most don't).

Another would be experimenting with the new "fake eggs/egg white" that has been manufactured from bean paste; I don't know if it would work or not but it might be worth a try, I gather it works really well for some people in baking.

My friends in Scotland that are Indian influenced vegetarians (the father was brought up in some 1950's Guru's sect and his Dad served with a Sikh unit in India during the second world war in the British military) have a whole cook book of wonderful baked goods that don't use eggs.

I have some recipes from the Great Depression (like my family apple sauce cake) but honestly I find they do better with eggs in them; you can leave them out but they are not as moist or long lasting - but the applesauce does work fine as a binder and it is my go-to recipe if for some reason the chickens are not laying and we haven't been to the shop.

 

[Be Well]

I will look up ice cream recipes; since most "store bought" ice cream does not have eggs, I figure it shouldn't be too difficult; and I do remember seeing recipes for "frozen custard". Custard does use eggs, but maybe a pudding with cornstarch (I would use org. cornstarch) or tapioca starch as a binder, might make good ice cream. Most store ice cream has other binders, guar gum plus very weird ingredients; that is one reason I rarely eat any. Plus I don't need it... But I'm going to work on it. Will post more articles today.

Regarding cakes, I have worked out a few that work quite well without eggs, and used to have an Indian cook book all about eggless cakes, but it was so fancy I gave it away. The older I get, the less fancy I want to cook. :-)

 

[straightstreet]

Delicious Oven Roasted Vegetables

Who has not heard as a child, or said to their children, (or told yourself!) "Eat your vegetables!". Well, here is a vegetable recipe that everyone loves and can be changed to suit tastes and what is available. The amounts are not precise; it is flexible and most of all, yummy!

Place chunks of any of the vegetables below into a large bowl. Harder vegetables like white potatoes, winter squash, beets or turnips should be in medium chunks.

Softer or quicker cooking vegetables like zucchini, cauliflower, yams or sweet potatoes should be in bigger chunks. Some vegetables like green beans do not lend themselves to roasting. Because this is a mix or medley of many vegetables, even ones that aren't someone's "favorite" are often eaten with relish. I always peel any hard squash, potatoes, turnips or beets.

Here is a list of possibilities:

• White, red or gold potatoes
• Sweet potatoes and yams
• Any kind of winter squash
• Beets
• Turnips
• Zucchini
• Cauliflower
• Bell Peppers
• Small chunks of onion
• Whole medium tomatoes

Melt enough butter so all the vegetables will get some (or use a good oil like olive oil) in a small pot and mix in some of these spices or herbs and then pour over the vegetables in the bowl, stirring well:

• Black pepper
• Dill
• Basil
• Marjoram
• Oregano (pinch)
• Rosemary
• Turmeric for a golden color
• Salt
• Garlic optional

Pour the vegetable mix into a large baking pan or casserole dish, I prefer glass. I usually make sure the bottom of the pan is buttered so nothing sticks or burns. Bake in a 400 degree oven until everything is tender, stir every now and then after about 20 minutes. They're done when fork tender. If you like them more tender and less crispy, use a cover for the first 1/2 hour. To make a really rich dish, serve with sour cream or pour over the top for the last 15 minutes. Sprinkle with dill and paprika for nice flavor and color.

Roasted chick peas are very good. They taste kinda like a nut and you can't stop eating them take a can of chick peas, drain, spread on cookie sheet and bake with your desired amount of salt (or none) I honestly can't tell you how long to bake them just keep checking on them. I roast pumpkin seeds too - yummy!

 

[straightstreet]

Here's a refreshing drink that's really good (really good!) Take your choice of sliced fresh fruit or melon - good and ripe - and place in a drinkable container, add water (fresh mint too if you have it) and refrigerate. I'd like to do that in the morning and drink it in the afternoon.

 

[spinner]

I haven't tried this ice cream recipe, but it sounds good.

http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2012/07/simple-no-cook-vanilla-ice-cream.html

 

[Be Well]

Roasted chick peas are very good. They taste kinda like a nut and you can't stop eating them take a can of chick peas, drain, spread on cookie sheet and bake with your desired amount of salt (or none) I honestly can't tell you how long to bake them just keep checking on them. I roast pumpkin seeds too - yummy!

