Creole Style Vegetable Soup

 This soup has been taste tested. Real ginger can be strong. I liked it with 2 tablespoons in the pot, but my other tester said it was too much. If you are not a big fan of ginger, you can use less or omit from the recipe and add it as a garnish instead.

1 can (15 oz) petite diced tomatoes, drained

1 can (15 oz) blacked eyed peas, drained

2 diced carrots

1 head of diced garlic

1 tbsp diced onion

1 tbsp picked pickled ginger

1 tbsp Vegeta seasoning (it's a vegetarian seasoning available at Cost Plus World Mart.)

enough water to cover the pot 1/2 full

4-5 cups of coarsely chopped baby spinach. I think that's one regular-sized bag.

I wanted to make this soup a little more substantial, so I added one serving of pre-made udon noodles that were diced.

Dump it all in your favorite soup pot except for the chopped spinach and noodles. Cook the soup on high for 15 minutes, then turn off the stovetop and add the spinach and the noodles. It will be ready to eat after 5 minutes.

You can also garnish it with your favorite hot sauce to give it a kick. I like Louisiana hot sauce, but Tabasco would be good, too. 

Asian Bok Choy Salad

1 pound bag of baby bok choy, washed, chopped to 1/2 inch and washed again.
6 green onions, chopped
1 cup of dried cranberries
1/2 cup of sliced almonds
1 bottle of Joey D's Chinese Chicken Salad Dressing
One bag of chow mein noodles

In a large bowl, layer bok choy, onions, cranberries, almonds. When ready to serve, pour dressing and top with chow mein noodles.

 Note: I made this for the Labor Day pot luck at work and it went fast, lots of people said they liked it, and wanted the recipe.

German Red Cabbage

2 tbsp margarine
5 cups shredded red cabbage
one sliced green apple
3 tbsp water
1/4 cup white sugar
2 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Using a large heavy pot on top of the stove, add all ingredients, bring to a boil and then lower heat and cook covered for 1 hour and 30 minutes.


Instapot: German Red Cabbage

Cut a head of cabbage in half, then cut each half into 1/2 inch slices.

Insert steamer into Instapot and fill with enough water to touch the bottom of the steamer. Place the sliced red cabbage into the Instapot on the steamer, close the pot and set for 10 minutes on manual.

In a stew pot on the stove, add 2 tbsp margarine, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup white sugar, a tsp of kosher salt and 20 grinds of coarse black pepper. Heat on low stirring constantly. Turn off when sugar is dissolved. Incorporate hot cabbage immediately after cooking.

Brussells Sprouts

* 1 lb fresh Brussels sprouts, halved
* 4 Tbsp olive oil
* 1/2 small red onion, chopped
* Salt and Pepper
* 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
* 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

Heat oil in frying pan. Prepare Brussels sprouts by cleaning and cutting in half. Cut onion into quarters and slice thin. Place Brussels sprouts cut side down into frying pan and add onions. Salt and cover to cook on medium for 5-10 minutes until done. The Brussels sprouts should be slightly browned on the cut side. Place in serving dish, add toasted almonds and lemon juice and toss. Salt and pepper to taste.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Enough canola oil to coat the bottom of a frying pan
2-3 tbsp Louisiana Fish Fry Brand for Chicken, Spicy variety
1 green tomato, sliced thin

Heat oil in frying pan. Slice the tomato thin and coat with flour mixture. Fry until golden brown and drain on a paper towel. Yield 1 serving. Serve warm.