In this case, the Cat is Blaine and the mice are the vegetarian recipes I tested, in case you can't figure that out. So, Blaine's been traveling a bunch for work, and I've been able to test a few new recipes. The first was vegetarian chili that I made in a slow cooker - I was trying to replicate the veggie chili from Stratton Mountain Lodge, which is super yummy, but to my disappointment comes out of a sealed bag, which makes me believe it's not homemade. The bread bowl they serve it in doesn't hurt the allure of their chili, to be honest, but this version was pretty good:
2 28oz cans crushed tomatoes
2 15oz cans chili beans mix (black, kidney and pinto), drained
1 15oz can of kidney beans, drained
1 16 oz. canned corn
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup zucchini, chopped
1 cup yellow squash, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. salt
In slow cooker combine all ingredients and stir. Cover and cook on low, 6-8 hours. Serve with shredded cheese, chopped onion, sour cream, over a baked potato and/or a bread bowl, if you have one!
And I just realized that this is one recipe I didn't take a picture of! I still have some leftovers in the freezer, so I'll be sure to snap one when I take it out of the freezer to eat.
The next recipe I made when I convinced Ana to come over and try to cook fish with me. I'm sure it was a scary proposition! But, she was definitely the brave one, because when we were at the fish counter at Agata & Valentina she was the one that confirmed the tilapia was US farmed, per the sustainability guide. Luckily, the fish man behind the counter knew the answer, did not give her a strange look, and the answer was yes!
So, here is the recipe from Epicurious, with a few revisions to our liking (per usual):
1/4 cup olive oil (we used a bit less than this)
2 pounds tilapia, red snapper, or orange roughy fillets
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup Kalamata olives or other brine-cured black olives, chopped (we used capers instead of olives)
6 garlic cloves, minced
Heat olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Add half of fish to skillet and sauté until just opaque in center, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer fish to platter. Repeat with remaining fish. Add parsley and crushed red pepper to same skillet; sauté 1 minute. Add tomatoes, olives, and garlic; sauté until tomatoes are soft and juicy, about 2 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper; spoon over fish.
All in all, a super simple fish recipe, had a great kick of flavor and was sustainable! This one I did take a picture of, but with my old phone, so I'll have to get it off my phone to post it.
And finally, after perusing the cook book aisle of Barnes & Noble, and asking for suggestions about vegetarian cook books, I finally invested in one. It's 1,000 Vegetarian Recipes by Carol Gelles. Stay tuned to see if it was worth it!
