Thanks Leslie for the amazing, quick and simple recipe! I already have my eye on a few others for later on...
It was a toss up what I would be making for dinner tonight. I had two options, but I went with this great eggplant parmesan dish from The Dainty Vegetarian. I ended up choosing it because, like Leslie, I have a carnivorous male that frequents my apartment on Tuesdays. Although he usually puts up with my vegetarian meals on Tuesdays, I knew that he would probably roll his eyes at this meal. (I could just switch up my vegetarian days to ones when he doesn't come for dinner...hmmmm). Lucky for me, and Leslie, this meal is easily made with chicken as well! It also requires very few ingredients, most of which you will probably have in your fridge already! (probably not the eggplant). All you need is flour, tomato sauce (I used a Safeway brand that was on sale and was actually really delicious!), breadcrumbs (I used panko), one egg, parmesan cheese, 1 eggplant and mozzarella cheese. "But Kristin didn't you make us swear to only use fresh mozzarella cheese and grate it ourselves?" Yes, yes I did. But I am currently financing a trip to Switzerland so.... pre-shredded it is! But I do recommend using fresh if you can! I apologize for the quality of these pictures because most of them are straight out of the camera, with very little editing done to the terrible lighting in my kitchen. Anyways, back to the food. Once the dredging is done place the eggplant slices on a baking sheet. I baked them at 350 for 30 min and flip them over halfway through. (same with the chicken). Once they bake for 30 min, top with sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese and bake until the cheese melts. As Leslie noted on her blog, baking them is much healthier than frying them, and I honestly couldn't tell the difference! I served mine with a side of whole wheat pasta and some roasted asparagus. They were so delicious! The panko crisped right up but the inside was nice and soft. And they were super easy! Jake's version didn't look half bad either! (Note: yes that is the largest chicken breast ever...)
Thanks Leslie for the amazing, quick and simple recipe! I already have my eye on a few others for later on...
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This is my least favorite time of the year. The time when either Mother Nature cannot make up her mind or she just gets a kick out of screwing with our emotions. Either way, spring wants to come, but something just wont let it in. Besides the fact that I have no idea if I should be wearing a rain coat or my down jacket and mittens, I also don't know what to eat! In the winter it is hot hearty meals that stick to your ribs and in the spring it is light cool meals full of fresh vegetables. What do we do during the in-between? That's where this meal comes in. Springtime Minestrone-A hearty soup that is full of healthy vegetables and will leave you feeling full and satisfied. I found this recipe on Eat, Live, Run (she always had the best stuff) and I immediately saved it as a future vegetarian meal. It just screamed healthy and delicious, and look at those alphabet noodles! I didn't think I would find them in my everyday grocery store, but there they were! The players: Swiss Chard, Fennel, Snap Peas, Frozen Peas, Leek, Cannellini Beans, Mint, Poblano Pepper, Vegetable Stock, Alphabets Pasta (or Orzo), EVOO. Its so green.... Can i just say, I am super proud of myself for this recipe because I have never cooked with swiss chard, fennel, leeks or poblano peppers... I didn't even know what they were! Once everything is chopped you want to do this to your poblano.... it may seem cruel, but it is oh so right... While the pepper is cooling after being charred, start cooking your leeks in some EVOO. Once they are nice and soft, add the vegetable stock and alphabet pasta. This is where what I did, and what I will do in the future deviate. In Jenna's recipe she cooks the pasta and leeks to a simmer, and then an additional 5 minutes. For me, my pasta was so small they were way done by the time that 5 minutes ended, and I still hadn't cooked the rest of the veggies! So next time, I may cook the pasta for 2-3 min and then just start adding veggies as shown: I was also a little naughty.... I added some red pepper flakes after the veggies went in, even the poblano. I like things spicy! Sorry I'm not sorry... And here it is. One delicious, healthy and actually vegan dish! My cousin Jason will be so proud! You must eat this with crusty bread, which may or may not be vegan... but I aim low on here :o) It also is recommended to add parmesan cheese before serving... sooooo I guess I will stick with vegetarian :o)
Enjoy! Another great vegetarian meal from me to you! Well, it is actually from Jenna at Eat, Live, Run (again) and it was delicious (again). Very simple, very fresh and prep and cooking took a total of 50 min. Not bad! The players: EVOO, whole grain penne, 2 lemons, garlic, sun dried tomato, cannellini beans, cayenne pepper and feta! (the recipe calls for parmesan but as most of you know feta and I have a love affair going on, and I couldn't bring myself to cheat!) Also spinach which is not pictured because I tend to forget about leafy greens... While you cook the pasta (al dente) chop the sundried tomatoes, 2 cloves of garlic and zest one lemon! If you don't have a zester, do yourself a favor, buy one! NOW! Also while the pasta is cooking, drain these babies and rinse em good! After the pasta is done cooking, use the same pot to lightly toast the garlic. Do yourself a favor, use fresh :) If the dish seems a little dry, use some of the pasta water to soften it up. Or, if you are really bold, add some more EVOO or butter... yum. Enjoy! and thanks again Eat, Live, Run!
