Tag Archives: vegetarian

Roasted Chickpeas

Food, Game Day Recipes, Recipes, Snacks & Appetizers, Vegetarian, , , , ,

Perfect guilt free Friday night snack. Roasted chickpeas also make a great afternoon snack when you are craving something salty. They are much healthier than grabbing something at the vending machine and it only cost me about $2 to make this batch.

Roasted Chick Peas 01

Roasted Chick Peas 02

Ingredients

  • 2 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • dash of garlic powder
  • dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
  • dash of sea salt

Directions

  • Pre heat oven to 400 degrees.  After draining and rinsing the chickpeas, place them in a single layer on a paper towel and dry by layering another paper towel overtop.
  • Place dry chickpeas in a bowl and mix in olive oil, and spices, and stir.
  • Place chickpeas in a single layer on a baking sheet with sides since they need to be shaken a little during cooking.
  • Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, shaking the baking sheet about every 10 minutes. They do brown quickly so keep an eye them during the last 10 minutes of baking.

nutrional facts - chick peas

TGIF!

Black Bean Brownie Bites

Desserts, Food, Recipes, Vegetarian, , , , , , , ,

I have heard of making black bean brownies, but never actually tried them until my friend made these delicious little bites for a snack at the beach last summer.  Why didn’t I try this sooner?  Yummy!  They are super easy and no one will know there is black beans in them. You have to give them a try!

Black Bean Brownies

Ingredients

  • 1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • About 1/3 cup of water, to moisten black beans
  • 1 package of your favorite brownie mix (I try to buy organic or Trader Joe’s to avoid the additive junk in regular brownie mix)


Directions

  1. In a food processor or blender,  puree black beans and add water to moisten beans. Make sure beans are completely smooth. They actually turn a purple color.
  2. Add brownie mix to a large bowl and pour in pureed beans. Mix until a batter is formed.
  3. Spray muffin tin or pan with cooking spray. I make them in a mini muffin tin for portion control, but can easily be made in a pan.
  4. Bake according to brownie box directions. In a mini muffin pan I baked at 350 for about 18-20 minutes.
  5. Serve with a side of fresh berries.

Nutrition Facts

Enjoy!

Thin Sliced Roasted Potatoes

Food, Main Dishes, Recipes, Sides, Snacks & Appetizers, Vegetarian, , , , , ,

February is National Potato Lovers Month!  To celebrate I made my favorite roasted potato recipe.  These are easy to make and are a great side dish with almost any meal. Crispy and delicious, you’ll keep going back for more.

potatoes

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs potatoes (any kind will work, I like red or yukon gold)
  • Drizzle of olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon Montreal Steak Seasoning
  • Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. 
  2. Cut potatoes in thin slices and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. (I use a stone which I feel works best). Drizzle with olive oil and steak seasoning.
  3. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes are nice and crispy.
  4. Top with parmesan cheese.

Perfect Scrambled Eggs

Breakfast, Food, Main Dishes, Recipes, Vegetarian, , , , , , , , , ,

Nothing says Sunday morning more than scrambled eggs. The search for the perfect scrambled eggs took me to this Gordon Ramsay recipe. It’s actually more of a technique rather than a recipe. Paired with a side of sautéed veggies not only makes delicious, but adds nutritional value to start your day.

perfect scrambled eggs

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs (I love farm fresh brown eggs)
  • 1 small pad of butter (just a little for some flavor)
  • 1 tablespoon scallions

Directions

  1.  Heat pan over medium heat. Break eggs right into the pan. Stir with a rubber spatula until mixed. It is kind of like making a risotto, stir, stir, stir. Once the eggs begin to set remove from heat and you guessed it, stir. Add butter and return to heat. Keep removing and putting pan back to heat eggs. Not sure why this works, but that’s what Gordon Ramsay did and they tasted great!  Once eggs are cooked add the scallions. 
  2. Serve up with a side of your favorite sautéed veggies. I had some spinach, broccoli, and red peppers that needed to be used up!

nutrional facts - scrambled eggs

Enjoy!

Mexican Twice Baked Sweet Potato

Food, Main Dishes, Mexican, Recipes, Sides, Snacks & Appetizers, Vegetarian, , , , , ,

I’ve never been a huge fan of sweet potatoes…Boy did this recipe change my mind.  These aren’t just good, they’re amazing, oh and they’re healthy too!

Mexican Twice Baked Potatoes

Recipe from Pinch of Yum.

Ingredients

  • 2 or 3 medium sweet potatoes
  • 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 can of corn, drained, I like shoepeg, or fresh off the cob is the best
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup red pepper, diced
  • 1 small jalapeño, diced (if you like spicy)
  • 1 clove of garlic, pressed
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • sprinkle of cumin
  • 1 ounce light cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup of greek yogurt or sour cream
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • handful of chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 cup of cheese, I used cheddar, you could use Monterey Jack, Colby… anything really


Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and baked sweet potatoes for about an hour, until soft. Check by poking with a fork.
  2. Heat a skillet (cast iron is the best) over medium high heat. Do not add any oil or butter, and add corn to pan. Sprinkle with chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper.  Do not stir.  Let the corn roast for a few minutes before stirring. Roast for about 10 minutes until nice and brown. Set aside in a bowl with black beans.
  3.  Heat a tablespoon of oil and saute onions,  peppers, and garlic. Set aside.
  4.  Remove sweet potatoes from the oven and let cool for a few minutes.  Cut sweet potatoes in half and scoop out flesh. Leave a little lining of the flesh inside to help keep the shape of the sweet potato.
  5.  In a large bowl mix sweet potatoes, cream cheese, yogurt or sour cream, and mix using a hand mixer.
  6.  Careful mix black beans, roasted corn, sauteed onions, peppers, garlic, and cilantro into the sweet potato mix.
  7.  Scoop the filling into sweet potato skins. Top with cheese and broil for 5 minutes, until cheese is nice and bubbly. I had filling leftover, so I put it in a casserole dish, topped with cheese and baked.

nutrional facts - mexican twice baked potato

Yummy!

