Steamed Vegetables With Ginger Miso Dressing

3 Tbs yellow miso
2 Tbs water
1 Tbs rice vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
1-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, grated
1/2 to 1 Thai bird chile, minced with seeds
1/2 cup peanut oil
1/2 bunch broccoli, cut in large florets
1/2 bunch cauliflower, cut in large florets
2 carrots, cut in thick slices
1 yellow or zucchini squash, cut in thick rounds
1/2 to 1 head fennel, cut into thin wedges
1 bunch asparagus
8 cloves garlic
1 bunch scallions

1) For the dressing: Whisk the miso, water, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger and chile, to taste, in a bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil, starting with a few drops and then adding the rest in a steady stream to make a smooth, slightly thick dressing. Serve or refrigerate in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days.
2) For the vegetables: Pour 1-inch or more of water in a wok or skillet and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Place the vegetables in a bamboo or collapsible steamer. Set the steamer over the boiling water, cover, and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, or just until the vegetables are crisp tender. Serve warm or at a room temperature with the dressing.

Review: I left out the fennel, because I don't like fennel (tastes like licorice). I substituted a zucchini, instead. It worked really well and I can't even imagine this dish with fennel. This was super yummy. Mike especially liked the dressing and it might be a good one to make and have with regular salads.

Golden Glow Stuffed Squash (crockpot recipe)

1 Tbs olive oil
1 medium-sized yellow onion, minced
1 medium-sized carrot, coarsely shredded
1 small yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 1/2 cups cooked white or brown rice
1 Tbs minced fresh parsley leaves
1 tsp dried thyme or ground sage
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large winter squash (butternut, buttercup, kabocha or acorn), halved and seeded
1 cup hot water

1) Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and bell pepper, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and turmeric, then stir in the rice, parsley and thyme, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and spoon the mixture into the squash cavities.
2) Pour the water into a 6-qt oval slow cooker and add the squash halves, stuffing side up. Cover and cook on Low until the squash is tender, about 6 hours. Serve hot.

Review: My squash didn't fit in my slow cooker, so I had to layer them and then smoosh them in after a few hours of baking. It turned out to be quite delectable. I scooped out the squash from the rind and mixed it with the "stuffing" to make it easy to package leftovers. I used a buttercup squash. :)

Field Greens With Pomegranate Vinaigrette

6 cups washed and dried field greens
1/4 cup blue cheese or feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup pecans, halves and pieces
1/4 cup fresh pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries
1/2 cup pomegranate balsamic vinegar
1 cup olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard

1) To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the mustard and vinegar in a small bowl until combined. Add the oil in a stream continuously whisking until emulsified. Set aside.
2) Prepare the salad by adding 1/2 of the greens to a large bowl and gently toss with just enough dressing to lightly coat. Add the remaining greens and toss. Add additional dressing as necessary to just coat the greens. Add HALF of the cheese crumbles, the pecan pieces and the pomegranate seeds (or dried cranberries), reserving the remaining half of each to use as a topping.
3) To serve: Arrange 1/4 of the prepared salad on each of 4 chilled salad plates. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese crumbles, the pecan pieces and the pomegranate seeds (or dried cranberries). Serve at once.

Review: We bought pomegranate balsamic vinegar a couple of weeks ago, when we found it on sale, with a coupon, for about a dollar. I finally found a way to use it! This was unbelievably good and would make a great salad for fancy occasions when you need to impress someone, but need an easy way to do it! I wanted to get the pomegranate seeds from Costco, as they're already shelled. Mike opted to buy a pomegranate from the store. After he tore it apart, he regretted not buying the Costco seeds. Learn from his error!!

Asian Vegetable Cakes With Crunchy Cabbage Salad

1 14.1 oz vegetarian split pea soup
2 large eggs
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 cup sugar snap peas, coarsely chopped
1 cup julienned or grated carrots
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
4 green onions, white and green parts chopped
2 Tbs toasted sesame oil
2 tsp tamari or soy sauce
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
low-fat Asian salad dressing, optional
Sriracha chile sauce, optional
4 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage (about 1 head)
1 cup julienned or grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup Asian dressing

1) Whisk together soup and eggs in bowl. Stir in cornmeal, then sugar snap peas, carrots, corn, green onions, oil, tamari/soy sauce and ginger. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
2) Toss together all ingredients in bowl. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Set aside.
3) Heat nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Scoop pea mixture onto skillet in 1/4-cup dollops, and cook 5 minutes, or until golden on one side. Flip, and cook 5 minutes more. Transfer to plate, and repeat with remaining pea mixture until you have 12 cakes.
4) To serve: Divide salad among plates. Top each serving with 2 cakes. Serve with Asian dressing and Sriracha, if using.

