How do you make something even better? Stuff it with stuff!

For my bridal shower this weekend, a very dear family friend gave me a cookbook called "Eat Well, Stay Well."  I have always admired this woman's ability to truly glorify God's bounty through a healthy, well-balanced diet.  While the book isn't strictly vegetarian, a majority of the book is dedicated to the use of fruits, vegetables, eggs, and dairy products.  I started looking through it, and found so many ideas I cannot wait to try! I tried my first one this evening; I was looking for something with a little spice that wouldn't be too heavy for a summertime meal--Tex-Mex Stuffed Peppers (I promise, they taste better than the name sounds!)

Here's what you'll need (for four servings):

4 bell peppers, any color
4 teaspoons olive oil
3 green onions, thinly sliced (up to about half of the green part)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin (I added more!)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I added more of this too....)
1 1/2 cups canned black beans, rinsed and drained (I didn't have any canned beans on hand, so I soaked and cooked my own, and they turned out DELICIOUS!)
1/2 - 1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese (I like them extra cheesy!)
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced

What to do:

-Slice off the top 1/2 inch of each pepper at the stem end and reserve; discard the stems and chop the reserved pepper tops (I cut the peppers in half vertically; it makes them easier to fill and eat)
-In a saucepan, heat the oil over moderate heat and add the white parts of the scallions and garlic; Saute until softened, and then add the chopped pepper pieces and cook until crisp-tender
-Add the rice, salt, cumin, cayenne, and 2 1/4 cups of water
-Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and allow to simmer covered until the rice is tender
-Stir in the beans and cheese and cook until the cheese has just melted
-While the rice mixture is cooking (it will take a good 15-20 minutes), cook the peppers.  You can do this either by boiling them in water for 3-4 minutes, grilling them (about 2 minutes per side), or pan searing them (about 2 minutes per side).  I pan seared them and they tasted fabulous, but they would be even better grilled!
-Once both components are complete, fill the peppers with the rice/bean mixture, top with a little extra cheese, diced tomatoes, and green stalks of scallions.

Nutrition Facts per serving:
Calories - 416
Fiber - 6 g
Protein - 16 g
Total fat - 14 g

This was such a delicious recipe, especially served with a side of homemade guacamole and tortilla chips :) As I was making this, I realized that this would be a fantastic, easy veggie recipe to serve up at a cookout (since it's Memorial Day and all!).  Even though I made the whole thing on the stove inside, it would be just as easy to grill the bell peppers outside and make the stuffing on the stove ahead of time.  I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did :)  Happy Cooking!!


Citation:
Eat Well, Stay Well: 500 Delicious Recipes Made with Healing Foods. Pleasantville, NY: Reader's Digest, 1998. 51. Print

The Benefits of Eating Local

Last week, Michael and I ventured over to the weekly Brazos County Farmers Market to check out what kinds of goodies the vendors have put out for the summer.  If you have ever attempted to shop at a farmers market, you know that they can sometimes be hit or miss; but during the summer months, there is more "fun" produce in season and vendors are much more likely to set up a station.  We were met with stands containing zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, fresh eggs, onions, cucumbers, strawberries, and homemade jams, jellies and salsas.  Since vendors are able to sell directly to the public without going through a middle man, they are able to sell these fabulous products at cost, so many items are actually cheaper than buying them at the grocery store! You also get a great sense of where your food comes from when you shop at a farmers market.  For example, the man we bought our eggs from had a photo book of his hens so customers could look at the range they roam during the day and their house they sleep in at night.  On the egg carton are written the names of the hens from which those eggs came; these operations obviously have a personal element that large suppliers of grocery stores lack.  Last but CERTAINLY not least, the quality of the fresh foods we found blew grocery store produce out of the water! We went home and made a fresh salad with our finds and were so impressed with the freshness and juiciness of the produce we had purchased.  What's not to love about farmers markets?! Find one in your area today :)

Yippee Chickpeas!

