ADORABLE Wonton Pizza Cups, Bagel Sandwich, and Roasted Potatoes with a Dip

Heh, yeah, I'm so behind on this blog, so I'm doing really BIG posts.  Whatever works, right?

Ok, so first up these wonton pizza thingies.  Man, they are the cutest thing I have eaten in for-ever.  I seriously mean that!  Ok, so they were a bit of trouble to put together in the pan, but I didn't really have much else to do that night so it was all good.  Plus, they were so full of flavour and different pieces that I didn't mind what work I did put into them.  Another plus was that there were 24 of them, so there were quite a number of leftovers.  They actually do smell like pizza when they bake, too, so that always such a treat.  What really shocked me was how much the tofu did really taste like ricotta cheese- it had just the right texture in this dish.  One thing about these, though, is you can't eat them with your fingers.. boohoo.

Next up, this lovely bagel sandwich.  I think I have it perfected now!  I have been wanting something different for my breakfast for quite some time now, so I decided today was the day!  Plus, I wanted a nice excuse to use my panini press, so this seemed like the perfect chance.  So, this takes about 5 minutes to throw together, and you can do other things while the bagel cooks.  I got my bagels from Einstein's- they're not homemade, but they coud be if I got ambitious.  They're slightly spicy from the fake sausauge, and sweet from the jam.  All for around 350 calories!  Yum...

Finally, these roasted potatoes.  The potatoes themselves are not a total ingenious thing, but, paired with the dip, they are something that I will certainly be making again when I'm in a pinch for time!  They are so simple to through together, and make a nice addition to any meal.  Leftover sauce is really good on baked potatoes, too.

Wonton Pizza Cups

Adapted from Chow Vegan

Makes 24

24 wonton wrappers          1 cup tomato sauce

1 tbsp molasses

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

1/4 cup cheese

2 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced
2-3 small carrots, coined

1 garlic clove, minced

8 oz tofu, pressed

10 basil leaves,

1 tbsp red wine

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375.

Heat a small frying pan, and sauté the mushrooms, carrots, and garlic until tender. Set aside.
Mix together the tomato sauce, molasses, and Italian seasoning in a bowl, and set aside.

Put the tofu, basil, wine, nutmeg, garlic powder, and salt and pepper in a bowl and blend with an immersion blender. Alternatively, put in a food processor or blender and blend. Blend until well mixed but not smooth and creamy- about the consistency of ricotta cheese. Set aside.

Coat 24 muffin tins with nonstick spray (I used a mini muffin tin) and press a wonton into each cup, like a liner. Put a dollop of the tofu mixture in each wonton, then a layer of veggies, and finally the sauce. Sprinkle with cheese, and then bake for about 12 minutes, until heated through and the wontons are slightly browned. Serve.

Bell Pepper and “Sausage” Bagel Sandwich

Adapted from Healthy Happy Life

Serves 1

about ¼ cup red bell pepper strips

1 soy sausage patty

1 bagel, cut in half

1 tbsp apricot sugar free jam, or other jam

Preheat your Panini press, and press the bell pepper and patty for 5 minutes. Spread the lam on both sides of the bagel, and then put the bell peppers and sausage on the bagel. Press the bagel for another 1-2 minutes, until heated through. Serve hot!

Roasted Potatoes with Spicy Dip

Adaptd from Gluten Free Diva

Serves 3-4

2 lbs potatoes, any kind, cut into ½ inch cubes

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup fat free mayo

½ tsp cumin

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 tsp onion powder
¼ tsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375. Mix together the potatoes, olive oil, and salt and pepper in a plastic container or bag, and spread on a baking sheet. Bake for about 35-40 minutes, until tender.
Meanwhile, mix together the remaining ingredients in a small bowl.
Serve cooked potatoes with the dip.

Simple Tofu Veggie Stir Fry and Baked Pasta Shells

I am so sore.  Honestly, I have absolutely nooooo clue why, but here I am, feeling all stiff like I can hardly move without some sort of pain in one of my muscles.  Buuut, I suppose that's what I get for working out so hard.  The really annoying thing is that I have no clue what I did.  It seems like if I am this sore, there should be something that I can point the finger of blame on and say that's what is giving me all this pain.  But oh no, not this time.  All I know is that I did something yesterday morning in bootcamp (the best class ever!) that worked me really hard.  I suppose things aren't so bad because M is really sore too.  Hehe.  She shares my pain!!  But, I don't know about the rest of the world, but I don't really mind being sore all that much, because it means that my muscles are getting a whole lot stronger, a whole lot faster.  And it means I worked really hard, so I can eat more ;).  It feels kind of like a badge of honor, too.

