The Depot Farm

This soup is simple, yet filling and tastes great!

Cook 1/4 cup chopped onions and 1/4 cup finely chopped carrots in a pot with a little vegetable stock for about 5 minutes or until onions are transparent. Add 1 can lentil beans, 1/4 teaspoon tyme and 3 1/2 cups vegetable stock to the pot and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer 1/2 hour. Serve with crackers or toasted bread. Enjoy!

 With Thanksgiving just around the corner, here is a great side dish for the feast, or as a main meal for vegetarian friends.

1 package cheese tortelinni

1 can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh spinach

1 1/2 teaspoon basil

2 garlic cloves (chopped and crushed)

2 tablespoon flour

1 cup milk

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

While the tortelinni is cooking, add tomatoes, spinach and garlic to a saucepan and cook 2-3 minutes. Add the milk, parmesan cheese, basil and flour to the pan and heat on medium until mixture bubbles and begins to thicken. Drain tortelinni (do not rinse), add into the sauce and stir to coat.

  This recipe is great on a hot day. No cooking; quick and easy and keeps in the fridge. Put the following ingredients in a blender or food processor:

• 1 can black beans
• 1/2 cup onion
• 1/2 cup sweet peppers
• 2 or 3 cloves fresh garlic
• 1/2 can cooked spinach
• 3 or 4 mushroom caps
• 2 sprigs fresh basil leaves chopped
• 2 sprigs fresh oregano leaves

Drain spinach and beans before adding to blender (use a little veggie stock if mixture seems too thick after mixing) and blend all ingredients on puree until smooth.

Cool in covered container until ready to serve.

To serve: pour into bowls. Garnish with small sprig of basil and nasturtium flower. (add a dollop of sour cream if you like!)  Add some French bread and fresh green salad and enjoy!

  This is a staple salad at my house in the heat of the summer. Mix together chopped zuchinni, sweet onions, carrots, celery, eggplant and cherry tomatoes in bowl with a little olive oil and season with fresh basil and oregano. Chill well and serve with ice tea and and thinly sliced french bread. Enjoy!

 One thing I enjoy is a simple veggie drink once or twice a day, extra vitamins never hurt. I simply chop one cucumber (including skin), A stalk of celery, a hand full of lettuce, 1 clove garlic and 4-5 cherry tomatoes ( add a pepper if you want to make the drink sweeter.) Place into a blender with about 1/2 cup of water and blend the mixture. I strain the liquid through a sieve to remove the pulp and pour into a glass and enjoy. It's a great pick-me-up to start the day.

To break away from the normal salads made with raw lettuce, I broil or grill my romaine lettuce to add a different texture and flavor for variety. Using romaine hearts, I slice them in half lengthwise leaving to core to hold the leaves together. Baste the cut edges with a creamy salad dressing like Ranch or Caesar. Place on the grill cut edge down or in the broiler basted edge up. Broil for about 2 minutes, watching them carefully (they will burn quickly) until the edges are browned. Transfer onto plates and drizzle a little more salad dressing over them. Serve with toasted garlic bread.

Hi All! This is an easy recipe for Vegan Pea Soup. It's great to make on a cold, snowy day when all you want to do is sit by the wood stove and stay warm.

Chop 1/2 onion and 1celery stalk; cook in a little vegetable stock for about 5 minutes or until tender. Open and drain 1 can sweet peas. Put 1 1/2 cups veggie stock in a blender; add peas, the cooked onion and celery pieces and blend until almost smooth (add more stock if too thick). Return to pot, season with pepper and heat on medium stove until warm. Serve with crackers and parsley garnish.

 This makes a great side dish or main meal!

1 lb broccoli florets

1 medium onion - coarsely chopped

4-5 cloves garlic - crushed

1 tablespoon soy sauce

dried basil

sesame seeds

Steam the broccoli and onion about 5 minutes. Add to pan with garlic and soy sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds; shake liberal amount of basil over ingredients and mix well to coat. Cook on high heat (stir fry) about 3 minutes and serve.

Here's a simple recipe for vegan chili; cook it in a slow cooker 6-8 hrs on low for the best flavor! Simply mix the following ingredients together and cook:

1 can black beans, drained

1 can kidney or great northern beans, drained

1 can crushed tomatoes with the liquid

1/2 cup each:

   chopped red peppers

   diced onion

   chopped celery

   canned corn

1 cup vegetable stock

Season with oregano, basil, cumin, garlic and chili powder to taste. (you can add 2 vegan paddies cooked and crumbled to the chili mixture if you want the look and texture of a ground beef chili). Enjoy!

  This recipe is a good side dish or stand alone meal!

Cook 1/2 chopped onion, 1 medium pepper (sliced thinly), and halved green olives in veggie broth until tender; add a handful of fresh spinach leaves and a handful of chopped kale to the pan and cook until greens have wilted. Season with a little cumin and oregano, toss well and serve warm. Enjoy!

As fall approaches and the kids go back to school, here's a treat to make for after school or desert. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Apple Treat 

Put 1/2 can pureed pumpkin or 1 cup fresh puree, 2 peeled apples (chopped into pieces); 1 teaspoon each of cinnamon and nutmeg; 1/4 cup raisins and 2/3 cup apple or orange juice in blender and mix till smooth. Heat on medium stove till warmed through. Place in bowls and serve with vanilla cookies!

Here's an easy breakfast sandwich to have at home or on the go!

  Thinly slice a banana and spread almond butter or your favorite nut spread on the slices; place in a double layer of romaine or iceberg lettuce and roll like a burrito. Make two or three of these wraps, add a drink and you have a healthy snack or breakfast to go! 

  All you need for this recipe is 1 quart fresh green beans, 2 medium leeks, some fresh dill and some almonds. Wash and trim the leeks; cut length-wise into strips about the length of the green beans. place whole green beans and the leeks into a sauce pan; add enough water to saute them and prevent burning; cook on medium heat about 5 -7 minutes until leeks are tender. Drain and arrange on platter adding some almonds and dill ferns to the top. Garnish with fresh parsley and pansy flowers. Enjoy! 

  Today's recipe is easy to make. Cook some chopped onion and red pepper in a little vegetable broth until tender; add black beans and continue heating until beans are warmed through. Turn off heat and season with basil, oregano, chili pepper and parsley. Wash a butterhead lettuce under cold water and separate leaves. Set two(2) leaves together and place a spoonful of the bean mixture in the center; roll the leaves and beans into a burrito; folding sides as you roll. Arrange on a plate dressed with fresh strawberries and asparagus spears topped with almonds. Yum!

  If you want a cold salad without the lettuce, just mix in bowtie pasta in place of the butterhead lettuce and chill.

  This is a salad I like to make to have when I'm out in the field all day!

• 1 can drained fruit cocktail
• 1/4 cup each finely cut onion, celery, red pepper and mixed nuts ( I use pecans, pumpkin, sunflower seed)
• 1/8 cup raisins

  Cook veggies in a pan with a little vegetable stock about 5 minutes until softened. Add nuts and raisins, allow to cool. Pour fruit cocktail into veggies and mix well. Put mixture into covered containers and place in fridge. Place a container in a cool pack along with your favorite cold drinks and your ready to go!