the vegetarian environmentalist

Veggie Lasagne 07/01/2009
 

I took the majority of this one from Delicious Living (where I used to work), but altered it a bit. It’s really healthy and a great way to get your veggies! You can use all tofu, all ricotta, or a mixture of both, like below.

16 ounces Lasagne noodles (I use whole wheat)
1 cup part-skim Ricotta
1 cup Tofu, mashed
1 Egg
1 cup shredded Zucchini
1/2 cup Pine Nuts
1 tsp dried Parsley or Basil

1 tablespoon Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 small Red Pepper, thinly sliced
1 small Green Pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup Onion, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped Artichoke Hearts
1 cup chopped Kalamata Olives

5-1/2 cups chunky marinara sauce (about 52 ounces)
2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (16 ounces)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to directions; drain and lay flat to cool. Preheat oven to 375º.

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, tofu, egg, zucchini, pine nuts, and parsley or basil. Set aside.

In a medium nonstick skillet, sauté garlic, peppers, onion in olive oil for 5 minutes. Add artichoke hearts and olives right at the end.

Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce in a 13×9x2-inch pan. Arrange four noodles lengthwise over sauce, overlapping edges. Spread one-third ricotta mixture over pasta, followed by 1-1/3 cups marinara sauce. Layer one-fourth of the vegetables.
Repeat layers twice, ending with pasta. Spoon remaining vegetables over pasta. Spread remaining sauce over top and sprinkle with cheeses and a few extra pine nuts.

Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 more minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

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My friend Cynthia made these amazing calzones for my birthday picnic at Vail this year…I’ve never been able to make a good pizza dough, so I was excited to get her recipe.

1 cup of warm water (110* – not boiling or you will kill the yeast) 2.5 tsp Active dry yeast (1 package)
2.5 to 3 cups unbleached all purpose Flour
2 tbsp Olive oil
1/2 tsp Salt

In the food processor, using the blade, place water, 1.5 cups of the flour and yeast and mix. Add the oil, salt, and remaining flour (a little at a time–you may not need it all) and mix.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled 2-quart bowl (i.e. spray with Pam) and cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise until it doubles in size, usually about an hour.

After it has risen, divide it into two or more parts and roll them into balls: For two 12″ pizzas: 2 portions
For four 6″ pizzas, or four calzones: 4 portions
For eight 3″ pizzas: 8 appetizer portions

Cover and let them rest for 15 min. For calzones, roll out into a 12″ circle, top one half with cheese and veggies, and fold the other side over and pinch edges until well sealed. Poke with a fork, and place on a lightly greased pizza pan. Bake at 500* for 20-25 minutes, until it’s golden brown.

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Spanakopita 06/30/2009
 

This is one of my favorite Greek dishes, so filling and wonderfully vegetarian! It comes from my friend Sophia, who is an awesome cook and is Greek herself :) She promises that this is the easiest (and easiest to make healthy) version to try.

2 medium Onions, chopped
2-3 cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 tsp Salt
1 bag or 2 boxes frozen Spinach
2 Eggs, beaten
2 tbsp fresh Dill
1.5-2 cups crumbled Feta
1 package Phyllo dough
1/4-1 stick Butter, melted OR a mixture of Butter and Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 350*.

In a large pan, saute onions and garlic in oil over medium heat. Add salt and spinach. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, and remove from heat. Allow to cool, then add beaten eggs, dill, and feta. Set aside.

Butter 9×13 pan. Place one sheet of phyllo in the pan, brush butter/oil on top, and repeat until you have 5 layers of phyllo. Place spinach mixture on top, and layer phyllo and butter/oil again. This time, crumble/scrunch several layers of the phyllo to trap air and make it lighter/crispier.
(Sophia recommends using oil for the bottom layers and saving the butter for the top.) In the topmost layers, make sure you use plenty of butter.

Cut the spanakopita into serving-sized pieces before baking (it will help make the pieces neater and easier to serve afterward). Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serve warm. Enjoy!

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Ok, so I was watching Rachael Ray the other day and got excited when she was making what looked like a really tasty (and easy!) mac and cheese. Apparently I tuned in after the announcement that this was going to be “reuben” mac and cheese, complete with corned beef and sauerkraut (totally unnecessary). I really liked the cheese and breadcrumb additions, though, so I took the liberty of amending like so! I served with steamed broccoli.

Pasta
Salt
1 pound cavatappi or other short cut pasta

Topping
2 slices rye bread
Tiny amount of butter for toast
Some green herbs (fresh parsley if you can, but dried works fine)
Pinch garlic salt
1 teaspoon paprika

Sauce
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups lowfat milk
1/4 cup spicy brown mustard
1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded (try smoked for extra flavor)
1 cup Gruyere, shredded
1 cup Cheddar, shredded

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Salt water and cook pasta to al dente.

While pasta cooks, toast rye bread in toaster then butter hot bread. Coarsely chop bread and place in food processor. Add herbs, paprika and garlic salt to bread and process into bread crumbs, then set aside.

Heat a sauce pot over medium heat. Add butter to pot. Once melted, whisk in flour for one minute, then add milk. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Let sit to thicken for 5 to 6 minutes, still on medium heat, then stir in mustard. Melt 2/3 of the combined cheeses into the sauce.

Preheat broiler.

Drain pasta and return to hot pot. Toss hot pasta with cheese sauce and coat. Transfer mac n cheese to casserole and top with remaining cheese, then bread crumbs (be sure to spread out, otherwise they might burn). Brown under broiler 3 to 4 minutes, serve.

