this is something woodie posted recently and we've enjoyed it several times. nice to be able to eat winter tomatoes that actually end up tasting like something!

Sherry Cherry Tomatoes (woodie)
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray
Show: 30 Minute Meals
  Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
  2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or dry sherry wine
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Preheat a skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and onions. Sweat them out 2 to 3 minutes then add cherry tomatoes. Turn tomatoes to coat in fat. Add sherry vinegar or sherry, sugar, pepper flakes and salt. Toss to coat tomatoes and roast for 18 to 20 minutes.

cindy (ny) posted this on one of the progressive dinner threads and it was a really good use for cabbage. i subbed asiago for the cheddar because that's what i had and there wasn't a shred left after 2 meals!

Cabbage Au Gratin (cindy ny)

1/4 cup butter
1 small head cabbage or 1/2 large head, shredded
2 T flour
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup (4 oz) grated sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 cup crushed ritz crackers
extra cheese for top

Saute cabbage in butter in covered saucepan, cook until softened, about 10 minutes.
Add flour, stir until smooth. Add milk, cook over medium-low heat until thickened.
Add salt, pepper and 1 cup cheese, stir until cheese is melted.
Pour into buttered 1.5 qt casserole dish, top with cracker crumbs and additional cheese.
Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes, or until bubbly.
Serves 4-6

marcia (colo lady) sent me a wonderful vegetarian cookbook and this makes a really good, comfort food dinner!

Baked Buckwheat Noodles with Brown Butter and Cabbage
The greens cookbook

1 stick of butter
8 to 10 sage leaves or 1 tsp dried sage, divided
1 large garlic clove sliced (*and 2 cloves garlic, minced)
salt
8 oz potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼" cubes
2 or 3 large leeks (about 3 C), white parts only, quartered and sliced ½" thick
*2 cloves garlic (that were included above)
1 small dry red chili, broken into pieces and seeds removed
1 # cabbage, quartered and shredded into ½" slices
½ C Parmesan, freshly grated
Pepper
1# buckwheat noodles
½# soft cheese such as Taleggio of Bel Pase or fresh mozzarella, sliced

melt the butter in a heavy pan over low heat with 4 of the sage leaves or ½ tsp dried sage and the sliced garlic. When the garlic is brown, remove it, continuing to cook the butter until it is light brown and has a distinctly nutty aroma. Pour it through a layer of cheesecloth.

While the butter is browning, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and salt and the potatoes. Cook until fairly tender (5 to 8 minutes). Drain and rinse them with cool water and place into a colander to drain. Save the cooking water for the pasta.

Chop the remaining sage leaves. Heat the strained butter in a wide sauté pan; add the leeks, the rest of the sage, half the minced garlic and the chili. Cook over medium low heat until the leeks are soft, and then add the cabbage, 1 tsp of salt and a little water. Cover the pan with a lid and stew the vegetables slowly until the cabbage is cooked. Add the parmesan and season with plenty of black pepper and more salt if needed.

Return the water to a boil, add the pasta and partially cook it (NOTE: to fully cook it only takes 4 minutes!) drain in a colander and return to the empty pot. Toss it with the rest of the butter, the remaining garlic and the potatoes. Season with s & p.

Butter a casserole. Lay down half the noodles, half the vegetables and most of the sliced cheese. Add the rest of the pasta and the cheese and end with a layer of vegetables. (can be refrigerated at this point, until ready to cook)

Preheat the oven to 425. put the casserole into the oven and bake until it’s hot throughout and the cheese is melted, about 15 to 20 minutes. If the dish started out cold, cover it for the first 15 minutes, then remove the cover and continue for another 5 or 10 minutes. Serve with a full-bodied chianti or a medium cabernet sauvignon.

LOL!

seagrass

but i think linda has a good idea. my question was too broad/encompassing if people start responding to it. so i'll post a couple different categories and if linda or someone has ideas for a different subject, perhaps you could start a new thread? i really would appreciate some new ideas for our household!

What makes it special? The recipes don't come from vegetarians, per se, but from gardeners who present the most interesting uses for what they grow.

It may be out of print now (was published in '99), but I'm sure you could find a copy with a search.

seagrass

There are, however, cookbooks that do consider veggies from all angles. The Time Life "Fresh Ways With Vegetables" comes to mind. Another is the Barnes & Noble book "Vegetarian," which in addition to recipes is a guide to choosing and using vegetables.

