Meatless Meals Recap

We successfully made it through lent without eating meat. I enjoyed thinking of different things to eat and we made some pretty good meals. We also ate out a couple times and although it was tempting to get a chicken or burger dish, we got some yummy vegetarian dishes instead.  I made a list of all the different dinners we ate and wanted to it share with eveyone.  Maybe it will give you a couple ideas for your own vegetarian dishes.

1. Eggplant Lasagna
2. Black Bean Burgers
3. Asian Veggie Stir Fry (we made this meal twice)
4. Baked Potato and Salad
5. Pasta with Guacamole Sauce
6. Papa Johns Veggie Pizza
7. Potato Soup (no bacon) and house salad from Chili's
8. Veggie Panini with Fries
9. Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce
10. Pan Seared Salmon with veggies
11. Spicy Cilantro shrimp tacos w/ coleslaw and coconut rice
12. White Cheddar Macaroni w/ spinach
13. Bean burritoes (with homemade tortillas)
14. Homemade Tuna Salad Sandwich w/ chips
15. Homemade pizza
16. Spinach and feta stuffed potatoes
17. Penne Pasta w/ balsamic vinaigrette
18. Spinach and feta & tomato basil pizza (storebought)
19. Black Beans and Rice w/ sauteed vegetables
20. Homemade clam chowder and salad
21. Mediterranean quinoa salad
22. Baked Pesto Squash, skillet potatoes, salad
23. Avacado egg rolls
24. Penne pasta with Arugula pesto
25. Potato Cheddar Soup
26. Rajas con crema and rice
27. Enchiladas w/ refried beans, onions, and mushrooms
28. Vegetable quesadillas from Amigos Restaurant
29. Jamaican Red Bean Stew
30. Tomato soup with cheese tortellini
31. Breaded flounder fillets and baked potato
32. Sushi from Fresh Market
33. Mushroom and Asiago Paninis w/ fruit
34. Homemade Calzones
35. Lobster and Shrimp tacos/ enchilads from Big River
36. Asian Veggie Stir fry
37. Coconut Crusted flounder with sweet potato fries
38. Baked Southwest Tilapia and rice
39 & 40. Leftovers

Rajas con crema

On top of Lookout Mountain, GA is an award winning restaurant called Canyon Grill.  It is a bit of a drive to get there, but totally worth it. It's been a really long time since I have been, but I always remember their appetizer dish called "Rajas." From what I read online, most Rajas dishes I found were labeled as "Rajas con crema" (strips with cream) or "Rajas Poblanos" (Poblano strips). Their dish basically consisted of Poblano peppers and soft cheeses served with tortillas and fire roasted salsa.  Soooo good! We had some Poblano peppers in the fridge so I decided to try and make my own version.  Most recipes I found said to use chicken bouillon and I didn't have any so I researched a substitute.  Turns out curry is a good sub, so that's what I used.

Ingredients
2-3 poblano peppers
1/2 small onion, sliced
2 tsp of minced garlic
1/2 block of cream cheese (I used the 1/3 less fat kind)
1/3 cup of sour cream (can use light if desired)
3/4 tsp of curry powder
1/4 tsp of pepper
1/2 tsp of salt
1 Tbsp vegetable or olive oil
Fire roasted salsa (we actually just used regular salsa)
Flour or corn tortillas

Directions
1. Grill or broil the Poblano peppers until they are nice and charred. Place into an ice bath or a plasic bag for a few minutes and then peel off the skin. If you can't get every last piece of skin off that's ok. I usually have a few spots that give me trouble.  Cooking them over a flame is probably best, but I just used our indoor grill we got for Christmas :) Once skin is removed, cut in half, remove the seeds and cut into strips.

2. Cook the onions and garlic in the vegetable or olive oil until onions become soft.
3. Add in the cream cheese, sour cream, and spices and mix until well blended and cream cheese has melted.
4. Add in the Poblano strips

5. Serve with flour or corn tortillas, salsa and rice (or your desired side dish)

Recipe source: Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Avocado Eggrolls

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Jamaican Red Bean Stew

I found a recipe for this stew while searching for some vegetarian recipes I could make. It sounded pretty good and we haven't had soup in a while so I decided to try it. I upped the spice content a little from the original I found since I like bold flavors and it turned out really great. Plus, it was really easy. The weather has also been great so I decided to eat outside on our deck and use the new coral colored placemats I bought (yay!)   My flowers from a floral class I took over the weekend still looked ok so I set those out there as well. Looking forward to more great weather this week!

