I Made A Quick Dinner Tonight

That sounds pretty good! I make something like it. Rice cooked then fry it, with onion, carrots, onion, tomato, any leftovers like corn,
however I haven't yet given up meat so use leftover pork loin.

I too keep meaning to drop the dairy...I just love it so much.

Your supper the other night with navy beans, brown rice, spinach salad sounded perfect!

Keep getting better Mason!

Thanks, Trudy
Tomato would have been nice in it, but alas I am out of them at the moment. The navy bean dinner was quite good actually.

Hope you're feeling much better soon, MasonM. Your dinner sounds good to me... and easy. That's the best part!

Thanks, HC. If you truly are what you eat, I am fast, cheap, and easy.

Be well and take your time healing mason., your body been put through alot in last year and face it you ain't no spring chicken anymore.

Thanks MM, I really appreciate being reminded of that fact.

Seriously, thanks.

The body is battered and not quite as good as it once was, but it's as good once as it ever was.

What a good catch you are, Mason! A guy who loves to cook (and healthy stuff at that!).

It sounds like a yummy meal. Tofu's not too bad when seasoned well.

I have a super delicious red bell pepper and potato soup recipe that I thought about sharing with you, but it has butter in it. Hehe. Damned dairy is in everything!

Hope you start feeling better soon.

Oh do share Tex! I can find a suitable substitute for the butter. Would margarine work just as well?

Sounds yummy Mason. Sorry you re still not feeling well.... In Israel, chicken soup is the cure-all... try it.

Reply By: MasonM

Would margarine work just as well?

Mason, after readying your post about the vegan diet, and now this, I'm seriously considering dropping dairy too,
I don't have IBS however have the same issues from a bypass.....

I found a website the other day that lists foods that contain dairy and you wondn't believe how it can be hidden.
Would you like the URL for the site?
THey list margerine as having dairy, that's why I bring it up.
Happy weekend to ya!

I'm making curried chicken for our church's potluck tomorrow....mmmmmmmm!

Yeah, Trudy. Most margarine does indeed contain dairy products. But you can buy it without, you just have to read the labels. Not always easy to find though.

With the new labeling laws that went into effect the first of the year, it will be far easier to spot the products containing dairy as they are now required to specifically say it contains milk or milk products.

Now, if we can just force them to list meat products as meat products instead of "natural flavoring". grrrrr

Mason: Sure!

Here it is: Red Bell Pepper and Potato Cream Soup

4 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 potato, peeled and cut into thin strips
1 large onion, cut into thin strips
3-4 fresh garlic cloves, peeled and cut thinly
2 Tbsp. butter (although margarine, or even vegetable/olive oil would work fine, I think)
Paprika
Freshly ground black pepper
Oregano
2 cups chicken broth (I'm sure you could substitute veggie broth...I didn't have any so I used water and a tad bit of olive oil)

Sauté peppers, potato, onion, and garlic in butter until soft and translucent. Add seasonings to taste. Pour into food processor and process until smooth. Heat and thin to desired consistency with broth.

Even Adrian, who's not a big veggie fan, loved this one. Very good!

That sounds really good, Tex. I'll definately give it a try. Thanks.

I like browning rice with Soy Sauce, and then tossing in some steamed vegetables!  One of my favorite quickies!  And healthy to boot!

Oh do share Tex! I can find a suitable substitute for the butter. Would margarine work just as well?

You shouldn't have too much trouble finding vegan margarine, if you're so inclined. But, I might point out that in many cases you can simply substitute oil for the butter/margarine, and although you will find it to have a different flavor, if you know the flavor of various oils well, you shouldn't have too hard a time making a palatable finished product.

I like browning rice with Soy Sauce, and then tossing in some steamed vegetables! One of my favorite quickies! And healthy to boot!

That's pretty much what I did for dinner last night. Similar to the meal I posted about, but used brown rice, steamed carrots, onion, green bell pepper, and spinach leaves, all fried in olive oil and soy sauce.

Made a vegetarian chili tonight. mmmmmmmm. I used soy crumbles in place of ground beef and it turned out great. You'd never know the difference.

Made a vegetarian chili tonight. mmmmmmmm. I used soy crumbles in place of ground beef and it turned out great. You'd never know the difference.

Now, don't get me wrong, mason. I LOVE healthy fare. I am always willing to sample good vegetarian chili, and have made not a few pots of it myself. BUUUUUTTT, in every case (including my own), I COULD tell the difference (didn't make it any less yummy, though...lol)

there is nothing like a bowl of chili to beat the bug, especially if you add enough hot sauce.

Well Gid, I gave some to my step-father who is very much a meat eater. I didn't tell him it was vegetarian. After he ate it ate told me how good it was I told him it had no meat and he called me a liar. He said "it had some kind of meat in it".

Seasoned, browned soy crumbles in a chili are almost impossible to distinguish from browned ground beef. Try it some time.


Tim, I put enough chili powder, cayenne, and cumin in it to kill all but the heartiest of germs. My basic philosphy on chili is if it doesn't make your forehead sweat, it isn't hot enough.

I may have to try to make some vegetarian chili. I love that kind of thing, but I don't eat ground beef.

Gotta recipe?

Tex, I don't exactly use "recipes", especially for chili. When I cook I often just make it up as I go along, and it seems to work for me.

When I make make chili, it usually goes something like this:

Big pot

Pour in a large can of tomato juice. If pot is about half full good, otherwse grab another can.

A large package of soy crumbles (formerly know as browned ground beef LOL)

Large white onion, chopped

Green bell pepper, chopped

Red bell pepper, chopped

A couple jalapenos, chopped

A couple chili peppers, chopped

a couple cans of kidney beans

a can of diced tomatos

a can of black beans

a bunch of chili powder

a bunch of cumin

a bunch of cayenne

splash in some olive oil

I let this mess simmer on low heat for at least four hours (six is better), stirring occassionally and tasting for proper seasoning. I usually wind up adding more chili powder and cumin at a couple of points during the simmering process.

It's simple fare, but I (and a lot of other folks) think it's pretty tasty. If you want it a little thicker for some perverse reason, add a can or two of tomato paste. (It thickens pretty well during the simmering process without it, I never use it)

Mason: Hey, thanks. Sounds WONDERFUL!

I make a lot of things without recipes, too, and just go by feel. This one sounds like a winner. I haven't had chili in sooo long (I stopped eating ground beef several years ago), but I used to really love it. Lots of good beans and veggies in this, too.

My husband's tummy will thank you (if I don't tell him it has soy crumbles in it, hahaha)!

LMAO Tex. See my comment reagrding my step-father. If you don't tell him, he'll never know.

I do have a couple of "secret" ingredients I use in mine that most folks wouldn't like because they tend to be too hot. If you can get your hands on some habanero sauce and some Hotter N Hell sauce, put a couple splashes of each in it. Makes a world of difference.

Made a vegetarian chili tonight. mmmmmmmm. I used soy crumbles in place of ground beef and it turned out great. You'd never know the difference.

Hmmm......Chili!!!!!