Happy St. Patrick's Day

To celebrate the holiday we've been experimenting with some good old Irish recipes this week.

Last night we tried Dublin Coddle with Sausage. Delicious and totally filling. Plus if you've never tried Soda Bread, you have to! It is the simplest quick bread I have ever made and so so yummy.

Tonight we will be trying a new version of an old favorite. Last year was our first St. patrick's Day as vegetarians and I have to admit that missing out on the corned beef was painful. Fortunatley a friend found a recipe for a Vegetarian Corned Beef and Cabbage and I cannot wait to try it out tonight!

Have a Happy St. Patrick's Day, be sure to share you're favorite Irish meals and don't forget to wear green!

Split Pea Soup

The easiest and most delicious split pea soup recipe from The 5-Ingredient Vegetarian Gourmet, only the most amazingly awesome (simple) cookbook ever!

Even the kids devoured it! I'm sure it helped that we called it Yoda Swamp Soup, but either way the fact that they ate it was awesome!

INGREDIENTS
16 oz green or yellow split peas
1/2 cup barley or rice
1 lg onion finely chopped
3 medium carrots thinly sliced
seasoning as desired

1. Combine all ingredients in a large soup pot with 8 cups of water. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer gently for about an hour.

2. Stir in 2 cups of water and simmer until peas are completely mushy, about 30 minutes. Season to taste and serve.

Leftover Rice

Rice is a pretty common side dish on our dinner table. The kids love it and will actually eat it without complaint(unlike everything else on their plate...) and when I'm disorganized and haven't been to the grocery store(which is all the time) a little rice on the side makes the meal seem a little bigger. My husband is pretty good about taking leftovers for his lunch, but the container of rice often sits untouched in the fridge long after the rest of the leftovers have been eaten. What to do with the leftover rice???


Here's what I do:

Pour it into a casserole dish (size depends on how much rice you have left!)
Mix in one can of cream of mushroom soup plus once can water or milk (the milk will make it extra creamy)
Add frozen vegetables (as much or as little as your children will tolerate.)

Pop it in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes and ta-da a brand new dinner ready to serve.


What do you do with your leftover rice??

Potato Soup

Ingredients:
2 bunches green onions
1 stalk celery
red potatoes (5 lb bag or however much you want)
1-2 cups milk
1 cube butter
1-2 cups instant potatoes
1 teaspoon parsley
3 cubes beef bouillon
3 cubes chicken bouillon
salt & pepper (teaspoon each)

Directions:
Cut up potatoes in cube size pieces. Cut celery and onions, combine in pan and fill with water just above potatoes. Add in salt, pepper, butter, parsley, beef and chicken bouillon. When the potatoes begin to soften turn down on low, stir in one cup of milk. Add 1-2 cups of instant potatoes depending on how thick you like it. (You can add up to 1 more cup of milk if it becomes too thick).

*The original recipe adds a package of browned and drained bacon at the end. I often add broccoli florets and cheddar cheese instead. Really any vegetables can be thrown in at the beginning. Carrots and corn work well. It is a great recipe to make and eat off of for a few days or when everyone will be eating dinner at a different time!

***Since going vegetarian I made this with a couple of cans of vegetable broth instead of the bouillons and water and it was super awesome and very flavorful!!

Baked Ziti

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 medium crooked neck squash
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach
1 can (26oz) spaghetti sauce
1 jar Alfredo sauce
3 1/4 cups dry ziti (prepare according to package and keep warm)
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 425. Heat oil over med-high; add squash and season with salt and pepper. Cook until squash starts to brown. Add spinach; cook until water evaporates.

Blend in both spaghetti and Alfredo sauces, heat through. Toss with pasta and half of mozzarella cheese.

Pour pasta blend into a greased 9x13 baking dish; top with remaining cheese. Bake about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Easy Veggie Combo

Super simple way to use up some extra veggies from the fridge!

Ingredients:
3 cups sliced raw potatoes
3 cups sliced carrots
1 3/4 cups beef broth (I used veggie)
1 medium onion, chopped
Preparation:
In a slow cooker, combine potatoes, carrots and onion. Pour beef broth evenly over top. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 - 6 hours. Mix well before serving.