Ingredients

1 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chopped carrots

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1 medium sized sweet potato, peeled and diced

1 (14.5 oz) can plain diced tomatoes, drained

2 1/2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

2 (15 oz) cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed( I actually only had one can of kidney beans so I used a can of pinto beans)

1 can of coconut milk (I used Thai Kitchen brand and it was 13.66 oz)

1 1/2 cups of vegetable broth

Directions

1. Add oil and garlic in crockpot and let cook for a few minutes on high

2. Add in in the carrots, green onions, sweet potatoes and the tomatoes

3. Stir in all the spices

4. Add the beans, broth, and coconut milk

5.Cook on high for 2-3 hours or cook on low for 4-6 hours

Recipe source: Adapted from Savvy Vegetarian

Eggplant Lasagna

The idea for this literally came to me one night while sitting on the couch. I had been thinking about what I could make with eggplant besides eggplant parmesan.  I'd never really made much else with it. So, I thought about doing a lasagna but using the eggplant as the noodles. We tend to eat a lot of carbs so I thought this would be a different take on traditional lasagna. My husband liked this so much that he took it for lunch 2 days in a row and raved about it for a few days. Normally when we make a lasagna or casserole dish, we end up with one or 2 pieces left since it's just the two of us.  I really hate wasting food though since it's basically just wasting money and there are people who aren't as lucky as we are to have the opportunity to have a good meal. So we try and do the best we can with our leftovers. Anyways, if you have never used eggplant before or are trying to think of something new to do with it, I would give this a try. I know I'm biased because I made it, but it's really really good. I was pretty proud of myself for coming up with it!

Ingredients
1 medium eggplant
1 small zuchinni
1 16 oz container of lowfat cottage cheese (Daisy Brand if your grocery store has it)
2 Tbsp of pesto (homemade or store bought)
1 1/2 cups of lowfat mozzarella cheese
pepper
salt
3 eggs, beaten with a little water added
3/4 cup of all purpose flour
1-1 1/2 cups of Italian style panko (I wouldn't recommend using regular bread crumbs)
homemade or storebough tomato sauce

Directions
1. Cut the ends off the eggplant and then peel off the skin using a potato/vegetable peeler.
2. Cut in half widthwise and then cut into about 1/2 think slices  (they won't all be the exact same size-but you can trim them to be more consistent)
3. Prepare a bowl of flour, a bowl with the eggs, and a bowl with the panko. Dip the eggplant slices in that order then place all the eggplant slices onto a baking sheet.

4. Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes or until the panko starts to turn golden brown and eggplant is crispy
5. While eggplant is baking, mix together the pesto, cottage cheese, and a little salt and pepper.
6. Spoon a little tomato sauce into bottom of 8x8 baking dish
7. Lay approximately 6 slices of eggplant in the bottom (they probably won't line up exactly and there may be a few gaps, but that's ok)
8. Cover the eggplant slices with the cottage cheese mixture. 
9.Top with grated zuchinni, then sprinkle on some mozzarella.

10. Top mixture with 6 more eggplant slices
11. Pour about 1-1 1/2 cups of tomato sauce over top (just eyeball it-don't use too much sauce)
12. Top with more mozarella cheese
13. Spray a piece of foil with non stick cooking spray, cover the lasagna and bake for about 40 minutes.

I didnt have enough eggplant pieces to make multiple layers and they wouldn't have fit in the pan anyways since the eggplant pieces are thicker than noodles. However, I did have just a few pieces left that I used to top the lasagna with which gave it a bit more texture.

Spicy Black Bean Burgers

We're still going strong with our vegetarian meals during lent. I originally had planned to make something with eggplant tonight, but when I cut into the eggplant I bought only a few days ago, it was all yucky. Boo. I was going to make these black bean burgers later this week, but oh well. At least I had everything to make them tonight!

The first time I suggested these to the hubby, I think his exact words were "that's disgusting." But I made them anyways.  He was a big skeptic but wound up actually really liking them.  I felt like I had made a huge acomplishment!  It definitely doesn't replace a real hamburger, but it's yummy and it's good for you. This is another one of those recipes that I don't have the original source for. I googled it but couldn't find the exact one I have. I have a typed up recipe in my book and don't know where it came from. But I did put my own spin on it anways so technically it could be my own recipe:)


Ingredients
2 cans of reduced sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
1 egg
3/4 cup of panko style breadcrumbs (don't use regular breadcrumbs)
1/2 tsp of cumin
1/4 tsp of pepper
1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp of garlic powder
1 Tbsp of chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp of chopped green onions
4 slices of pepperjack cheese

Directions
Take about half of the beans and place in a food processor for a few seconds or until it forms into a paste.  Scoop out into large bowl and add in the whole beans.  Mix together and mash up a little more with a fork or potato masher.

(Looks gross but trust me the end result is good!)

Add in egg and panko and mix until combined. Add in rest of spices and herbs.  Using hands, make 4 seperate burger patties about 1/2 inch thick. Place in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes. 

