March 21st, 2016
It has been a while since I have posted a recipe for Meatless Monday. This is a “global movement, created in 2003 by Sid Lerner in association with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health”. It is a way to eat just one day a week free of meat….go vegetarian for just that one day will help in our overall health. For more information, and recipes, as well, please visit http://www.meatlessmonday.com.
I had a couple of good size eggplants and decided that today, being Monday, I would use them to make Eggplant Parm. I have made this dish so many times, and every time I either add something or delete something. I always make recipes my own. So should you, it is fun to experiment.
2 medium to large eggplants
3 eggs
Oil for frying
Italian Breadcrumbs (If manking it gluten free, please make sure you buy some of the many available breadcrumbs that are gluten free.)
Spaghetti Sauce (I tried Mia’s Kitchen Bistro Marinara from Safeway and it is all natural and gluten free, made in Sonoma, California.)
Mozzarella Cheese (I used the already shredded cheese, but you can shred your own if you are eating gluten free. Make sure to read the labels.
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese. I grated it myself, which is great if you are eating gluten free. The packaged cheeses already grated might have an additive that contains gluten.
Basil
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees
Slightly grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.
Put about a cup of the spaghetti sauce and spread.
Cut the eggplant in round slices. I do not peel the eggplant. I think the skin looks great and it is where your vitamins are, as well.
In a shallow bowl cracked the eggs and mix. In a plate put the Italian breadcrumbs.
In a large frying pan put enough vegetable oil in order to fry the eggplant. It does not have to be too deep.
Dip the eggplants in the eggs and then dip in the Italian breadcrumbs.
Fry them until lightly brown. I usually get them out and let them sit on paper towels, but you can just transfer them directly to the prepared baking dish, as well.
Arrange them on the baking dish as you wish. You will be making two layers.
Spread spaghetti sauce on them and also half of the mozzarella. Repeat the process and at this point you will also sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top. Sprinkle some Basil for color too. Then to the oven.
Bake for about 45 minutes or so until they look like this…….
This dish has so much color….it should also be the center of attention on your plate. A green salad or green veggie is all you need.
For dessert, well, it is that time of the year when you just have to think that summer is around the corner but if you feel like living dangerously, well, go ahead and maybe go visit Edie Bees on Second Street in Lewes, Delaware, and grab something sweet and sinfully delish.
April 6th, 2015
I don’t even know when I decided to put recipes for Meatless Monday. Some Mondays I do not follow this global movement. But others, like tonight, made me want to construct a Bean Burger….The recipe is stolen, adding my own twist.
Meatless Monday started in 2003, launched in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. It has been catching on. The movement is active in about 36 countries. Every nation brings its uniqueness…culture, customs, and cuisine to the table in meat free dishes. To learn more, please visit http://www.meatlessmonday.com.
Monday is the chosen day because we see it as the beginning of the week. I get it, I get it….I always start my diets on Monday. It is a fresh start. Yeah, and at times is downhill from Monday on.
This recipe is so easy. A little bit of this and a little bit of that. I am sure you can make it your own, as well.
A BLACK BEAN BURGER FOR MEATLESS MONDAY
2 cans black beans, divided, rinsed and drained (I bought low sodium beans)
1 small chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 minced garlic clove
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt (optional)
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons oil for frying pan (your preferred oil)
3/4 bag of frozen peas and carrots
1 cup panko (I bought Chipotle Panko)
2 eggs
Puree 1 can beans, onion, parsley, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper in a food processor until smooth. Mine looks a little chunky because I do not own a food processor. The blender was a pain, but I did it, somewhat.
To the burger mixture, add the other can of beans, the peas and carrots, the panko and the eggs. Mix to combine.
Heat a skillet to medium heat.
In the meantime form the burger patties.
Place them in two batches in the skillet and cook until browned. About 4 minutes on each side.
Serve on rolls….I chose this Pretzel Roll. Add lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mustard and avocado.
Or serve on a salad if you are not eating carbs.
Enjoy!!
January 26th, 2015
Meatless recipe….but the day is perfect for a nice hot chili!!
This recipe is totally stolen. Cannot take any credit for it. It is a recipe from Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa. It comes out so good and it can be served by itself, or, as a side dish for meat, chicken or fish. I have served it with a Turducken and I just served it for Christmas Eve dinner with my small standing rib roast from Hickman’s in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
Spinach Gratin and sliced tomatoes on the side…yummy! It is by no means a low fat, low cal recipe but some adjustments can be made….substitute the butter for something lighter. The heavy cream can be half and half, and the milk can be low fat, as well.
SPINACH GRATIN
4 tablsps. usalted butter
4 cups yellow onions, chopped
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp nutmeg, grated (I used ground)
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups milk
5 10-ounce packages of frozen spinach, defrosted
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Kosher salt (optional)
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onions and saute until translucent. About 10 minutes. Add the flour and nutmeg and cook stirring for a few more minutes, making a roux. Add the cream and milk and cook until thickened.
