Flour Tortillas Recipe (Corn-free)

Sam is sensitive to corn, and in ridding my kitchen of corn products and its derivatives, I discovered that I cannot buy flour tortillas in the store without cornstarch in them.  We eat a lot of Mexican food in our house, so I had to come up with a flour tortilla recipe that doesn't use cornstarch (baking powder).  This recipe took a lot of trial and error to come up with, but the result is fantastic.  The hardest part was determining the correct oil/water combination to give the tortillas the right texture and consistency.  These tortillas are flexible, slightly chewy, and work great for soft tacos, quesadillas, tostadas, enchiladas, etc.  You can store them in a plastic bag in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze them for later use.

Flour Tortillas Recipe

2 cups unbleached flour, plus flour for dusting work surface
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp vegetable oil mixed with 1/2 cup water
Additional water to bring dough together

In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.  In a small cup, using a fork, mix together the oil and water until well combined.  Pour the oil/water mixture over the dry ingredients and use the fork to mix it all together.  Continue adding small amounts of water and stirring it together just until a ball of dough is formed - do not over water it.  If you accidentally add to much water and the dough is too wet, add flour until it is a nice ball of dough.

Heat a flat indoor grill pan or large skillet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray to Medium heat.  Dust your work surface with a little flour.  Either divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, or just estimate and take a small bit of dough in your floured hands and roll it into a ball.  Lay it on the work surface and use a rolling pin to roll it out into a really flat, thin round (about 6 to 8 inches across is good, and the thinner the better).  To get the round shape, keep turning and flipping the dough as you roll it.  Peel it off the work surface and add it to the skillet.  Dust your work surface again and roll another tortilla.

When the tortilla on the skillet bubbles up a bit, or gets light brown spots (about 5 minutes), turn it over and cook the other side for about the same time.  Remove the finished tortillas to a plate and stack them as you go.  Periodically, re-arrange the order of the tortillas on the stack (i.e. move the top ones to the bottom) as the bottom ones get steamed if they stay on the bottom.  Makes about 8 to 10 tortillas depending on how big you make them.  Serve right away still warm, or cool them completely, then store them in a large Ziplock bag and store them in the fridge for up to a week.

Refried Beans Recipe (Vegan)

I used to buy Safeway Vegetarian Refried Beans because they were just beans, oil, salt, and water.  Now they have all kinds of ingredients including chilies and onions in them, and I can't buy them anymore.  So I started making refried beans myself.  It's a very simple recipe, and a good arm workout at the same time.  You'll need a potato masher utensil (pictured below) and a cast iron pan to make them as described.  The end result is creamy with a bit of texture.  If you don't like the texture, just blend them with a hand-blender in the end.  You can also make them ahead of time, refrigerate them, and heat them up in a small pan at meal time (this is what I do).

Refried Beans Recipe

1 can pinto beans (15 oz.)
2 tbsp vegetable or olive oil

In a cast iron pan over High heat, add the oil and a whole can of beans (including liquid).  Use the potato masher to mash the beans into a creamy paste while it boils.  It takes about 5 minutes of mashing for the beans to get to the right consistency.  You can serve them right away as they are, or pour them into a mixing bowl and use a hand-blender to blend them even creamier.  You can also refrigerate them until a later time, reheating them in a small pan on the stove.  Serves 4 as a side dish.

This is the potato masher utensil I use:

Richard's Garlic-Free Tzatziki Sauce Recipe

Tzatziki sauce is a sauce that is traditionally made with yogurt, cucumber, and garlic that pairs very well with lamb, grilled meats, falafel, and on gyros.  I can't eat garlic, so we don't eat Greek food very often.  Luckily, Richard came up with a tzatziki sauce recipe that uses fresh mint to flavor the sauce in lieu of garlic (thank you!).  This tzatziki sauce is fabulous with my Lamb Burgers Recipe or Minted Lamb Morsels.  Pictured above is a lamb burger gyro with grilled flatbread, lamb burger, tomato, lettuce, and Richard's Garlic-Free Tzatziki Sauce.  So good!