I buy 25# bags of legumes (some not all kinds) and usually cook up a pressure cooker of beans and then freeze a few yogurt containers full, say 3, for future use and use some before freezing. I really like chick peas/garbanzos, especially hummus.

 

[Be Well]

Here's a refreshing drink that's really good (really good!) Take your choice of sliced fresh fruit or melon - good and ripe - and place in a drinkable container, add water (fresh mint too if you have it) and refrigerate. I'd like to do that in the morning and drink it in the afternoon.

Hmm, could be blended or mashed too.

 

[Be Well]

Not a recipe but ideas for protein alternatives for people who want to make sure they get enough even if they don't eat meat or much meat.

Protein Foods - Cheap and Tasty

Here are some protein food ideas for anyone who'd like to add protein to their diet without spending an arm and a leg, and also add other health benefits like vitamins, minerals, fiber and healthy oils. When people hear "protein" they naturally think "meat", but it is possible - in fact, very easy - to get all the protein one needs from legumes, nuts and milk products. Even vegetables and grains have respectable amounts of protein. Vegetarians can easily eat plenty of protein and not be feeble weaklings, and also avoid the health problems associated with eating a lot of meat.

Legumes - There are so many kinds of beans - and bought in bulk they are still a bargain, and store forever. The trick is to soak overnight, discard water, and cook until really soft - I use a pressure cooker. Try cooking enough to put some in the freezer for other meals. Some versatile ones are pinto, black beans, garbanzos and kidney beans. Split or whole mung beans and red lentils can be found more easily now or in Indian stores. Split peas and lentils are quick cooking and don't need soaking. Save the cooking water - very tasty for soups. Low in fat, high in protein.

Nuts - Not low fat but the oils in nuts are healthy. Eat a variety in moderation - best is oven roasted or raw and can be added to many foods for variety. Also seeds like pumpkin and sunflower seeds are incredibly high in protein and iron and are good for snacks to give an energy boost. Peanut butter, especially the kind without other ingredients, or other nut butters or sesame tahini are tasty of course in sandwiches but also on celery sticks.

Milk Products - All milk products except cream, sour cream and cream cheese (see a theme there?) are high in protein. Low fat/ non fat and regular milk all are high protein with needed minerals. Adults should try drinking 2 cups or milk or equivalent a day, which supplies about 1/3 daily protein needs for women and just under 1/3 for men. Cheese is very high in protein (and fat) and most of us love it.

What about Amino Acids? We need all the amino acids to utilize protein, and only meat and milk have all of them. But by eating a variety of protein foods every day, it's easy to get all the amino acids the body needs just with vegetarian foods. No need to be scientific about it, just eat a variety of high protein foods as above along with grains, as grains supply amino acids too, and you're covered. Men need about 56 and women 46 grams of protein a day.

Approximate amounts of protein in some foods: 1 c cup beans 8 -15 grams, 1 cup milk 8 g, 1/2 c. cottage cheese 14 g, 1 oz cheese 6 - 10 g, 1 cup oatmeal 6 g, 1/4 cup nuts 5 -9 g, 2 T. peanut butter 8 g, 1 oz pumpkin seeds 8.5 g, 1 oz sunflower seeds 5 g. You can see it's easy to get enough protein.

 

[Be Well]

Protein Rich Recipes

A few recipes for using beans and other protein rich foods, but since I rarely measure, except for pastries, I'm giving some ideas with general proportions and ingredients. About cooking beans to make them digestible and tasty:

1. Wash well, then soak 12 hours or even 24, for very hard beans like pintos and black beans. Discard water and rinse again.

2. Cook in a pressure cooker or bring to a boil in a good size pot and simmer for 10 minutes leaving lid off, then turn heat down to a low simmer with lid on and check often to see if you need more water. I love using a pressure cooker as it saves time, energy and I don't have to worry about burning them. Pintos, black beans and garbanzos take longer, kidney and navy beans are intermediate, brown and red lentils cook quickly and no need to soak or pressure cook.

