Luscious, delicious, homecooked goodness. Anyone can be a good cook — all it takes is a little patience and some simple recipes. Here's a few of our most requested vegetarian recipes:

This meatloaf is really simple. It's a recipe that I made up to mimic the real hamburger meatloaf my mother used to make. You won't be asking where the beef is when you taste this.

“Meat-less Loaf”

Ingredients

1. 1 can Worthington^® Burger (20 oz.)
2. 1 sm. (8 oz.) can Hunts^® tomato sauce (plain)
3. 1 cup regular rolled oats (dry)
4. 1 cup Pepperidge Farms^® herbed stuffing mix (dry)
5. 2 eggs, lightly beaten (optional — this makes the loaf keep its shape better)
6. 1 sm. (4 oz) jar/can of sliced mushrooms (optional)
7. 1/2 tsp. garlic (granulated — NOT garlic salt)
8. 1 tsp. mixed Italian herbs (basil, oregano, marjoram)
9. 1 tsp. A-1^® sauce (optional)

Method:

1. In a large bowl using a rubber spatula, thoroughly mix all the ingredients together, without breaking down the dressing mix too much
2. Shape into a loaf that is about 2 or 2.5 inches thick and 4.5 or 5 inches wide
3. Place in 375 degree oven and bake, covered, for 45 minutes; then remove foil and continue baking for 10-15 minutes more until lightly browned and crisped on top

This meatloaf makes delicious cold sandwiches from the leftovers, too. There's an alternate "meatless" recipe farther down the page.

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Cherokee Farms Whole Wheat Bread (and then some!)

This is a time-tested recipe for delicious whole wheat bread. We've been making it here on the farm for more than 20 years, and when our son was still here working every day, we used to consume 9 of these hefty loaves a week. There's plenty of good nutrition packed into this bread that will keep a working man going from dawn to dusk. A simple adjustment to the recipe will produce white bread (for those who think that whole wheat is too healthy for them) and also will make scrumptious cinnamon rolls. Don't be frightened away by the length of the recipe. We have intentionally given detailed instructions so even a novice can make good bread the first time. This very recipe has been used in cooking classes with awesome results from novice breadmakers.

makes one 2—2 ½ pound loaf

Ingredients:

1. 3 cups stone ground whole wheat flour (organic preferred)
2. 1 — 1 1/2 cups stone ground (organic) unbleached white bread flour (not “all purpose” flour)
3. 1/2 cup rolled oats (organic preferred)
4. 1/4 cup honey (any flavour you like, I use wildflower)
5. 2 tbsp. peanut oil
6. 1 1/2 tsp. salt
7. 1 tbsp. active dry yeast (not instant yeast)
8. 1 — 1 3/4 cups warm water (approximate)
9. pinch of sugar

Method:

