Tag: vegetarian

EASY Yummy Veggie Lasagna

Pasta, Side dishes...veggies, potatoes, grains, Vegetarian

Here is another vegetarian meal brought to you by my farmer’s market veggies. I made a huge pan, knowing full well that I am the only one eating it. Whatever is leftover in a few days will go straight to the freezer for future consumption.

This lasagna was super easy to make. Store bought sauce, pre-shredded cheese, no boil pasta, and lots of sliced veggies. I threw this together in less than 10 minutes, baked for about 45 minutes until the cheese on top was bubbling and starting to turn brown. The end product was super cheesy yet still light and full of summer flavors! You can mix and match your sauce and veggies and even add in ground meat if you want to make it non-vegetarian. Or serve it as a veggie side pasta to some chicken parm etc.

EASY Yummy Veggie Lasagna

Ingredients
jarred sauce- I used a mixture of alfredo and vodka sauce. I find that for lasagna 1 container of thick sauce is never enough, so I experimented with 1 regular sized Vodka Sauce and 1 small jar of light mushroom alfredo sauce. Perfect amount! I love making different homemade pasta sauces, but I love the convenience and ease of a jarred sauce. I try to keep a couple in my pantry for quick dinners.

1 small bunch of kale, chopped- just the leaves- the ribs and stems are too fibrous to chew-
1 large or 2 small summer squash, sliced
2-3 summer tomatoes- I used one large yellow and 1 small red
1 package of no cook lasagna
1 pound of shredded mozzarella

Directions

Preheat oven to 350
Spray large oven safe casserole dish
put a bit of sauce spread on the bottom
add kale, then some cheese, then pasta, add sauce
add squash, then some cheese,then pasta, add sauce
add tomatoes, then some cheese, then pasta, add sauce

Bake for 45 min-1 hour until cheese is bubbly and brown. That combo of the mushroom alfredo and vodka sauce is unbelievable. It is rich and creamy, yet somehow still manages to feel light and delicate. It pairs perfectly with the veggies, which just kind of melt into the pasta and sauce. This is an awesome recipe to use some pretty amazing farmer’s market ingredients. I hope you give it a try!

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Easy Baked Cheesy Poblano Peppers – Chile Relleno

Mexican, Vegetarian

Hey guys! Anyone out there? I know it is a beautiful summer day, but if anyone out there is ready for some easy homemade Mexican food, please tune it! This recipe is super easy and delicious. Have you ever had a poblano pepper? In your nearby favorite Mexican restaurant, it is called a Chili Relleno. Basically, charred poblano peppers (slightly spicy, but just barely) stuffed with cheese and covered in a enchilada type tomato sauce and more cheese. I was thinking of my favorite Mexican place, Montery.

In any recipe on the Internet you find it fried and baked. This may be good and all, but not the same as my authentic Mexican restaurant. The Chile Relleno is not fried. The Chili Relleno is a perfect light vegetarian meal, despite all the cheese. I decided to try to create my own. This is a pretty amazing recipe… simplicity at its best. 3 ingredients- poblanos, mexican cheese blend, and enchilada sauce. You could shred and blend your own cheese mix. You could make your own enchilada sauce. You could, but then I could not call this “Easy…”

Easy Baked Cheesy Poblano Peppers

Ingredients

6-8 Poblano Peppers
1 large can Enchilada Sauce- I used Old El Paso, ya’ll…
1 large package of shredded mixed Mexican cheese… You know that blend in the grocery; don’t lie!

If you have a gas stove, char your peppers for a few minutes on each side. If not, roast them in your oven on 400 until charred- this will take longer, not going to lie.

Preheat your oven to 350

Place your roasted peppers in a zip top for 10 minutes. The peppers enclosed in the bag create a steam that will be helpful taking some of that skin off. In a few minutes rub the peppers around still in the closed bag with your fingers. If they are hot, use a towel or plastic gloves. I have no feeling left in my finger tips, so for me, I can use my bare hands. Open them up half way with a knife. Leave the tops in place. Take out the seeds and membranes.
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Take Corningware type dish that has been sprayed with kitchen spray. Pour a bit of your enchilada sauce on the bottom. Stuff your peppers and place in the pan. Cover with more sauce and cheese. Bake until fork tender, about 45 minutes. Serve with rice, beans, and a guacamole salad. I have found my new favorite Mexican dish to make at home! Don’t get me wrong, I will still go out to Montery. I love cooking their amazing dishes, but they can still do the dishes for me! I am still trying to perfect the homemade margarita.

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Vegan Pasta Sauce

Pasta, Vegetarian

So earlier I told you how cooking is my therapy. So is grocery shopping BY MYSELF!!! One of my co-workers is a vegetarian and a bit of a foodie, so I like to make us some yummy lunches every once in a while. If you don’t know me or just now reading this, I used to be a vegetarian/vegan for 13 years. I eat everything now, but I still enjoy healthy veggie meals occasionally. I recently saw a recipe for an eggplant tomato pasta sauce. I decided to add more veggies other than the eggplant, and this recipe was created. The great thing about veggie meals is you can delete or add whatever veggies you like. For example, I didn’t have any mushrooms, but they would have been a yummy addition. If you have spinach instead of kale, add it! Use your imagination to create your own individualized sauce.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced and chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 eggplant, chopped
2 small zucchini, chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 container of grape tomatoes
1 large can of diced tomatoes
2 glasses of wine
1/2 head of broccoli- florets (you can save the stems for veggie or chicken stock)
water as needed
1/2 bag/container of kale

Directions

Chop all your veggies while you heat your large pan/dutch oven and melt your butter with the oil.
Add all the ingredients in the order listed above to med.heat. Onion and garlic first for 5 minutes, stirring. Pepper, eggplant, and zucchini for 5 more minutes. Add tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes, stirring. Then add the tomatoes- grape and can of diced. Add your wine and then broccoli florets. Add water if you need more liquid. Cook on med-low for 20 minutes. Add your kale at the end and cook until wilted. Serve over your favorite pasta. Enjoy!

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Vegetarian Vegetable Soup

One pot meal, Soups, Vegetarian

Hey guys! These last few weeks have been kinda slow on the blog. We have had the stomach bug floating around and lots of late nights. Hopefully, I will be cooking more starting this weekend!!! This is a recipe I just created tonight. I really wanted soup and went through my fridge, freezer, and cabinets to come up with this recipe. I just feel like this should be considered a classic vegetable soup recipe. This is not only vegetarian, but vegan as well. No butter or meat at all. PROMISE!!!!!! I could eat this all winter. I hope you make this and add it to your soup recipes.

So when you think of vegetable soup, you think of vegetables, right? Me, too. Well, most “vegetable” soups out there actually are made with beef or chicken stock and even, GASP, ground beef!!!! Well, I have a little bit more respect for vegetable soup. The integrity of the vegetable soup remains intact with this recipe. If you love your veggies, this soup is for you!

Vegetarian Vegetable Soup

Take the following and cook down for 10 minutes or longer in 3 tablespoons of olive oil
Garlic- 3 cloves thinly chopped or grated
1 med. onion cut in thin slices
4-6 carrots sliced
4-6 celery stalks sliced
2 potatoes peeled and cut in to chunks
Salt and pepper to taste
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Add
3 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 can of green chilies
1 can white beans- drained and rinsed
1 can tomato sauce plus 1 can of water
Add at least 2 cups of red wine =) No stock in this at all. You could add veggie stock, but I would rather add more wine and water.
Cook for another 10 minutes
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Add some frozen veggies right at the end…I think corn, peas, and green beans are classic. Cook until frozen veggies are done, about 15 minutes or so.
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