So, here's a quickie tofu stir fry that you can whip up in about 30 minutes, shove sdome rice under, and call it a meal.  Simple, quick, delish!

Also, since I am so behind on blogging, I will post a baked shell recipe too.  This one kept M and I well stocked with left-overs for quite a while.  I was totally in LOVE with this dish, even though it was kind of time consuming to make.  But, honestly, the shells were kind of fun to fill, and the most tedious part was picking out the non-broken shells to fill.  Now I still have about 15 shells in the fridge that were broken, and I have to do something with them.  We'll see...

Simple Tofu Veggie Stir Fry

Adapted from FOOD SNOB

Serves 3

1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp black bean sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp chili garlic sauce
1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp corn starch

1 medium red onion, sliced
1 medium head broccoli, cut into florets
 1 small bell pepper, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
1 1/2 cups fried tofu

Rice to serve

Mix together the soy sauce through corn starch in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat a wok over medium high heat with a bit of water, and add the onion.  Stir fry for 1 minute and then add the broccoli.  After another minute, add the bell pepper, and then one minute later add the green onions.  When the broccoli turns bright green, about 2 minutes later, add in the sauce and tofu.  Mix well, heat
through, and serve over rice.

Stuffed Shells

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Serves 10

1 small onion, chopped

1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1/4 tsp salt
½ cup parsley, chopped

4 medium cloves of garlic, pressed
3 tbsp mirin
3 tbsp red wine
1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3/4 tsp salt
28 oz can crushed tomatoes

14 oz can crushed tomatoes

25-30 jumbo pasta shells, cooked (pick out the non-broken ones)

Heat a frying pan over medium heat, and sauté the broccoli and onion for 8 minutes, until the onion is tender. Remove from heat and mix with the ricotta, salt, and parsley. Set aside.
Heat the frying pan again, coated with nonstick spray, and sauté the garlic for a minute or so, until it starts to brown. Remove from heat and mix with the mirin through crushed tomatoes. Set aside.
 Preheat the oven to 350. Coat a casserole dish with nonstick spray and fill enough pasta shells with the broccoli mixture to fill the dish in a single layer. Place the shells, opening up, in the dish side by side. If you have leftover filling, go ahead and fill more shells and use another baking sheet. Pour the tomato mixture over the shells so that they are mostly covered. Cover you dish(es) with foil, and bake for 45 minutes, uncovering for the last 10 minutes. Serve.

Spicy Baked Tofu Squares with Sesame Seeds and Green Onions

Wow, I think I totally managed a really long, complicated, and gourmet-sounding title for a recipe this time.  Hmm, what do you think?  Sometimes I really wonder how people come up with really long and complex titles for their recipes, which makes their food sound so fancy.  Then I really READ the title, and it's basically just a list of ingredients.  Sooooo... not so fancy anymore, eh?  But look at me, I'm doing it too.  So it must be a good idea, if I'm doing it, right?  Uh huh, if everone jumps off a cliff you follow too.  The rule of life.  So anyway, the irony is that this dish is really rather simple to make, and even easier to eat.  It looks so pretty too- I would certainly serve this one to company with a side of veggies for a nice bit of healthy, spicy protein.  There's really not much more to say today.  But I will add that the tofu woud prbably taste good grillled too.  I just made this before I bought my DEAR panini press, so I used the ol' oven, which workedjust as well. 

Spicy Baked Tofu Squares with Sesame Seeds and Green Onions

Serves about 8

Adapted from Karma Free Cooking

19 oz brick tofu, cut into ½ inch pieces and pressed for 20 minutes

1 green onion, thinly chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs soy sauce

1 tbsp mirin

1 tbs toasted sesame seeds (mix of black and white)

A pinch of red pepper flakes

Preheat the oven to 350. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray, and lay out the tofu on it in a single layer.

Combine the garlic, soy sauce, mirin, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Pour over the tofu, and then sprinkle the tofu with the green onion and sesame seeds. Bake for 30 minutes, until the tofu is firm and heated through.

