Carrot & Yam Lentil Soup

I feel like I have been in a dinner rut lately.  It seems like we have been having the same meals on repeat every other week and I'm kind of over it.  But when I look up new vegan recipes on the internet a lot of what I find is a roasted artichoke with some weird sauce or roasted asparagus with fake cheese...yuk.  I'm not a fan of the vegan cheese (maybe that is why I just can't seem to give up normal cheese) nor am I a fan of one roasted vegetable for a meal.  For dinner I'd like something hearty and filling yet nourishing.  So I went to my fridge looked around and pulled out some carrots, yams, an onion, and fresh parsley and decided to whip up a soup.  I was trying to decide what to add to it to make it more hearty and I settled with red lentils.  That was a good choice.  I was very pleased with how this soup turned out and with how filling it was.  I served it with vegan mashed potatoes and salad. Enjoy!

Carrot & Yam Lentil Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large carrots, diced
1 small garnet yam
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup parsley, loosely packed,
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves 
salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup red lentils
7 cups vegetable broth

Directions

Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium heat.  Chop all your vegetables and when the oil is hot add the onion and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes.  Add garlic and stir for a minute.  Add the carrots and yams.  Add vegetable broth, lentils, bay leaves, parsley and salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer a half hour or until vegetables are tender and lentils are cooked.  If the soup gets to thick you can add more vegetable stock or water to make it less like a stew and more like a soup.   Discard the 2 bay leaves before serving.  Enjoy!

*Serving Suggestion: You can add some mashed potatoes to the soup to give it a creamier texture.

Guacamole Sandwich

Simply put this sandwich is DIVINE.  It is a sandwich that should belong on the favorites list of a sandwich shop. It honestly is that good.  We love guacamole.  I love giving it to Carson and I love that he loves it because of all of the healthy fats that are in it.  So I thought why not turn some guacamole into a meal?  Are lives have not been the same since.  So whip yourself up one of these sandwiches and thank me for changing your life :) Enjoy!

Guacamole Sandwich

2 ripe avocados
1/3 cup red onion, diced
2 roma tomatos
1 red bell pepper
1 lime, juiced
salt to taste
Earth Balance or butter
mozzarella cheese (can omit if wanting it to be vegan)
1 loaf italian or artisan bread

Directions

Cut the avocados in half and remove the pit and place the flesh of the avocados in a food processor.  Add the juice of the lime and a little salt and blend until the mixture is creamy and smooth, free of any chunks.  Transfer this mixture to a small mixing bowl.

Dice the red onion, roma tomatos, and red bell pepper and add to the guacamole mixture.  Taste and add a little salt if needed.  

Cut the bread into thin slices and spread Earth Balance or butter on the outside of each piece of bread.  Place a little bit of mozzarella cheese on the inside of the bread and then spread some of the guacamole mixture on top of it.  Then top off with a little more mozzarella cheese and the other piece of bread.  Grill in a skillet or on a griddle over medium heat until the bottom piece of bread is golden brown and the cheese is melting.  Flip the sandwich and grill until the other side is golden brown.  Serve right away.  Enjoy!!

*This recipe makes about 12 sandwiches

Vegan Pot Pie

Pot pie...just the thought of one makes my mouth water.  But don't worry then my next thought is ouch my arteries clogging and developing atherosclerosis from all the bad fat found in a traditional pot pie.  So I knew there was a way to make a vegan version or almost vegan version depending on how you make the crust...Here is what I found and came up with and it rocks!!  The only problem with it was that the crust took WAAAYYYY too long to make, or maybe it just seemed like that because sweet Carson couldn't think of spending a few minutes without his mom's attention while she prepared dinner...bummer.  Anyways, we survived that melt down, we always do :) and we enjoyed a delicious dinner as payoff.  But next time I'll just buy a pre-made organic whole wheat pie crust from the health food store to save on time.  This recipe makes 2 pot pies so you can freeze one and use at a later date :)  If you don't want to make two cut the measurements for this recipe in half.

