Delicious Meat-free Things

Hey all! Sorry about the lag between posts, but I have been on a bit of a haitus because I was on vacation in San Diego and Colorado (expect a post soon about travel training!).  Anyway, I have had some requests to post more delightful recipes, so I have accumulated a bunch of photos and new recipes for all you vegetarians, flexitarians, or meat-eaters who want to try some other healthy food (you can even add a chicken breast or something to most of these, if your heart so desires-- I won't hold it against you).

Here are some of the things I have made lately:


Summer Squash and Arugula Salad

I got a LOT of squash in our CSA this summer, so I was searching for ways to eat it that weren't either roasting or sauteeing for dinner. This salad was a fresh, light lunch, and the homemade lemon vinaigrette added a light sunshine-y touch of citrus:

Ingredients:

• Small handful sliced almonds
• 1 pound summer squash (a mix of green and yellow)
• 2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 minced garlic clove (or tsp ground garlic)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Baby arugula
• 1/2 cup chickpeas

Place almonds on a cookie sheet and roast in the oven at 400 degrees until fragrant. Meanwhile, trim the ends off summer squash. If you have a vegetable peeler or mandolin slicer, thinly slice the squash lengthwise into strips and transfer to a large bowl (in the picture above I just sliced them into sections because I made it at work). In a small bowl, whisk together extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, minced garlic clove, and kosher salt to taste. Pour dressing over squash. Let stand for a few minutes (this gives it the flavor), then add a few handfuls of baby arugula. Add the chickpeas and toss. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with the crushed almonds.

Spinach, feta and tomato quiche

I made this quiche one Sunday afternoon and had it for breakfast for a few days.  I used whole wheat, organic phyllo dough that I found at Yes! organic market, and tomatoes, spinach and eggs from Eastern Market.

Crust

• 6 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
• 3 Tbs. olive oil

Filling

• Bunch of fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 10 cherry tomatoes, halved

Quiche Batter

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• Pinch ground nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

To make Crust:
Coat 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray. Lay one phyllo sheet on a work surface, and brush it all over with oil. Top with second phyllo sheet, and brush with oil. Repeat phyllo and oil layers three times more. Press into prepared pie pan; trim edges with scissors.

To make Filling:
Sauté spinach in a pan over low heat using olive oil until spinach is just lightly wilted. Sprinkle feta cheese over Crust. Top with spinach.

To make Quiche Batter:
Whisk together all ingredients in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Pour Quiche batter over the filling in the crust. Arrange the tomatoes on the top so that the sliced parts face outward. Set quiche on baking sheet, and bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until top is brown and center is set.

Braised Lebanese Eggplant with Chickpeas and Roasted Corn

Another ingredient we have gotten a lot in the CSA is eggplant, and I have really never cooked with it before. Since I became vegetarian, though, I have noticed that I have begun to crave it more (and my sister has said the same).  I have tried grilling it or making eggplant sandwiches, but I came across this recipe recently and decided to break out my Dutch oven for the first time since the winter!

• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced (1 1/2 cups)
• 2 eggplants, halved lengthwise and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
• 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 cup marinara sauce
• 1 Tbs. red wine vinegar
• 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 large mint sprigs, plus 2 Tbs. chopped mint
• Ear of corn (NOT shucked)

(Pic of the eggplant in the Dutch oven)

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté 7 minutes, or until soft. Stir in eggplant, and cook 5 minutes or until beginning to brown. Add garlic, allspice, and cumin, and cook 1 minute more.  
2. Stir in marinara sauce, vinegar, and 2/3 cup water, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in chickpeas. Season with salt and pepper. Lay mint sprigs on top of eggplant mixture, cover, and transfer pot to oven. At the same time, put corn directly onto grill rack in the oven. Cook 45 to 50 minutes, or until eggplant is tender (also keep an eye on the corn). Remove mint sprigs, and stir in chopped mint.  Remove corn with tongs and shuck (careful, it's hot!). Serve ear of corn on the side of eggplant.

Risotto Primavera

I was in the mood for something a little more filling one day, and of course I had tons of veggies, so I decided to make a light summer risotto.

• 3/5 cups vegetable broth
• Olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 small carrot, peeled and julienned
• 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1 small zucchini, julienned or shaved with a peeler
• Grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup milk (I used lowfat)
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Parsley for garnish

1. In 2-quart saucepan, heat broth over medium heat
2. Meanwhile, in a large non-stick saucepan, heat a tablespoon oil over medium-high heat.  Add onion and carrot, stirring frequently until tender.
3. Stir in rice. Cook, stirring rice, until it begins to brown (this step is important for flavor).
4. Reduce heat to medium.  Pour 1/2 cup of the hot broth over the rice mixture.  Cook uncovered, stirring frequently, until broth is absorbed.  Continue cooking 15-20 minutes, adding broth 1/2 cup at a time and stirring frequently until rice is tender.
5. Lastly, add 1/2 cup milk and some of the cheese (this makes it more creamy). Add broccoli and zucchini.
6. Serve with sprinkle of parmesan on top and parsley garnish.



Veggie Red Curry Stir Fry

 

This is a good "recipe" for those of you who don't really like following a lot of instructions and/or using a lot of ingredients.  This is something I make when I don't have a lot of time to make the sauce from scratch and want to make something fast with lots of vegetables, since I usually have most of these things on hand. Here's what I used for this one, but you can use any combination of vegetables, tofu, meat, etc. your heart desires:

• 1 onion, chopped
• Couple cloves of garlic, minced
• Red and green bell pepper, chopped
• Head of broccoli, broken into bite size pieces
• Baby carrots
• Fresh mushrooms, sliced
• Udon noodles (these are made with wheat flour!)
• Edamame pods (fresh or frozen)
• Olive oil or hot oil
• Red curry sauce (I like the one from Trader Joe's)

Heat water in a small pot (for steaming veggies). When water in the pot is boiling, place broccoli, carrots and edamame in bamboo steamer (this adds flavor) and steam for several minutes until soft (I like to have my veggies a bit al dente).

Meanwhile, heat oil in a big wok (I love my huge round sided one) over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms, and stir occasionally until soft.

When the steamed veggies are done, remove the bamboo steamer and add udon noodles to the boiling water. Boil for a few minutes, then quickly remove to strainer and blanch with cold water.

When Edamame are cool, shell them and add them to the wok.  Finally, add the noodles, steamed veggies, garlic and red curry sauce to the wok and cook for a couple more minutes. Voila!


Avocado, Tomato and Spinach sandwich


Sometimes I get tired of eating salads or soup for lunch, but there just aren't that many ways to have a vegetarian sandwich.  This is a good combination of food that is filling and satisfying (to me anyway) without imitation processed soy meat, etc. I just toast the bun and slap it all together with a small salad on the side and some fruit, and it's a great lunch!

• 3-4 avocado slices
• 2 large slices tomato
• Slice buffalo mozzarella
• Multigrain sandwich thin (I like the ones from Trader Joe's)
• Red pepper hummus
• Pesto (I made my own)
• Field greens