Broccoli Bake to DIE for!

This is by FAR one of my new favorite recipes. When my husband asked for his grandmas classic 'broccoli rice chicken and cheese thing', I decided there was no reason this obvious comfort food couldn't be veggie friendly! After picking through several bland sounding recipes, this concoction was born. I must warn you, after you make this once, if will be a weekly event :)


Vegetarian Broccoli and Cheese Bake

• At least 20 oz frozen chopped broccoli
• 3 cups instant rice
• 2 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 (16 ounce) package shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil if you prefer...
• 1 bunch celery, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cook broccoli and rice according to package directions
3. Melt butter (or drizzle with olive oil) in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and saute celery and onion until tender crisp
4. In a medium saucepan over low heat, whisk cream of mushroom soup and 1 1/4 cups water. Gradually whisk in cheese until melted into a smooth sauce. Be careful not to let the cheese settle and burn on the bottom
5. In a large mixing bowl, combine broccoli, rice, soup and cheese mixture, celery and onion. Season with salt and pepper. Pour mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, until bubbly and lightly brown
7. Top that bad boy with more cheese, put back in the oven and let it melt.
8. Try and let it cool a bit and then DIG IN

Ill be the first to admit, this dish doesnt look like a whole lot, but trust me, your tastebuds will thank me :)

<3 j

Vegetarian On The Cheap - Nachos!!

Hello lovelies :)

Since deciding to sign up for yoga teacher training (YAY!!!!), Ive had to really watch my spending to pick up the cost. Just like last post, this is a super easy meal that can be whipped up on pennies. And honestly, who doesn't love a giant plate of nachos??

Veggie Nachos (that even your non veggie fiancee will love)

1 can black beans, drained
1 green pepper, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
3-4 carrots, peeled and shredded
As much shredded cheese as your little heart desires
Tortilla chips
Salsa

Other things that make nachos super tasty:
1-2 corn on the cob, roasted and kernels cut off
Jalapeños
Sour Cream
Diced tomatos
I picked up chips and salsa from my favorite Mexican restaurant :)

Preheat oven to 350

1. Mix together all veggies and black beans, spread on a cookie sheet. Bake for about 5 minutes or until warm.
2. On a large plate, spread a layer of chips. Top with veggies, beans, and cheese.
3. Put plate in the oven until cheese is melted.
4. Top with any other goodies and dig in!! I left my salsa on the side so the chips didn't get all soggy.

Enjoy!!

    

Spinach Artichoke Stromboli!!

Hey everyone!! :)

Sorry for the lack of posting lately, this wedding is eating up all of my free time! Speaking of eating up, I made the easiest, cheapest, most delicious meal tonight on my brand new pizza stone <3 Here is my recipe!! Sorry there aren't any pictures, but it was gone too fast to get any!

Spinach Artichoke Stromboli

1 roll pre made pizza dough (or if you're prepared, homemade is always better)
1 small can tomato sauce
1 can artichokes, chopped
1 8 oz bag Italian Blend shredded cheese
1 10 oz package of frozen spinach, thawed and thoroughly pressed to remove excess water
Basil, oregano, salt, and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375

1. Roll out pizza dough onto a greased cookie sheet (or pizza stone if you have one)
2. Allowing at least an one inch margin around the edges, spread the tomato sauce evenly on to the dough. You can use as much or as little as you like, but don't go crazy or you will get soggy Stromboli!
3. Spread out the artichokes, spinach (you wrung out all that extra water right!?), and top with cheese.
4. Sprinkle on some basil, oregano, salt, and pepper to your liking.
5.  Here's the fun part :) Fold in the dough around the edges about one inch or so over the toppings. Pinch the corners a bit to help seal the pizza
6. Carefully begin rolling up the rectangle as tightly as possible (like you would roll up a newspaper) without ripping your dough. Make sure the seam is on the bottom when you are done so it doesn't come undone.
7. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown
8. Cut into 2 inch slices and let everyone admire your chef skills :)


I hope that isn't too confusing without pictures! If you have any questions please ask!!

<3 J


  

Vegetable Stock Recipe

Hey gang! I finally got around to making a batch of homemade veggie stock! I wanted a good spicy broth to make some tortilla soup with later in the week, so I found a recipe that looked promising and went for it. Of course, I ended up just doing what I wanted in the end. Honestly, I think the one thing I didn't change was adding in turnips....

