Here's What's Cooking This Week:

Week one of running vegetarian-style:

Poor man's Caviar:
This one is easy- just mix everything together, let it sit for 24 hours, grab some tortilla chips or other favorite dredging device. I'm adding avacados upon serving. Yummo!!

1 (14 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15.5 ounce) can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1 (14 ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 ounce) can white corn, drained
1 cup finely chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, or amount to taste
**of course, you can substitute kidney beans or white beans, or any other kind of beans**

RAMEN NOODLE CABBAGE SALAD
This a favorite "go-to-recipe" of my mom's.  She served it at Christmas Eve get-together and even my kids loved it.


1 head cabbage, shredded
8 green onions, sliced
3/4 c. sunflower seeds/chopped walnuts/almond slices/etc...
2 pkgs. Ramen noodles oriental, uncooked

Crush the Ramen noodles and brown them in a skillet with slivered almonds or walnuts (and sunflower seeds). Let them cool slightly and add them to the shredded cabbage. (I might add shredded carrots here, too)  I also added a few handfulls of raisins.  ***I'm all about building from the basis of a recipe**
Mix the following together and pour over the cabbage salad.

1 c. oil of choice

2 tbsp. vinegar
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
**I also added a generous amount of soy sauce, perhaps as much as 1/4 cup***

Toss it all together and enjoy!!!

Cream of Asparagus Soup  (borrowed from a cookbook I have)
2 lbs. fresh asparagus
1 1/2 tbs. butter
2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp flour
2 cups water
2 cups hot milk (lowfat/soy/etc...)
2 tsp dill
1/2 tsp tarragon
white pepper to taste

saute chopped asparagus and onions in melted butter and salt for about 10 minutes.  Sprinke 2 tbsp flour while stirring constantly over low heat. (5-8 minutes)  Add water, stirring constantly and bring to a boil. Bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes. Add remaining flour and cook for another 10 minutes.  Puree the soup with the milk and season with dill, tarragon, and white pepper. 

**I am making this right now and I think that I will add some cooked diced potatoes after it is purreed.**

Other ideas for the week:
I bought some great cilantro/black bean veggie burgers that we tried last night on whole wheat rolls, vegan mayo, onion....they were great.

I have lots of sweet potatoes and plan to use them liberally

I also bought some Tempeh that we love to slice up into small sticks, saute them up, and use as dippers for hummus

I'm going to try the new Acai smoothie packets that I bought with some frozen berries and bananas - just to see how they go.

THOUGHTS????