Vegan Pot Pie

Crust

4 pre-made organic whole wheat pie crusts
or
homemade pie crust. I found the recipe for the pie crust I made here.  I used an olive oil and butter combination (far less butter than olive oil) so it wasn't strictly vegan.  I'm sure you could use a vegan butter in place of the regular butter if you didn't wan't to use all olive oil either. 

Filling

2 16 oz bags ogranic frozen peas and carrots
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup cold water
4 tablespoons corn starch
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 small onion, diced
3 garlic cloves
3 tbsp olive oil
4-5 cups vegetable broth

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large stock pot heat oil over medium heat.  Once oil is heated through add onion and saute until soft and translucent.  Add garlic and cook for a minute longer.  Add potatoes and frozen vegetables and add enough vegetable stock so vegetables are barely covered (so this may end up being a little less or more than 4-5 cups) bring to boil and then return to a simmer and simmer until potatoes are tender.  Mix cornstarch into the cold water and whisk until there are no lumps.  Slowly add cornstarch mixture to the filling and stir at a simmer until has thickened.  Add basil, oregano, salt and pepper, and adjust spices if needed.  Distribute filling between two pie crusts.  Place the top pie crust over the filling and seal the edges.  Cut a few slits in the top and bake for 30-40 minutes or until crust is golden and appears flaky (mine probably took about 45 minutes but my oven is crappy so I would start checking it at 30 minutes if you have a normal oven :) ).  And then for the frozen pie you should let it sit out for a half our to an hour before you begin cooking it and then you will need to bake it for about an hour but start checking it at 50 minutes.  Enjoy!

Squash Tacos

We love tacos in this family, a lot.  I make them all the time with different variations.  One variation I have really been loving lately is with squash...mmm yum!  I love squash and this is a great way to make your tacos more hearty while getting more vegetables at the same time, it's a win win :)  Enjoy!

Squash Tacos

3/4 cup brown rice or quinoa
3/4 cup x2 vegetable stock (I don't know what 3/4 + 3/4 makes so it is easier to write it this way ;) )
half of a butternut squash peeled, cubed, and roasted
1 15 oz can black beans
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
lettuce
guacamole
olive oil
salt and pepper
corn tortillas 

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Peel, deseed, and cube your butternut squash.  This recipe only calls for half of a butternut squash so save the other half for tacos next week :)  The smaller you cut the squash the quicker it will roast.  Place squash in a glass baking dish and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Stir the squash with a spoon or using your hands to make sure oil and salt and pepper are evenly distributed.  Roast for 30-40 minutes.  

In the meantime bring your vegetable stock to a boil.  Once it is boiling add your rice, cover and reduce heat to low.  About ten minutes before rice and squash are done in a skillet heat 1/4 cup of water or vegetable stock (to give it more flavor) on the stove.  Rinse your can of black beans and add it to the water.  Let the beans simmer until there is no more water left (about 6 min) and stir frequently.  Once rice and squash are cooked add to the bean mixture and season with cumin, chili powder, and onion powder.  Serve with tortillas, guacamole, lettuce, and whatever other taco toppings you like. Recently we have used purple cabbage and alfalfa sprouts which has been something different then the normal taco toppings for us.  Hope you Enjoy!

Vegan Minestrone

I love minestrone.  It is such a flavorful homey soup that will never get old.  I have been using this recipe since we got married and I think we will continue to use it until Ryan and I are two old love birds that can't get up out of our rocking chairs :)  This soup is a classic that nearly everyone loves and it is healthy.  My sweet angel Carson loves this and it does my heart good to see him getting spoonfuls of fresh greenbeans, zucchini, carrots, and beans. He even seems to understand the benefit of good health this soup can bring because after each bite he puts his spoon down and claps :)  Anyways, serve this up on one of these cold winter days and warm your insides. Enjoy!


