Onion

OK, first off, I don't have a grill. But you can get near it by cooking the veggies in a skillet over medium-hot flame. Secondly, I repeated this recipe a few days later as marinated vegetables. We didn't like it as well. Thirdly, I encourage you to really review my cost analysis. I knew it was a good week at the stores, but $3.00 to feed 5 people dinner is incredible! It proves you don't have to break the bank to eat healthy. It also highlights how much you can save by bringing your own lunch to work.

Recipe for Mediterranean Vegetable Pitas

• 5 Pita pockets, cut in half
• 3/4 cup Eggplant, diced
• 1/4 cup Onion, sliced thinly
• 5 Sweet peppers, sliced thinly
• 2 small Zuchini, sliced
• 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried Herb of choice (sage, rosemary, or Italian blend, for example)
• 1 Small tomato, cut into wedges
• 5 (heaping) Tablespoons Hummus

Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add onions, stirring until slightly softened. Add eggplant, zucchini, and peppers. When vegetables are starting to brown, season with herbs. Toast pita pockets if desired. Spread with hummus. Fill with vegetables. Garnish with tomatoes. (Although there's nothing that says you can't cook the tomatoes, too. As they cook down, they'll make a yummy sauce for the veggies.) Another idea, my father asked for his sandwich to be served with balsamic vinegar.

Although I had planned to serve roasted cauliflower over the ravioli, the oven was in use on another baking project. And the tomatoes looked like they wanted to be eaten. And when all was said and done, my husband was just thrilled with the sauce and so was I. The creamy cheese filling of the ravioli offset the chunkier sauce and eliminated the need for a cheese topping. I was quite pleased how a little bit of ravioli goes a long way.

Cost to Make Ravioli Dinner

• $0.25 Ravioli (Publix)
• $0.30 Cauliflower (Publix)
• $0.50 Onion (Publix)
• $0.60 Tomato (Costco)
• $0.30 Olive Oil (Publix)
• $0.04 Seasonings (Walmart)
• $0.36 Cucumber (Costco)
• $0.50 Lettuce (Publix)
• $0.05 Dressing (Publix)
• $2.90 Total

Cauliflower Tomato Sauce

• 1 cup chopped cauliflower
• 1/2 cup sliced onion
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon each onion powder, garlic powder, salt

Sautee onion in 1 tablespoon oil on medium heat until half cooked, about 5 minutes. Add cauliflower and stir. Cook another 5 minutes. Add tomato and cook until done. Halfway through the cooking process, I like to add the extra oil and seasonings. Some people like the tomato cooked longer and therefore add it earlier. The choice is yours.

You might call this a replay, but it didn't matter because it went over so well. I made kabobs alternating in new particular order carrot slices, sweet potato slices, Redi-Burger chunks, sweet pepper slices, and chunks of onion. It is recommended to pre-cook the carrots and sweet potatoes. Grilled would have been much more fun, but I was running out of time. Instead, I brushed the kabobs with oil and broiled them. Hence the crisped skewers.

For the Warm Tomato Vinaigrette, I used up the last of the fancy balsamic vinegar on the last go around. This time I used white balsamic instead. Also, this time I chose to use the onion chives out of our herb garden instead of Vidalia onion.

Paul grumbled a bit that I didn't have the other balasmic vinegar, but he couldn't deny that the sauce was again a great success. I still recommend it.

Last night's project requires a lot of explaining. One of the first contact emails I ever received on Eat Like a Rabbit was from my mother-in-law recommending the Cauliflower Paprikash recipe in Moosewood Cooks at Home. It has taken me these two years to get up the nerve to make it--with a few adjustments.

Originally, my menu for the week was to serve the recipe with cornbread and baked beans. Clearly, as some of you might have noticed, I didn't actually research the redcipe before making it. Therefore, I had the wrong accompaniments planned and didn't exactly have all the ingredients.

When I learned this recipe fell under the "Stews" chapter in my cookbook, I started getting nervous. Paul doesn't believe in eating soup in the summertime. Since it was pushing 100 degrees yesterday, I wasn't keen on the idea myself. But I took the plunge, did a quick overview in my fridge, and saw no reason I couldn't create a real entree out of what should have been a winter stew. After all, I had a lot of cauliflower that needed matching recipes. And I figured I could hopefully buffalo Paul into thinking it was just another sauce recipe like we'd been trying. It didn't work.