Every time I look at chickpeas in the grocery store, I wonder, "what are those good for besides hummus?" Well, thanks to my wonderful soon-to-be mother-in-law, I now have something to do with them! She posted a link a couple of days ago for a garbanzo stir-fry, and it actually sounded appetizing.  I am always looking for new ways to get enough protein, and chickpeas are chock full of protein with lots of the good kind fat that will help raise your HDL (good cholesterol!).

Here's what you'll need:

-2 Tbsp. olive oil
-Fresh or dried basil, oregano, cilantro, black pepper (I used dried herbs and it tasted wonderful!)
-1 clove minced garlic (I use the easy stuff from the jar)
-1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
-1 zucchini, halved and sliced
-1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
-1 tomato, seeded and chopped

What you do:

-Heat the oil over medium heat in a skillet then add basil, oregano, black pepper, and garlic
-Add in the garbanzo beans and zucchini, tossing to coat with the oil and herbs
-Cook covered until zucchini is tender and browned (7-10 minutes)
-Add in mushrooms and cilantro and cook uncovered until the mushrooms are tender
-Add the tomatoes ON TOP, cover and steam them for just a couple minutes (you don't want mushy tomatoes!)

You can serve this on its own, with rice, or even with plain cous cous.  I was pleasantly surprised at how the mild flavor of the garbanzo beans worked so well with the flavor of the herbs and veggies.  The beans had a nice crispy crust on them, and the insides were very light and fluffy! I halved this recipe, and it made the PERFECT amount for one plate.  Easy, inexpensive, healthy, and delicious! And who says vegetarians can't eat good food? Happy cooking!

Being a good vegetarian, I am a HUGE fan of vegetables! Somewhat oddly, I usually find myself craving veggies instead of "normal" scrumptious foods like chocolate, ice cream, etc.  Some of my favorite veggies fall into a group called the cruciferous vegetables.  This group includes broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy,  kale, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts.  These are most vegetables that people look at and say, "Okay... so what?" The key with these delicious and VERY nutritious vegetables is to prepare them properly to enhance natural flavors, not cover them up! One of the usual dishes at our family reunions was the classic cauliflower salad... a medley of chunks of raw cauliflower, onions, and black olives smothered in mayonnaise.  This was always my LEAST favorite dish, because the cauliflower tasted like chunks of drywall and I knew that the mayonnaise was loaded with saturated fats.  My view on cauliflower has recently changed when I learned how to healthfully prepare it and make it fabulously delicious!
So what are some of the health benefits of the cruciferous vegetables? According to WebMD, a reputable online medical resource, these vegetables are high in vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants.  With the increasing rates of cancer we are seeing in today's healthcare facilities, one cannot help but be frightened.  But antioxidants have been proven to rid your body of dangerous free-radicals that can cause damage to cells and potentially lead to their transformation into a source of malignancy.  They also have tremendous anti-inflammatory properties.  These can be of great benefit to people that suffer from inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, food intolerances, and even seasonal allergies.  Now, I am not saying that if you eat solely cabbage for the next thirty years you are guaranteed to be healthy; you still need appropriate amounts of other vitamins and minerals provided by other food groups such as fruits, grains, and organic dairy products.  But adding cruciferous vegetables to the regular dinner menu can really enhance your body's state of well-being.  Let me share with you how I prepare some of my favorite cruciferous veggies!

Kale

Kale is a beautiful bright leafy green that comes in large bunches in the produce section.  Raw kale has a very pungent bitter taste, so I find it rarely good in salads or by itself.  I like to saute kale in just a little bit of hot extra virgin olive oil (which has nutrition value on its own!) with a tiny bit of kosher salt and black pepper.  Before preparing, be sure to wash it really well and cut the leaves off of the stalks.  The stalks are very tough and chewy and can really put a damper on your delicious kale leaves.  Chop the leaves into 1-2 inch segments and throw into the hot oil.  Stir in salt (which you should skip if you have high blood pressure or sodium!) and pepper.  Saute just until the leaves have wilted, and you have a wonderfully flavorful veggie that can be a side dish to almost anything!

