Tag: vegetarian

Lentil Meatballs

Lentils are such a versatile low maintenance bean. I’ve made lentil soup, and lentil curry, but then I saw this Lentil Meatball recipe from In Jennie’s Kitchen. I am not trying to pretend that these meatballs are the same as those that use beef and/or pork, but this version has much less saturated fat and is a lot less expensive to make. Plus, they get nicely crisp on the outside and have a fantastic taste! Jennie reported that she simmered these in sauce, and they held together nicely. Mine did not seem quite that sturdy, but I admit that they were crowded in the pan which didn’t help. Oh well, the one that fell apart first became an appetizer.

The best way to fit this recipe into a busy lifestyle is to consider it as 3 distinct steps. On a day when you’re home, go ahead and simmer a batch of lentils. On the day before you are going to cook them, assemble the mixture and refrigerate it. On the following day, you can fry the meatballs in oil while you’re heating up the sauce and boiling the pasta. And then you can sit down to a fabulous vegetarian meal.

As much as I liked these meatballs, they did soak up quite a bit of oil. I’d love to make them just a little bit lighter, so next time I’ll try to bake them and let you know how it goes.

Butternut Squash and Cranberry Brown Rice

I’m baaaack! I had an incredible time in San Francisco and ate many wonderful meals, including an 11 course Chinese banquet and at least 3 different flavors of wedding cake. But then I came home to an empty refrigerator, and things went downhill quickly. Trust me, it was nothing to blog about.

This was my first truly home cooked meal in almost 2 weeks, and it was so good. I picked up some fresh cranberries, but I wanted to make something different than cranberry sauce. A short while later, I found this recipe (scroll down the page) and decided to go for it. I liked the different textures, and the balance of sweet squash, tart cranberries, and spicy pepper. It’s hearty enough for a vegetarian main dish, but could be a side dish for chicken or pork as well.

While I did use fresh cranberries, you might be surprised to find that I used frozen butternut squash. Yes, this is squash season in New England, but I still needed to take a shortcut to make this meal happen. With about 7 weeks left in the semester, I’ll take whatever shortcuts I need to put a warm meal on the table.

Butternut Squash and Cranberry Brown Rice

1 T canola oil
2 Vidalia onions, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and diced
20 oz. butternut squash cubes
1 c. fresh cranberries
1/2 c. vegetable broth
1 1/2 c. diced celery
2 c. cooked brown rice
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add onions and pepper, and saute for 10-15 minutes until lightly brown. Add squash, cranberries, and broth. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove cover and stir in celery, rice, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly and serve.

-Adapted from the Vegetarians of Washington

Crockpot Stuffed Mushrooms

I took my crockpot out of it’s summer hiding place and put it on the counter, where it will stay for a while. One of my favorite sources for slow cooker recipes is Stephanie O’Deas’s site. She maintains a blog, writes cookbooks, and has prepared an incredible number of meals for her family using a crockpot, so she knows what she’s doing.

For my first crockpot meal of the season, I adapted her recipe for Crockpot Stuffed Mushrooms. I normally think of stuffed mushrooms as a fancy Saturday night appetizer, but these mushrooms are a perfect Sunday afternoon casserole, with leftovers for lunch of course. I substituted large stuffing mushrooms that were on sale for the portobello mushrooms in the original recipe, and made a few other changes to reduce the amount of oil and salt.

I served the first dish of mushrooms over whole wheat couscous, and it was fantastic! The tomatoes and balsamic vinegar make a great sauce, although I did have to add a bit of salt and pepper in my dish, along with a little more Parmesan. Next time I might add a teaspoon or two of Italian seasoning right to the crockpot, but otherwise I wouldn’t change a thing. I have a feeling I’ll be making this recipe again very soon.

Crockpot Stuffed Mushrooms

2 T olive oil, divided
24 oz. large mushrooms
1 (14.5 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes in juice
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. whole wheat breadcrumbs
1/2 t black pepper
1 T dried basil
1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Pour 1 T oil in the bottom of the crockpot. Clean mushrooms, and remove stems and set aside. Place mushroom caps in the bottom of the crockpot, laying some flat and some sideways as needed to create a single layer.