To make a really long story short, we misread our ticket and arrived only 40 minutes before our plane departed for Denver. Naturally, our bags didn't make it and we had to wait for the next plane from Orlando to deliver our clothes for the week and. . .more diapers. Paul did some research and found a vegetarian restaurant in downtown Denver where we could spend our time. Although the GPS took us an odd way through a not-so-nice area of town, we eventually got to Uptown and had no trouble parking near this amazing restaurant.

WaterCourse Foods is designed much like Dandelion CommuniTea Cafe with its re-purposed surroundings and more hippie wait staff who worked very hard to clean up tables quickly. We liked our waiter, Eric, who was very nice and knowledgeable--except for the fact that he told Paul the chili sauce was not hot.

Cost Per Person $13.25

OK. So, it's obvious from the photograph and from proceeding ones that I haven't a clue how to flute my crust. I also think I never seem to have the right size pie plate or the right size crust for these activities. Luckily, they are reasonably forgiving if you can overlook the sometimes unappealing-to-the-eye look. By the way, this is a continuation of yesterday's story about the bright and perfectly ripe flavors of the tomato corn salad I made for my grandmother who requires soft foods to chew. (I also started writing it about 12 hours ago. My how a baby really changes everything!) We get one loan zucchini at a time from our garden. I had already had pasta the day before, and was looking for a better idea for my zucchini. I came across some eggs in the fridge with an expiration date past the return date of my mom and suddenly had my inspiration for the tart. I used my mom's oil crust recipe and created my own zucchini filling recipe. See what you think.

Cost to Make Zucchini Tart

Note: Cost is based on my shopping list even though it used my mother's ingredients.

Recipe for Oil Pie Crust

• 2 C all purpose flour
• 1 t salt
• ½ C oil
• ¼ C cold water

Mix flour and salt. Blend oil and cold water with fork (lots of bubbles). Add liquid mixture to flour and stir. Roll dough between 2 pieces of waxed paper. Place dough in pie plate. Flute if you have the talent. Poke 5 sets of holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork.

For this use, I pre-baked the crust just about 7 minutes. For other uses, it isn't always necessary.

Recipe for Zucchini Filling

• 1 good-sized zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1/3 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 1/2 cup cheese, finely shredded and divided [my mom had the four cheese blend]
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste

Saute zucchini and onion in olive oil about 5 minutes just to soften. Beat eggs, add seasonings, salt, and milk. Beat together. Layer onions and zucchini on pie crust. Top with half of cheese. Pour egg mixture over vegetables. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 400 degrees until top is golden brown, about 30-35 minutes.

Cost Per Person $0.36

I should have tried this recipe much sooner, but broccoli and cauliflower were just three weeks ago on sale for a really good price in our little corner of the world. The recipe came from a book called The Vegetarian Bible, a gift from friends, Frank and Emily. Unfortunately, they gave me the book right before I started feeling sick from my pregnancy, and I wasn't interested in cooking for a long while after that. I'm glad I finally got the time, energy, and desire to pull it out.

What I liked about the Tart: I love the way this tart "hides" broccoli and cauliflower because I know some people who aren't fans of cauliflower. We had no problems eating this cauliflower. The filling was egg-free, a big plus when there are people out there who don't want to eat eggs or who are allergic. The filling was really nicely flavored. I also thought the tart presented very well and cooked well in my pie plate. The best part about the tart is the crust. Paul raved about it. It was a basic oil crust with paprika. Truly amazing. I'm perfectly happy using this crust in every savory dish I ever make again.

It was the end of the week. We were leaving the next day to see Paul's family. I hadn't bothered to grocery shop for the week knowing we would live on what we had since we would be away for a long weekend.

Then, Paul called to tell me he was bringing the boss home for lunch. Now, honestly this isn't so unusual. Paul's boss is female. And I've actually known her a little longer than Paul has, and not in a work environment. (And just for the record, our connections did not get him the job!) Some people might find such a relationship uncomfortable. But since Fely and I are such dominating and outgoing personalities, we get along famously and have no issues spending time together outside the office.

That being said, Fely and Paul spent the first part of their lunch break "test-driving" pianos at a "dealership" where Paul says they employ "used car salesmen." Paul thinks we need a piano for Nora. She needs the opportunity to play if she desires. I agree. Since Fely is an accomplished pianist, we asked her to help us chose a beautiful sounding instrument. Her insights were very valuable. The funny thing was that she went around the shop playing chopsticks so no one would know how well she did play. Otherwise, they would have been a good deal more pushy.

