Potato "fries" with garlic and black pepper

These are a variation of my oven-baked potato wedges. I really like those, but sometimes I crave more of a "fried" taste. I experimented one day by cooking the potatoes at a higher temperature for a little more time.

Ingredients:

• Cooking oil spray
• 4 medium-sized Russet potatoes
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Rinse the potatoes under hot water, then pat them dry with a paper towel. As with my other recipe, I cut mine into wedges. I do this by cutting off and discarding the ends, then chopping into thick circles. Then I lay each circle down and cut it into quarters or sixths.
3. In a large mixing bowl, stir the vegetable oil, garlic, pepper, and salt together. Add the potato pieces and stir again until all of them are coated with the seasoning mixture.
4. Lightly coat a baking dish with cooking spray - I use a 9 by 13-inch dish for most batches. Add the potatoes and try to smooth them into a single layer. If some overlap, it's okay. If there is any leftover oil/seasoning mix at the bottom of the bowl, I like to drizzle it over.
5. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove the dish, stir the potatoes, and bake for 25-35 more minutes. Some small pieces may be slightly blackened. If you don't like the taste of that, try baking for 20 minutes at first, then an additional 10-15 minutes if you want.

Fried broccoli pieces

I've mentioned before that I like using frozen, microwaveable vegetables. They're a nice way to save time or just use less dishes (because we've all had those times when we didn't feel like doing a bunch of washing later).

However, my complaint about frozen broccoli is that half of the bag is often square, tasteless chunks of stalk. I prefer not to add these to most pasta dishes, such as broccoli-alfredo pasta, because the pasta itself already needs the flavor from the sauce.

I thought this recipe was a nice way to give the chunks more flavor and use them up. It's a great snack or side dish for two people. You may want to double the amounts of ingredients (except the oil for coating the skillet) if you are serving more.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup frozen broccoli pieces
• About 1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus enough additional oil to coat the bottom of your pan/skillet
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (You may also want extra Parmesan for topping)
• Seasoning of your choice (I used garlic powder and salt)

1. Pour the 1/2 cup of oil and the bread crumbs into two separate bowls. Stir the grated Parmesan into the bread crumbs.
2. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the broccoli pieces for about two minutes - enough so that the most of the ice from the freeze packaging is gone, but the pieces are still a bit cool.
3. Arrange the pieces on a plate and lightly pat them with a paper towel (to remove some of the moisture from the melted ice). Sprinkle them with the seasoning.
4. Coat the pan/skillet with the additional oil and warm it on medium-high heat.
5. Add the seasoned broccoli to the bowl with the oil, then use a large slotted spoon to remove them. Shake the spoon slightly as you do this to drain excess oil. Next, add the pieces to the bowl with the bread crumbs. Use the spoon to stir the pieces around in the crumbs, coating them completely.
6. Use the slotted spoon, or your fingers, to remove a few pieces at a time and place them in the pan. Again, shake them gently to remove excess crumbs.
7. Cook the broccoli for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally with a fork or spatula, until the crumb coating on some sides of the pieces begins to darken. Some bread crumbs will come off and into the oil.
8. Use the fork or spatula to serve the broccoli onto a plate. If you like, sprinkle them with a bit more grated Parmesan.

Broccoli in creamy garlic-and-herb sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups chopped broccoli (I used a frozen microwaveable package)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 1/2 teaspoon parsley
• 1 pinch salt

Note: This sauce can be a bit thin and "soupy" even after sitting, so you may want to serve the broccoli in a small side dish. As you can see in the picture here, I placed it next to the pork chops I was serving it with, since my husband and I don't particularly mind the sauce drifting over to the chops.

1. Cook or heat broccoli according to package directions.
2. In a small pot, stir the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese together over medium-low heat for about five minutes.
3. Reduce heat and stir in the garlic powder, basil, parsley, and salt.
4. Turn off heat. Allow sauce to sit and thicken for at least ten minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add the broccoli to the pot and stir until the pieces are evenly covered.

Pan-fried potatoes

Ingredients:

• 2 medium-sized Russet potatoes (or more if you wish)
• About 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Use enough to barely cover the bottom of the pot or pan you are using.
• Seasoning of your choice. I like Cavender’s Greek Seasoning. Italian seasoning plus a bit of salt is also delicious.

Note: You can cook these until they are as brown and crispy as you want. The ones in the picture above are different shades because I made some slices thicker than others.