I just want to say, I don't think I have had a better quesadilla in my life. After this post, I demand that you go to store, but the ingredients and make this delicious meal immediately. I was skeptical at first, but you will never taste anything so heavenly in your life. I present to you.... Shrimp and Goat Cheese Quesadillas. I would like to thank Jenna from the blog Eat, Live, Run for this amazing recipe! And I apologize in advance for the horrible, horrible quality pictures I am putting up of them. I was in a rush because I had my online class and my DSLR was dead from shooting 400 pictures of a blue heron on Sunday! But these quesadillas were so quick and easy I had plenty of time to enjoy them :o) The ingredients: Tortillas, pepper jack cheese, peeled shrimp, sauteed peppers and onions, cayenne pepper, chili powder and.... the most amazing cheese you will ever have in your entire life... the sweetest, creamiest thing to ever grace the face of this wonderful earth... goat cheese!! Seriously, go buy some... now! and eat it with your fingers... because I said so... After you sauté the peppers and onions use the same pan to cook the shrimp. Add the cayenne pepper and chili powder. They cook fast so keep an eye on em! Assembly time!! Sprinkle goat cheese, pepper jack, and the peppers and onions on the quesadilla. When they are done cooking, add the shrimp! Grill that baby up on a flat griddle until the cheese becomes nice and gooey.. and heavenly... and amazing.. Yes, that is all cheese... and yes I devoured this in 45 seconds No words. Except make this. Make this now.... I'm going to go eat more goat cheese....
I would like to preface this by saying that I cannot take credit for this recipe. My friend Kacey's husband has this new blog called "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatless Meatballs." Both of them are vegetarians and found that it was sometimes difficult to come up with new veggie recipes to replace their favorite meat-filled ones. Her husband also happens to be a chef (tough life right?) so he has come up with some great veggie friendly dishes and was nice enough to share them! So this is probably my first real vegetarian dinner. I mean all the other meals I made were definitely vegetarian but this one... this one involved a lot of planning and prep and afterward I felt like a true vegetarian! It is also gluten free! If you don't could the garlic bread I cooked to go with it... ;o) Here it is.. Eggplant Lasagna: Here are the cast of characters for this delicious meal! 2 eggplants, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, pasta sauce, spinach, olive oil and mushrooms that I ended up not using! haha! Slice the eggplant about 1/4 to 1/2 and inch thick. Lay the eggplant on a baking sheet covered with foil. (Mine had to overlap a bit because my baking sheets aren't that large but they turned out fine!) Drizzle with olive oil and top with salt and pepper. Then, pop in the oven for 10-15 min at 350 degrees. This is an important step to help remove the moisture from the veggies. I might add another 5-10 min next time I make this because I had some liquid in mine when it was done. While they are roasting, mix the ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheese together. Note: the "part skim" ricotta cheese is completely cancelled out by the pound of mozzarella in my hand. Oh well. Once the eggplant has roasted lay them along the bottom of the baking dish like you would lasagna and sprinkle the cheese mixture. WARNING: Do not make the same mistake I did. I got a little too excited and instead of laying them vertically, I laid them horizontally. Which cause me to use more than I needed on the bottom layer and later ran out of eggplant. fail.) And the layering begins. Sauteed spinach layer, also where the mushrooms should have been had I remembered to roast them as well, the pasta sauce, and then the eggplants, layered correctly. Once it is all layered, bake in the oven at 350 for 40-45 min. This.... is.... heaven... Thank you Doug for this amazing recipe!
