Best Vegetable Recipes of 2012 ♥ Personal Favorites

The best vegetable recipes of 2012 from A Veggie Venture, just one per month, all in one handy spot for easy reference.

It's that time of year, the week when we food bloggers look back over a year's worth of recipes and pick our favorites! I love-love-love this process! It really helps us hone our recipe collections, highlighting the best of the already very good, especially for sites like A Veggie Venture and my food column Kitchen Parade which by design, already post only really good recipes, the ones that work, the ones that are special or especially useful. (Here's the 2012 favorite recipes from Kitchen Parade too.)

But I also love all the many sources of "best of the year" lists for movies, books, gadgets, etc. So this year, I'm collecting "best of the year" lists on Pinterest. Follow me there and you'll see all the new entries over the next couple of weeks on this board, Best of the Year Lists & Favorites.

But okay, here you go, my favorite recipes for 2012. Do we share some favorites? Have I completely missed one you loved? Let me know in the comments!
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Good Luck for 2013: New Year's Soup Recipe ♥ with Black-eyed Peas & Collard Greens

Today's soup recipe: Easy, healthy and satisfying, a good way to kick off the new year (even a few days early!) after the indulgence of the holiday. For Weight Watchers, just 2 points (PointsPlus) and 1 point (Old Points).

So how did 2012 treat you? Mine was just swell, thanks for asking. (And yours? Do tell!) Should credit be given to this lovely little soup that I cooked up for New Years a year ago? Maybe! You see, by southern tradition, black-eyed peas bring "good fortune" to the new year and greens – any green, that's collard greens, turnip greens, kale, chard, etc – bring "financial success".

And no bitter medicine, this soup. It really hits a sweet spot with just a tiny touch of underlying heat. It's a vegan soup, though no one will likely notice. On the other hand, a little ham or bacon wouldn't hurt here (Note to Vegetarians). Meat isn't needed, mind you, but it would just add a protein component and calories that might especially satisfy, say, the menfolk at the table.

DO BLACK-EYED PEAS NEED TO SOAK BEFORE GETTING COOKED? Great news, they don't! So this soup is easy to make right now, ASAP. You might even have all the ingredients on hand!
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Easy-Easy Healthy Holiday Appetizers: Party Rye with Tomato & Cucumber ♥

Today's easy appetizer recipe, red and green for the holidays but fresh and festive for summer, too. Just one Weight Watchers point!

Scramble mode, that's me just before a party's to start, that rush-rush hour or so when there will be exactly enough time to get everything done but not a minute, not a second, more. How does that happen anyway?

But here's an appetizer I used to keep in my back pocket, just in case I really ran short of time and the appetizer I'd planned, more elegant but more fussy, just wasn't going to happen. But now I just put these out on purpose, because people like them. There's nothing unfamiliar or mysterious about this, you also can tell, hey, it looks fresh and healthy. So these just go, one by one, some people back for seconds and thirds, until the platter is empty.

I hesitate to call this a recipe, really, it's more like a visual suggestion, an eyeball reminder. Buy a packet of those small party squares (I'm partial to the rye ones, more flavor), slather on a little Boursin or something similar, then add thin slices of tomato and cucumber. The real trick though? The bit of seasoning salt on top!
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Roasted Delicata Squash

This is dead easy and all you have to remember if you want crispy edges is, "the magic number is three". The Delicata squash half-moons are cooked on one side, turned to cook on the other side and then turned to cook on the original side once more for crispy edges and creamy flesh.

There may be other ways to achieve this, but this is my method learned by trial, error and, finally, success. Sometimes, as I did this time, I add about 1 1/2 teaspoons of brown sugar per squash when I'm tossing them with a very small amount of olive oil, salt and pepper but you can omit that if you wish. Occasionally I sprinkle some balsamic vinegar on the slices instead of brown sugar before they go into the oven. I liberally sprinkled the half-moons with Ras el Hanout, but mostly what I was left with was a mild aromatic flavor and some of the heat from that spice mixture. 

Delicata squash is a more-or-less dirigible-shaped white or yellow squash with green or orange-gold longitudinal striations and a pale yellow-orange flesh. It's classified as a winter squash, but is very thin-skinned. When roasted, the skin is very easy to eat. You can roast it, stuff it and bake it, saute or steam it.. It's not as packed full of beta carotene as some of the other winter squashes, but has good fiber, potassium, and vitamins C and B.