We had a ton of eggs nearing their expiration date, and I happily decided it was time to make another frittata. I actually can't remember the last time I did so, even though we have a lot of vegetable scrambled eggs for breakfasts. I searched my cookbooks and found a simple recipe in Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home. It's called light because the recipe allows for egg whites instead of whole eggs. I used three or four whole eggs instead of the egg whites. I loved how the broccoli cooked just above the pool of egg so that it was crispy/crunchy. Bird's Eye Baby Broccoli Florets kept me from spending extra time cutting. The fresh basil from our herb garden also made the frittata a hit. My only complaint would be I had to use a burner on the stove and turn on the oven for the final baking.

Super fast and easy and super cheap, I'll happily make this again and expound on it based on what veggies are in the fridge.

Cost to Make Broccoli Fritatta

• Broccoli (Publix)
• $0.65 Eggs (Publix)
• $0.03 Garlic (Maitland Farmer's Market)
• $0.40 Onion (Publix)
• $0.04 Olive Oil (Publix)
• $1.00 Cheese (Publix)
• Free Basil (Our Herb Garden)
• $3.02 Total feeds 2

Cost Per Person $1.51

We're very lucky. Dinner was rushed the night I made this veggie strudel because I had a date with Whole Foods. I thought I had missed the opportunity to photograph my finished product, but my darling husband surprised me just this morning with a photo of the finished product. It may not be perfect, but I'm glad to at least have something considering we were so rushed.

I created this recipe in my head because I thought it would be speedy to prepare, and still (hopefully) look like I slaved all day. I want our meals to look high quality even though our 3-month-old (Can you believe it?) doesn't allow me to spend too long in the kitchen. I thought the strudel came out just as I expected, and I happily allowed Paul to clean up the few dishes.

Recipe for Vegetable Strudel

• 1 Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry Sheet
• 1 carrot, pealed and cut un thirds
• 1/2 bell pepper
• 1/2 small onion
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 5 slices Jarlsberg or other mild Cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley

Preheat oven. Wash and peel necessary veggies. Place all ingredients in food processor. Chop thoroughly until veggies are mixed. Open puff pastry onto baking pan. (I line mine with a silicone baking sheet.) Place packed mixture on lengthwise on half puff pastry. Top with slices of cheese. Fold puff pastry over top. Press edges together with tines of a fork to seal. Bake according to package directions. Serves 2.

Can this possibly look as good on camera as it did in person? Moreover, can you possibly imagine how good it tasted from the photo?

My last issue of Gourmet Magazine inspired me to make this amazing pizza patate or potato pizza even though I didn't have time to follow their recipe. No matter; I created my own and was perfectly happy with it. And just for the record, don't think I'm some sort of genius. I'm just really lucky. I hope I can explain it well since I created it more on a whim and was in too big of a hurry to remember exact measurements.

Recipe for Pizza Patate

• 1 pizza dough recipe
• 1 medium baking potato
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1 long sprig rosemary, leaves peeled off
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt

With a mandolin or other shredding device, thinly slice the potato. I like to leave the skin on for color. My four-sided shredder has a long slit that slices the potato perfectly. Immediately put the slices in a bowl of water so they do not brown. When pizza is ready to assemble, brush dough with olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. salt. Dry the slices of potato and layer them on dough. Next, spread onions out on pizza. Sprinkle with remaining olive oil and salt. Finish by spreading rosemary leaves around. Finish baking.

Cost Per Person $0.43

I hope this is my last depressing post for a while. I feel so bad about it, I couldn't even post a larger photograph out of embarrassment. The plate looked much more monochromatic than I expected it to. Everyone knows that a more colorful plate is generally a more healthy plate. And I thought it didn't taste so good. Fortunately, I have a very forgiving husband, and he blamed my incompetency on the antibiotics I was taking because he thought everything was fine. But for a driven person and perfectionist like myself, fine just isn't good enough. Perhaps you want more details to draw your own conclusion.

Super simple and amazingly yummy, naturally this recipe is from Moosewood Simple Suppers. The gravy is flour, garlic, and vegetable broth. The broth is a great way to add lots of flavor when you don't have a large selection of seasonings in your cabinet. The vegetables can be served different ways, but it worked so well over some already cooked quinoa that didn't have an assignment yet. I love how it resembles a nice Asian stir-fry, but has the surprising differences of alternative vegetables (No broccoli or snow peas, although I know they would taste just as good here.) and a broth instead of soy sauce.

