J-Dawgs special sauce!

I saw this recipe on http://makemyselfathome.wordpress.com/2011/07/04/j-dawgs/

and knew I had to save it.

Now does anyone know if they still sell morning star hot dogs anymore??

(that's when my husband gags at me even suggesting that) ;)

"(A half recipe is plenty for 4-6 dogs)

• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tsp. cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder

1. Combine ingredients in a saucepan & heat just to boiling on medium heat.
2. Drizzle over your favorite grilled (George Foreman works just fine) Polish or beef hot dog (we went with the NYC cart-style Kosher dogs, to add a little East Coast twist to this Mountain West institution) in the best hot dog roll you can find. If your grocery store under-prioritizes hot dog rolls as much as ours does, you may end up with the lame white Wonder buns. That’s okay too. Just this once.
3. Top with your favorite hot dog condiments (I like banana peppers alone; My Husband The More Adventurous & Less Prone To Caring What His Breath Smells Like Because I’ll Still Kiss Him Afterwards Anyway likes banana peppers, diced onions, & a dill pickle spear). Just please, go without the ketchup this one time.
4. Savor."

Vegetarian Shepherd Pie

Ingredients

Mashed potato topping:
2-3 potatoes, for mashing (I just did instant)
milk
butter
any other item you like to add to mashed potatoes ( garlic and chives)

Mixed veggies of your choice, some suggestions:
Broccoli
Cauliflower
*Carrots
*Celery
*Peas
Mushrooms
Okra
*Green Beans
*Zucchini, Squash
*Corn
Spinach
*Cabbage

Creamy pie filling:
2 cans) Vegetable Broth or chicken broth: 1 can for pie filling, use rest for cooking the veggies
2 tbs butter
2 1/2 tbs flour
2/3 cup dry white wine (optional)
2/3 cup milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375. Scrub then cut the potatoes into chunks. Boil until soft.

While the potatoes are boiling, chop all other veggies and cook in a pan with vegetable broth (save 2/3 cup for later use), until they are soft (but not soggy).

Drain the vegetables and set aside. Make the creamy filling by combining margarine, flour, 2/3 cup vegetable stock, wine, and non-dairy milk. Heat ans stir until thickened. Pour over veggies and mix.

Make the mashed potatoes to your liking. I used some almond milk, garlic, and fresh chives.

Put the veggie mixture in a baking dish. Spoon the mashed potatoes over the top of the veggies.

Cook at 375 for 30-35, until golden.

*I added some shakes of pwdr garlic, onion pwdr and pepper in both the broth and the veggies.

I found a new website that seems to have a fair amount of recipes I would like with ingredients I already have: http://www.vegkitchen.com/recipes-galore/

Indian burgers

So I got some of these awesome Indian veggie burgers from Trader Joe's and they are fantastic! So unique, I love them! But since I don't live anywhere close to a Trader Joe's I googled a recipe to make them. This is what I came across,

This recipe is from:http://www.dailygarnish.com/2011/01/homemade-vegetable-masala-burgers.html

Ingredients: (makes 6 burgers)

• 2 large carrots, cubed
• 2 medium potatoes (I used red potatoes), cubed
• 1/2 cup bell peppers, diced
• 1/2 cup corn kernels
• 1/2 cup edamame (shelled)
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp mustard seed
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp salt

"To Prepare: Start by cubing the potatoes and carrots into small diced pieces. Try to make the cubes as consistent as possible, so that they will cook evenly in the pan. Over medium high heat, sauté the carrots and potatoes in a little bit of olive oil for about ten minutes, or until starting to brown.

For the rest of the ingredients, I stuck with my Trader Joe’s theme. For the peppers, edamame, and corn – frozen is fine!

Once the potatoes and carrots are starting to get soft…

Go ahead and add the rest of the vegetables and cook until they are warmed. These burgers take a little more time than a bean burger, since you need to cook the vegetables – but I promise the end result is totally worth it!

While the vegetables are cooking, go ahead and pull out your food processor. The first item into the food processor is 1/2 cup of rolled oats…

Pour them in and pulse them to the consistency of a coarse flour.

Add the vegetables once they are ready, along with the olive oil, salt, and the blend of spices. Spices are what make these burgers so delicious!

Alternate pulsing the food processor and scraping down the sides, in order to ensure that everything is mixed well. Combine until the veggies are chopped into teeny tiny pieces!

Wet your hands and form into patties. Using the same pan that you used to cook your vegetables, add a little more olive oil and cook the burgers over medium high heat.

When you make veggie burgers, you’re never quite sure until you FLIP whether or not they are going to hold together or crumble to bits. I am happy to report that these held together really well – probably my best to date! After a few minutes of cooking on one side, use a spatula to flip the patties over.

Once they are cooked on both sides, they are ready to eat! Now tell me that my vegetable masala burger (right) doesn’t look ten thousand times more delicious than it’s frozen inspiration (left).

While yes – it was a bit more work than simply heating up a frozen burger – this recipe makes six patties! So you can easily make it once and freeze the rest to eat later in the week. Problem solved!"

