Vegetarian Meat(less)loaf

Vegetarian Meat(less)loaf
based on recipe from Food.com, Really Good Vegetarian Meatloaf (Really!)

Ingredients:
2 cups veggie stock (I suppose you could use water, but why not take the opportunity to add more flavor?)
1 cup lentils
1 shallot, minced
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup grated parmesan (fresh is best, but the stuff from the green can would work in a pinch)
1/2 cup shredded cheese (white cheddar or jack)
1 tsp. ground flaxseeds
2 Tbs. sun dried tomatoes, diced
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup marinara (plain tomato sauce would work, but I had an open jar of marinara in the fridge)
1 tsp. garlic powder (yes, the powder- not fresh)
1/2 tsp. onion powder (or dried onion)
1 tsp. dried basil
1 Tbs. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
salt & pepper, to taste
pinch of cayenne

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Bring the veggie stock and lentils to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the lentils have absorbed the liquid, about 25-30 minutes. (The original recipe says to add salt to water while cooking the lentils, but I've already learned NOT to do that to avoid tough lentils.) Set aside to cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients before adding in the cooled lentils, lightly mashing them as you fold them into the oat mixture. Pour the lentil mixture into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden brown and slightly cracked. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning the loaf out onto a board to cool completely. Serve with mashed potatoes and green beans for that all-American comfort food classic.

Enjoy!

Spinach Pies

Spinach and feta being a classic flavor combination (for good reason!), spanakopita, otherwise known as Greek spinach pie, is one of my favorite ways to enjoy it. However. Actually making the dish is not exactly my idea of a good time since it's fairly labor intensive what with the whole phyllo dough thing. Don't get me wrong... I've made it before; I just don't enjoy the process. On the other hand, puff pastry is MUCH easier to work with than phyllo is, and you get that same light and crispy texture to the final dish which makes me just as happy as the original. Now, I try to keep a package of puff pastry in my freezer at all times because it makes for great savory pies, appetizers, AND desserts... but that's another post.

Spinach Pies

Ingredients:
1 Tbs. olive oil
6 ounces of spinach (fresh or frozen, dealers choice)
1 shallot, minced
2 Tbs. sun dried tomatoes, diced
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. lemon pepper (or plain pepper)
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of red pepper flakes
3 ounces of feta, crumbled
1 Tbs. breadcrumbs
1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, defrosted
1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp. of water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large saute pan over medium-low heat, cook the spinach, shallot, sun dried tomatoes, and all spices in olive oil until the spinach is wilted and most of the moisture has evaporated, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from the heat to a bowl before stirring in the feta and breadcrumbs. Set aside to cool.

On a lightly floured surface, unfold the puff pastry and cut into four equal squares. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the spinach mixture onto one side of each square. Using a pastry brush (or your finger), brush egg wash on 2 sides of each square. Fold the pastry squares in half, diagonally, into triangles. Crimp the edges of the triangles together with the tines of a fork, making sure the edges are sealed to prevent the filling from oozing out as the pies bake. Transfer the pies to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper then brush the tops with more egg wash. Bake at 400 degrees for 14-15 minutes, until the pies are puffed up and the tops are golden brown.

Enjoy!

Autumn Gardener's Pie (aka Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie)

Shepherd's Pie is traditionally made with minced lamb and vegetables in gravy, topped with mashed potatoes. (Shepherds herd sheep... makes sense, right?) What I grew up eating was made with ground beef instead of lamb, which is actually called Cottage Pie, even though it is still commonly referred to as Shepherd's Pie and I daresay that's what most people think of when Shepherd's Pie is mentioned. When I started making the dish for myself, it was always with ground turkey or chicken instead of beef, and the mashed potatoes frequently had parsnips, turnips, or cauliflower mixed in. Delicious, yes. But in the last few years, I've discovered just how easy it is to translate this dish into a vegetarian one, both as a single size casserole like today's recipe, or a larger casserole to feed a crowd as I've brought to work several times to share with the techs. Either way, it measures up to the traditional recipe, and it's incredibly easy to throw together since it's made with ingredients I always have in my pantry and fridge/freezer.

