Category Archives: Vegetarian & Vegan

Killer Cranberry Sauce

Posted on November 17, 2009 by Veronica

This is my family’s favorite cranberry sauce. I should preface that with the fact that before I started serving this particular sauce, my Dad was the only one in the family that actually liked cranberry sauce. Now we all have to have it every Thanksgiving because skipping this sauce would be like skipping the turkey–it’s inconceivable.

Tart & sweet with a vibrant splash of orange flavor & the nutty crunch from toasted pecans…it is divine. And if you think that only adults with distinguished palates would enjoy it, then you haven’ t seen my three year old nephew dipping every piece of his turkey in it and refusing to eat the turkey any other way.

Do you serve cranberry sauce with your Thanksgiving dinner? What is your favorite way to prepare it?

Killer Cranberry Sauce

1 navel orange
1 1/2 c sugar
1/2 t grated fresh ginger
4 c cranberries
1/2 c toasted pecans, chopped*

Grate the orange peel from the orange and put into a large saucepan. Juice the orange and add the juice to the pan along with the sugar and ginger. Stir & simmer over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Add cranberries and cook until they pop & the mixture thickens–about five to ten minutes. Cool and store in the refrigerator. Stir in pecans just before serving. Serve cold.

*To toast the pecans, place them on a microwave-safe plate in a single layer. Microwave for one minute, stir, then zap for another minute or until fragrant.

10 Comments

Posted in Condiments & ETC., Vegetarian & Vegan and tagged cranberry sauce. Bookmark the permalink.

Spinach & Black Bean Enchiladas

Posted on November 9, 2009 by Veronica

It seems the older I get, the less meat appeals to me. Thus, Meatless Mondays were born into our household–my sneaky way of making a day without meat sound fun so Dennis plays along. :)

This recipe made both of us happy–the enchiladas are filling, have good flavor, and are figure-friendly. I do realize the picture isn’t too appetizing, but they really are good, I promise!

If you have any favorite vegetarian dishes and are willing to share the recipe, please leave it in a comment or message me!

Spinach & Black Bean Enchiladas
from The New Holly Clegg Trim & Terrific Cookbook

makes 8 enchiladas

1 (10 oz) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 (1 1/4 oz) pkg. taco seasoning mix (or 3 tablespoons homemade)
1 c water
1 c fat-free sour cream, divided
8 (6-8 inch) flour tortillas
1 (10 oz) can enchilada sauce
1 1/2 c shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
2 T sliced green onions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a non-stick skillet, heat the spinach, black beans, taco seasoning mix, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the mixture is thickened. Remove from the heat, and stir in 1/2 c sour cream.

In each tortilla, spread 1 T enchilada sauce, about 1/3 c spinach mixture, and 1 heaping tablespoon cheese. Roll up each tortilla placing the seam-side down in an oblong baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Spread the remaining enchilada sauce over the filled enchiladas, cover, and bake for 15-18 minutes.

Uncover and garnish with the remaining cheese. Continue baking for 5 minutes longer, or until the cheese is melted. Serve with the remaining sour cream, and sprinkle with the green onions.

Veronica’s notes: I felt the filling was creamy/liquid enough without putting the enchilada sauce on the inside, so I just poured it over the top.

Nutritional info per serving: 266 cal, 14 g protein, 39 g carbs, 3 g fat, 5 g fiber, 11 mg cholesterol, 1198 mg sodium
Diabetic exchanges: 1.5 very lean meat, 2.5 starch

2 Comments

Posted in Lighter Fare, Mexican, Vegetarian & Vegan and tagged black bean, diet-friendly, enchiladas, spinach, vegetarian. Bookmark the permalink.

Squash, Sage & Ricotta Manicotti

Posted on October 20, 2009 by Veronica

I’m a big fan of sweet and savory combos, and the squash here is just sweet enough to perfectly balance the onion, sage & cheeses. This the best thing I’ve eaten in a while and although my husband hates all squash, particularly butternut, he ate his plate without complaint! Success.

