Pitziki

I’ve been toying with the idea of this recipe ever since having something similar at a local restaurant.  Although they top their version with sausage and pancetta, I think my version is just as tasty.  You really could do a variety of toppings on this one, for example, if I wasn’t cooking for a certain person who doesn’t like mushrooms or caramelized onions, I would have definitely added those two ingredients!

Pizza dough (I love the whole wheat pre-made refrigerated pizza dough at Trader Joe’s.)
1 12 oz container of Tzatziki (Again, Trader Joe’s has a great Tzatziki!)
Shredded Mozzarella
Crumbled Feta (If you can find the kind that has added mediterranean herbs, get that! And just in case: Trader Joe’s has a great one!)
Artichoke Hearts
Kalamata olives

Preheat oven to 450 and roll pizza dough out on floured surface. Cook pizza dough at 450 for a few minutes.  Remove from oven and top with Tzatziki, then shredded mozzarella. (Really, use as much as you want. I did a fairly thin layer covering the entire pizza.) Top with sliced olives and artichoke hearts, then sprinkle with feta.  Bake until the crust and cheese is slightly brown, took about ten minutes for me. Enjoy!!! I’m looking forward to the leftovers for dinner tonight!

Caprese Lasagna

I love love love Caprese…Tomato, mozzarella and basil together are a little taste of heaven. I’ve played around with the combination and come up with a variety of pastas and salads.  Tonight, I decided to try lasagna, and I have to say it was a success!

This made 8 servings of lasagna in an 8 x 12 pan. If you want to use a 9 x 13, increase the amount of noodles to 12 and I’d add an extra chopped tomato.

1 medium-large sweet yellow onion, chopped

3 – 4 tomatoes, chopped

1 – 2 tomatoes, sliced

9 lasagna noodles (I used whole wheat)

2 cups shredded mozzarella

1 package fresh, whole milk mozzarella, sliced

Fresh basil, chopped

In frying pan, saute onions on medium heat in olive oil.  (If you have extra calories to burn, add a little butter. If you cook while drinking wine, like me, pour a little of that in, too!) When onions are transluscent and soft, add tomatoes and continue to heat, stirring frequently, until tomatoes are softened, about 10 minutes.  Sprinkle with salt. I added a few dashes of dried basil, oregano and thyme. Feel free to sprinkle in any dried Italian seasonings you like, or don’t! It’s up to you.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the noodles. Cook until they are al dente, about 8 minutes. Rinse with cold water and lay flat on a paper towel until ready to use.

Spray your baking sheet with cooking spray.  Layer 3 noodles across the bottom of pan. Top with half the tomato/onion mix, 1 cup of shredded mozzarella, and chopped  basil.

Repeat noodles, tomatoes/onion, shredded mozzarella and basil one more time, then top with last 3 noodles.

Lay sliced tomato and sliced mozzarella on noodles and sprinkle with remaining basil.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour. Enjoy!

Matzo Ball Soup

One of my co-horts has been getting Matzo Ball Soup on our breaks each week during class, and I’ve been drooling beside her, unable to even try it because it is not vegetarian. A quick google search later and I had a recipe in hand and was off to buy some Matzo Ball mix.

It was super easy, although due to the mix needing to chill and the lengthier cooking times, it does take about an hour from start to finish. But considering both of my kids and Chad liked it, it was totally worth it. Anytime I am watching my kiddos consume vegies and I’m not having to bribe them into eating, I feel like a success!

This recipe was taken from www.thedailygreen.com:

SERVINGS 6-8 (I disagree…it barely served two kids and two adults. I would say 3-4.)

INGREDIENTS For the matzo balls:
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (or vegetable oil)
2 tablespoons vegetable stock
1/2 cup unsalted matzo meal
1 tablespoon minced flat leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried dill (or 1 tablespoon fresh dill)
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the broth:
6 cups vegetable stock
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bay leaf
2 green onions, including green parts, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup coarsely chopped parsley
salt and pepper

PREPARATION 1. To make the matzo balls: stir together eggs, butter and vegetable stock in a small bowl. Add the matzo meal, parsley, dill and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir until evenly combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes and up to 8 hours.

2. Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat; add a dash of salt. Using wet hands, form the dough into 12 1-inch balls. Drop the balls, one at a time, into the boiling water. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Matzo balls should be plump, tender and cooked through.