HTGVeggie Stock

1 giant stock pot
18 cups water
9-10 carrots, not peeled, cut into 1 inch chunks
9-10 celery stalks, cut into 1 inch chunks
2-3 yellow onions, papery skin still on, cut in half (yes, you read that right. The skins give a great yellow color to the stock)
2 turnips, quartered
1 tbs whole allspice
Fresh ground pepper and salt to tasted


Variation: I added in a whole, quartered jalapeno, seeds and all, to this stock. The original recipe I found called for 1 jalapeno per every 6 cups of water. Let me warn you, I adore spicy everything and my stock came out too spicy with just the one jalapeno.....


1. Wash and prep all veggies. Be sure to include the leafy tops of the celery!


2. Everybody into the pool!


3. Bring to an easy simmer and let cook for at least 30 minutes. Make sure to keep the stock at just a simmer. A full rolling boil will make your stock very cloudy.


4. When a fork easily punctures the veggies, your stock is good to go! Take out all the big veggies and discard. Strain the rest with a fine colander. 

I like to divide mine out into easy to manage portions for freezing and using later on down the road, cause lets face it, nobody is going to sit down and eat all 18 cups right after you make it. Make sure to set aside some veggies and noodles to make a cup of soup as a reward :)

YUMMMMM

I would also like everyone to know that I had to explain to my fiance why there were so many veggies in the trash after I made stock. After explaining that using veggies to make stock uses all of their flavor and goodness, I think he was less upset :) He thought I threw all of my stock away haha!

Easy peasy! Happy cooking!

J

 

    

Rotten Food is Gross.

After a crazy few days, Im trying to get my little vegetarian mission back on track. I came across this awesome article from Vegetarian Times Magazine. As Americans, we throw away an average of $600 dollars worth of food each year. Thats crazy! I admit, sometimes I buy veggies that find their way into the back of the fridge and dont come back out until I discover that they have turned a different color that they aren't supposed to be. So now what?! How do you avoid the waste and get the most out of each produce purchase you make? This article breaks down which produce to eat first and which pesky fruits and veggies make others go bad quicker.

Where to store what:
Some produce gives off higher levels ethylene, an odorless gas that causes produce to ripen and rot faster. By separating them accordingly, you can prolong those sweet tomatoes lives :)

Refrigerate These - Gas Releasers

Apples

Apricots

Cantaloupe

Figs

Honeydew

Don't Refrigerate These - Gas Releasers

Avocados

Bananas (unripe)

Nectarines

Peaches

Pears

Plums

Tomatoes

Keep These Away From Gas Releasers

Bananas (ripe)

Broccoli

Brussel Sprouts

Cabbage

Carrots

Cauliflower

Cucumber

Eggplant

Any Leafy Green

Parsley

Peas

Peppers

Squash

Sweet Potatoes

Watermelon

Here is a very helpful chart to help you plan meals to avoid wasting produce and money!! This chart is assuming you were able to get fresh, healthy items that weren't already on their way out...

Eat First: Sunday to Tuesday Artichokes Asparagus Avocados Bananas Basil Broccoli Cherries Corn Dill Green beans Mushrooms Mustard greens Strawberries Watercress

Eat Next: Wednesday to Friday Arugula Cucumbers Eggplant Grapes Lettuce Lime Mesclun Pineapple Zucchini

Eat Last: Weekend Apricots Bell peppers Blueberries Brussels sprouts Cauliflower Grapefruit Leeks Lemons Mint Oranges Oregano Parsley Peaches Pears Plums Spinach Tomatoes Watermelon

And Beyond Apples Beets Cabbage Carrots Celery Garlic Onions Potatoes Winter squash

 I found these 2 charts to be super helpful and super informative. I certainly had no idea that carrots and apples shouldn't roll in the same crowd! Happy vegetarian eating everyone!!


<3 j


     

My Almost Famous Veggie Soup!!

I absolutely LoVE this recipe! It is a quick fix, one pot (ok maybe 2 for boiling noodles) meal that feeds my fiance and I for several days. I came across a recipe for a lighter minestrone and doctored it up to be vegetarian and pretty dang near perfect after several rounds of making this soup! Beginner chefs, no not fret! This is one that anyone can tackle!!


JJ's Almost Famous Veggie Soup
Ingredients:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
2 stalks celery, sliced thin
2 cloves of garlic, cut in half
2 cups fresh green beans
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
3 14.5 oz cans Vegetable Broth (or approx. 6 cups if you want to buy in bigger quantities)
Noodles, cooked
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Let's Cook!!
1. Prep all of those veggies! This is the numero uno most important thing when cooking. The phrase is "Mise en Place"in French, meaning everything in it's place. This ensures nothing is burning on the stove while you race to chop up an onion. Make sure you cut all those ends off of the green beans! Trust me, they do not go well in this dish.

