Vegetables, Salads & Vegetable Soups - Freedom From Religion Foundation

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Vegetables, Salads & Vegetable Soups

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Fried Green Tomatoes
Pat Cleveland

6 fresh green tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup white corn meal

Dip slices in mixture of flour and white corn meal. Heat non-stick frying pan to 325 - 350°. Add cooking oil. Drop coated tomato slices into frying pan. Cook until golden brown, then flip and cook other side. Tomatoes are done when pricking with a fork feels softened.

If you wish more crunch, increase heat, but be careful not to burn.

Overstuffed Tomatoes
Shelly Johnson

6 medium tomatoes
1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/3 cup croutons
1 tsp salt (less if croutons are seasoned)
2-3 bacon slices, crumbly crisp

Wash tomatoes and removed center pulp, discarding stem ends. Chop pulp and use about 1/3 cup with remaining ingredients. Fill tomatoes with mixture and bake for 20-25 minutes.

6 servings.

Zucchini Casserole
Terri Crowley

2 medium zucchini, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
1 cup mozzarella or swiss cheese
Croutons

Sauté zucchini, pepper, onion in saucepan with 2 tablespoons butter until tender. Remove to casserole dish, mixing tomato and cheese into vegetables. Sprinkle top with croutons. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until cheese melts. Yum Yum!

Charline's Zucchini Concoction
Charline Kotula

3 young zucchinis, about 6 inches, cut into eighths lengthwise
4 carrots, cut lengthwise, as thin as you can
4 celery stalks, cut the same way (If outer stalks are used, string them)
1/2 lb string beans

This makes all the vegetables approximately the same length. Each should be the same amount, cut up as with the zucchini. Blanch each of the above separately, until al dente.

Sauce

1/4 lb butter
l large clove garlic, chopped ... cook 1 minute
6 anchovy filets, which will disintegrate

Take off heat and set aside. Then layer vegetables in casserole, starting with string beans, then celery, carrots, and then zucchini. Add a Tbsp of sauce between layers; fmish with last of sauce on top. Sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese. Bake in 350° oven until cheese is light brown and sides are bubbling ... vegetables should be well done.

Sweet Basil Vegetable Casserole
Ed and Maria Susterich

2 medium zucchini, cut into quarter-inch slices
2 medium onions, cut into thin rings
1 small eggplant, peeled and cut into one-inch cubes
1 cup cauliflower florets
1 cup fresh green beans, cut diagonal
1/4 cup olive oil or salad oil
1 Tbsp sweet basil (opal or green)
1 tsp oregano flakes
1 tsp parsley flakes
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 can (16-oz) whole tomatoes, drained and cut in half

In a 3 1/2 quart casserole combine all ingredients except tomatoes. Gently stir in tomatoes. Cover and simmer over medium heat 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add one tablespoon parmesan cheese if desired.

Serves 6 to 8.

Cranberry Yam Bake
Harry Zarse

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup quick oats, uncooked
1/3 cup butter or margarine
2 cans (17-oz) of yams, well drained
2 cups of cranberries, fresh or frozen
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Combine flour, brown sugar. quick oats and butter or margarine to resemble coarse crumbs. Then mix one cup of this mixture with yams and cranberries. Place in 1 1/2 quart casserole and top with remaining crumb mixture.

Bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Then sprinkle with marshmallows and broil until lightly browned. Yum, yummy with turkey, ham or pork roast, or you may be vegetarian and love it as is!

Thomas Jefferson's Chartreuse
Emily Stevenson
(Vegetable mold)

1 bunch asparagus
1 bunch tender young carrots
1 pint young brussels sprouts
3 cups strained spinach, cooked
1 cup strained carrots, cooked
1 cup strained peas, cooked
2 eggs whole
3 egg whites, beaten
1/3 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper
Butter

Boil asparagus tips in salted water until tender. Boil peeled carrots in salted water until tender, and cut into thin round slices. Boil brussels sprouts in salt water until tender and cut in half. Drain, and allow vegetables to cool.

Butter a two-pound pyrex oblong bread loaf dish. Line the dish alternately with the carrots, asparagus tips and brussels sprouts. Fill the lined dish with a mixture of strained spinach, strained carrots and strained peas, mixed with two whole eggs plus the egg whites, sour cream, salt and pepper.