If you have a few extra leftover asparagus stems, it doesn't take much to add great flavor and color to this dish. I recommend buying the thinnest stems you can find. It's a time-saver to not have to halve them lengthwise. The hardest and longest part of the process for me was opening up the shelled edamame because I didn't have unshelled frozen edamame. Not exceptionally difficult, just time consuming.

Cost to Make Veggie Saute

• $0.50 Quinoa (Costco)
• $0.07 Carrots (Aldi)
• $0.90 Edamame (Costco)
• $0.57 Onion (Publix)
• $0.29 Asparagus (Publix)
• $0.02 Garlic (Maitland Farmer's Market)$0.82 Broth (Essential Health Market
• $2.35 Total for two

Cost Per Person $1.18

Last week was a surprising challenge due to the fact that I had a slight relapse and wasn't feeling up to playing around in the kitchen as much as I had desired. Paul had pity on me more than one night by eating bagels with carrot sticks or other veggies a couple nights and taking me out to eat one night. That being said, I have a much fancier menu planned this week just to pay him back for my slacking week and to allow my creativity to be uncanned for a while.

In case you ever think I'm some kind of superwoman, think again. Looking around my disaster of a house and remembering the ironing board upstairs stacked with clothes makes me feel significantly like an unorganized maniac. However, I thank my friend, Lisa, for an amazing and encouraging pep-talk on Friday that really made my weekend. Also, Nora had her first play-date (er, rather, Mommy had her first play-date) with a lady and her daughter that live just one street away. Splashing in the kiddie pool and sitting in the sun of a glorious Spring afternoon also revived the tired, old mommy.

I'm tooting my own horn right now. Last week I felt like nothing I made was exceptionally successful. In fact, I've delayed some of my sad posts so I don't lose readers to do my lack of encouragement about my kitchen duties last week. But so far this week. . .I'm most proud of myself. OK, I know it's only Tuesday and last night was my first dinner of the work week, but it was good. Even my dad said so. TWICE!

The best thing about this recipe was that I had the enchiladas together in about 16 minutes. The sauce added another 20. (One batch of sauce wasn't enough!), but it was so worth it. Truly a one-pot meal, I put the dinner together at 1400, picked up the kitchen, and left until 1700 when I came back and put it in the oven. After eating, I literally only had Pyrex, dinner plates and forks, and the knife and cutting board for the lettuce to add to the dishwasher afterward. (Thanks to my Mom for cleaning all that up!)

Recipe for Pinto Bean Enchilladas

• 15 medium-sized corn tortillas
• 1 small onion
• 1 small bell pepper
• 1 cup frozen corn kernals
• 2 1/4 cups cooked pinto (Canned beans work, too.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Quarter onions and bell peppers. Chop well in mini food processor. Mine were almost creamed, and that works well, adding significantly more flavor than the usual dicing technique.

Place tortillas on wet paper towel in a tortilla warmer and microwave 1:30 minutes. You should be able to achieve the same effect in a large microwaveable bowl covered with a wet paper towel. Heat one minute and warm additionally if tortillas are not pliable.

Layer one spoonful each of beans, onion and bell pepper mixture, corn, and cheese into tortillas. Roll tightly and lay in Pyrex dish.

Top with canned enchilada sauce or make your own. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Top with shredded lettuce, salsa, and sour cream if you wish.

Recipe for Enchilada Sauce

• 3 packages Savory Choice Concentrated Vegetable Broth
• 3 cups water
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder

Dissolve vegetable broth concentrate in water and whisk in flour. Pour into medium skillet on a medium-high flame stirring constantly until sauce thickens. Add additional flour if necessary. Stir in cumin and chili powder and remove pan from fire. Pour sauce over enchiladas.

Cost Per Person $1.02

Confession: Given the choice between a decision that's healthy or a decision that's cheap, I'd prefer to go for the decision that's cheap. And there are times when I make unhealthy choices because I want to splurge and am happy it's cheap, like when I got Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream for $0.90 a carton. This recipe came about because I was being cheap. And luckily it's healthier, too.

See, we don't eat a lot of fried foods. I ate enough french fries when I was a kid and okra isn't in season yet. So when I decided to make eggrolls or cabbage rolls, I felt it would be a very expensive undertaking to fry them in so much oil when I wouldn't reuse the oil. It would go to waste! I did some research on what temperature other people recommended baking eggrolls on, and I gave baking a shot. I was so happy with the results that I served them to my parents and grandmother the next night.

