Let’s Get Cooking > Virtual Cooking Class #1

How about if we make Vegetarian Chili together? OK, it’s really called “I’m not ready to be a Vegetarian Yet” Vegetarian Chili and it goes well with the other recipe we’re going to be making: Smoky-Corny-Cornbread.

“I’m not ready to be Vegetarain Yet” Vegetarian Chili,
topped with a bit of grated smoky cheddar cheese

It’s yummy AND it’s a great deal, because for only $14.95 you can have all this …

1. You get the illustrated recipes for both the chili and the corn bread (pages of full colour, step-by-step instructions).
2. Then you’ll get a video of me making these two items that you can watch in advance.
3. You will also get a grocery list 3 days before, complete with alternate ingredients to suit
   your tastes.
4. THEN we meet on the phone on Saturday, June 28th @ 9 am Pacific / 12 noon Eastern, and we cook together.
   Yes, you might hear a pan clanking or the water running, but we’ll all be there – and I will walk you through both recipes, step by step, answering questions and cheering you on! Total time will be 1.5 hrs give or take.
5. As a special bonus, you get ONE MONTH F’REE membership at “The Veggie Club,” our private membership site. This one month trial is f’ree when you sign up for the cooking class. You can check out the other fabulous illustrated recipes, the archived expert articles, and lots more cool stuff. Your membership to The Veggie Club will continue after the one month trial for $8.95/month, but of course you can cancel at any time.

This recipe for Not-Quite-Vegetarian Chili keeps well, can be reheated later in the day for dinner, or you can divide it up and freeze it. The Smoky-Corny-Cornbread can be made in a muffin tin and individual ones can be frozen.

So even if you aren’t going to eat it right after we cook, you’ll still want to make sure you register for the “Let’s Get Cooking” Virtual Cooking Class. You’ll get the illustrated recipe, the video, the shopping list, and when the class is over you’ll get a link to download the audio from the phone call.

>> If you’re not a member of The Veggie Club, you can register for this cooking class here <<

If you are a member, the price is only $5, and you can register:

To register for this cooking class by following these steps:

1. Member’s login here > http://oneroastvegetable.com/members/member.php
2. On the RIGHT side of the screen, it says Add/Renew Subscription.
3. From the Membership Type list, choose: “Let’s Get Cooking” Virtual Cooking Class #1 ($5.00)
4. Then click on the “Order” button

All best,

Shelley MacDonald Beaulieu
Owner & Head Tomato

Homemade lemonade concentrate

lovely glass of lemonade, pull up a seat outside, find a place in the shade if you can. Put your feet up, and put the sunglasses on, flip through the pages of a magazine… yes, it’s summertime. And as the weather gets warmer in this part of the world, my little family of two can go through a lot of cold drinks in a day. If you’ve got a few kids, or want to go on a picnic, or take a daytrip to the beach – well, before you know it, you’ve spent a fortune on artificially flavoured, coloured water.

So I’ve been working on the cure for Kool-Aid. (Or, does anybody remember Tang? Do they still make it? It was an astronaut-inspired ‘orange’ drink that was around a lot when I was a kid.)

I thought researching this recipe was going to be easy. But do you know how many different recipes there are in the world for lemonade? Hard to believe it’s so complicated when there’s really only three ingredients: sugar, water, and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

First things first. The lemons. Sometimes they’re on sale for ridiculously cheap prices. So I thought I should create a recipe that makes frozen lemonade concentrate rather than lemonade, so that you can make the concentrate when lemons are on sale.

Recipe:

In a saucepan, stir together 1½ cups of white sugar (375 mL) and 1 cup (250 mL) of water. Heat until the mixture boils and the sugar is dissolved. Let cool.

Meanwhile, juice 8 medium-sized lemons until you get 1½ cups (375 mL) of juice. You may need to strain your juice if you have pits or too much pulp. Once the sugar syrup has cooled a bit, add the juice, stir, and then put in a plastic container with a lid in the freezer. This is about 3 cups (750 mL) worth of concentrate. Freeze solid. Can be stored for up to 6 months.

On a hot sunny day when you feel like a lovely drink, defrost the concentrate. To make a big jug, mix the entire 3 cups (750 mL) of concentrate with 3 cups (750 mL) of water. Fill glasses ¾ full, and top with ice cubes or fizzy soda water. To make only one glass, combine equal parts concentrate with water, and keep the rest of the concentrate in the fridge for later.

