A couple of things I have learned about being vegetarian- you really just cannot buy ENOUGH fresh fruits and veggies. You need LOTS of snacky things (nuts, dried fruits, trail mixes, popcorn) Also, black bean burgers are very difficult to make : )
Here are a couple of recipes that just reallly worked for our family!
Pollock- Last night was our fish night (once a week we have fish or chicken) and we had frozen pollock. It is cheap and it is tasty. I let it thaw then sprinkled pepper on it. I then took margarine and Parmesan grated cheese and mixed it together and just kind of coated the fillets with the mixture. The recipe actually called for sour cream but I just didn't have any. WOW the fillets were tender and falling apart and also kind of had a caramelized cheesy taste to them. SO good. 30 minutes at 450 (I did 425 because I have an electric stove and everything seems to burn...so I put it on a lower heat and let it cook a little longer.) The Parmesan/butter mixture will be excellent on top of a casserole dish of baked broccoli, cauliflower, corn or even potatoes. Can't wait to use it more!
Poor Man's Bruschetta- I am not lying with this one! I literally have no groceries until tomorrow morning. The recipe called for a french loaf of bread, fresh tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, fresh crushed basil, fresh crushed garlic. O didnt have hardly any of those things SOOOO I grabbed the can of stewed tomatoes out of my cabinet (I usually save those for soups and chilis) and drained them SUPER DUPER WELL. Added canola oil, salt, pepper, already crushed basil, minces garlic from a jar in my fridge and in replacement of vinegar...just a little bit of pickle juice. You heard me. Pickle juice. Bruschetta kind of has a crunch to it...this didnt because of the stewed tomatoes but it was pretty good. Jamie loved it. I made my own french bread and topped the bruschetta on it. The recipe for bread actually is enough for two loaves to I also made a sauteed onion and green pepper mixture with soy sauce, butter, salt and pepper for the other loaf. Jamie just stacked the bruschetta and onion and green pepper mixture together and sprinkled Parmesan cheese on it. It worked...I lot better than I had expected. It was just an interesting event : )
Thai peanut greens- This one was totally inspired by PF changs lettuce wraps and by oriental chicken salad at different restaurants. I took mushrooms, green peppers and thai peanut sauce and sauteed it in the skillet. Put it over a bed of romaine with honey roasted peanuts, chow mien noodles and a little but more thai sauce. To cool it down I put just a hint of ranch and they complimented each other well. The mushrooms are so meaty you just don't miss the chicken. Yummmm this one was definately a winner!
And last is my fav, but sooo not good for you. Just a little treat/guilty pleasure.
Deep fried banana peppers...just take them right out of the jar...bread them in flour, throw them in some canola oil until crispy and salt just a little. Oh yum....just a fun little snack
Well there are some of our recipes. I am sure there will be more to come!
3 comments:
I have a similar recipe for fish. I use Tilapia (it's low fat, low cal, and low mercury) fillets. I don't know the exact measurements, I make most things to taste... but you use mayo (I like the mayo w/olive oil in it), Parmesan, some shredded mozzarella, diced garlic (or garlic seasoning/salt), salt and pepper. Mix together really well and spread it on top of the fillets. Cook at 425 for about five minutes, then flip the fillets over, put more sauce on top, and cook until it looks a little bit crispy on the edges. SO GOOD.
A healthy choice (just as tasty) is simply to put tilapia fillets on a baking sheet, brush a bit of olive oil on the fillets, and then sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes on both sides at 435 (our oven is weird, so you'll want to watch the fillets closely... it could be both longer or shorter cooking time. And we're at high altitude). Then put some fresh, homemade pico de gallo on them and you're done! The pico I make is just tomatoes, onions, garlic, green onions, cilantro, lime juice, and salt. It's AMAZING and so incredibly fresh-tasting. And it's SO LOW in calories that it's just ridiculous. I usually serve it with grilled asparagus. DIVINE.
I've also been experimenting with fresh pesto. I don't put pine nuts in mine, just fresh basil, olive oil, salt, and garlic. I have a little (and I mean little... like 4 cup) food processor that I just throw everything too and blend! Our farm share didn't give us more basil this week, so I made a pseudo pesto with spinach, olive oil, fresh oregano, salt, garlic (I used baby garlic but i think regular would have more kick), and this awesome fancy Italian seasoning that has chili, garlic, parsley, salt, and chevril. I think that just a dash of red pepper and some parsley would do the trick. Once again, just put it in the food processor until the pieces are pretty smooth, and put on pasta or bread! Sooooooooo tasty.
Wow, you made your own french bread? Look at you! Dude I am so impressed. I am definitely going to try some of these. They look so tasty!
Thanks for the ideas Jessica! Im excited! Stac- yea I did...its actuallly reallly easy. just takes some time to rise. lemme know what you try and like or dont like or change or whatever:)
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