You should also check out some of the ethnic cookbooks. Many cultures are much more into vegetables than we are, and you can pick up some great ideas.

Another great source of published recipes are the annuals put out by many publications. The XYZ Magazine Cookbook sort of thing. Food & Wine does one every year, as does Southern Living and several others. These aren't strictly vegetable cookbooks, of course, but the veggie recipes they present often are spectacular.

Most good libraries have them in their cookbook collections, and I would look there before I actually bought one of these books.

• fresh green beans; washed and ends snapped off
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt & fresh ground pepper
• fresh chopped garlic (to taste)
• balsamic vinegar
Turn oven to 400ö. Spread green beans on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place in oven and roast beans until tender and starting to brown. Partway throught cooking, sprinkle with garlic and toss again. Return to oven. When done, remove from oven, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve hot or at room temperature.
This recipe is also delicious with carrots or asparagus.

Corn-Chive Pudding

2 cups fresh corn kernels, divided (I used thawed frozen corn)
1 (8 oz.) container chive and onion cream cheese
3/4 cup half-and-half
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1-1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons chopped chives (I used dried onion)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8" x 8" baking dish. Place 1 cup corn kernels in container of a food processor and pulse several times until coarsely chopped; pour into a large bowl. Add remaining cup of corn to chopped corn. Add cream cheese and remaining ingredients, stirring well. Pour into prepared baking dish. Bake 30 minutes, or until a tester inserted in center comes out clean.

Courtesy of Cooking With Paula Deen Magazine (July/August o6).

RIPE OLIVE SAUCE

2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped, pitted black olives
1 or 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt or less to taste
1/4 tsp.pepper

Saute garlic in small saucepan over medium-low heat until golden, about 3 minutes. Do not let it brown. Add remaining ingredients and cook 1 or 2 minutes to heat olives. Pour over steamed fresh vegetables.

1 box/bag of fordhook lima beans
1 small jar diced pimentos
1 small onion-diced
1/2 cup sour cream-room temp
1/2 stick butter

Saute the onion & drained pimentos in the butter until tender. Meanwhile cook the limas & drain when done. Add the onion mixture to the pot of limas & gently fold in the sour cream. Add S & P to taste. Serve immediately.

Roasted Green Beans with Garlic
Source: Marilyn (from Fine Cooking)

1 1/2 pound fresh green beans
1 small head garlic (I use only 6 to 8 cloves)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Wash, trim and dry green beans. Position oven rack in the top third of the oven and preheat to 450° (425° is using dark pan) and place a baking sheet in the oven. Peel each garlic clove and cut each into 4 pieces. Place green beans in a large bowl along with garlic, oil, salt and pepper; toss to coat evenly and pour onto hot baking sheet in a single layer. Roast beans for 10 minutes, stir and continue to roast another 5 minutes if beans are slim and another 10 minutes if beans are thick. Remove to serving dish and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and grated parmesan cheese.

And yesterday I made a wonderful cauliflower dish from them. The cauliflower is browned first so it makes a beautiful carmelized combination:

Browned Cauliflower with Anchovies, Olives and Capers

1 medium-small head cauliflower (about 2 pounds)
1 large clove garlic
pinch coarse salt- sea or kosher
6 oil packed anchovy filets, drained (I used 1 tablespoon anchovy paste)
1/4 cup EVOO
15 black olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, more to taste (this really made the dish pop!)
2 teaspoons capers, roughly chopped (I left these whole)
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (I left out)
Large pinch crushed red pepper flakes

Clean and cut cauliflower into chunks, keeping florets attached to pieces of stem.

Crush garlic with salt into a paste and add anchovies and pound them to a paste as well (since I used anchovy paste I just stirred it into crushed garlic). Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, olives, lemon juice and zest, capers and red pepper flakes; stir well.

Heat 2 tablespoons EVOO in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat and add half the cauliflower pieces in a single layer, cut side down. Cook until cauliflower is well browned on all sides then transfer to plate. Add the remaining cauliflower and more EVOO if necessary and brown on all sides. Add cauliflower from plate to cauliflower in pan and turn the heat down to low. Carefully add 2/3 cup (I only used 1/4 cup) water; cover and let steam until the stems are just tender, 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat and pour off all but about 1 tablespoon cooking liquid (or place in a serving bowl). Gently fold in anchovy mixture. Serve warm or room temperature.

