Monday, March 10, 2014

14 Kick-Butt Vegetarian Recipes



About 16 or so days ago I decided to try being a vegetarian for 20 days. In that time I've totally loved experimenting with new veggies and other foods I wasn't familiar with. These recipes contain a lot of standard ingredients- but also ones that stretched my comfort zone like quinoa, brussles sprouts, eggplant and more! I only have a few days left and I'm totally happy with how it's been going. I feel so much more empowered with what I can cook and the interesting combinations I've tried out. A lot of these were inspired by pinterest or my friend Danielle. Hope you enjoy!




Quinoa Bowl

Ingredients:
Quinoa
Green Onion
Red Bell Pepper
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Canned Chicken (optional)

How to Make:
Prepare quinoa according to box instructions.
Chop up any veggies you wish to add in. 
Warm up the chicken.
Add veggies, seasonings, and chicken into the mixture.
Garnish and serve! 



Quinoa Stuffed Avocado and Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:
Quinoa
Avocado
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

How to Make:
I like to use leftover quinoa for this one and serve the avocado and quinoa chilled. 
Mix in any desired seasonings or veggies and spoon quinoa mixture onto half of an avocado. 

Make the side:
Preheat oven to about 350.
Chop Brussels in half and slice up some onion. Place on a baking sheet and toss/spray with olive oil and add salt to taste. 
Cook until Brussels look browned at edges. 
May want to flip part way through cooking. 
Baked Egg Avocado

Ingredients:
Avocado 1/2
Egg
Salt and Pepper
Cheese of Choice

How to Make:
Preheat oven to 375.
Scoop out a bigger hole at the center of the avocado to better fit your egg. 
Crack egg and salt and pepper. 
Place on baking sheet in oven for about 25 minutes or until egg is cooked through. 
Top with cheese in the last several minutes of baking. 
Try serving with a side of fruit and peanut butter whole grain toast. 
South Western Breakfast

Ingredients:
Egg
Salt and Pepper
Black Beans
Cheese
Bread of your choice
Fruit

How to Make:
This one is pretty straight forward. 



Berry Green Salad

Ingredients:
Kale
Cabbage
Arugula
Spinach
Avocado
Blueberries
Strawberries
Pecans
Goat Cheese

How to Make:
Combine ingredients try topping with a creamy poppy seed dressing.
For added delight try toasting the pecans in a dry non stick pan for a few minutes. 
Watch closely so they do not burn!

Chipotle Inspired Quinoa

Ingredients:
Black Beans
Quinoa
Tomato
Green/White/Red Onions
Cilantro
Lemon Juice
Kosher Salt

How to Make:
Warm up beans and quinoa. 
Slice up the tomato and your choice of onions. 
If you have fresh cilantro add it to the salsa. 
Once veggies are chopped and placed in a bowl add lemon juice and kosher salt to taste.

Note: This salsa, bean, quinoa combo is to die for. 

Mini-Eggplant-"Pizza"

Ingredients:
Eggplant 
Cheese of your choice
Tomato Sauce
Salt

How to Make:
Pre-heat oven to 350.
Slice Eggplant. Make sure slices aren't too thin or too fat. 
Sprinkle a tiny bit of salt on them to draw out water. And put a litte olive oil on them before placing them on the tray.
Place on a baking sheet and top each slice with sauce and cheese.
Bake until cheese is desired amount of brown. 

Tip: if you need a little more than just eggplant try making an English muffin and placing a few of the slices on there! I did and it was super yummy!

Roasted Veggies and Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:
Veggies of your choice
Mashed Potatoes

How to Make:
If you need a mashed potato recipe message me and I'll get you one. 
Take literally any veggies of your choice sprinkle with olive oil and salt and roast in the oven until they are browning. 
I like this recipe because it's super simple and a nice warm option. 
I used: Brussels Sprouts, Carrots, Red Bell Pepper, Asparagus, Eggplant, Onion, and Broccoli.
Goat Cheese Veggie Pizza

Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Pizza Crust
Tomato
Mushroom
Onion
Spinach
Red Pepper
Goat Cheese 
Arugula 
Olive Oil
Seasonings 

How to Make:
Follow directions for pre-made pizza crust. (I used the artisan pizza crust from pillsbury- not super healthy but it worked)
Cook up any desired veggies in a pan ahead of time. 
Spread olive oil and seasonings across the base of the pizza.
I layered my spinach next then dumped on the cooked veggies. 
I spread around the tomato slices and the goat cheese evenly.
Bake in oven until corners of crust are browning and veggies/cheese seem warm.
Top pizza with fresh arugula and eat! 


