Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Holiday fruit smoothie

I got a Vitamix for Christmas and I'm LOVING it so far!  I think I'll use it even more in the summer time.  I came across this recipe and made it back in December.  I made it again today and adapted it to make it whole 30.  It turned out great!

1 apple, cored
1 pear, cored
1/2 avocado
1/4 cup whole cranberries(fresh or frozen)
2 dates, pitted
1 cup coconut milk ice cubes
1/4 t pumpkin pie spice
1/4 t cinnamon
a splash of water

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Tuscan Bean Soup

I saw this recipe on Pioneer woman and it looked so good. Most of her recipes aren't very healthy so I was excited to see this and give it a try. The original recipe called for shrimp, but I left that out. I also didn't have fresh basil so I put a dollop of pesto on the soup once I ladeled it bowls. It was delicious!

Ingredients
5 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
3 cans (14.5 Ounce) Cans Great Northern Beans, Drained And Rinsed
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
2 teaspoons Dried Oregano
1/4 cup Tomato Paste
3/4 cups Dry White Wine
1 can (28 Ounces) Whole Or Diced Tomatoes
6 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1 bunch Kale (more If Desired)
Plenty Of Torn Fresh Basil or prepared pesto

Preparation Instructions
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic and stir to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir to cook about 2 minutes, getting lots of flavor in the bottom of the pan. Stir in red pepper flakes and dried oregano; stir and cook for another 30 seconds.
Pour in wine and whisk, scraping the bottom of the pan a bit as you go. Allow this to bubble up and reduce, cooking until the wine is reduced by half.
Add canned tomatoes. Drain and rinse beans, then add to pot. Pour in chicken broth. Stir to combine and allow it to simmer for 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste.
Rinse the kale and tear it into chunks. Stir into soup. (It'll shrink quite a bit, so don't be afraid when you first add it!) Allow the soup to simmer for another 5 minutes, tasting and adding salt and pepper (or even more red pepper flakes) as needed.

Thank you Pioneer Woman!

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Peanut butter banana muffins

Todd came home from tennis the other night with an abundance of bananas and peanut butter. I personally have not tried these muffins since I'm not a banana fan. James gobbled 2 down right away so they must be good! I googled "peanut butter banana muffins" and this looked good to me!

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

4 ripe bananas
1 1/4 c whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 c honey
2 T melted butter
2 eggs
1/3 c unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 T creamy peanut butter
{optional: +2 tb to use as small dollops of pb on top of each muffin}

1. Mash bananas and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together honey and melted butter until smooth.
3. Add applesauce, eggs, vanilla extract and peanut butter. Whisk together until smooth.
4. Add flour, baking soda, salt & stir together until not lumpy.
5. Add bananas and mix until just combined.
6. Spoon mixture into lined muffin tin.
7. Add a small (1/4 ts?) dollop of peanut butter to the top of each muffin, and sort of press it in until it's almost covered by the muffin batter.
8. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. I stuck the toothpick in at an angle and went towards the center to avoid sticking it through the dollop of peanut butter.

Yield: 12 muffins

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Lentil soup

I got this recipe is from my co-worker Kathy several years back. Her Italian mother made this frequently when she was growing up. The ingredients are so simple, but it tastes so good. I know lentils aren't everyones "cup of tea", but I love them. Warning, this makes a lot of soup!

Ingredients
Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
4-5 stalks celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 bag lentils
11 cups stock/broth of choice (maybe a little less if not adding rice or pasta)
1/2-1 cup small pasta or brown rice(tonight I used ditalini which is the cutest little pasta ever!)
Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in large soup pot. Saute onion, carrots, and celery until tender. Add garlic and salt/pepper to taste. Cook 1-2 more minutes. Add tomatoes, lentils and stock/broth. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add small pasta or rice. Cook until done. Rice will take much longer than pasta to cook.

To serve ladle into bowls, add a little olive oil and parmesan cheese. Yum!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Balsamic glazed carrots

I saw this recipe in Septembers Health magazine. I love anything with balsamic vinegar so I thought these were great!
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds(12 medium) carrots, halved lengthwise then halved crosswise. I halved then just halved the chunky top half crosswise. This made 3 segments from each carrot.
2 T olive oil
2 T water
1/2 t cumin
2 T balsamic vinegar
parsley for garnish

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Roast carrots 35-40 minutes until tender. Remove carrots and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar. Shake the pan to distribute vinegar.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Toasted Quinoa with sun-dried tomatoes, chickpeas and feta

I originally saw this idea here. I changed it up a little bit the basic recipe is the same.