Squash, Sage & Ricotta Manicotti
Adapted from Everyday Food November 2009, “Squash, Sage & Ricotta Cannelloni”

3 T olive oil, plus more for baking dish and sheet
Salt & pepper
8 manicotti noodles
½ cup finely diced white onion
1 lb. cooked & mashed butternut squash
¼ c + 2 T parmesan
¼ c + 2 T milk
1 T chopped fresh sage leaves, plus 8-10 whole leaves
1/8 t ground nutmeg
2 c ricotta (15 oz)
¾ cup shredded mozzarella, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 2-quart or 8-inch square baking dish.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water, drain again and transfer pasta to a lightly oiled rimmed baking sheet in a single layer.

In a small skillet, heat 1 T oil over medium. Add onion, season with salt & pepper, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and add the squash, ¼ c parmesan, 2 T milk, sage, and nutmeg; season with salt and pepper. Stir the mixture until thoroughly combined.

Put filling into a gallon-size Ziploc bag and cut the corner. Squirt the squash mixture into the manicotti tubes and place in prepared dish.

In a bowl, combine ricotta, ½ c mozzarella, ¼ c milk & 2 T parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Stir until combined. Spread ricotta mixture over manicotti and top with ¼ c mozzarella. Bake until warmed through, about 25 minutes. Broil until top is browned, 2-3 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat 2 T oil over medium-high. Fry whole sage leaves until crispy, 15-20 seconds. Drain on paper towels. Serve manicotti topped with fried sage.

*Veronica’s notes: the original recipe does not call for mozzarella, but for 1/2 c parmesan to be mixed with the ricotta and for another 1/4 cup to top the dish. I think this would taste better but I ran out of parmesan and had to use mozzarella. I will try it with the parm next time. Also, you can leave the parm out of the filling if you like, that was my addition and is prob not necessary if using it on top.

4 Comments

Posted in Italian, Lighter Fare, Pasta, Vegetarian & Vegan. Bookmark the permalink.

Black Rice Pudding

Posted on August 12, 2009 by Veronica

This stuff is just amazing. I adore it! The coconut milk and sugar makes it a little heavy on the calories, but I justify the splurge by reminding myself that the black rice is chock full of antioxidants, even more than blueberries!

Commonly served for breakfast in parts of Southeast Asia, this dish also makes a great dessert. Chinese black rice, sometimes called forbidden rice, works well, but if you live near a Southeast Asian market you can use this same method with the more traditional Thai black sticky rice.

If you can’t find any kind of black rice, substitute brown rice (not quick-cooking) — it will result in a thicker, light-colored pudding but will still be delicious.

Black Rice Pudding

Printable recipe

1 cup black rice
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 cup sugar
1 (13 1/2- to 15-oz) can unsweetened coconut milk, stirred well

Bring rice, 3 cups water, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a 3 to 4-quart heavy saucepan, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered with a tight-fitting lid, 45 minutes (rice will be cooked but still wet). Stir in sugar, a scant 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 1/2 cups coconut milk and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thick and rice is tender but still slightly chewy, about 30 minutes.

Remove from heat and cool to warm or room temperature, stirring occasionally, at least 30 minutes. Just before serving, stir pudding and divide among 8 bowls. Stir remaining coconut milk and drizzle over pudding.

Recipe source: Gourmet, December 2005

7 Comments

Posted in Asian, Breakfast, Sweets, Vegetarian & Vegan and tagged black rice, Breakfast, dessert, pudding, recipe, vegan. Bookmark the permalink.

Carrot, Dill & White Bean Salad

Posted on July 20, 2009 by Veronica

You don’t have to sacrifice flavor in order to eat healthy. This salad is a wonderful blend of flavors with a nice dose of heart-healthy fat & good-for-you fiber. It is so good I could eat the entire recipe in one sitting, but since I’m on Weight Watchers, I measured out my portion like a good girl and managed to stick to it by eating fresh tomatoes (zero points!) on the side. Next time I’ll serve it on a lettuce leaf or even a bed of lettuce to make it even prettier.

Carrot, Dill & White Bean Salad

adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Dressing
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon fine grain salt
1/2 cup finely diced red onion

Salad
1 teaspoon vegetable oil for cooking
2 cups sliced carrots, cut 1/4-inch thick on deep bias
3 cups cooked white beans (I used 1 can Great Northern & 1 can Chickpeas, which equaled 2 3/4 cups)
scant 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill or 1 T dried
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted (optional–I omitted to save calories)

Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and onion in a small bowl. Stir and set aside.