Minestrone

3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1- 1 1/2 cups carrot, chopped
1-1 1/2 cups zucchini, chopped
1- 1 1/2 cups green beans, chopped
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup sea shell pasta (or whatever pasta you have on hand)
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth 
2 15oz cans tomato sauce
2 tablespoons dried basil (add more to taste if needed)
1.5 tablespoons dried oregano (add more to taste if needed)
salt and pepper to taste (I would say at least 1/2 tsp each)

Directions

In large stock pot over medium low heat, heat olive oil and saute onion for 4-5 minutes, or until tender.  Add garlic and saute for about a minute longer.  Add chicken broth, tomato sauce, and vegetables.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until vegetables are tender (about 15 min).  Then add kidney beans, pasta, basil, oregano, salt and pepper and simmer until noodles are cooked through. If there doesn't seem to be enough liquid add a cup more of vegetable broth (I sometimes add up to 3 additional cups) or you could add another can of tomato sauce.  Reduce heat to low and serve.  

Vegan Creamy Potato Soup

I love myself a good creamy potato soup but I wanted to opt out of all the cheese and bad fat content generally found in a traditional creamy potato soup so I came up with this recipe.  I loved the way this turned out!  It was so simple but very flavorful and still had a creamy texture to it.  I totally enjoyed eating this and felt great giving it to my babe knowing he wasn't consuming dairy.  And it is another grain free recipe to add to the list :) Ryan did top his with a little cheddar cheese and bacon bits so if you feel like you need a little cheese you can top it off with some.

 
Vegan Creamy Potato Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 of a small yellow onion
2-3 cloves garlic
7 cups vegetable stock/broth
4 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2-1 tsp pepper, depending on how spicy you want it
1 tsp salt
2-3 teaspoons dried parsley
1/2 cup cold water
4 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add onion and sauté until soft and translucent.  Add garlic and sauté for about a minute.  Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil.  Once stock is boiling add potatoes and boil for about 15 minutes, until potatoes are soft.  In the mean time prepare your cornstarch mixture by adding 4 tablespoons of cornstarch to half a cup of cold water.  Mix well until there are no lumps in the mixture.  Once potatoes are tender slowly add the cornstarch mixture and mix constantly while still at a boil until the soup reaches the desired thickness or consistency that you want (don't let it get too thick).  Reduce heat to low and add salt, pepper, and parsley.  Enjoy!

Penne Pasta With Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

I got this recipe last fall here.  It is a recipe by Emily Duffy at the Emporium kitchen at Thanksgiving Point.  I really like this recipe and it is easy to make.  I always make this when red peppers go on sale.  My baby loves this and will eat tons of it when I make it.  I always use a little more parsley and basil than the recipe calls for and fresh herbs taste a lot better in this recipe than dried.  You can find basil by all the herbs in a refrigerated section at the grocery store, it will probably be in a little plastic package.  And the parsley is always next to the cilantro.  Enjoy!

Penne Pasta With Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

1 box penne pasta (I use whatever pasta I have on hand-as you can tell by the pic)

6 red peppers roasted

1 tbsp tomato paste (I never use this)

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup pasta water

3 tbsp olive oil, separated

3 basil leaves, chopped

1 tbsp parsley, chopped

1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes (if I don't have these on hand I don't worry about it and serve it without)

shaved parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Quarter and seed red peppers.  Place them skin side up on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking oil.  Roast at 400 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, until skin is browning and bubbling.  Remove from oven and cool slightly.  Place roasted peppers into a food processor or blender with 2 tbsp olive oil, tomato paste, salt and pepper.  Blend until smooth. 

In a large saute pan, heat remaining olive oil.  Add chopped onion and cook for 2 minutes.  Add minced garlic and cook for a minute longer.  Turn heat to low and add blended sauce and reserved pasta water.  Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.  Toss with cooked pasta, tomatoes, basil, and parsley.  Top with Parmesan cheese and serve immediately. 

(If you wanted to make this vegan don't add the cheese) 

Black Bean & Rice Cafe Rio Burritos with Pico

I found this recipe here.  The original recipe calls for one jar store bought salsa verde.  As you might know I prefer homemade salsas and sauces over store bought, to me they taste a thousand times better.  So I found a good salsa verde recipe here.  Instead of cooking these in the oven I cooked my tortillas over the stove and then added the beans, rice, and cheese and then microwaved them for a couple of minutes.  This worked better for the type of tortillas I used- I used Tortillaland uncooked tortillas, the ones you can buy at Costco.  These tortillas have a tendency to get too soggy if I cook them in the oven.  We really enjoyed these and they were quite easy to make.  Enjoy!