1. I use the “fluff, dip, and shake” method for measuring my dry ingredients. This means that I first “fluff” the flour using the dry measuring cup, then dip up a full to overflowing cupful, then gently shake to level. Flours should be at room temperature before beginning to make bread. Cold flours delay yeast activity and prolong rising times.
2. Heat oven to 375° — bread should bake at temperatures between 375 and 400 degrees, so make sure your oven is fairly accurate or adjust to attain a temperature within this range; if your oven is slightly cooler or warmer, then the baking time to attain a thoroughly baked loaf will vary accordingly
3. Using the 1 cup liquid measuring cup, measure 1/4 cup of warm water (105-110°); sprinkle a pinch of sugar into the water; measure 1 Tbsp of active dry yeast onto water; stir vigorously with fork to completely wet the yeast; set aside to proof (this is a vital step in breadmaking); yeast will bubble and begin to rise within a couple minutes
4. Measure 3 cups of whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup rolled oats, and 1- 1/2 tsp. salt into large mixing bowl; using spatula or large wooden spoon, stir to mix
5. When yeast is active, add it to the dry ingredients, rinse and dry the measuring cup (or use a second cup); in the 1 cup liquid measuring cup: pour 2 Tbsp of peanut oil, then pour in the honey to measure apx. 1/3 cup total volume (it will be 1/4 cup honey); by pouring the oil in first, the honey will pour out clean from the cup so that you lose none of your measured amount
6. Add 1 cup warm water to the bowl with all the other ingredients and stir with wooden spoon or spatula to completely wet the dry ingredients; you will probably need to add more warm water to completely wet the all the flour. What you are trying to attain is a very thick batter-type consistency (called a “sponge”); at this point, wetter is better than too dry. Making a very moist sponge allows the flours and yeast to begin working together, softening the gluten (protein) in the flours. This process (called “autolyzing”) will create a much higher rise and softer loaf. When the dough is completely moistened, set aside for 30 minutes, covered (this is an approximate time, a few minutes longer doesn’t hurt it)
7. When dough is autolyzed, begin to knead the dough, first with the wooden spoon or spatula. The dough will collapse and begin to stretch as you stir and knead it. If you are using a mixer, begin now to knead it on very low speed. Gradually add white flour — apx. 2- 4 Tbsp at the time — while continuing to knead. The amount of white flour that you will use varies, so just keep adding until the dough comes together, begins to form a soft ball and is less sticky to the touch; this should be accomplished in about 5-7 minutes. Turn dough out onto a flour covered surface where you will finish kneading it by hand.
8. On a lightly floured surface, with lightly floured hands (use the white flour), knead the dough using a push/turn/pull method: (1) using the heel of one hand, push the dough mass away from you; (2) turn the mass 1/4 turn; (3) with the other hand, fold or pull the edge that is farthest away from you into the center of the dough mass (you will be picking up and pulling about 1/4 of the mass of the dough each time at this step). Continue this process for about 1 minute, adding small amounts of white flour as needed to keep dough from sticking to surface and your hands. It’s OK if the dough is slightly sticky; don’t over-knead or add so much flour at this point that the dough is dry. As the dough is, so is your finished loaf of bread.
9. When dough is fully kneaded, shape into a ball, put about 2 tsp. of flour into the gallon zip-lock bag; place dough in bag, shake to coat the dough with flour, and zip closed, making sure to expel all air from the bag first (the gasses from the rising dough will expand the bag and burst it open if you have not expelled all the air). Set aside in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes (the top of the warm stove is a good place, but make sure that the surface is not too hot to the touch — just warm).
10. When dough is risen, dump out onto a lightly floured surface; flatten and knead into a loaf shape that will fit into your baking pan. Lightly grease or spray the loaf pan, and put dough into it with “seam” side down; set aside in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes.
11. Bake risen dough uncovered in a 375-400 degree oven for 20 minutes; then cover top loosely with aluminum foil (to prevent over-browning) and continue baking for about 30-35 minutes more (50-55 minutes total time). Test for doneness by turning out loaf onto a wire cooling rack and tapping bottom with your knuckles — if it sounds hollow, then the bread is properly baked. Cool loaf on the wire rack, with the loaf lying on its side (this prevents a soggy crust). When completely cooled (may take a couple hours), wrap in several layers of plastic wrap or place into a large heavy plastic bag and store at ROOM temperature — do NOT refrigerate bread. It may be frozen for longer storage, but do not refrigerate. Putting the bread in the refrigerator causes it immediately to go stale. Fresh, properly baked bread will stay fresh at room temperature for about one week without molding. After about 3 or 4 days at room temperature, it will begin to dry out some and become more crumbly, but this is not stale or spoiled. Actually, I rarely have a loaf develop mold or spoil, even after more than a week at room temperature (if it lasts that long!).

