zucchini pizza boats

Let me start by saying that I'm a total blog stalker. I lurk on tons of blogs, ogle the photos, get all excited about the new posts, but never comment. I know. I'm a creep. One of my favorite haunts is a blog called Budget Bytes. All of the recipes are cost effective, look great, and many of them are vegetarian friendly too!

Last week, I spied this gem of a recipe and had to try it out myself- zucchini pizza boats? Yes please! Her pictures are much prettier, but I still think my zucchini boat looks gooey and amazing!

My one complaint, is that I wish it was more flavorful- however, I 'spose that was my bad :) Instead of following the recipe's measurements, I threw a little of this and that into the zucchini/sauce mixture. Next time, I'll make sure to pay closer attention to the specifications, and add more than just a dash of Italian seasoning, garlic salt, and parmesan cheese. Still! A great, easy recipe, that was apparently only $1.32 per serving. I love it! I will definitely continue to try Budget Bytes recipes in the future!

While I'm on the topic, here is a surprising article about vegan foods- peanuts? Yikes! Also, I'm inappropriately excited about these butterbeer cupcakes (omg Harry Potter July 15), and every single one of these sandwiches. Next time I'm hungover, I'll probably attempt that cheesy mac and rib *drooool* Of course, there are many more delightful things that I'm stalking, but that will have to wait for another time. I have another pizza boat to devour!

enchilada lasagna

I've been meaning to try this recipe out for a while now, but life keeps taking me out to dinner or requesting a movie night with friends, so finally, after much ado, I had a chance to try out my ingenious enchilada lasagna. I've seen tons recipes for enchilada casserole, and I love the concept. So, tonight I winged this one, and made up my very own version.

Stuff you need: Corn tortillas- although, I 'spose wheat would work too 2. 1 can enchilada sauce 3. 1 onion 4. 1 can black beans 5. cheese of some sort (optional) 6. Your fave spices

Start by preheating your oven to around 350. My ghetto oven doesn't have an "I'm preheated alarm", so I turn on the oven while I prep, and then throw everything in and hope for the best. While the oven is preheating, open and drain your can of beans. Chop up your onion, and add that and the beans to a good sized bowl for mixing. Add your favorite spices (I like garlic salt and cumin) and mix everything together.

Pull out a small baking dish, and pour a little enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan- just enough to cover the entire base. Then cut 2 tortillas in half so they fit flush against all 4 sides of the dish. You will put each half on one side of the pan, and then one whole tortilla goes in the middle. Thus, each layer of the casserole will use 3 tortillas total.

On top of the tortilla layer, put more enchilada sauce. Then top that with the bean/onion mixture, and cheese if you're using it- I only had a little cheese, but more cheese and tomatoes would have both been a fine addition :)

Keep layering your casserole in this fashion until the pan is full or you're out of ingredients. Sauce. Tortillas. Sauce. Filler. Sauce. Tortillas. Sauce... etc. etc. etc.

Finally, throw everything in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until warmed through. Cut your portions, and serve it up with some chopped lettuce and your favorite salsa on the side.

For my first attempt, this was a total success. The flavors were great, and it was just what I had been hoping for. Next time, I think I'll definitely add more cheese, sauté my onions before assembly, add fresh tomatoes to the filler, and cook it with foil on top, instead of just bare. Try your own alterations to make this dish your own too! After a few more tweaks, this will definitely be a winning recipe :)

chili

After a surprisingly cold and snowy Sunday, nothing hit the spot more than a big bowl of vegetarian chili with some of my best friends. Not just this, but my omnivorous companions, made sure to make it meat-free for me. Aww I love those guys! So straight from Chef Michael's kitchen, here is his version of veggie chili.

Stuff you need: 1. 2 cans diced tomatoes 2. 1 can kidney beans 3. 1 can black beans 4. 1 can chili beans 5. 1 can corn 6. 1 onion 6. a few bell peppers 7. your choice of faux meat 8. chili powder or a chili spices seasoning packet

First and foremost, chop up your onion and bell pepper, and sauté them in a little olive oil, until they're starting to get tender. You can do this in your giant soup pot or in a separate skillet- your choice. When your veggies are starting to get soft, throw everything else into the pot. That's right. The beans, the corn, the spices, and the fake meat. Plop it all in there!

Last night, Michael used Gimme Lean Ground Beef Style, which was delicious, but we both agree that we prefer Boca ground crumbles in our veg chili- highly recommend you try that version too.

After everything is combined in the soup pot, throw the lid on, turn the heat to low, and let it simmer as long as you can fight off the urge to devour it on the spot- the longer the better :)

When we could take it no longer, the three of us dug in and devoured! I've found a lot of meat-free chili recipes, but I must say that Michael's is one of my favorite. It's simple, hearty, and always ends up tasty. Great company. Great food. Thanks Michael!

breakfast dilemma & morningstar farms

When I arrived at work this morning, I found my friend Jenna in a breakfast dilemma. She came to work armed with a package of Morningstar Farms bacon, egg and cheese breakfast biscuits when she discovered that one of our coworkers had brought in homemade breakfast burritos for $2, which, I might say, are absolutely delicious. On top of this, she also found out, much to her dismay, that Morningstar Farms is a vegetarian company, and this said "bacon biscuit" contained no real bacon at all- mind you, my friend is an avid carnivore. Thus, Jenna's breakfast dilemma.

This is where I enter. Eat your vegetarian bacon biscuit so it doesn't go to waste, even though I've already had a wee apple for breakfast, just so you can eat a meaty burrito instead? Oh twist my arm.