Black Bean & Rice Cafe Rio Burritos

2 2/3 cup vegetable broth
2 cans black beans
1 cup uncooked brown rice
tortillas
3 cups White Cheese
Salsa Verde
2 Large Tomatoes
1/4 Yellow Onion
1/3 cup Cilantro
1 bunch green onions
Lime Juice (optional)
Salt &Pepper

Salsa Verde Recipe

1 pound tomatillos, husked
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
2 cups water

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Directions

Preheat oven to 450.Cook brown rice in two cups vegetable stock and add 1/3 cup sliced green onion. After draining and rinsing the black beans, pour the remaining veggie stock (use anywhere from 1/2 to 2/3 cup veggie stock) and about 1/4 cup of the Salsa verde in a skillet and heat.   Let simmer until all liquid is absorbed.

Dice the tomatoes, cilantro, and yellow and rest of green onions. Combine in a bowl and add a pinch of salt and pepper. 

Next, place the tortilla in a baking pan and add 1/4 cup rice and 1/4 cup beans followed by 2-3 generous Tbs of salsa verde and a sprinkling of cheese. Close the burrito and smother the top with more salsa verde and another sprinkling of cheese. (In closing the burrito, I found that the whole wheat tortillas didn’t stay put as well-I used a toothpick in the middle and it did just the trick.) Bake for 4 mins or until cheese on the top is sufficiently melted.  

Serve with tomato salsa on the side.

Quesadilla Pie

In a somewhat frantic search to find a recipe for dinner to have ready by the time Ryan got home from work before I headed off to a frantic but fun evening with some old co-workers and friends I came across this recipe at simiplyrecipes.com.  It was a quick and easy meal that tasted great, even my babe loved it!  This is one I'll make often, I'm sure of it. Enjoy!

Quesadilla Pie

Brush butter on the bottom of the pan to keep the tortillas from sticking, and to the top of the last tortilla for flavor and to help it brown.

4 large flour tortillas (9-10 inches diameter)
Butter
1/2 pound grated cheese, either mild or sharp cheddar, or Monterey Jack
Potential filling ingredients:
Beans, cooked (black beans, pinto beans)
Tomatoes, chopped
red, green, orange bell peppers, chopped
Onions (green onions, red onions, onion greens)
Mushrooms (if using a lot, sauté first, to remove moisture)
Cooked shredded chicken, pork, or beef (optional)

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1 tbsp taco seasoning mix (can add more if you think it needs more flavor)

Garnishes:
Chopped avocado
Chopped cilantro
Sour cream
Salsa

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter the bottoms and sides of a pie dish, approximately the same size as your tortillas.

 

Place one tortilla on the bottom of the pie dish. Sprinkle some shredded cheese over the tortilla. At this point, you will begin to add your chosen filling ingredients, and layering the tortillas. Just make sure each layer has a generous sprinkling of cheese. I mixed all of my filling ingredients together so each layer had the same ingredients.  You can do it this way or separate your fillings by layer. Top off your layers with one last flour tortilla. Spread a little butter over the surface of this tortilla.

 

Cover the dish with aluminum foil. Put in oven for 30 minutes on 350°F. Then remove the foil and increase the heat to 400°F. Cook for another 15-20 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Cut into quarters. 

 

Serve with chopped avocados, cilantro, salsa, and/or sour cream.

Spicy Alfredo with Red Peppers

I came across this recipe at theeasyvegetarian.com.  Ryan loves alfredo and even more loves spicy things and crushed red pepper flakes so when I saw these two things in the same recipe I knew I had to make this for him.  I made this tonight for dinner and he loved it a lot.  Best part- this is the easiest dinner to make.  The original recipe calls for a can of store bought alfredo, I don't like canned or store bought sauces I just think homemade tastes WAY better so I made my own instead- it is an America's Test kitchen recipe and it is so good.  This isn't the healthiest dinner out there but it is vegetarian :) and it is homemade- no canned sauces here :) Enjoy!