Squeeze as much liquid as you can from the defrosted spinach. Add the spinach to the sauce. Then, add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and mix it well. Season with salt and pepper if you want to.
Transfer the spinach to a baking dish, 9 x 13, and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 Parmesan and the Gruyere on top. Bake for about 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Serve and enjoy!!
I made this recipe gluten free. Please grate your cheeses to make sure there are no additives containing gluten.
November 3rd, 2014
I have tons of cookbooks. Not enough years to read them. Some I like better than others. This Meatless Monday recipe is not my own, but I treat it like it is. It was Giada’s mother’s recipe. It is good; perfect for company. A little tricky getting out of the loaf pan, though.
Veggie Loaf gives you an opportunity to leave meats on the side. Just by itself, it is plenty. Serve it with a fruit salad would be my choice.
VEGGIE LOAF
LOAF:
Cooking Spray
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small white onion, chopped (finely, please)
1 shredded carrot
1 celery stalk, sliced (thinly, please)
4 cups fresh baby spinach
1 15 ounce canned cooked lentils, drained
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup low fat shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup canned corn
1/3 cup chopped basil leaves (If not available use basil paste by the vegetables in the grocery store. Use about 2 tablespoons.)
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 tsp. kosher salt (optional)
1/2 tsp. freshly black pepper
2 medium tomatoes, sliced (You can use smaller tomatoes, as well.)
SAUCE:
1 box (pint) cherry tomatoes, halved
3 scallions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped (optional)
8 fresh basil leaves (Use basil paste, if fresh basil leaves are unavailable.)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp. Kosher salt (optional)
1/2 tsp. black pepper
Make the sauce first and just put it aside. In a blender or food processor chopped the ingredients. Do not puree, you want them a little coarse. I used a blender.
Proceed with the loaf:
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a skillet, over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, carrot, onion, celery….cook for about 5 minutes or so stirring frequently. Put in a large bowl to cool.
In the same skillet, cook spinach until it wilts, which does not take long. Drain and let cool slightly. Squeeze the excess liquid. On a cutting board coarsely chop it. Add to the onion mixture.
Add the lentils, brown rice, 3/4 cup of the mozzarella, the corn, basil, eggs, egg white, salt, pepper and 3/4 cup of the sauce to the already cooled veggie mixture.
Fill the loaf pan with this mixture. Arrange the tomatoes in a couple of rows, depending on their size, covering the mixture.
Sprinkle the remining 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Bake until loaf is heated through and the topping has melted and starts to brown. It might take 35 minutes or a bit more. Let it cool for about 15 minutes.
Slicing this loaf is tricky. Do so while the loaf is still in the pan. Do not attempt to take it out. Otherwise, you will have to do some rearranging.
I think 1 inch slices will be a good portion. Arrange on plates and top with sauce. Enjoy your Meatless…..whatever day you want it to be.
Note: This recipe was gluten free. Please check the labels for canned goods, grate your own mozzarella cheese or read the label on the bag. If using basil paste instead of fresh basil, Gourmet Garden, Basil Paste is gluten free and usually available by the produce in the local grocery stores.
September 29th, 2014
Tried and true recipes are always found on church cookbooks, school cookbooks, and other organizations. Anyone that likes to cook is a collector of these cookbooks. Having worked on a cookbook myself, it does take time to compile recipes. And, if you forget someone’s favorite recipe, forget it….chaos, and apologies will have to follow.
The Baked Eggplant Casserole recipe that will follow is from the recipe book of The Galleys of Nantucket. This cookbook was published in 1998 and it is now in its 17th edition. I bought Volume II. The Ladies’ Union Circle of The First Congregational Church in Nantucket, MA, are responsible for getting all these wonderful recipes. Many are given by the residents of Nantucket. The ones that don’t have any names are recipes used by the islanders; they just don’t know where the recipes came from.
I was reading the book and it does have great recipes. One, that was so simple, caught my attention and I think is perfect for Meatless Monday; a day of the week when maybe you might just want to leave meat aside. Really, it can be done any day, you know what I mean.
The recipe could be made gluten free by using gluten free barbecue sauce, and bread crumbs. These ingredients are easily found in any grocery store.
BAKED EGGPANT CASSEROLE
1 (1 1/2 lb.) eggplant
1/2 cup bottled barbecue sauce (your choice)
1 tablespoon instant minced onions
2 large tomatoes ( I used smaller tomatoes, therefore, I needed more than 2.)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
Peel eggplant and dice into 1 1/2 inch cubes.
Cook 10 minutes in boiling, and salted water. Drain.
Mix barbecue sauce and onion together. Let it stand 5 minutes. While waiting, slice the tomatoes.