Yummy Crunchy Tacos

So all in all I would say that I had a very satisfactory 16th birthday.  Nothing really all that exciting went on, but things went alright.  I had a really hard workout in the morning, as per usual, and then wasted time for a couple hours.  No doctors apointment on this birthday... that happened last year.  I did go the day before, though... Anyway, in the morning M and I made a trip down to the Acemart, which is a supply store for restaurants and places of that nature.  It was rather interesting, and I saw an immersion blender the size of a leaf-blower... that was odd, I thought.  But, hey, I guess people really do need elephantine immersion blenders.  Sure... I also saw one of those really cool neon yellow mustard containers, which I thought was the funniest thing in the whole store.  Aside from that soy sauce container... All in all, it was pretty interesting to see restaurant supplies in a store.  You never really think about where those things come from, but they have to come from somewhere!  Oh yeah, you know those booths that you sometimes sit at in restaurants?  Well, I saw one of those for sale too.  M said that, since we need a kitchen table, we could just get one of those.  Now wouldn't that be odd.  I would really, really like that.  It would totally be the talk of the neighborhood...  After lunch, I wanted to volunteer at the food pantry with D, but there was literally nothing to do, so I got D to take me to Whole Foods.  I always looooove to look in those fancy-pants grocery stores and see all the different varieties of foods.  Just can't get enough of them!  And then I made a fabulous stir fry for dinner, which I will post later.  D got me one of those onion savers, and he is still looking for a bell pepper saver, because I told him that's what I really wanted.  M is going to get me a panini press, maybe from William Sonoma.  Wouldn't that be exciting?

On a very different note- these tacos.  I have been craving this sort of thing for a long time now, and my cravings are gone thanks to these crunchy, protein-packed tacos.  They're full of flavour, thanks to one of those lovely taco seasoning packet, and super easy to make.  You could get really creative with the toppings, but here I just went with cheese, cabbage, and Laughing Cow cream cheese, which was good enough for me.

Lovely Tacos

Serves 6-ish

Adapted from Melomeals

1 medium-small onion, finely chopped

1 ½ cups TVP

1 packet taco seasoning

14.5 oz can tomato sauce
Water, as needed
Hard taco shells

Toppings like cheese and lettuce

Heat a pot over medium heat, and sauté the onion for 8 minutes, until tender. Add the TVP, taco seasoning, and tomato sauce. Stir well, and then add about ¼ cup water. Keep adding water as needed, stirring occasionally, until the TVP won’t soak up anymore. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until ready to serve. Spoon onto taco shells (you can warm these in the oven for a couple minutes if you would like), and add your toppings.

Gourmet Grilled Cheese (It Comes With Veggies!)

Yeah, I know.  It's not the healthiest thing in the world.  And grilled cheese.  Come on Basil, really?  Yes- I would sink so low as to make a grilled cheese sandwich and post about it.  But... this is much MORE than your average grilled cheese sandwich.  It's got... veggies in it!  Yeah- some onion and bell pepper.  So that makes it unique.  Perhaps I am not original.  In fact, I know this is not original, beause I got the idea from Happy Healthy Life.  But whatever.  I have been craving a grilled cheese for quite some time, so this was something that was a compromise between unhealthy and healthy.  As we all know, grilled cheeses are not all that good for a person.  There's the bread first of all, which is not your most heathly food in the intire world.  I  think, though, I have minimized that because I used thin slices of homemade, whole wheat, fat free bread in this sandwich.  Secondly, I used low fat cheese, so that got rid of some fat there.  Finally, I know that 99% of those grilled cheeses out there on various recipe sites slather the outside of the bread with butter or oil, or something along those lines.  I decided to totally omit that part, and let the bread do its stuff as far as browning goes.  Plus, the addition of veggies made me feel much less guilty about eating this sandwich; moreover, (haha, I feel so sophisticated.. I used a semicolon) they added an extra boost of flavour and interest.  So, yes.  I was very satisfied with this little indulgence, and it went very nicely with a tomato-based soup for a rather... perked up traditional dinner, if I do say so myself.  Another major added bonus was that this was so quick to make.  I had come home from a summer cap totally exhausted, as usual (more on this in a later post), and this took very little effort to throw together. 

Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Adapted from Happy Healthy Life

Serves 1

1 slice low fat cheese
A few slices of onion and red bell pepper

2 slices whole wheat bread

Heat a small frying pan over medium heat with a bit of nonstick spray. Sauté the onion and bell pepper without water, stirring almost constantly, until they start to burn/brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven broiler. Lay the slice of cheese on one slice of bread, then top with the veggies when they are done. Cover with the other slice of bread, and bake in the oven for about 3 minutes each side, or until each side begins to brown. Eat hot, with some tomato-based soup and a big salad!

