August 2010--Macaroni and Cheese with Secret Silken Tofu Sauce

From: The Vegetarian Family Cookbook by Nava Atlas

Here is a super sneaky way to eat tofu--I swear, no one but the cook will even know it is in there...
10 to 12 ounces elbow macaroni
One 12.3 ounce package silken tofu
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 to 2 cups firmly packed grated cheddar cheese
Salt to taste
Peas (my addition, I always mix peas in with my macaroni)

1.  Cook the pasta in plenty of rapidly boiling water until al dente, then drain.
2.  Meanwhile, puree the tofu until perfectly smooth in a food processor or blender.  Transfer to a medium saucepan and add the butter and cheese.  Slowly bring to a gentle simmer, stirring often, then cook over low heat until the cheese is thoroughly melter.
3.  Combine the cooked macaroni and sauce.  Season with salt and serve at once.

Click here to go to my Vegetarian Recipe of the Month Archive!

July 2010--Baked Oatmeal

This is another awesome recipe from my friends Adam and Jenee.  I made this for breakfast when my
parents came to visit and it was a hit!  We all loved it!  My parents especially liked it with some milk added to their individual serving.

2 cups old fashioned oats
4 cups milk
1/2 tsp almond flavoring
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup dried cherries
1 large apple, unpeeled, grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 3-quart casserole or baking pan with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Transfer to baking dish. Sprinkle top with additional almonds. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes. Serve hot. Yields about 4 adult servings.

Jenee's tip: You can also omit the almonds, cherries and almond flavoring and substitute 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 cup raisins and 1/2 cup chopped peanuts.

June 2010--Baked Orzo with Broccoli and Cheese

From Vegetarian Classics by Jeanne Lemlin

This is a comfort food recipe.  It is yummy and filling--great for a Sunday night dinner.  

Serves 4-6

1 pound orzo (rice shaped pasta)
2-4 cups tiny broccoli florets (from 1 bunch of broccoli)
1 (7 oz) jar roasted red peppers, well drained and cut into strips (3/4 cup)
butter for greasing
1 cup sour cream (to ease my conscience I use light sour cream)
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, or 1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp salt
Generous seasoning of pepper
1 cup grated part-skim mozzarella cheese

1.  Bring a large quantity of water to a boil in a stockpot.  Drop in the broccoli and cook untili almost tender, about 5 minutes.  With a strainer, scoop out the broccoli and place in a large bowl.
2.  Cook thee orzo in the same boiling water until tender but not mushy, about 9-12 minutes.  Drain in a collander.  If any water has accumulated in the bowl with the broccoli, drain it.  Mix the orzo with the broccoli, then stir in the red peppers.   Let cool about 20 minutes (I usually skip the cooling step...)
3.  Preheat the oven to 375.  Butter a 3 quart baking dish. (13x9x2)
4.  Stire the sour cream, milk, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, basil, salt, pepper, and mozzarella cheese into the broccoli mixture.  Scrape into the baking dish and smooth over the top.  Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
5.  Bake 20-30 minutes, or until hot.  Do not over cook or the dish will dry out.

May 2010--Portobello Mushroom Sandwiches with Lemon Garlic Mayonnaise

I absolutely love Portobello mushrooms. While restaurant eating isn't always simple for non-meat eaters, I can usually count on a dish with Portobello mushrooms as the main ingredient. These sandwiches are fast and we love them.

From Vegetarian Classics by Jeanne Lemlin

Makes 2 Sandwiches

1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 large (5 inch diameter) Portobello mushrooms, stems discarded, caps wiped clean, and thinly sliced

Salt to taste

3 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 very small garlic clove, minced or pressed
Generous seasoning of freshly ground pepper

4 slices Tuscan style bread or 2 sandwich rolls (the WinCo bakery sells ciabatta sandwich rolls)

1 small to medium size ripe tomato

1 avocado

Melt the butter in a medium sized skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and saute until brown all over and juicy (about 7 minutes). Season with salt and let cool.

Combine the mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, and pepper in a small bowl.

To make the sandwiches, spread some of the mayonnaise mixture on each bread slice. Place the mushrooms, tomato slices, avocado, and lettuce on two of the slices and top with the remaining bread. Serve at once.

April 2010--Vegetarian "Meat" loaf

This recipe has been an old stand-by for a while now. It's a nice substitute for the meat version (not to mention much healthier and cheaper). We eat it just like we would regular meatloaf--with ketchup. Mmmm.....

Ingredients:
2 1/2 c. water
1 tsp. salt
1 c. lentils
1 small onion, diced
1 c. quick cooking oats
3/4 c. grated cheese (cheddar, swiss, jack or American)
1 egg, beaten
4.5 oz. tomato or spaghetti sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried basil
1 TB dried parsley
1/2 tsp. seasoning salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Add salt to water and boil in a saucepan. Add lentils and simmer, covered, 25-30 minutes or until lentils are tender. Remove from heat and partially mash lentils. Scrape into a mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly.

Stir in onion, oats, and cheese until mixed. Add egg, tomato sauce, garlic, basil, parsley, seasoning salt, and pepper. Mix well.

Spoon into loaf pan that has been well oiled. Press mixture into a loaf and smooth top with back of spoon.

Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes or until top of loaf is dry, firm, and golden brown.

Cool in pan for about 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife around edges of pan and then turn out onto serving platter.

March 2010--Farmer's Market Quesadillas

Kameron and I were invited to dinner last weekend at our fabulous friends' house, Adam and Jenee. Jenee cooked these quesadillas for us and they were amazing! We ate tons and they were gracious enough to give us some leftovers. We ate them the next day and they were even more delicious. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
* 1/2 cup chopped zucchini
* 1/2 cup chopped yellow squash
* 1/2 cup chopped red onion
* 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* cooking spray
* 6 (9 inch) whole wheat tortillas
* 1 1/4 cups shredded reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. In a large nonstick pan, cook red pepper, zucchini, yellow squash, onion, and mushrooms in olive oil over medium to medium-high heat for about 7 minutes, or until just tender. Remove vegetables from pan.
2. Coat the same pan with cooking spray, and place one tortilla in pan. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of cheese evenly over tortilla, and layer 3/4 cup of the vegetable mixture over the cheese. Sprinkle another 1/8 cup of cheese on the vegetables, and top with a second tortilla. Cook until golden on both sides, for approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove quesadilla from pan, and repeat with remaining ingredients. Cut each quesadilla into 8 triangles with a pizza cutter. Serve hot.


*Jenee made a variety of cheese and tortilla combinations. She used some wheat tortillas and some flour tortillas. Some had cheddar cheese and some had mozzarella....they were all great!

This recipe is from www.allrecipes.com

February 2010--Taco Casserole

I took a class a few months ago about cooking with beans. This recipe came from the class and Kameron and I both love it. I think it's pretty guest and kid friendly (not that I've tested it out on any kids--it's just a guess).   Give it a try.


Taco Casserole
Hopkins Healthy Home Cooking

2 cups cooked brown rice
2 1/2 c. cooked pinto beans (I used two cans)
8 oz. frozen corn (half a regular-size bag)
1 large can (about 28 oz) diced tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder 
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. onion or garlic powder
1 TB dried minced onion
corn tortillas
cheese
Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Mix and simmer all ingredients except corn tortillas and cheese for 5-10 minutes.  Put a scoop of mixture at the bottom of a greased 9x13 casserole dish.  Spread layer of tortillas on top of the mixture.  Spread another layer of mixture, cheese, and then top with tortillas.  End with mixture and top with cheese.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until bubbly.