Elegant Vegetarian Entrees for Holiday Meals

[Chef Dave]

Are you expecting a vegetarian guest for the holiday meal?

No problem. Make this guest feel welcome by serving:

Stuffed Acorn Squash
http://www.recipetips.com/images/recipe/vegetables/stuffed_corn_squash.jpg

Ingredients:
4 Acorn squash
2-3 Slices of crusty bread (French or Italian) - diced
fine sea salt or Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons olive oil
Optional ingredient: sun dried fire roasted tomatoes/sliced - about 1/2 cup.

Remove the top of each acorn squash. The seeds may be discarded or if you'd like - remove the membrane pulp, dry the seeds, and toast them in oil over medium high heat, stirring frequently.

Cover the top of each acorn squash with aluminum foil.

Bake the acorn squash in a 350 degree oven until fork tender (about 1 hour).

Cool the squash.

Use a spoon to remove the squash but avoid piercing the shell. Coarse dice the squash.

In a bowl, stir together the bread and squash cubes. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Toss with the cream and olive oil. (If adding sun dried tomatoes, mix them in now). Stuff the squash with this filling.

Bake in a 350 oven for about 30 minutes.

Optional topping: white cheese topped with grated Parmesan with toasted pine nuts

[Chef Dave]

Spinach Enchiladas in White Sauce

http://www.dallasfood.org/photos/mexonmaple/elrinconenchiladasdecrema.jpg

Enchiladas are a popular Mexican holiday meal and make for a nice change from the typical vegetarian diet.

1 quart of half and half
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup flour
optional: depending upon the heat preference of your guest: 2 jalepenos fresh or from a jar, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 10 ounce boxes frozen spinach, cooked and drained
1 pound Swiss cheese, grated
10 flour tortillas

Heat the half and half in a saucepan until hot and set aside. Melt butter in a large fry pan. Add flour and blend it with the flour. Add the half and half and cook until it thickens. Stir frequently.

Add chilies, jalapenos, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stir until blended then set aside.

In separate pan saute onions in olive oil until the onions are cooked. Add the spinach and cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir 1 cup of sauce into spinach mixture.

Reserve 1/2 pound Swiss cheese for topping and divide remaining cheese into 10 parts. Put a portion of cheese on a tortilla, top with about 1/2 cup of the spinach mixture and more cheese on top of spinach. Roll the tortilla. Place it seam side down in a baking pan. Cover each tortilla with a ladle of sauce and sprinkle reserved cheese on top. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with extra sauce.

Note: Traditional side dishes for enchiladas are refried beans and Spanish rice.

[mopar]

You have all the good recipes. When do you find time to look for these?

[Chef Dave]

You have all the good recipes. When do you find time to look for these?

I am a chef instructor. Menu planning is part of my job.

I am constantly collecting recipes and cookbooks. I have all of the culinary textbooks, notes, and lab journals from culinary school. I also have a modest library of some 200+ cookbooks from around the world.

[mopar]

Wow. And good dinners for two that don't take long to make?

[Chef Dave]

Wow. And good dinners for two that don't take long to make?

Such as Rachel Ray's 30 Minute recipes? Yes - I have recipes that are both simple and complex.

Here's a link to Rachel Ray's "30 Minute Meals."

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/30-minute-meals/

[3rdgradeteach]

I am a chef instructor. Menu planning is part of my job.

I am constantly collecting recipes and cookbooks. I have all of the culinary textbooks, notes, and lab journals from culinary school. I also have a modest library of some 200+ cookbooks from around the world.

I would like to know if you have a good "regular" enchilada recipe with the cream sauce instead of red sauce?
If you are not too busy.....no worries! Thnx:)

[Chef Dave]

I would like to know if you have a good "regular" enchilada recipe with the cream sauce instead of red sauce?


By "regular" enchilada, I assume you mean chicken or beef or pork?

No problem.

Simply replace the spinach with the cooked and diced/shredded meat of your choice. Add any or all of the following ingredients: salsa, sour cream, cheese, caramelized onion, and/or minced green chilies.

Assemble the enchilada the same way you would with a spinach enchilada. Roll it up and place it seam side down in a casserole dish. Once all the enchiladas have been assembled, pour the sauce over the enchiladas. Cover them and bake the enchiladas for about 30 minutes - long enough to throughly heat them and to allow the cheese to melt.

[3rdgradeteach]

Thanks Chef!

[Chef Dave]

Thanks Chef!

No problem.

I should add that use of a cream sauce is not common in Mexican cooking. Common enchilada sauces are red or green. If you don't want to make your own enchilada sauce, you can always find them in the ethnic food section of your local supermarket.