Ingredients
2 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup uncooked), prepared according to pkg
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 bunch green onions, divided
2 T olive oil
1/2 cup chickpeas
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes and feta

Heat 2 T olive oil in skillet until hot. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Remove garlic and dispose. Add half green onions and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add cooked quinoa and saute for 10-15 minutes until brown and crispy. Add toppings of choice.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Oven roasted almonds

We love to eat almonds at our house. My aunt Lynda shared this recipe/method over the weekend. It makes raw almonds taste amazing without any added flavors or salt. I can't wait to go home and roast my raw almonds(We buy them in a big bag at Costco).
All you do is put your almonds on a baking sheet and roast at 300 for 30 minutes. That's it! Let cool and enjoy. Once you try these you won't want to eat raw almonds ever again!
Enjoy!

Monday, August 15, 2011

Quinoa Spinach Bake

This recipe is for all my quinoa loving friends. I know you guys are out there somewhere!! This recipe reminded me of my spinach pie, but not as cheesy. Probably a little healthier too. The recipe called for blanching the spinach but that seemed like too much work so I just cooked it with the onions after they softened. You could also sub frozen spinach too! Todd ate this for breakfast with a salsa quite a few times. YES, you heard correctly, Todd is eating quinoa and he liked it!! I'm so proud of him! Now I just need to get him to eat oatmeal! One grain at a time I suppose!
Ingredients:
1 lbs spinach
2 t olive oil
1 yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T fresh thyme
1 t rosemary
1/4 t red pepper flakes
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 cup cottage cheese
salt and pepper to taste
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 8 x 8 inch glass baking dish with olive oil spray. Heat oil in saute pan. Add onion, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and red pepper flakes and saute for about 8 minutes. Add spinach and cooked until wilted. Remove from heat and combine with quinoa, cottage cheese and eggs. Pour into prepared baking dish and bake until edges are brown for 60-70 minutes. Serve warm or at room temp.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Vegetable Lasagna

I channelled Pioneer Woman on this recipe. I saw her vegetable lasagna a few months ago. Yum! I changed it up quite a bit, but the basic method is the same. I used less noodles, less ricotta, less egg, different veggies/herbs. Whatever you do, don't leave out the wine. This is what makes the sauce taste so good! It is my new summer lasagna.

Ingredients:
9 cooked lasagna noodles
2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 red pepper, Diced
1 eggplant, Chopped
3 squash (yellow Or zucchini), Diced
1 can (28 Ounce) crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup White Wine
1/4 cup Fresh basil, chopped
1 t fresh oregano, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt (more To Taste)
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
15 oz ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 cups mozzarella, shredded
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Extra Parmesan Cheese, For Sprinkling

Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and lay flat on a sheet of aluminum foil.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for a minute. Add diced red peppers and saute for another minute or so. Add squash and eggplant and cook for a few minutes. Pour in wine, add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, and stir.
Pour in tomatoes. Stir to combine and let simmer for 20 minutes or so. Stir in chopped basil and oregano.
In a separate bowl, combine ricotta, egg, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.
To assemble, spread a little of the vegetable/tomato sauce in a lasagna pan. Layer three cooked noodles in the pan, slightly overlapping them if necessary. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture on the noodles. Top the ricotta mixture with mozzarella. Spoon a little less than 1/3 of the veggie/sauce mixture over the mozzarella.
Repeat the layering two more times, ending with a large helping of vegetable sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan.
Bake at 350 degrees, covered in foil, for 20 minutes, then remove foil and continue baking for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Balsamic & White Wine Roasted Vegetable Pasta

I have enjoyed following this blog lately and found this post that looked so good. I made it for dinner tonight and we all really enjoyed it.