Garlic-Free Tzatziki Sauce Recipe

2 - 6 oz. containers of plain Greek yogurt
1 medium cucumber
2 tbsp minced fresh mint leaves (about 15 leaves)
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Add the yogurt to a medium-sized mixing bowl.  Peel, de-seed, and dice up the cucumber into small cubes.  Mince about 15 fresh mint leaves.  Add the cucumber and mint to the bowl.  Next, add the juice of 1/2 a lemon (no seeds), the sea salt, and the pepper and use a small whisk to mix it all together until the yogurt is smooth.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 2 hours before serving.  Makes about 2 cups of tzatziki sauce.  Serve the sauce with lamb, grilled meat, gyros, falafel, grilled pita, fresh tomatoes, rice, or anything else you want a fresh-tasting cucumber sauce to accompany.  The sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Pork Sausage Stuffing Recipe

My mom makes the most incredible stuffing.  She has always made a pork sausage stuffing for the holidays, and with goose and duck dinners back when my dad hunted.  As with most wonderful family recipes, Mom doesn't measure, she just knows exactly how to make it perfect each and every time.  Whenever I spend holidays with my parents, still to this day, Mom and Dad make the stuffing and I eat it.  I realized recently that I don't spend as many holidays with my parents anymore, and aside from missing them, I really miss Mom's stuffing.  I've recreated Mom's stuffing to the best of my ability for my family, omitting an onion and a sprinkling of garlic powder (which you could easily add yourself), and I think this comes pretty close.  My favorite part is the crunchy bits on top that happen during the last 20 minutes of baking uncovered.  This is a great stuffing for any holiday, or any time.

Pork Sausage Stuffing Recipe

1 bag seasoned stuffing mix bread cubes, or plain stuffing mix bread cubes (7.5 oz bag or 4 cups)
1 lb country style or regular pork sausage
2 celery sticks (and a small onion if you want)

1/2 tsp ground sage - if bread cubes are seasoned
-OR-
1 tsp ground sage - if bread cubes are plain

Pepper to taste
2 cups of water
1 tsp Better Than Bouillon (Kosher or Organic) Chicken Base

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Dice the celery sticks (and onion if you want) into small cubes.  Spray a large skillet with non-stick cooking spray, heat to Medium High heat, and add the sausage and celery.  Season the sausage and celery with the sage (and a sprinkling of garlic powder if you want) and pepper to taste.  When the sausage is browned and fully cooked, remove it from the heat.  

In a large mixing bowl, add the bread cubes and the seasoned sausage and celery.  In a large measuring cup, mix 2 cups of water with Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base to make chicken broth.  Pour the chicken broth over the stuffing mixture and gently stir it, mixing everything together.  Spray a casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and pour the stuffing into it. 

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake it for 40 minutes.  Bake it uncovered for 20 more minutes for 1 hour total baking time.  This side dish goes great with holiday turkey or any roasted bird.  Serves 6 people as a side dish.

Lemony Spaghetti Squash with Butter and Parmesan Recipe (Vegetarian and Gluten-free)

Every now and then I crave spaghetti squash as an alternative to pasta. It's taken me some attempts to perfect this recipe, but I think I have it now. It really needs butter. I've tried using olive oil and salt in lieu of butter and it's just not the same. The lemon and parmesan really add nice flavor to the squash, too. This is a great gluten-free side dish that goes especially well with hearty sausage (veggie or otherwise).

Lemony Spaghetti Squash with Butter and Parmesan Recipe

1 medium spaghetti squash
2 tbsp butter
1 large lemon
1/3 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put 1/4 inch of water in the bottom of a rectangular 9x12 pan. Cut the squash in half from the stem to the bottom. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds and pulp from the middle of the squash halves. Place them in the pan shell side up, and the flat parts on the bottom. Cover the pan with a large piece of aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. In the meantime, cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice out into a small bowl, being sure to remove any seeds.

After removing the pan from the oven, be very careful taking the aluminum foil off as a bunch of hot steam will be released from the pan. Drain out the water and use a fork to help you turn the squash halves right side up (they will be very hot). Get a medium bowl ready. Use a fork to shred out the squash from the shells and add the squash to the mixing bowl. Discard the shells. Add the butter, the lemon juice, and the parmesan and mix thoroughly. Pepper to taste, and sprinkle some additional parmesan cheese on top before serving. Serves 4+ as a side dish.

Oven-Roasted Beets Recipe (Vegan)

Richard loves beets. Pickled beets are probably his favorite. I prefer them roasted, so I came up with a recipe that has a little aged balsamic vinegar in it to give the beets a slightly pickled flavor. These beets are really good. They are perfectly roasted (not mushy and not too firm), and the balsamic sauce in the bottom of the pan is great poured over the beets and other items on your plate.