Spicy Alfredo with Red Peppers

Alfredo:

2 cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

to make the sauce spicy add:

1 tsp Lemon juice
1/2 tsp garlic
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions: 

Simmer the cream over medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes.  Remove from heat and add the butter and Parmesan cheese.  Whisk the sauce until all of the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes (if you don't do this your sauce will get really clumpy and stringy).  Add salt and pepper to taste and if making the sauce spicy add those ingredients.  

Pasta:

1 package of whole wheat pasta

2 red bell peppers, diced

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Add red peppers 3 minutes before pasta cooking time is up so they become tender but not too soggy.  When pasta is done cooking, drain and return to stockpot.  Add Alfredo sauce and serve immediately.  Enjoy!

Fettuccine Salad

This is a recipe I got from Ryan's sister a long time ago.  I'm not sure where she got it but it is a really great salad.  It has a lot of bulk to it so it can be used as a main dish, that is at least how I serve it.  The original recipe calls for sugar in the dressing but I substituted honey for the sugar and it turned out just as great.  Enjoy!

Fettuccine Salad

Dressing

2 Tbsp dijon mustard

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

3-4 Tbsp honey, or to taste (original recipe calls for 1/3 cup sugar)

1/2 cup oil, I use grape seed oil

If you have a blender blend all ingredients up in your blender.  If you don't have a blender whisk all ingredients together until combined. 

Salad

Romaine lettuce (as much as you would like-we use quite a bit)

1/2 a package fettuccine noodles

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup slivered almonds

1-2 red peppers, diced

1 cup purple grapes, halved

Craisins (optional)

1 cup shredded chicken (optional)

Directions

Cook fettuccine noodles according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.  Cook chicken and shred into small pieces.  Cut up pepper(s), grapes, and lettuce.  Combine all ingredients and toss in dressing.  Enjoy! (We serve this cold)

Mexican Bean Salad

A couple of nights ago for dinner I wanted something that was really fresh, grain free, yet filling.  So I set out to find a bean salad that we could eat over a bed of leafy greens.  I found this at here at allrecipes.com.  This was so good and would be great as a salsa too.  Enjoy!

Mexican Bean Salad

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (I used great northern beans)
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn kernels (I omitted this since I didn't have fresh corn)
1 red onion, chopped (I used half a red onion)
1/2 cup olive oil (I used 1/3)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar (I used 1/3)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons white sugar (I used turbinado sugar and I used 1.5 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon salt
1 clove crushed garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 dash hot pepper sauce (I omitted this)
1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Directions

In a large bowl, combine beans, bell peppers, frozen corn, and red onion.

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lime juice, lemon juice, sugar, salt, garlic, cilantro, cumin, and black pepper. Season to taste with hot sauce (if using) and chili powder.  (I put mine in my blender and blended the the dressing that way.)
Pour olive oil dressing over vegetables; mix well. Chill thoroughly, and serve cold.

Grilled Salmon Tacos with Lime Slaw and Mango Salsa

On Memorial Day we went to Tarahumara Comida Mexicana in Midway, an excellent Mexican restaurant that anyone that has eaten there can't stop raving about.  You can read more about the Tarahumara here.  They have a salsa bar with tons of different salsas that you can try.  They had a mango salsa that I couldn't get enough of.  So the next night for dinner we had salmon tacos with mango salsa, mmm...I found the recipe here.  