1. Rinse each potato under hot water. Dry with a paper towel.
2. Cut each into thin slices, about the thickness of a candy bar.
3. Cover a plate with a paper towel (for drying cooked slices). Set aside a second plate or tray for the finished slices.
4. Pour the vegetable oil into the pot or pan. Use medium or slightly above medium heat.
5. Wait a few minutes for the oil to warm up a bit, then place the slices on the bottom in a single layer.
6. Cook for about 5-7 minutes or until the down side of the slices turn brown. Use a spatula or the tip of a large spoon to flip each slice. Allow the other side to cook.
7. Use the spoon or spatula to place each cooked slice on the plate with the paper towel. Lightly pat each side with the paper towel.
8. Place slices on the other plate (or tray) and lightly sprinkle your seasoning(s) on both sides.

Simple vegetable soup with beef broth

This is a light soup that should be just enough for one or two people. Double or triple the amounts if you want to serve more.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups water
• 3 beef bouillon cubes, or enough to make 3 cups of broth (according to the bouillon package directions)
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 tablespoon oregano
• About 25 spaghetti noodles (or any other kind of long, thin pasta, such as vermicelli)
• 1 cup vegetables of your choice. I used frozen mixed vegetables.

1. Add water and bouillon cubes to a pot on medium-high heat.
2. Break noodles into smaller pieces, about an inch.
3. Add the noodles to the water and stir occasionally, until the water begins to boil and the bouillon cubes dissolve.
4. Add vegetables, garlic powder, and oregano. Stir occasionally for 8-10 minutes or until the noodles are cooked.

Fried rice with mushrooms

I made to go along with some vegetable spring rolls I bought from the grocery store. I added pieces of vegetarian bacon, but if you don’t care about it being vegetarian, add pieces of cooked ham, pork, chicken, shrimp, or beef.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked white rice (I used an easy microwaveable rice)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 small can sliced mushrooms, or mushroom stems and pieces
• Optional - 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped onion

1. Pour the vegetable oil into a pan or skillet on medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms (drain them after opening the can).
2. Stir frequently until the mushrooms begin to sizzle. Add the soy sauce and rice.
3. Continue stirring frequently for about 25 minutes, until the rice is fully browned.

Baked tortilla chips

Ingredients:

• Corn tortillas
• Cooking oil spray
• Seasoning(s) of your choice. I used salt and paprika on most of the chips in the above picture; some have only salt. Chili powder, lime, or a lime pepper (such as Jane’s Krazy Mixed-Up Lime Pepper) would also be great.

Note: I’m not listing specific ingredient amounts because it isn’t necessary. Make chips of whatever sizes and shapes you want, and adjust the amount(s) of the seasoning(s) however you like.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Lightly coat each side of each tortilla with the cooking oil spray.
3. Sprinkle seasoning(s) on one or both sides.
4. Lay each tortilla down on a plate and cut. I usually make strips or triangles.
5. Place the chips on a non-stick baking sheet in a single layer.
6. Bake for 7 minutes.

Oven-baked potato wedges

Ingredients:

• 4 medium-sized Russet potatoes
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• Cooking oil spray
• 5 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (freshly-grated isn’t necessary; I used some from a shaker)
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 tablespoon oregano or Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tablespoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Rinse each potato under hot water and pat dry with a paper towel. Cut into small cubes or wedge-like pieces. I cut the ends off of each, then slice it into thick circles (about half an inch or a little more), then lay each circle down and cut it into fourths or eighths.
3. Pour the vegetable oil into a large mixing bowl. Add the grated Parmesan, garlic powder, paprika, oregano or Italian seasoning, and salt. Stir until everything is well-blended.
4. Add the potato pieces to the mixing bowl and stir them with a large spoon until all are covered with the seasoning.
5. Lightly coat a baking pan, preferably a 9” x 13”, with cooking oil spray. Add the potatoes. It’s fine if a few pieces are on top of others.
6. If any seasoning mix is left in the bottom of the mixing bowl, use a spoon to drizzle it over the potatoes in the pan.
7. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the pan, stir the potatoes, then bake for another 30 minutes.

Vegetable egg rolls

Ingredients:

• 10-12 egg roll wrappers. I used Nasoya all-natural wrappers.
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water (for sealing the rolls)
• 4 cups cole slaw mix and/or salad mix. I used Dole broccoli slaw and Dole Tender Garden salad mix.
• Canola or vegetable oil for frying

1. Pour the salad and/or slaw mix into a bowl. If you are using salad mix, you may want to chop large leaves/vegetable pieces on a plate first. Add the soy sauce and stir.
2. Lay each egg roll wrapper down diagonal-wise (so that a bottom corner is pointing at you). Set a small clump of the vegetable mix - about 3 tablespoons - 3/4 of the way down. Bring up the bottom corner, touching it above the mix (so that the vegetables are folded in). Fold in the sides, then tightly roll the rest of the way up. Seal the seam of each roll with a bit of water.
3. Heat oil, enough to barely cover the bottom of the pan. Place each roll seam side down. When the seam side is golden-brown, flip and fry the opposite side.
4. Set the finished rolls on a plate and pat dry to remove excess oil. Let cool.