Pre-heat oven to 350 and pre-heat a skillet (I used cast iron). Cook burgers in skillet for about 6-7 minutes per side or until a slight crust starts to form on the outside.

Top with slices of pepperjack cheese and transfer to oven for about 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and burgers are heated through.  Serve on a whole wheat bun with onions, tomato, and avacado slices.

Veggie Stir Fry

I was kinda busy tonight, so the hubs made dinner. This was our first vegetarian dinner for the season of lent which started today. Luckily, he made an awesome stir fry! He bought a pack of Chinese Noodles at the Grocery store last weekend and we've never used them before so I wasn't sure how they would turn out. To my surprise, they were actually pretty good (I liked the fact that they were all natural with no preservatives or extra junk)! And we have an asian sauce/dressing recipe that we've been using for awhile now on different dishes,so that made it even better.  Glad our first lent recipe was a sucess!

Ingredients
1/2 package of Chinese Noodles (below are the kind he bought)

1/2 small vidalia onion, sliced
1/2 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 medium to large carrot, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
salt
pepper
chopped green onions
Asian Stir Fry Sauce (recipe to follow)

Directions.
1. Cook all vegetables (season with a little salt and pepper) in a pre-heated pan with a little olive oil.
2. When vegetables are almost cooked through, cook the noodles according to package directions. The brand we bought cooked in about 3 minutes.
3. Mix together the noodles and vegetables in pan until well combined
4. Drizzle with stir fry sauce and top with green onions

Stir Fry Sauce

Ingredients
2 tablespoons Corn Starch

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

1/2 cup Light Corn Syrup

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

2 teaspoons minced garlic

Directions

1.Stir corn starch, brown sugar and cayenne pepper together in a small saucepan.Add remaining ingredients; stir well. 

2.Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally. Heat until mixture boils for 1 full minute. Cook and stir an additional 1 to 2 minutes, or until thickened to a syrup-like consistency.
3.Drizzle over your favorite stir-fry just before serving. Also delicious as a glaze for grilled meats. Store covered in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.


Recipe source:
Stir-Fry: Harper's Original
Asian Stir Fry Sauce: just barely adapted from Allrecipes.com

Stuffed Bell Peppers

There are so many different ways you can make stuffed peppers. In my previous pepper post, we used Poblanos and stuffed them with rice and chicken. This time I used Bell Peppers and stuffed them with quinoa and black beans. I also used some of the hot sauce we had left from our wedding. We had a Mexican Buffet and gave our guests bottle of hot sauce we had personalized to say "Harper's Hotsauce." 

This is a really good vegetarian recipe and since lents start next week and we are giving up meat again, we will probably keep this on our list of things to make.

Ingredients
4 medium to large bell peppers (any color)
1 cup uncooked quinoa
½ onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can black beans, drained
1 can of diced green chilies
1 cup of shredded cheese (such as cheddar or monterey jack or mexican style)
1 ½ tbsp of lime juice
¾ tsp of cumin
½ tsp of chili powder
½ tsp of kosher salt
¼ tsp of pepper
3 tsp of hot sauce

Directions
Cut tops off of bell peppers and scoop out insides. Place in a microwavable and oven safe dish deep enough to fit peppers. Fill dish with about a cup or so of water depending on dish size (there should be about an inch of water).

Cover dish tightly with plastic wrap and poke a few holes in it. Microwave on high for about 5 minutes or until peppers are softened.  Remove peppers from dish, discard water, and place peppers back in.

Cook quinoa according to package directions.Cook onions and garlic in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes. Mix onions, garlic, and rest of the ingredients into the cooked quinoa. Stuff each pepper with a couple spoonfuls of the mixture and top with cheese. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream, jalapeno slices, and extra hot sauce if desired.

(These are the hot sauces we gave out at our wedding!)

Recipe source: Harper's Original

Crockpot Lentil Soup

I love making homemade soups. And I especially loved this one because I chopped everything the night before and then just threw it all together in a crockpot and it was ready when I got home from work. We usually try and do a few vegetarian recipes a week too, so this was a good option. Plus, we've had a bag of lentils sitting in the pantry for a few weeks and I wanted to do something with them. Not to mention that my husband is a triathlete and he's seen a lot of recipes in his magazines that use lentils. So I figured this healthy soup was right up his alley! I searched online and found a few recipes I thought sounded good and then combined everything into my own version.

2 cups lentils
½ onion, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
2-3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 can of diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
4 cups of Reduced Sodium Vegetable Broth
2 ½ cups of water
1 tsp of dried thyme
1 tsp of dried oregano
2 gloves of garlic, minced
1 ½ tbsp olive oil
2 tsbp of balsamic vinegar
½ tsp of pepper
¼ tsp crushed red pepper

Soak lentils in water at least 2 hours or overnight. Add all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for about 10 hours. Top with reduced fat sour cream if desired.

