Swiss Medley (veggie casserole)

This casserole is a tradition in my family. It's the perfect side dish that's different from your typical dishes.

I made this for Thanksgiving and the HUGE casserole dish was just about cleared out. My brother said he only eats this at holidays, but I think it's great any time of the year!!

Swiss Medley

1 (16 oz) pkg. frozen California veggie blend (broccoli, carrots, & cauliflower), thawed

1 cup sour cream

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded

French fried onions

Combine all ingredients except for the onions. Place in a 2 quart casserole dish. Top with onions and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Tips:

• I use sliced swiss cheese and tear into small pieces.
• I steam the veggies first and then combine with the other ingredients. This make the casserole more smooth with the cooked down broccoli & cauliflower.

Vegetarian Chili

This recipe was given to me years ago by a former co-worker. For some reason, I put it aside and didn't make it for a while. When I finally did, I realized I'd wasted a lot of time not eating this great meal!

Since marrying my meat-eating Hubby, I've now begun to add meat...shh, don't tell! In addition, I'm not one to follow the recipe so I tend to dump a little of this and a little of that in as well. This is the perfect recipe to play around with!

You can make this in a stock pot or toss it all in a crock pot for a few hours. It's also easy to double or triple if you really need to feed a crowd or want some to freeze.

While I normally eat it in a bowl with cheese & sour cream, my co-worker swore that the best way to eat this chili was to serve the chili over brown rice and scoop it up with Fritos.

Vegetarian Chili

6 cups canned kidney beans, drained & rinsed

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes

1 can (15 oz) tomato puree

1 tsp. chili powder (or to taste)

1 Tbsp. cumin (or to taste)

1 Tbsp. dry mustard

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste)

1 tsp. honey

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 medium onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1/4 lb. fresh mushrooms, diced

Place all the ingredients in a large stock pot. Mix well; bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until the veggies are tender, about 2 hours.