Broccoli

My favorite way to prepare broccoli is to lightly steam it (crowns AND stems) with a dash of salt and pepper.  Steaming it will bring out the natural flavor and break down the fibrous elements so you get a nice texture.  However, if you steam it too long you will deplete the broccoli of its nutrients, and make it mushy :( Steam it until it is just tender enough to stick your fork into and then remove it from the heat and enjoy!  You can also substitute a little grated Parmesan cheese for the salt, which adds some saltiness and a beautiful nutty flavor to the broccoli.  If you like your broccoli raw, then kudos to you! Just remember that if you prefer it in a dipping sauce like ranch dressing or sour cream, while you may be getting the full nutritional value of the broccoli, you're also getting all the calories and saturated fat from the dips that can be more harmful than anything.

Cauliflower

Oh, the dreaded cauliflower.  I got a fantastic recipe from my friend and former-employer Catherine Ruehle.  Formerly a bakery owner, after being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis she changed career paths to become a health and wellness consultant in order to help people make smarter and healthier food choices.  This original recipe is on her website, a-well-nourished-life.com, but I will share it here as it is my FAVORITE recipe I have found in a long time! You can customize it as much or as little as you like; you know you better than anybody! First cut the cauliflower up into bite-sized chunks and begin to saute in a little hot extra virgin olive oil over medium heat.  Once the cauliflower is nicely light brown on all sides, squeeze a little lemon juice into the pan and cover so that the cauliflower steams in the lemon juice.  How much you use depends on your taste; I like things a little more acidic, so I use about a half lemon's worth of juice for one serving of cauliflower.  Steam until the cauliflower is tender enough to pierce with a fork, but not mushy! Then at the very end, add in salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme (these two spices are optional, but just enhances the flavor that much more), and minced garlic to your taste.  I also like to add capers if I have them, but this is definitely optional.  This recipe is fabulous because you can taste the wonderful nutty quality of the cauliflower, but it has a much more pleasant texture than raw cauliflower does! And the lemon juice and spices jazz it up and help really highlight the cauliflower as the star it is.

Well, I hope that some of these super easy ideas motivate you to try and fall in love with cruciferous veggies as much as I have! I'm still working on the Brussels sprouts; I haven't gotten them exactly perfect yet, but I will let you know when I do.  Happy cooking!

Sunday Brunch!

Sunday morning almost always calls for a proper brunch to celebrate the weekend.  I just finished a delicious homemade crepe that was too good to not share! For my fruit filling compote I used strawberries and blackberries, which I just happened to have in my fridge.  I love the crunch of the blackberry seeds in the sauce, plus the seeds are where a lot of the nutrients are! Next time I make this, I will include blueberries for a little extra punch of sweet :) Make the compote first:

-1 1/2 - 2 cups fruit of your choice (can be fresh or thawed from the freezer) go into a saucepan
-add 1/4 cup sugar (and adjust to taste) and 1 teaspoon cornstarch or all-purpose flour
-Turn the stove onto low-medium heat and slowly let the fruits combine and thicken; stir frequently so the sugar does not burn onto the bottom of the pan
-Once thick, remove from the heat and add 1 teaspoon lemon juice
-Let cool slightly (you can make this as a warm or cold crepe; the compote can be made up to a day in advance and cooled in the refrigerator if you want a cold crepe)

Now you can make the crepe:

I used this crepe recipe from one of my favorite recipe websites:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/dessert-crepes/

This is the lightest fluffiest crepe batter I have found, and it worked just beautifully with the fruit! This recipe makes a LOT of batter; I halved the recipe and still had enough to make at least 5 or 6 crepes... so plan accordingly :)

Once you are finished with the crepe, spread some cream cheese onto one half.  You can use however much or little as you like, and you can also use strawberry if you desire.  Spread a little of the fruit compote over the cream cheese, fold the other half of the crepe over, and top off with some of the fruit compote.

