Holiday Dinner
Alright, I believe that I have finally figured out what to make for x-mas dinner with my mom and brother. I figured I'd post stuff incase it could be helpful to anyone else who's having issues as to what to make...
~ Lentil Loaf (apparently this is really good, so I'll try it. bonus, it's easy to make)
~ Cornbread herb-sausage stuffing
~ Baked butternut squash
~ Green bean casserole
~ Mashed potatoes
~ Gravy
~ Bisquits
~ Baked sweet potatoes
~ Harvard beets (from a magic jar)
~ Cranberry sauce (from a whimsical can)
~ Apple cake
~ Chocolate chip and sugar cookies
~ Sugarplums
Gee whiz, there aren't many vegetables in this meal. Oh well...
Now I will cut-and-paste the lentil loaf, gravy, bisquit, and sugarplum recipes. Oh, and I can include my greenbean casserole recipe...
Green bean Casserole
I think it's good and it's easy...
~ 1 lb. sack of frozen green beans
~ Imagine creamy portobello mushroom soup (as in the brand, Imagine)
~ Big can of French's fried onions
~ Corn starch
~ Salt and pepper to taste
Defrost the green beans. Slap them in a casserole dish, you can add a bit of oil for flavor if you like, and cover them with most of the mushroom soup. If you want a lot of 'gravy' in there, just add the whole thing. Salt and pepper to taste. Then bake for about half an hour at 350 F. If it is still quite soupy, move the green beans to the edge of the casserole dish and stir a couple tbs of cornstarch into the middle of the dish then stir it all up. Then top the green beans with the fried onions and bake for about 15-20 or so minutes more until the fried onions get slightly browned. Fin.
...
Lentil Loaf
1 1/2 cups lentils
3 1/2 cups water (for boiling)
2 medium onions
1/4 cup oil
2 cups cooked rice
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup catsup or barbecue sauce
1 tsp sage
1/2 tsp marjoram
cook rinsed lentils in water until tender. partially mash lentils and mix with onions sauted in 1/4 cup oil. add rest of ingredients to the onions and lentils. press into an oiled loaf pan(make sure to press as much as possible, so the loaf will stick together) and spread catsup or barbeque sauce over the top. bake for an hour.
~ Instead of ketchup or bbq sauce I want to top this with gravy...
...
Rich Gravy
1/2 cup oil
3-6 cloves of garlic, squashed and minced very well
2-3 slices of yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose white flour
4 teaspoons nutritional yeast
4 tablespoons low- or reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 or 6 white mushrooms, sliced (optional)
extra flour or cornstarch (optional)
Method:
Measure the vegetable oil into a small saucepan. Cook the garlic and onion in it for about two minutes on medium or medium-low heat, until the onion is a bit tender and translucent.
Add the flour, yeast, and soy sauce to make a paste. Add the water gradually, stirring constantly. Bring the gravy to a boil on medium to medium-high heat, stirring constantly -- the gravy has to boil for it to thicken. (Grandma always told me to cook gravy for a full five minutes at a boil to make sure you kill the bugs in the flour, but I don't always bother.) Add pepper. Stir in the sliced mushrooms, if desired. Add salt, if desired.
If the gravy is too thin for your taste, add one or two tablespoons of flour or small amounts of cornstarch to thicken it and add home-made-looking lumps. Use a wire whisk to eliminate lumps.
Serve piping hot.
...
Gravy (without nut. yeast)
2 tbl margarine
1/4 cup onion
5 tbl flour
4 cups water
1/4 cup soysauce
1/4 tsp pepper
Melt margarine in skillet. Add onion, cook till soft. Add flour and stir for one minute or until browned. Add water, soysauce, and pepper. Cook, whisking constantly, until it comes to a boil and thickens. Cook one more minute at a boil.
...