Fold sauce mixture, eggplant, garlic and parsley. Looks messy, doesn’t it. It is pretty good. You’ll see.
Spoon 1/3 of the mixture into a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Top with a layer of half of the tomato slices. Repeat, ending with a layer of eggplant.
Mix butter, bread crumbs and cheese.
Sprinkle over eggplant.
Bake for about 45 minutes and until it browns a bit on top.
Serve and enjoy!!
Note: You can easily double this recipe. It can be used as a main dish with other veggies on the side. The recipe really surprised me. It tasted so good. If you like eggplant, this one is a winner. You might want to double it if you have hearty eaters in your household.
September 22nd, 2014
Well, I was not sure how this recipe was going to come out. When I read it….it caught my attention. Meatballs, broccoli, cheese….I thought the almond gravy recipe I have would be great to dunk these little ones in. Plus, it is Gluten Free!
You can use your food processor, but I used the NutriBullet instead for the grinding of the almonds.
For the broccoli, I used the blender.
This is an easy one.
BROCCOLI PARMESAN ‘MEATBALLS’
1/2 cup raw almonds
1 bag of frozen broccoli florets, defrosted…enough to make 2 cups
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese…the finer the better
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 egg, slightly beaten
Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place the almonds in the NutriBullet or food processor. Go ahead and process until coarsely ground. Transfer them to a medium size bowl.
Place the broccoli florets in the blender or food processor. Pulse until chopped.
Add the chopped broccoli, cheese, and garlic to the almonds and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stir in the egg.
Spray a mini-muffin tin with cooking spray. Form the broccoli mixture into 12 balls, squeezing them a little to make sure that they hold their shape.
Place each one in its own cup in the muffin tin.
Bake until they are golden on the outside and heated through. Even though the recipe said 20 minutes, mine took about 10 more minutes.
Remove tin from the oven and run a butter knife along and underneath each meatball to loosen them before gently popping them out.
Sprinkle with extra Parmesan cheese and serve with Almond Gravy….recipe to follow.
ALMOND GRAVY
1/2 cup raw almonds
1 large clove garlic
2 medium tomatoes (I used the cocktail tomatoes that are larger than the grape tomatoes. I cut them in half; enough to make about 1 1/2 cups.
1/4 teaspoon sweet paprikra
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (I used any infused Balsamic vinegar on hand.)
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tablespoons fresh basil or 2 tablespoons Basil Paste found in the vegetable section at grocery stores.
Process almonds in a food processor or in the NutriBullet with the garlic, tomatoes, paprika, vinegar, basil, and milk. Process until smooth.
You don’t have to heat this gravy…it is great also on steamed veggies.
Enjoy and make it your own!!
June 9th, 2014
Meatless Monday is a trend that has been taking the nation by storm…..just a day to stay away from meat!! So, as the weather in Rehoboth Beach turned a little cloudy, I thought that the Red Mushroom Bisque would be a good alternative to anything else you might have thought preparing.
First of all, the original recipe has been completely deconstructed….it is my own now. Hope you like it.
RED MUSHROOM BISQUE
2 tablespoons vegetable oil; more if needed
1 1/4 lbs. mushrooms…..I used two different types of mushrooms; your favorites will do.
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup Sherry or Madeira wine….or a bit more, if you want to.
3 cups unsalted vegetable broth, plus more if desired.
2 cups almond cream (recipe will follow)
Chopped Chives for garnish
White Truffle Oil for garnish
Basil paste for garnish (found at grocery stores, by the fresh veggies)
Heat a large soup pot on medium high heat. Add the vegetable oil, then mushrooms. Cook, stirring often until the mushrooms begin to brown. Remove from the heat, spread on a plate and let them cool off.
Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper.
In the same pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and add the onions, cooking them until translucent and slightly browned. Add the garlic, then, the Madeira or Sherry, scrapping the bottom of the pot.
Add 3 cups of unsalted vegetable broth and half of the cooled mushrooms. Simmer and remove from heat.
In your blender, blend the mushroom mixture. Return the blended mixture to the pot.
Whisk in the almond cream.
Heat the soup, having in mind that it could thicken as it heats up. If it does that, you can add a bit of the unsalted vegetable broth and that will take care of it. I don’t think you will have any problems, though.
ALMOND CREAM
1 cup raw almonds
1 large clove garlic
6 or 7 cocktail tomatoes cut in half….they are bigger than the grape tomatoes.
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tablespoons of basil paste, found by the fresh veggies in the grocery store.
In a high powered blender or Nutri-Bullet, which is what I used, put all the ingredients and blend until smooth. That’s all! It will be like a cream, not totally smooth, but close to it.
Serve your Red Mushroom Bisque on a pretty bowl and garnish with chives, basil paste and drizzles of truffle oil. If you do not have truffle oil, you can use your favorite oil.
Enjoy!!
Last year, