Lynn's Kitchen Adventures » Vegetables

Pumpkin Recipes

Lynn — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 15:14:24 +0000

Nothing says the fall and holidays quite like pumpkins and pumpkin desserts.

I love to use pumpkin in recipes during the fall the winter. Here are a few of our favorites.

We love pumpkin for breakfast in this Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal.

I love these Pumpkin Bars and I have a gluten free version.

This Pumpkin Bread is one that I have been making for years and I have a gluten free version of this also. This bread is so good!

If you are looking for a Healthier Pumpkin Bread you might enjoy this one.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins are perfect for a fall breakfast or snack.

And what about a main dish? We love this Pumpkin Chili.

If you are looking for an easy way to cook a pumpkin, the Happy Housewife shared how to cook a pumpkin in the crock pot. I might have to try this sometime. It looks very interesting. I will admit that I usually use the canned stuff, okay I always use the canned stuff, I have never cooked a pumpkin down and pureed it myself. I guess I need to add that to my cooking to do list.

What is your favorite thing to make with pumpkin this time of year?

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Roasted Vegetable Frittata

Lynn — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 14:36:07 +0000

Nothing says summer quite like the fresh fruits and vegetables that are available. They are bountiful this time of year and I love finding new ways to use them in the kitchen

I have mentioned before how much I love Everyday Food magazine. It is one of my favorite food magazines and earlier this summer Martha Stewart Everyday Food came out with a special summer edition of their magazine. It was all about summer food and entertaining.

When I was out shopping last month I saw this special edition issue. I picked it up and started looking through it. The pictures were beautiful and the food sounded wonderful.

The whole issues captured summertime food so well that I knew I had to have it. Well, okay I did not have to have it, but I knew I would use many of the recipes in the magazine and I decided to buy it.

So far I have loved this issue. And although summer is almost over there are still several recipes that I want to try and that will work all year long.

The first recipe I tried from the magazine was for a roasted vegetable frittata. It was perfect for summertime, but really this frittata can be made any time of year using vegetables that are in season or at your local store.

This would be good with all kinds of vegetables and even with something like mushrooms. You can really do a lot with this basic idea and adapt it to your family’s tastes.

I played with the recipe a little and tweaked it just a bit for our tastes, but used the same basic idea. What I ended up with was a quick, easy, and healthy dinner that my whole family enjoyed.

Roasted Vegetable Frittata

2 tablespoons oil
4 cups of vegetables, a mix of onions, peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, etc.
salt and pepper for vegetables
1 teaspoon salt to add to eggs
10 eggs
½ cup Parmesan cheese (the real stuff not the stuff in the green can)
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Slice tomatoes, zucchini and/or yellow squash into thin slices. Slice onions and peppers and any other vegetables you are using.
Place vegetables on a baking sheet. Drizzle with tablespoons oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake at 475 for 20-25 minutes or until vegetables are tender and roasted.
Turn oven temperature down to 450 and grease a 9 inch pie plate that is a deep pie plate. (You can also use an 8×8 pan for this.)
Place roasted vegetables in the pan and set aside.
In a large bowl beat the eggs.
Add the cheeses and 1 teaspoon of salt to the eggs.
Pour over the vegetables and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the center is set.
Cut into wedges and serve.

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Green Beans and Tomatoes

Lynn — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 16:38:17 +0000

When I first moved to Oklahoma I realized that many people cooked their vegetable way different than I was used to.

I am not sure if it is just a regional thing or not, but many people here cook their vegetables to death. I think it may actually be just an older way to cook them, not so much a regional thing. I know they like them that way and have eaten them that way, but in my opinion there is no reason to cook things like green beans for hours and hours.

Okay, well maybe they don’t cook them for hours, but they definitely cook them much longer than I do. I like my green beans cooked, but I like them to still be green. If I want my green beans cooked for a really long time, I can just buy them in a can.

I know that many of you may not agree with me. You may like your green beans that way, so please forgive me for disagreeing with you. And if you do like them cooked like that just cook them longer than I have suggested in this recipe. I am sure the recipe will still be very good.

Does anyone agree with me? Do you like your green beans cooked for long time or a short time?

Easy Green Beans and Tomatoes

2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb frozen green beans
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes, I like to use the petite diced for this
½ teaspoon seasoning salt
salt and pepper to taste

Cook onion in oil, until onion is tender and slightly browned.
Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
Add seasoning salt.
Add green beans and tomatoes and stir well.
Cover and cook on medium low, stirring occasionally, until bean reach desired tenderness. For me this is about 10 minutes.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve and enjoy.

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Creamy Avocado Soup

Lynn — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 15:34:32 +0000

Over the last few weeks my menu plan has not gone quite as planned. I blame it on the heat wave that Oklahoma has been having. There is something about multiple days where the temperature is over 110 that can make a person not want to cook. Or really do anything for that matter.

And if you follow me on Facebook you know that our air conditioning has gone out twice in the last two weeks. Yes, twice in the middle of this record setting weather. I am thankful that the air is back on and currently cooling the house, but let’s just say, I have not been spending a lot of time in the kitchen. And my plan has not gone as planned.

If it were up to me we would be living on salads right not, but the rest of my family disagrees with me on this one. They don’t seem to care how hot it is. They still want food.

So, I have been keeping it as quick and easy as possible when it comes to our meals.

Last week I totally changed the plans around and decided that I was going to make cheese quesadillas and a cold Mexican type soup for dinner. What I came up with was a Creamy Avocado Soup that was perfect served with quesadillas.

This soup is thick and creamy and has just the right amount of tang from the buttermilk and yogurt and just a little spice.

You could easily add even more chili powder or jalapeno to this if you like it spicy.

A couple of notes though. My husband enjoyed this, but thought it was definitively more of a side dish. My girls and I loved this though and thought it could be a meal all on its own served with a few tortilla chips. So, keep that in mind when you are making it. This might be more of a girl’s meal. If you serve it to the men and boys of your family you might want to serve it as more of a side dish to other Mexican type food.

Also, this is a really thick soup, but you could easily thin it out by adding more chicken broth. And this is best served within 24 hours. We had a small amount leftover that we did not get to for a few days, and it was not that good. So, this one is best used within the first day or so of being made.

Creamy Avocado Soup

2 ripe avocados (peeled and cut into pieces)
¾ cup buttermilk
½ cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon line juice
1 tablespoon chopped jalapeno pepper (more if you like it spicy)
½ teaspoon chili powder
1/2-3/4 cup chicken broth

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add more chicken broth until you reach desired consistency. This should be a thick creamy soup, so you do not want to add too much liquid. Refrigerate for several hours to chill. This is best eaten within 24 hrs of when it is made.

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Adapted from Gourmet.

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Chipotle Pepper Salad Dressing

Lynn — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 14:39:15 +0000

I don’t know about you, but we eat a lot of salad this time of year. They are not only healthy, they are quick and easy to make. But having salad so often can become boring.

We tend to make them the same way over and over. One easy way to change up a salad though is the dressing. And when it comes to homemade salad dressings the options are endless.

I was recently trying to come up with homemade salad dressing to go with a spicy chicken main dish that I was making and decided to tweak a homemade salad dressing by adding chipotle peppers. My family loves the flavor of chipotle peppers. They add a nice layer of spice and a depth of flavor that is really unique.

I added just a little chipotle to it and it turned out just as I was hoping it would. The chipotle pepper made a perfect addition to the creamy dressing. It gave it just a little extra flavor and spice without being overly spicy. If you like your food a little spicier though, you could easily add some extra chipotle pepper to it.

One other tip is to be sure that you puree this really well. You want the pepper throughout the dressing and you want it really nice and smooth.

Olive Garden Style Salad Dressing

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 of a chipotle chili pepper, more if you like it really spicy(this is half of one pepper not half a can)
1-2 tablespoon water

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor or blender.Puree until smooth. Refrigerate for several hours to combine flavors well. Serve with salad.

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Broccoli Bacon Salad

Lynn — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 17:35:31 +0000

I cannot believe that I have not shared my Broccoli Bacon Salad recipe with all of you.

I have been making this salad for years and my family loves it. When I went to make this salad recently I searched my site for the recipe and realized that I have never shared this recipe with you.

Today I am going to fix that, because you all need to try my Broccoli Bacon Salad. It is perfect for a summer picnic or cookout, but we enjoy this anytime. It is really good.

Now, I will say that a lot of people make versions of broccoli salad, but these salads often contain crasins or raisins, at least that is how people in Oklahoma often serve it.

Well guess what, I am not a fan of fruit mixed with my vegetables. I never have been and I never will be. I like fruit and I like vegetables, I just don’t like them mixed together.

Remember that carrot salad that was so popular years ago. I grew up seeing that at almost every picnic, church dinner, or family gathering that I went to and I dreaded being served it.

I apologize to all my aunts and friends that used to make that salad. I am sure it was really good, I am just not a fan of carrots and raisins served together in the same salad.

The same goes for my broccoli salad. I love broccoli and I love craisins and raisins, but please don’t mix them together.