Image from http://family.go.com/food/recipe-an-898937-grilled-salmon-tacos-with-lime-slaw-and-mango-salsa-t/

Grilled Salmon Tacos with Lime Slaw and Mango Salsa

Hands-On Time: 20min
Cook Time: 30min
Ready In: 50min

Ingredients

1 1/2 pound salmon filet with skin on
1 teaspoon chile powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon cumin
8 corn tortillas
4 green onions, thinly sliced

For the Slaw

1 bag shredded cabbage, or 10 ounces
handful chopped cilantro
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, from 1-2 limes
1 teaspoon sugar
pinch salt and chile powder

For the Salsa

1 mango, skinned and cut into small dice
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
handful chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 juice lime
pinch salt

Directions

Pat the salmon dry. Combine the chile powder, sugar, salt and cumin in a small bowl and sprinkle over the surface of the flesh-side of the salmon. Set aside.

Prepare the slaw. Whisk mayo with lime juice, sugar, salt and chile powder in a large bowl. Add the cabbage, cilantro and onions and toss well to coat with the lime dressing. Cover and refrigerate.

Prepare the salsa. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Taste for seasoning, cover and refrigerate.

Spray the grill with cooking spray and light a medium-hot flame. To test heat on a charcoal or gas grill, hold your hand about 5 inches over the flame. You should only be able to keep it there for 3-4 seconds.
Place salmon skin side down on the grill, cover and cook for about 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish (cook fish about 10 minutes per inch of thickness). Flip salmon over, peel off the skin and cook for 3 minutes more, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove from heat and place it pink flesh up on a plate. (The underside of the skin will be an unattractive gray color).

*We don't have a grill so I just baked mine in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Place the corn tortillas on the grill for a few seconds a side to warm up. Flake fish and divide evenly between the tortillas. Top with lime cilantro slaw and mango salsa. Serve immediately with lime wedges. 

Serves 6

Zucchini-Quinoa Lasagna

I had some zucchini in my fridge that I needed to use up so I set out to find a zucchini recipe and this is what I found.  The recipe is from vegetariantimes.com.  Ryan really liked this which I was actually surprised by because he doesn't typically like quinoa.  The recipe calls for a 25 oz jar of marinara sauce, I made my own but I'm not sure that I love the recipe so I'm not going to post it.  If you have a marinara sauce you make that you love I would use that because I think homemade always tastes so much better than canned.  Anyways, if you make this I hope you enjoy!

Zucchini-Quinoa Lasagna

2 large zucchini, cut lengthwise into 12 ¼-inch-thick slices
1 tsp. salt
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
½ cup tomato sauce
¼ cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp. dried oregano
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped (or 1 tablepoon dry basil leaves)
¼ cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped (or 1 tablespoon dry parsley flakes)
2 Tbs. nondairy cream cheese, such as Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese, optional (I didn't use this)
1 25-oz. jar marinara sauce
½ cup shredded nondairy cheese, such as Daiya Mozzarella, optional (I used regular/dairy mozzarella cheese)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place zucchini slices on bed of paper towels. Sprinkle with salt, cover with paper towels, and let stand to release moisture while preparing quinoa.
2. Bring broth, quinoa, tomato sauce, onion, and oregano to a boil in saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 25 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, and stir in basil, parsley, and cream cheese, if using.
3. Spoon 1/3 cup marinara sauce over bottom of 8-inch square baking dish. Blot remaining moisture and salt from zucchini slices, and lay 4 zucchini slices over marinara sauce in pan. Spoon half of quinoa over zucchini, and cover with 1/3 cup marinara. Repeat with 4 more zucchini slices, remaining quinoa, and 1/3 cup marinara. Top with remaining 4 zucchini slices, remaining marinara, and shredded cheese, if using. Bake lasagna 30 minutes, or until zucchini is tender and top is bubbly.

Mexican Pizza

I was trying to think of what to make for dinner last night.  I wanted something relatively easy but something that we haven't had in the past few weeks.  So I thought and thought and then remembered a while ago I had a Mexican pizza at a Mexican restaurant that I enjoyed so I thought I'd try my hand at it.  I found a recipe from food.com that I loosely followed.  The recipe I used is below.  Enjoy!