[busbus]

I have a friend who has become a vegetarian. She gave up meats after the "mad cow disease" scare and poultry after the scare about chickens. So, I think that I will share this recipe with her.

I'm not fond of squash, so I doubt if I would considering making the dish. Just may have some left over and I know that I wouldn't eat it and I wouldn't want to throw it away.

Now that I think about it, perhaps I'd give it to her to take home! :o So its possible that I might make the dish, only if she was coming for dinner.

[Chef Dave]

There are lots of vegetarian recipes out there. I chose this recipe because I used it to win a cooking contest award while I was still in culinary school. The recipe was adopted by our fine dining restaurant as a monthly special.

Typical vegetarian recipes include:

Spinach lasagna, red beans & rice, and stir fried vegetables with tou-fu bean curds.

Here's a link to some vegetarian recipes:

http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Vegetarian-Cuisine/detail.aspx

[busbus]

There are lots of vegetarian recipes out there. I chose this recipe because I used it to win a cooking contest award while I was still in culinary school. The recipe was adopted by our fine dining restaurant as a monthly special.

Typical vegetarian recipes include:

Spinach lasagna, red beans & rice, and stir fried vegetables with tou-fu bean curds.

Here's a link to some vegetarian recipes:

http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Vegetarian-Cuisine/detail.aspx

:) Thanks for the info. Will share it with her. By the way, she likes her food spicy (hot peppers, hot sauce - you name it) got other recipe suggestions?

[Chef Dave]

:) Thanks for the info. Will share it with her. By the way, she likes her food spicy (hot peppers, hot sauce - you name it) got other recipe suggestions?

Make the enchilada dish in this thread but substitute red or green enchilada sauce for the cream sauce. (Canned enchilada sauce may be found in the ethnic foods section of your local supermarket).

Add chopped jalapenos and green chilies to the filling.

[Chef Dave]

:) Thanks for the info. Will share it with her. By the way, she likes her food spicy (hot peppers, hot sauce - you name it) got other recipe suggestions?

Make a hot vegetable curry ... but don't use McCormick curry spice. It's pretty bland.

Look for an Asian food market and buy an Indian or Pakistani yellow curry powder mix.

INGREDIENTS

* 1/3 cup peanut butter
* 1 can of vegetable broth
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 1/2 large onion, finely chopped
* 1 clove of garlic, minced
* 2 large carrots, sliced
* 4 tablespoons curry powder
* salt and ground black pepper to taste
* 1 teaspoon of red chili paste
* 1 head cauliflower, broken into small florets
* 2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
* cornstarch as needed

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and carrots; cook and stir until tender. Season with curry powder, salt, pepper, and red chili paste.

2. Add the cauliflower and potatoes to the pan, and stir to coat with spices. Add vegetable broth and peanut butter. Bring the broth to a rolling boil, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Stir occasionally.

3. Thicken with cornstarch.

4. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Spicy heat may be increased by adding additional chili paste.

[Chef Dave]

P.S. Regarding the vegetable curry, try substituting the potatoes with sweet potatoes. I think sweet potatoes would lend themselves quite well to curry.

Use of sliced and quartered yellow and green zucchini would also add some nice colors. Since zucchini doesn't take long to cook, add these vegetables to the curry during the last 5-10 minutes of cooking.

Since your friend likes peppers, you may also add sliced peppers at this time.

[busbus]

Make a hot vegetable curry ... but don't use McCormick curry spice. It's pretty bland.

Look for an Asian food market and buy an Indian or Pakistani yellow curry powder mix.

INGREDIENTS

* 1/3 cup peanut butter
* 1 can of vegetable broth
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 1/2 large onion, finely chopped
* 1 clove of garlic, minced
* 2 large carrots, sliced
* 4 tablespoons curry powder
* salt and ground black pepper to taste
* 1 teaspoon of red chili paste
* 1 head cauliflower, broken into small florets
* 2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
* cornstarch as needed

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and carrots; cook and stir until tender. Season with curry powder, salt, pepper, and red chili paste.

2. Add the cauliflower and potatoes to the pan, and stir to coat with spices. Add vegetable broth and peanut butter. Bring the broth to a rolling boil, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Stir occasionally.

3. Thicken with cornstarch.

4. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Spicy heat may be increased by adding additional chili paste.


Thanks Good Buddy! Looks delicious, can't wait to give it a try for myself. In the meantime, will give her the recipe to try on her own.

By the way, I sent your six lessons to my culinary arts teacher. Told him about the site and shared some information about you. Now it's up to him. If I hear from him, I'll let you know.