What makes this recipe fabulous is how much you can personalize it to exactly what you want! It really was the perfect brunch for me this morning, and I look forward to making it again.  You can also serve this as a dessert; just finish with a little powdered sugar over the top and you have a winning sweet treat!  Happy cooking!

Here's to a classic: Veggie Lasagna! Lasagna can be very tricky to make; under/overcooked noodles, not enough/too much cheese... it doesn't take much for a lasagna to take a turn for the worse! This is an easy recipe with a couple of short-cuts to make sure it turns out perfect every time.  Plus, substituting veggies for the usual beef or sausage makes  it easier on your pocketbook (and your arteries!).

What you will need:

3 cups chopped veggies of your choice (my favorites are red bell pepper, mushrooms, and zucchini)

1/2 chopped onion (red or white; use red if you like a slightly more pungent onion flavor!)

2 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 cup low-fat Ricotta cheese (low-fat makes it healthier and tastes EXACTLY the same as regular)

1 egg

2 cups fresh spinach (I like to remove the stems, but this is optional)

2 cups marinara sauce (Store brand will do, since the veggies should be the star here, not the sauce)

12 uncooked oven-ready whole grain lasagna noodles (Oven-ready is important! Much easier!!)

1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese 

1/4 cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese

What to do:

-Preheat oven to 375 F.

-Roughly chop the veggies (chop the mushrooms slightly larger than other veggies so they won't get mushy)

-Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat until the onions start to sweat

-Add the other veggies and saute until they are tender; set aside

-In a separate bowl, whisk the egg into the Ricotta and stir in the spinach 

-Into a 9x13 pan or glass dish, spoon in a small amount of sauce--enough to cover the bottom

-Top with 4 lasagna noodles (using oven-ready noodles is a great easy alternative to regular noodles!)

-Top noodles with 1/2 Ricotta mixture, 1/2 of the veggies, and about 3/4 cup sauce

-Repeat layers

-Top off with last 4 noodles, remaining sauce, and the Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses

-Bake COVERED at 375 degrees for 40 minutes (covering helps prevent the noodles from drying out)

-Remove cover, and bake an additional 5-10 minutes until the cheese is bubbly

This recipe is fantastically easy and even more delicious! The cheeses provide enough protein to fill you up, and the veggies offer a savory blend of textures that is sure to please everybody.  Serve this with a simple side salad of romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese, and your favorite Italian dressing; and now you have your whole meal! If you are cooking for one or two and don't want to make a whole 9x13, half all of the ingredients except for the Ricotta cheese and spinach and use an 8x8 pan. The spinach cooks down so it doesn't add too much volume, and as far as I'm concerned, the more Ricotta the merrier! 

I hope someone else can pick up this recipe and enjoy making it as much as I have.  Happy cooking!

Any fellow vegetarian knows how hard it can be to find good, easy recipes for everyday meals.  Every time I try to use Google to find vegetarian recipes, it turns up millions of "hits," but 99.9% of them are not exactly what I'm looking for.  They call for crazy ingredients that I have never heard of or unusual spices that cost $18 a bottle.  I live in conservative College Station, Texas--a central Texas town with zero authentic veggie-friendly restaurants.  I once told a fellow grocery shopper that I was a vegetarian and he said, "A what???"  For my vegetarian foods, I am limited to a local HEB grocery store which, albeit better than other chain grocery stores, still caters to the local carnivorous clientele.  I have managed to muddle through many Google searches and have refined my dine-in menu to recipes that call for ingredients I already have in my pantry or I can easily and cheaply obtain from HEB.  I figured a blog would be a good way to share some of these recipes that I have personally tested for deliciousness (of course!) and researched for health benefits.  Some of these recipes are from my own crazy mind, and some are from other sources; no worries, I will always give credit where it is due for this yummy fare! Happy cooking!