*So this weekend was kind of crazy. Full of food, booze and fun which is how it should be, but it kept me from my blog :( So here is one of my vegetarian meals from last week for you. Simple homemade pizza! I can't wait to show you all what I have in store for this week.....!* So in an effort to keep up my vegetarian eating, I treated myself to this little treat last night! Come on, everyone loves pizza! Very easy, and made with simple ingredients that you can change to fit your tastes! May I introduce the players.... Raw pizza dough, sauce, shrooms, green pepper, basil and mozzarella. OMG!! Almost forgot my most favorite ingredient ever!!!!!! I put sun dried tomatoes in everthing... pizza, pasta, salads, sandwiches.... amazing. This is also important... no pre-shredded mozzarella!!!! Get the good stuff! It is soooo worth it! because this.... is just beautiful...*tear* and yes I may have eaten a hunk off of it... judge me... Assembly time.... I haven't always been a green pepper fan. But I do have to say, it has grown on me. Plus, it makes the pizza look preeeeetty. Uggggggggggggh. Bake you delicious vegetarian treat... BAKE!!!! Love. That's what it is. And I didn't even miss not having some form of meat on there. Wait till you see what I have up my sleeve for next week... going to blow your mind!
So one of my vegetarian dishes this week was this little treat that I found on Tasty Kitchen . Soooooo yummy. It was homemade macaroni and cheese with tomatoes and panko bread crumbs.
I did make a few changes to the recipe including adding some heat with red pepper flakes. If I could have, I would have used pepper jack cheese instead to get that heat, but I used cheddar and jack which was a great combo! Can't let my burn slow me down! I am plowing ahead with my "24 Before 24" list and am still on the vegetarian kick! This week I am making another recipe taken from Pioneer Woman, but this time it isn't from her specifically. The other amazing thing about her site (besides the photo tips, giveaways..etc) is that she has a recipe blog called "Tasty Kitchen". People are able to join "Tasty Kitchen" and share their recipes with one another. Hot Choc. Triple Choc Chip Cookies from Savory Sweet Life Let me just say, I have found some A-M-A-Z-I-N-G recipes on this site. One was the Hot Chocolate Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies. Man, I brought these into work, and they were gone! I had never used hot chocolate mix in a cookie before but I am never turning back now.. Shrimp Creole! from Tasty Kitchen contributor Frank I haven't had a bad experience yet, so when I found this gem on "Tasty Kitchen" I was so excited to try it! Especially because I realized I had all the ingredients I needed already! (Except for celery... that random vegetable I don't tend to buy unless it is being eaten along side buffalo wings and ranch dressing.) Anyways, it turned out D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S! The Shrimp Creole had a good heat to it from the cayenne and the shrimp was "cooked perfectly". It is also really easy. Step one veggies cook. Step two, add sauce and spices and simmer for 30 min. Add shrimp and simmer for 20 min. Done and serve over rice. Couldn't be easier, and it is actually pretty healthy! Please do yourself a favor and try this!
I will have to say, thank goodness I can eat fish for my vegetarian meals which means.... SUSHI!!! Ugh, so amazing. I remember the first time I had sushi. It was back in my hometown in Gaithersburg, MD. I was at lunch with a few friends and decided to try a california roll. I was sold immediately.
I stuck to california rolls for awhile, which was in my comfort zone. As I got older, I expanded my choices and learned about all the amazing rolls with different combinations of fish and vegetables. Now, I will pretty much eat any kind. Since sushi is such a social activity, I relate it to a lot of wonderful memories. Nights out with the girls at Miami, the first dinner with my roomie, and meeting new people. This week was no different. On Wednesday night, after I had burned myself and was laying in bed recovering, Jake came over to give his "expert opinion" on the status of my burn. After determining that I would live, he knew the one thing that would make me feel better, sushi. He went out and picked it up from Joss which is the best sushi place in Annapolis (featured on Food Networks "Best Thing I Ever Ate"). This place holds a lot of meaning because it was the first place I finally let him take me to as a date. It had taken a lot of convincing, but I gave in and we had a great time over sushi and saki. Having sushi on Wednesday night was like having the best comfort food I have ever had. I don't think I will have any trouble with my new vegetarian goal, as long as sushi is involved. :o) So yes, there has been a slight change in the original plans. I know, I know, I am already changing what I planned to accomplish, but I have a good reason!!! *Ahem* So originally my 9th goal was to "Apply for 20 New Jobs." Well, I have realized that because I am planning on attending graduate school next year, I am probably going to be staying where I am for at least another year. This goal will probably be more appropriate for next year. So, I had to come up with something new
So here it is.... #9: Eat Two Vegetarian Dinners a Week. Whadda ya think? I chose this goal for many reasons. First off, let me just tell you I am a huge fan of meat (insert snickering from perverts). I pretty much have some kind of meat based protein with every meal so this will definitely be a challenge. Second, eating vegetarian is more healthy for you (yay "Be Healthy" resolution). Third, it is better for the environment. It takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of meat, where as 1 pound of wheat requires 25 gallons of water. I'm all for saving resources :o) So there you have it. Two meals a week, vegetarian. Now excuse me, I have to go check on my salt pork.... |