Recipe for Baked Eggrolls

• 6 Eggroll wrappers
• 2 cups very thinly cut cabbage
• 2 small carrots, julienned
• 1/2 cup onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pice Frichik, diced (optional)
• 1 teaspoon each, garlic and onion powder
• 3 Tablespoons or less olive oil, divided
• 1 cup brown rice, cooked

I've learned in my travels that different people may use different amounts of oil for the same tasks. At most, I would use 3 Tablespoons. Hopefully, we would all use less.

Put cabbage, carrots, garlic, and optional veggie meat in a bowl. Stir-fry onions in 1 Tablespoon or less olive oil. Add vegetables and seasoning. Stir fry the vegetables down.

Pull out eggroll wrappers and lay on plate at an angle. Dish large spoonful into wrapper. Fold the corner closest to you up. Wet remaining sides with dash of water. Fold corners on sides in and corner farthest from you toward you. Brush with remaining olive oil and lay seems down on jelly roll pan or cookie sheet. Bake on 425' for 15 minutes, turning halfway through. Serve over rice.

My preferred sauce recipe is taken from Moosewood Restaurants Cooks at Home--lime, ketchup and soy sauce. Since I didn't have lime, I mixed 1/2 tablespoon tahini in 3 tablespoons soy sauce. It does have a strong flavor, but I think it works.

As I've mentioned before, it took me a good while to try out pre-made pizza doughs and recipes for pizza dough, but I finally found one that I liked. I've read some money-saving and cooking blogs that say you can even buy dough from a great pizza joint you know. I think I'm happier making my own because then I don't have to run out any time I feel like pizza. I should already have the ingredients for the dough on hand.

Because I buy the packaged yeast, I make two recipes of dough at the same time, which is a great time-saver for later because I can just freeze the dough for another week.

I've almost always had trouble with any crust because I seemed to either burn it or get it undercooked. This time, I took a couple steps to prevent a recurrence of such disasters. I actually separated the dough in three equal parts to make smaller pizzas. We still managed to eat our fill and have leftovers for Paul to take to work for lunch the following day. It just means when we have pizza again, it will be smaller and we'll get to supplement with something else.

At the risk of sounding like I'm trying to convince myself, I repeat: I did not want to post my child all over my blog. However, it was evident today when it took me much longer to deal with the container garden than it should have that Nora will continue to be involved in every chore I do. And therefore will sneak into pictures here and there. I will just try to make sure they actually have a correlation to the story.

I won't bore you with the details about diaper changing and moving the carrier with me to every container so I could rock it with my foot. Instead, I will tell you how much fun I had planning my container garden, shopping, and even actually working in my garden. (By the way, thanks to Graycen Nudd for helping me plant the flower seeds this morning before she returned home with her parents.) If you have known me at all, you will likely believe I am an exceptionally girly-girl. This is true mostly. Just subtract my love for baseball, basketball, and especially hockey. Now, you can add "playing in the dirt" to the list of things I enjoy doing, especially in our fabulous spring weather. Don't get me wrong, I scrubbed my hands well and immediately applied lotion to them when I was done, but there is something so gratifying about working in the soil and seeing changes for the better and then excitedly awaiting the produce.

I was reading up on the qualities of spinach in The Full Plate Diet, when I learned that the term "a la Florentine" came from Catherine de Medici's love for spinach. This may not mean much to most people, but it hit a cool note with me as my brother- and sister-in-law met at an old Medici Villa, that has been turned into a college, where they both worked.

And that inspired me to use the leftover quinoa and braised spinach to make an Italian version. Sadly, I was in a hurry as we only had an hour before an appointment at some friends' house, and I forgot the tomatoes. Plus, I would have loved to add pine nuts, but we're out. Paul saw nothing much connecting the dish to Italian dining except for the parmesan cheese topping. That was a mistake on my part. However, I stand by my original idea and claim with the additions it would have been a better presentation. Either way, I thought it tasted just yummy.

Below is the recipe as I would have made it with more time and more supplies.

Quinoa a la Florentine

• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup onion, sliced
• 1 pound fresh spinach, rinsed
• 1/8 cup Parmesan Cheese, finely shredded
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, chopped and toasted
• 2 Campari Tomatoes, quartered

Sautee onions until soft in 1 teaspoon olive oil then add garlic to cook briefly. (Don't let the garlic brown.) Add the broth and allow to heat up. Add spinach and cook until just wilted. Serve spinach over quinoa topped with pine nuts and parmesan. Garnish on four sides with tomatoes.

