Vegetarian Foods

My brother called me last week and told me he and his wife were doing a cleanse…no meat, no sugar, etc. He said he was finding it difficult to come up with vegetarian meals. I gave him some ideas and it was like turning on a lightbulb. I think often when someone is used to preparing meals entirely around a meat they can’t think about cooking any other way, but if you step back and think about how many meals you eat without meat, you would probably be surprised. It just takes a little time to think about food differently.

We went to a work function for Aaron’s job last night and the secretary was kind enough to make sure there were vegetarian options for me. This morning Aaron made the comment that it is interesting how there can be meatless options that everyone eats probably without even realizing it. I would go as far as to say you could come to my house for dinner, not know we are vegetarians, eat a good meal and not even realize it was meat-free.

So, if you are trying to eat less meat, a healthy and often cheaper option, here are some meal ideas to get you started:

- Fried Rice, last week I made this with broccoli, carrots, onion, brown rice and egg. It was YUMM.

- Mexican…you can easily do almost all Mexican vegetarian. We eat a lot of enchiladas and burritos.

- Italian, same, most pastas can be done vegetarian, think lasagne, ravioli, fettucini alfredo, etc. And yes, marinara sauce comes meat-free and is also super easy to make.

- Taco Salad, another fave for us. We’ve also been doing nachos with toppings for Sunday night dinners lately. (I consider Sunday night a throw together meal…usually something fun and different than normal.)

- Breakfast…we love breakfast burritos for dinner, and if you want more substance, the only meat substitute I ever recommend (outside of vegie burgers) are Morningstar Vegetarian Sausage Patties. Chop them up and they are great in breakfast burritos. We also eat a lot of egg sandwiches. I love a fried egg with a sausage patty & cheese on an english muffin.

- Soups, again, substitute vegetarian broth for chicken broth and most soups are easily vegetarian.

- Pizza, yes this falls under Italian, but pizza is a great vegie dinner.

- Baked Potatoes with toppings…Trader Joe’s sells a great vegetarian chili without any fake meat. This is one of Aaron’s favorite meals.

Here are what I consider my staples…food I always have around so I can easily throw together a meal:

Tortillas, olives, cheese, beans, brown rice, pasta, vegetarian broth, frozen vegies, eggs, diced tomatoes, raw tomatoes, onions, tomato sauce/paste. I buy most of this in bulk at Costco.

Caprese Skewers

Cherry tomatoes
Mozzarella balls
Basil leaves
Foccaccia
Olive Oil
Skewer sticks

Cube the foccaccia into squares about 1″ by 1″. Slide a cherry tomato, foccaccia, cheese ball and basil leaf onto the skewer. Repeat. Drizzle with olive oil. Grill on medium heat for 3 minutes on each side.

These are AMAZING! A huge hit at our barbecue last week.

Tiny Cream Cheese Biscuits

I got this from a friend’s Southern Living recipe book and made them for dinner tonight. Okay, clearly they are not the healthiest little biscuit, but they are AMAZING! I am thinking these will be a holiday staple from now on, and I also think they would make great little tea biscuits with jam. Yummy!

1 pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter
1 cup self rising flour

Beat cheese and butter at medium speed with an electirc mixer for 2 minutes. Slowly add flour and beat at a low speed until combined. Fill mini ungreased muffin tin to the top. Bake 15-17 minutes at 400 degrees. Makes 18 mini muffins.

Orzo Salad with Chickpeas

This recipe was given to me by my friend, Jill, who thinks it is from her mom, so I have no clue who to give kudos to on this one! I made it last week and doubled it which made ENTIRELY too much. I would say the recipe easily serves 6 or more. And as always, fresh ingredients work best.

1 c uncooked orzo
1/2 c thinly sliced green onions
1/2 c crumbled feta
1/4 c chopped fresh dill
1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans) drained
3 TB fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 TB Olive Oil
1 TB Cold water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 c diced cherry tomatoes

Cook pasta and drain. Combine pasta, tomatoes, onions, cheese, dill and chickpeas in large bowl, tossing gently to combine.

Combine juice and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with whisk. Drizzle over pasta mixture, toss gently to coat. (I recommend doubling the dressing.)

Refrigerate for an hour or so before serving.

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

Yesterday I. Needed. Chocolate. I went through my recipe box and found this one from my MIL and made them for small group. I had some requests for the recipe so here you go:

Cream the following ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

In a separate bowl, mix together:
2 cup flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt

Add to butter/sugar and mix together. Add chocolate or vanilla chips. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Do not overbake.

Aaron’s Birthday Cake

Tried a new recipe for Aaron’s birthday cake and we all agreed it was a keeper. Actually, this was probably the best chocolate cake I have ever made, and up there in the top 3 of best chocolate cakes I have ever had.