Autumn Gardener's Pie (aka Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie)

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil

1/2 small onion, diced (I was out of shallots which would've been my go-to, so I used frozen instead)

eggplant, diced (I had some leftover in the freezer)

1 carrot, peeled and diced

2 sun dried tomatoes, diced (I like the sweetness these add)

1 small zucchini, diced (fresh or frozen, whatever you have on hand)

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. dried parsley

pinch of dill

salt & pepper to taste

1 Tbs. AP flour

1 1/2 cups vegetable stock

2 ounces of tofu, previously baked (I had some leftover in the fridge, otherwise I probably would've left this out)

1/4 cup sweet corn (I always have this in the freezer)

1/4 cup peas (again, always in the freezer)

dash of Worcestershire sauce

8 ounces butternut squash, diced (I had a bag in the freezer which made it super easy)

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

sprinkle of Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a saute pan over medium-low heat, cook the onion, eggplant, carrot, tomatoes, zucchini, and all spices (except nutmeg) in olive oil for 6-8 minutes, until slightly softened. Sprinkle in the flour, stir to coat the vegetables, and continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes before adding the vegetable stock. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the sauce to a bubble, stirring for 3-5 minutes until "gravy" has thickened. Add in the tofu, corn, peas, and a dash of Worcestershire sauce, then turn off the heat and allow everything to come together.

Meanwhile, in a separate pot, cook the butternut squash in a small amount of water (omit water if using frozen like I did) until heated through and soft enough to mash, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat, mash with a fork, and stir in the nutmeg.

Pour the veggie mixture into an individual size casserole dish and top with the mashed butternut squash. Sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese, and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until the top is slightly browned. Cool for at least 15 minutes before diving in.

Enjoy!

Greek Breakfast Pizzetta

What's a pizzetta, you ask? It's a small pizza... you know, a single serving, mini pizza. This particular pizza is one of my favorite things to make for breakfast, not only because it's seriously yummy, but also because it's quick and easy to put together. And really, who doesn't like pizza for breakfast?

Greek Breakfast Pizzetta

Ingredients:
1 whole wheat pita, opened into 2 halves
olive oil
handful of spinach
sun dried tomatoes, diced
pinch of oregano
pinch of dill
pinch of basil
pinch of parsley
pinch of garlic powder
pinch of onion powder or dried onions
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of red pepper flakes
pinch of lemon pepper (or salt & pepper to taste)
1 (or 2) egg(s)
crumbled feta cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven (or toaster oven) to 350 degrees.

I've made these several ways, but my favorite way is to saute the spinach, sun dried tomatoes, and all spices in olive oil until the spinach is wilted. While that's cooking, split the pita into 2 rounds (NOT into pockets) and brush with olive oil. Top one half with the spinach mixture, making a well in the center. (What to do with the 2nd half, you ask? Nothing's stopping you from fixing 2 pizzette, I just wanted 1 for breakfast this morning so I took the other 1/2 pita round and stuck it in the freezer for another day.) Crack the egg into the well and then bake the pizzetta at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until the egg is set and cooked to your desired doneness. Sprinkle on the feta cheese in the last minute of cooking and finish with another sprinkle of your favorite herbs.

Enjoy!

Turkey Vegetable Rice Soup

Clichés are cliché for a reason, and in this case, soup for the sick is the premise I’m working off of; the sick being me and the soup being my quick Turkey, Veg and Rice soup. Not feeling well and not wanting to go anywhere (as evidenced by the fact that I called out of work the last 2 days), I was able to pull this soup together using several of my panty staples. For once, I actually wasn’t in the mood for chicken noodle (my usual sick food standby) and I lucked out in finding some turkey breast cutlets in the freezer instead of my ever ready chicken breasts. So, next time you’re feeling under the weather, give this one a try…


Ingredients:

1 qt. chicken stock + ½ qt. vegetable stock (I needed a total of 6 cups of liquid and this is what I had on hand today though of course you could always use water)
2 bay leaves (what soup doesn’t have this in it?)
1 tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. celery seed (normally I would start my soup with the classic mirepoix but I didn’t feel like chopping a pile of vegs)
1 lb. of turkey breast cutlets, diced into bite-sized pieces (you could always use chicken here instead)
2 Tbs. flour (you can always omit this part, but I like the slightly thicker texture this gives the soup)
2” strip of Parmesan rind (I like to save/freeze the rinds of Parmesan once the cheese is gone because it adds this amazing salty depth of flavor to soups)
1 bag of mixed or soup veg (always on hand in my freezer, this bag contained green beans, peas, carrots, corn, and lima beans)
8 sun dried tomatoes, diced (I like to use these instead of regular tomatoes because they add a sweet bite to the soup without being overpowering)
2 cups brown rice, slightly undercooked*
salt and pepper to taste
*In a medium sauce pan, bring to a boil 1 cup of brown rice (NOT the quick cooking kind!) and a little less than 2 cups (normally I use just over 2 cups for brown rice not being used in soup) of water or stock. Reduce heat to lowest setting, cover pot and walk away for 45 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE LID!!! For perfect brown rice, let it simmer (covered) for 45 minutes then turn the heat off and leave the lid in place for another 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Trust me, it turns out perfect every time so long as you don’t open the lid.

Meanwhile, in a large soup pot over high heat, bring the stock to a boil and add in all the dried spices before dropping the heat to medium. Toss the turkey and flour together before adding it to the stock, stirring frequently, and allow to simmer, poaching the turkey, for 10 minutes before adding the Parmesan rind, frozen veg and sun dried tomatoes. Raise the heat to high and bring back to a boil, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes or until the soup thickens slightly. Add in the brown rice and simmer for another 10-15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Feta Omelet

So here it is, Sunday once again. I know I've said it before, but what better way to celebrate a day off than to prepare a fantabulous breakfast? Today's offering is another great omelet paired with some leftover sweet potatoes and mixed veg, transformed into a tasty hash. I did make a slight departure from my regular coffee or iced coffee, and instead made my version of a hot mocha using a few of my pantry staples.

Ingredients:

2 eggs (I used my Garden Vegetable Egg Beaters as usual)

sun dried tomatoes, diced

feta cheese, crumbled

sweet potatoes, diced (I had these leftover in the fridge so all I had to do was reheat them)

mixed veg (again, from the freezer, this mix included red peppers, corn, and broccoli)

*For the hot mocha: instant espresso, hot chocolate, water, splash of creamer if desired

Because the omelet would only take a few minutes to come together, I started with the sweet potatoes and a splash of olive oil in a small saute pan over medium heat. Cook the potatoes until they start to crisp before adding in the rest of the veg to heat through. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, prepare the omelet and stuff it with the feta and tomatoes. Instead of my regulation coffee, I went with a package of sugar-free hot chocolate mixed with instant espresso and finished it with a splash of my favorite French vanilla creamer.

Enjoy!

Balsamic Linguini

Ok, I know I said in a previous post that I'm not a big pasta eater, but sometimes a girl has to take one for the team when her dinner guest is a picky eater. There's a reason why pasta and/or chicken dishes are served at many social events; almost everyone likes them. So, keeping that in mind, when a certain friend of mine finds himself at my house around dinner time I bow to his likes/dislikes and challenge myself to greater creativity with ingredients that are not necessarily my favorites. With this particular dish, I was pleasantly surprised to find I really enjoyed a pasta dinner.

Ingredients:

whole grain linguini (I definitely prefer the nutty taste of whole grain pasta to the old stuff)

Italian turkey sausage (I had a package of links in the freezer, otherwise I would have tossed in some of my go-to chicken breast strips)

extra virgin olive oil

sun dried tomatoes, julienned

balsamic vinegar (I used about 1/4 cup, but it all depends on how much sauce you're making)

fresh basil, torn

Parmesan cheese, shredded

salt and pepper to taste (keep in mind that the Parmesan is salty and the sausage may have a bite to it, depending on the brand you're using)

This is a quick, throw together at the last minute, dinner that can be prepared for any number of people. In a large pot, bring several quarts of water to a boil. Add a handful of sea salt and the pasta, cooking for 8-10 minutes or until al dente (follow package instructions). In a separate skillet, saute the Italian turkey sausage in about 1 Tbs of olive oil since turkey sausage is relatively low in fat. Once the meat is browned, add the sun dried tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Continue cooking over medium-low heat (until the pasta is done), allowing the the balsamic vinegar to reduce slightly and the tomatoes to plump up. Once the linguini is al dente, drain and then toss with about 1 Tbs. of olive oil before topping with the turkey sausage, tomatoes, and sauce. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and fresh basil before serving.