Last week, a reporter from iReport at CNN wrote with a "Weekend Assignment" story request for a video of a signature dish. Eggplant Bruschetta is one of my classic dishes, and today Paul and I visited the same stall at the Maitland Farmer's Market where we picked up our first eggplant. You can check out the video of making Baked Eggplant Bruschetta and learn the recipe at ireport.com.

Cost Per Person $3.12

I have a confession to make. I'm not as much of an adventurer when it comes to food as most people think. In fact, I'm really boring and conservative. So much so that I thought about adding to my New Year's Resolutions that I would try a new food every month or so, but was too chicken to do it. Well, maybe I should have added that resolution because already in one week I've tried two new foods! First were the cheese curds that I used in a recipe on Sunday. Then came the lentil stew pictured above. I based it on the gluten-free recipe from Lisa Hardinge, but couldn't follow it explicitly because I lacked potatoes, etc. As proud as I am of these successfully delicious creations, I cannot take all the credit. After all, I didn't go out and buy the items myself. The cheese curds were a gift from my aunt and uncle. The lentils were acquired when Paul's parents were here. I guess that means I still have a long way to go in the "adventurous" department.

Lentil and Rice Stew

• 2 cups cooked rice, I used a mixture of brown and red
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 stalk celery, sliced
• 1 cup lentils, uncooked
• 1 cup onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons McKay's Chicken-style (vegetarian) Seasoning
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cups water

In soup pot, warm olive oil and add onions. If the onions are frozen, they cook faster, so add the celery and carrots pretty quickly after the onions are coated in oil and warmed. Add the water mixed with the McKay's, then the lentils. Bring all to a boil, turn down to medium and simmer about 30 minutes. That's what it took for me, and they were still a little crunchy. Add the rice and warm through. Add less rice or more water for stew.

The sides are not gluten-free. Worthington Skallops are from a can and pan-fried in just a touch of oil to keep them from sticking. The biscuit recipe came from Smitten Kitten and tasted so good dipped in the broth.

For a belated Christmas present, my darling aunt and uncle sent us 3 pounds of cheese curds. I spent all this morning searching online for recipes in which to use the young white and yellow cheddar pieces. Finally, it was lunch time and I hadn't been very successful. Cheese curds are most popular as Fried Cheese Curds, which there are tons of recipes for. However, after a eating too late last night, my stomach wasn't up for fried foods at lunch. Instead, I remembered a cheddar cheese soup recipe in my Moosewood Cooks at Home cookbook. However, since It's been weeks since my visit to the grocery store aside from the purchase of bananas, milk, and tortilla chips (which do me little good as I'm out of salsa), I had to adapt the recipe to what I had on hand. And you know what? I really surprised my self. I was quite proud how the soup turned out. I will say, the cheese flavor is rich in the vegetable soup. Although it was quite good, it was a bit heavy on the stomach--although that's a good idea when it's cold out. I don't expect it to be a regular soup in my collection, but that's OK because we live in Florida and rarely get the opportunity for it to be cold enough to warrant eating so much soup.

Cheddar Vegetable Soup

Inspired by Moosewood Cooks at Home

• 1/2 large onion, sliced
• 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1-2 small celery stalks, diced
• 1 small-medium sweet potato, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 2 Tablespoons McKay's Chicken-style Seasoning (vegetarian boullion)
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 cup cheese curds, diced small

Saute onions in soup pot or sauce pan about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add sweet potatoes, carrots and celery. Stir. Mix seasoning in water and pour into pot. Cover pot and cook about 10 minutes or until sweet potatoes are soft. (The original recipe called for white potatoes. I think they sometimes take longer to cook. Sweet potatoes seem to cook faster to me.) When vegetables are soft, add milk then cheese. The key is to have small cubes of cheese and to add them gradually so they don't clump.

Ladle the soup into a blender. (Be really careful because the blender may splatter when you turn it on. I have a silicone trivet that I cover the blender with so the soup won't splatter and burn my fingers. A towel could work, too.) Reheat soup and serve garnished with fresh herbs as desired. I bet green onions or chives would have been yummy if we had had any. Also, ground red pepper seemed to be a nice addition, too.