Cover with a piece of buttered paper. Stand in pan with a little water in it and put in a 350° oven for one hour or until just firm to the touch. Remove and allow to stand five minutes before turning out onto hot serving dish.

Lima Bean Bake
Isabel Walker

3 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups tomatoes, fresh or canned
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar
2 cups lima beans, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
3 Tbsp cheddar cheese

Heat butter in a one-quart pan. Sauté the onion until it is golden. Add cut tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste, the sugar, lima beans and, if fresh, cook 7 minutes until tender. Stir well and pour into a one-quart casserole, sprinkle the top with crumbs and cheese. Bake in a 400° oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and top is brown.

Serves 6.

Skeptics' Scalloped Corn
Anne Nicol Gaylor

1 can cream style corn
2 eggs, separate yolks from whites
4 Tbsp soda cracker crumbs
1 cup milk
3 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp flour
Salt and pepper to taste

Make a white sauce of butter, flour, milk, salt and pepper. Add cream style corn, two well-beaten egg yolks, 4 tablespoons cracker crumbs and lastly, the two egg whites, stiffly beaten. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.

I Think, Therefore I Yam Casserole
Irma Fairman

2-3 cups hot mashed yams or sweet potatoes, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups tart applesauce
1/8 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp butter, melted

Combine potatoes, applesauce, brown sugar and melted butter. Beat until fluffy. Pile in casserole and bake at 350° for 20 to 30 minutes.

Cooked sausage links or cooked sausage patties may be placed on top before baking. If meat is used, skip the butter.

Spinach Casserole
Andy Gaylor

2 packages of frozen spinach
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
3 or 4 eggs, hard boiled, sliced
2 cups cream sauce
3 Tbsp buttered crumbs

Cook spinach, being careful not to overcook; drain. Season with salt and pepper and place half in a casserole. Add a layer of thinly sliced eggs and one cup of cream sauce. Top with remainder of spinach, egg slices and cream sauce. Sprinkle with butter crumbs and bake at 375° about 20 to 25 minutes.

Serves 8 spinach tolerators or 6 spinach fans.

Tomato and Eggplant Casserole
Isabel Walker

1 fresh eggplant (1 1/2 lb)
2 fresh tomatoes, large, peeled
1 egg
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/8 tsp basil
1/8 tsp marjoram
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Olive oil as needed

Wash and dry eggplant then slice in quarter-inch slices with skin left on. Place 2 tablespoons oil in bottom of a large skillet to heat. Beat the egg, season with salt and pepper. Take a slice of eggplant, dip it into the egg mixture, then into the crumbs and into the hot oil. Cook a minute or two until crust is lightly brown and set aside. When all slices are sautéed, cut the fresh tomatoes in half and then in thin slices. Place a row of eggplant in deep casserole, then a layer of tomato slices until all are used. Season well with the herbs between the layers. Place in 400° oven for 10 minutes to be heated through before serving.

Serves 8.

Roasted Vegetables
Nora Cusack

Amount and type of ingredients can vary depending on availability and size of pan used.

Potatoes, unpeeled; small ones cut in half; bigger ones cut in quarters, or more
Carrots, peeled, cut into one-half to one-inch chunks
Onions, peeled, cut in half
Garlic, cloves, peeled
Green beans, tips cut off
Canola oil
Balsamic vinegar
Salt
Pepper

Place washed and prepared vegetables in large baking dish. Add oil and balsamic vinegar to coat vegetables and toss. (You want to add enough oil so that the vegetables won't stick but not so much that they drown a subjective task at best.) Add salt and pepper — more than you would normally use. Place in upper third of hot oven (475°F). Usually takes 25-30 minutes to finish — every 5-10 minutes of cooking time, pull out of oven and stir vegetables. Done when vegetables have turned brown and crusty and tender. Delicious as vegetarian meal with couscous on side, or with grilled chicken.

Avocado Mousse
Catherine Fahringer

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
2-3 Tbsp green onion
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 large or 3 small avocados

Dissolve gelatin in cold water; heat broth, and add gelatin. Add Worcestershire, lemon juice, sugar and salt. Chill. Puree avocado, green onions, mayonnaise, and sour cream in blender. Mix well. Add to gelatin mixture, and place in oiled ring mold or 8 individual 1/2 cup molds. Fabulous! I add a dash of hot sauce.

