Author Archives: Elaine Broughton

About Elaine Broughton

As a child I grew up eating a traditional American diet that was heavy on meat and potatoes(mostly fried). After three heart attacks I became acutely aware of the need to actively use my diet to heal the damage done to my body, which means eating a healthy, mostly plant based diet. I've always loved to cook and to garden, so I approached this change as a kind of culinary adventure in learning new ways to prepare foods that I was already familiar with, as well as trying new and different fruits and vegetables. As I used more and more fresh produce in season, I discovered that foods not only tasted better, but my grocery budget slimmed down along with my waistline. In addition, I noticed that the character of my kitchen changes with the seasons as I try to enjoy the foods that are freshest and most affordable. I've included traditional recipes (using meat, dairy and eggs) along with the vegetarian recipes. Hopefully, this will appeal to others hoping to bring a healthier way of eating to their family table. Please let me know what you think of the recipes and feel free to share your own versions of how to use the main ingredients. Elaine...in the Kitchen.

Living Large in the Produce Section: Nobody Starves on a Vegetarian Diet

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One of the things most people worry about when contemplating a vegetarian diet is getting enough to eat.  There’s this myth that if we’re not eating meat, we’re going to be hungry.  It’s not true, but we build our meals around that idea.  Most traditional meals have three main components: meat main dish, starch side dish and a token vegetable of some variety.  On the other hand, vegetarian eating is a lot more interesting and isn’t limited to three dishes.  You can spread the protein part of the meal through several different dishes, and there can be four or even five different dishes in the meal.  It’s about color and texture and taste.  The main thing is that each dish should be healthy, nutritious and even fun.  Below is one of my favorite savory dishes to brighten up the gray days in January.  Add a bean salad, some broccoli with lemon butter, and some spiced tomatoes.  I guarantee no one will leave the table hungry.

Carrot-Tarragon Tart

Carrot-Tarragon Tart
Carrot-Tarragon Tart

I love savory dishes and one of my favorites is a recipe I discovered recently for Carrot-Tarragon Tart.  This is a beautiful dish and although it sounds too fancy for a midweek meal, it’s really pretty easy. I’ve added some of my own touches to this, so feel free to experiment a little.

 

 

Lisa’s No Fuss Crust

  • 11/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh or dried tarragon leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons cold milk

Directions

  1. Sift flour into ungreased pie plate or tart pan.
  2. In a cup, combine oil and milk and mix until cloudy.  Pour onto the flour and mix with a fork.
  3. When flour is combined and the mixture is somewhat lumpy, use your fingers to press the dough evenly toward the edges of the pie plate and up the sides to cover the plate and form a crust.
  4. Or, you can take the easy way out and use a pre-cut pastry round from the super market.
  5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  6. Bake the crust until set but not browned for about 15 minutes.  Let cool on a wire rack.

Filling

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive or canola oil
  • 1 cup thinly sliced red onion (thinner is better)
  • 1 1/2 cups grated carrots (you can do this in the food processor)
  • 2 tablespoons dry sherry (not cooking sherry, use dry sherry, the kind you would drink) or rice vinegar, divided
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (you can experiment with other cheeses – not mozzarella)
  • 1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
  • 1/2 cup low-fat milk
  • 2 large eggs (in a pinch I’ve used three medium eggs and it turned out just fine)
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon or 3/4 teaspoon dried (if your using dried be careful not to overdo it-tarragon is a strong herb)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions

  1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté gently, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the grated carrots and 1 tablespoon sherry (or rice vinegar) and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
  2. Spread mustard over the bottom of the crust. Sprinkle with cheese and just a tiny sprinkle of dried tarragon and spread the carrot mixture evenly in the tart shell.
  3. Whisk together 1/2 cup yogurt, milk, eggs, tarragon, the remaining 1 tablespoon sherry (or rice vinegar), 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and pour in the filling.
  4. Bake the tart until the filling is firm and the edges are golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before slicing.
  5. You can make this the day before.  Just loosely cover and refrigerate the baked tart for up to a day.

Green Beans with Nuts and Berries

  • 1 14-oz package frozen green beans (fresh is great if you can get it, but most of us use frozen in the wintertime)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon sherry or rice wine vinegar
  • 1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries and/or cherries
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced (you can use a shallot if you’re so inclined)
  • 2 ounces feta crumbles

Directions

  1. Blanch the green beans in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender-crisp, 3 -5 minutes. Remove the green beans from the boiling water, run under cold water for a few minutes to stop the cooking, and then drain, dry and let cool.
  2. Whisk together the olive oil, sherry or vinegar and Dijon mustard in a small bowl. Stir in the salt and pepper.
  3. Add the cool green beans to a large bowl and toss in the walnuts, berries and onion and drizzle in the vinaigrette. Place in a serving dish and sprinkle with the feta cheese.

Broccoli with Lemon Butter

Steamed fresh broccoli is great, or you can use frozen.  In a small sauce pan melt 3 tablespoons of butter, and add the juice of one fresh lemon and pour it over the broccoli (add the zest for some extra kick).

Spiced Tomatoes

Spiced Tomatoes
Spiced Tomatoes

 

  • 1 15 oz can of diced low sodium tomatoes
  • 2 star anise
  • 10 whole cloves
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • freshly ground pepper

Use an extra teaball for the spices, or make a bag of cheesecloth.  In a small sauce pan combine the tomatoes, sugar and spices.  Bring to a simmer and let cook for 15-20 minutes or bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. The more it cooks down the better.  Remove the spices and serve either warm or cold as a side dish or as a relish.