Sometimes, the best laid plans aren't enough. Remember how my menu plan for the week included pre-cut vegetarian turkey and zucchini to make a second batch of soup? Well, tonight, for some reason, soup wasn't a good idea. It is a bit warmer in Florida, and I grazed on goodies all day at the office. So, it didn't take me long after getting in my car and starting the drive home to evaluate what was in the fridge and to change my mind. What I loved about the fajita idea was that everything had been prepared already. So, it was a cinch to cook, and I had two huge fajitas on the table within 15 minutes. Moreover, my only dishes were two plates, the sauteing skillet and spatula, the cutting board and knife for the onion (they were only in rings), and two knives and forks to eat with. Thanks to an empty dishwasher, clean-up was even faster than cooking!

Recipe for Veggie Fajitas

• 2 Large/Burrito Size Flour Tortillas
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
• 1/4 large onion, diced or sliced
• 1/4 bell pepper, sliced
• 1 cup vegetarian turkey, cubed or sliced
• 1/2 cup zucchini, cubed
• 1 T Oil, olive or other preferred sauteing

Note: Proportions of veggies and veggie-meat were what I had on hand. The beauty of such a recipe is that you can always add or take away or exchange. There is no wrong as long as you like what you are putting in the dish!

Place a medium to large skillet on medium-high heat. Pour in oil and add onions. Stir until onions soften. Add bell pepper, zucchini, and turkey. Stir to coat with oil. Let sit occasionally to brown sides of veggies and stir again. Veggie-meats do not have a minimum cook time. You only need the food to be cooked through (and the veggies tender, of course). Place tortillas on microwaveable plate. Spread vegetables evenly in center of wrap. Sprinkle with cheese and roll. Microwave 30 seconds to melt cheese OR while the veggies are cooking, place the tortillas on top of the skillet so they catch the heat from the cooking. Turn often to make sure all sides are warmed. Then, you don't have to microwave the finished product.

We should probably wait until Garrett Nudd comes this week to add this post, but we'll just take our chances. It seems that we finally have a situation where Garrett's guacamole may actually have a rival. Paul's Aunt Marsha did something amazing for our Mexican dinner, but we were playing on the beach or something and missed the exact creation. As near as I can tell, the ingredients were simply diced avocados, smaller diced tomatoes and red onions, fresh cilantro, one fresh squeezed lime, and a couple dashes of Cholula and salt. Maybe there was a diced garlic clove, too. Perhaps we won't hurt Garrett's feelings too much if we just recommend that he not smash the avocado, and we'll offer to dash some cholula to see if that's all it takes.

Sometimes, the photos of a meal go up on flickr before I get around to posting the story behind it. Our dear friend, Brent, had the kids by himself over the weekend while Lisa, his wife, was away with her family. Brent saw our picture of the Mexican Pizza, guessed how to make it, and made one for the kids. He said Kyle liked it, and he loved it. Apparently, Elena wasn't so sure about it. Therefore, I can actually post the opinions of this dish beyond our household. The first photo was from our dinner and the second is from Brent and the kids' dinner. Notice that Brent had mushrooms and bell pepper on the top of his pizza. The options are endless!

Recipe for Mexican Pizza

• 2 Burrito-sized Flour Tortillas
• 1/8 onion, sliced
• 1/4 small bell pepper, sliced
• 1/4 cup sliced black olives
• 1/3 can Fire Roasted Tomatoes
• 1/3 can Refried Beans
• 1/2 cup (more or less) cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place one flour tortilla in the center of a jelly roll pan (I like a pan with edges so juices don't run). Spread refried beans over the tortilla. Lay the onions, bell peppers, and black olives around over the beans and top with one layer of cheese (optional). Place second tortilla over the toppings (like a quesadilla), and top with the tomatoes and additional cheese. Bake in oven 7 minutes or until edges are brown and cheese is bubbling.

Cost Per Person $0.86

We loved these vegeburgers. I could see putting Grillers out of business with these. But beyond that, these make something pretty rare for people on a gluten-free diet. Most vegetarian meats have gluten or wheat products in them, which makes it hard to fill that empty spot in your stomach wishing for a vegetarian hamburger. Lisa has come through with what I think is a family recipe. And Paul hopes I make it a family recipe as well. By the way, the bun in the photograph is a whole wheat and not a gluten-free item.

Notes from Lisa

Here's the veggie burger recipe as best as I can replicate it. I've never made them exactly the same twice.