3. When beans are soft with no hard parts, they are done. Best to add any salt the last part of cooking. I often make large pots of beans and freeze some in plastic containers for later use, they freeze well.​

Now for recipes; keeping in mind that ingredients can be substituted, or left out according to taste buds.

Cuban Black Bean Soup

• 1 pound dried black beans
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup olive or other oil
• Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
• 4 T. red wine vinegar
• Optional spices: 1 bay leaf, cumin powder, oregano, green hot pepper, 1 T sugar

Garnishes: Sour cream, chopped raw onion, red peppers, cilantro

Directions: Soak beans overnight and then cook in a large pot as above, when not quite done, add onion, pepper, garlic, olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer, adding any optional flavorings, until the beans are soft and falling apart. Add some vinegar to taste if desired.

Three Bean Salad
This is easy to make using canned beans and just as easy if you have cooked beans on hand or in the freezer. Garlic lovers add more, garlic haters, leave out!

• 1 1/2 c. cooked black or kidney beans
• 1 1/2 c. cooked garbanzo beans
• 2 c. cooked green beans
• 1 or 2 stalks celery, sliced or minced
• 4 green onions chopped
• 1 to 2 cloves garlic minced

Italian type salad dressing or 1/3 cup vinegar and 1/4 salad oil
Salt and pepper to taste, minced basil and parsley
Many people add a couple of T. sugar

Mix together and marinate in the fridge. Good served with chopped avocadoes and tomatoes if desired.


Garbanzo Sandwich filling and Dip

We both like this in the summer as it is solid and filling but not hot, and can be eaten with bread, raw vegies or as a side dish with any meal.

• 3 cups soft cooked and drained garbanzos
• 1 to 2 stalks finely chopped celery
• 2 to 3 T. finely chopped dill or sweet pickles
• Minced green or white onion to taste if desired
• 1 T pickle juice
• Mayonnaise or sour cream to make a good consistency
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mash the garbanzos with a masher, no need to get all lumps out, add all the other ingredients except mayo or sour cream, and then add enough to make desired consistency. Can be sprinkled with dill weed and/or paprika on the top. Keeps for a couple of days in the fridge.

 

[Be Well]

I haven't tried this ice cream recipe, but it sounds good.

http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2012/07/simple-no-cook-vanilla-ice-cream.html

It looks very good.

SIMPLE HOMEMADE NO-COOK ICE CREAM

Yield: 1 quart

2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1/2 – 3/4 cups of sugar (feel free to use whatever organic sugar you prefer)
2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt
1 vanilla bean (optional- see note below)
Combine the milk, sugar, and vanilla beans (if using) in a blender.

Thoroughly blend until the vanilla bean is chopped into teeny tiny pieces.

Add the remaining ingredients and blend until everything is combined.

Place it in your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Serve immediately for soft-serve style, or place it in the freezer and allow it to harden for a while for a firmer result

 

[Melodi]

Recipes for a Small Planet is where I learned my basic vegetarian cooking skills in the 1970's - I bought a couple of used copies and had them sent to Ireland when mine fell apart and I realized it was out of print.

The only thing is, you can ignore the introductory chapter on needing to combine so many foods at once to create enough "protein" because science now knows that what you eat over a 24 to 48 hour period all combines towards that goal; in the 1970's they thought you HAD to do it all the same meal.

Because of these there are even some rather weird ingredients add ins that you can skip; provided you get a handle on why they are there and know you don't need to say "soy grits" (a popular additive of the day) because at dinner you are going to eat cheese, even if you just had a vegetable salad for lunch.

Today I avoid the use of the soy flour as well, again in the 1970's it was considered a great food source for vegetarians but the combination of almost all soy in the US being GMO, combined with evidence that except for FERMENTED soy (like tofu or real soy sauce) soy in large amounts isn't good for people (and in the East it is mostly eaten after fermentation).

But you can just add more unbleached white flour, or brown rice flour, oat flour or potato flour in the same recipes and they work just fine.