Is anyone else with me on this one? Please tell me I am not alone.

And for those of you that love fruit mixed in with your broccoli salad go ahead and put some in here, just don’t tell me about it.

Broccoli Bacon Salad

6 sliced of bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 heads of fresh broccoli, washed and cut into bite sized pieces
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1/8 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice

In a large bowl combine bacon, broccoli, and cheese. Set aside.
In a small bowl combine remaining ingredients. Add to broccoli mixture.
Stir to combine well. Cover and refrigerate for several hours.
Serve and enjoy!

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Grilled Vegetables With Balsamic Vinegar

Lynn — Tue, 31 May 2011 12:59:19 +0000

Grilled vegetables are one of my kids favorite ways to eat vegetables. It is so easy to cut up a few vegetables and place them on grill and if it gets my kids to eat more vegetables I am all for it fixing them that way.

One of my favorite ways to fix grilled vegetables is to marinate them. I often use a store bought salad dressing to do this, but another quick and easy marinade is to mix the vegetables with a few tablespoons of olive oil, a couple of tablespoons of either a balsamic vinegar, a red or white wine vinegar, or you could also use Holland House’s garlic flavor red wine vinegar to add an even different flavor.

Add whatever fresh or dried herbs that you like, along with some salt and pepper, and let them marinate a few hours. Place them on the grill and cook until done. (I use foil when grilling my vegetables and the foil makes the clean up so easy.)

Last night for dinner I grilled zucchini, yellow squash, onions, and mushrooms with a little Holland House balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper, and it was the perfect side dish to our steak dinner.

Grilled vegetables are so quick, easy, and healthy, and they go well with almost any summer time meal.

Disclosure: Holland House sent me products to try and compensated me for my time spent writing this post, but all thoughts and opinions are mine own.

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Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Lynn — Wed, 04 May 2011 01:59:37 +0000

Last week when I posted about buying fingerling potatoes several of you asked how I cooked them.

Well, I have cooked them many ways, but today I wanted to share my favorite way to cook fingerling potatoes. And this is actually one of my favorite ways to cook almost any potato.

I like them simply roasted with a just a little oil and a little bit of salt and pepper.

So easy and so good!

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

2 lbs fingerling potatoes, scrubbed clean
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut larger potatoes in half so that the potatoes are fairly even in size.
Toss potatoes with oil, salt, and pepper.
Place on a baking sheet and cook for 35-40 minutes or until potatoes are tender and golden.
Serve and enjoy!

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Fingerling Potatoes and Keeping Food Interesting

Lynn — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 01:19:26 +0000

One of the easiest ways to keep food interesting and fun is to change it up every once in a while.

Most families eat a lot of potatoes, but instead of buying the exact same potatoes every time, buy something a little different once in a while.

I love potatoes, but I get tired of the same variety all the time. I like to occasionally buy something a little different than I normally do.

Last week when I saw fingerling potatoes at Sam’s Club, I knew it would be a great way to add a little variety to our menu plan.

We have been eating a lot of potatoes and I thought my family was getting a little tired of them. I knew fingerling potatoes would be a good way to add some variety to our meals.

Yes, they are still potatoes, but they have a different flavor than a basic potato and my kids think they are fun to eat.

So, if you are bored with your menu plan, or need some new inspiration in the kitchen, try something a little different. It does not have to be a strange or exotic type food, often all it takes is buying a different variety of something you eat all the time.

Do you do this to keep food interesting and fun?

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Slow Cooked Orange Glazed Carrots

Lynn — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 18:07:35 +0000

I love using my slow cooker. I use if for everything from breakfast and dinner to side dishes and desserts. It is one of the most used appliances in my kitchen and I own several of them.

Today’s recipe is for slow cooked glazed carrots. I really enjoy the orange flavor in this dish. It gives the carrots a sweetness without being overly sweet.

Now this is not a recipe that you put in the crockpot first thing in the morning and leave all day. If you did that you would probably have a mushy orange mess at the end of the day.

This dish cooks for just a few hours, but I still find it saves me a lot of time in the kitchen because I can start it a few hours before dinner and it is ready when I need it.

Orange Glazed Carrots

3 lbs carrots
1 ½ cups water
1 tablespoon sugar
½ cup orange marmalade
2 tablespoons butter

Combine carrots, water, sugar, and one teaspoon of salt in a slow cooker.
Cook on low for 3-4 hours or until tender.
Drain water from carrots, and add marmalade and butter. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve and enjoy.

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Adapted from Slow Cooker Revolution

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