Chop mushroom stems, and place in a large bowl. Add remaining 1 T oil, tomatoes, vinegar, breadcrumbs, seasoning, and Parmesan cheese and mix well. Pour mixture over mushrooms. Cook on high for 4-5 hours. Serve with additional freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
-Adapted from Stephanie O’Dea

Cooking Bok Choy

I went to the Copley Square farmer’s market on Friday afternoon, and although it was great to see so many fall vegetables, I was missing my greens. I almost bought some kale, but then I spotted a big bunch of bok choy. I’ve cooked both regular and baby bok choy before, but never felt very confident that I was preparing it properly. This weekend I found an excellent bok choy tutorial which takes you through the process step by step. One of the best tricks I learned is to put the garlic and ginger in the pan before it heats up.

I had such a large bunch of bok choy that I had to stuff it into the pan to get the lid on, and it took longer to steam than the one minute suggested. But I am sure things will go more smoothly if you’re not trying to cook so much at once! I served the bok choy on a bed of brown rice, topped with an egg. It was a delicious weekend lunch, and I’ll be sure to pick up another bunch soon.

Two-Cheese Pumpkin Spinach Pizza

I saw a Butternut Squash pizza with ricotta and spinach on Green Lite Bites the other day, and was thinking about it this weekend. I didn’t buy any butternut squash this week, but I did have 3 cans of pumpkin in my cabinet, just waiting to be used. I added a second type of cheese because when it comes to pizza, more cheese is always better, and the almonds added a little crunch.

Roni seasoned her pizza with sage and nutmeg, which I think would be an interesting combination. I tried allspice and cayenne, which also turned out to be interesting. I was trying to balance the sweet and spicy, and it worked pretty well. It’s fun to try new spice combinations, and you never know what you’re going to like until you try. So use this pizza recipe as a template, and make your own fall creation.

Two Cheese Pumpkin Spinach Pizza

1 Joseph’s Flax, Oat Bran, and Whole Wheat lavash
1/2 c. pureed pumpkin
1/4 c. ricotta cheese
1 T sliced almonds
1/4 t allspice
Dash cayenne
1 c baby spinach, chopped
1 T Parmesan cheese

Fold lavash in half, and place on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray. Mix pumpkin, ricotta, almonds, and spices in a small bowl, and spread evenly on lavash. Place spinach on topping, and then sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 400F for 5 minutes.

Falafel with Tahini Sauce

I am back! And your patience is rewarded with a new recipe for falafel. Sure, I made these falafel burgers a while ago, but they didn’t come with a tahini sauce. I adapted a recipe from Eating Well, which was promoted as being a cheap meal. I cut back on the oil and salt, and made things a little simpler by eliminating the fresh herbs. Now, I like fresh herbs as much as the next person, but they are only cheap if you grow them yourself or get them from family and friends.

Despite cutting back on the seasoning, these falafel still had plenty of flavor. The picture below is from the first falafel meal, featuring a real plate. The subsequent falafel patties were good for lunch, but the tahini sauce and cucumber slices didn’t travel very well. So I’d recommend that this recipe be enjoyed at home, hopefully in the company of a few friends who like Middle Eastern food.

Falafel with Tahini Sauce

1 (15 oz.) can chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 bunch scallions, sliced, white and light green parts only
1 egg
2 T whole wheat flour
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t Italian seasoning
1 T olive oil
1 (6 oz.) container plain Greek yogurt
2 T tahini
Juice of one lemon
Cucumber slices
Whole wheat pita

Place beans, scallions, egg, flour, cumin, and Italian seasoning in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Mixture will be very moist. Form into 4-5 patties.

Heat olive oil in a frying pan. Cook patties for 5-7 minutes on each side, until golden brown.

Mix yogurt, tahini, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Serve falafel in whole wheat pita with cucumber slices, and garnish with tahini sauce.

-Recipe adapted from Eating Well

Sweet Dumpling Squash

I feel like it’s been forever since I picked up a totally new piece of produce. But last weekend, I found this sweet dumpling squash at my local produce market. It was so cute I had to have it, and at just $0.62 it wasn’t a big splurge.