Serves 8.

Secular Squash Casserole
Harold Mann

Yellow summer squash — enough small ones whole, or larger ones cut into big chunks, to fill a 1 3/4 quart casserole dish after cooking.
1 1/2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
1 carton (8-oz) sour cream
1 can (10 3/4-oz) cream of chicken soup
2 Tbsp finely chopped onion

Boil or steam squash a few minutes in a saucepan until barely tender. Drain. Brown breadcrumbs in a skillet with the butter or margarine, stirring often so as not to scorch.
Spread half the browned breadcrumbs over the bottom of a greased or sprayed 1 3/4 quart casserole dish. Place cooked squash loosely into casserole dish leaving some spaces for the filling mixture.

Mix undiluted soup, sour cream, and finely chopped onion. Pour this mixture around and over the squash. Top the casserole with the remaining half of the browned breadcrumbs. Put into 350° oven, uncovered, until bubbly.

Vegetarian 'Crabmeat' Salad
Alice Fredericksen

2 cups raw parsnips, grated
1 cup chopped celery
12 pimento-stuffed green olives
1/2 cup onion, grated
2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Thousand Island dressing (no substitute) in the amount necessary for proper consistency

Mix all together, chill, and serve on torn lettuce pieces.

Bewitching Broccoli Salad
Jean Gams

1 bunch of broccoli, cut small
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
1/2 cup white raisins (or any raisins will do)
12 oz bacon, fried and crumbled

Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp vinegar
1/4-1/2 cup sugar

Toss all ingredients except bacon with the dressing and refrigerate. Add bacon just before serving, so it is crunchy. Very good!

Nippy Celery & Beet Salad
Jean Cams

1 package (3-oz) lemon jello
1 cup beet juice, drained from canned beets
1/2 cup cold water
1 1/2 Tbsp horseradish
3 Tbsp wine vinegar
1 tsp grated onion
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup finely cut celery
1 1/2 cups shoestring beets, drained
Scraping or two of garlic

Heat beet juice to boil and dissolve jello in it. Add all ingredients except beets and celery. Chill until partly set, and then fold in veggies. Chill until firm. Delicious!

Potato Salad Isadora Duncan
Flo Ninelles

6 potatoes
1/2 cup white wine
2 apples
4 eggs, hard-boiled
1 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp chopped scallions or chives
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp vinegar or lemon juice
Anchovies and ripe olives, optional as garnish

Boil potatoes in their skins, peel and slice. Place in refrigerator dish, pour wine on top. Cover and chill. Chill eggs after boiling, and slice. Peel and cube the apples. Drain potatoes, saving wine for future cooking. Mix all ingredients.

Curried Zucchini, Rice and Walnut Salad
Nora Cusack

1 cup basmati brown rice, uncooked
2 cups chicken stock or water
1 cup zucchini, thinly sliced
2 tsp curry powder
1 Tbsp canola or olive oil
1/3 cup onions, diced (vidalia, scallions, red or white)
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Juice of one lemon or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat chicken stock or water to boiling. Add uncooked rice. Lower heat and cook, covered, for 40 minutes, set aside. In a dry skillet toast curry powder over low heat 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add oil, then sliced zucchini. Increase heat to medium and sauté, stirring constantly 3-4 minutes. Transfer rice to glass bowl. Add zucchini, (scraping pan to get curry and oil also) onions, raisins, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cover and chill several hours. Add walnuts before serving.

Serves 4 as main course, or 6 to 8 as a side dish.

Carrots Epicurus
Flo Ninelles

Carrots
Honey
Ginger

Leave carrots whole, merely cutting them in three-inch slices if large. Steam or cook in a little water, removing from heat when half cooked and still firm. Drain. Roll in honey, add 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger root or 1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger, and cook in covered saucepan 10 or 15 minutes until slightly caramelized.

Eggplant for People Who Don't Like It
Harold Slatore

1 large eggplant
1 can (28-oz) whole, peeled tomatoes
1/2 lb mozzarella
4 oz fresh parmesan, grated
4 oz fresh romano, grated
1 medium onion
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp fennel seed
1/4 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 bell pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 bay leaves
Olive oil

Peel eggplant and slice into rounds about 1/3-inch thick. Heat a heavy non-stick skillet and fry the eggplant slices with just a little bit of olive oil (adding oil just before placing eggplant slices in pan) until they just start to turn golden on each side. Put eggplant on paper towels to drain.