Beatty’s Chocolate Cake by Barefoot Contessa

Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Frosting:
6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (recommended: Callebaut)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don’t whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

“Hot Dish” Casserole

Back in my meat eating days there was a casserole my cousin used to make that we loved. It has a very unique, sweet flavor. Okay, to be honest, it is just comfort food at its best. This recipe is less about a “healthy meal” and more about “YUMM!” I pulled this recipe out after thinking about it for a while now and adjusted it to be vegetarian.

1 pacakge of 12 oz whole wheat extra large egg noodles
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can tomato sauce
2 TB sugar
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 cup light sour cream
1 8oz package cream cheese
6 green onions
cheddar cheese

In a large saucepan, heat water and cook egg noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat diced tomatoes, salt, sugar and tomato sauce.

When noodles are done, drain and add sour cream, cream cheese and sliced green onions. Mix well. Add tomato mixture and mix well again. Pour into baking dish, any glass dish will work. Bake at 325 for 30-40 minutes until heated through. Top with cheddar cheese and serve. Serves about 4.

(The meat version: 8oz small egg noodles instead of 12oz large. Brown ground beef then add tomato sauce, diced tomatos, salt and sugar and simmer.)

Meditteranean Kasha Salad

Our family loves to eat lunch at Wild Oats and I am always excited when they have a new vegetarian salad for me to try. This past week I was intrigued by a kasha salad as I have been wanting to add this grain into my life. It tasted great, so I spent some time messing around with a recipe and ended up with this. If you can’t find kasha, you could substitute couscous, barley or even quinoa. But if you’ve never tried kasha I do recommend giving it a try.

2 cups water or vegetable broth
1 cup kasha
1/2 cup diced cucumber
1/2 cup red onion chopped
1/2 red pepper chopped
1/2 green pepper chopped
4 oz package crumbled feta
1/2 cup sliced kalamata olives
2 TB vegetable oil
1 TB lemon juice
1 TB red wine vinegar 
1/2 tsp minced garlic
dash of salt

Heat vegetable broth or water to boiling. In separate medium skillet stir kasha over high heat for 2-3 minutes until kasha is hot and slightly toasted. Add to boiling liquid and stir. Cover pan tightly and simmer 10-12 minutes until kernels are tender and liquid is absorbed.

When kasha is cool, add diced cucumber, red onion, peppers, feta and olives. Whisk together oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic and salt. Add dressing to kasha and mix well. Chill for an hour (or more) before serving. Serves 6.

Tortilla Casserole

This is a recipe I grew up eating and have recently adjusted to create a vegetarian version. It’s super easy and there’s a good chance you have everything you need already in your kitchen.

4 whole wheat tortillas
1 can vegetarian refried beans
2 cans diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 chopped onion
1 can olives sliced
about 2 cups grated cheddar
about 3 cups cooked brown rice
taco seasoning to taste

Saute onion in olive oil over medium heat until soft. Add rice and diced tomatoes. Stir to blend then heat through. Add as much taco seasoning as tastes good to you. (I didn’t have taco seasoning tonight, so I added cumin, paprika, garlic salt and a little chili powder.)  

Heat a small non-stick skillet with cooking spray and fry a tortilla on both sides until it is soft. Spray a round baking dish with cooking spray. Lay the tortilla on the bottom. Cover with a thin layer of refried beans, then the rice mix, then the sliced olives, then the grated cheddar. Continue this for two more layers. Cover and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, until heated through. Remove top and bake an additional 5-10 minutes.

Top with sour cream and enjoy! Serves 5-6 adults.

(Okay, for those of you meat eaters, I’ll tell you the non-veg version. Substitue the rice mixture with the following:

1/2 medium onion chopped
pound of ground beef
1 can of tomato sauce
taco seasoning to taste

Saute the onions til soft, add the meat and taco seasoning. When meat is thoroughly cooked through, add the tomato sauce. Heat through.)

Homemade Granola

I’ve been experimenting with making my own granola lately. This is my second recipe attempt and I am pretty happy with it. I think it is really all up to your choice of add-ins. It’s super easy to do, makes quite a bit, and is healthy.

8 cups rolled oats (not quick cooking oats)
around 3 cups of add-ins (use your imagination: chopped nuts, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, coconut, etc.) For this last batch I used 1 cup sliced almonds, 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, 1/4 cup ground flax, 1/2 cup coconut.

In a large bowl, mix above ingredients. Then in a saucepan on the stove heat the following:

1 cup maple syrup or honey
1/2 cup canola oil
1 TB peanut butter or almond butter

After the mix is blended and simmering, add:

2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt

Pour the heated mixture over the oat mixture and stir until blended. Spray two shallow baking sheets with sides or use glass pans and cook in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Stir evenly throughout cooking. Oats should be slightly browned when finished cooking.

Add in 1 cup of raisins or dried cranberries, stir well. Store in an airtight container (or large ziploc bag).

If you try this recipe and come up with a good blend, let me know so I can give it a try, too!