Mexican Pizza

Crust

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (or 1 yeast packet)

1 cup warm water

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt 

2 teaspoons agave nectar (or white sugar)

1 cup wheat flour

1 cup bread flour (or if you don't have wheat flour you can use 2 cups bread flour)

Dissolve yeast in water until it gets foamy, about 5-10 minutes.  Add olive oil, salt, and agave.  Mix well.  Add in flour and mix until stiff dough forms (may need to add a little more flour).  Form dough into ball, place in a bowl, cover with a dish towel, and let rise for 30 minutes.

Topping

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup canned black beans, rinsed
1/2 jalapeno pepper (remove seeds to decrease spiciness if kids will be eating)
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon taco seasoning mix (recipe can be found here)
Kosher salt
Cornmeal, for dusting
1 cup shredded low-fat Monterey Jack cheese (3 ounces)
1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes
1/4 cup green onions

1 cup shredded lettuce
Sour cream

Directions

Set a pizza stone on the bottom of the oven and preheat the oven to 450°. In a food processor, combine the olive oil, black beans, jalapeno pepper, garlic clove and taco seasoning and puree until smooth.

Once the pizza dough is done rising stretch it into a 12-inch round and transfer to a cornmeal-dusted pizza peel. Spread the black-bean puree on top, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle with the cheese, tomatoes, and green onions.

Slide the pizza onto the preheated stone and bake for 12-15 minutes, until the bottom is crisp and the cheese is bubbling. Transfer the pizza to a work surface and top with the lettuce and dollops of the sour cream. Cut into wedges and serve at once.

Vegetarian Cafe Rio Salad

We had homemade Cafe Rio salad the other night vegetarian style.  It was so easy to make and so good!  I found the recipe for the dressing at yummly.com.  Enjoy!

Image from yummly.com

Vegetarian Cafe Rio Salad

Rice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup long grain brown rice

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

Zest of one lime

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

Heat oil over medium high heat, add rice and allow to cook for 2 minutes.  Add other ingredients and bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat to medium low or low, and cook until rice is done.  Add one can drained and rinsed black beans with rice and let beans heat through before serving.

Dressing

  

1 cup mayonnaise or vegenaise

1 cup sour cream
1/2 bunch of cilantro
3 tomatillos (chopped)
2 tablespoons minced red onion

2 garlic cloves
1/2 jalapeno pepper (seeds)
1 lime juice
1-2 tsps salt 

Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.

Serve rice and bean mixture over a tortilla, top with lettuce and favorite veggies, add dressing and indulge :)

Ecuadorean Quinoa & Vegetable Soup

I found this recipe at food.com.  It was tasty and reminds me of the quinoa chili that is posted on this blog.  It was easy to make and super healthy.  We topped our soup with some crushed tortilla chips.  Enjoy!

Image from food.com

Ecuadorean Quinoa & Vegetable Soup

1/2 cup raw quinoa

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups chopped onions

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup diced potato

1 cup chopped red bell peppers or 1 cup green bell pepper

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon pepper

6 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes

1 cup diced zucchini or 1 cup yellow squash

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions

Rinse the quinoa very well in a fine mesh strainer under running water; set aside to drain.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot.

Add in the onions and salt; cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes--stir every now and then.

Add in the drained quinoa, potatoes, bell pepper, coriander, cumin, oregano, pepper, vegetable stock, and tomatoes; stir to combine.

Cover and bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add in the zucchini; cover and let simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Add in the lemon juice; stir to combine.

Serve.

Vegetable Fajitas

I was looking for something healthy yet relatively easy to throw together for dinner the other night when I came across this vegetable fajita recipe at vegetariantimes.com.  The marinade for the vegetables is sooo good!  This is a great recipe and something that can be made a head of time since the vegetables need to marinate.  This is definitely a recipe I will use a lot.  Enjoy!

