Sweet and Sour Cabbage Wedge

Cabbage is a very underrated vegetable. One of the best recipes I have found for it is this one:

Serves 4

Prep time:  5 minutes

Total time: 25 minutes

2 T olive oil

1/2 head green cabbage, quartered through the core

1/2 cup cider vinegar

2 T sugar

course salt and ground pepper

Start by putting olive oil in a pan (skillet can be used) over medium heat.

Then add the cabbage and cook it until it’s golden brown. Around 3 minutes per each side.

Then add vinegar, sugar and 1 ½ cups of water. Bring to a simmer.

Cook the cabbage until it is tender.

You can use a chopstick or fork to test it.

Cook about 12 to 15 minutes then serve with salt and pepper.

You can also replace the salt with soy sauce which I do from time to time.

Sun Dried Tomatoes

I make this anytime of the year that I can find good ripe tomatoes. Ideally they come from my garden but alas, I run out of those way too soon.

Collect perfectly ripe tomatoes, any blemished or under-ripened or over-ripened tomato should be used for some other recipe.

Preheat oven to 200° F.

Gently wash & dry the tomatoes, cut into pieces then scoop out the seeds, remove as much liquid as possible.

Oval Tomatoes (Plum): Cut lengthwise; Round Tomatoes: Cut into quarters.

Place the tomato pieces cut side up on a rack or cookie sheet (covered with several layers of tinfoil), do not allow the tomato pieces to touch each other.

Drizzle or brush good extra virgin olive oil (be generous) over them then lightly sprinkle with fresh thyme (including stems) and coarse sea salt and black pepper.

Optional: Season the tomatoes with garlic pepper or fresh slices of garlic. But you really should.

Place in oven and cook 2 ½ to 6 hours (amount of moisture will determine how long) or when done–texture will be leathery and the tomatoes will have shrunk at least 50%.

When the tomatoes are at room temperature, store in a clean mason jar, with fresh thyme layered between the tomatoes. Pour extra virgin olive oil over the tomatoes, pushing the tomatoes down to get rid of the air.

Keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Bring the tomatoes to room temperature before using.

Southwestern Spaghetti Squash with Chipotle Peppers and Cheese

How many of you know how to cook a squash? I find that most people don’t know how to cook this often overlooked vegetable. There are so many recipes out there to use squash as a side dish or soup. Plus there are many kinds of squash and they are each loaded with vitamins and minerals. Do yourself a favor and try a squash at least once. You may find yourself craving it. My family eats one at least once a week.

My first experience with squash was with a spaghetti squash. I followed the directions on how to cook it in the oven, scraped out the inside until it resembled strands of spaghetti (how it gots it name) and ate it with spaghetti sauce. It really was a pleasant change from pasta.

For my second experience with squash I cooked an acorn squash and loaded it with brown sugar. Not as healthy as some would want but it was good. Now we eat soup made with butternut squash or acorn squash and often times just have it as a side dish with turkey burgers or chicken meals.

Here’s a recipe to serve as a side dish that could be good for a first timer.

3 lb Spaghetti squash

1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

extra virgin olive oil

½ cup queso fresco cheese

¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped

½ t kosher salt

½ t freshly ground black pepper

Using a large, sharp knife, pierce a 3-pound spaghetti squash in several places. Place the spaghetti squash in a glass baking dish and cook in the microwave on high for about 15 minutes, turning the squash halfway through cooking.

Before handling, let the squash stand for 10 minutes. Cut it in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds and fibers. Using a fork, twist out strands of the spaghetti squash flesh and place in a large bowl.

Remove seeds and finely chop one or two (depending on your heat tolerance) chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (you will not use the extra sauce in this recipe). Place the chopped peppers in a small bowl and whisk in 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Pour the olive oil mixture into the spaghetti squash and toss until combined. Add 1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco cheese, 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper to the spaghetti squash and toss again. Serve and garnish with additional queso fresco cheese and sprigs of cilantro.

Serves 6 to 8 as a side dish.

New Favorite Soup

I made this soup yesterday and the recipe quickly found a special place in my ever-growing Favorites Recipe Book’. The recipe came from Good Life eats.

Katie Goodman author of goodLife (eats) finds and shares the most wonderful food recipes. Bless you Katie and Thank-You!

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

serves 4

1 1/2 onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 poblano pepper, diced (deseed if you like)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/4 teaspoons cumin

1 tablespoons chili powder

15 ounces crushed tomatoes

8 ounces vegetable broth

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

2/3 cup diced sweet potato

1 cup frozen corn

37.5 ounces canned black beans, drained but not rinsed

1/2 cup fire roasted salsa

2 bay leaves

14 ounce can petite diced tomatoes

1 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch

toppings for serving: Monterrey jack cheese or feta and cilantro

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the diced onion and sauté for 5 minutes, until tender and golden. Add the garlic and poblano pepper and sauté another minute, until fragrant. Add the cumin and chili powder and sauté another 2 minutes.

Lower heat to medium-low and stir in the crushed tomatoes and broth (reserve 1/4 cup of broth), scraping to remove any browned bits in the pan. Add the remaining ingredients except the cornstarch and toppings.

In a small bowl whisk together the reserved 1/4 cup of broth and the cornstarch until smooth. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the chili pot. Stir until well mixed. Bring chili to a boil for 2 minutes and then lower heat to low. Simmer over low heat uncovered for one hour. Then, simmer covered with a lid for 30 minutes.

Serve topped with your choice of toppings.