TSP=Textured Soy Protein can be interchangeable with TVP=textured vegetable protein. You'll sometimes see them in ingredient lists. The TVP is sometimes a red flag for gluten because they aren't committing to what type of vegetable protein it contains. So that's something I watch for. Just search on Google or on Amazon.com. Check to make sure the TSP or TVP used is gluten-free. Unless stated on the package, TVP (textured vegetable protein) is a red-flag for possibly containing gluten since the manufacturer is not stating what type of vegetable is used to make the product.

Gluten-Free Vegeburgers

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups chicken-style dehydrated TSP
• 3 cups water, boiled
• 1 onion, grated or diced in sm. pieces
• 1-2 tablespoons oil
• ½ cup gluten-free bread crumbs
• ½ cup rice crackers, crushed
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 2-3 eggs
• 1-2 tablespoons chicken-style seasoning [like McKay's]
• 3 tablespoons liquid aminos
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Method

Boil water and combine with TSP to reconstitute it. Fluff with a fork. In a medium sized bowl, combine reconstituted TSP with onion and remaining ingredients. Depending on the consistency of the mixture, use 2 or 3 eggs to achieve a consistency that will hold together when formed into balls (or use 2 egg whites to equal 1 egg). If mixture is too dry, add another egg. If mixture is too wet, add more bread or cracker crumbs (can
use one or the other, don't have to use both). When desired consistency is achieved, form into balls and press down into an oiled skillet. Cook for several minutes on each side until done. When the first batch is done, taste a patty to determine if seasoning if
just right. Adjust as needed. Makes about 18 3-in. patties.

I just met Lisa when we were in Spokane for the Bloomsday Race. Brent and Paul have been friends for years, and Brent has visited on occasion. But even for our wedding, Brent came alone while Lisa managed the household and two great kids. I was excited to finally get to meet Lisa. And I was exceptionally grateful for all she taught me about a kitchen and thinking outside my traditional cookbooks. She has generously shared the recipes to go with the photos Paul took while we were spending the weekend with our friends, and they will make a great little series for Eat Like a Rabbit.

Lisa requires a gluten-free diet. And just like so many other allergies or other issues, many people (including myself) often focus on the can'ts instead of on the cans. Lisa taught me that planning and an open mind can make life in a restricted kitchen easy to manage.

Incidentally, I haven't seen pictures, but I get the feeling Brent and Lisa's garden is bigger than ours. I think they are so lucky!

Thank you, Brent, Lisa, Kyle, and Elena for your hospitality and for sharing these fantastic recipes with me and with EatLikeaRabbit.net readers.

Red Lentil Soup by Lisa Hardinge

Saute on Medium Heat

• 2 large onions, chopped
• 6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 8 tablespoons olive oil (or less)

Add

• 3 cups red lentils, rinsed
• 3 tablespoons McKay's chicken- style seasoning
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon basil
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• 1 large can tomato sauce, 14.5 oz.
• 10 cups water

Heat to boil. Simmer on medium heat up to 45 minutes, stirring regularly.

NOTE: Can substitute 2 tbsp. dill weed and 3 cubes vegetable bullion for seasoning.

Recipe for Mexican-Style Couscous

Inspired by a genius cook in Paris.

• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup Couscous (uncooked)
• 1/2 cup tomato juice (from can of diced tomatoes) and 3/4 of the can of tomatoes
• 1/4 large onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
• 1 tablespoon seasoned salt (ours is homemade)

In honor of the end of my month-long series about our trip to France, I am finishing with a guest post by a new friend, Lynn Muldrew. Although she is Northern Irish, she has been working in France with Brina, my friend from high school. Lynn was happy to share her family recipe for Vegetarian French Onion Soup because most recipes I know are made with beef or chicken stock. The first time I met Lynn was in Paris, but we got along well and I know the other people on the trip really enjoyed her being their tour guide. This picture is actually of Lynn with Larry, Paul's cousin's husband. Because Larry was so tall, Lynn put her bright pink hat on him so everyone could see where to go. That experience will go down in a lot of memory books. Those who remember her voice can imagine her reading this post in person.

Guest Post by Lynn Muldrew

I'm going to share a slightly adapted French recipe for onion soup. Traditional French onion soup is made with only water and onions (plus seasoning). However, having tasted an improved version I'm going to share this one with you! This recipe serves about 10 people.

For my birthday, Paul bought me a "deck" of soup and stew cards from the Moosewood Restaurant collection. It was such a clever idea, and luckily, it was cold enough to take advantage of them before we left for Paris when my kitchen was nearly empty of food.