2. Using a stock pan or my personal favorite, a dutch oven, drizzle the bottom with the olive oil. Add the diced onions to the pan and let them cook up a bit. Cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.

3. Add in the garlic cloves, celery, and carrots and continue to cook until tender crisp. Again, about 5 minutes. (At this point you should also have some noodles cooking too!)

4. Add green beans, crushed and diced tomatoes (sometimes I get CRazY and add 2 cans of diced!). Also toss in the veggie stock.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10-15 minutes.

5. Plate Up!! Add some noodles into the bottom of a big ol' bowl and ladle in some soup!

6. Chow down!

Friendly Tip: So we all know you can't buy 2 stalks of celery or 2 carrots at a normal grocery store. Obviously in this situation you will have extras. Don't waste them!! I clean everything up, cut into big chunks and freeze them. This way, you have ready to use, clean veggies that just need to be thawed next time a recipe calls for half of a red bell pepper and a 1/4 cup of onion!

Freshly Washed and Ready for Chopping!

Onions, Celery, Carrot, and Garlic Cooking Away

Simmer Simmer

Ready to Chow Down!

I must admit, not the most beautiful dish to take pictures of, but trust me you will LOVE it!!

Why?

Big Step #1: Deciding to actually give up meat.

Big Step #2: Telling others. 

We all have our reasons for giving up meat, and I'm no exception. I do not want to dwell on this right now, tonight I want to talk a bit about telling people you have decided that Bessie will no longer find her way onto your dinner plate.

I have to admit, for the first few days, I didn't feel the need to tell anyone. I know my heading on this page says my start date was 4/25/11, but that was the first day I went officially meat free. I started seriously considering doing this 100% about a week earlier. I slipped up a whole bunch of times that first awkward week. I guess knew deep down that would most likely be the case. For this reason, I told no one of my plans, not even my fiance for fear of having to admit failure if I decided not to continue on. 

Now that I have had very minimal meat in the past 2 weeks and have been officially meat FREE for a whopping 7 days, (high five to myself!) I have started to let people know of my plans to stay on this path. Here are some of the reactions I got. Be prepared for anything, because people come up with some odd responses...

My Parents: My Fiance and I went to visit my parents on Easter weekend, and at this point I told my mom I was doing my best to give up meat for good. This is something her and I had talked about in the past, so it was not a huge shock to her. Once the 4 of us sat down for dinner, she was totally shocked that I was not going to eat salmon. Yes, I realize that some people will still eat fish, however A: It's still the flesh of an animal even if it lives in the ocean and B: The way factory fisheries and major fishing operations are run totally destroy entire ecosystems. They were pretty supportive, however as with all things that happen in my family, it was definitely the new go to thing to poke fun at. 

My Coworkers: One of the girls at work decided to go veggie about a month before I officially committed to it. Let me tell you, having another vegetarian in your life is key. It provides a different kind of support that other people just can not provide on the topic. I am so thankful to have her around to help not only keep me on track, but also to share the burden of dealing with our loving, sarcastic, very male coworkers. It isn't the coworkers that was difficult so much, but the customers we see on a daily basis. We see a lot of restaurant managers from the area, and by default, most of them now know that I've gone meatless. They seem to have much more to say about it, and they certainly not people I would consider close enough to pick on me or make comments. Like I said earlier, everyone has their own beliefs...

My Fiance: Man was I all worried for nothing. I thought I would get the typical "I'm a man and meat and potatoes and fast cars" response I would be getting from some of my other friends over the next few days. While not having a ton to say about it, he simply told me to be careful (I'm super hypoglycemic) and that he supported me 100%. What a peach :) When I told him tonight was my one week mark, he gave me a hug and told me he was very proud of me for sticking with something I believe in. 

So far, I have yet to encounter the angry person, but I'm sure in time they will come barging in uninvited and piss me off.    :)

Coming Soon!!

What brought me over to the veggie side.

The book that everyone should read. (Hint: see bright green book on left)

Easy substitutions for people that don't have time to cook 9 hours a day!

<3 J

Help get the word out there and lets get this support group going!

@HowToGoVeggie on Twitter! 

I also think dinos are RaD!