Looking for Vegetarian Recipes

My daughter is 15 years old and her name is Krystal.  You can see her in the pic above.  She recently has made the choice to become a Vegetarian.  I'm supporting her in this choice and her and I are both looking for Vegetarian and/or even Vegan recipes. 

If you have a Vegetarian or Vegan recipe you would like to share, please comment and be sure to include your blog url if you have one so we can let everyone know when we try the recipes and post the pic and our reviews.

Thanks for your help.

Oven Baked Pineapple Pork Chops

8-oz. can pineapple slices, drained and 4 T. juice reserved



2 T. soy sauce


1/2 t. ground ginger


1/2 t. garlic powder 4 pork loin chops


1/3 c. Italian-seasoned bread crumbs


1 t. paprika


Combine reserved pineapple juice, soy sauce, ginger and garlic powder in a


shallow bowl; add pork chops, turning once to coat. Marinate in the


refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Gently toss bread crumbs and paprika in a


pie plate; add pork chops, coating both sides. Arrange pork chops in an


ungreased shallow 13"x9" baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.


Turn pork chops; place one pineapple slice on each pork chop. Bake 25


additional minutes. Makes 4 servings.

13 Ways to Use Cucumbers

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.
2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.
3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.
4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.
5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!
6.. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!
7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.
8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.
9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!
10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.
11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.
12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

Roasted Pepper & Tomato Soup

•2 Tablespoons butter



•2 Tablespoons flour


•16 oz can of whole tomatoes with Italian seasoning, undrained


•7 oz. jar of roasted red peppers, drained


•1 cup chicken broth


•6 oz. can tomato paste


•1 clove garlic, minced


•1 Tablespoon sugar


•1 Tablespoon dried basil or 2 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped


•Salt and pepper to taste






Melt butter in large saucepan. Stir in flour to make a roux and cook for about 2-3 minutes stirring constantly. Add tomatoes, red peppers, broth, tomato paste, garlic, sugar and salt and pepper. Cook until soup bubbles. Puree with an immersion blender or in batches in a standing blender.

New Year's Good Luck Foods

Traditional New Year foods are also thought to bring luck. Many cultures believe that anything in the shape of a ring is good luck, because it symbolizes "coming full circle," completing a year's cycle. For that reason, the Dutch believe that eating donuts on New Year's Day will bring good fortune.


Many parts of the U.S. celebrate the new year by consuming black-eyed peas. These legumes are typically accompanied by either hog jowls or ham. Black-eyed peas and other legumes have been considered good luck in many cultures. The hog, and thus its meat, is considered lucky because it symbolizes prosperity. Cabbage is another "good luck" vegetable that is consumed on New Year's Day by many. Cabbage leaves are also considered a sign of prosperity, being representative of paper currency. In some regions, rice is a lucky food that is eaten on New Year's Day.

Happy Halloween

Halloween & Samhain Blessings to all of our Mystical Kitchen readers.

Halloween Poem by Cartoon Cottage

Bewitching Kitchen Tips

1. A quartz crystal placed on or near the stove when cooking makes food taste better.

2. A pot of basil grown in your kitchen keeps the area safe from evil forces and negative spirits.

3. Unlucky influences should be kept away from when cooking or preparing magickal recipes; to accomplish, always stir in a clockwise direction.

4. An aloe plant should be kept in the kitchen, it's juices are an instant cure for minor kitchen burns.