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Chef Dave
Vegging out

By Dave Ross

Nearly four months have passed since we Americans launched our annual spate of resolutions, and by now we’ve either stuck to—or completely forgotten about—any lifestyle changes that accompanied the arrival of the new year.

While the excitement of the holidays is long gone, many of us are still feeling the effects of an over-abundance of holiday foods.

After consuming enough cookies, crackers and chips to shingle a roof and enough eggnog to fill a kiddie pool, I pledged to start this year with a commitment to healthier eating.

I may be getting a later-than-desired start, but it’s better than blowing off my good intentions and doing nothing.

One way to improve our eating habits is by going meatless a couple of days a week.

The recipe provided herewith is for a hearty vegetable casserole that makes a good low-cal main dish.

Vegetable Casserole

1½ cups minced onions

4 lg. firm tomatoes

2 cups diced potato

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup sliced carrots

2 tbs. butter or margarine

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. paprika

½  tsp. black pepper

2 tbs. grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat a casserole dish with 1 tsp. of butter.

Slice tomatoes into half- inch slices. Layer the veggies and tomatoes into the casserole sprinkling each layer with the salt, pepper and paprika.

Dot the top with the remaining butter and the grated cheese. Cover and bake for one hour or until all the veggies are tender.

If you are feeling creative or want a little more spice, you can add some sliced green chilies or an accent herb of your choosing.

Kyrene Corridor resident Dave Ross writes regularly for Wrangler News.

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