Mushroom Gravy
Mushroom Gravy
Ingredients:
1/2 cup dried mushrooms, chopped into small pieces (fresh works, too)
1 cup strong broth
1 small onion, diced
2 Tbs. flour
1 1/2 Tbs. margarine
Directions:
Hydrate your dried chopped mushrooms with about 1/2 cup boiling water. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes.
Melt margarine in a small-medium saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onion lightly. Don't brown too much. Add the flour, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until frothy. Do not let it burn! Add the mushrooms and their liquid and your vegetable broth. Cook over medium heat to a boil, stirring constantly. After it comes to a boil, turn the heat down a bit and let thicken.
Serves: 6
Preparation time: 10-15
...
Bisquits
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup soy, rice, or almond milk
Method:
Sift all the dry ingredients into a bowl and stir them up real good with a fork. Cut the shortening into bits and stir it into the mix. It should not look very good yet.
Add the liquid and stir until a dough forms. Gather the dough into a large ball, without kneading it much (too much kneading will yield bisquits that are not very flaky). Roll it out on a surface floured with whole-wheat flour to about an inch (2.5 cm) thick. Cut it into round bisquits with a floured cookie cutter or a glass. (Or cut them into any other shape you prefer. Scones are often triangular, for instance.)
Bake on an ungreased, unfloured baking sheet at 475 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes. The bisquits' edges should be browned but not black. The whole-wheat flour on the surface will be nicely toasted and add little speckles to the bisquits.
Serve smothered in gravy, with your favorite jelly, or as a side for soup or vegetables
...
Sugarplums
Yield: About 4-1/2 dozen
1 cup raisins
1 cup bite-size pitted prunes
1 cup dates
1 cup currants
1 cup candied cherries, dried cherries, or dried cranberries
1 cup walnuts
1/2 to 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
granulated sugar
Using a meat grinder or a food processor, grind the fruit and nuts and mix well. Work into the mixture as much confectioners' sugar as it takes to form 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar, then place on a rack to dry for 24 hours.
...
And I'll have some Tofurky slices on hand as it is very good to just have a warm slice with some stuffing or what have you. It's a lot easier to get the slices than do a roast and they're just as tasty, really.
~ Lentil Loaf (apparently this is really good, so I'll try it. bonus, it's easy to make)
~ Cornbread herb-sausage stuffing
~ Baked butternut squash
~ Green bean casserole
~ Mashed potatoes
~ Gravy
~ Bisquits
~ Baked sweet potatoes
~ Harvard beets (from a magic jar)
~ Cranberry sauce (from a whimsical can)
~ Apple cake
~ Chocolate chip and sugar cookies
~ Sugarplums
Gee whiz, there aren't many vegetables in this meal. Oh well...
Now I will cut-and-paste the lentil loaf, gravy, bisquit, and sugarplum recipes. Oh, and I can include my greenbean casserole recipe...
Green bean Casserole
I think it's good and it's easy...
~ 1 lb. sack of frozen green beans
~ Imagine creamy portobello mushroom soup (as in the brand, Imagine)
~ Big can of French's fried onions
~ Corn starch
~ Salt and pepper to taste
Defrost the green beans. Slap them in a casserole dish, you can add a bit of oil for flavor if you like, and cover them with most of the mushroom soup. If you want a lot of 'gravy' in there, just add the whole thing. Salt and pepper to taste. Then bake for about half an hour at 350 F. If it is still quite soupy, move the green beans to the edge of the casserole dish and stir a couple tbs of cornstarch into the middle of the dish then stir it all up. Then top the green beans with the fried onions and bake for about 15-20 or so minutes more until the fried onions get slightly browned. Fin.
...
Lentil Loaf
1 1/2 cups lentils
3 1/2 cups water (for boiling)
2 medium onions
1/4 cup oil
2 cups cooked rice
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup catsup or barbecue sauce
1 tsp sage
1/2 tsp marjoram
cook rinsed lentils in water until tender. partially mash lentils and mix with onions sauted in 1/4 cup oil. add rest of ingredients to the onions and lentils. press into an oiled loaf pan(make sure to press as much as possible, so the loaf will stick together) and spread catsup or barbeque sauce over the top. bake for an hour.
