Vegetable Weather!

We have been enjoying good vegetable-eating weather lately!   I love vegies at any time, but winter just cries out, (as you do..), for plates piled high with home-made vegetable pie, good old mashed vegies on toast, and big bowls of vegetable soup and such like.  Yum!  My personal food philosophy is that I will almost always eat and enjoy something if I know it's good for me. It's all that virtue-added flavour!   But I do think that vegetables are delicious anyway.  


                                                   


A few nights ago I lightly fried up a generous plate of steaming, sliced, large, flat mushrooms, with lots of onions, garlic, some chopped up, left-over slices of triple-smoked ham, some capsicum and some mixed herbs -  then perched on the lounge and ate them all by myself.   Delicious!  


I did feel bad about scoffing them all down in front of my most-unselfish-husband-in-the-world Neil, but it wasn't really my fault.  Neil has his own personal food philosophy, but in his case it is borrowed from the 'Hagar the Horrible' cartoon that used to be in the daily newspapers years ago...   In one of those daily cartoon strips, Hagar once recited the clearly memorable words, 'Nothing spoils a man's appetite more than the words, 'Eat it, it's good for you!''  And Neil converted on the spot and has stayed faithful to the Hagar Food Philosophy ever since.  Sigh.  In other words, he refused my kind offer that we share.


As a side to my mushroom dish, I quickly sliced a couple of small potatoes very thinly, microwaved them to cook them through speedily, then browned them in the same mushroom and garlic pan, in a tiny dribble of olive oil.   Very nice too :)  After all, it is vegetable weather!


The next day I came across a recipe for Microwave Potato Chips here.   (Recipe follows below.)   I admit that I haven't tried this yet, but 'Food Gal' makes them sound pretty good: 

'So how could thinly sliced potatoes end up crackling crisp (being cooked in the microwave)? Seriously?

They not only do, but they also possess a purity of flavor — of real, fresh potatoes. Unlike so many store-bought bags of potato chips with their long list of ingredients, there are just three in these: potatoes, olive oil and salt.

Plus, there’s no heating up a vat of oil or turning on a hot oven to make these'.


I want to make them just to see how they work out.  How can you go wrong with 'a purity of (potato) flavour', I ask you?   (Would you please let us know if you happen to try them?  :)   


On Tuesday I made Chicken and Veg soup, then yesterday I almost made a beef and barley and vegetable hotpot...  (It's 'almost' because I ran out of time, but it's mostly all cut up and ready to go into the slow cooker this morning.  I'm looking forward to dinner already :) 


Does anyone have a favourite vegetable recipe that they would like to share?


Bon Appertit!
   
Microwave Potato Chips!

Microwave Potato Chips

(makes 4 servings, 12-14 chips each)

1 1/3 pounds Yukon Gold or red potatoes, unpeeled, scrubbed

2 teaspoons or so of extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cooking spray

Slice potatoes into 1/8-inch rounds for thicker potato chips. For thinner ones, use a mandolin to cut very thin slices. Toss slices in a medium bowl with oil and salt to coat evenly.

Coat a large microwave-proof plate with cooking spray. Arrange some potato slices in a single layer on the plate. Microwave, uncovered, on High until some slices start to brown, 2 to 3 minutes (depending upon potato thickness and microwave power). Turn slices over (they will be hot, so take care with your fingers) and continue microwaving until they start to crisp and brown around the edges, about 35 seconds for very thin potato slices to 2 to 4 minutes for thicker slices. Check frequently and rearrange slices as needed to prevent scorching. Transfer chips to another plate and allow to cool completely. (They will crisp up more as they cool.) Repeat process with remaining slices.

Storage: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Per serving: 141 calories; 2 g fat (0 g saturated; 2 g monosaturated); 0 mg cholesterol; 26 g carbohydrate; 3 g protein; 2 g fiber; 291 mg sodium; 807 mg potassium. Nutrition bonus: Potassium (27 percent daily value)