Review: This made about 8 servings - we had so much food! Fortunately, this was supremely yummy. We used Newman's Sesame & Ginger dressing which was really good.

Root Vegetable Curry

1/2 lb baby carrots, halved
1 cup frozen peas
2 Tbs all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 lb daikon, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 Tbs olive or canola oil
2 Tbs dried minced onion
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 tsp curry powder or more to taste
3 cups vegetable broth
1 lb turnips or rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1) In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring often, for 1 minute. Add curry powder and stir until powder is heated and aromatic, but not browned. Add broth and vegetables. Increase heat and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 45 minutes.
2) In small cup, whisk flour into water until smooth. Add to curry, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens, about 4 minutes. Serve hot.

Review: Oops, our baby carrots went bad. However, we have a 50lb box of potatoes, so I tossed one of those in, keeping the skin on. I added the peas about 5 minutes before the flour mixture, as they really don't need to cook as long. It was pretty hearty and made five bowls, which was more than I expected!

Smothered Cajun-Spiced Squash

1/4 cup plus 1 Tbs olive oil, divided
1 clove garlic, minced
2 butternut squash, quartered and seeded, each quarter halved
2 Tbs, plus 8 tsp Cajun seasoning, or more to taste, divided
4 large onions, halved and sliced
4 medium red or green bell peppers, quartered and sliced
8 large celery ribs, sliced on the bias
5 Tbs flour
1 1/2 Tbs cider vinegar

1) Preheat oven to 350F. Combine 1 Tbs oil and garlic in small bowl. Brush garlic-oil mixture over butternut squash pieces, and place on baking sheet. Sprinkle each squash piece with 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until squash pieces are tender enough to easily pierce with fork.
2) Meanwhile, heat remaining 1/4 cup oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, bell peppers and celery, and cook 20 to 25 minutes, or until vegetable are soft and beginning to brown, stirring occasionally.
3) Stir flour into onion mixture, and cook 1 minute, or until flour begins to brown, stirring constantly. Stir in vinegar, remaining 2 Tbs Cajun seasoning, and 6 cups water. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally.
4) To serve: Place 2 squash pieces on plate. "Smother" with 1 cup onion mixture.

Review: The recipe said to serve with rice or grits. I served this over bulgur. This was super yummy. The butternut squash with Cajun seasoning was AMAZING. I used the diced stuff from Costco to make my life easier. And, I used only 1 onion and decreased the water to 2 1/2 cups. This made quite a bit of food for me, which means I get this again for lunch tomorrow. Yum!

Walnut Miso Noodle

4 oz spaghetti or linguini
1 small bunch of asparagus, sliced thinly
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium clove garlic, peeled
2 Tbs mellow white miso paste
2 Tbs white wine vinegar
1 tsp honey
2 big pinches salt (or to taste)
1/4 cup+ warm water

Topping ideas: sliced green onions, chopped chard stems and leaves that have been cooked for a minute or two in a skillet with a bit of olive oil and salt, chopped fresh chives, toasted walnuts

1) Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously and cook the pasta per package instructions, being careful to not overcook. About 10 seconds before you are going to drain the noodles, add the asparagus to the pot. Drain and set aside.
2) Meanwhile, puree the walnuts, olive oil, garlic, miso paste, vinegar and honey in a blender. Add the warm water a bit at a time until the dressing is the consistency of a heavy cream. Taste and add salt if you think it needs it.
3) Toss the pasta/asparagus with about 1/2 the walnut-miso dressing. Add additional dressing to taste and serve.

Review: I somehow missed the asparagus when I made the grocery list. Oops. So I added some frozen broccoli that I found in the freezer. I really liked this dish, though it oddly tastes a bit like ramen noodles. I guess this is a healthier option, though.