*This is my new favorite way to eat cauliflower!

Marilyn

If using fresh corn, shuck & cook as usual. Cut the corn from the cobs.
Heat butter in a skillet & add all the peppers; sprinkle w/curry powder. Cook, stirring about 1 minute. Add the corn, salt & pepper to taste. Stir in 2 TBL butter & the cream. Bring to a simmer, stirring continually. Serve hot.~~Slice of Paradise

This one's very forgiving if you want to halve it or substitute ingredients. For the yellow rice, you can substitute 1 2/3 cups long grain rice & 1/4 tsp turmeric.

VEGETABLE PAELLA (serves 6)
Two 14 oz cans artichoke hearts
Lemon juice to taste
2 onions, chopped
2 TBL olive oil
Two 15 oz cans tomatoes, drained & chopped
3 leeks, white part only, chopped
3 green bell peppers, cut into strips
6 asparagus spears, cut into pieces
1/2 cup thawed frozen peas
Four 10 oz cans chicken or vegetable broth
1 clove garlic, minced (or more)
2 sprigs parsley, minced or 1 tsp dried
Salt & pepper to taste
Three 5 oz pkg yellow rice

Drain the artichoke hearts. Cut them into halves & sprinkle w/the lemon juice. Set aside.
Saute the onion in heated olive oil in a large skillet. Stir in the tomatoes, leeks, artichoke hearts, green peppers, asparagus, peas & 1 can of the broth.
Bring to a boil & simmer 10 minutes. Stir in the remaining 3 cans broth, garlic, parsley, salt & pepper. Add the rice.
Simmer, covered, over medium heat for 20-25 minutes or until the rice is tender & the liquid has been absorbed. Let stand, covered for 5 minutes before serving.~~True Grits

The recipe is on the original thread linked below.

SharonCb

Cut off the end of the sprout and remove as many leaves as you can. The cut off another sliver of the core, remove more leaves, and repeat until you are down to the very wrinkly inner leaves. At that point, I discard the rest of the sprout, although I imagine they could be used for something like a cream soup.

I rinse them and leave a little water on them, microwave for a few minutes, drain, and serve with browned butter.

4 large sweet potatoes
½ cup sugar
½ stick butter
1 Tbsp Half & Half (or more if it needs thinning)
1/2 - 1 tsp Vanilla extract
Walnut or pecan halves

Cook, peel & mash sweet potatoes. Add butter, sugar, Half & Half, and vanilla extract. Mix thoroughly and add walnut or pecan halves. (I whip mixture using high speed and place nuts on top of casserole).

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Recipe can be made ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room temp before baking. Sometimes I swirl brown sugar & 1/3 bag of miniature marshmellows through either before or halfway through baking. Also I add a little Penzey's Vietnamese Fancy Cinnamon—makes it taste great!

Ann

Browned Cauliflower with Olives and Capers

1 medium-small head cauliflower
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons Extra-virgin olive oil-divided
1 large clove garlic
Sprinkle kosher salt
1 tablespoon anchovy paste
10 to 15 black olives; sliced
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoon capers
Pinch red pepper flakes

Clean cauliflower and cut into 1½-inch chunks keeping the top of the florets attached to pieces of stem. Place 1/2 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large heavy skillet medium-high heat. When hot add half the cauliflower and brown on all sides turning gently, about 5 minutes. Remove browned cauliflower from skillet and add remaining butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil and remaining cauliflower; brown as before. Return first batch of browned cauliflower to skillet with the second batch and lightly sprinkle with kosher salt. Carefully pour in 2 tablespoons water, reduce heat and cover skillet. Allow cauliflower to steam until just tender, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile mince garlic and place in a small bowl; stir in a pinch of kosher salt, anchovy paste, olives, lemon juice, capers, red pepper flakes and remaining 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. After cauliflower is tender, remove from heat and gently fold olive mixture into cauliflower and serve immediately or at room temperature.

*Inspired by Browned Cauliflower with Anchovies, Olives & Capers from Fine Cooking magazine.

Marilyn