Black Bean Salsa

Food, Game Day Recipes, Recipes, Sides, Snacks & Appetizers, Vegetarian, , , , , , , , ,

Another healthy alternative for any event.  Black bean salsa is a great, low calorie finger food to snack on and if you’re lucky enough to have any left over, it also makes a great topping for fish.

Black Bean Salsa

Ingredients

  • Can of black beans rinsed and drained
  • Chopped red pepper
  • One small jalapeno diced
  • One small red onion diced
  • Shoe peg corn
  • Fresh cilantro
  • Palm full of cumin
  • Balsamic dressing

Wonton Wrapper Cheese Raviolis

Food, Main Dishes, Recipes, Snacks & Appetizers, Vegetarian, , , , , , , ,

This week I am cleaning out my fridge and pantry. I had some leftover wonton wrappers and some ricotta cheese. So I came up with these raviolis for dinner.  They also make a great finger appetizer since they crisp up so nicely in the oven, just serve with a small bowl of tomato sauce or pesto to dip.

Cheese Ravioli

Ingredients

  • wonton wrappers (found in the refrigerated produce section)
  • ricotta cheese
  • handful of  shredded parmesan cheese (next time I want to try with goat cheese)
  • 5-6 fresh basil leaves or chopped spinach leaves
  • 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
  • dash of nutmeg
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • your favorite tomato sauce

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl mix cheeses, basil or spinach, garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
  3. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Lay wonton flat on baking sheet and add about 1 teaspoon of the cheese mixture. Fold wrapper into a triangle and seal edges with water (I just dipped my finger in a bowl of water and smoothed around edges).
  4. Brush ravioli with olive oil and sprinkle with some parmesan cheese.
  5. Bake for about 15 minutes or until crispy. Watch, they brown up quick.
  6. Serve on a plate with sauce, or on a large serving tray with a small bowl of sauce to dip for an appetizer.

Enjoy!

Buffalo Cauliflower “Wings”

Food, Game Day Recipes, Main Dishes, Recipes, Snacks & Appetizers, Vegetarian, , , , , , , , ,

Looking for a healthy option to replace the traditional Super Bowl wings?  These buffalo cauliflower “wings” are surprisingly good and easy to make.  Kitchen tested by husband, who loves chicken wings, gobbled them up!

Cauliflower Wings

Ingredients

  • 1 head cauliflower, washed and trimmed into bite size pieces
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup of flour
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup buffalo sauce
  • 1 tablespoon of butter, melted
  • Assorted veggies and bleu cheese or ranch dressing for dipping


Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
  2. In a large bowl, whisk buttermilk and flour, and garlic until smooth.
  3. Carefully add cauliflower to the bowl and toss to coat with mixture. (I just used my hands)
  4. Place cauliflower in a single layer on a baking sheet. You may need to use two baking sheets. Bake for about 17 minutes. Keep watching and remove if starting to brown.
  5. Mix melted butter and buffalo sauce.
  6. Remove cauliflower from the oven and pour buffalo sauce over the pieces. I tried to gently move the cauliflower around with a spatula to coat with sauce.
  7. Return cauliflower back to the oven and bake for another 6-10 minutes. Let cool and serve with bleu cheese dip and assorted veggies.

Enjoy!

Vegetarian Black Bean Enchiladas

Food, Main Dishes, Recipes, Vegetarian, , , , , ,

Healthy family meals don’t need to be expensive. This dinner feeds six people and cost me about $14.00 to make.  It can also be prepared ahead of time and heated up in a few minutes. You could also add rotisserie chicken, ground turkey, or beef for meat eaters, but you really don’t even miss the meat. This is also made with a simple, delicious, homemade enchilada sauce.

Black Bean Enchiladas

Sauce Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons oil or  butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 5 teaspoons red chili powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1  6 ounce can of tomato paste
  • 2 1/4 cups water
  • salt and pepper to taste


Sauce directions

  1. Heat oil or butter in a sauce pan.
  2. Add flour to pan to make roux.
  3. Add spices and tomato paste. Stir until well blended into roux.
  4. Add water gradually, stirring constantly.
  5. Heat until boiling.
  6. Continue simmering and stirring until desired thickened. About 4 minutes.

This sauce can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.


Ingredients

  • 1 package whole wheat or corn tortillas
  • 2 cans black beans drained and rinsed
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 handful cilantro chopped
  • 1  onion diced
  • one large red or green pepper, diced
  • 1 small can green chilies or fresh diced  jalapenos (or all of these!)
  • 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese (or whatever kind you like) (divided)
  • 1/2 lime (juice and zest)
  • 1 Tablespoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
  2. In a large pan saute onions, peppers, and garlic. Pour into a large bowl and add the black beans. Add about half of the cilantro, half the shredded cheese, sour cream or yogurt, then the lime and spices. Mix until coated.
  3. Pour about a 1/2
  4. cup of enchilada sauce on the bottom of an ungreased baking dish. Fill each tortilla with the black bean mixed and roll so seam side is facing down in dish. Repeat until the dish is filled. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the filled tortillas. Top with cheese and bake uncovered for about 25 minutes until cheese is nice and bubbly.
  5. Garnish with cilantro and top with favorite toppings.

Enjoy!