Rumbledethumps

In our house the month of March is kind of a big deal. With a husband who is proud of his British Isles heritage, we try to use every excuse available to celebrate it, especially as we await warmer weather. We start the month of March on the 1st, celebrating St. David’s Day with Welsh potato leek soup. (You can find the recipe here: https://www.wordpress.com/post/vegtutor.com/57). St. David was a 6th century bishop, a vegetarian and he is the patron saint of Wales. On March 17, we move on to St. Patrick’s Day and celebrate the patron saint of Ireland, famous for bringing Christianity to that country. It’s a great opportunity for vegetarians to feast on multiple potato dishes and Irish soda bread. Recently we learned of another dish popular in Scotland. Using modest ingredients it is easy to see how Scottish Rumbledethumps would be a simple comfort food sure to keep you warm when cold winds howl across the moors. Plus, Rumbledethumps is just plain fun to say — that alone may keep the kids asking for it for it for dinner!

This Scottish one-dish meal is made from easy to find ingredients. There are several recipes online that I looked at before coming up with this version. We love Rumbledethumps. I hope you like it, too.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs. potatoes, scrubbed and cubed

2 turnips peeled and cubed

1 head green cabbage, chopped

2 large onions, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup organic butter

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup veggie cheddar cheese (I used Daiya brand)

1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

Salt and pepper to taste

To Prepare:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large pot boil potatoes and turnips until fork tender, then drain. Mash and set aside.

Place organic butter and olive oil in another large pot and heat over low heat until butter melts. Then add the chopped cabbage and onions and cook covered on medium heat until wilted, but not brown (stir often). Remove from heat.

Add: 1/2 cup veggie cheese (reserve the other half for topping), nutritional yeast, and the mashed potato/turnip mixture. Stir all together with with a large spoon, and add salt and pepper to your taste.

Place entire mixture in a large sprayed glass casserole dish and spread reserved half cup cheese on top. Cover with a lid or foil.

Cook in preheated oven for 30 – 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes until cheese topping is slightly brown.

Enjoy!

Potato Chips

This recipe is from the cookbook, “How We All Went Raw, Raw Food Recipe Book,” by Charles Nungesser, Coralanne Nungesser, and George Nungesser. I recently decided to eat more raw and purchased an Excalibur food dehydrator and this book to start on my journey. This potato chip recipe is the first I tried with my new dehydrator. I was delighted with the results, and so was my family. The chips were crispy and delicious. The only thing I would change is the cayenne pepper. For my taste 1 tsp. is just too much — way too spicy for me. Next time I will use 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, and I think that would be perfect.

I love that these chips are raw, and that I have the power to regulate the amount of spices; definitely healthier than the supermarket variety. A dehydrator uses low temperatures over a longer time than baking does, but don’t worry, it only costs 3 – 6 cents per hour to run a dehydrator, and you will be preserving the living enzymes in your food.

time: 20 minutes prep

2 – 3 hours to soak

11 – 12 hours to dehydrate

In a bowl, add: 6 red potatoes, thinly sliced (if you use russet potatoes, trim off any green spots)

5 cups distilled water

Soak about 2 – 3 hours; rinse and drain to remove starch.

In a bowl, add:

potato slices

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

1/4 c. Ume Plum Vinegar (or raw apple cider vinegar)

1 tsp. cayenne pepper (I think 1/4 tsp. is plenty)

1 – 2 tsp. sea salt, or to taste

Marinate for 1 hour. Place each chip on a teflex sheet and dehydrate 11 – 12 hours at 105 degrees.

Potato-Leek Soup

This recipe is from “The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest,” by Mollie Katzen (an excellent cookbook).

The important thing to know here is how to clean a leek, because they grow like an onion and collect dirt in each layer. If you don’t clean them properly you will be eating a lot of dirt!

First of all, cut off and discard any of the tough, hard, or dry green ends of the leek that you don’t want to use. It’s okay to use the tender young green part near the bulb. Then trim off the root end and slice lengthwise all the way up the leek. You will wash one half at a time, gently folding back each layer to expose and rinse out any dirt you find. Drain, and you are ready to chop.

Ingredients:

3 medium sized potatoes

3 cups cleaned and chopped leeks

1 medium stalk celery, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

4 cups water

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup unsweetened soymilk

freshly ground black pepper

optional: snippets of fresh herbs
(thyme, marjoram, basil)

1) Scrub potatoes and cut them into chunks (I always peel them first) Place them in a soup pot or dutch oven with the leeks, celery, carrot, water, and salt. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook until potatoes are tender (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat and cool.

2) Puree the soup in batches in a blender or food processor. (I just use my immerseable stick blender and puree it in the pot while it’s still hot — what a time-saver!) Return the puree to the pot, and stir in the soymilk.

3) Add black pepper to taste, and adjust salt if necessary. Can be served hot or cold (hot is delicious), with a sprinkling of fresh herbs, if desired.

Creamy, low fat, wonderful!

Recipe: Shepherd’s Pie

This is another good way to use Vegetarian Taco “Meat.” It is also an excellent way to use leftover brown rice and mashed potatoes. (I always like to cook large quantities of rice and Taco “Meat” so there is always some in the freezer to use in this recipe). I have served this Shepherd’s Pie to carnivores, and they don’t believe me when I tell them that it really doesn’t contain any meat. It is a hearty, filling meal served with any vegetarian gravy (Hain’s gravy mixes are good in a pinch — just add water, heat, and stir and you have gravy!)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. Taco “Meat” (see recipe)

1 1/2 c. cooked brown rice

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 stalk celery, thinly sliced

1 small carrot, diced

1 c. bread crumbs

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

2 tsp. each dried parsley and basil

3/4 sea salt, if desired

2 tsp. oil

In a small pan saute the onions in oil until translucent. Then add celery, garlic, and carrot; cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Put vegetables into a large mixing bowl and add bread crumbs, rice, and Taco “Meat.” Add the dijon mustard and spices; mix well. (Add a little water or broth if it seems too dry. It should be the consistency of raw meatloaf).

Place mixture in a lightly oiled 9″ x 9″ baking pan. Spread a thick layer of mashed potatoes on top (I have used prepared instant mashed potatoes when I didn’t have leftover mashed, and they work great).

Bake uncovered for 30 – 40 minutes at 375 degrees. (When done you may want to sprinkle a little rice Parmesan cheese or Gomasio (sesame seasoning) on top just for looks. Serve with vegetarian gravy and a salad.