Hi Myrna,

As most of you know by now, I am basically a Vegetarian. My diet is further restricted by being a Diabetic. Most of the time, I have to fix two meals, one for me and one with Meat, for the rest of the Family. Sometimes I get lucky and I can make my meal from the Vegetables which I serve with their Meaty main course, however, that generally is not the case. A lot of my diet consists of Beans, steamed Fresh Green Vegetables and Veggie Burgers, and either Chicken-free Chicken or another Vegetarian Chicken substitute. Sounds Yummy doesn't it. As you can probably see, if I actually included only the meals which I personally eat, I don't imagine too many people would stop by to enjoy them with me.

If I may further clarify things, I am approximately seven years older than my Brother and Sister, who are twins by the way, and I started helping my Mother take care of them back when I was about 12 or 13. I started cooking entire meals before I was 16 and I'll be 64 my next Birthday. That's a lot of meals in almost 50 years time. Therefore, to make a long story short, most of the recipes which I share with you all here at the Forum are either from meals which we have enjoyed in the past, or new ideas which I have picked up recently and tried on my Family over the past year or two.

If I have given anyone the wrong impression or mislead anyone in any way, I do apologize. I have simply tried to keep it interesting and give you all some ideas that I felt that you could use.

Having said all that, here's an actual Meal that I have quite often, as prepared in my Slow Cooker. Of course, I also add some homemade Crusty French Bread and a glass or two of a good Rose wine to make it a meal. This is a vegetarian version of the traditional French dish. If you are home while this is cooking, it's a good idea to give the beans a stir every couple of hours.

Vegetarian Cassoulet

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 pound dry navy beans, soaked overnight
• 4 cups mushroom broth
• 1 cube vegetable bouillon
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 sprigs fresh parsley
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 sprig fresh lemon thyme, chopped
• 1 sprig fresh savory
• 1 large potato, peeled and cubed

Directions

1. Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onion and carrots in oil until tender.
2. In a slow cooker, combine beans, carrots and onion, mushroom broth, bouillon, and bay leaf. Pour in water if necessary to cover ingredients with water. Tie together parsley, rosemary, thyme, and savory, and add to the pot. Cook on Low for 8 hours.
3. Stir in potato, and continue cooking for 1 hour. Remove herbs before serving. Serves 8.

Have A Good Week My Friends,

Phil

Hi Myrna,

Your welcome my Friend. I guess that the difference in ages was one of the factors why we grew up so close as Brother & Sister. I don't mean that Mom & Dad weren't there for us when we were growing up, because they definitely were. However, even as we grew older, my Brother and my Sister would always come to me first if they had any problems or questions.

This did get me to thinking, however. I wonder if there would be enough interest to make a Vegetarian Cooking Forum worthwhile? What would you all think about the idea? I am seriously thinking about this, so please let me know. I'll post a typical week's meals for me, over at Papa's Kitchen this week and see if there is any interest.

Have A Peaceful Evening,

Phil

Hello Everyone,

Some simple modifications can make this already healthy, and delicious soup even healthier. I reduce the sodium by using low-sodium chicken broth and I use fresh chilis instead of canned. Also, using vegetable cooking spray instead of oil helps reduce the fat content and adding some tasty fresh toppings helps my family get more vitamins. Finally, I also reduce the fat by using boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Healthier Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
• 1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cubanelle pepers, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups water
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 7 corn tortillas
• Vegetable cooking spray

• Suggested toppings: sliced radishes, diced avocado, sliced bell peppers, fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, cubanelle peppers, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3. Lightly coat both sides of tortillas with cooking spray. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.
4. Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup. Pass bowls of toppings. Serves 8.

Have A Blessed Week,

Phil