Oven-Roasted Beets Recipe

3 or 4 medium beets
Olive oil
Aged balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a cutting board, cut off both ends of each beet, then use the knife to peel the beets. Cut each beet in half, then cut the pieces into 3 or 4 more pieces of similar size. Lay them in a single layer in an 8x8 square baking pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Drizzle a little olive oil over the beets. Next, drizzle a little aged balsamic vinegar over the beets. Salt and pepper the beets to taste. Cover the baking pan with aluminium foil and put it in the oven for 30 minutes if the beets are fresh from the garden, or up to 1 hour if the beets are from the grocery store. Poke a beet with a fork when the time is up, and if the fork goes through the beet easily, they're done.  Serves 2-4 people as a vegetable side dish.

Spicy Cucumber Salad Recipe (Vegan)

Richard introduced me to making a simple chopped cucumber salad with seasoned rice vinegar many, many years ago. We love it as a side dish with pizza. A little while ago I decided to add more flavors and texture to it and spice it up a bit by adding carrots and cilantro to the salad and hoisin sauce and chili paste to the dressing. This is now our favorite cucumber salad. The dressing is amazing! It's tangy, slightly sweet, and spicy all in one. The cilantro adds great flavor and the carrots add a great crunch. This is a great party appetizer, and goes wonderfully with pizza.

Spicy Cucumber Salad Recipe

1 medium to large cucumber
1 medium to large carrot
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves (about half a bunch)
1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp Sambal Oelek Ground Fresh Chili Paste
1 tsp Hoisin Sauce

Peel, de-seed, and chop the cucumber into bite-sized cubes. Peel and julienne the carrot into 1 inch matchstick-size pieces. Rough chop the chilantro leaves. Put the cucumber, carrot and cilantro into a mixing bowl. In a 1 cup measuring cup, add the seasoned rice vinegar, the Sambal Oelek and hoisin sauce. Use a small whisk to mix it all together. Pour it over the salad and mix gently with a spoon until all of the cucumbers and carrots have been mixed with the dressing. You can cover it with plastic wrap, refrigerate it and serve it later, or you can serve it right away. Serves 2 to 3 people as a side dish.

Creamy Avocado Rice Recipe (Vegan)

Sam's favorite kind of rice right now is a short grain white rice. I've been thinking of ways to make it more healthy and substantial as a side dish, and was inspired by a rice dish I saw on a cooking show where they used a blender to blend up a dressing that they mixed with the cooked rice. I thought blending an avocado would be a good way to give a creamy texture to the rice, and it worked out great. This rice is delicious and easy to make. Sprinkle your favorite cajun hot sauce on top for a spicy kick.

Creamy Avocado Rice Recipe

1 cup white short grain rice
2 cups water

1 ripe avocado
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Put 1 cup of white rice and 2 cups of water in a medium pot over High heat. When it comes to a boil, give the rice a stir, cover the pot, lower the heat to Low and let the rice simmer for 15 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, prepare the avocado dressing. Cut the avocado in half along the pit, open, and remove the pit. Use a knife to make slices in the avocado half, first in one direction, then in the other direction to make the cubes. Use a spoon to scoop out the cubes. Put the avocado cubes in a blender. Add the water, olive oil, salt and pepper to the blender and "Liquify" it.

When the rice is done, pour the cooked rice into a large mixing bowl and pour the avocado dressing over the rice. Use a spoon to gently mix it all together. Serves 4-6 as a side dish.

Roasted Green Beans Recipe (Vegan)

Roasted green beans are a perfect side dish to any meal. They are super fast and easy to make, and don't require you to stand over the stove while they cook. These roasted green beans only take 20 minutes in the oven and they come out perfectly roasted, just right every time.

Roasted Green Beans Recipe

Fresh green beans, as many as you would like
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9x12 or 8x8 pan with non-stick cooking spray. Rinse and dry the green beans and cut off the ends. Lay the green beans in a single layer in the pan. Drizzle a little olive oil over the green beans and salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and put it in the oven for 20 minutes.

Egg-free Fried Rice Recipe

Richard and I love fried rice, but we can't order it at Chinese restaurants because of Sam's egg-white sensitivity. I decided to make my own egg-free version using ingredients I readily have in my fridge and pantry. The sesame oil and soy sauce flavor the rice beautifully, and the ham makes it extra tasty. This is a great side dish!

