Bring 'em on!

 

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It's just a side dish and I don't really have a recipe, but here's the basic idea:


Sauteed Zucchini and Onions


Zucchini, sliced (1/2 to 1 per person, depending on veggie size)

1 large onion, chopped

1 or 2 cloves of garlic, chopped/minced

salt

pepper

olive oil

oregano

crushed red pepper (optional)


Start with about a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat and add the onion and garlic. Sautee a minute or two and then add the zucchini (make sure your pan is big enough so they sautee but don't steam). Continue sauteeing until zucchini are dont to your taste. Add a teaspoon or so of oregano and crushed red pepper.


You can serve this over pasta or on its own. You can add drained, diced tomatoes at the end, too. It's good and good for you.


This is a Rachel Ray recipe, but I thought it was pretty good and added a bit of crushed red pepper for heat.


Creamy Mushroom Spaghetti


Salt

1 pound whole-wheat or whole-grain spaghetti

1 1/2 pounds mixed mushrooms - shiitake, crimini, any that catch your eye at market

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 leeks

3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup cream

Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano, for topping

Directions

Heat water to a boil for the pasta, salt water, drop in pasta and cook to al dente.


Wipe mushrooms clean with damp towel. Remove woody stems. Thinly slice the mushrooms.


Heat a large deep skillet with extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until deeply golden and tender, 10 minutes.


While mushrooms cook, halve the leeks lengthwise. Cut off a couple of inches from tough tops. Trim off root end. Thinly slice the leek then vigorously wash in a large bowl of cold water, separating all the layers to free of grit. Let leeks sit a few minutes then lift out of the water and dry on kitchen towel.


Add leeks to mushrooms along with garlic and season with salt, pepper and fresh thyme. Cook 3 to 4 minutes more then add wine, reduce half a minute then stir in cream and heat through. Toss pasta with mushrooms and adjust seasoning. Top with grated cheese at the table.

 

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take a can of read beans, black beans, garbanzo beans, or whatever.


Drain, whizz in a food processor with extra virgin olive oil until they're a past. Make it

as thick or thin as you want.


Add garlic, cumin, salt, and lemon. All to taste.


Smear on a flour tortilla, roll it up. You can cut into pieces or serve

the paste at the table and let people smear their own.

 

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Lentils and Rice

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4


Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Oil

1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots

1/2 cup dry lentils, rinsed

1/2 cup sliced green onions

1 1/4 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

1/2 to 3/4 cup instant brown rice (whatever makes 2 servings of your brand. Do not use boil in bag)

4 oz (1 cup) shredded cheddar cheese


Directions:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots, lentils, and onions; cook and stir for 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add rice; cover and continue to simmer for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender and liquid is absorbed. Fluff rice with fork. Remove from heat; sprinkle with cheese. Cover, let stand for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted.


Notes:

I had ran out of cheddar cheese, so I used monterey jack and it was wonderful.


Black Bean and Salsa Soup

Prep Time: 5

minutesCook Time: 5 minutes

Serves: 4


Ingredients:

2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 cup vegetable broth

1 cup chunky salsa

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions


Directions:

In a food processor or blender combine beans, broth and cumin. Blend until fairly smooth


Heat bean mixture in a medium saucepan until thoroughly heated. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of sliced green onions.


I served this with Bisquick biscuits with some cheese and chipotle powder added to the mix.


Vegetable Lasagna

Prep Time: 1 Hour

Min Cook Time: 1 Hour

Serves: 8


INGREDIENTS

cooking spray

9 uncooked lasagna noodles

1 onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, chopped

2 medium zucchini, shredded

1 (14.5 ounce) can reduced sodium chicken broth (or vegie broth)

1 teaspoon chopped crushed dried rosemary

1 (14 ounce) can marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 (9 ounce) package fresh spinach, chopped

1 (28 ounce) jar tomato pasta sauce

1 (15 ounce) container fat free ricotta cheese

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

16 oz reduced fat mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided

1 (4 ounce) package herb and garlic feta, crumbled


DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).


Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium-high. Saute onion, garlic, and zucchini for 3 minutes, or until tender-crisp. Stir in broth and rosemary; bring to a boil. Stir in artichoke hearts and spinach; reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in pasta sauce.


In a medium bowl, mix ricotta, egg, nutmeg, and basil.


Spread 1/4 of the artichoke mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking dish; top with 3 noodles. Sprinkle 1/3 mozzarella cheese over noodles. Dollop ricotta mixture over cheese and carefully spread to cover the pan. Layer 3 noodles over ricotta, 1/3 of the mozzarella, 1/4 artichoke mixture. Repeat layers 1 more time. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and feta, and bake 15 minutes more, or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

 

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Those are just my favorites. What kind of things are you looking for? I cook vegetarian a lot.

 

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Vegetarian Chili


Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

6 large garlic cloves, chopped (I crush them, then chop)

3 14 1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice

1 4-ounce can diced mild green chilies

3 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 15- to 16-ounce cans kidney beans, drained (I use pinto)

2 green bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 10-ounce package frozen corn kernels


Directions:


Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices, green chilies, chili powder, cumin and oregano. Cook 10 minutes to blend flavors. Add beans, bell peppers and corn. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until chili is thick, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


Serves 6.


I like to do this with low-sodium canned tomatoes, otherwise the salt in this recipe gets overwhelming (as you might imagine with all those canned ingredients).

 

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Thank you all! I am not a vegetarian, but would like to add a few dishes that are hearty and tasty. As I get older, I struggle to get as much fiber and enough vegetables in my diet...if you know what I mean...and I think that you do! LOL!

 

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I figured I'd add this as well, even though I've posted it numerous times. If you substitute whole grain pasta, you'll bump up the fiber in the dish.


Tagliarini Picchi Pacchiu


4 Cups whole Roma tomatos, crushed and with their liquid

8 Garlic cloves, sliced

1 lb. Shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 lb. pasta (I used angel hair)

12 fresh Basil leaves, chopped

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

1 Tbsp. Salt

1 Tbsp. Ground Black Pepper

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (optional)


Crush the tomatos and set them aside, with their liquid, in a large bowl. Start the water boiling for the pasta and cook accordingly.


Place the olive oil in a pan and sautee the shrimp until pink and tender (couple minutes each side). Remove the shrimp from the pan, leaving the oil, and add to the tomatos.


Add the garlic and red pepper flakes (if desired) to the remaining oil. Sautee up to five minutes or until tender. Add garlic and oil to the tomatos and shrimp. Stir to combine.


Add the basil, salt and pepper. Once the pasta is cooked and drained, add to the sauce and combine.


Serves 4-6.

 

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spaghetti sauce

grill onions and garlic in olive oil

once they start to caramelize add in your herbs .. basil - oregano - parsley

add in tomato sauce

simmer

... thats it ... easy and simple

 

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I forgot I added shrimp to the Tagliarini (just c&p'd from earlier thread). You can certainly make it without the shrimp.

 

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