Additional Ingredients:

Adding other grains or seeds to the bread dough is easy. Just add ingredients like flaxseed (should be ground fine before adding, use no more than 1/2 cup per loaf; I use a small electric coffee grinder), multigrain cereals, rolled rye or barley, raisins, nuts, etc. along with the other dry ingredients; using only about 1/2 cup extra of each of these materials (no more than 1 cup of extra ingredients, total, if using several different ones). The addition of some types of ingredients will necessitate the addition of more water to make a soft, moist sponge, but it doesn't matter. It'll all work out when you do the final kneading of the dough and add in the white flour. You'll just end up with a larger loaf. Dry ingredients for a loaf that will fit in the 5.5 x 9 pan should not be more than 4-1/2 to 4-3/4 cups, total. NOTE: adding ground flaxseed will make the loaf more moist and sticky when you're kneading it, and the finished loaf will have a more open crumb.

White Bread:

If you want to make an all white flour loaf, simply substitute the 3 cups of whole wheat flour with white bread flour (NOT all-purpose flour — "all-purpose" flour doesn't have enough gluten to make decent bread) and proceed as the recipe directs. You will still use the oats.

Cinnamon Rolls:

This recipe also makes wonderful cinnamon rolls (use the whole wheat or white version). When the loaf has risen the first time, then roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangular shape about 1/4 inch in thickness. Spread softened butter over the dough to within about 1/2 inch of the edges all around. Sprinkle generously with granulated sugar and then cinnamon or allspice. Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of raisins over the entire surface (more if you really like raisins). Roll up the dough jelly roll fashion across the width (widest side is where you begin to roll), tucking tightly as you roll. Cut into pieces about 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Place 1-1/2 inches apart on a greased, sprayed, or parchment covered baking sheet and set aside to rise for about 20 minutes. Bake at 350-375 degrees for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on wire rack. Drizzle with an icing made from powdered sugar and a very small amount of evaporated canned milk.

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Breakfast Muesli (granola gone wild!)

Most people have heard of granola, a simple breakfast or snack mixture of grains and sweetener, sometimes pressed into a bar and sold as "energy food." Well, this recipe goes the extra mile, by adding more grains and multiple dried fruits and nuts. My brother takes this muesli with him when he takes his annual trek to the Boundary Waters area for canoeing. He knows that it will give him all the energy he requires to paddle the lakes and hike the country between. We know you'll love it, too (I'm giving away a major secret here!!).

Ingredients:

1. 6 cups rolled oats
2. 3 cups sweetened shredded coconut
3. 1 cup EACH — wheat bran, toasted wheat germ, rolled wheat flakes, rolled rye flakes, toasted soy grits (optional)
4. 1 cup EACH — raw sunflower seeds, raw pumpkin seeds, slivered almonds, dried sweet cherries, raisins, chopped dates, chopped dried apples, chopped dried apricots, dried currants
5. 2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
6. 1/2 cup EACH — candied orange peel (diced to 1/4 inch cube), whole flaxseeds, toasted sesame seeds
7. 1 tbsp. dried lemon or orange peel (“zest”)
8. 1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
9. 1 tsp. allspice
10. 1/2 tsp nutmeg
11. 1/2 tsp cloves

Method:

1. Toast oats and coconut on cookie sheets at 350° for 20 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning (works best divided into two batches to allow room for stirring); when toasted evenly to golden colour, pour into VERY large bowl with other ingredients
2. While oats and coconut are toasting, measure the remaining ingredients into a VERY large bowl
3. When oats and coconut are toasted, stir them into the other ingredients and mix thoroughly; then make the following sauce:

Syrup:

1. 1 and 1/2 sticks butter (may use peanut oil to equal 3/4 cup)
2. 1/2 cup white sugar
3. 3/4 cup honey
4. 1 tbsp. vanilla

Method:

1. Melt butter in deep, heavy 2 quart sauce pot; add honey and sugar
2. Heat to boiling, boil one minute and remove from heat, add vanilla (syrup will boil vigourously when you add the vanilla!)
3. Immediately pour syrup over the dry ingredients in bowl and stir to coat all ingredients evenly; this is easy to do using two large cooking spoons or spatulas; stir from sides of bowl down to bottom of bowl then lift mass straight up and repeat until coated evenly; it may take a few minutes to fully coat all the ingredients
4. Spread on cookie sheets to about 1 - 1 1/2 inch depth; BAKE at 350° for 6 or 7 minutes; cool completely
5. Store in zip top bags; may freeze if desired for longer storage life

Makes: 4 gallon-sized zip-top bags full of yumminess

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Gluten Steaks

“Hands-down better than beef” — comment made by our good friend Gerald, who shared this recipe with us.