Egg-Free Fried Rice Recipe

1 cup brown rice
2 cups water
1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup chopped sugar snap peas (a handful or so of whole snap peas)
1/2 cup diced carrot (1 - 2 carrots)
1/2 cup diced ham lunchmeat (5 or 6 slices stacked)
Olive oil

1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
Pepper to taste

First, cook the brown rice. In a medium pot add the rice and the water. Turn the heat up to High. When the mixture comes to a boil, put a lid on it, lower the heat to Low, and simmer it for 45 minutes. When the rice is done, add 1 tbsp of olive oil to the cooked rice and gently mix it in.

While the rice is cooking, prepare the peas, carrots and ham. Wash and dry the snap peas. Cut the ends off of each pea, then cut each pea into 4 or 5 pieces. Wash, dry and peel the carrot(s). Dice the carrot(s) into small pieces. Combine the peas and carrots into one bowl. Stack the ham slices and dice the ham into small pieces like the carrots. Keep the ham separate from the peas and carrots. Refrigerate the peas and carrots and ham until the rice is done and you're ready to make the fried rice.

To make the fried rice, spray a large skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Heat the skillet to Med. High and add the peas and carrots. Drizzle them with a little bit of olive oil and saute them for a few minutes. When they start to brown, add the ham and saute the ham with the peas and carrots for a couple of minutes. Next, drizzle the soy sauce and sesame oil over the vegetables and ham, then add the cooked brown rice and use a spatula to combine everything together. Pepper to taste. Fry the rice mixture in the pan for a few minutes, moving it with your spatula constantly, then turn the heat to Low until you're ready to serve it. Serves 4 - 6 as a side dish.

Roasted Baby Red Potatoes Recipe (Vegan)

We have potatoes (sweet, russet, yams, red, etc.) with our suppers once a week or so. We especially like roasted baby red potatoes. These potatoes are sweet and flavorful and are a great side dish for almost any meal.

Roasted Baby Red Potatoes Recipe

10 baby red potatoes
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and dry the potatoes, do not peel. Spray a baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Cut the potatoes in half (cut the really big ones in quarters) and put them cut side up in a single layer in the pan. Drizzle olive oil over the potatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and put it in the oven for 1 hour total roasting time. At the 50 minute mark, uncover the potatoes for the last 10 minutes. Serves 2 adults (and one small child) as a side dish.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts Recipe (Vegan)

We love my Best Brussels Sprouts recipe. I wanted to come up with another way to make Brussels sprouts that would have the same flavor as that recipe, and be easier to do (i.e. no peeling of leaves, cooking over a stove). I thought roasting them would be good, in a way similar to my Roasted Cauliflower recipe. That is how this recipe came about, and it is very good!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts Recipe

15 small Brussels sprouts (fresh, not frozen)
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and dry the Brussels sprouts. Cut the stems off each sprout and remove any loose leaves. Cut the sprouts in half and put them in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the olive oil over three different areas of the sprouts. Sprinkle the salt evenly over everything. Gently mix until all of the oil and salt is equally distributed over the Brussels sprouts.

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray and pour the Brussels sprouts onto the cookie sheet. Spread out the sprouts in a single layer, cut side down. Put it in the oven and set your timer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the cookie sheet from the oven and use a spatula to turn all of the Brussels sprouts over. Put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes, for 30 minutes total roasting time. The Brussels sprouts will be browned and slightly crunchy when done. Serves 2 adults (and one small child) as a vegetable side dish.

Pearl Barley with Mushrooms Recipe

I'm always on the look-out for new side dishes utilizing different grains. I tried making a quinoa dish and discovered I don't like quinoa. So the next step was to try making a pearl barley dish. I love pearl barley in soups, so figured that using chicken broth to cook the barley, and adding mushrooms to it, would be a good way to make it. This recipe is very simple, flavorful, and hearty, and my family loves it, but can only eat it every once in a while since Sam is slightly sensitive to barley.

Pearl Barley with Mushrooms Recipe

1 cup pearl barley
3 cups chicken broth

1 package of whole mushrooms (8 oz.)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Put 1 cup of pearl barley in a 2 cup measuring cup, fill the measuring cup with water and stir the barley around with a spoon to wash them before cooking them. Remove any debris or anything that floats to the top. Drain out the water and put the barley in a Medium cooking pot. Add 3 cups of chicken broth and start the pot to boil over High heat. When it boils, cover the pot and turn the heat down to Low. Let it simmer for 45 minutes, covered.

During the last 20 minutes of the barley cooking, wash, dry and slice the mushrooms.

Heat a large skillet, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, to High heat. Add the sliced mushrooms, drizzle a little olive oil over them, salt and pepper to taste, and cook them until the mushrooms are browned.

