Vegetable Appetizer Recipes List

Vegetable Appetizer Recipes

The vegetable appetizer recipes page is just getting started so keep checking back for more veggie appetizer recipes.

Fresh is best!  Get as many of the ingredients as you can from local farms, markets or stores that sell local produce. Remember to support your community, your neighbors, your friends…Buy Local! Pretty Please.

Leek Vinaigrette Recipe

Leeks Vinaigrette Vegetable Appetizer RecipesWash carefully to remove all the earth.

Tie with thread into a bundle, or wrap a narrow piece of alum­inum foil around them.

Cook in boiling salted water 10 minutes, or until tender but firm.

Drain well; cool, and remove thread or foil.

Beat together the oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and mus­tard. Stir in the onion, parsley, and egg.

Pour over the leeks; chill at least 4 hours, or overnight.

Serves 6.

I know what you’re thinking…mushrooms aren’t vegetables. True, but where else was I going to put these nummilicious mushroom recipes?So here they are, on the vegetable appetizer recipe page 😉

Mushroom Pickles Recipe

Pickled Mushroom RecipeCombine and bring to a boil the vinegar, salt, lemon, chili sauce, and allspice.

Add the mushrooms and bring just to a boil.

Remove from heat immediately

Pack into jars and refrigerate for 24 hours before serving.

Keeps 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator, or longer if packed in sealed jars.

French Fried Mushrooms Recipe

Vegetable Appetizer Recipe for French Fried Mushrooms

Wash and thoroughly dry the mushrooms.

Cut in 1/2-inch slices, stems and all; toss with the flour.

Heat the oil to 375°; fry the mushrooms 2 minutes.

Drain well; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Serve 4-6, or pierce with cocktail picks to serve as a hot hors d’oeuvre.

Recipe For Mushrooms in Parmesan Sauce

Recipe Mushrooms in Parmesan Sauce

Cook the broth, chili sauce, salt, ginger and onion over low heat for 5 minutes.

Melt the butter in a skillet; saute the mushrooms 5 minutes.

Mix in the hot sauce; cook over low heat 2 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Just before serving, blend in the cheese until melted.

Serve on toast, in patty shells or on crisp crackers.

Serves 4-6.

Russian Style Mushroom Recipe

Recipe For Mushrooms Russian Style

Melt the butter in a skillet; saute’ the onion 5 minutes.

Add the mushrooms, salt, and pepper; saute 5 minutes, or until browned and liquid evaporated.

Blend in the paprika and sour cream; heat but do not let boil.

Deli­cious on toast as a first course, or as a vegetable.

Serves 4-6.

Onions in Raisin Sauce Recipe

 

Onions in Raisin Sauce Veggie Recipe

Buy even-sized onions.

Heat the oil in a deep skillet; add the peeled onions, tossing until coated.

Mix in the water, vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar, tomato paste, marjoram, bay leaf, and raisins.

Cover, bring to a boil and cook over low heat 30 minutes, or until tender but firm. Shake the pan frequently.

Chill.

Serves 8-10.

I will be adding more vegetable appetizer recipes soon.  In the meantime, if you have any great vegetable appetizer recipes or any type of veggie recipe that you’d like to share please share it in the comments or send me an e-mail.

I know, I know, I’ve said it before.  Here goes again…

Support Your Neighbours Your Friends Your Community…Buy Local! Pretty please :)

Vegetable Recipes

Vegetable Recipes

I’m putting together a bunch of vegetable recipes to share. Before you know it (fingers crossed) a whole list of easy to make veggie dishes will appear when you click here.

For now, let’s start with some veggie talk…

Duncan Farmers Market Vegetable Recipe Page ImageI prefer to eat and cook with fresh vegetables as much as possible.

My second choice is frozen. They can be a great offseason alternative to fresh, they are available all year round. This means we don’t always have to wait for summer to enjoy a great tasting broccoli dish or the spring-like taste of baby peas.

Nothing beats fresh for eating raw though. So, I try to eat and cook with veggies that are in season. This also happens to be when the prices are lowest. I also do my best to buy locally grown. Please, support your local farmers.

I’m pretty lucky when it comes to accessing fresh local veggies at reasonable prices. We have a lot of farmer markets surrounding us in the Cowichan Valley.  In fact, one of the biggest Saturday markets in British Columbia is just minutes away from home.

The Duncan Farmers Market is open every Saturday all year long and at last count has over 150 vendors. I enjoy my Saturday outings to the market.

We have the ability to buy directly from farmers and farm markets. A short car ride away in either direction we have Russell Farms Market & The Old Farm Market. 

And, summer through fall there’s also Grandma’s garden to pick from.

Rarely do I use canned vegetables from stores. Though, I will include a quick canned vegetable recipe or two. Because in a pinch sometimes canned veggies are the only option. So, why not spice them up a bit?

Veggie Advice

Select small, young vegetables whenever you can. They have the sweetest taste and crispiest texture. As tempting as it may be to get more bang for your buck by buying the biggest vegetable, or the older tired vegetables on clearance, sometimes it just isn’t worth the loss flavour, texture, and freshness.

For example, a tiny young carrot is wayyyy better tasting than a foot long giant overgrown one.

Though, when it comes to soups and stews, you can put those clearance rack veggies to some tasty use.

When it comes to frozen, quality is really important. Try to buy brands whose vegetables are frozen within hours of being picked. Some of the vegetable recipes will look at creative ways to cook with frozen.