Just don't try the Oatmeal Soup, it was the only "epic fail" I've ever had from the book and it was really terrible on the other hand the bean and cheese bake (and the pancakes) are fantastic! I still use the banana bread recipe when I want to make one with whole wheat flour

https://www.amazon.com/Recipes-Smal...rd_wg=HQMSe&psc=1&refRID=CCJW5GYGBHPN10B1SHPQ

 

[spinner]

No offense intended, Melodi, but that cookbook converted a lot of vegetarians to meat eaters. I never found the recipes to be very good.

I prefer Mark Bittman's "How To Cook Everything Vegetarian" and the books from Greens Restaurant. "Greens," "The Savory Way" by Deborah Madison and "Fields of Greens" by Annie Sommerville. The newest edition of "Joy of Cooking" had quite a few vegetarian recipes. Of course the Moosewood cookbooks are classics as is "Laurel's Kitchen." My go to cookbook in the early days of my vegetarianism was "American Wholefoods Cuisine" by Nikki and David Goldbeck.

Some of these classics are a bit dated. We don't really eat that way anymore.

 

[Be Well]

I had many of those, or at least one Moosewood, both Small Planets, Laurel's Kitchen, one Greens and many more. I remember the Whole Foods in my possession too. Some years ago I gave away almost all my cookbooks in a pique, and now I wish I hadn't. I learned a lot from them, especially about nutrition.

 

[Melodi]

Well, maybe I just have weird tastes because I liked most of the food I tried out of it but it did take me years to make less than eight loaves of bread at a time lol - I also use Laurel's kitchen (both editions) and I have some of the Moosewood books but don't use them as much.

I also learned a lot of my bread making from The Tassajara Bread Book which I also highly recommend though again the amounts can be an issue when you are first learning - I think we had been married about three years when my husband said "you've finally learned to make bread that isn't supposed to feed an entire commune." lol

But then I also sometimes add things like chicken broth to my creations unless I am specifically serving to vegetarians like my current housemate.

 

[LC]

Melodi, the banana bread recipe in Small Planet is my go to. I generally use sun seeds, sometimes toasted as the nuts. That recipe also makes a great pumpkin/\winter squash bread by substituting sorghum molasses for the honey and 2x the spices called for in the Libby pumpkin pie recipe. I feel a little silly putting the recipe that way but an experienced cook should understand. Lol

 

[Melodi]

LC the usual "baking rule" is that from an ingredient but not always a taste perspective; if you can use honey, you can also use molasses or even syrup in place of it; I often go the other way and replace molasses recipes with honey, although both husband and I like Molasses so I only do that part of the time (housemate grew up next door to a sugar factory and can't stand the smell).

So yes, that is fairly easy to understand; ditto most Winter Squash can be used just like pumpkin in most recipes and I also increase the spices because my family likes it that way so it makes perfect sense.

I think the determination of people liking or not liking a certain type of vegetarian (or even non-vegetarian) cooking has to do with a combination of their age, background, and just plain personal preferences.

We had a young man stay here for a couple of weeks about five years ago from Germany whose parents were Homesteaders; he nearly cried when he saw my books and asked me to make some of the dishes - it was exactly like what his Mother used to make and he really missed it since leaving home, he was only unusual in that his parents became Homesteaders a generation later than most and so their older teenager liked things that normally might be associated with his grandparents (even in Germany).

I have a friend in Ireland who also grew up the child of "sort of" hippie homesteaders and he also requests this sort of cooking when he visits and neither young man is a vegetarian but they did grow up with animals and caring for them on the farms.

 

[Be Well]

Well, maybe I just have weird tastes because I liked most of the food I tried out of it but it did take me years to make less than eight loaves of bread at a time lol - I also use Laurel's kitchen (both editions) and I have some of the Moosewood books but don't use them as much.

I also learned a lot of my bread making from The Tassajara Bread Book which I also highly recommend though again the amounts can be an issue when you are first learning - I think we had been married about three years when my husband said "you've finally learned to make bread that isn't supposed to feed an entire commune." lol

But then I also sometimes add things like chicken broth to my creations unless I am specifically serving to vegetarians like my current housemate.

Aha! I remember the Tassajara bread book! I had it so many years ago.... and used it. I was always curious about barley bread but never made it.