Vegetable Fajitas

Marinade

2 tsp. grated orange peel
½ cup orange juice
1 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1/3 cup olive oil
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbs. chili powder
1 Tbs. minced garlic
2 Tbs. minced onion

 

Directions

In food processer or blender, combine all ingredients, and process until smooth and well blended.
Pour marinade into large bowl. Add vegetables or other foods to be marinated, turning to coat.
If preparing ahead, store in airtight container in refrigerator up to three days. Stir well before using

Fajitas 

3 medium bell peppers (one red, yellow and green), chopped or cut into thin strips
1 large red onion, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
1 cup mushroom, chopped
4 to 6 8-inch flour tortillas
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese, salsa, guacamole and chopped cilantro for topping, optional

Directions

Add vegetables to bowl or zip lock bag with marinade.  Let vegetables marinade for at least 30 minutes or up to two hours. 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place marinated vegetables on a cookie sheet and roast in oven for 8 minutes, then stir vegetables around and roast for an additional 8 minutes.  When vegetables are done roasting drain excess marinade into a bowl.  Serve vegetables on flour tortilla with sour cream, cheese, and salsa or guac if you have some.  You can also use the extra marinade for dipping if you want.  Enjoy!

Asparagus Pizza

This was WONDERFUL!!!  Oh my goodness I can't get over how much I loved this!  I wasn't sure how an asparagus pizza would turn out when I came across the recipe at eatingwell.com but I was willing to try something new and boy am I glad I did!  Not only does this recipe taste sooo good but it is much better for you than your typical pizza.  Enjoy! 

Asparagus Pizza

Crust

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (or 1 yeast packet)

1 cup warm water

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt 

2 teaspoons agave nectar (or white sugar)

1 cup wheat flour

1 cup bread flour (or if you don't have wheat flour you can use 2 cups bread flour)

Dissolve yeast in water until it gets foamy, about 5-10 minutes.  Add olive oil, salt, and agave.  Mix well.  Add in flour and mix until stiff dough forms (may need to add a little more flour).  Form dough into ball, place in a bowl, cover with a dish towel, and let rise for 30 minutes.

Topping

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch asparagus (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup snipped fresh chives (from 1 bunch), divided (or 1/4 cup dried chives, divided)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup shredded fontina or mozzarella cheese

Position rack in lower third of oven, place a pizza stone or large pizza pan on the rack and preheat oven to 450°F for at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine 2 tablespoons oil and garlic in a small bowl; set aside. Trim asparagus spears to about 6 inches long; slice any thicker stalks in half lengthwise. Toss in a bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, 1/4 cup chives, salt and pepper.

Once dough is done rising roll out on a lightly floured surface to about a 14-inch circle.
Carefully remove the pizza stone or pan from the oven and set on a heatproof surface, such as your stovetop. Place the dough on the stone or pan and brush with the reserved garlic-oil mixture. Arrange the asparagus in a circular pattern on the dough with the tips facing out. Top with cheese and the remaining chives.

Carefully return the stone or pan to the oven and bake the pizza on the lower rack until crispy and golden and the cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.

Black Bean & Rice Soup

This soup is sooo good!  I got the idea for this from greenshakesandgiggles.com.  I tweaked a few things and added a few things and removed a few things and this is what I came up with.  I was really hoping that it would turn out a keeper and it definitely did!  The lime rice is to die for and by adding it to the soup it makes it really filling.  I love that it has plenty of protein yet it is meatless.  This rice is divine on its own as well.  In fact I made more rice than what I needed for the soup so I topped a salad with some of the rice and ate it with some veggies and homemade ranch dressing and it was wonderful!  I couldn't get enough of it.  If you make this I hope you enjoy it even half as much as I do.

Black Bean & Rice Soup

Rice

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup long grain brown rice

1 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

Zest of one lime

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat oil over medium high heat, add rice and allow to cook for 2 minutes.  Add other ingredients and bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat to medium low or low, and cook until rice is done.

Soup

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 of a medium yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon salt (taste and if soup needs more, add more)

2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup diced tomatoes

4 cups chicken stock

3 cups water

Juice of 1 lime

Directions

Heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until soft and translucent.  Once onion is cooked add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add cumin, chili powder, and salt.  Let sit for about 30 seconds.  Add black beans, tomatoes, chicken stock, water, and lime juice.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes.  Once rice is cooked through add it to the soup mixture.  If soup seems to thick add a little more water or vegetable or chicken stock.  Enjoy!