RECIPE: ROASTED DELICATA SQUASH

Serves 4 as a second side dish

Ingredients:

• 2 Delicata squash, 7-8 inches in length and 3-4 inches in diameter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil  + a little to brush on the parchment
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar (optional)
• kosher salt to taste - a couple of generous two-finger pinches should do it
• 5-6 grinds of freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 425F, rack in the upper third of the oven.
2. Cover a large jelly roll pan with parchment, a silicone mat or foil and brush very lightly with olive oil.
3. Cut the ends off of the squash, just until the seeds show. Cut each squash in half lengthwise.
4. Scrape out the seeds and the strings. A few strings here and there don't matter.
5. Cut each squash half in 1/2 in pieces along the length and place slices into a large bowl.
6. When you've cut up both of the squashes, toss them with as little of the olive oil as it takes to coat the slices. Sprinkle half of the optional brown sugar, the pepper and the salt over the slices and toss. Repeat with the second half and toss. Lay the slices on the parchment-covered jelly roll pan leaving space between them. Drizzle the liquid from the bowl as evenly as you can, over the slices.
7. Place the jelly roll pan in the pre-heated oven. Set the timer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes,  remove the pan from the oven and turn the slices. 
8. Turn the pan 180 degrees and place back in the oven and set the timer for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and turn the slices. Set the timer for 12 minutes.
9. Turn the pan 180 degrees and place back in the oven and set the timer for 12 minutes - check at about 8 minutes. Let the slices sit on the pan for a couple of minutes then serve.

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Get Yer Groats On: Make Ahead Steel Cut (Irish) Oatmeal

Irish (steel cut) oatmeal with mix-ins: chopped, toasted almonds, un-sulphered, organic dried cranberries, a dash of cinnamon and a sprinkle of granola.

Once it gets chilly, I start thinking about adding oatmeal to my breakfast rotation. A bowl of oatmeal can be delicious, warming and nutritious. If you look at the types of oats available: hulled and whole (whole groats), steel cut (Irish), stone ground (Scottish), rolled, quick-cooking or instant, they are all whole grain and bring the benefits of that with them. The downside to the more highly processed oats is that the more a grain is processed, the easier it is digested which raises its glycemic level. To counteract this, eat your oatmeal with some protein, even adding milk can help.

Steel-cut a/k/a Irish Oats Steel-cut oat can come in several sizes (grades): pinhead (the largest), coarse, medium and fine. Which grade is pictured? I have zero clue, but I suspect pinhead. 

Quick-cooking and instant oats are like rolled oats (rolled and steamed) but rolled thinner and steamed longer. Also, if you buy prepackaged and flavored instant oats, check the ingredients. They often come with a bunch of sugar, fats, preservatives and even some mighty unnatural-sounding "natural" ingredients. I like steel-cut oats for their taste, texture and nuttiness.

I toasted these almonds in the toaster oven this morning, but you can do that ahead of time, or buy pre-roasted nuts.

Even if you stick with making your steel-cut oatmeal from scratch YOUR add-ins: milk, half-and-half or cream, fruit, sugar and butter - to name a few - while delicious, might counter-balance the nutritional pay-off. 

I like the taste of steel-cut (a/k/a Irish) oats but to prepare from scratch takes 30 to 40-ish minutes, including bringing the water to a boil. Soaking steel-cut or stone ground oats the night before cuts the preparation time to 10 minutes, but if you want to cut that down to 3 minutes for one or two servings at a time, this method works well.

I bring water to a boil, add the steel-cut oats and boil - not a furious boil, but more of an "angry simmer" - for 10 minutes, uncovered, stirring a couple of times. After 10 minutes, I turn off the heat, move the pan to a cool burner and put the lid on. Then I let it sit for a couple of hours without removing the lid. After that I pack the oatmeal in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator where it will easily store for 5-7 days. 

