Category: Vegetarian

Mushroom Ravioli with Garlic Mushroom Sauce

Pasta, Vegetarian

Happy Tuesday! The girls had dinner plans with Nana and Papa tonight (Five Guys). I had yoga and hubby went to hockey, so I was on my own for dinner. So tonight I planned on making some kind of “Mommy Meal.” This is basically a meal that I make for myself that generally no one else will most likely eat. I bought a ton of mushrooms and thought I might make a risotto. Then I contemplated a mushroom fettichini. Then last night I spied some mushroom ravioli in the freezer. I decided to go with that and am glad I did.

Mushroom Ravioli with Garlic Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients

1 container fresh premade mushroom ravioli
1 container fresh baby portabello mushrooms, sliced
1 container “gourmet” mushrooms (or a couple handfuls of the fancy mushrooms bought by the pound) Splurge on yourself!
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
olive oil, about 1/4 cup all together
white wine, approximately 1/4 cup
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Add a drizzle of olive oil to a large skillet. Heat on Med/High Heat.
Add onions. Cook 4 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic. Cook 4 more minutes. Add your seasoning and wine. Reduce down, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook ravioli in salted water, just under package cook time.
Add more olive oil to mushroom sauce. Add pasta to sauce with a touch of pasta water. Add cheese. Mix well.

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Pesto Pasta with Corn and Pine Nuts

Leftovers/ Freezer Meals, Pasta, Vegetarian

Hey kids! Hope you had a great Monday! My day was pretty awesome, and tonight is pretty chill at home. We had burger night; everyone gobbled up their burgers. I have made burgers a few times here on the blog, so I hope you check it out. This is how I made them…https://funfoodiefamily.com/2013/08/28/burgers-2/

As I was making dinner, I was thinking about what to take for lunch tomorrow. I am pretty good about taking my lunch to work, but sometimes I end up buying the school lunch. It is not bad, but I don’t like to take my chances. On the days I don’t bring my lunch, the salad bar is usually a safe bet. There is even the occasional gem like chicken wings or mozzarella sticks.

I was looking through the fridge and decided to make a pasta mash up. Basically, I took a bunch of ingredients that were separate and added them all together. In this case it was some leftover Annie’s mac and cheese, corn, leftover pesto, and pine nuts from said pesto. I have just enough for 2 servings…one for me and one for my lunch mate. We usually take turns making food for each other. Today she brought spicy tofu and veggies with coconut milk and noodles. It was delish!

This combo turned out really great! I hope you feel inspired to take a look at what you already have in your fridge or pantry and make it work!

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A Tale of Two Pastas- Vegetarian Edition

Pasta, Vegetarian

Hey guys! It has been a while. I trust everyone had a happy Thanksgiving? It was nice and relaxing here. It was pretty much the same…1. Turkey- this year I did a breast…014
here is where you can find the recipe. Delicious! http://whatsgabycooking.com/roasted-turkey-breast/ 2. Alton Brown’s Green Bean Casserole http://altonbrown.com/best-ever-green-bean-casserole-recipe/ 3. Bacon and Mushroom Stuffing, cranberries,and some other ideas for next year http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/11/12/dining/essential-thanksgiving.html?_r=0

Feeling like you need a break from all that comfort food? How about some lighter comfort food? Vegetarian Comfort Food in fact. Here are a couple I have made in the last few days trying to use up pasta and some leftover ingredients in my kitchen.

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Pasta Aglio E Olio

INGREDIENTS

1/2 box bow-tie pasta (usually spaghetti, but use what you have)
2 large or 3 small garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons of chili pepper flakes
1/3 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
a bit of chopped fresh parsley
as much as you want of Parmesan Cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS

Cook pasta according to package minus 1 minute, until it is al dente.
Strain and place in a large serving dish.
Add minced garlic, chili pepper flakes, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and mix together well. Add parsley on top and
Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Antipasto Pasta

Ok, so this one is totally easy… I had some antipasto leftover from Thanksgiving… olives, artichokes, marinated mushrooms, roasted red peppers, garlic, marinated mozzarella balls, and feta all in olive oil. I added this to my remaining pasta and topped with more mozzarella. Perfection!

Cool Fall Fruits- Pomegranates and Persimmons (plus an easy Balsamic Dressing)

Dips, Dressings, and Spreads, Salads, Vegetarian

If you ever wondered how you cut and eat a pomegranate, here is a helpful guide for you.
I cut the fruit in half down the middle. Then over a large bowl, I break apart the fruit with my fingers and begin to separate the seeds from the pith. It is actually quite easy and very therapeutic. You will be amazed how many little seeds are in a single fruit. Even Lizzie pitched in. She had a great time!
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Fuyu-Persimmon-A-Fruit-From-the-Gods

What is a persimmon? Well, it is an edible fruit that resembles a tomato and has very sweet flesh. I kind of think it tastes like a cross between a peach, apple, and tomato. So yummy! I saw some at the store and picked up a couple. I researched recipes and decided that I wanted to add one of mine to a salad. It was so yummy! I mixed a chopped salad with kale, radicchio, celery, mushrooms, beets, chickpeas, red pepper, and persimmons. I topped it with homemade balsamic dressing (recipe below).

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Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
3 cloves crushed,chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup Olive Oil

Directions
In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper until salt is combined. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until well blended. I made mine in a mason jar for easy mixing.

Butternut Squash Alfredo

Pasta, Vegetarian

So last night I made this amazing pasta with leftover Fettichini Alfredo. It was way too late to blog about it, but now that I have had some coffee in me, I think I am up for a quick blog post. I had a butternut squash on the counter that I barely remember buying, so I figured I should probably do something with it. I also had a few mushrooms that were on there last leg and half and onion that was begging for attention. Delicious vegetarian meal! Super easy!

Butternut Squash Alfredo

butternut squash, peeled and chopped into cubes
mushrooms, sliced
onion, sliced
alfredo sauce
fettuccini

Directions

Add a few tablespoons of oil into a large pan. Cook down your veggies until soft, stirring every few minutes. About 15-20 minutes.
I used leftover pasta and sauce, but you can boil and cook your pasta while the veggies are cooking. You could make your sauce or buy one from the store =)
Add in your alfredo and noodles.

Told you it was easy!

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