In your largest skillet over medium high heat, toss the carrots with the oil. Let them cook in a single layer – they’ll give off a bit of water at first. Keep cooking, tossing gently every three or four minutes until the carrots are deeply browned. All told, about twelve minutes.

Add the beans and dill to the skillet and cook for a few more minutes, or until the beans are heated through.

Place the contents of the skillet in a large mixing bowl, sprinkle with the brown sugar and pour the lemon-olive oil mixture over the top. Toss gently. Let sit for ten minutes. Toss gently once again, taste and adjust with more salt or sugar or lemon juice if needed to balance the flavors. Serve warm or at room temperature and finish by sprinkling with the almonds just before serving.

Serves 6 – 8 as a side.

Veronica’s Notes: I didn’t have fresh dill and was only able to scrounge up 1 1/2 tsp of dried dill–it was still really good but I could tell it would have been even better with more dill so I left the original amount in the recipe. Also, for the few of you actually interested, I calculated that this dish (without the almonds) is 9 points if divided into 4 main-dish servings, and 4 points if divided into 8 side-dish servings.

Soba Noodles in Peanut Sauce

Posted on July 17, 2009 by Veronica

I checked out a cookbook from the library called You Won’t Believe It’s Vegan, by Lacey Sher and Gail Doherty, and I knew as soon as I saw the recipe for the “Soba Noodles in Peanut Sauce” that I had to try it. It seems that all my foodie friends are cooking up Asian fare lately and I don’t want to be the only one left in the dust, even if my past attempts have somewhat disappointing.

Well, I now have ONE successful Asian dish under my belt! I’m so proud, it’s ridiculous!

I asked my friend, Pia, what she would call this type of dish and she said “fusion” b/c the noodles are Japanese, but peanut sauce is usually used in Thai and Vietnamese cooking. Whatever it is, the combo here is delicious! I rounded out the meal with some bright vegetable spring rolls, which was kind of like eating a hand-held salad. How fun is that?!

Soba Noodles in Peanut Sauce
Serves 4
Savory & simple, these soba noodles are tossed in spicy peanut sauce and served with fresh carrots and scallions. Top with snow pea shoots and sesame seeds for a gourmet touch.

8 oz soba noodles
1/2 c Peanut Sauce (recipe follows)
1/4 c matchstick-cut carrots
1/4 c thinly sliced scallions
1 T toasted sesame oil
Pinch of sea salt
Sesame seeds, for garnish
Bean sprouts, for garnish

Fill a 6-quart stock pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the soba noodles to the boiling water and cook for 7 minutes. Drain the noodles into a colander and run under cool water until slightly cool to the touch. Using a medium-size bowl, toss together the noodles, peanut sauce, carrot, scallion, sesame oil, and a pinch of salt. Serve family style or divide into individual servings, garnished with sesame seeds and sprouts.

Peanut Sauce
Yield: 2 cups

1 c peanut butter
3 cloves garlic
3/4 c water
1/4 c plus 1 T tamari
Pinch of cayenne
1 (2.1 oz) package Eden Pickled Ginger with Shiso, with liquid, leaf removed*

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend well. Will keep for 4-5 days refrigerated.

*Variation: Instead of using pickled ginger, you can add 1 T of finely grated fresh ginger, 2 T of agave syrup, and 1 T of rice vinegar.

Veronica’s Notes: I cheated and used a prepared peanut sauce (House of Tsang Bangkok Padang Peanut Sauce), which was spicy and delicious. This made the recipe super easy and only took 10 minutes to prepare from start to finish. Also, I would imagine that sugar would work fine in place of the agave nectar (in the variation on the peanut sauce) if you don’t have any and don’t want to buy it.

2 Comments

Posted in Asian, Lighter Fare, Main Dishes, Pasta, Vegetarian & Vegan and tagged noodles, peanut, sauce, soba, vegan. Bookmark the permalink.

Impossibly Easy Vegetable Pie

Posted on April 22, 2009 by Veronica

Maybe I’m not the best judge of the quality of meals since I’m on an endless diet and I tend to think anything edible is good, but I really do favor this quiche-type dish and I end up making it a lot b/c it’s satisfying and low in calories (about 200 calories per 1/6th of the whole recipe). Den likes it too and as far as I can remember, he enjoyed it when he wasn’t on a diet (he ate it w/o complaining, anyway), so it’s probably safe for dieters and non-dieters alike.