~ Instead of ketchup or bbq sauce I want to top this with gravy...
...
Rich Gravy
1/2 cup oil
3-6 cloves of garlic, squashed and minced very well
2-3 slices of yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose white flour
4 teaspoons nutritional yeast
4 tablespoons low- or reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 or 6 white mushrooms, sliced (optional)
extra flour or cornstarch (optional)
Method:
Measure the vegetable oil into a small saucepan. Cook the garlic and onion in it for about two minutes on medium or medium-low heat, until the onion is a bit tender and translucent.
Add the flour, yeast, and soy sauce to make a paste. Add the water gradually, stirring constantly. Bring the gravy to a boil on medium to medium-high heat, stirring constantly -- the gravy has to boil for it to thicken. (Grandma always told me to cook gravy for a full five minutes at a boil to make sure you kill the bugs in the flour, but I don't always bother.) Add pepper. Stir in the sliced mushrooms, if desired. Add salt, if desired.
If the gravy is too thin for your taste, add one or two tablespoons of flour or small amounts of cornstarch to thicken it and add home-made-looking lumps. Use a wire whisk to eliminate lumps.
Serve piping hot.
...
Gravy (without nut. yeast)
2 tbl margarine
1/4 cup onion
5 tbl flour
4 cups water
1/4 cup soysauce
1/4 tsp pepper
Melt margarine in skillet. Add onion, cook till soft. Add flour and stir for one minute or until browned. Add water, soysauce, and pepper. Cook, whisking constantly, until it comes to a boil and thickens. Cook one more minute at a boil.
...
Mushroom Gravy
Mushroom Gravy
Ingredients:
1/2 cup dried mushrooms, chopped into small pieces (fresh works, too)
1 cup strong broth
1 small onion, diced
2 Tbs. flour
1 1/2 Tbs. margarine
Directions:
Hydrate your dried chopped mushrooms with about 1/2 cup boiling water. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes.
Melt margarine in a small-medium saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onion lightly. Don't brown too much. Add the flour, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until frothy. Do not let it burn! Add the mushrooms and their liquid and your vegetable broth. Cook over medium heat to a boil, stirring constantly. After it comes to a boil, turn the heat down a bit and let thicken.
Serves: 6
Preparation time: 10-15
...
Bisquits
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup soy, rice, or almond milk
Method:
Sift all the dry ingredients into a bowl and stir them up real good with a fork. Cut the shortening into bits and stir it into the mix. It should not look very good yet.
Add the liquid and stir until a dough forms. Gather the dough into a large ball, without kneading it much (too much kneading will yield bisquits that are not very flaky). Roll it out on a surface floured with whole-wheat flour to about an inch (2.5 cm) thick. Cut it into round bisquits with a floured cookie cutter or a glass. (Or cut them into any other shape you prefer. Scones are often triangular, for instance.)
Bake on an ungreased, unfloured baking sheet at 475 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes. The bisquits' edges should be browned but not black. The whole-wheat flour on the surface will be nicely toasted and add little speckles to the bisquits.
Serve smothered in gravy, with your favorite jelly, or as a side for soup or vegetables
...
Sugarplums
Yield: About 4-1/2 dozen
1 cup raisins
1 cup bite-size pitted prunes
1 cup dates
1 cup currants
1 cup candied cherries, dried cherries, or dried cranberries
1 cup walnuts
1/2 to 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
granulated sugar
Using a meat grinder or a food processor, grind the fruit and nuts and mix well. Work into the mixture as much confectioners' sugar as it takes to form 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar, then place on a rack to dry for 24 hours.
...
And I'll have some Tofurky slices on hand as it is very good to just have a warm slice with some stuffing or what have you. It's a lot easier to get the slices than do a roast and they're just as tasty, really.