Veggie Minestrone Recipe

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 
3/4 cup chopped onion 
3 cups water 
2 cups diced zucchini 
1 cup diced carrot, peeled
 1 cup canned cannellini beans 
3/4 cup diced celery
 1 teaspoon dried basil or 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil 
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/8 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper 
28 fluid ounces canned plum tomatoes, dice and include liquid
 2 garlic cloves, minced 
1/4 cup uncooked ditalini or 1/4 cup elbow macaroni




 Directions: 1 Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. 2 Add chopped onion and sauté for 4 minutes or until just lightly browned. 3 Add water, zucchini, carrots, canellini beans, celery, basil, oregano salt, pepper, canned tomatoes and garlic. 4 Bring to boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer on medium-low heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. 5 Add macaroni, cover and cook an additional 10 minutes. 6 Adjust spices to suit your taste. 7 Serve hot.


***This was excellent!  We actually ate it all before I remembered to take pics! LOL  Served with warm french bread from the bakery!

Snobby Joes (from Veganomicon)

After many food discussions with my good friend Hollee, she introduced me to this recipe.  Her husband and my husband are both meat free for health reasons.  This was one recipe she promised would go over well :)  And she was right!  I have always said "ew" to Sloppy Joe recipes...you know, the normal kind with a pound of fat laden ground beef and a can of "seasoned sauce".  Yeah-ew!

This recipe, in my opinion, was not even comparable!!  It was a great, homemade low-fat vegan dish that now has a place in my recipe card recipebook! :)  It was super easy, and took about 30 minutes to prep/cook.  Served with typical bbq type sides, and you have an easy summer meal.  We had corn, pickle spears, cherry tomatoes, and (organic, baked) tater tots!




Snobby Joes Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked green lentils
4 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
1 green pepper, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon salt
8 oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon yellow mustard


4-6 whole wheat buns for serving
Condiments for topping (mustard, relish, KETCHUP!, etc)


Directions:

Put the lentils in a small sauce pot and pour in 4 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until lentils are soft. Drain and set aside.

About 10 minutes before the lentils are done boiling, preheat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Saute the onion and pepper in the oil for about 7 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and saute a minute more.  Add the cooked lentils, the chili powder, oregano and salt and mix. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook for about 10 minutes.

Add the maple syrup and mustard and heat through.Turn the heat off and let sit for about 10 minutes, so that the flavors can meld. 

This recipe can also be frozen/microwaved, and from what I have heard, gets better each day!  Like I said, definitely a keeper!  I spooned the snobby joe mix on my bun, then topped with a thick layer of organic ketchup.  This gave it a tad more sweetness, and a lot of extra flavor!  

Plant Strong Pitas

Ingredients:
-3 Ezekiel brand pitas
-Cannellini bean spread (process 1 can of NSA beans, garlic powder, celtic sea salt, lemon          juice, sprinkle of cayenne pepper, and a few splashes of veggie broth to thin!)
-Sauteed red bellpepper/onion/mushroom
-Chopped baby spinach, green onions, and cilantro

Preheat oven to 375*.  Lightly toast pita bread and remove from oven.  Keep oven on! Spread hummus, or any other homemade bean spread over pitas.  Be generous!

Top with cooked veggies, and place pitas back in oven to heat the beans/veggies.  When warmed, top with greens!  Fold pita over and enjoy :)  This would also be great with guacamole and freshly chopped tomato!

Meal Plan: May 13-May 20

SUNDAY
-Lunch:  mini English Muffin Pizzas; kale salad; berries
-Dinner:  Miso Soup, roasted veggies, sliced apples/pears, WF bread

MONDAY
-Lunch:  Buffalo Mock Chicken; WW crackers, berries
-Dinner:  crock pot Pinto beans, Mexican rice, Guacamole Salad

TUESDAY
-Lunch:  Plant Strong Veggie Wrap, California quinoa salad, banana
-Dinner:  Mandarin Chicken and brown rice(Gardein), steamed broccoli, edamame

WEDNESDAY
-Lunch:  LO Mandarin Chicken, Brown Rice, Broccoli, Edamame
-Dinner:  Veggie Burger on WW bun, roasted potato wedges

THURSDAY
-Lunch:  Riblet, Sweet Potato, Carrot/Apple Salad
-Dinner:  Red Beans and Rice, Veggies and Fruit

FRIDAY
-Lunch:  LO Red Beans and Rice
-Dinner:  Garden Veggie Lasagna, salad

SATURDAY
-Lunch:  Gardein Chicken Strips, Nutritional Yeast Mac N Cheese, Sweet Potato
-Dinner:  LO Lasagna and Salad

SUNDAY
-Lunch:  Veggie Minestrone Soup, bakery bread
-Dinner:  Veggie Pizza, Salad

Easy Lunch Idea: Mini Veggie Pizzas

Ingredients:

Ezekial brand English Muffins, cut in half
1 can of fat free (or  low fat) pizza sauce
VEGGIES :)
Nutritional Yeast

If muffins are frozen, defrost in microwave until they are thawed.  Add a layer of sauce, and then let your taste buds do the rest.  If your kids are like mine, they are more likely to eat foods if THEY help make it!  So-have the kiddos top their pizza with topping of their choice.  Top the pizzas with nutritional yeast to get your B12 in :)

Bake for 15-20 minutes until veggies are hot and slightly cooked.
These were a great Plan B lunch.  Paired with a big kale salad and fruit, it left me very full and I got my veggies in!