Honey "Chicken" Stir Fry

I haven't really made an official stir fry in such a long time, and I figured that last Friday was the perfect night to make the stir fry that had been waiting on my list for so long.  By the way- the list of recipes that I want to cook is probably about 3 weeks worth of food.  I am never going to catch up, even if I eat five thousand calories a day... sigh.  Anyway, so I went with this quickie dish that night, and it surpassed my expectations by quite a bit.  There was that lovely hint of honey (alliteration!), along with the usual soy sauce.  I wouldn't say that the flavour was very complex or involved by any means- in fact, it was a rather simple recipe as far as stir frys go.  But there was certainly enough flavour to make it taste really really really good.  And I mean really good.  I still hold my firm belief that corn starch is one of the most amazing substances that I have ever used in the kitchen, because of the amount of intensity it can add to a dish.  Amazing stuff!  You should try it some time...

All in all, I would certainly make this dish again (if I every get a chance to make something again), and I was very satisfied with this filling and colourful stir fry.

Honey "Chicken" Stir Fry

Adapted from Tigers and Strawberries

Serves 2

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp soy sauce plus extra

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp corn starch

2 large carrots, cut on the diagonal

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

1 medium head broccoli, cut into florets

1 small red bell pepper, chopped

1/3 lb snap peas, trimmed

4 green onions, chopped

2 cups vegetarian chicken

1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

Cooked rice, to serve

Mix together the honey though corn starch in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Heat a wok coated with nonstick spray over medium high heat.  Add a bit of water with the carrots.  After a minute add the broccoli, garlic, and ginger, and stir fry for another 2 minutes.  Add the bell pepper and snap peas, and stir fry for another 2 minutes.  Add in the remaining ingredients except rice and heat through for another minute or so.  Serve over cooked rice with extra soy sauce.

Mexican Tomato Rice

So, here’s a very simple, very hands-off sort of recipe that will satisfy carb cravings, and will still provide at least a serving of veggies, if not more. Sound good? Yeah, that’s what I thought. I think I have totally fallen in love with those taco seasoning packets. They are so useful, and have just the right mix of spices to give whatever dish a burst of great flavour. Taco-y flavour, too. Who doesn’t love that lovely taco-y flavour, with its good taco-y-ness? Come on, don’t tell me that you don’t like it…

If you even care what my favourite brand is for taco seasonings, it would certainly have to be the Taco Bell. Yeah, I know it’s kind of weird to be using a restaurant brand. Buuut… it’s sooooo much cheaper than all the other brands that I see next to it on the shelf. And I am perfectly happy with it, and see no need to switch. But really, I’m just cheap. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It just implies that I will be very successful later in life because I am cheap. Yeah. Whatever.

So back to the food. Like I said, there is quite a heap of flavour in this little rice dish. And I know it is very watery to begin with. Trust me, it will get less soggy, especially the leftovers. The tomatoes give it such a nice rich, robust flavour, and really do lend a nice red hue. I love the olives. Like, really love the olives. Probably because they are really high in fat, but what the bananas. They taste flippin’ good, and add that nice little burst of flavour every now and then. Which is totally down with me. Also, the rice seemed to be a little spicy, but I have no clue why. There weren’t really any spicy ingredients, soooooooo… Hm. A mystery? Oh, I love mysteries! Food mysteries… Yeah. Anyway, here’s the recipe, in all its glory.

Mexican Tomato Taco Rice

Adapted from I Eat Food

Serves 6

1 small-medium onion, finely chopped
1 small red bell pepper, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, pressed
2 scant cups brown rice
14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes
1 ½ tbsp tomato paste
1 cup water
1 taco seasoning packet
A splash red wine vinegar
2 tbsp chopped parsley

½ cup thickly sliced black olives

Heat a large pot over medium high heat. Add a bit of water, and then the onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes or so, until the onions are turning translucent. Add in the rice through vinegar, reduce to low heat, and simmer for 35 minutes. Stir in the olives and parsley, and simmer for another 15 minutes, until the rice is tender. Serve hot.
As leftovers, this will become dryer.

Curried Carrot and Tofu Salad

Curried Carrot and Tofu Salad

Adapted from Happy Healthy Life

Serves 6

about 1 lb carrots cut into 1 inch matchsticks
1/4 cup roasted pepitas
1/3 cup peanut sauce
1 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp molasses
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp garlic powder

8 oz tofu, pressed and then cubed
¼ tsp dried ginger
¼ cup molasses

Mix together the ginger and molasses, and then marinade the tofu in it for at least 25 minutes. Set aside.

