Mouth-watering spanakopita

Nothing spells comfort on a cool fall evening like a spinach pie – the delicious Mediterranean spanakopita.  It can be served well with salad or soup.  I have tried different recipes including the following:

Ingredients

* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 1 bunch green onions, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 pounds spinach, rinsed and chopped
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
* 2 eggs, lightly beaten
* 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
* 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
* 8 sheets phyllo dough
* 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9×9 inch square baking pan.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, green onions and garlic, until soft and lightly browned. Stir in spinach and parsley, and continue to saute until spinach is limp, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, and feta. Stir in spinach mixture. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough in prepared baking pan, and brush lightly with olive oil. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on top, brush with olive oil, and repeat process with two more sheets of phyllo. The sheets will overlap the pan. Spread spinach and cheese mixture into pan and fold overhanging dough over filling. Brush with oil, then layer remaining 4 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with oil. Tuck overhanging dough into pan to seal filling.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Cut into squares and serve while hot.

Source:  All Recipes

Morning Rice

It’s National Vegetarian Week!  Hooray!  In honor, I want to share a simple breakfast recipe that I made this morning.  I was hoping my two year-old toddler would appreciate it.  But of course it is a mystery what she will take to or not.

At first she didn’t want to try it because she didn’t recognize it (I assume), but eventually, she was won over, possibly by the fragrance of vanilla and cinnamon.

I wish that I could give proper credit to the source, but it was just on my calendar for the month of May, so I have been eyeing it all month, waiting to make it when I had cooked brown rice handy.  Making the brown rice in the morning before my toddler wakes at 6 is a bit much to ask.  Just trying to get my caffeine in by then is a feat.

I doubled the ingredients for my family of 4.  I left the peeling on the apples, which was fine with my family.

The dish can easily be made vegan with the use of non-dairy milk.

portion:  1 serving

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
• 1/4 cup lowfat milk or soymilk
• 1 apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl (or on the stove).  Heat on high for 1-2 minutes or until heated through.

Nutritional info (per serving):  calories – 220, fat – 1.5g, protein – 4.7g, carb – 48g, fiber – 7g, calcium – 92mg, iron 1 mg, vitamin A – 35mcg, vitamin c – 5mg, folate – 4 mcg

peach cobbler

My husband and I are both from the south, so that means there are some foods, like grits and peach cobbler, that hold a special place in our hearts.  He is particularly fond of peaches and we had plenty of canned and jarred, so I made a peach cobbler recently.

I had tried different recipes in the past and the one I used tonight so far surpasses the others.  It was simple and did what the directions said it would do – that the batter would rise to the top and browned nicely.  It also didn’t seem to take as long to bake as a previous recipe.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 262 | Total Fat: 8.3g | Cholesterol: 22mg

perfectly baked peach cobbler

Source:  All Recipes

Raviolis stuffed with spinach in a tomato sauce

Trying to please the appetites of a 12 year-old and two year-old vegetarian kid at the same time is not always easy.

This is where pasta comes in to the rescue.  There are a variety of pastas, and the one my kids probably like best is raviolis stuffed with spinach and cheese.  This also works for me to try to get vegetables in my toddler.

Although spinach has fortunately not been much of a problem for her, particularly when it’s been sauteed with olive oil.

My son was off school today, so I made them the ravioli.  They both ate a lot.  Fortunately for me, it was easy and I took a shortcut by not boiling the raviolis separately.  I sauteed diced tomatoes in plenty of olive oil with minced garlic, salt, black pepper, Italian seasonings and then paprika.

If you use canned diced tomatoes, you probably don’t need to add water.  If you use fresh (I used a combo), add a little water.  I added the raviolis and let them cook in this sauce, covered.  I added some chives and cilantro at the end as garnish.  I served it with Parmesan cheese.  My mission of getting a balanced and satisfying meal in my kids is accomplished! (for now)

Sweet potato and chipotle soup

I heard about this soup recently and decided to look it up and make it, since I have sweet potatoes to use up and the combination with chipotle sounds interesting.  I’m using a recipe from Martha Stewart that I’ve modified to make vegetarian (vegetable stock instead of chicken).

I’m not always into the smoky chipotle flavor (maybe because I didn’t grow up eating barbecue), but thought it would go well with sweet potatoes.  One thing about the pepper that got confirmed with this soup is how hot it can be, especially in the adobo sauce.

Even though I used about 1 pepper, it turned out hotter than what I thought my husband and toddler could handle.  So I added some sugar and milk to make it more of a cream soup.  I garnished it with plain yogurt instead of sour cream, and topped with tortilla chips.  It was good, in a nose-running, tongue-burning way that I enjoy.  Another option would be go really low on the chipotle.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 medium sweet potatoes (2 pounds total), peeled and cut
• 1/2 to 1 chipotle chile in adobo, chopped
• 7 cups vegetable broth
• Sour cream, for serving (or plain yogurt, esp. Greek)
• Toasted flour tortilla wedges, for serving (optional)

Directions

1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil over mediumhigh. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until beginning to brown around edges, about 7 minutes. Add cumin and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in sweet potatoes, chile, and broth. Bring to a boil; reduce to a rapid simmer, partially cover, and cook until sweet potatoes can be mashed easily with a spoon, 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Let soup cool slightly. Working in batches, transfer soup to a blender and puree until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Return pureed soup to pot over low heat and season with salt and pepper. Top soup with sour cream and serve with tortilla wedges, if desired.