 

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My grad school friend Joanna gave this to me, since she’s got a fabulous garden overflowing with pumpkins! She says peeling, seeding, and cubing the pumpkin is a little labor intensive, but worth it to have baked seeds afterward. But canned pumpkin would also work. Goes well with rice or cous cous.

2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 jalapeno, diced (bell pepper works too)
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes (or about 4 tomatoes, chopped)
1 cup lentils, rinsed
1 tbsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. cumin
1 small pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and cubed
1/2 cup tomato puree or tomato sauce
2-1/2 cups water
3 cups fresh spinach or arugula (optional)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro for garnish

Heat olive oil, onion and jalapeno for 10 minutes or until onion is clear in a large sauce pan
Add tomatoes, lentils, and spices, and cook 2-3 min. Toss in the pumpkin and tomato puree and cook for 2 minutes. Add 2-1/2 cups water. Season with salt and pepper.

Reduce heat to medium low and cook for 40 minutes, adding more water if stew gets too dry. Throw in spinach/arugula in the last five minutes to steam up with the rest of the stew. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

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Eggplant Gratin 06/30/2009
 

I got this from Ina’s Barefoot Contessa show, but altered it a bit so it’s less fried and serves more people…so easy and a fabulous way to eat eggplant. Everyone loved it at our last dinner/game night!

1-1/2 pound eggplant, unpeeled, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
2 extra-large eggs
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 cup plus 4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup good bottled marinara sauce

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place eggplant slices on baking sheets. Brush with small amount of olive oil, both sides. Cook for about 10 minutes on each side (or until done).
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the ricotta, eggs, half-and-half, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Once the eggplant is finished baking, in a 13 x 9 baking dish, place a layer of eggplant slices, then sprinkle with Parmesan, salt and pepper and spoon on marinara sauce (making sure eggplant surfaces are well covered). Next, add a second layer of eggplant, more salt and pepper, the ricotta mixture, and finally the last of the grated Parmesan on top (again, making sure eggplant surfaces are covered).

Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the custard sets and the top is browned. Serve warm.

 

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Veggie Chili 06/30/2009
 

This recipe is quick, flavorful, and especially good on a winter evening! Chili is great because it’s all veggies and beans–like a whole meal in one bowl. The meatless ground burger adds good texture, but isn’t necessary. You can even replace it with frozen corn. For a thicker chili, use crushed tomatoes; for a stewier one, use diced.

1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 med. White Onion
1 Green Pepper
1 Red Pepper
4 cloves Garlic
1/4 cup mild Chili Powder
1 28 oz. can Crushed or Diced Tomatoes
1 15 oz. can Pinto or Black Beans (or combo)
1 tsp. dried Oregano
1 tsp. Salt
10 oz. Boca Ground Burger (optional)

Heat vegetable oil in a large pot on medium heat.
Dice onion and peppers and add to hot oil, stirring often, about two minutes.
Add garlic, stir and cook one minute.
Add chili powder, stir and cook one minute.
Add tomatoes, beans, oregano, and salt, and stir well to combine.

Bring chili to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add ground burger, stir, and cook for another 10 minutes.

Serve with cheese (or my favorite, Cheez-Its). Makes about 6 servings.

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A healthy variation on an Italian classic! My grandmother used to make these. Make the rice or quinoa ahead of time, then add to the mix at the end.

2 cups cooked Brown Rice or Quinoa
4 Green Peppers
1/2 Red Onion, chopped
1/2 cup Mushrooms (canned or fresh)
1 clove Garlic
1 tbsp Olive Oil
3/4 cup Walnuts
1-1/2 cups + 1/4 cup Pasta Sauce (any flavor)
1 cup frozen Soy Ground Beef
1/4 cup cheese, like Parmesan or Feta

Preheat oven to 350*. Prepare rice or quinoa according to package directions.

Cut the tops off of peppers, and remove veins and seeds. Spread 1/4 cup pasta sauce over bottom of square baking dish (to keep the peppers moist), and place peppers in cut side up.

Chop the tops of the peppers and place in a saute pan. Add olive oil, onion, garlic and mushrooms and saute over medium heat for five minutes (until veggies are soft).

Add rice or quinoa, 1-1/2 cups pasta sauce, walnuts and soy ground beef. Season with salt, pepper and a green herb like basil. Let simmer for a few more minutes. Fill peppers with mixture. (I always add a glass ramekin for stability, and fill with any extra mixture).

Cover with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove tin foil, add cheese, and finish baking (cover on) for another 10 minutes.

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Lemon Seitan 06/30/2009
 

This is a great, easy recipe that goes well with a grain like quinoa (to complete your protein) and some leafy greens like kale or spinach. (Learn more about seitan.)

1 lb carton of Seitan
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
Dash Curry
1 lemon

Drain seitan and slice into medium-sized strips.

In a large pan, heat the olive oil, curry, and cayenne over medium heat. Add seitan, stirring regularly. When most of the oil and spices have been absorbed, squeeze the juice of the entire lemon into the pan (careful to keep out the seeds!).

Continue cooking until the lemon juice is absorbed, and some of the pieces of seitan are brown on the edges. (My bf and I feel differently about the crispy bits, so the different-sized pieces will cook a little differently. Then I take the crisp ones and he takes the soft ones!)

Serve with greens and grains. Makes two servings.

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