SCRATCH DINNERS

MILLET CASSEROLE

2 cups cooked millet* 6 chopped green onions
1/2 cup grated carrot 1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 small green pepper 1 cup grated cheese
2 medium chopped tomatoes chopped broccoli (optional)
Basil, oregano, thyme to taste

Mix all ingredients except cheese. Put in 8x12 casserole dish. Top with cheese. Bake at 350o until warm through about 30 minutes.

*To cook millet: Combine 1 cup millet and 2 1/4 cups water and 1/2 tsp. salt in saucepan. Simmer covered over low heat for about 30 minutes. May use in place of rice in other recipes.


Veggie Burger - Rice, Lentils, Chick Peas, Oats, and Veggies

Ingredients

1 cup Brown Rice, dry grain
1 cup Lentils, dry beans
1 cup Chick Pea Flour
1 cup Oat Flour, or Quick Oats
1 - 6-oz. can Tomato Paste
3 Carrots, medium size, shredded
1 Potato, medium size, shredded
1 Onion, medium size, finely chopped
4 Garlic cloves
1 tbsp. Oregano, dry
Corn Meal (for dusting the baking pan)
2 Chipotle Peppers, finely chopped
or
1 tsp Smoke Flavor
Hot Pepper Sauce, to taste
(To enlarge the photo of the veggie burger, click on the photo or link)

Preparation

This recipe will make 12 thick veggie burgers. They are great when eaten fresh out of the oven or after being frozen and reheated. Freezing the veggie burgers is a great way to have quickie meals when the need arises.

Begin by placing 4-1/2 cups of water in an 8-cup covered pot on the stovetop. When the water comes to a boil, add the brown rice and lentils, and place the cover on the pot. Reduce the heat to simmer and let cook until all the water is absorbed.

While the rice and lentils are cooking, wash and peel the carrots, potato, onion, and garlic. We use our food processor to finely shred the veggies, but a hand grater can also be used. If using a food processor, the garlic and chipotle peppers can be chopped in it, too.

When the brown rice and lentils have absorbed all the water, remove from the stovetop and empty the pot contents into a large mixing bowl. Add the tomato paste and thoroughly mash the ingredients together with a potato masher. Add the shredded and chopped veggies and continue mashing the ingredients together.

Add a little of the chick pea flour and oat flour or quick oats and continue mashing. [We grind our own chick pea flour and oat flour together in the dry container of our Vita-Mix. (Do not use cooked chick peas or the burgers will be too soft.) Chick pea flour can be purchased in a health food store.]

Continue to add more of the flour in 1/4 to 1/2 cup portions until all of the ingredients are thoroughly mashed and blended together.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Thoroughly dust the surface of a large baking pan with corn meal. Form the veggie burger mix into the desired size using a mixing spoon and a smaller spoon, or by forming them in your hands.

Place the veggie burgers on the baking sheet and flatten to the desired thickness, making sure that the burgers stay circular.

Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, if you like the outsides of the burgers slightly crispy, or for a shorter time if you want the surface of the burgers to remain softer.

When the burgers are baked to the desired consistency, remove from the oven and enjoy. (To enlarge the photo or the cooked veggie burgers, click on the photo or link)



We freeze the leftover burgers in individual plastic sandwich bags for enjoying at another time. It takes about 1 minute in a microwave oven at "high" to heat a frozen burger (plastic bag removed) for a sandwich.

Skillet Potatoes with Bacon

8 slices bacon, cut into 1” pieces

2 lbs small red potatoes, sliced ¼” thick (or larger, halved potatoes)

1 onion, halfed and sliced

.5 tsp dried thyme

.5 tsp salt

.25 tsp pepper

1 T. chopped parsley (fresh is good, but dried is ok too)



In nonstick skillet over med heat, cook bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels, reserve.



Discard all but 3 T fat from bacon pan. Add potatoes, onion, and seasonings. Cover; fry, stirring, until potatoes are tender, about 20 mins.



Uncover; cook, stirring until potatoes are browned, 10 mins. Serve sprinkled with parsley and reserved bacon.



Serves 8, takes 40-50 minutes of total prep and cooking time. Meal can be served for breakfast, brunch entrée, or side with dinner.

Taken from Woman’s World magazine.





Turkey Mexican Meatloaf

1 lb ground turkey, thawed

1 – 15 oz. can tomato sauce

1/3 c. crushed tortilla chips (leftovers from a bag are fine)

½ c. chopped onion – any kind (can be pre-cut and frozen before use)

2 T. chopped green pepper (can be pre-cut and frozen before use)

1 pkg. taco seasoning mix



Combine ingredients, reserve 1 c. tomato sauce and put in loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 45 mins.

Heat reserved sauce and serve over meatloaf. 290 calories per serving.


Chicken and Faux-Dumplings

1 boiled chicken, deboned (save broth)

½ chopped onion (can be pre-frozen)

1 minced garlic clove

1 pack large flour tortillas

Dusting flour

Salt, pepper, thyme, perhaps a little Italian Seasoning



After deboning chicken, set aside meat. Add seasonings, garlic, and onion to broth (intensify broth flavor by adding 2 chicken bouillon cubes, as desired)



Cut up tortillas into 2-3” strips. Put strips into a large zip-bag with about ½ c. flour for dusting. Seal, and shake bag.

Drop one at a time, into boiling, seasoned Chicken broth. Cook 5 mins. Add chicken and simmer a few minutes more.

Guests don’t realize dumplings are made from tortillas. Total cost +/- $3.00 for the chicken, and about $1-2 for tortillas. Minimal cost for other ingredients, although one can also add

frozen peas/carrots to make this a one-dish meal. Serves 6-8.