Roasted Pepper Sauce

For some reason (okay, it was a lack of organization and planning ahead), I had an unusually large number of peppers lurking in the bottom of the fridge.  

I say lurking because some of them were beginning to look a little "long in the tooth" and threatening to turn mean and ugly.

Now, although the recipe below looks pretty "official" with exact measurements, this sauce really isn't like that.  

Lots of peppers?  Yes.  I avoided green as I felt that would muddy the colour of my sauce.  

Onions?  Garlic? A couple of tomatoes?  Yes, sir.  Absolutely required.  

But don't stop there!  If you have a couple of carrots, or half a butternut squash, or some ribs of celery... Why not toss them in as well?

Roasted Pepper Sauce

5 peppers (yellow, orange and/or red)

1/3 onion

1/2 red onion

1/3 cup celery

2 tomatoes

4 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Wash and chop vegetables into chunks.

Toss in oil, then scatter on large baking pan.

Sprinkle with salt, pepper and Greek seasoning.

Roast at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.

In small batches, puree in blender.

Simmer in a pot on the stove until ready to serve.

Maggie's Roasted Pepper Sauce

Yum!  We had some of this sauce for lunch, poured over angel hair pasta nests filled with lemon pepper tuna.  

Still some left, hmmmm.....

...might fill a casserole dish with chicken breasts and veggies, pour the remaining sauce  over top and throw it in the oven for an easy supper tomorrow night.  Any other suggestions?

Jicama

This morning, it's all about jicama.  

This is a relatively, "new-to-me" vegetable I first met when my son was married two years ago in Mexico.  Before Christmas (another destination wedding), we enjoyed this treat again and on a recent visit to Phoenix, jicama and I got "up close and personal"  : )

Jicama Sticks

Where I live, you can search out this little guy, but he's not centre stage at my local grocery store.  In fact, the day I bought my first-ever jicama, there were only two in the whole store.  Fortunately, he was just the right size - I gather, if they are bigger than two fists, they can be a bit woody.

Peeled, and cut up like carrot sticks, jicama makes a great snack and I can see including these next time I make a veggie tray.  

Last night, however, I made this salad for supper - tasty, with a nice crunch, a bit like adding water chestnuts.  

Jicama, Orange and Spinach Salad

No real recipe here...  I just mixed some baby spinach leaves, a little red onion, orange and jicama!  I tossed the salad in Newman's Own Light French Vinaigrette and then served it on the plate with some tomato on the side.  

Here's a link to the recipe I really want to try next time we have company - Apple Jicama Coleslaw!  Chef John at Food Wishes tosses everything with a yummy sounding dressing that includes pineapple juice and hot sauce!

Happy Monday,

Maggie

Carry-On Baggage & Vegetable Stock

Simplicity is making the journey of this life 

with just baggage enough.

- Charles Dudley Warner

Hmmm....

Just back after a quick visit to see some snowbird friends in the Phoenix area.

Hmmm.... Just in time for a Canadian prairie storm.  Sigh!

As for being limited to carry-on baggage?

Wonderful...uncluttered...stress free  : )  That makes for a great holiday!

What would life be like if we all had to limit our possessions to what could fit in a carry-on bag?

Our snowbird friends are living a wonderfully uncomplicated life these days.  We enjoyed some great visits to interesting places (more about that another day) and some great meals based on very simple, well-prepared food.  

Making their own stocks for cooking, baking their own bread (on the BBQ), squeezing oranges for fresh juice...inspiring!!

Still feeling that motivation this morning, so join me as I make some...

Vegetable Stock

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 orange pepper, chopped

Saute gently for about 8 minutes.

3 tablespoons McCormick "No Salt Added Seasoned Herb Medley"

3 litres (about 12 cups) water

3 dried tomatoes

Add and gentle simmer for about 45 minutes.

That's it.  Simple!  

You'll notice I didn't add any celery (didn't have any) or salt - thought I'd wait and add that later when I use the stock.  

Basically, (almost) all vegetables are going to be happy jumping into the pot, but there are some exceptions - check here.  For some additional handy tips, I'm also linking a second article.

Happy Monday!

Maggie

Maple Glazed Carrots and Beets

Today, it's all about carrots, beets and (yum!) maple syrup.  This was the vegetable dish my daughter and her boyfriend made for Christmas dinner...

Delicious, easy and beautiful!  

I'm not listing specific amounts as this is the kind of side dish where amounts are not really all that important - just make enough to allow a good spoonful of each per person.

Maple Glazed Carrots and Beets

carrots, peeled and sliced in rings

beets, peeled, quartered and sliced

Steam the carrots until cooked; set aside.

Using the same pot, steam the beets.

(This step can be done a little ahead of time.)

1/2 cup of maple syrup

2 tablespoons butter

Warm maple syrup and butter in frying pan.

Gently saute and coat the carrots. Place in serving dish.

Next, saute the beets.  

Add more maple syrup and butter as needed.

Important!  

Don't mix the two vegetables or you'll end up with pink vegetables!  Instead, line up carrots on one side of serving dish and beets on the other.  The two strong colours, side by side, are beautiful. Sprinkle with dill if you want to get fancy!

In a hot serving dish (wrapped up in a towel), this dish transported well on Christmas Day.

Turnips 'n Apples

Today, it's all about R, R  and R ...  rest, relaxation and rutabagas!

We had a wonderful time these past few days visiting and sharing great meals with family and friends. 

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners were all about the vegetables - my area of responsibility.  Since I'm not allowing myself to even THINK about cookies and treats, I thought I'd share a few vegetable recipes made over the past few days just in case you're still  entertaining and need a few new ideas.

Today it's all about turnips - not everyone's favourite veggie, but one I just have to have for Christmas dinner.  This version is great for two reasons - adding a layer of apples really perks up this casserole dish.  Also, the fact that I can make it early and toss it in the oven well before company arrives is an added bonus.

TURNIPS 'N APPLES

adapted from Enjoy!  (Best of Bridge Series; 1979)

1 very large rutabaga

1 tablespoon butter

Peel, dice, cook, drain and mash turnip with butter.

2 apples

1/4 cup brown sugar

 healthy dash of cinnamon

Peel, core and thinly slice apples.

Toss in cinnamon and brown sugar.

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter

Combine and crumble; set aside.

In a greased 8x8 casserole dish, layer half the mashed 

turnips, then the apples and top with the rest of the turnips.

Sprinkle flour and brown sugar mix on top for a crust.

Bake (uncovered) at 350 degrees for one hour. 

# 73 Cucumber flower cups - super simple!!

Today I discovered Superstore has online videos with one to two-minute "how-to" and recipe clips.  Click on the "recipes" and scroll through the pages to see what I found...

... a video, Beautiful Veggie Hors D'Oeuvres, shows how to make cucumber flower cups!    

I used an English cucumber to try this for myself.  It works!  Even the "twist gently to separate" part was actually very simple.  With some practice, I think I could make the sides thinner which would make the cups even more delicate.  

Filled with dip, these would be a nice addition to a veggie platter.

# 58 Easy Peasy Carrots

I think of this as a very simple, not even a really special kind of recipe, but...

...  it's reliable, tasty, easy, cheap, can be prepped ahead of time and it looks after itself!  That's not bad!

carrots

2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup water

Peel and cut carrots into sticks (1 - 2 carrots/person).

Fill small casserole dish (needs a lid).

 Sprinkle lightly with sugar; dot with butter.

Add 1/4 cup water.

Cover and bake at 350 for about 1 hour.

(Handy to put in oven on lower rack if you're 

cooking  a roast or casserole.)