Stuffed.

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Here’s a recipe from Veganomicon my favorite cookbook that happens to be Vegan.

4 large Russet potatoes, scrubbed, baked (poke em repeatedly with a fork, wrap them in foil, bake in a 400 degree oven for an hour) and cooled
1/4 cup vegetable broth
3 tbsp  oil
1 tsp yellow mustard
1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed (I realize you might not have these in your spice rack so you can leave em out)
1 small yellow onion, cut into a small dice (pinky nail)
1 medium-size carrot, cut into a small dice
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp grated fresh ginger (use 1 tsp powdered ginger instead if you want)
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric (see coriander seeds above)
1 tsp salt  (or more to taste)
1/2 cup frozen peas, rinsed
1 1/2 Tbs lemon juice

Slice cooled potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides, leaving about 1/4 inch of potato in the skin. Mash the potatoes withbroth and set aside the skins.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Heat the  oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mustard and coriander seeds. The mustard seeds should begin to pop; if they don’t pop in a minute or two, turn the heat up. Let the seeds pop for about a minute (put a lid on them so you don’t get splattered), add the onions and carrots, and saute for 7 to 10 minutes, until the onions begin to brown.

Add the garlic and ginger, and saute for a minute more. Add the cumin, turmeric and salt with a splash of water, stir well, then add the potatoes, mixing everything well. Add a little extra water if it looks too dry. Cook until the potatoes are heated through, then add the peas and cook until those are heated through. Add the lemon juice to taste and stir to incorporate.

Brush the inside of the potato skins with la little bit of oil. Then scoop the filling into the skin, pressing gently to hold the filling in place. Line the potato halves on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

Enjoy.

Cutesy Little Cabbages

Yes, Brussels Sprouts.   You may have hated them as a child, you probably hated them as an adolescent, but your sophisticated adult pallet is ready to enjoy their yummy goodness now.   Brussels Sprouts might be the cutest vegetable, I challenge you to find a cuter one*.  They contain good amounts of Vitamins A and C, folate, fiber and sinigrin which is believed to protect against colon cancer.  Brussel Sprouts are available fresh and frozen.  Frozen Brussels are ok, but for our cooking purposes, we want fresh. Why do we want fresh?  Because we’re gonna roast them and roasting frozen sprouts is a bad idea.

*Baby carrots are NOT cute, they’re just big carrots that have been shaved.  Nothing cute about that.

Here’s what you need:

1 1/2 pounds fresh brussel sprouts
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried sage

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the bottom of each brussel sprout off (most of the stem) and then slice in half lengthwise. Toss all ingredients and place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 12 or so minutes remove from the oven and mix them around a bit, put em back in for another 12 minutes or so until they are slightly browned* and tender throughout.   Serve hot or cold.
*As the chef’s in school used to say, you want them GBD.  Golden Brown Delicious

A few things you could do:

• Add a Tablespoon of Sugar or honey (not vegan anymore) when tossing to bring out the sweetness.
• Add a bit of chipotle tabasco or chipotle in adobo sauce to give it a mouth watering smoky flavor.  (This one gets my vote)
• Add 1/2 to 2/3 cup of cornmeal when tossing for a nice crunch.
• The original recipe is great by itself, but feel free to be creative.