[Firebird Rising]

These are some random recipes I'm posting for Hummus Dip, just thought I'd throw them out there.

The first is a replacement for a midwest favorite that usually includes velveeta cheese, onion, butter, creamed corn, canned corn and macaroni. My version is fat free except for the tofu and is just about as good. But then, the midwest one is good too, it'll just give you a coronary sooner.

CORN CASSEROLE

1 lb pasta (be creative, rotini, macaroni, rigatoni, spirals)
1 can creamed corn
1 can reg corn (can also use frozen)
1/2 onion chopped or minced

1 block firm silken tofu (I use the lite version)
1 4 oz can pimientos (w/ the juice)
2 tbs nutritional yeast (optional)
1/4 c cashews (haven't tried it w/out them might work out ok)
1-2 tbs lemon juice (lime works fine too)
1/2 c wheat germ (or bread crumbs)
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 350 and spray a deep casserole dish w/ non-stick cooking spray (or use a nonstick pan)

Saute onion in vegetable broth (water is fine too) until it's just starting to get soft.

Cook the pasta about half-way so it's still a bit crunchy. Drain and set aside.

Blend the tofu, pimientos, nut yeast, cashews, and lemon juice in blender until smooth (may have to add some water to keep it moving in there)..

Add the tofu mixture to the pasta and add the two cans of corn and onion and wheat germ (save about 1/4 c wheat germ for topping)...Mix well and top w/ remainder of wheat germ.

Bake for 40-60 min, depending on how much you like crispy edges. You might want to mix it up about 20 min in to make sure the pasta all gets cooked, then add the wheat germ at that time. The biggest key is to get the onion cooked...If the onion's not cooked, it doesn't taste as good.

This is SO good!!!

K, this is something you might want to try with the portobello mushrooms...I haven't tried it but I think it would work. The ingredients are all similar to ones I've used for marinades for tofu, etc.

Portobello Steaks

2 large portobello mushrooms, cleaned and patted dry
1 T ketchup
1/4 tsp sugar
2 T soy sauce
2 T steak sauce
1 large garlic clove, pressed

Combine all ingredients except mushroom in a ziplock type bag. Add mushrooms, seal bag and marinate for 30 minutes to an hour, turning the bag occasionally.

Broil the mushrooms, turning them once or twice until tender and starting to release liquid. Baste them with the marinade while they're cooking. Serve with pan juices poured on top.

Options for serving include, grilling polenta and topping with mushrooms or roasting potatoes and using as a side. Or, my favorite, throw them in a sandwich and add a bunch of fun stuff.

Special Note for Hummus Dip - Try not to think of them as mushrooms, but as a delectable expensive entree at a premier restaurant.

And lastly, cabbage...

I don't normally make cabbage meals because of the gas issue, BUT, if I make some, it's usually as curtido (featured in my last thread somewhere, with red cabbage, although it's usually made with green cabbage) or sliced thinly and added to soup. Speaking of soup, here's what I made last night, using up a bunch of ingredients leftover and other fun things that looked good. It started out as a minestrone. Cabbage would have been supreme....if I had had any.



Minestrone Turned Crazy

1 onion (chopped finely)
3-5 cloves garlic (pressed, crushed or minced)
2 carrots (chopped or sliced into julienne strips just slightly wider than matchsticks)
2-3 stalks celery (chopped)
2 cans chopped tomatoes (italian style is great if you have any)
1 can tomato sauce (8-15 oz, whatever you want)
2 cans garbanzos..or kidney beans (drained, rinsed)
1/2 can corn (leftover from another project, you could use a whole can if you want)
1 can green beans
1/2 jar artichoke hearts (chopped, marinated in water, again, a leftover from another project)
3 large handfuls of macaroni
6 or so cups water

Let me start by saying that soup is such a fluid thing. You can't really mess it up if you are willing to add a little, taste a little, add something else, taste a bit more. By the time you finish making soup, sometimes, you've tasted it enough that you're quite full.

So, this soup starts out like most of my non-creamed soups. Saute onion, garlic, carrots, celery in about a 1/2 cup of the water listed above. Let the water evaporate and the veggies just barely start to stick to the bottom and then add just a bit more. The more you do this, the browner and nicer carmelized they will become. I talk about armelizing in another thread somewhere.

After a few minutes, add the rest of the ingredients except for the artichoke hearts and macaroni. Heat through until it's at a low rolling boil. Add macaroni and cook until macaroni is just turning soft. Add the artichoke hearts and heat through completely.

That's pretty much it. It's easy peasy. You can add more or less of any ingredient. If you want it thicker, add less water, thinner, add more. I usually eat this with crushed peppers and make it all kinds of spicy. Also with this particular batch, I used miso to "salt" it just for kicks, to see if it would add flavor. It didn't, really. If you want a stronger taste, add a boullion cube or two.

That's it for this installment. I'm thinking of a few things I'm going to make this weekend, just stuff to try, but it depends on whether I can cajole my parents into buying special ingredients we don't have in the house right now