Anytime Stuffing!

 Anytime Stuffing!

Who says stuffing's just for holidays?! My picky eater looooves stuffing, so when she asked for some in mid-January on a random weeknight, I threw together a quick, vegetarian version with what I had on hand that satisfied that craving. Happy kid = happy mom! 👍

Ingredients:

6 pieces sourdough bread, well-toasted & roughly chopped

1/2 stick butter (use Earth Balance, etc. to make it vegan!)

1 carrot, peeled & chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1/2 white onion, chopped

1 tsp. dried sage

1 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

1 cup broth of your choice

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

Cooking oil

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400°. 

2. Heat pot over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 the butter. Add carrot, celery, and onion. 

3. Cook until soft. Add broth, other 1/2 of butter, and seasonings. Stir well. Remove from heat. Add bread, stirring until all bread is wet.

4. Oil bottom of a pan, add stuffing, spread out to single layer, cook for 10 minutes. Stir. Lower heat to 375°, cook for 10 minutes longer or until bread starts to brown.

Almost Vegan Black-Eyed Peas & Greens

 Almost Vegan Black-Eyed Peas & Greens

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dried black-eyed peas
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1-2 yellow or red bell peppers, seeded and diced
• 3 ribs of celery, diced
• 2 tsp. ancho chili powder (or other spicy/smoky chili powder)
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3 cups broth of your choice (I used Edward & Sons "Not-Beef" bouillon cubes)
• Splash of liquid smoke
• Splash of red wine
• Squeeze of lemon
• Splash of Worcestershire sauce (if you use Lea & Perrins, this is what makes it non-vegan)
• Whole bunch of Lacinato kale, torn off stem and into bite-size pieces

Directions:

1. Soak black-eyed peas according to preferred method - either over night in cold water, or "quick soak" method (bring to a boil, boil for two minutes, soak in cold water for an hour).
2. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large pot. Add onion and cook about 10 minutes until browned. Add peppers and celery and cook 3-6 minutes, until all veggies are soft. Add garlic and ancho chili powder and stir. Add thyme, oregano, paprika, pepper, parsley, and salt and stir briefly. Add black-eyed peas and broth, bring to a boil, lower to simmer.
3. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until peas are tender, about 45-60 minutes. During cooking, add wine, lemon, and Worcestershire sauce and stir well. If need be, add a bit more broth along the way. Add kale approximately 10 minutes before end of cooking and stir well.
4. When ready, serve immediately over brown rice. Top with Frank's Red Hot sauce. Enjoy!