When the barley is done, add the cooked mushrooms to the pot, along with a sprinkling of pepper and stir until well combined. Serves 4 people as a side dish.

Creamy Yam Soup with Mini Meatballs Recipe

I love creamy, dairy-based, squash and potato soups I get every now and then at restaurants. I can't make these kinds of soups at home, so I decided to come up with a way I could make a creamy-type soup we can eat at home without using milk or cream. I had some left-over Roasted Yams and Carrots in my fridge and realized the roasted yams would be really good pureed in my blender with some chicken broth and put into a soup. The Egg-Free Mini Meatballs are a fantastic addition in place of pasta. This soup is so creamy and full of flavor, it is perfect as a main dish for lunch or dinner.

Creamy Yam Soup with Mini Meatballs Recipe

Make Roasted Yams and Carrots using this recipe. It will take 1 hour to roast the vegetables for this soup. You will need to let the roasted vegetables cool off before putting the yams in the blender to make the soup.

Make Egg-Free Mini Meatballs using this recipe. It will take about 30 minutes to make the meatballs. You can make them ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until you're ready to make the soup.

For the soup:

4 cups water, divided
2 tsp Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base(Kosher if you can find it), divided
Shredded parmesan cheese (fresh) (optional)

When the yams and carrots are cooled, remove the carrots and slice them in uniform slices. Put the sliced carrots aside.

Next, put half of the cooled, roasted yams in a blender. Add 2 cups of water mixed with 1 tsp of Better than Bouillon and "Liquify" the mixture. Pour the yam soup into a large soup pan over Medium-High heat. Put the second half of the roasted yams in the blender with 2 cups of water mixed with 1 tsp of Better than Bouillon and "Liquify" the mixture again. Pour it into the soup pot as well. Add the sliced carrots to the soup pot, along with the mini meatballs.

Gently stir all of the ingredients together in the soup pot. Let the soup come to an initial boil, then reduce the heat to Medium-Low and let it simmer for 30 minutes before serving. Shredded parmesan cheese (fresh) is a great topping for this soup. Serves 4 as a main dish.

Roasted Yams and Carrots Recipe (Vegan)

This side dish is one of our favorites. We eat it quite often with my Whole Roasted Chicken Recipe. The carmelized yams and carrots are a nice addition to any meat dish.

Roasted Yams and Carrots Recipe

2 medium yams
1 long carrot
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel the yams. Cut them in half, then in half again, and cut each piece into three more pieces. Put the yam pieces in a single layer in a 9x12 pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Peel the carrot and cut it into four pieces to match the size of the yam and add them to the pan with the yams. Drizzle a little olive oil over the yams and carrots, and salt and pepper to taste.

Cover the pan with a sheet of aluminum foil and roast for 50 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and roast for 10 more minutes (1 hour total roasting time). Serves 4 as a side dish.

The Best Brussels Sprouts Recipe (Vegan)

Sam loves the idea of Brussels sprouts, and I finally came up with a way to cook them that she loves as well (we all do). When I first started cooking them, I cooked them the way I cook broccoli -- 1/4 inch of water in a cast iron skillet, add the broccoli, boil off the water turning the vegetables as they cook, then saute them with olive oil and salt and pepper. She loved peeling the outer leaves off the Brussels sprouts like string cheese. The outer leaves had a wonderful sauteed flavor with the olive oil and salt and pepper. She never liked the insides of the Brussels sprouts though, and truthfully, neither did I nor my husband. So I decided to do something about it. Sam doesn't get to peel the Brussels sprouts anymore with this recipe, but I do let her pick up the leaves and eat them with her fingers. The following recipe is our favorite way to eat Brussels sprouts now.

The Best Brussels Sprouts Recipe

6 Brussels sprouts
Water
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

To prepare the Brussels sprouts, wash and dry them. Take a Brussels sprout and cut off the stem up to the base of the leaves. Next peel each leaf off, cutting more off along the stem base as you go, until the leaves are too small and you can't pull them off anymore and are left with the core. Do this for each Brussels sprout; keep the leaves and discard the cores.


Put 1/4" of water in a medium skillet (I use a medium-sized cast iron pan). Add the Brussels sprout leaves and heat the water to boiling over High heat. Use metal tongs to turn the leaves every few minutes or so while the water is boiling off. It will take about 10-15 minutes for the water to boil off, leaving just the cooked Brussels sprout leaves. Turn the heat down to Medium Low and drizzle a little olive oil over the Brussels sprout leaves and salt and pepper to taste. Saute the Brussels sprout leaves for a few minutes until they start to brown. Serves 2 adults (and one small child) as a vegetable side dish.