This is my original version (based on a Betty Crocker recipe off their website), but I came up with this one for our dinner tonight b/c I found some sad looking leeks in the fridge that needed to be used in a jiffy and we didn’t have any milk. Using chicken broth made the meal even more low-cal and worked great!

Broccoli-Leek Vegetable Pie

3 leeks, sliced (white part only)
2 cups brocolli florets
1 cup cauliflower florets
1/4 of a red pepper, chopped (I’d use more for color but this is all I had left)
1-2 cups 2% shredded cheddar cheese
4 whole eggs
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup self-rising flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray. Mix the vegetables with the cheese and spread in baking dish in an even layer. Whisk the remaining ingredients together in a bowl until smooth and pour over the vegetables. Bake 45-55 minutes, or until egg mixture is set in the middle and a knife comes out clean when inserted near the center.

Marissa’s Good Peas

Posted on April 4, 2009 by Veronica

At our Weight Watchers meeting this week, we talked about how we were going to make it through Easter and still lose weight…or just manage not to gain.

I’m planning on having the ham and indulging in a small slice of my carrot cake (recipe to come), but I’m also bringing “Marissa’s Good Peas” since they’re filling and low-cal (it has a lot of butter, but I give tips on lightening it up in the directions). Make it with the butter if you don’t care, but either way, they’re a good addition to your Easter spread.

Marissa’s Good Peas
(so named after she gave the recipe to her mother-in-law, who gave it to me)

1 bag frozen peas
1 can water chestnuts
1 can sliced mushrooms
1 stick melted butter
1 small envelope Italian dressing mix

Combine the veggies in a microwave-safe bowl. Mix the dressing mix with the butter and pour over the veggies; stir to incorporated. Microwave until heated through.

*I have made this using only peas, with all three veggies, and as in the photo above–with peas & water chestnuts. They are all good but I actually like it best with just the peas alone. To lighten it up, use Brummel & Brown’s Natural Yogurt spread or something else that has half the calories as butter. You really don’t need an equivalent amount–a whole stick seems like overkill to me. I generally use a tablespoon of the spread for every cup of peas. I don’t use a lot of the dressing mix either–just use it to your tastes.
_____
On a completely different subject, I have now lost 10 pounds with Weight Watchers. I have been on the program (this is my second time) for 6 weeks now. :)

3 Comments

Posted in Lighter Fare, Side Dishes, Vegetarian & Vegan and tagged peas italian seasoning butter. Bookmark the permalink.

White Bean Enchiladas

Posted on January 11, 2009 by Veronica

A vegetarian friend asked if beans could be used in place of the chicken when I posted my recipe for chicken enchiladas. I recommended using white beans and then liked the idea so much I decided to try it myself. My husband and Dad like them even better than the original, I like them about the same (which is a lot) and my Mom and sister hated them. But the majority vote wins and my oppinion is the only one that really counts, anyway.

White Bean Enchiladas

2 cans Cannellini (white kidney) beans

1 (16-oz) tub sour cream

2 (4-oz) cans green chiles, drained

¾ cup chopped onion

6 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (Cheddar, Monterray Jack, (reserve 2 cups for topping)

2 tsp garlic powder, or to taste

2 tsp salt, or to taste

20 flour tortillas

3 cans enchilada sauce

Preheat oven to 350. Spray two 9×13 pans with cooking spray and set aside.

For the filling:

Drain and rinse one can of beans. Put in a large bowl and mash them, then drain and rinse the other can and add them to the bowl along with everything else (minus the 2 cups of cheese for topping later). Taste the mixture when you’re adding the salt and garlic powder so you stop before you add too much. Stir until well incorporated.

Assemble the enchiladas:
Warm the first bag of tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds (I leave them in the bag). Put about 1/3 cup filling in each one and roll. Line them up in the pans until both are full. Pour 1 ½ cans of enchilada sauce over each pan and use a spoon or pastry brush to distribute over any dry parts of tortillas that didn’t get any sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30-45 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle 1 cup of reserved cheese over each pan and return to oven for another 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.