RECIPE: MAKE AHEAD STEEL-CUT (IRISH) OATMEAL

Servings: 4-6

• This method works best when you want to serve one or two people. If you're serving a group, use the link at the end of this recipe to a recipe found on Food and Wine's site ("Method: Feeding a Group: Quicker Cooking Steel Cut Oats by Soaking Overnight")
• When I am adding items to the oatmeal (fruit, nuts, granola, etc.) I serve about 2/3 - 3/4 cups oatmeal per person.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups water
• 1 cup steel-cut oats
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation (Make-Ahead)

1. Bring 4 cups water to a rolling boil in a 2-3 quart pan. Add the salt stir the water and then pour in the steel-cut oats. Stir for a few seconds. 
2. Adjust the heat so that the mixture is at a low boil. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring a few times.
3. After 10 minutes, stir once or twice and remove the pan from the heat and cover with a tight-fitting lid and move it to a cool burner. Let this sit for a minimum of and hour (check after one hour) until, well until it looks like oatmeal. Spoon the oatmeal into a container with a tight-fitting lid. You can store this in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 5-7 days.

To Serve:

For each serving, spoon 1/2 to 2/3 cups into a serving bowl. If the oatmeal's too stiff, add liquid by the tablespoon - water, milk (dairy or non- ) and stir until the oatmeal is as loose as you prefer.

Mix-Ins Before Reheating

Dried fruit, fresh fruit (I like grated apple or pear), spices (cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, etc, five-spice powder - go crazy!) to taste, a dash of vanilla (or other) extract. Sugar or some other sweetener as preferred. It's up to you. I don't add them, but if I did I'd use pure maple syrup, brown sugar or fruit preserves.

Cover each bowl and reheat in the microwave on full power for 1 minute. Check after one minute and stir. Return to the microwave and reheat for another minute.

Mix-Ins After Reheating - ENDLESS!

Granola, toasted nuts, toasted coconut, fresh fruit, peanut butter... I could go on.

Method: Feeding a Group: Quicker Cooking Steel Cut Oats by Soaking Overnight

• Overnight Oatmeal with Almonds and Dried Cranberries Contributed by Grace Parisi in Food and Wine, December 2008

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Silky Smooth Corn Pudding ♥ Recipe

Today's extra-easy Thanksgiving vegetable recipe: An oh-so-smooth custardy corn pudding that takes all of ten minutes to throw together. Now don't turn up your nose that it starts with a can of creamed corn. The resulting custard is slightly sweet, oh-so-smooth that I promise, no one will know. Everyone will think you are a kitchen magician!

Have you developed your own style, a personal preference for taste and timing? I sure have. When it's supper for one or two, my style is to make it fresh, eat it asap, no setting the slow cooker in the morning, no putting aside meals for the freezer.

But for parties and family gatherings? I am the make-ahead queen. That's why virtually every single Thanksgiving recipe here on A Veggie Venture includes tips for making a dish the day before. Last year's Thanksgiving, I cooked and prepped so much on the Wednesday that by Thursday morning, all that was left was to "cook" was the turkey my grandmother's butterhorns in the oven: talk about a relaxing day!

This easy corn pudding recipe strays from style but compensates by prepping – assembling, really is all – in a flat ten minutes. For such simplicity, the results are astounding, this dish looks and tastes like the cook spent time and effort coddling a custard.

T MINUS NINE DAYS Who's still looking for ideas for Thanksgiving recipes? I've got lots to share, from Favorite Recipes for Thanksgiving's Favorite Vegetables to Vegetarian Entrées for Thanksgiving to a full Six Thanksgiving Menus.
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Simple "Sweet Potato" Potato Salad ♥ Recipe with Hardly Any Mayonnaise

Today's healthy sweet potato salad recipe, made with a bare minimum of mayonnaise, just enough to hold the salad together. Great crunch from celery, a touch of sweetness from honey and a few chopped dried cranberries. When made with vegan mayonnaise, not just vegan, "Vegan Done Real".

Two things to know about this sweet potato salad.

It's really a classic potato salad, except that it's made with sweet potatoes instead of potatoes. Why don't we do this more often?
It's "barely dressed" with hardly any mayonnaise, just enough to hold it all together. This makes the taste and texture all about the softness of the sweet potatoes, the crunch of the celery and the "tiny bit" of sweetness from the dried cranberries. Why don't we do this more often?

But make that three.

You want to make this salad, you really do. It's so simple and somehow, it just works. Besides, you know, don't you? that the sweet potato is the favorite vegetable for Thanksgiving? It is, I tell that story here in Favorite Recipes for Thanksgiving's Favorite Vegetables. This salad? It totally makes the list.
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