 

 

 

 

Sensational Services Shout Out

Sensational Service Shout Out

We’re dedicating our Saturday posts to local shops, restaurants, farmers, artisans and other Cowichan Valley establishments that put in the effort to deliver sensational service to their customers.

All too often, especially on the web these days, we’re inundated with negative thoughts. Seems crankiness is contagious and people can be pretty quick to complain, but we have a habit of slacking off when it comes to sharing our positive experiences.

Rather than complaining about the bad experiences, I prefer to encourage

I Love Cowichan Sensational Service with a Smile Web Image
Sensational Service with a Smile

sensational service. When someone makes the effort to provide service with a smile I enjoy thanking them. Both in person and on the I Love Cowichan blog with a shout out.

It really makes my day when I’m greeted with a genuine beaming smile and am not made to feel like helping me is an imposition.  Happiness is contagious too! Join me in helping to spread the joy of warm smiles by supporting local businesses that care about their customers.

This Week’s Sensational Service Shout Out Goes to…

Aastha Devotional Indian Food

Aastha Devotional Indian Food Sensational Service Shout Out I Love Cowichan
Aastha Devotional Indian Food James Street Duncan BC

Everything about my first visit to this restaurant was excellent.

I was greeted by a warm welcoming smile and patience as I became familiar with the dishes on the menu.

I went with the daily special that the chef cheerfully made a slight adjustment to for me.  I can’t remember the last time that a meal included the drink. I really appreciated that little extra.

Thank you, everyone, at Aastha for making my local dining experience an enjoyable outing.

Other Sensational Serice Shout Outs

 

Final Destination Shawnigan Lake

Exploring Vancouver Island #iLoveCowichan Shawnigan Lake Road Trip

We love supporting local businesses while exploring where we live. And, so that is what we did on a sunny Cowichan Valley Thursday when we headed out to Shawnigan Lake.

Face Carving Recreation Road Shawnigan Lake BC

Shawnigan Lake BC

Once upon a time on a sunshiny day in Duncan, we hopped into the I Love Cowichan mobile and headed to Shawnigan Lake. There were errands to run, some exploring to do, passengers wanting a swim and parents looking forward to some yummy treats.

Look Out Shawnigan Lake Here We Come

First stop a drop off at the lake and then a quick trip to the vet for some of Leo the Blogging Cur’s medicine.

Thank you Shawnigan Lake Veterinary Wellness Practice for caring so much about our pup.

Then the grown ups partook in some taco taste testing at Compass Mexican Bistro. I had the veggie taco which was fresh and super yummy. They didn’t have ice coffee on the menu, but they happily made me some using their house Canadiana blend, which really hit the spot.

Next Stop the Village Chippery in Shawnigan Lake

Village Chippery MenuI love everything about the Village Chippery in Shawnigan! The decor, the ambience, the friendly smiles and conversation. But most importantly, the incredible, mouth watering, perfect in every way fries.

Before heading back to the lake to do some exploring, we stopped to pick some up as a surprise. Well, plus, I wanted some too.

They have a house made vegan burger on the menu that I can’t wait to try. Here’s a snippet of their menu. Keep in mind it may have changed, so it’s best to check for the most up to date www.villagechippery.com

Old Mill Park Shawnigan Lake

When we got to Old Mill Park we started down the path and came to a fork. Right I went, and wrong I was.

I’d only been to the beach once before and followed someone in, so I didn’t know there were multiple walking trails in the park. What a wonderful accidental discovery. An easy walking pathway took me through the woods to a look out at the edge of the lake.

From there I could see the beach to my left, which is where I headed next. While taking a ton of pictures we ran into this little guy along the way.

I took so many great pictures that I’m hoping to share with you soon. Can’t wait to go and explore Old Mill Park in Shawnigan Lake, BC some more this summer.

Nanaimo Bound Early on a Saturday

Road tripping to VIU Nanaimo Campus

Leo the Blogging Cur Sleeping In
Leo took advantage by jumping into a warm bed

Early this morning we set out on a road trip to the Vancouver Island University Nanaimo campus.

VeeBeeArts needed a lift to her Bachelor of Arts program interview and the time had come for some grad shopping to be done.

A lot of yawning was going on as we got ready to head out around seven am. And, of course we did our best not to disturb Leo the sleeping brindle beauty.

When I stumbled out the door still half asleep, I was grateful I’d remembered to wear my sunglasses. It was surprisingly chilly but the sun was out in full force. The sky was cloudless and a pretty energising shade of blue.

After a few sips of coffee and soaking up some dazzling early morning rays, I was wide awake and ready to roll on down the highway.

Take a TON of Pictures In and Around Nanaimo

My plan was to walk around the campus taking pictures while we waited. But, it was so windy and cold that idea didn’t pan out so well. So, I headed back to the car where I enjoyed doing a little passenger seat photography instead.

After a positive interview, and some successful grad shopping it was still early, leaving us time to explore Nanaimo.

But first, we decided to seek out the Taco Revolution food truck.

You might be wondering why we’d be looking for them in that neck of the woods.  Well, that’s because I was taking taking side view mirror pictures and I spotted them behind us. So, VeeBeeArts checked their Instagram and ironically they were set up nearby at an Earth Day celebration.

I was able to take even more Nanaimo road trip pictures. Some of which I’ll share with you tomorrow on Instagram. Also, I’ll be adding more pictures and some videos to the blog over the next couple of days.

Hope you’re all having a wonderful weekend! And, remember…..when you shop locally owned you are supporting your neighbours, your friends and your community.

Shop Cowichan Challenge #ILoveCowichan