Color, texture, taste and nutrition.  Anybody leaves the table hungry, it’s their own fault.  Enjoy!

Easy Black Bean Chili

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Now that the holidays are over I’m craving something simple, light but nourishing and that won’t be too much of a strain on the budget.  After all that rich food, I’m opting for vegetarian.

Easy Black Bean Chili with Brown Basmati Rice

Black Bean Chili

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 16-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 tsp. vegetable oil or vegetable broth
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbs. chili powder
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • ⅛ tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 14-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
  • ¾ cup water
  • 1 cup frozen corn kernels
  • ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

In large nonstick fry pan or sauce pan, heat onion, bell pepper, jalapeño and garlic in the oil or vegetable broth.  Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables begin to
soften, about 3-5 minutes. Add spices, tomatoes, beans and water, and simmer 15
minutes. Stir in corn and cook 1 minute. Stir in cilantro and serve with Brown Rice and  Loaded Corn Muffins (see below).

Loaded Corn Muffins

  Vegetable Corn Muffins

This is a really delicious way to pack in some more vegetables and the kids will love them, and since I’m taking the easy way out here, I’m using up that box of corn muffin mix I had sitting around.  Prepare the mix as directed.  Stir in 1 cup of frozen mixed vegetables, and spoon into a muffin pan.  This recipe makes about six giant muffins.  Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. It just doesn’t get much easier.

 

To Meat or Not to Meat

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Roast Chicken   Usually, I feature a recipe or food prep technique in my posts but today I wanted to share an idea that can change your approach to meal planning. Several years ago I began experimenting with going meatless once or twice a week.  It was the first tentative step on my journey to healthier eating, and I know that many families routinely do “Meatless Monday” both for health and budgetary reasons.

Recently, I was thinking about how people probably ate in the past and how it compares with our modern eating habits.  I decided to look at my meal planning from another, more historic, point of view.

A little research showed me that in the past our ancestors ate a lot more vegetables than meat.  So I decided to try planning seven days of vegetarian menus, and one meat centered “feast day” menu for Sundays.  Since most of us grew up eating Sunday dinner with our families, it seemed like a tradition worth cultivating, and pot roast is a great way to encourage everyone to be home for dinner.  It also helps the non-vegetarian members of the family feel less deprived so they have something to look forward to each week.

Here’s a sample week of dinners:

  • Monday – Black Bean Chili with Skillet Cornbread
  • Tuesday – Taco Tuesday (Vegetarian Style)
  • Wednesday – Split Pea Soup with Crusty Bread
  • Thursday – Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli and Salad
  • Friday – Veggie Burgers, Tomato-Cucumber Salad
  • Saturday – Curried Baked Squash with Green Beans
  • Sunday – Roasted Chicken with Potatoes, Carrots and Onions

One of the really positive effects of this menu change is a lower grocery bill.  The fresh items  are readily available this time of year, and the meals rely heavily on staple items like pasta and dried beans and peas.  Plus the calorie count is pretty low (well, except for the mac-n-cheese).  All I can say, is try it.  You just might like it.

 

Supper for a Cold Winter Night

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Winter has finally arrived.  The nights are crisp and cold and darkness comes early, so a warm, hearty soup seems like the perfect way to end the day.  I love soups and chowders because they are so comforting and economical, and one of my favorite ways to add protein and save money too, is canned salmon.  This recipe is fairly low fat and low calorie with lots of good nutrition, and it tastes yummy too.  You can serve this with some crusty bread or crackers, and on the side I like to serve oven roasted root vegetables like beets and sweet potatoes.  This is one side dish that kids usually love because it’s sweet.  Below you’ll find both recipes.

Salmon and Wild Rice Chowder        

Salmon Wild Rice Chowder

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 medium stalk celery, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon dry mustard
  • ½ teaspoon rubbed sage or poultry seasoning
  • ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary (optional)
  • 1 6 oz package of cooked Wild Rice Bits and Basmati Rice
  • 4 cups vegetable broth (or use chicken or seafood stock)
  • ¾ cup half and half (or whole milk if you prefer)
  • 1 6 oz can of wild caught salmon
  • 2 slices crispy bacon, crumbled

Directions:

  1. Prepare rice according to directions and set aside.  (I use Minnesota Cultivated Wild Bits and Basmati Rice that is distributed by Red Lake Nation Foods in Red Lake, Minnesota.)
  2. In a heavy sauce pan or soup pot, sauté the chopped onion and celery in 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth until the onions are translucent.  Add the remaining vegetable broth, and the flour, salt, pepper, dry mustard and rubbed sage and/or other herbs.
  3. Stir in the cooked rice and the canned salmon.  Bring to a simmer and pour in the half and half or milk.  Continue to simmer for about 15 minutes.
  4. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle bacon bits or parsley or chives on the top.

Side dishes help to make a meal complete.  One of my favorites is oven roasted root vegetables.  They’re fast, simple, tasty and so good for you.

Oven Roasted Beets, Onions and Sweet Potatoes

Roasted Beets and Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

  • 2 bunches of small/medium beets, peeled and quartered
  • 2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
  • 1 red garnet yam, peeled and cut into bite size pieces
  • 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into bit size pieces
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl or freezer bag combine the vegetables, garlic powder, sea salt, pepper and sugar along with enough olive oil to coat.
  3. Empty onto a baking sheet in a single layer.  Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes.
  4. Stir the vegetables and pour 1/4 cup of balsamic vingar over the vegetables and return to the oven for another 15 to 20 minutes until the vegetables are fork tender.

Serve on side or over a bed of greens.  Save any leftovers for lunch.