 

[Melodi]

Aha! I remember the Tassajara bread book! I had it so many years ago.... and used it. I was always curious about barley bread but never made it.

I still use the muffin recipes, especially when making them with whole wheat flour; I don't think I ever did make the barley bread; the carob bread wasn't that wonderful (but then it was without yeast if I recall, I may try to modify it). I'll dig out my copies (I have the baking book and the recipe book, but I don't think I have the larger book they did later); I remember when I got to California I stopped baking out of it as much because the actual commercial Tassajara bakery was nearby and I got it fresh from the shop.

My all time Favorite bread book is The Garden Way Bread book from about the same time period, I just saw there was a hard back version, I may see if I can get it used- my original is falling to pieces and the 2nd edition I got isn't in great shape - I learned to do sour dough from this book.
https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Way-Publishings-Bread-Book/dp/0882661396

 

[Be Well]

That looks like a very good bread book. I learned how to make bread from my mother when I was maybe 11 or 12, and when I grew up, I made my own bread most of my life. Now I use Turbo No Knead method almost exclusively due to ease, time saved (really no kneading) and both DH and I like it. I will post the youtube after the weekend, and explain my variations. Today a family with SIX children is coming to stay for a few days. I'm already a nervous wreck! They are dear people so I'm glad they're coming.

 

[Be Well]

Been busy lately - feel as though I'm running a bed and breakfast!

Here's a few, whatever I can dredge up from the files.

This is actually basic Indian "sweet rice", usually called kheer or payasa (IIRC). It is so good that DH could actually live on it.

Stove Top Rice Pudding

Since I haven't had a good oven for a long time (recently got a new-to-us oven, thank you!) - I haven't made baked desserts for quite some time. Therefore, I've made Stove Top Rice Pudding more than a few times. It is easy, although requires a lot of stirring and thus a bit of time, and is deliciously creamy. Neil likes it much more than baked rice pudding. It is a pleasant dessert for hot weather as it is cool, goes well with some fruits, and unless you eat a huge amount, you don't feel stuffed afterwards. I usually make with a gallon of milk at a time; for smaller amounts cut all ingredients in half. The pudding thickens due to the starchiness of the rice and the milk reduces by cooking, so the pudding is not one gallon when finished. That may seem a lot but it keeps a few days in the fridge. It is much less fattening than ice cream, with a lot more protein, so you don't have to feel guilty!
Ingredients:
1 gallon whole milk
1 1/2 cups white rice, basmati is tasty
1 1/2 cups sugar

1 large heavy bottom pot - mine is a 2 gallon size
Wooden or bamboo flat stirring spoon

Optional flavorings or additions
2 t. vanilla or almond extract
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. cardamom
1 cup chopped dates

Method:
In a large heavy bottomed pot, pour 1 gallon whole milk and add 1 1/2 cups washed white rice. I like to let it soak a while as I think it speeds up cooking, but this is not necessary. Bring to a boil on high setting, and it MUST be stirred almost constantly until it comes to a boil. The right kind of wooden or bamboo stirring spoon is essential to keep it from sticking and burning. If not stirred, the rice WILL stick to the bottom of the pot and burn (ask me how I know this). Once the mil and rice comes to a high boil, turn the heat down so the boil is lower and won't overflow the pot. Now you don't have to stir constantly but check it very often and scrape the bottom regularly.

You will see the milk reducing and starting to get thicker as the rice cooks. Dates can be added once the rice is almost soft. If using cinnamon, use a piece of cinnamon stick, and cardamom needs to be the black seeds, as adding powdered spices will cause clumping. The rice pudding is almost done once the rice is soft and easily squishes between your fingers. At this point turn the heat down, stir in the sugar and cook for about 3 to 5 more minutes, stirring carefully as it likes to stick at this point. Take off the heat and add any flavorings such as vanilla or almond flavoring. Let it cool down before putting in the fridge to get cold. This may sound like a lot of work, but it is not tricky or difficult, it just takes a little time and careful stirring. It may become your favorite rice pudding too.

Delicious served topped with:
Sliced bananas
Chopped peaches
Blueberries, blackberries or raspberries
Sprinkled with cinnamon or cardamom