Well I have to admit that sometimes I don't find the look of vegetarian meals all that appealing and therefore I choose not to cook those. This one I recently cooked, though, not only looked stunning but left heavenly smells wafting through the house. Sniff sniff. Mmmmm...
These are Asian lettuce wraps. Funny how the protein looks like ground chicken or turkey, but is actually crumbled tofu. Ahhh, my love for tofu -- well, not really, but shucks it's so easy to cook with since it sautes well, lends itself to any Asian recipe (of course), and takes on just about any flavor you want it to just by either marinating it or seasoning it with your favorite ingredients.
Another Asian tofu specialty! This is a delicious Phad-Thai meal that I cooked up with tofu, bean sprouts, green onions, shredded carrots, a little napa cabbage, lots of garlic, and heaped onto a mound of sticky white rice. The sauce was to die for!
This is all for now. Hmmm, wonder what I'm going to cook for the kids tonight.
Well, I'm actually having fun with this new road I'm on trying my hand at cooking meatless meals. I've learned a lot and have had to rethink centering the meals around the protein--sometimes quite challenging. I've also picked up some incredibly delicious recipes!
This panini was fun to make. Homemade tomato pesto was first spread on the bottom of a ciabatta bun, then I layered roasted, sliced tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar on top of the pesto--yum, sounding good already. Next, I added fresh basil leaves and slices of fresh mozzarella cheese. I put the top ciabatta bun on and grilled it all in my panini press. This is really a good sandwich.
Roasted russet potatoes go well with the panini.
These look like hamburgers, but they're not! They are actually black bean burgers, something we had never had before, and they are delicious! Mash black beans, add grated onion, egg, bread crumbs, hot sauce, salt and pepper, and form into patties. Saute them in a skillet with a little butter and olive oil until they're nice and browned. Then I topped them with jack cheese, but you can use any kind you like, and placed the lid on the skillet so the cheese would melt. I mixed up mayo with sirracha and Tabasco sauces and spread some on each buttered and grilled bun. I placed the patty on the bottom bun, then added arugula on one and romaine lettuce on the other (the kids have different tastes). These were some of the best burgers ever! Not kidding. Next time I think I will mix in salsa with the mayo and maybe add some chopped Hatch green chiles either to the beans or the mayo--or both! Anyway, this recipe is a keeper! Thank you Pioneer Woman!
This is a quick and simple salad that can accompany any sandwich or pizza or... whatever you like! Butter and purple lettuce is mixed with heirloom baby (or cherry, whatever you call them) tomatoes, and big hunks of blue cheese. Drizzle on olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fresh tasting, crunchy, good!
Margherita Pizza made with fresh tomatoes, lots of fresh garlic, ricotta cheese, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, olive oil, and Parmesan. Oh I just love this crust--and if you've been following my blog, then you already know how I've been in search for the perfect pizza dough (and perfect pizza for that matter). Well, this comes close!
So my kids announced last week that they were going vegetarian and could I please make meals without meat. Okay... Wow, I thought, this is going to be challenging. David and I are meat lovers, and generally I center the meal around the protein. So, I eagerly jumped into the new challenge and have been diligently searching the internet as well as asking various people for some good recipes. So far I've come up with a few...
These ratatouille-stuffed zucchini boats were delicious and satisfying, even without the meat!
I also made a delicious lentil and pasta soup to go with the zucchini boats. This soup is loaded with vegetables swimming in a very good broth with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese on top.
This spinach and mushroom lasagna was so good with the meaty mushrooms, spinach and cheesy cream sauce all melding together perfectly! I don't think I've had a better lasagna, and the no-boil noodles made it a snap to make. I sauteed fresh crimini mushrooms with chopped onion in a little olive oil until the mushrooms took on that nice golden-brown color and smelled like heaven. I made a bechamel sauce with cream and added nutmeg, fresh chopped spinach and lots of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Then I added the mushroom mixture and simply layered the noodles and sauce topping it off with more cheese. My house smelled divine while it baked in the oven--couldn't wait to taste it! YUM!
This is my take on Panzanella (bread salad) which makes a really good vegetarian salad that is quite satisfying. Use a good loaf of French bread cubed and made into croutons by tossing with olive oil and Kosher salt and baked in the oven until nice and golden. Add seeded, sliced English cucumbers, tomatoes, colored peppers, sliced red onions and Kalamata olives. Toss with your favorite vinaigrette and chopped fresh basil. Oh, and don't forget the capers!