Chop onions, garlic, and bell pepper. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in skillet. When oil is hot, put in fennel seeds. As soon as the fennel seeds begin to darken, add the bay leaves and bell pepper. Sauté about 3 minutes and add the onion and garlic. Sauté another 2 minutes and add all of the herbs. Stir a few times and add tomatoes, salt, sugar, and black pepper along with 1/4 cup water. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle parmesan and romano over the sauce, cover, and simmer another 20 minutes, again stirring occasionally, but only in the last 10 minutes.

Butter a 9 X 11 pan and place a layer of eggplant in the bottom. Spoon half the sauce over the eggplant and sprinkle half the mozzarella over the sauce. Repeat to form 2 layers, ending with cheese.

Bake in 325° oven about 35-45 minutes, until cheese just starts to brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Hell-of-a-Yell Yam Pone
Flo Ninelles

4 cups (4 medium) yams or sweet potatoes, grated medium fine
1 cup butter, melted, or 1/2 cup melted butter and 6 Tbsp bacon grease
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups white or brown sugar (or mix)
1/4 cup light or dark molasses
2 cups milk
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp grated nutmeg

Mix yams and butter. Beat in eggs, sugar, molasses, milk and vanilla. Mix flour, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Beat into the yam mixture. Pour into an oblong cake pan. Bake one hour at 325°, stirring several times. Bake an additional 1 1/2 hours at 300°.

Greek Pasta Salad
Nora Cusack

2 cups short pasta, uncooked (elbows, tortiglioni, rotini, etc.)
Lots of water
1 red onion, chopped
1 cup spinach, cleaned, de-stemmed, ripped in pieces
1 red pepper, fresh or roasted, chopped
1/2 cup black olives, pitted-whole or cut in half (can use kalmata or similar olives)
1-2 tomatoes, fresh, chopped
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, fresh, grated
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup pine nuts

Dressing

1 clove garlic, peeled
1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
2 Tbsp canola or olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp pepper (or to taste)
2-3 dashes worcestershire sauce
2 tsp dijon mustard

Cook pasta in water according to package instructions. Cool under running water, drain and place in glass bowl. Add all ingredients, except pine nuts.

Dressing

In mortar, pound garlic with salt into a paste. Add to rest of dressing ingredients in a small jar with a lid. Shake vigorously. (Can be made ahead). Add dressing to salad, toss, cover and chill for several hours. Toast pine nuts briefly over low heat in a non-stick pan, stirring constantly until lightly browned. Set aside and add to salad just before serving:

Serves 4 as a main dish, or 6 to 8 as a side dish.

Pretty Pink Salad
Anne Nicol Gaylor

1 package strawberry gelatin
1 package orange gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1 cup cold water
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 cup whipping cream
1 Tbsp sugar
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
Juice from can (8-oz) of crushed pineapple

Dissolve the gelatins in hot water. Add cold water and fruit juices. Pour about one-fourth of this mixture in an oiled salad mold and refrigerate (if you don't have a mold any dish will do). Chill remaining liquid until it starts to set and then beat until fluffy. Whip the cheese, adding a little of the gelatin mixture to speed the process. Then add cheese and the cream, whipped with sugar added, to the gelatin mixture. Pour into salad mold over the firm gelatin. This can be garnished with fresh fruit.

"Gouda" Vegetable Soup
Amy Cox

1/4 cup (half stick) butter
1 1/2 lb russet potatoes, peeled, diced
1 1/2 lb cauliflower, cut into florets
1 lb carrots, sliced
1 large onion, chopped
4 cans vegetable broth
6 or more one-inch-thick slices of French bread
12 oz Gouda cheese, sliced

Melt butter in heavy large Dutch oven over medium-high. Add all vegetables; sauté until onion is golden-brown (about 7 minutes). Add broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat. Simmer vegetables until tender, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Preheat broiler. Put soup in individual broiler-proof soup bowls with bread on top and cheese slices over bread to cover. Broil about 2 minutes. Very good-a!

Serves 6.