Grilled Artichokes with Raw Tomato Compote

Don't let this fancy shmancy title scare you out of making this. It is super simple! Plus, the raw tomato compote is the best thing that's happened to artichokes since melted butter, people! Try it! Try it!http://www.wholeliving.com/recipe/grilled-artichokes-with-raw-tomato-compote

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4 large artichokes (about 2 1/4 pounds)
• 2 lemons, halved
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Raw Tomato Compote (see recipe below)

Directions

1. Prepare a stove-top griddle or outdoor grill. Snap off the tough outer leaves of the artichokes and discard. Rub the exposed surfaces with a lemon half. Cut off about the top third of each artichoke with a sharp knife. Trim the ends of the leaves with scissors. Trim all but 1/2 inch of the stem. Using a stainless-steel knife or a curved "bird's beak" knife, pare the remaining stem.
2. Steam the artichokes for 20 minutes. When cool, halve each and, using a melon baller, scoop out the prickly hairs, or the choke, and keep scraping until no more fuzz is apparent. Brush the halves with olive oil.
3. Grill each side for 5 to 7 minutes, until the artichokes are nicely browned. Spoon the tomato compote into each half and serve.

Raw Tomato Compote
Ingredients

Makes 1 1/2 cups

• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 scallions, white part only, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 plum tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped basil leaves
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 cup good-quality wine vinegar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper. The compote will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for 2 days.

p.s. the raw tomato compote is good cold or warmed through. And is said to also be great served over fish or grilled bread, yum!

Indian- Mattar Paneer

Curried peas and cheese with rice

• 

Ingredients

• Onion, chopped -- 1
• Garlic, chopped -- 3 to 4 cloves
• Ginger, peeled, thinly sliced -- 1 tablespoon
• Oil -- 1/4 cup
• Paneer, cubed -- 1 cup
• Peas -- 1 pound
• Tomato sauce -- 1 cup
• Water -- 1/2 to 1 cup
• Coriander, ground -- 1 tablespoon
• Turmeric -- 1 teaspoon
• Sugar -- 1 to 2 teaspoons
• Cayenne pepper -- 1/4 teaspoon
• Salt and pepper -- to taste

Method

1. Puree the onion, garlic, ginger and spices in a blender or food processor, adding a little water if necessary. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet or wok. Add the paneer cubes and fry until lightly golden. Remove the paneer to a plate and set aside.
3. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the onion puree. Sauté for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the onion loses its raw taste and the mixture cooks down.
4. Add back the paneer and stir in the rest of ingredients. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, adjust seasoning and serve with naan or chapati.

Variations

• Aloo Matar: Substitute 1 to 2 cups of peeled, cubed potatoes for the paneer. Follow the same steps as above, browning the potatoes in the same way as for the paneer.
• Stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of yogurt or cream at the end if you like.
• Add 1-2 teaspoons of paprika to the onion-spice puree if you like.
• Sprinkle the finished dish with a little garam masala and some chopped cilantro.

Chana Masala

Recipe from http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/02/chana-masala/

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 fresh, hot green chili pepper, minced
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (I used a quarter of this because my cayenne is extremely hot)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 tablespoon amchoor powder (see note)
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 cups tomatoes, chopped small or 1 15-ounce can of whole tomatoes with their juices, chopped small
2/3 cup water
4 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 lemon (juiced) (see note; I used a whole lemon to swap for the amchoor powder)

"Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic, ginger and pepper and sauté over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Turn heat down to medium-low and add the coriander, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, cumin seeds, amchoor (if using it), paprika and garam masala. Cook onion mixture with spiced for a minute or two, then add the tomatoes and any accumulated juices, scraping up any bits that have stuck to the pan. Add the water and chickpeas. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, then stir in salt and lemon juice.

Eat up or put a lid on it and reheat it when needed. Curries such as this reheat very well, later or or in the days that follow, should it last that long."

Best Cashew Chicken

• So this is supposed to be the best cashew chicken recipe- www.honeybearlane.com

• 2 heaping tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 6 tablespoons soy sauce (get low sodium kind)
  
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1-2 tablespoon Hoisin sauce (depending on how much you like it)
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast meat - cut into strips
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 or 2 green bell pepper, chopped in large pieces
  
• 1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 1 (8 ounce) can sliced bamboo shoots
  
• 2/3 cup cashews (I like roasted and unsalted)
  

Directions

1. Dissolve the cornstarch in the chicken broth, and stir in the soy sauce, ginger, Hoisin, and hot sauce; set aside. Heat half of the oil (I mix the sesame and olive) in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir in the chicken; cook and stir until the chicken is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the wok, and set aside.
2. Pour the remaining tablespoon of oil into the wok, and stir in the onion, green bell pepper, bamboo, water chestnuts, and cashews. Cook and stir until the chestnuts are hot, and the onion has softened, about 5 minutes more. Stir up the sauce to redistribute the cornstarch, then pour into the wok, and bring to a boil. Add the reserved chicken, and stir until the sauce thickens, and the chicken is hot. Serve with rice.