Meanwhile, mix together the peanut sauce through garlic powder in a large-ish bowl, and then add the carrots, pepitas, and tofu with the marinade. Chill until ready to serve.

Broccoli Almond Stir Fry

Broccoli and Almond Stir Fry

Adapted from Cheap Healthy Good

Serves 3-4

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tsp corn starch
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 head broccoli, cut into florets

2 tablespoons slivered almonds

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 teaspoon ginger, grated

Mix together the coriander through oil, and set aside.

Heat a wok over medium high heat with a bit of water. Add the broccoli, garlic, and ginger, and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the sauce, and heat through. Serve, topped with almonds.

Tomatoy Black Bean Soup

I am really big on tomato sauce in soups- it gives them such a nice consistancy.  So thick and creamy... exactly what I want my soup to be.  The one thing I find really ironic is that it's almost 90 degrees here.  Why do I keep making thick, piping hot soups?.. Because I like them, I guess... What will I do when it gets above 100?  I honestly don't know.  I guess that remains to be seen. 

One more thing to say- I am so sick of studying.  My AP exams are just 2 and 3 weeks away, and I am wading through almost 500 pages of text about history.  Which is why I have been neglecting this blog recently... obviously, I AM trying my best, but school comes first.

Tomatoy Black Bean Soup

Adapted from Fat Free Vegan

Serves 8

1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted

1 cup dried black beans, soaked

3-4 yukon gold potatoes, cubed
4-5 cups water plus vegetarian chicken bullion
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
½ teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1 tbsp oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
28 oz can tomato sauce
4 cups vegetarian mutton (opt)
2 tbsp corn starch mixed with 3 tbsp water
Grated cheese, to serve (opt)

Heat a Dutch oven over medium high heat, and add a bit of water with the onion. After 2 minutes of sautéing, add in the garlic. After that is mixed in, add in the bell pepper. Sauté until tender, about 6 minutes. Add in through the tomato sauce, reduce heat, and cook, covered, for 45 minutes, until the beans are tender. Add the corn starch and mutton, if using, and heat through. Serve, topped with cheese, if desired.

Rice, Broccoli, Peas, and "Chicken" Casserole with Cheese

I'm 99% sure that this recipe would fit under the catagory of "make again as often as possible".  It was amazing.  Like, really, really amazing and fabulous and all the things you want every dish to be but never really happens.  This has got to be total comfort food- the blended tofu lends a rich creamyness, and the rice is a very healthy source of carbs.  The peas add nice little bursts of flavour, while the cheese is rich and bursting with... cheeseyness.  Not to mention the flavour of the chicken and the broccoli's texture.  I think it's obvious why I love this dish.  Seriously.  Actually, I want more... but M and I have already eaten all the leftovers.  I guess that means... I will be making this delicious casserole again soon.

Rice, Cheese, Broccoli, “Chicken”, and Peas Casserole

Adapted from Kalyn’s Kitchen

Serves 8

1 small onion, diced

1 large head broccoli, cut into florets

1 cup frozen sweet peas

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

1 cup brown rice, cooked with 1 ½ cups water

1 1/2 - 2 cups diced vegetarian chicken
14 oz tofu, pressed
1 ½ tbsp thyme
1/2 tbsp vegetarian chicken bullion
1 tbsp miso paste
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated low fat jack cheese
1 cup low fat cheddar cheese
Preheat the oven to 375.

Heat a frying pan over medium high heat, and add the onion with a bit of water. Sauté for 2 minutes, and then add the broccoli. Continue to sauté for 5 more minutes, until almost tender, and then add the peas and 1 tbsp Italian seasoning. Cook until heated through. Put in a casserole dish, along with the rice and chicken.

Meanwhile, blend the tofu with an immersion blender or something similar until smooth. Add the thyme, bullion, and miso, and blend well. Stir into the rice and veggies with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, remove, and then top with the two cheeses. Bake for 10 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Serve hot, hot, hot!

Fancy Bean Burgers

I have not made bean burgers in quite some time, and these caught my eye.  What a great use for beans that does not include soup or hummus... burgers!  I am not such a big fan of bread, so I just omitted the bun part of the recipe.  I suppose these would be good inside a bun too, but I can't say for sure.  All I am certain of is that these little things pack a lot of flavour, what with the multiple spices.  I do, however, highly recommend using the mayo/dijon mustard, because without something like that, these are rather dry and stick in your throat.  Don't shy away from the bacon either, because it just adds that much more!  I have alslo tried these with greek yogurt, and that has been good as well.