You can freeze raspberries, blueberries or cherries in ice cube trays to add colour. Fill the trays halfway with water, put in the fruit (which will float), and freeze. Once solid, you can top up with additional water to cover the fruit, and freeze again.

Variations: Mix lemonade with cranberry juice and soda water … mix equal parts iced tea with lemonade … float a bit of rosemary in your lemonade … mix lemon and orange juice to make the concentrate … grate a bit of the peel into the concentrate to intensify the lemon-y flavour, and strain before serving … add a shot of your favourite alcohol (tequila, vodka , or white rum)…

And congratulate yourself. You’re not drinking a lemon-lime mix that is “10% real juice”. You’re drinking the real thing

All best and happy hot summer days

Shelley MacDonald Beaulieu
Owner & Head Tomato
www.OneRoastVegetable.com

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Ready to get more veggies in your life?

Would you like to eat more healthily, have more meals at home, and find creative and tasty ways get more vegetables into your diet? We can help. On the private membership site “The Veggie Club,” you’ll find the 30 page e-book, “Veggies Made Simple,” over 16 fully illustrated, step-by-step recipes, and archived expert articles. We’re all waiting for you to join us … Read more here.

Your Emergency Food Kit > The 8 things you need to make a delicious meal at any time

Our very own Chef Melissa (previous editor for Cooking Light magazine) has such a great column this month that I thought I’d share it with everyone, not just “members.”

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Your Emergency Food Kit: The 8 things you need to make a delicious meal at any time

It’s happened to the best of us — you’ve started to cook a meal, only to realize that you’re missing a key ingredient. Or you’ve got company coming over, and in your haste to get the meal done in time you’ve burned the entrée.

These situations qualify as a food emergency, and if you don’t have time to run to the store [and you're trying to avoid having takeout delivered], you could have a culinary disaster on your hands.

While a professional chef could whip up a five-star feast with pepper, ground beef and a jar of olives, the rest of us lack the hands-on experience that it takes to get that kind of miracle happen. However, if you make an effort to have these eight ingredients on hand at all times, you’ll be able to whip up an impressive meal on-the-fly:

1. Canned beans. Throw together a quick chili by stirring in chopped root vegetables (the frozen varieties will do in a pinch) and/or ground beef, turkey, chicken or tofu. Add some of your own spices, such as cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder, to deepen the complexity of the flavors.
2. Cornbread mix. Make a hearty batch of cornbread to serve on the side, or mix into muffins for a more impressive presentation. Add eggs and creamed corn, and you’ll have a fluffy corn soufflé.
3. Eggs. Cornbread soufflé is just the beginning of what eggs can accomplish: Mixed with a salad dressing or a tangy mustard, eggs help create a coating that breadcrumbs adhere to beautifully. Scrambled into a stir-fry, they provided added texture, taste and protein.
4. Paprika. This all-purpose red spice adds a kick to just about anything. Mixed with salt and pepper, you have a flavorful rub that can be used on meats and sprinkled onto roasted vegetables.
5. Olive oil. Vegetable oil is a great go-to oil, but olive oil adds an extra layer of flavor to sautéed or roasted vegetables. Rubbed into meats before grilling, olive oil produces a crunchy outer coating.
6. Onions. Sweet onions (also known as Vidalias) are perhaps the most versatile — the mellow flavor won’t overwhelm a dish, making a great addition to vegetables and roast meats. Red onions make for a colorful garnish, and white and Spanish onions pack a powerful flavor punch.
7. Potatoes. Baked potatoes make a filling side dish or a main meal when stuffed with hearty toppings. Sliced and oven-baked, they make a delicious, low-fat accompaniment to casual meals. Bake them with cheese and eggs for a hearty casserole. Add them to a soup or stew for stick-to-your-ribs comfort food. Julienne and sauté them with peppers for a savory hash. The possibilities are (almost) endless! And if you’ve added too much salt to a soup or stew, try this trick: cut up a potato and let it sit in the mixture for a few minutes — the potato will soak up the excess salt. Just don’t forget to take the potatoes out before you serve.
8. Balsamic Vinegar. As the base of a marinade, this vinegar adds a touch of tang to meats and firm tofu. Drizzle over vegetables–Brussels sprouts are especially nice–and sauté for a quick weeknight veggie side. Out of dressing? Whisk together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, diced shallots and a squeeze of lemon juice for a salad topping that rivals anything pre-bottled from the grocery store.