First and foremost, it's a little high in calories and fat than I'd like in my breakfasts. Usually I stick to oatmeal, fresh fruits, or toast, so this 270 calorie pocket (with 80 fat calories and 8 grams of fat) was not part of my diet. However, it is seriously tasty. Throw aside all caloric numbers and thoughts of the treadmill, and this is a mighty fine breakfast. It nukes quickly in the microwave, the flavors are great, and the biscuit was soft and moist.

I probably won't make a habit of eating these all the time, but if I was forced to eat one again in order to help out a friend, I would have absolutely no problems in doing so :)

This was hands down the best breakfast dilemma I've been part of. Any food crisis that ends with me eating awesome, free, vegetarian food is a.o.k by me.

quick fix chik'n tacos

Surprisingly enough, tacos aren't usually one of my staple dinners. Tonight, however, I have a bundle of corn tortillas just waiting to be devoured, so I thought I'd stay away from pasta and sandwiches, and go with some faux-chicken tacos! I must say, I don't know why I don't make these more often. Not only were they outrageously quick to make, but they were super tasty too.

Stuff you need: 1. Tortillas- corn or wheat or whatever you have 2. Filling- tonight I found salsa, veggies, and some Boca Original Chik'n Patties

Start by throwing your boca chik'n patty into the toaster oven, skillet, or for those lucky ones out there who have one, your microwave. While you're waiting for your fake-meat to get all defrosted and toasty, chop up whatever veggies and other items you'd like to put in your tacos.

Tonight I found red cabbage, tomatoes, and a little bit of salsa, but there's SO many other things that would be great too- cheese, sour cream, onions, lettuce, soyrizo, black olives? If it's in your kitchen, it will probably taste great in a taco.

When your filling is prepped and your chik'n patty is warmed, slice up that chik'n and throw everything into a couple of tortillas. My 1 patty made 2 tacos, but I could have easily stretched that into 3 :)

It was a quick dinner that totally hit the spot. I've never actually thought about making tacos with chik'n patties of any variety, but I think I may have to try it more often. Mom swears by the Field Roast Mexican Chipotle sausages for all her vegetarian taco needs, but for a quick meal after a long day of work, this was great too!

Oh! And on a side note, Robin Robertson (omg my vegan idol) is having a book giveaway over on her blog Vegan Planet. I can't highly recommend her books more. The idea of vegan food terrifies a lot of people, but all of Robin's books are incredibly user-friendly. Post a comment and win her new book! You won't regret it I promise :)

vaffeldagen

If your Friday was anything like mine, it probably included excessive amounts of drinking and waffles. Waffles you say? Of course! For those of us who are not up-to-date on our random holidays, yesterday was Vaffeldagen! In Sweden, March 25th started out as a celebration for the virgin annunciation- the day Mary found out she was preggers with baby Jesus. However, Varfrudagen (Our Lady Day) sounded way too close to Vaffeldagen, and it stuck! Thus, March 25th is Waffle Day. Note: this is the only thing I learned from my vikings class in college.

So, yesterday I filled my meals with waffles in various forms. For breakfast, I had whole wheat waffles covered with apples and strawberries- SUPER tasty and healthy. My lunch was an ode to chicken and waffles- a Morningstar Farms chik patty with some more whole wheat waffles and a little stone ground mustard on the side- also delicious.

For all my waffle needs, I usually use Krusteaz wheat and honey pancake mix. You measure it out, add water, stir it up, and throw it in the waffle maker. It's super easy, and the results are always fluffy breakfast perfection.

Even though my waffle streak was broken with a plate of fried pickles and some Mexican food, my first 2 meals were a total success! More importantly, I had way too much fun planning out special recipes in celebration of a fun holiday. I definitely plan to do it more often!

stir fry & simply asia sauce

Stir fry is one of those go-to , meals that I know I can always fall back on for a quick, healthy, and always delicious dinner. Tonight was that night, however, instead of throwing a little of this and that into the wok, I decided to try one of the stir fry sauces from Simply Asia, and I must say, it turned out pretty good.

Stuff you need: 1. Vegetables 2. Simply Asia stir fry sauce- or your own homemade sauce 3.Rice or noodles- totally optional 4. A splash of canola oil 5. Anything else you'd like to throw in- garlic, ginger, spices, etc.

Start by chopping up all your vegetables. After a quick trip to the store, I found myself with onion, carrots, broccoli, red cabbage, red bell pepper, and some left over mushrooms from the other night. Stir fry tip #1: chop all the ingredients to around the same size so everything cooks evenly. Aren't the colors beautiful?

When all your veggies are prepped, throw a splash of canola oil into your wok and heat it up on high (you can also use a skillet with some olive oil, if you'd rather). If you're adding garlic, ginger, or hot peppers, I would start by throwing those in the wok. If not, then just start cooking up your vegetables! Stir fry tip #2: put the ingredients into the wok from hardest to softest, once again, to help everything cook evenly. I started out with the carrots and worked my way up to the cabbage. When everything is cooked to your preferred tenderness, squeeze in that sauce packet, or start adding various sauces and spices until it tastes just the way you like it.

I used Simply Asia's General Tsao's sauce, and it was pretty good. It had nice flavor, and it made this speedy meal even faster to prepare. Unfortunately, the sodium content is pretty high, so I think that next time I'll stick to making my own concotion. If you're tight on time, these stir fry sauces are a great option, but I definitely wouldn't make a habit out of it.

I heated up a little rice from the weekend, spooned my colorful mixture on top, and dug in! Seriously, I love stir fry. It always makes me feel healthy, and it's a great kitchen sink recipe cause you can throw pretty much anything in it- fresh vegetables, tofu, nuts, pineapple, mango, seitan, frozen vegetables, rice, noodles, you name it. Not only was this a delicious dinner, but the leftovers will be just as good tomorrow for lunch :)