“Gluten steaks” — I know . . . you want to know what “gluten” is, right? Gluten is the protein part of the whole wheat grain. It's what gives flour the ability to hold the gas bubbles produced by the yeast, causing the bread to rise. Gluten is highly nutritious, and equivalent to animal protein in energy. When prepared as we instruct below, you get a chewy “steak” or “cutlet” that can be used in many recipes calling for beef, veal, or chicken cutlets. To make a “chicken” flavoured cutlet, use vegetarian “chicken-style” broth seasoning instead of the “beef” flavouring. The “chicken” cutlet works very well in chicken or veal parmesan recipes

Ingredients:

1. 1 and 1/4 cups of white flour
2. 3 and 1/2 cups gluten flour
3. 1 package of Lipton^® onion soup mix
4. 3 tbsp. vegetarian style “beef” seasoning
5. 3/4 cup nutritional yeast
6. 1 tsp. salt

Herb seasoning — 1/2 tsp. each: thyme, ground rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder, sage, coriander, cumin

Method:

1. Mix all the above dry ingredients thoroughly
2. Add 5 cups very warm water
3. Mix very well for a couple of minutes
4. The mixture should be a little wetter than bread dough
5. To make a good sized steak, use 1/4 cup of the gluten
6. Place three balls at a time in a large medium hot greased skillet
7. Smash the gluten flat with a hamburger press or large spatula without slots; hold a little pressure on the steak for a few moments while they stabilize; brown on both sides until golden brown
8. Place the steaks in a large pot, cover with water and simmer for 45 minutes; for best results, please do not skip this step
9. Fry steaks in hot peanut oil until golden brown

Dad's Favourite Cornbread

When I first made this cornbread using yellow cornmeal, most everybody was making their cornbread from milled, self-rising white cornmeal. For me, that lacked visual appeal and flavour — white cornmeal not having the rich flavour and aroma that yellow corn possesses. Dad took a big bite and declared, "This is like eating cake! — delicious!!" I've been making it ever since, and never had any complaints.

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup yellow cornmeal
2. 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose white flour
3. 1/3 cup white sugar
4. 1 tsp. salt
5. 2 tsp. baking powder
6. 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
7. 8 tbsp. butter (NOT margarine)
8. 1 to 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (you don't want the batter to be wet, just moist)

Method:

1. Preheat over to 425°
2. Sift all dry ingredients together into a large bowl; set aside
3. In a medium bowl, beat eggs lightly
4. Place the butter (all of it) in an 8 inch cast iron skillet and put in the oven to melt completely (be careful not to burn the butter)
5. When butter is melted, pour eggs and buttermilk into the dry mixture, stir to combine (don't over beat, just stir to mix, like with muffin batter; over beating will make the cornbread tough)
6. Pour the melted butter from the hot skillet into the batter and stir to combine; then immediately pour batter into the hot skillet and place in oven
7. Bake 25-30 minutes or until puffed in the center, lightly browned on top and crusty around the edges (wooden pick stuck into the middle will be slightly dry, but will retain a crumb)
8. Turn out on to a plate, flip top-side up, cut into wedges and serve with butter, honey or jam

Pilaf

Pilaf has many different versions, a couple different names, and is found in several cultures. Some like it hot and spicy using curry; some like it crammed with vegetables; some want meat. We take a middle ground approach here creating a pilaf that can serve as a main dish or side dish. By itself, it's plenty hearty and makes a good meal served with our whole wheat bread, providing a “complete protein” vegetarian meal.

