Going Meatless

I thought it was about time that I change things a bit and share a couple of recipes.

The weather gave us a break today and it was cool enough to cook and have the oven on without heating up the house. 

Our son, who is vegan now has been trying to get us to eat just vegtables and fruits and leave out the meat. I don't have much of a problem with that but my husband has a much harder time giving up meat. The last three years I have been cutting back on our beef intake and using more chicken and in the past year I have even started to use ground trukey to replace ground beef. It took me a while to take the plunge but you really don't notice the difference in most recipes.

So latelyI have been looking for recipes that are meatless. I have found at least three that I've tried and really liked.

The one I am sharing with you today I found in Taste Of Home's Light and Tasty Annual Recipes 2003 and is called Meatless Hopping John. It is a Southern dish and is usually a favorite dish for New Years Day as it is thought to bring good luck. 

 The meat in Hopping John is usually ham hock and packs a bit of heat from the peper flakes. Or at least I think it does as I perfer mild heat. It is a very colorful dish too.

Here is the recipe:
3/4 Cup uncooked long grain rice (I used a half and half mixture of brown and white  rice)
1 cup frozen corn
3 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1/2 cup each chopped green, sweet red and yellow peppers
1/4 cup chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablesoon canola oil
1 can (15-1/2 ounces) black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained (I have also used black beans which I liked better than the peas)
1can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
2 tablesoons minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Cook rice according to directions on package. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, suate the corn. carrots, peppers, onion and garlic in oil for 6-8 minutes. or until crisp-tender. Stir in the rice, peas and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Add the seasonings; cook 2-3 minutes longer.
Yields:10 servings
First thing this morning I made a fresh peach pie from the peaches we got fresh from the orchards in Wenatchee during our camping trip. Boy oh boy did it turn out delicious!
The receipe I used is from BH&G Old Fashioned Home Baking

 1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup and it was the perfect amount for the fresh juicy peaches)
3 Tablespoons all purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash ground nutmeg
6 cups thinly sliced, peeled peaches or frozen unsweetened peach slices
1 box ready-made Pillsbury Pie Curst or make your own
1 teaspon sugar
Dash ground cinnamon
Milk

In large mixing bowl stir together sugar, flour, the 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the fresh or frozen peaches. Gently toss till the peaches are coated. If using frozen peaches, let stand for 15-30 minutes or until the peaches are partially thawed but still icy.

Prepare and roll out your crust if making your own. Line a 9 inch pie plate with half of the pastery. Stir peach mixture then transfer to the pastry-lined pie plate. Trim the bottom pastery to the edge of the pie plate.

Cut slits in the tip crust and place on filling. Seal and crimp edge. In small bowl stir together 1 teaspoon sugar and dash cinnamon. Brush top crust with milk and sprinkle with sugar-cinnamon mixture.
To prevent ovwerbrowning, cover edge of pie with foil. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes for fresh peaches (50 minutes for frozen peaches). Remove foil. Bake for 20-25 minutes more for fresh peaches (20-30 minutes for frozen peaches) or until top is golden.

I have a gas convection oven which is great for cooking pies. I never have to worry about the edges of the crust burning.

Hope you enjoy the recipes. Let me know how they turned out for you if you give them a try and if you have any questions just ask.