Vegetarian Foodie

Homemade Nachos

There are 3 reasons why I love homemade nachos:

Homemade Nachos are...Delicious, Look festive and inviting to eat, and they are really easy to make

Layer your chosen ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted. Top with more delicious toppings and Eat!

Layer 1: Beans
Layer 2: Chips
Layer 3: Cheese
Top Layer: Spring onions, sour cream, cilantro, tomatoes (I always add avocado but I ran out on this particular moment)

Vegetarian Tacos

Both the husband and I agree, our favorite dinner meal while growing up was taco night. We both have fond memories of sticking our fingers into various sized bowls offering colorful ingredients and building what we considered was the dream taco.

The final step of any taco builder includes the crooked head with open mouth and high hopes that the contents don't escape onto the plate.

There was something delightfully fun about building our own taco-there still is. This is another dish with a creative license. Boca make phony burger crumbles that go great in tacos. I particularly like green beans, corn and red bell in my tacos.

Here is our taco spread:

 

Gorgonzola Quesadillas

I adore appetizers. Gorgonzola quesadillas are not only a easy and quick appetizer but a real tasty treat. Gorgonzola is a blue cheese that makes a great date for walnuts. The onions top it off perfectly, try it for yourself.

In fact, these quesadillas are so popular around here that sometimes I serve them for dinner beside a salad.

• Gorgonzola Cheese
• Chopped Walnuts
• Red Onion Caramelized
• Flour Tortillas

First step, caramelize the onions:

1 Red Onion Sliced
1 Tablespoon of Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup of Red Wine

Next, lay out the tortillas (psst, Trader Joes makes a great flour tortilla) onto a pan. Top the tortilla with Gorgonzola Cheese, chopped walnuts and a few slices of onion. Place in the broiler and be certain to keep an eye-things happen fast in there.

Cut the quesadilla into three triangles.

BLT with Smashed Avocado

I grew up loving BLTs. I recall the BLTs of my childhood on toasted white bread and overly smeared with mayonnaise. I remember, so clearly, the soggy tomatoes and wilted lettuce and how when I would bite into the sandwich there was a distinct crunch sound. 

Thanks to the folks at MorningStar there is a stunning vegetarian bacon on the market, it is salty and crunchy in all the right places. The BLTs of today have accessorized with smashed avocado and it is very becoming! 

If you are in the mood to browse, there is a great excerpt from a photo essay called What the World Eats.

Being the before and after photos junkie I am, there is a good collection called We Like it Raw.

Do you know a great recipe for Ratatouille? There is a contest over at Recipe4Living.
 

Sweet Potato Fries

I heart sweet potato fries...

Preheat Oven to 500 degrees F
Slice sweet potatoes and place in roasting pan
Drizzle fries with olive oil and add salt
Bake for 10-15 minutes

So easy and so very delicious

Lilly's Two Timing Casserole

The following recipe was inspired by my friend Lilly. We decided to call it a two timing casserole because there is a creative license with this recipe-any leftover pasta can evolve into a delicious casserole with a few simple additions (namely cheese), hence this dish is a two timer.

If you haven't any pasta leftovers but fancy a baked pasta casserole, try the following on for size.

• Olive oil
• Fusilli Pasta (about 1/2 a bag or 4 handfuls cooked)
• 4 quartered tomatoes
• 1 Yellow onion sliced
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 3 zucchini chopped into bite sized pieces
• 1/2 Cup each Cheddar and Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

Begin with roasting the tomatoes. Place quartered tomatoes in a roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle Herbes de Provence as well as salt and pepper. Roast for an hour.

Move on to the pasta and cook in a large pot of water.

In a skillet, add olive oil, onions and garlic. After two minutes add the zucchini and brown all ingredients.

Now combine everything into a large baking dish and top with cheese (as seen below).

Bake at 325 for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

 


 

Sloppy Joes

Thanks to quality vegetarian burger crumbles, sloppy joes are not just for burger eaters anymore. The following recipe for vegetarian sloppy joes is not only tasty but also quick and easy.

• Vegetable Oil
• 1 Onion chopped
• 1 Red Bell chopped
• 2 Garlic cloves minced
• 1 Cup vegetarian burger crumbles
• 1 Cup tomato sauce
• 1 Cup water
• 2 tsp Chili powder
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Buns of choice

Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the onion, garlic and red bell pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add water and burger crumbles. Reduce heat and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Add tomato sauce, chili powder, salt and pepper. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes. Top your favorite buns off with sloppy joes mix.

Avocado Soup

I must admit, it was better than I thought it would be. Avocado soup is profoundly delicious.

• 2 Ripe Avocados
• 2 Cups of Vegetable Stock
• 1 Cup of plain yogurt
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Garnish options: Salsa, tortilla chips, chopped onions, cilantro… 

Add yogurt and chopped avocado into a food processor or blender

Mix until creamy

Add vegetable stock and once again, mix until creamy

Top with garnish of choice, pictured below: Chopped onion, ground pepper and tortilla chips. Enjoy.

 

Easy Vegetarian Recipe

Okay, here is my easy vegetarian recipe that appears as though one took great measures to prepare. This recipe has never been scoffed at by even the toughest customers. Additionally, this recipe is great to prepare ahead and simply heat up when needed.

Stuffed Cannelloni with Spinach and Cheese

• 14 Cannelloni (Cannelloni pictured below)
• A  glug of Olive oil
• An onion diced
• Garlic, A couple cloves diced
• A head of spinach washed and tossed in boiling water for a few minutes. Once cooled, cut into strips
• 2 Cups of pasta sauce (the one you like best)
• 1 Cup of Cottage Cheese
• A Tablespoon of bread crumbs (I usually just shave off crumbs from the dinner's baguette)
• 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese (more if you really love cheese)
• Pepper (to Taste)

1. Cook the pasta until soft (about 12 minutes)- Lay in shallow baking pan side by side. I use two pans as pictured below.
2. Saute garlic and onion in a pan with olive oil until browned, add cooked spinach and cut the heat to low
3. Combine cottage cheese, bread crumbs and pepper-Mix until creamy
4. Add cheese mix to pan of spinach, onions & garlic...stir together. Cut the heat after a moment and proceed to stuff cannelloni pasta with this mix. When stuffing, I slice the cannelloni down the middle then fold it over slice side down in the pan.
5.Top stuffed cannelloni with pasta sauce and Parmesan cheese.
6. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes (Cheese should be melted and bubbly)

I serve this meal beside crusty bread, greens and wine. This recipe works with large pasta shells too.

P.S. Thank you Abby over at eat the right stuff for a mention of this recipe to celebrate National Vegetarian Week in the UK. Cheers!

Bangers and Mash

Bangers and Mash is English pub grub which offers a plate of sausages, mashed potatoes as well as a vegetable. Often the plate is topped with onion gravy.
Boca makes a delightful vegetarian banger that allows a vegetarian spin off a popular meat dish.
Another thing I like about this meal is the amount of freedom it allows the cook. You can choose your favorite vegetable side or simply prepare what is on hand. The mashers can be instant or properly mashed potatoes depending on how much time and energy you have.
This meal cooperates with seasons in that it is delicious on a stormy night with a hot glass of wine or equally grand on a balmy evening while drinking ice cold frothy beer.