Mac and Goat Cheese Recipe (Vegetarian)

We eat macaroni and cheese very rarely due to Sam's food sensitivities. When we do, I use rice macaroni and goat cheese for the focal point of the recipe. We absolutely *love* this dish. This is how I make it.

Mac and Goat Cheese Recipe

1-1/2 cups dry macaroni (I use brown rice macaroni)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup Chavrie goat cheese (a silky soft, spreadable goat cheese)
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese (fresh)
Salt and pepper to taste

Start a medium pot of water on High heat to boil for the macaroni. When boiling, add the macaroni and a dash of salt, and follow the package's cooking instructions. When the pasta is done, drain it and add it back to the medium pot for cooking the macaroni and goat cheese.

In the medium pot that the cooked macaroni is in, over low heat, add the tbsp of olive oil, the Chevre goat cheeese, and the parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir with a spoon for 1 or 2 minutes over low heat until the cheese is melted and incorporated into the pasta. Serves 4 as a side dish.

Acorn Squash Boats with Brown Sugar (Vegan)

This is my version of the acorn squash boats my Mom used to make when I was growing up. She used margarine or butter with the brown sugar, and I always made sure I got the one with the most sugar. This was my favorite vegetable side dish as a kid. Since we don't use butter or margarine at my house, my version of the squash boats have olive oil and salt instead. We love this side dish, especially Sam. As Sam gets older, she's eating more of the squash with the brown sugar, which is nice.

Acorn Squash Boats with Brown Sugar Recipe

Acorn squash - however many you want to make
1 tbsp olive oil per squash half
Salt
1 heaping tbsp brown sugar per squash half

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put 1/4 inch of water in the bottom of a rectangular 9x12 pan. Cut the squash in half from the stem to the bottom. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds and pulp from the middle of the squash halves. Place them in the pan shell side up, and the flat parts on the bottom. Cover the pan with a large piece of aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

After removing the pan from the oven, be very careful taking the aluminum foil off as a bunch of hot steam will be released from the pan. Drain out the water and use a fork to help you turn the squash halves right side up (they will be very hot). Put 1 tbsp olive oil and a dash of salt in each half. Follow the olive oil and salt with 1 heaping tbsp of brown sugar in each half. Place the uncovered pan back in the oven for 5 more minutes. When done, use a spoon to gently mix the brown sugar and olive oil together in the squash half, and serve the squash with a spoon to eat it with. Serve one squash half per person. When you eat it, be sure to spread the sugar around to have some with each bite of squash.

Sesame Chow Mein Noodles Recipe (Vegan)

We love the vegetarian chow mein noodles we get at dim sum restaurants. I decided to make my own version of chow mein noodles at home without using soy sauce or green onions (since I'm sensitive to them), but instead using sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds to flavor the noodles. These chow mein noodles go great with grilled or fried fish.

Sesame Chow Mein Noodles Recipe

1/2 of a 6 oz. package Sun Luck brand Chuka Soba Chow Mein Noodles
1 tbsp Sun Luck Pure Sesame Oil
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Salt and pepper

Start a medium pot of water to boil over High heat. Add the chow mein noodles and a dash of salt and let them boil for 3 minutes. On another burner, start a skillet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray to Medium heat. When the noodles are done boiling, drain the noodles and add them to the skillet. Add the sesame oil, sesame seeds, salt and pepper to taste, and stir fry the noodles for 3 minutes. Serves 2 adults (and one small child) as a side dish.

Mashed Gingered Yams Recipe (Vegan)

I wanted a different way to cook yams other than just roasting them or making Baked Yam Fries. I played around with spices and discovered that ginger goes really well with roasted yams. Using carmelized, roasted yams and ginger in this recipe really makes a flavorful side dish.

Mashed Gingered Yams Recipe (Vegan)

2 medium yams (1.5 lbs total)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp dried ground ginger spice
1 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel the yams. Cut them in half, then in half again, and cut the remaining quarters in half. Put the yam pieces in a single layer in a 9x12 pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Drizzle a little olive oil over the yams, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pan with a sheet of aluminum foil and roast the yams for 50 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and roast the yams for 10 more minutes (1 hour total roasting time).

When the yams are done roasting, have a mixing bowl ready. Transfer the carmelized, roasted yams to the mixing bowl, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and the ginger, and use an electric hand mixer to whip up the mashed yams. Serves 2 adults (and one small child) as a side dish.