Fried Tomatoe with Garlic

4 cloves garlic, crushed

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 small hot pepper, very finely chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons oil

2 large, firm tomatoes, thickly sliced

Thoroughly mix the garlic with the pepper, salt, and hot pepper; then stir in the parsley and set aside. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the tomato slices and cook for about a minute on one side; then turn and sprinkle slices with the garlic, hot pepper, and parsley mixture. Continue to cook for another minute, shaking the pan occasionally; then turn the slices again and cook until they are done, but not mushy. Slide the tomato slices onto a plate, and serve immediately.

Note: Do not try to cook more than two servings at a time or the tomatoes will end up overcooked. This type of tomato appetizer is great scooped up onto Arabic bread.

Angie's Veggie Moussaka

Angie's Veggie Moussaka

3 large eggplants

6 small tomatoes

3 small onions - or 1 large onion

2 chili peppers

handful of fresh parsley

2 tbsp olive oil

1 can chickpeas

1 can kidney beans

1 small can of tomato paste

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp all spice

salt and pepper to taste

Start by adding the olive oil at the bottom of your stock pot. Then chop up all the veggies and herbs and toss them in the pot as you go. Then add the can of chickpeas, tomato paste, and kidney beans, making sure to rinse the chickpeas and beans before adding to remove any unnecessary sodium and gunk they are canned with. Then I add the spices and stir well. I cooked it on a medium heat stirring occasionally for about 45 minutes until everything looks combined and cooked throughly. When it was done I added the rice. This is a great lunch to reheat throughout the week. I like to serve it with a handful of cheese, but you could leave that out.

Enjoy :)

http://creativehomemaker.blogspot.com/

Homemade Pierogies

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

Dough:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegan butter (I use olive oil based Earth Balance)
2 eggs replacers (I use Ener G)
1/8 cup vegan sour cream (I use Tofutti)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water

Filling:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
1/2 prepared recipe mashed potatoes (url=http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=36519.0)
(without rosemary)
1/2 cup vegan cheese (I use Daiya cheddar)

Directions:

1. In a mixer, combine all-purpose flour, butter, eggs replacers, sour cream, salt, and water. Form dough into disk and wrap in saran wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

2. Just before hour wait is up, in a medium skillet on medium-low heat, add the olive oil. Saute the onions until translucent and soft, about 10 minutes. Take dough out of fridge, dust counter with flour, and roll out dough with a rolling pin to about 1/4" thick.

3. Cut dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece out until it is just a couple millimeters thick. Cut circle with cookie cutter that is about 2" wide. Add cheese and cooked onions to mashed potatoes. Mix well.

4. Place about 1 teaspoon mashed potato mixture in the center of circle. Dip finger in cold water and wipe more than half around the edge of the circle. Fold over and press all the air out sealing the edges. Use a fork to crimp the edges.

5. Freeze overnight on wax paper on a baking sheet so they do not stick. Once frozen, place them in a freezer ziplock bag. To cook, fry in olive oil for 5 minutes on each side until golden brown, grill on grill pan 5 minutes on each side, or bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

I've had bad experience boiling homemade pierogies, so I wouldn't take that route, but you could try to boil them until cooked, 6-7 minutes.

Source of recipe: http://veganmiss.blogspot.com/2011/09/homemade-grilled-potato-onion-cheeze.html

The First Vegetarian Bucher Shop

While the people of the Netherlands search for meat alternatives, a unique chain of butcher shops, has just opened.

The Vegetarian Butcher is a butcher shop, but no meat is to be found there. The stores offers a variety of “faux meats.” chicken, bacon, gyros, sausage” among other vegetarian products. The founder Niko Koffeman says animal cruelty is one reason, but also a growing concern for sustainability,” Koffeman stated “After all, meat production is highly inefficient.”

Radio Netherlands Worldwide, announced 75% of people in the Netherlands are vegetarian. There for, the Vegetarian Butcher has grown so rapidly. The first store opened in October 2010, and less than one year later.

The official site: http://www.devegetarischeslager.nl/

Onion Bagel

5 3/4 cups flour
3 quarts water
1 tablespoon sugar
Cornmeal to sprinkle baking sheet
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
2 cups warm water
2 packages active dry yeast
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup instant toasted onion
3 teaspoons salt
Bagel Platter
Mix warm water, yeast, 3 tablespoons sugar and instant toasted onion. Let stand 5 minutes, stir in salt.
Gradually mix in 4 cups of flour, beat at medium speed for 5 minutes. With spoon add 1 1/4 cups more flour to make a stiff dough. Turn out on a floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, (about 15 minutes), adding more flour as needed. Dough will be firmer than for most yeast breads. Place in a greased bowl, cover, let rise until almost doubled (about 40 minutes). Knead dough lightly and divide into 12 equal pieces. To shape, knead each piece, forming it into a smooth ball. Holding ball with both hands, poke your thumbs through the center. With one thumb in hole, work around perimeter, shaping bagel like a doughnut 3 to 3 1/2 inches across. Place shaped bagels on lightly floured board, cover lightly and let stand in a warm place for 20 minutes. Heat oven to 400 degrees Bring the 3 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon sugar to boiling in large kettle. Adjust heat to keep it boiling gently. Lightly grease baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal. Gently lift one bagel at a time and drop into water, boil about 4 at a time, turning often, for 5 minutes. Lift out with slotted spatula, drain briefly on a towel and place on baking sheet. Brush with glaze made with 1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon water. Bake 35 - 40 minutes, or until well browned and crusty. Cool on rack

via http://www.jewishrecipes.org/

Suger Bananas

Ingredients:
4 bananas, peeled
sugar
5 tblespoons of melted butter
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 cups smashed corn cereal


Directions
Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Halve the bananas lengthwise, then crosswise. In a bowl, mix the butter and curry powder. Dip the bananas in butter, coat. Roll bananas in the corn cereal; till completely coated and sprinkle with sugar, if desired. Place the banana in a greased baking dish and bake for 10 minutes.

Egg Plant Parmesan

Ingredients
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
4 (8-ounce) cans no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 (28-ounce) can no-salt-added whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (1-pound) eggplants, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
1/4 cup water
3 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Vegetable cooking spray
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Fresh oregano sprigs (optional)
Preparation
Combine first 7 ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes.

Place eggplant in a large bowl; add water to cover, and let stand 30 minutes. Drain well; blot dry with paper towels. Combine 1/4 cup water and egg whites in a shallow bowl. Combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese; stir well. Dip eggplant in egg white mixture, and dredge in breadcrumb mixture.

Place half of eggplant on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray, and broil 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Repeat procedure with remaining eggplant. Set eggplant aside.

Spread half of tomato mixture in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange half of eggplant over sauce; top with half of mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers with remaining sauce, eggplant, and cheese.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh oregano sprigs, if desired.