Tips and Advice - Cooking from Scratch
Last Updated on Thursday, 28 January 2010 11:14 Written by Maureen Wood Wednesday, 27 January 2010 20:00
Growing up, my mother used to try to hide rutabaga gems in the pan along with the roast, carrots, and potatoes. When I would wrinkle my nose and stick out my tongue (blah) she would try to convince me that it was actually a potato. There was no fooling me -- I know my potato; and a rutabaga is not a potato. But I've also learned it doesn't mean it can't be cooked like one.
A sweet potato or two makes a great substitution for a regular potato
or two. If you are willing to think outside the box it can be
substituted for other vegetables. Like zucchini! Amazing but it's true
and the results are fabulous. Try my sweet potato loaf recipe and
you'll be surprised how this great snack or dessert will disappear
before your eyes.
One of the main vegetables we get in our bi-weekly organic veggie
deliveries is spaghetti squash. There is just so many times one can eat
baked squash and tomato sauce before it becomes tiresome. With that in
mind I started brainstorming for other ways to use up the spaghetti
squash. Since this kind of squash tends to look a bit like a grated
vegetable when cooked I immediately thought of latkes or pancakes.
In my effort to increase my vegetable intake I have resorted to adding
them my smoothies (blended fruit, juices, and ice) on many a
recommendation. I have had a successful run of adding kale to my
smoothies and have now moved from leafy vegetables to rooted ones --
specifically the beet root.
If you are not familiar with Shepherd's Pie it is a casserole with a
beef bottom and a mashed potato topping. I call this recipe the manly
meal because it is something my husband will often request. I'm not a
fan of ground beef but having mashed potatoes on top definitely makes
up for it.
Growing up, the only way we ate cabbage was stuffed with rice and baked
in the oven with tomato soup. These days, we still like our cabbage
rolls but it makes a great addition to any stir fry or casserole;
especially if it is the brightly colored red cabbage. Here's a simple
vegetable stir fry using couscous as the base.
It is fall and I am taking full advantage of what I call "Squash
Season" and you should too. Don't limit yourself to the traditional
pumpkins. An interesting and tasty squash to try is spaghetti squash.
Even though the name implies it, when cooked this squash actually looks
like spaghetti noodles. And when paired with tomato sauce it even
tastes like it.