After a quick recipe search, it seemed the two most popular options were to either stuff the squash with vegetables and grains, or roast the squash with cinnamon and sugar. Let’s just say it’s been a ‘cinnamon and sugar’ kind of week.

I think that was the right choice, because the squash turned out great. I ate the whole thing, right down to the skin. The taste was similar to butternut squash, but it was so much easier to cut because it was smaller. This would also be a great dish to serve at a fall dinner party. Maybe next time I will try to stuff one!

Sweet Dumpling Squash

1 dumpling squash
2 t canola oil
2 t brown sugar
1 t cinnamon

Cut squash in half and remove seeds. Mix oil, sugar, and cinnamon in a small dish. Rub mixture on the inside of each squash half, leaving the remainder in the cavity. Place in a glass dish, and bake at 350F for 45-60 minutes, until soft when pierced with a fork.

The Zucchini Pancake that Wasn’t

I’ve had this recipe for a Zucchini Angel Hair Pancake on my counter for a few weeks now. That’s not unusual, except we’re hitting the end of zucchini season so it was now or never. Maybe I should have waited until next year after all? No, I am kidding – I believe this recipe is a good concept, but the cooking method needs to be changed. It was far too difficult to cook in a frying pan and “carefully flip.” Almost all of the reviewers of the recipe over here thought the exact same thing.

I did make a few other changes, but nothing too drastic. Next time I think I’ll press the mixture into a pie plate and bake it. But in the meantime, dinner is served. Here’s a shot of my version on a plate, with the magazine version tucked underneath. It may not look pretty, but it tasted pretty good!

Zucchini Spaghetti Pancake

3 c. shredded zucchini, tossed with salt and drained for 30 minutes
8 oz. whole wheat spaghetti, broken into thirds, cooked, and drained
1/3 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
4 scallions, sliced, white and light green parts only
1 T freshly dried basil
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 T olive oil

Mix flour, yogurt, cheese, scallions, basil, baking powder, pepper, and eggs in a large bowl. Add zucchini and cooked pasta.

Heat oil in a large frying pan and press mixture into pan. Cook for 5 minutes, struggle for 10 minutes to flip it over, realize it’s burnt on the bottom, and decided to just move it around the pan until it’s cooked through.

-Adapted from Cooking Light

Mexican Pasta Toss

We’re at the tail end of tomato season, and I was determined to make one last dish with roasted grape tomatoes since I loved them on the Italian Baked Potato. The rest of this dish just kind of came together with what I had on hand. It’s very mild, so if you want to kick it up a notch, go for it! Maybe some sauteed peppers or a dash of cayenne?

Mexican Pasta Toss

1 pint grape tomatoes, roasted in a 400F oven for 30-40 minutes
2 c. whole wheat shells, cooked and drained
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 c. corn, cooked and drained
1 t chili powder
Shredded cheddar cheese

Toss tomatoes, pasta, beans, and corn in a large bowl, and season with chili powder. Serve topped with shredded cheddar cheese.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Broccoli, and Pears

There is so much I like about Real Simple. I want everything I see in that magazine: rooms which are nicely decorated and perfectly clean, a wardrobe full of clothes that are stylish and functional, and efficient solutions to everyday problems. Of course, the recipes and food ideas are also an inspiration. When I saw this one for Broccoli, Sweet Potatoes, and Pears, I was intrigued by the combination of fruits and vegetables. With a quick trip to the market, I had everything I needed.

I set out to make the recipe myself, changing just a few things but keeping it simple. It took a while in the oven, but it was worth it when it was done. Seasoned with just a little salt and pepper, all the flavors worked together really well. This would be a great side dish for a pork chop if you’re a meat eater, but could stand on it’s own as a lighter meal. I enjoyed a scrambled egg on the side, which works if you think of this dish as gourmet hashbrowns.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Broccoli, and Pears

2 sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1″ cubes
3 c. broccoli florets
1 T olive oil
2 pears, cut into 2″ cubes

Toss sweet potatoes and broccoli with olive oil, and roast in a glass dish for 30 minutes at 450F. Add the pears, and roast for an additional 20-30 minutes until all the vegetables are soft. Season with salt and pepper and serve.