Ingredients

1. 2 c. cooked whole grain brown rice
2. 2 c. bulghur wheat, medium grain
3. 1 sm. onion, chopped
4. 1 or 2 celery ribs, chopped
5. 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms (any variety, or mix of varieties)
6. 1/2 c. chopped pecans
7. 1 or more tsp. dry sage (to your taste)
8. 1 tsp. granulated garlic (NOT garlic salt)
9. 1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt (to your taste)

Method

1. To prepare the bulghur wheat: measure into a saucepan and cover with boiling water; set aside to soak for about 10 minutes (this will soften the grain to a chewy texture)
2. Saute onion, celery, and mushrooms in small amount of olive oil until tender but not brown
3. Combine cooked vegetables, bulghur, cooked rice, and seasoning in a 3 quart casserole; stirring to thoroughly mix
4. Add a small amount of boiling water to just reach the top of the ingredients
5. Cover and bake at 375° for about 45 minutes, until bubbly around the sides and heated through

Basic Polenta

Polenta is grits done Italian-style. Here in the South we always used our leftover grits by pouring them out into a pie plate or pan to allow them to set. Then we cut the mass into squares and fried them in oil or butter until they were crispy around the edges and golden brown. But with the new emphasis on world cultures, polenta has become popular in a wider circle. Now we see it served under everything from sauteed mushrooms in cream sauce (French), to huevos rancheros (Mexican). In other words — GRITS is good eats now matter how you serve 'em!

Ingredients

1. 4 cups canned vegetable broth
2. 1 cup yellow corn grits or coarse plain yellow cornmeal
3. 1/2 tsp. granulated garlic (not garlic salt)
4. 1/2 tsp. salt
5. 1 tsp. butter

Method

1. Bring broth to a boil, slowly stir in the grits and salt; cook on medium heat stirring constantly, for 5 minutes
2. Stir in the butter and garlic
3. Reduce heat to lowest setting and cook, stirring often, for about 20 minutes—mixture will be very thick
4. Pour into either an 8 inch square pan OR use two of the vegetable broth cans to make “tubes” of polenta; cover and chill 3 or 4 hours to set
5. When thoroughly chilled, cut into squares or slices (if you used the cans); fry in a small amount of olive oil or brush with oil and bake in oven to brown

“King Ranch” Casserole

King Ranch Casserole was supposedly developed on the famous King Ranch in Texas to feed its hungry cowpokes. King Ranch denies this, but the name sticks around anyway. This is a vegetarian version of the famous dish. Still simple to make, and still qualifies as genuine "comfort food."

Ingredients

1. 2 tbsp. butter or cooking oil
2. 1 med. green bell pepper, chopped
3. 1 med. onion, chopped
4. 1 (10 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
5. 1 (10 oz.) can cream of celery soup, undiluted
6. 1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes (OR diced tomatoes with chilies—if you want some heat)
7. 1 (13 oz.) Worthington^® “Diced Chik”
8. 12 corn tortillas, torn into bite-sized pieces
9. 16 non-dairy “American cheese” slices

Method

1. Preheat oven to 325°
2. In a large skillet, melt butter; saute onion and pepper until onion is tender, but not browned
3. Add both cans of soup, tomatoes, and “Diced Chik”; stir to blend
4. Remove from heat
5. In a 3 quart casserole, layer the torn tortillas, soup mixture, and slices of “cheese”
6. Repeat layer, ending with cheese on top
7. Bake 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly

Lentil Rice Loaf

If you want a quick “meaty” loaf for a main dish, but don't want to run out and hunt for the canned vegetarian burger I mentioned above in the “meatless” loaf, then this is a good alternative. It's just as hearty and delicious and the lentils provide complete protein for the non-meateater. After chilling, it makes good sandwiches, too, served on our whole wheat bread with a little ketchup smeared over it.