Recipe source: Harper's Original

Baked Veggie Egg Rolls

I tried my first attempt at eggs rolls a few months ago. I used chicken and I fried them. And to my surprise, they actually turned out pretty decent. Nathan's mom has made them before and they are really good and they look really good too. I'm not so great at wrapping them just yet. But I'm getting there!  The next time I made them, I baked them and they were just as good.  On my 3rd time making them, I decided to make them without meat.  Again, really good for a homemade version!  They are actually fairly easy to make. The only time consuming thing is chopping everything up and then rolling them. Once I get the rolling thing down, it'll probably go a little quicker.  I don't really have specific measurements here. Like most things I make, I kinda eyeball it, so these measurements might not be exact.

Ingredients
Egg roll wrappers (can find these near the produce section-they are refridgerated)
Couple handfuls of chopped cabbage (can use fresh head of cabbage or buy a small bag)
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 cup of chopped baby bella mushrooms
1-2 tsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 Tbsp of sesame oil
2 tsp of reduced sodium soy sauce, plus more for dipping sauce
1-2 Tbsp of chopped fresh cilantro
Thai Garlic Chili Pepper sauce-for dipping

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350
1. Heat large skillet with a little olive oil and add in chopped mushrooms and garlic until softened-about 5 mins.

2. Add in cabbage, carrots, and ginger and mix
3. Add in sesame oil and 2 tsp of soy sauce and mix until well covered
4. Cook for just a minute or two and then add in cilantro

5. Take off of heat and let cool for a few minutes
6. Prepare a small bowl of water for sealing egg roll wrappers
7. Spoon mixture onto wrapper

8. Fold as shown in pictures and seal ends together with a little water (this is probably not the right way to do it. I meant to google it to see how it's done, but just kinda winged it instead. So you may want to look up how to fold them correctly)

9. Spray baking sheet with some cooking spray-I use olive oil
10. Lay egg rolls onto pan seam side down and spray the tops with cooking spray as well

11. Bake for about 30 mins or until they start to turn golden brown and get a little crunchy

Dipping sauce
Mix together soy sauce and Thai garlic chili pepper sauce to taste

Recipe source: Harper's original

Restaurant Knockoff-Veggie Panini

Nathan used to work at a Restaurant in Chattanooga called The Boathouse.  And we've made our own versions of a couple of their dishes.  This one is so incredibly good. Our version is technially not a panini.  We don't have a sandwich press like The Boathouse and we use toasted Sourdough instead of French and steam our mushrooms instead of wood grill. It's one of those things that takes a long time to make, but the end result is perfection.  I used to absolutely hate mushrooms and though they were gross. But for some reason, I kinda dig them now and use them in various recipes. They are good to use in vegetarian dishes because of their meaty texture. We try and do at least 2 vegetarian meals a week. We actually gave up meat during the last season of lent.  I honestly didn't think Nathan would do it, but he stuck it out! I was a vegetarian for about 10 years but I started eating meat again when I was around 16. I mainly eat chicken or turkey and only eat red meat in things like tacos or the very occasional steak (I still don't really eat pork). Even though it wasn't as tough for me, it was still hard coming up with a meatless meal every night that Nathan would like. And I had gotten used to making super quick and easy chicken dishes. This sandwich is one of the best dishes we had during lent.

Veggie "Panini"

Ingredients

2 large Portobello Mushrooms

1 medium red bell pepper

Red onion

Garlic

Spinach or Arugula

Feta Cheese

Balsamic Vinagrette

Sourdough bread

Directions

1. Prepare bowl of ice water for Red Bell Pepper

2. Wash and clean the mushrooms scraping out the gills

3. Steam the mushrooms until tender and then cut into about 1 inch slices

4. Wash and then roast the red bell pepper (either on the grill or under broiler) under skin starts to brown. Once done, immediately put into ice bath.

5. While peppers are in the ice water, wash and dry a few handfuls of spinach

6. Cut up a couple slices of red onion

7. Preheat large skillet with about a tablespoon of garlic and a little olive oil

8.Take red bell pepper out of ice and peel of skin and then cut into about 4 pieces

9. Put red bell pepper and mushrooms into pan and saute for a few minutes

10. Cut slices of Sourdough bread and spread with balsamic vinagrette (we use a homemade one using a recipe from Emeril Lagasse-check it out here)

(Nathan wanted an action shot! haha)

11. Top with Feta Cheese and place under broiler. Once done, place slices together and toast the outer sides of the bread as well.

12. Place spinach on the bread, then add the mushrooms, red bell pepper, and onion.

 

Recipe source: adapted from The Boathouse Grill's Veggie Panini