Tomato Mozzarella Toast

This morning I woke up at 11:30. Oops. But probably pretty great since we'll be out late tonight celebrating a friends birthday. That being said, I woke up wanting lunch, not breakfast. I was torn. What would I do without my morning Kashi Cinnamon Harvest?? But, I also knew that if I ate cereal, that would be it until tonight. so, I forewent the cereal and made a toast-like variant. My original idea came from here, but I realized I did not have onions of any kind in the house ( oops!). So.... I made my own version

Tomato Mozzarella Toast

2 pieces Ezekiel bread
Shredded or sliced half skim mozzarella cheese
Cavender's spice (to taste)
Sliced tomato
Mayo

I put everything on the toast and put it in the oven to broil for maybe 10-15 minutes. I found the solution to my "to breakfast, or to lunch?" question by cleverly answering : "both!"


Life is good, friends.

Progress....

Sorry I haven't been able to post over the holidays. Dustin and I did enjoy a vegetarian friendly vacation. Our first of many, I hope. In fact, our new years resolutions include to stay vegetarian- and to get better at it.

As I continue to adventure into vegetarianism, I continue to find more reasons why I do not want to eat meat. Surprisingly, i'm not disgusted when others eat it. I find it to be a personal decision - a stand that I personally can take, but not everyone can.  I love animals. I want them to live happy lives and not at the expense of my taste buds. However, if the animals are treated justly, and raised fairly to be used for meat - I truly don't have a problem with it.

Not only has my delve into vegetarianism helped me control my meat addiction - but it has made me look at all foods and ask "is this really food??" And that's everything... from a McDonald's burger, to margarine, to processed cheetos. The Earth gives us SO MUCH to choose from. During this day and age, we have access to all of the world's finest offerings. We aren't confined to the benefits of our own reaping, or even the reaping of our neighbors. I can get quinoa! I can get avocados!  I can even have Tea from the finest leaves in the world. Why would I waste this opportunity? And feed myself with meat filled with an assortment of antibiotics and hormones? Or other things that can't nourish me the way God given food can.

Feed yourself- with real food. Not products that pose as food. Not to lose weight or because it's the newest, coolest thing to do. But because it is what your body deserves. That's my new years resolution!

Slow Cooker Stuffed Bell Peppers

I have never eaten stuffed peppers. Ever. But I thought I would try some because well.... they're pretty popular and who isn't stoked about a meal that cooks itself? This recipe was ok - several things I didn't like about it.

First of all, one of my peppers fell over in the crock pot because I only made three, and there was extra room.

Secondly, it was a little flavor-less without spices. I would add some garlic and onion to the rice (I used quinoa) to give it a kick.

Other than that, the peppers were tender and edible. I liked it overall.

The original recipe was: here

Vegetarian Stuffed Bell Peppers

6 bell peppers (your choice of colors)

1/2 cup prepared or premade pasta sauce

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (8-ounce ) can corn (there's a picture of a 16-ounce can; I only used half)

1 small onion, diced

2 cups cooked long grain rice

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 

1/3 cup water

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Cut the tops off of the peppers and remove the seeds and membranes from the inside of each. In a mixing bowl, combine the pasta sauce, beans, corn, onion, rice, spices, and cheese. Mix well to combine----it will be quite gloppy. Shove as much of this concoction as you can into each of your cored peppers. Carefully nestle the peppers into the pot. Pour 1/3 cup water around the pepper bases.

Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4. The pepper will wilt a bit, but still be intact. Carefully remove them with serving spoons.

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

MMMMMMMM. this was SO SO SO SO good. I didn't even miss the meat. at all. It was so hearty and good. I did not have paprika or coriander, still delicious. I would recommend this to anyone- vegetarian or not.

The original recipe is: here .



Spicy Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

2 tablespoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons light colored oil
1 large onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (4 ounce) can diced mild green chiles, drained
2 (10 ounce) cans RoTel Diced Tomatoes with Lime & Cilantro 

1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
2 (32 ounce) containers Swanson Organic Vegetable Broth

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
Juice of 1/2 a lime

1. In a small bowl mix together cumin, sweet paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, coriander, salt and black pepper. Set aside.

2. In a large pot heat the oil over medium high. Add the onions and bell peppers. Sauté until soft, stirring occasionally. Add the spices and garlic; cook for 2 minutes.

3. Add the green chile peppers, RoTel, corn and vegetable broth. Cook until warmed through. Add the black beans and cook for 2 minutes before serving. Squeeze in lime juice. Serve in bowls and garnish as desired.

Garnish Ideas

Tortilla chips

Shredded Cheddar, Mexican blend or Cotija cheese
Diced Avocado

Chopped cilantro

Sour Cream

Hot Sauce

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.