Ironman Soup

I grew up in the desert southwest where the food has a lot of Mexican influence. I remember my father buying huge burlap bags of green chilies and roasting them outside over mesquite. Us kids would peel them and bag them for the freezer and we would have delicious green chilies all winter.

My hispanic friends seemed to all have large extended families and as I grew old enough to notice such things I realized that they all drank, smoked, and ate constantly yet the granparents were all spry. Rare was a heart attack, and cancer was unheard of.

More recent nutritional information suggests that the large amounts of onion, garlic and green chilies in their diets (and mine) probably have a lot to do with that. So I use a lot of these ingredients, and much of my food has Mexican influence.

So this soup is not for the faint of heart, but it is good for your heart. And, if you don't mind a bit of heat, it is delicious. (If you do, use canned green chilies instead.) I call it Ironman Soup because its all you need to ward off a cold.

Ironman Soup

1TBSP olive oil
1 small to medium onion diced
5 mushrooms sliced
2 roasted green chilies, peeled and seeded and chopped.(or a can of them if fresh are unavailable. )
4 roasted garlic cloves chopped
1/4 cup of dry navy beans
2 diced carrots
2 diced potatoes
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 32 oz box vegetable broth
1 small can of hominy with juice
pinch of parsley, italian seasoning, thyme, and a bay leaf.

In a large saucepan saute' the onions and mushrooms in the olive oil until the onions are soft and translucent. Don't let them caramelize. Add the broth, and all the rest of the ingredients. Make sure the broth covers all the ingredients, if not add some water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low or medium low to simmer. Cook 3-4 hours checking periodically to make sure there is enough liquid. Add water if needed. Soup is done when navy beans are soft. Remove the bay leaf and salt and pepper to taste.

This soup is very flavorful and has a lot of texture. It goes great with most breads, but my favorite is cornbread.

A staple of my cooking: Roasted Garlic

Since learning how to roast my own garlic I have become something of a fanatic. It tastes so much better. Milder and more flavorful at the same time. So I rarely use regular chopped garlic anymore, I almost always use roasted. It's very simple to do, and you can do a lot at once and keep it in the pantry.

Roasted Garlic

One large head of good quality white garlic.
Olive oil.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Break the head of garlic to separate all of the cloves. Slice the bottom off of each clove and then peel, and put into a small bowl. Once you have them all done, get a square of aluminum foil. Place all of the garlic in the center and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap it envelope style and place into a pan and into the oven. Roast for about 30 minutes.
Take it out to check for doneness, it should be translucent, just barely getting brown. If there is no brownness yet put back in for 10 more minutes.
When its done, cool for 15 minutes and then place into a small jar and cover with more olive oil. Put on a tight lid. This stores well in the pantry in cool weather, in warm weather I refridgerate it.

Vague Vegetarianism

Full Disclosure: I am not now, nor have I ever been, a strict vegetarian.
Are you still here? Did I lose anyone?
Ahem........
But I'm easing into it slowly. It really does seem the healthiest way to eat......after all, has a doctor ever cautioned you or anyone you know to "cut back on your vegetables"? Probably not. But we've all heard folks being told to cut back on red meat, sugar, and carbs.
I hope you don't find my Vague Vegetarianism off-putting.
I hope you will join Wren and I on our journey to healthier eating, and livelier living.
And please feel free to offer up any tips or tricks you have.

Dado's Eggplant Casserole

This recipe is from Fresh from the Garden - Time honored recipes from the Readers of Texas Gardener. It was contributed by Cathy Campbell of Nacogdoches. The recipe is given as in the cookbook, my comments are in parentheses.

1/4 cup oil
1 eggplant
Small amount of flour
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 pound ground beef (I use a pak of frozen veggie crumbles - I think it's 12 oz)
3 large tomatoes, sliced, or 1 can of tomatoes (I use canned, diced tomatoes)
1/4 teaspoon summer savory
1/4 teaspoon oregano
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese (or equivalent soy cheese)
1/3 cup bread crumbs

Slice eggplant and rub with flour (I slice mine about 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick). In skillet, heat oil. Brown eggplant slices slightly on one side. Turn and salt. (I find I have to add more oil at this point; the eggplant really soaks it up). Cook covered for 5 to 10 minutes over slow fire. Remove from skillet. Brown onion, garlic and meat (or veggie crumbles). Add tomatoes, savory and oregano and cook for 10 to 15 minutes (covered - and make it 5 minutes). Place eggplant in casserole and layer meat, bread crumbs and cheese; repeat. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

The Great Taco Experiment

I might have become a vegetarian long ago if it weren't for tacos. My favorite food, and occasionally, my reason for living. Not Taco Bell tacos, or Old El Paso tacos, real tacos. Crispy shells I fried myself, perfectly seasoned meat, crisp lettuce, and my own authentic salsa or in a pinch, El Pato. Well, the vegetarian thing happened anyway, so now I must find or create a suitable taco.

I've embarked on a taco filled journey, laden with all kinds of different fillings and seasonings, toppings and sauces. Could life get any better?

My first experiment (which was not all that original) , is black bean tacos. And they are very yummy.

Black Bean Tacos (serves 4)

Filling:

1 can black beans, drained

1 can green chilies chopped

1 clove garlic chopped

Mix and heat ingredients in a small saucepan, set aside.

Taco Shells

8 fresh corn tortillas

1 cup vegetable oil

Heat the oil on medium high until hot in a small saute pan. Using tongs slide the tortilla into the hot oil. Wait for the tortilla to show bubbling and then using the tongs lift one side up, while simultaenously holding the other side down. (I know it sounds tricky but you'll get the hang of it.) When the bottom side is partially cooked enough to hold its shape use the tongs to flip it over to the uncooked side. Keep the tongs in the center to make the taco shell hold its shape. Finish cooking both sides in this manner till light brown and crispy. Do 8 shells in this manner.

Toppings:

One cup finely shredded lettuce

one tomato diced

one cup shredded cheese

Your favorite salsa

chopped green onions

Some cilantro leaves

Tofutti sour cream

Assemble the tacos by filling about half full with the bean mixture, then a spoon of salsa, cheese, lettuce, tomato and onions and finally garnishing with cilantro leaves and sour cream.

This recipe can easily be made vegan by melting a strip of Tofutti mozzerella cheese on top of the beans before adding the rest of the toppings.

Yay! Tacos!