Succotash Chowder
Paul Gaylor

3 cups water in 6- to 8-quart soup kettle
1/2 cup diced celery
3/4 cup minced onions
3/4 cup diced carrots
1 package frozen baby lima beans
1 cup diced potatoes
1 can cream-style or regular corn
1 can tomatoes
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
4 Tbsp butter (or two of butter, two of Canola oil)
4 Tbsp flour
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 lb sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 Tbsp fresh parsley
Dash of pepper

Add celery, onion, carrots and lima beans to boiling water. Boil gently until lima beans are done. Add potatoes and cook until potatoes are just done, not soggy. Stir in cream-style corn. Make a white sauce with the butter, mustard, flour and milk and add. Finely chop tomatoes in their juice, thoroughly mix in soda, sugar, salt and pepper and add this tomato mixture slowly to the soup, stirring until thick and creamy. Add grated cheese, stir until melted. Garnish with parsley.

Serves 6 as soup. Makes a hearty meal for 4 with crusty bread.

Butternut Squash Soup
Nora Cusack

1 lb butternut squash (one small), peeled, cut in cubes
1 1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 apple, peeled, cored, chopped
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp grated ginger root
2 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 cup buttermilk
Pepper and salt to taste

Heat oil in medium saucepan, add onions and apple. Cook, stirring over medium heat for a few minutes until onions start to wilt. Add broth, squash, curry powder, ginger and bay leaf. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 30 minutes or until squash is tender. Discard bay leaf. In blender or food processor, puree the broth mixture with the buttermilk, in batches. Adjust seasoning and reheat soup but do not boil.

3 to 4 servings.

Quick & Simple Vegetable Soup
Annie Laurie Gaylor

1 lb canned tomatoes, if fresh, peel and seed
2 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cans (14-oz) reduced-salt chicken broth (or equivalent in condensed cans with water added)
1 cup water
1 bay leaf
2 Tbsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp oregano
5 carrots, thinly sliced
1 lb cubed, unpeeled new potatoes
1 cup diced celery
1 ear corn (or half of a small bag frozen corn)
1/4 lb fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in half
1/2 cup zucchini, sliced (if in season)
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper

Prepare and dice fresh tomatoes or dice canned tomatoes in food processor. Set aside. Sauté butter and onion in large saucepan 3 - 4 min. Add chicken broth, water, oregano and parsley, along with tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, celery. Simmer over medium, reduce to low, cover and cook 20 minutes. Add fresh corn kernels (if frozen, add at end), fresh green beans and zucchini. Simmer, covered, 15 minutes. (Add frozen corn last 5 minutes.) Salt and pepper to taste. Can play with proportions, add favorite veggies.

Creamy Vegetable Soup
Gina Billington & John Sigwald

1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter/margarine blend
4 tsp instant chicken bouillon
3 1/2 cups water
1 2/3 cups instant potato buds
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp sour cream
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 can (8 1/2- oz) small peas, drained
1/2 tsp dried dill
Dash of Tabasco sauce

Sauté vegetables until crisply tender. Add bouillon and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in potato buds and milk. Add remaining ingredients; heat through.

Serves 6.

Cauliflower Cheese Soup
Terri Crowley

1 medium head cauliflower, cooked
2 Tbsp chopped onion
1/4 cup butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 quart milk
1 tsp salt
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Dash of pepper
Parsley

Cook cauliflower and chop fine or put in blender. Sauté onion in butter until transparent. Blend in flour. Add milk and cauliflower stirring constantly. Add seasonings and cook until smooth and thickened.

Add 2/3 cup of the cheese and stir until cheese is melted. Serve and garnish with remaining cheese and parsley.

Cream of Corn Soup
Paul Gaylor

1 can of cream style corn
2 cups milk of choice (the richer the better)
1 Tbsp grated onion
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
3/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
Pepper to taste

Heat the 2 cups of milk with the cream-style corn. Bring just to a simmer. Melt the butter in a small pan and sauté the onion briefly. Add the flour and mix until smooth, then add 3/4 cup of milk, heat and stir until thickened. Add this white sauce and the salt, sugar and pepper to the hot milk and corn mixture and stir until blended. Strain this through a sieve, using a spoon to press all the good stuff through. Reheat. Top with a bit of chopped parsley or a dash of paprika.

Serves 4.

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