… Written by Chef Melissa, expert contributor for “The Veggie Club”

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And thanks to everyone for the great response to last night’s email about the new one-year pricing for “The Veggie Club” … 4 of the 7 dozen homemade cookies that I’m giving away have already been claimed! Three more to go Yes, you read correctly, homemade cookies. Mailed right to your door. From me. Really http://www.oneroastvegetable.com/02.html

All best, Shelley
Owner/Head Tomato
www.One Roast Vegetable.com

The price of gas

This blog posting discusses very important topics.  Such as the price of gas. And homemade cookies.

You’ll have to read to the end to learn about the cookies (which I’m going to mail right to your door).

The cost of gas continues to go up.  It’s really quite wacky.  OK, me personally, I can drive a bit less, take the metro a bit more. I live in a city with a good metro (subway), and I live right downtown.

But if you have to drive every day, then you’re watching your pennies right now.

I’m getting emails saying things like “sorry, I love your site and your recipes, but with the cost of gas, I have to watch my money.”

Rats.

Then another email comes in:  “With money tight I need to justify to my husband that I am getting my money’s worth.”

http://oneroastvegetable.com/02.html

OK.  So, I got thinking.

One way to cut down on monthly expenses is to reduce the amount of take-out/delivery you’re eating, and to pack your lunch — in other words, cook more at home.  And not just boil-in-bag dinners, or microwaveable bags of steamed veggies! Those are way too expensive!

To save $$, you’re best off cooking from scratch.  It’s also way healthier.

One of the recipes on my membership site, The Veggie Club, is for Vegetable Corn Chowder. It’s $1.29 per bowl to make. From scratch. That’s a dinner-sized serving.  And it’s healthy.

I’ve also got a recipe for Sausage Minestrone, which is $1.35 a bowl. Jesse wrote: “OMG! I made your Sausage Minestrone last night. WOW! … It tasted incredible!”

OK.  So I got thinking some more.

For new members of The Veggie Club — the private membership site where you can find all these full colour, wonderful, illustrated, veggie-filled recipes — if you’d like to sign up but you’ve been worried about your budget, I’ve done two things…

THING #1 THAT I’VE DONE:   The regular monthly rate to be a member of The Veggie Club is $8.95/month.  But if you sign up for 3 months, I’ve reduced the price to $5.50/month.

And even better, how about $4.95/month? That’s your rate if you sign up for a year…

Let’s do the math.  Signing up month-by-month will be $107.40 per year.  Signing up for a year all at once will be $59.40. Hmm, I might be seeing cross-eyed, but that looks like nearly 50% less.

**No matter what it costs, though, it won’t make any difference to you if you’re not committed to eating better, to making more food from scratch, to eating more vegetables, and to eating more at home.

But if you ARE ready, then welcome to The Veggie Club.  Let’s get cooking

http://oneroastvegetable.com/02.html

THING #2 THAT I’VE DONE: I’ve created an affiliate program for members. It’s pretty easy to earn money here … If you refer people who become members of the site, you get paid money.  Nothing more complicated than that.  Payments go out every month. Refer a few people, they sign up, then your membership fees come out to zero.

Of course, if you’ve got lots of friends or a big list, or you live in a big neighbourhood, or your church friends are interested, then you might become a super affiliate like Christine who earned a big whack of money last month (no kidding, over $300).

If you’d like to become an affiliate, once you’re a member, send me an email and I’ll give you the secret handshake

http://oneroastvegetable.com/02.html

I know that you’ve got lots of things on your plate — lives are busy, kids are going here and there, your parents live with you, or maybe you’re struggling to cook healthily for one.

You’ve got lots on your plate … and I’d like to help by adding some yummy meals to your plate Being a home chef, and a girl from small-town Nova Scotia, it’s the least I can do!

http://oneroastvegetable.com/02.html

All best,

Shelley
Owner / Head Tomato

PS/ Bonus cookies, yikes I nearly forgot, I’m sending out a dozen homemade gingersnap cookies to the first 7 people who sign up for the one-year deal … cookies mailed right to your door.  Free.  Yummy.  Did I say homemade? http://oneroastvegetable.com/02.html