Ingredients:
1 head of broccoli(cut into florets)
1 lbs brussels sprouts(halved)
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t montreal seasonings
olive oil
1/2 of a yellow onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 T butter
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
12 oz penne pasta, cooked

Preheat oven to 425. Place brussels sprouts on baking sheet and toss with a little olive oil and the garlic powder. Roast for 30 minutes, turning after 15 minutes. Place the broccoli florets on another baking sheet and toss with olive oil and montreal seasoning. Add to the oven when you are turning the brussels sprouts and roast for 15 minutes. So the brussels sprouts end up roasting for 30 and the broccoli for 15. While the veggies are roasting cook the onions until soft( about 5 minutes) and then add the garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the wine, balsamic, and butter. Simmer and reduce. Add roasted veggies, sundried tomatoes to wine sauce and toss with cooked penne. Sprinkle with parmesan and enjoy!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Chunky Vegetarian Chili

1 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3-4 peppers, variety of yellow, red, and green
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T brown sugar or honey
1-2 T chili powder
1 t cumin
1 t italian seasoning
28 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 can of rotel
2 15 oz can black beans
1 15 oz can kidney beans
1 15 oz can pinto beans
1 cup corn

Heat oil in large pot over med-high heat. Add onion, peppers, garlic, saute 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Makes approximately 8 cups. I like to make this in the crockpot too!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Sweet potato and black bean quesadillas

1 package of whole wheat tortillas
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and grated
½ yellow onion, grated
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
Salt and pepper
1 can drained and rinsed black beans
1 cup cheddar cheese

Preheat a large skillet and add 1 tbsp. olive oil. To the large skillet, add grated onion and sweet potato and cook 15-20 minutes until onions and potatoes are soft. Turn skillet with potato mixture off, gently fold in black beans, cumin, chili powder, salt/pepper.. Clean out skillet with a paper towel, spray with nonstick cooking spray, and return to heat. Add one tortilla to skillet, brown on one side, flip over. Sprinkle with cheese, then add ½ cup of potato mixture, then sprinkle with more cheese. Fold one side over, brown for 4-5 minutes,then flip and brown the other side. Top with salsa, sour cream, or cilantro. I like to eat these with tomato soup!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Italian Vegetable Pasta Salad

This is really easy and really good! You can use any assortment of veggies that you have on hand.
Ingredients:
1 pkg. GOOD SEASONS Italian Dressing Mix
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (* red wine vinegar may used as well)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1/8 cup water + 3Tbsp
1 pkg. (9 oz.) refrigerated three cheese tortellini, cooked, rinsed and drained
1 small zucchini, cut lengthwise in half, sliced
1/2 cup chopped green peppers
1/2 cup chopped red peppers
1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
2 green onions, diagonally sliced
PLACE dressing mix, water and vinegar in cruet or other container with tight-fitting lid. Add oil; cover. Shake until well blended.
COMBINE remaining ingredients in large bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the dressing; toss lightly. Cover.
REFRIGERATE at least 2 hours. Stir before serving.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Root Vegetable Lasagna


This was delicious and both James and Todd LOVED it! It was very time consuming though and something that I would probably only make on the weekends.
Root Vegetable Lasagna from Cooking Light
Ingredients
6 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 2 1/2 pounds)
2 1/4 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato (about 1 pound)
2 cups coarsely chopped onion, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
Cooking spray
4 cups milk
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/3 cup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) grated Parmesan
9 packaged no-boil lasagna noodles
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 450°. Combine squash, potato, 1 cup chopped onion, and oil in a roasting pan coated with cooking spray, tossing to coat vegetables. Bake at 450° for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring once; set aside. Combine remaining 1 cup onion, milk, nutmeg, cinnamon, and bay leaf in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a simmer. Remove from heat; let stand 15 minutes. Strain milk mixture through a fine sieve over a bowl; discard solids. Return milk mixture to pan. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add flour, salt, and pepper to milk mixture, stirring with a whisk. Cook over medium heat 10 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently with a whisk. Remove from heat; stir in Parmesan cheese.

Preheat oven to 375°. Spread 1/2 cup milk mixture in bottom of a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles over milk mixture; top with half of squash mixture, 1/2 cup mozzarella, and 1 cup milk mixture. Repeat layer with noodles, squash mixture, mozzarella, and milk mixture. Top with remaining 3 noodles. Spread remaining milk mixture over noodles, and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.