Week One

Week One and we are still loving our vegetarian lifestyle! I thought I would miss meat. Like, a lot. But I haven't! I do have energy and feel less bloated and full all the time. There are so many options to explore! The Quinoa salad I made earlier in the week was my first attempt at cooking with the grain, and had immense success. It was easy and fun, and the best thing is you can never exhaust your possibilities with quinoa. Vegetarianism adds so much to my life in terms of variety and flavor! I can't believe we were eating the same old stuff day after day, and settling for less than is out there! Last night was our first time to eat out. We went to Macaroni Grill and were both able to eat a filling and successful meal without meat. I had eggplant parmasan and Dustin had eggplant Quadratini. Both were so delicious, I didn't even eat the meat!

Campaign of the week: STOP TYSON animal abuse! IF you haven't already signed this petition, do so. Help the Animals !! 

Baked Avocado Fries??!

OK, I have to admit... I've been wanting to try this for a long time. Even before my adventures into the vegetarian world, but I was 1. skeptical and 2. lazy. This take a lot of work! But my conclusions have been that.... it's worth it! They were SO. DELICIOUS. I did not add the extra salt and olive oil spray, and my fries were perfect. I used ranch for dipping :)

I got the original recipe Here at Bethcooks.  I know there are many versions of these fries, but I can only attest to this one. 

BAKED AVOCADO FRIES

1/4 cup flour
1 tsp kosher salt
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
2 firm-ripe medium avocados, pitted, peeled, and sliced into 1/2-in. wedges

Grated parmesan for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 450.

Coat avocado slices in the four, then egg, then panko. Spread on a cooling rack that has been sprayed with non-stick spray, then place on a cookie sheet.  Spray the top of the wedges with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, then bake for about 20 minutes at 450, or until they are golden brown (I turned my oven up to 500 for the last 5 minutes).

Southwestern Quinoa Salad

This was delicious! On a scale of 1-10... 1 being that I would never make it again, and 10 being I would eat it every day.... I'd give it a 6.5

I got the original recipe Here at Kalyn's Kitchen. It was so easy and can be altered to any special diet.

Southwestern Quinoa Salad with Black Beans, Red Bell Pepper, and Cilantro
(Makes 4-6 servings; recipe adapted fromSanta Fe Quinoa Salad at Food and Wine.)

Salad Ingredients: 
3/4 cup quinoa (rinsed if needed, check the package)
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt
1 red bell pepper, chopped into small dice
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Dressing Ingredients:
2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice
1 tsp. Spike Seasoning (optional but highly recommended)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground Ancho chile pepper (or use regular chile powder if you don't have Ancho)
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:

Check the quinoa package to see if it needs to be rinsed (it often does) and rinse in a fine-mesh strainer if needed.  Combine quinoa, water, and salt and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed.  Fluff quinoa with a fork and let it cool while you prep other ingredients.

Drain the beans into a colander placed in the sink and rinse well with cold water, until no more foam appears.  Let beans drain until they are quite dry (or pat dry with paper towels if you want to speed it up.)

Cut out the stem and remove seeds from the red bell pepper and cut into very small dice (about the size of the black beans.)  Slice the green onions into thin slices and wash, dry, and chop the cilantro.

When the quinoa is fairly cool, combine quinoa, black beans, diced red bell pepper, and sliced green onion in a bowl.  Add enough dressing to moisten all the ingredients.  (You probably won't need all the dressing, but save the extra to stir into any leftover salad that's been in the fridge.)  Gently stir in the chopped cilantro and serve.

This keeps very well in the fridge for several days.  The salad absorbs the dressing when it's refrigerated, so it's best with a little more dressing stirred in when you're eating the leftover salad.

Zucchini Patty Sandwiches

I got this day's recipe from Whole Living. Overall I have to say it was a success, because I did eat it, and it was my first vegetarian attempt. As with anything there are a few things I would change.... My whole wheat pitas from Fresh Market were too thin (I think that's why they cracked).

• 
  

• Ingredients

• 1 15.5-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup plain breadcrumbs (I used Panko) 
• 1 zucchini, grated
• 1 small red onion, grated
• 1 egg, lightly whisked
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 whole-wheat pitas, toasted
• 1 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
• 8 leaves tender lettuce
• 1 cup fresh mint leaves

Directions

1.Mash chickpeas in a bowl until smooth. I used a food processor, and that worked great

2. Stir in breadcrumbs, zucchini, onion, egg, and salt.

3. Form into eight 4-by-1/2-inch patties. (Mine were a little raw in the middle, I say the thinner the better)

4. Saute patties in oil until golden and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

5. Halve pitas and stuff with patties, yogurt, lettuce, and mint.

It's Happening

The Denzin household went vegetarian! My husband was a vegetarian for years before we met.Honestly, the reason I've never gone vegetarian is because I didn't think I could survive without meat. I've always had a conviction about the unjust treatment of animals, and the quality of the meat I'm purchasing. Many chickens are fed so many antibiotics and hormones so they're breasts will grow big enough for us to enjoy that they cannot walk. 

Ever. 
They never see sunlight. 
They're beaks are clipped as soon as they're born so they don't create violence with other chickens in the coop because their living quarters are so cramped.

How can I support this? Just because I want to eat a big, juicy chicken breast at dinner? How selfish. A life is a life and I cannot give support to other living creatures being treated like this. So, here we go! Our adventures of being vegetarian begin today.