Who says vegetarians can't make a good hash?

Last night, we made "Sam's Truck Stop Hash" topped with "Red Onion-Green Apple Marmalade", both recipes from The Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes Cookbook.  The hash, made with Boca Meat Crumbles and lots of potatoes, was warm and hearty and fit right in with the title of the cookbook.  It definitely brought back a little bit of childhood for me when I tasted it.  We topped it with the marmalade, which was tasty, but not exactly up my alley.  The recipe tells you to use ketchup instead if you want it "truck-stop style".  Perhaps, I will try that today when I have it for lunch.  Both recipes can be made vegan and gluten-free, depending on the meat substitute you choose.

As far as ratings:

"Sam's Truck Stop Hash" ★★★★★

"Red Onion-Green Apple Marmalade" ★★★

Sweet Potatoes, Apples and Avocado. Who knew it would taste so good?

Well, according to Elwood J. Blues, "Just about every Tex-Mex chef in the world, ever?"  And he's probably right!  But this is the first recipe I've ever made, let alone tasted that combined sweet potatoes, apples, avocados, lime juice, corn, onion, toasted pumpkin seeds, olive oil and cilantro.  I snagged this recipe from Vegetarian Times and it was delicious.  The flavors mixed really well together, a combination of sweet and tangy.  And the apple and pumpkin seeds gave it a very nice crunchy texture.  The dish was very easy to make and took less than 20 minutes total.  I put a scoop of it over some mixed baby greens and had some homemade pumpernickel on the side.  While I ate it as a main dish, it would probably serve best as a side dish, since it wasn't very filling.  It's also gluten-free and vegan.  I give it 4 out of 5 spoons.

Dancin' John: New South Black-Eyed Peas and Rice

It's traditional to eat black-eyed peas on New Year's Day as it's thought to bring prosperity for the upcoming year.  This year, I chose a recipe from Crescent Dragonwagon's Passionate Vegetarian called 'Dancin' John: New South Black-eyed Peas and Rice'.  In the south, black-eyed peas are traditionally cooked with some sort of pork, giving it a smokey flavor.  Since my household is vegetarian, we opted to leave out the pork and instead use chipotle chiles recommended by the recipe to give it that smokey flavor.  It takes a few hours to make, but the result is wonderful, hearty and warm.  Just perfect for a cold New Year's day.  Hopefully it will be perfect for ushering in a year of prosperity too!

I give this recipe 4/5 stars.  This recipe is also gluten-free and dairy-free.