Yay for no cooking!
Happy Mother's Day :)

Kids=corn and mushroom
Ours=Mushroom, red bellpepper, baby spinach
All topped with nutritional yeast!

My Lunch :)  

Engine 2 Veggie Paninis

WARNING!  Blurry picture alert! LOL

Was in the mood for a sandwich, and this hit the spot!  It was different, but very filling and yummy!  We don't have a panini maker, but a griddle pan and 10 lb weight do the trick :)

Ingredients:

2T homemade hummus (recipe coming soon!)

2 pieces whole wheat bread (the denser, the better!)

1/4c baby spinach

1/4c sauteed mushrooms (used no oil)

diced avocado

thin strips of red bellpepper

green onions 

small handful of cilantro

fresh lime juice, squeezed over greens

On stovetop, heat a panini griddle pan.  Spread hummus on one slice of whole wheat bread.  Layer remaining ingredients and top with other slice of bread.  Place a dinner plate on top of the sandwich, and use the handweight to press the sandwich. Your sandwich will be thick, but the hand weight will help press it evenly!  

Heat sandwich until grill marks show up and the bread is toasted to a nice, brown color.  Flip sandwich and heat on grill pan.

I thought this was a great addition to our mealplan (the kids would not agree...*sigh*)  Took a couple minutes to whip up the hummus, but took no time to assemble the sandwich!  We will be making this again...excited to try some different variations.  

Meal Plan: April 16-22

Monday:
Lunch:  Mock Chikn Salad (Whole Foods deli) with crackers and romaine, fruit salad
Dinner:  Whole Wheat Alphabet Veggie Soup, Side Salad, Roasted Asparagus
Tuesday:

Lunch:  LO Alphabet Soup, crackers, berries

Dinner: Herbed White Beans over Rice, Sweet Potatoes, Roasted Veggies
Wednesday:

Lunch:  LO White Beans and Rice

Dinner:  Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles, Salad with Ginger Dressing
Thursday:

Lunch:  Veggie Fajitas with WW Tortilla, Guacamole, Mexican Rice

Dinner: Chicken Parmesan, salad, corn
Friday:

Lunch:  Pasta Salad with veggies and seeds, organic fruit strip

Dinner: Boca Burgers with Potato Salad and Baked Beans
Saturday:

Lunch:  ???

Dinner:  ???

Sunday:

Lunch: Veggie Lasagna, Salad

Dinner: PB/J or Cereal :)

Recipe: Curried Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:

3T Earth Balance Spread

2 Granny Smith Apples (peeled, cored, and chopped)

1 onion (chopped)

2 c Pumpkin Puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling-just the canned pumpkin)

1T curry powder

1T brown sugar

3 c vegetable stock

1/2 c white wine (i used cooking wine)

1.5 c almond milk (I used coconut milk)

S/P to taste

2T toasted pumpkin seeds, for garnish

*NOTE* The original recipe also calls for 1/4 evaporated cane sugar-I found the soup WAAAY too sweet this time.  Flavor was great, but it was super sweet.  I couldn't eat another serving.  I will not use sugar in it all all next time!!!

Directions:

-Melt butter over medium heat.  Add apple and onion.  Cook until soft (About 8 minutes)  Add pumpkin puree, curry, and sugar.  Cook 2 minutes.

-Add stock and wine.  Increase heat and bring to boil.  Reduce to low, partially cover, and simmer 20 minutes.  

-Remove from heat, transfer half of soup to blender/food processor.  Pour in bowl, and blend remaining soup.  Bring back to pot when all soup is blended.  Add milk and heat.  

*Instead of burning my hand off trying to remove soup and use the food processor, I just used my immersion blender!  This will save time and pain! LOL

-Pour into serving bowls and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds (pepitas).  Was great served with French bread!

Recipe: Mock Tuna Salad

Warning!  New Favorite Lunch Alert!  This is AH-MAZ-ING! 

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

1/4 c vegan mayonnaise (I used Veganaise)

3 baby kosher dill pickles (chopped)

1/32 c baby carrots, finely diced

S&P to taste, Sprinkle of Tony's cajun seasoning

Coarsely mash one can of chickpeas in a bowl.  Dice carrots and pickles, and add to bowl.  Spoon in mayo and stir together!  Enjoy with crackers, on a bed of baby spinach, or on a sandwich!  Wonderful stuff :)  

*I may try to add some finely diced celery next time...maybe some apple (I like both in tuna salad...)  It is a very close substitute for tuna.  Similar in taste and texture, but not fishy (obviously! LOL)  We will be making this often!