Source:  Martha Stewart

Ladkes (potato pancakes) with applesauce

With both my kids home today, I treated them to some home-made potato chips and ladkes or potato pancakes, which my son enjoyed with applesauce.  I used the following recipe primarily, but added more flour and some bread crumbs to get the consistency needed.  I used red potatoes and a food processor.  I also added a little cayenne.

Ingredients

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 286 | Total Fat: 6.1g | Cholesterol: 96mg

Source:  Allrecipes

our vegetarian Thanksgiving plate

I cooked a lot for our vegetarian and vegan Thanksgiving and it was a rarity that

We had a tranquil Thanksgiving.

everything turned out well.  Normally, something goes wrong, either something is over-cooked or forgotten.

I tried some new dishes, such as a veggie loaf, that was a success.   The vegan gravy was great.  I made pumpkin and sweet potato pies with crust from scratch, which has become my norm because I’m not happy with the trans fat in pre-made crust (plus it tastes better from scratch).

My veggie preteen son liked everything, particularly the pumpkin pie that “he” made.  My veggie toddler daughter probably liked the sweet potato pie most, followed by the pumpkin pie.  She kept coming by for sweet potato as I was making the pie.

My meat-eating husband thought the food, I think specifically the loaf, was “pretty good.”  I plan to make it again, with potatoes and gravy.  I liked how I could make plenty and have it on-hand for future meals.  It probably freezes well, but we were able to finish it and didn’t need to freeze.  We thought the cold sandwiches made from sliced loaf the day following Thanksgiving were good.  It was a good, healthy option on a busy shopping day.  Following is the recipe for the “meat” loaf I tried out – something I printed out in 2006 and found the new location on the web, referenced below.

“Thanksgiving “Meat” Loaf

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

2 egg equivalents (mix 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder, 1 tablespoon corn starch, and 4 tablespoons water)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 (12-ounce) box medium-firm silken tofu
1 (1 1/2-ounce) packet vegan dried onion soup mix
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1 teaspoon oil
1 1/2 cups onion. chopped
3/4 cup celery, chopped
2 cups mushrooms (use portobello mushrooms for a heartier taste), chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons basil
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1/2 teaspoon sage
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs

Thanksgiving "meat" loaf

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix egg substitute, soy sauce, tofu, and onion soup mix together in blender.  Add walnuts and blend until smooth. Grease a loaf pan.

2. Heat oil and saute onion, celery, and mushrooms until onions are transparent. Add basil, oregano, and sage while vegetables are frying. Thoroughly mix blender ingredients, cooked vegetables and bread crumbs together in a large bowl.

3. Press into prepared loaf pan. (Or, as user giraelei suggests, “Instead of a loaf pan, I usually use a square cake pan and liberally coat the loaf with ketchup so it gets kind of burnt and caramelized.  Yum!”) Bake for 75 minutes.  Let cool slightly.  Turn loaf out and slice.

Variations: To make it stick together better, try lowering the bread crumbs to 3/4 cup and adding one of the following: 1 extra box of tofu, 1 cup of instant mashed potato flakes, 1 to 1 1/2 cup(s) cooked brown rice or 1 cup burger-style crumbles.

This has become a standard dish at my parents’ house when all sorts of eating habits must be catered to.  Even the most obstinate meat eaters love it.  It is also excellent the next day cold on a sandwich with a bit of mustard.”

Source:  Veg Web

home-made pumpkin pie

Vegetarian stuffing with whole wheat bread, veggies, nuts, fruit & herbs

Swiss Chard with garbanzos

This is great Fall comfort food.  I’m not too familiar with chard since I didn’t grow up with it.  We found some at a Farmer’s Market that had gotten ignored in my fridge and needed to get used up.

I found a recipe on-line that I modified with the addition of more spices, vegetable broth and noodles.  I topped it with a  parmesan cheese mix.   It can easily be made vegan without the use of cheese.  It’s a complete one-pot dish with sufficient protein.  As a bonus, my toddler liked it.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup garbanzo beans, drained
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 bunch red Swiss chard, rinsed and chopped
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• cumin
• pinch of asafoetida
• about 2 cups egg noodles
• about 2 cups vegetable broth

Heat olive oil in a large skillet.  Stir in shallot and green onions; cook and stir for 3 to 5 minutes, or until soft and fragrant. Stir in garbanzo beans and seasoning, along with salt and pepper; heat through.  Place chard in pan, and cook until wilted.  A dd noodles, tomato slices, stock and cook, covered until noodles are soft.  Add enough stock to achieve creaminess desired.  Squeeze lemon juice over mixture, and heat through. Plate, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Healthy, low-fat quinoa burgers

Quinoa is a protein-rich super grain and comes in many colors.  It is a new discovery for me and I’ve been trying to use it more.

In a pot, bring 3/4 cup water to boil, add 1/2 cup rinsed quinoa.  Cover and reduce heat.  Cook until liquid is gone – 12 minutes.  Add 1 shredded carrot, 3 thinly sliced green onions, 2 cups canned (or cooked dried) white beans, 1/4 cup dried bread crumbs, 1 egg, 1 tsp. cumin and 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper.  Mash well.

Form mixture into 4 patties.  (If needed, dip hands in water to prevent sticking; and if too soft, put in fridge for 5 minutes to firm.)  In skillet, cook patties in 4 tblsp. oil – 8 minutes on each side.

Quinoa burgers cooking

Serve in pitas topped with a spoonful of plain non-fat yogurt or low-fat sour cream, sliced cucumbers and sliced green onions.