Enjoy!

Pizza Sliders

Ok, so I don't really consider this a recipe... more like what to do with some soon to be stale rolls when you're hungry and feeling lazy. Many of my best or favorite creations are the result of just this kind of cooking: What do I have on hand and what can I make in less than 15 minutes (usually because I was too busy to eat something earlier and now I've got a hunger headache... like today). As much as I enjoy preparing something on a more grand or challenging scale, on a normally lazy Sunday that's been thrown off schedule, sometimes you just have to go with what's quick and easy. And everybody likes pizza, right?

Ingredients:

2 rolls (these were left over from a take-out Italian lunch at work yesterday)

turkey pepperoni

provolone cheese (the classic mozzarella would be great too, of course)

sun dried tomatoes

fresh basil

olive oil

garlic powder (if you wanted to use a more classic bruschetta technique, use a whole clove of garlic instead of the powdered stuff to rub on the toasted bread... I don't keep fresh garlic in the house anymore because it's one of my migraine triggers)

parmesan cheese (the kind that comes from the green can actually works better than fresh grated in this application)

Basically, I was looking for something quick to throw together for lunch today since I didn't have time to indulge in my classic Sunday breakfast/brunch fair and I was feeling more than a little peckish by the time I was able to fix something to eat. I had these 2 rolls leftover from lunch yesterday so I sliced them in half and brushed the insides with a little bit of olive oil and put them oiled side down in a skillet over medium heat to toast slightly. After just a minute or so, I pulled them off the heat and sprinkled them with the garlic powder and parmesan cheese before returning to them pan for another minute to allow the parmesan to form a crust on the bread. If you decide to use real pepperoni (the greasy stuff), then I would skip this step because the grease from the pepperoni will moisten the bread.

Remove from the heat and layer on the turkey pepperoni, provolone, sun dried tomatoes, and fresh basil leaves while the rolls are still hot. I actually put the formed sandwiches back into the pan (with the heat off) and covered them for a minute to allow the residual heat to melt the cheese. A great way to use up left over rolls and just as tasty as a real pizza, only faster.

Enjoy!

Tortellini, Hold The Tomato Sauce

So I've never been a big fan of pasta. Sure, as a kid (and rather poor college student) I ate the quintessential mac and cheese from a box or the ever popular spaghetti with meat sauce, but as an adult and cooking for myself, I rarely fix pasta dishes. Nothing against them... they just don't trip my trigger as a rule. So saying, every once in a while, I'll be in the grocery store and something in the fresh pasta section will catch my eye. Tonight, that was a very lovely 3 cheese, whole grain tortellini... and yes, it really was whole grain... even if you were blind and couldn't see the difference (visually) in color and texture, all you had to do was read the ingredient list/nutrition label. So I bought them to fix for dinner tonight and that brings to me to my other issue with pasta: What, if anything, do you make for a sauce? Maybe this is the core issue of me and pasta never developing that All American love affair the rest of the country seems to have with all things Italian, but I'm not that fond of tomato sauce. I love tomatoes, I love tomato soup. I just don't want tomatoes in sauce form anywhere near my pizza (don't even get me started!) or on the rare bowl of pasta I might eat. So. How to serve my fresh tortellini? Well, this is what I ended up doing:

Ingredients:

fresh tortellini (of course, any pasta will do here)

olive oil (extra virgin really is best here)

ricotta cheese (I usually have a carton of the part-skim kind in the fridge... really, it's very versatile!)

spinach

sun dried tomatoes

fresh basil, torn

salt and pepper to taste

Easy enough, cook the pasta according to package instructions (fresh is always a faster cook time as opposed to dry). Meanwhile, in a serving bowl, combine 1-2 Tbs. of ricotta cheese, 1 tsp. of olive oil, salt, and pepper. I like to dip out the pasta with a slotted spoon instead of draining it altogether in a colander because (1) fewer dishes to clean, and (2) you get some of the salty/starchy cooking water mixed in with the ricotta which helps to loosen it up as well as help it to stick to the pasta and create a sauce. Finish with the spinach (it'll wilt once it hits the hot pasta), sun dried tomatoes and fresh basil. If you happen to have a lemon just lying around, go ahead and zest a little bit on top of the pasta and maybe a pinch of red pepper flakes... or not. It's up to you... like I said, this was just my once in a blue moon version of a pasta dinner.