Cannellini Burgers


Adapted from Happy Healthy Life

Makes 6

2 cups cooked cannellini beans
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2-3 tbsp water
½ tsp chipotle powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
6 slices vegetarian bacon, warm
Fat free mayo
Dijon mustard

Preheat the oven to 400.

Mash the beans- I used my immersion blender which worked pretty well. Add through the liquid smoke, and mix well. Shape into patties and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until they start to brown. To serve, spread the bean burgers with mayo and mustard, and top with a piece of bacon.

Quesadilla-Like-Thing

Here's a dish that is quite different, and takes almost no time at all to put together.  Not to mention that it's pretty cheap to make too, and can make just one serving.  Sound good?  I like this dish because I don't eat this sort of thing a lot.  A scrambled egg on top of a tortilla shell.  Smeared with tangy lemon greek yogurt, and topped with flavour packed capers or sun dried tomatoes.  And a few onions added for additional bulk.  Add a few chopped fresh herbs, and there you have it- something that you have never tasted the likes of before.  Somehow, I know that there are a lot of variaiton that can be made from this dish, I just have to find them...

Quesadillas
Serves 1-2

Adapted from 101 Vegetarian Cookbooks

Juice of one small lemon
Large spoonful fat free Greek Yogurt
Salt and pepper
¼ cup finely chopped onion
1 egg, beaten
1 tortilla, room temperature

Grated cheese

Chopped fresh herbs like parsley

1 generous tbsp capers or sun dried tomatoes

Mix together the lemon juice, yogurt, and salt and pepper, and set aside.

Heat a small frying pan over medium high heat, and either sauté the onion with a bit of water or oil for 7 minutes or so, until tender.

Reheat the small frying pan over medium heat- egg heat. Spray generously with nonstick spray or add a dab of oil, and then pour in the egg. Swirl the egg to coat the bottom of the pan, and let sit for 30 seconds. Put the tortilla on top of the still-runny egg so they stick together, and let sit until the egg is cooked, about another minute. Flip the quesadilla over, and top with onion, cheese, and herbs. Let sit for 30 more seconds, and then remove to a plate. Spread the yogurt and capers/sun dried tomatoes on top.

Soup!! Again. (But it's WHITE this time...)

 More soup, I know.  But they're all different, right?  Sure, whatever.  But, no, really, this one is different because it has milk it it.  Yay milk!  Other than that, this is your pretty standard afair of delicious creaminess with chunks of veggies and potatoes and fake meat.  Just the thing to make you smile.

Potato Vegetable Soup


Adapted from Taste of Home

Serves 6-8

1 lg onion, chopped
1 cup coined carrots

½ small cabbage, shredded

3-4 lg Yukon gold potatoes

1 ½ tsp caraway seeds

1 tbsp Spike seasoning
A few dashes ground coriander
3-4 cups water
1 tbsp vegetarian beef bullion
2 cups almond milk
3 cups vegetarian ham, cubed
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp corn starch mixed with 2 tbsp water
1 ½ cups peas
Cheese, to top

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat with a bit of water. Add the onion and carrots, and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the cabbage, and sauté for 3 more minutes. Add the potatoes through almond milk, and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Add in the remaining ingredients except cheese, and heat through for 5 more minutes. Serve topped with cheese.

Uber Healthy Refried Beans

I have always wanted to make refried beans.  But whenever I went hunting for a recipe, they always looked so unhealthy for one reason or another, and not very vegetarian friendly.  But this is different- no oil, no fat, no unhealthy thingys.  So it's all good- better than any other recipe that you will have tasted.  And it's so easy too, not to mention the mild satisfaction that you get when using the immersion blender to grind the beans to a pulp.  What I think I love best, though, about the immersion blender is the lovely squelching noise it makes when you blend something...

Refried Beans

Serves 6

Adapted from I Eat Food

1/2 large onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, pressed
1 cup dried pinto beans, cooked
1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp vegetarian chicken bullion
1/2 tbsp chili powder
A few shakes chipotle powder
1 tbsp molasses
2 tsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large pot over medium high heat with a bit of water, and add the onion and garlic. Sauté until tender, about 10 minutes, and then add in the remaining ingredients. Remove from heat, and blend the beans with an immersion blender until only a few whole ones remain. Return to heat, and heat through. Serve