Ingredients

1. 3 cups of water
2. 3/4 cup uncooked lentils (brown or green), rinsed to remove grit and drained
3. 1 cup uncooked brown rice
4. 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
5. 1 (8oz.) can tomato sauce
6. 1/2 cup shredded carrot
7. 1 egg, beaten
8. 1/2 tsp. salt
9. 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

Method

1. In medium saucepan, combine water and lentils; bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes
2. Add onion, salt and rice; cover and simmer an additional 18-20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed and lentils and rice are tender; remove from heat
3. Heat oven to 350°
4. Grease and 8 x 4 inch loaf pan (NOT metal)
5. Stir tomato sauce into the lentil mixture
6. Add bread crumbs, carrot,and egg; mash mixture while mixing thoroughly
7. Press mixture into the loaf pan
8. Bake 40-45 minutes or until top is golden brown and loaf is firm
9. Remove from the oven; cool 10 minutes; loosen edges with a knife and invert onto a plate; serve warm, cold, or sliced for sandwiches

“Burger” Patties

I have another recipe for burgers that uses Special K^® cereal, but decided to put this one the Web site. If you want the Special K^® recipe, email us and I'll sent it to you.

Ingredients

1. 1 (10 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
2. 1 and 1/4 cups quick oats
3. 2 eggs, beaten
4. 1 onion
5. 1 rib of celery
6. 1 cup pecan meal (ground pecans)
7. 2 tbsp. tamari or soy sauce

Method

1. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl
2. Shape into patties
3. fry in a small amount of peanut oil until golden brown
4. You can also bake the patties at 350° on a well-greased baking sheet, for 20-30 minutes
5. Serve on a bun with all the “trimmings” or serve with brown mushroom gravy (like Salisbury Steak)

Tamale Loaf

Another “comfort food” recipe. Simple to make and delicious to eat. This one shows up at out church potlucks pretty often and everyone always goes back for seconds.

Ingredients

1. 1/4 cup peanut oil
2. 1 large onion, chopped
3. 3 eggs, beaten
4. 1 and 1/2 cups yellow plain cornmeal
5. 2 sm. cans sliced black olives
6. 1 (15 oz.) creamed corn
7. 1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes (may use tomatoes with chiles if you want heat)
8. 1/2 tsp. salt
9. 1 cup milk (may use soy)

Method

1. In a large skillet, saute the onion in the oil until tender, but not browned
2. Add all the other ingredients; stir to mix thoroughly
3. Coat a casserole dish with butter and pour the mixture into the casserole
4. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes; turn out on to a plate and slice

Risotto Florentine

OK, one last recipe and this one is “fancy” . . . well alright, maybe not fancy, but it does sport sort of a distinguished moniker. Risotto just means “stirred” so this is “stirred” rice; and florentine is simply any dish with spinach in it. Actually, rather than fancy, some version of risotto is commonly served throughout Italy as a staple food. It's good that we've become more global in our eating, because this is a dish you don't want to miss. The saffron is a traditional ingredient, but if you can't find good saffron threads, you can use turmeric instead. It is not difficult to make, but does take some attention to make it truly creamy and not just another boiled rice dish. Unlike when I cook “ordinary” rice and never stir (because I don't want to break down the starch that makes rice sticky), this rice dish requires stirring to make it come out right. If it ain't creamy, it ain't risotto.

Ingredients

1. 1 tbsp. butter
2. 1 med. onion, chopped
3. 1 clove of garlic, chopped (or 1 tbsp. pre-chopped garlic from a jar)
4. 1 cup Basmati rice (or other short grain rice such as Aborio)
5. 2 (14oz.) cans vegetable broth
6. 1/2 tsp. saffron threads (or 1/4 tsp. turmeric)
7. 1 (16 oz.) can cannellini beans (white kidney beans)
8. 1 (10oz.) package of frozen, chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed to drain
9. 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Method

1. In a large, heavy skillet, melt butter, cook onion and garlic about 2 minutes
2. Stir in the rice to coat with the butter in the skillet
3. Stir in the broth and saffron; heat to boiling, reduce heat to simmer
4. Cook 25 minutes, stirring occasionally to develop creaminess in the rice
5. Stir in the cannellini beans, spinach, and Parmesan cheese; cover and let stand 5 minutes before serving