Eggplant "Burger" and Sweet Potato Chips

Ingredients for Burger:
English Muffin
2 large eggplant slices
Tomato slice
Red Onion
Red Pepper
Arugula
How to Make:
Roast the eggplant, pepper and onion on a tray in the oven using salt and olive oil. (add to last half of sweet potatoes)
Toast English muffin
On English muffin stack the arugula, eggplant, tomato, onions, and red pepper.

Ingredients for Chips:
1 medium/small sweet potato
Olive Oil
Cinnamon
Kosher Salt
How to Make:
Preheat oven to 375.
Peel a sweet potato. 
Slice into very thin pieces. (The thinner they are the more chip like they will become)
Brush or spray with olive oil and lay out the slices on a baking tray. 
Sprinkle a little kosher salt and cinnamon on the top.
Bake in oven about 15 minutes or until sides are browning. 
Flip chips and resprinkle the seasonings.
Bake another 10-15 minutes. (add eggplant burger veggies here). 
Watch so the chips won't burn. Unless you like them that way like me! 

Mashed Potato Pancakes

Ingredients:
Left over Mashed Potatoes
Avocado
Mushroom
Onion
Red Pepper
Sour Cream
Green Onion
Egg
Parmesan Shaker Cheese
Vegetable Oil

How to Make:
Place left over mashed potatoes in bowl and mix in one egg and some shaker cheese. 
Form into several patties.
Heat up a thin layer of vegetable oil in the bottom of a frying pan. 
Place pancakes in and flip once the bottom side has browned and hardened a bit.
Potatoes are done when both sides are browned. 
Top with some grilled or fresh veggies and sour cream.
Serve with a salad! 

Veggie Pizza and Eggplant Chips

Ingredients:
English Muffin
Spinach
Green Apple
Avocado 
Strawberries
Goat Cheese 
Olive Oil
Eggplant
Salt and Pepper
How to Make:
Preheat oven to 350. 
Slice and chop up an eggplant into small thin bite-sized pieces. 
Spread out on a pan and salt and season the chips how you want them. 
Bake 10-15 minutes or until the begin to brown. 
Flip the chips over part way through.
Bake until chips are at desired level. 
Meanwhile...
Use a tiny bit of olive oil on your English muffin and spread goat cheese across tops. Add in oven toeard end of cooking chips to toast bread and warm the cheese. 
Remove from oven and top with spinach and green apple, or strawberries and avocados. The second combo is to die for! 

Quinoa "Fried Rice"

Ingredients:
Quinoa
Tomato
Red/Green Onion
Spinach
Broccoli
Garlic
Red Pepper
Olive Oil
Soy Sauce
Lemon Juice
Egg

How to Make:
Chop up any desired vegetables. 
Begin cooking in a skillet on stove top. 
Add in soy sauce and lemon juice while cooking. 
Follow directions on how to make quinoa on box. 
After quinoa is cooked don't leave it to set- add it to skillet. 
Next clear a space in the skillet and fry up a scrambled egg. 
Once egg is cooked mix it in with the rest of the veggies and quinoa in the skillet. 
Add any more soy sauce, lemon juice, or other seasonings to taste. 
Note: This was yummy and I'm not usually a fan of regular fried rice. 

Sweet Balsamic Brussels Sprouts and Couscous

Ingredients:
Brussels Sprouts
Pecans
Dried Cherries
Goat Cheese 
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Balsamic Vinegar 
Agave Nectar

How to Make:
Add a little oil to a frying pan. 
Chop Brussels Sprouts in half and remove the stems.
Begin cooking Brussels in Pan.
Chop up several pecans and 1/8 cup of dried cherries. 
Once the Brussels are browning add cherries and nuts to pan.
After cooked place the mixture into a bowl and toss with a small amount of balsamic vinegar and agave nectar. 
Top with some crumbled goat cheese.

Serve with couscous and prepare as directed on box. 


Thanks for reading and to those of you that have been putting up with all my food pics on instagram!