Enjoy!

Deluxe Day-Off Brunch

A couple of years ago I had an epiphany when it came to food and how it relates to me. Translation: I was fast approaching my 30th birthday and was tired of the way I looked and felt. I've always enjoyed cooking; my grandmother had me in the kitchen helping her from a very young age and I grew up in one of those homes where the mother was a stay at home mom and had dinner on the table for the family every night. Good ol' American classics of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, spaghetti, and anything fried were staples in our household so that's what I grew up on. Not alot of fresh veggies or salads, and fruits were usually only seen when packed in a lunchbox for school. Once I was out on my own and had a kitchen of my own, I was able to start exploring what food could really be like. Unfortunately, I let my culinary exploration slack off in the name of convenience and lost focus for several years. As for that epiphany, I won't bore you with the details, but it got me eating so much healthier than I was and trying out new flavors and techniques when it came to my own culinary exploits. And, one of the most important lessons I learned (and I can't believe it took me nearly 30 years to admit it) is this: Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Who'd have thought all those nutritionists were right?

So one of my favorite things to do on my days off is prepare a nice big breakfast/brunch, even if it's just for myself (although I must say that I've had friends over for brunch and garnered rave reviews!). After a meal like this, I'm good to go with just a snack later in the afternoon and then a light dinner. So here is today's version of my deluxe day-off brunch...

Ingredients:

2 egg omelet (I find that this makes just enough so that there's a few bites of egg left to feed to Seamus)

turkey sausage links (turkey bacon is good too... or you can splurge and use real pork products)

whole grain toast (I like to spread mine with Smart Balance or strawberry preserves if I've got a jar in the fridge)

mixed berries (any fruit is good, but berries have the added bonus of all those anti-oxidants)

coffee (please... what meal isn't complete without at least one cup of coffee?)

I won't go into the specifics of how to prepare each item on the menu because, frankly, anybody can make a halfway decent omelet if they have the right pan. What I will tell you, is that my omelet was made with Garden Vegetable Egg Beaters (equivalent of 2 eggs) and I use Smart Balance spread to cook it in. I like my omelets cooked to a firmer consistency than most restaurants cook eggs to, so I like to pour the beaten eggs into the pan over medium-low heat and let them set almost completely (the center is still a little loose) before I flip the entire thing like a pancake. Today's filling was spinach, sun dried tomatoes, goat cheese, fresh basil, salt, and pepper, and I place everything on one half of the eggs before folding over the other half of the eggs to form, in my opinion, the perfect omelet.

Along with this glorious ode to egg substitute, I had some left over turkey sausage links that I made yesterday so I tossed those in the pan for a few minutes to reheat just as I folded the omelet. In the mean time, my favorite chocolate scented coffee was brewing and the whole grain bread (yes, I read my labels and I know that it's the real thing) was toasting. (Times like these, I really wish I was able to bake bread like my dad could... there's nothing better than freshly baked bread!) To round out the meal, I tossed some of my favorite berries (strawberries, blueberries, and dark cherries) into a bowl and sprinkled on a packet of Splenda (to help them macerate and get extra juicy) and finished it with a splash of vanilla extract. This is equally as good served with lemon or vanilla yogurt, but alas, I have no plain yogurt in the fridge right now, just some Activia Light singles.

Sorry, I just had to wipe the drool off my chin. :)

Since I've started eating breakfast every day, I've learned that I'm more of a hearty breakfast type instead of the simple cereal type. I actually function better with a protein laden breakfast rather than one filled with carbs like pancakes or oatmeal. Go figure.

Enjoy!