3. While the matzo balls are simmering, make the soup. Sauté onion, celery, and carrots in a large pot or dutch oven with olive oil, until vegetables are slightly brown, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Add stock and bay leaf and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in parsley and green onions and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf and taste. Adjust seasonings to suit taste.

To serve: spoon a cooked matzo ball into a bowl and ladle soup over them.

Read more: http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/recipes/vegetarian-matzo-ball-soup-44040908#ixzz1nJs2kRh1

And now I just want to show off my awesome salad making ability as well as my fabulous new salad bowl:

Caprese Pasta

I love the combination of tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. Throw it on bread, or just give me a fork, and I’m happy. Recently I discovered and AMAZING pasta at a local Italian restaurant, so I decided to try to make it at home. I’ll be honest, I’m missing something. The flavor of the original is sweeter and richer, I’m guessing that would be because they use cream, and I can’t bring myself to use cream when cooking. (Although I seem to have no issue eating it when I’m out!) But my version is still a satisfying second…

1 pound pasta (I use Penne)

1 sweet onion chopped

6 – 8 tomatoes chopped (I always pick tomatoes still on the vine, I think they are more flavorful)

milk, flour and butter

about 1 cup of  sliced whole mozzarella balls

Cook pasta in salted water, drain.

In large saucepan, cook onions on medium low in butter until softened and starting to carmelize. Add chopped tomatoes and cook until tomatoes have softened and lost their original shape. Add 2 TB of flour and stir through, breaking up any chunks with a fork. Add 3/4 cup of milk. Stir until heated through and beginning to thicken. Add more milk to make more sauce, add more flour to thicken. When sauce is thick, add mozzarella and heat just til the cheese begins to soften. Remove from heat.

Pour sauce over individual bowls of pasta. I find it better with this recipe NOT to add the sauce to all of the pasta. I like the cheese with some form still, and stirring it into the pasta will melt it completely.

Add salt as needed. Serve with warm bread, of course, and enjoy!

Nutmeg – from Wikipedia

In case you were now wondering about Nutmeg:

In low doses, nutmeg produces no noticeable physiological or neurological response. Large doses of 30 g (~6 teaspoons) or more are dangerous, potentially inducing convulsions, palpitations, nausea, eventual dehydration, and generalized body pain BMJ. In amounts of 5–20 g (~1-4 teaspoons) it is a mild to medium hallucinogen, producing visual distortions and a mild euphoria. Nutmeg contains myristicin, a weak monoamine oxidase inhibitor.

A test was carried out on the substance that showed that, when ingested in large amounts, nutmeg takes on a similar chemical make-up to MDMA (ecstasy). However, use of nutmeg as a recreational drug is unpopular due to its unpleasant taste and its side effects, including dizziness, flushes, dry mouth, accelerated heartbeat, temporary constipation, difficulty in urination, nausea, and panic. A user will not experience a peak until approximately six hours after ingestion, and effects can linger for up to three days afterwards.

A risk in any large-quantity (over 25 g, ~5 teaspoons) ingestion of nutmeg is the onset of ‘nutmeg poisoning’, an acute psychiatric disorder marked by thought disorder, a sense of impending death, and agitation. Some cases have resulted in hospitalization.

Fatal doses in children are significantly lower, with approximately 15g being sufficient to cause one of only two recorded nutmeg toxicity deaths, in an eight year old child.BMJ.

Nutmeg is an abortifacient, and as such any significant doses should be avoided by pregnant women.BMJ.

Welcome to Vegie Girl

Yet another blog! I know..I know..I’m crazy.

I’ve been a vegetarian for 4 years now. I love cooking and enjoy adapting recipes to make them my own. Vegetarian cooking is much more than pasta, steamed rice and cold cereal. When done correctly, a vegetarian diet can be full of a variety of delicious, healthy foods.

I’m not hear to preach about vegetarianism or convert anyone. In fact, feel free to take any recipe and add meat if you’d like. I just love sharing recipes when they are a hit for my family, and I love, love, love FOOD.

I do my best to eat healthy in my everyday life, although I do enjoy treats every now and then, especially dark chocolate and just about anything with cream cheese frosting.

This blog will be my place to share recipes, healthy lifestyle tidbits, and cooking tips. I hope it will inspire you to try something new, and as always, all feedback and opinions are greatly appreciated!