Tater Dipped Veggies

I have a torn up book that no longer has a cover where I started writing down recipes when I went away to school. I wasn't much of a cook so it took me until after I was married before I filled it. Surprisingly, there are still a few in there that we still eat.

I don't know what made me think of this recipe a month ago. We hadn't had it for over 10 years at least. The last time I remember having it, Bill and I were still in the apartment and our friends were over. I remember only getting to taste a few because each time I pulled one pan from the oven, everyone would eat them as I tried to fill a second pan.

Last month, I had left over cauliflower that I planned to serve with dinner and decided to use this recipe instead of our usual roasted or steamed cauliflower. Kay really liked it so last week I used it again, this time with leftover broccoli.

As you can see, she is now able to eat but has to be a little creative when trying to take bites!

Tater Dipped Veggies

(For most recipes, I wrote down where I got it but this one doesn't say. Not that it would matter, most are from TV shows that are no longer on or really old magazines!)

1 cup instant potato flakes

1/3 cup Parmesan (or nutritional yeast flakes)

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup melted butter or margarine
2 eggs (I used egg beaters)

4-5 cups raw bite-sized veggies such as mushrooms, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini or carrots

Ranch dressing for dipping

In a small bowl combine potato flakes, Parmesan, celery salt, garlic powder, and butter. In another bowl beat the eggs. Dip the vegetables, one at a time, into the egg, then potato mixture. Coat well. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Kay: I really liked it. I usually don't like nutritional yeast but this was really good. I liked the broccoli and cauliflower both.

Mom (Dana): I think this is the third or forth recipe I've posted using potato flakes! I never realized it was one of my favorite ingredients.

I Can't Eat Anything Besides a Smoothie Smoothie

(written by Kay)

Today, I had an orthodontist appointment . I had my braces checked. They didn't hurt when I went in. But, when I came out, I WAS IN SO MUCH PAIN!!!! We had Broccoli Potato Bake(which I LOVE) for dinner and I ate the potatoes but not the broccoli because I WAS IN SO MUCH PAIN that I couldn't eat any hard things. So my mom made me a smoothie. Here's a recipe that I call...

I Can't Eat Anything Besides a Smoothie Smoothie

1 cup soymilk

7 frozen strawberries

1/2 banana

4 tablespoon chocolate sauce

Put everything in the blender and blend until smooth.

I like mine blended extra long so I can't feel the seeds from the strawberries. It was SO good I almost forgot about my braces. EXCEPT when I touched my tooth with my tongue.

Lentil Patties

Bill has not been very happy with a lot of our meals since I quit eating dairy about a year ago. Therefore I was not very optimistic when I decided to make lentil patties with chickpea gravy. I can't think of many things that sound more weirdo vegetarian than that. Surprisingly, he really liked these and he swears that they taste just like Salisbury Steak. I have no idea what that tastes like so I couldn't tell you if he's right or not but I'll take his word for it.

I adapted this recipe slightly from one on allrecipes.com.

Lentil Patties

1 cup dried brown lentils

3 cups water

1/4 cup rice milk

1 cup oatmeal

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

2 eggs (I used Egg Beaters)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Vegetable oil for frying

Place the lentils and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain any remaining water.

In a large bowl, mix together the cooked lentils, milk, oatmeal, eggs, walnuts, and onion soup mix. Mix well. Let stand for 30 minutes or refrigerate overnight.

Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Use an ice cream scoop to portion out balls of the lentil mixture. Drop them into the pan and flatten them with the back of a spatula. Fry until nicely brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side.

Top with ketchup or your choice of gravy.

Kay: These were crunchy and I thought they tasted like peanuts. I don't usually like lentils. I had gravy on mine but I think I would have liked ketchup better.

Mom (Dana): For leftovers, we saved the mixture and fried them up fresh the next day. We had these with mashed potatoes and roasted cauliflower and it all came together quickly and with little effort.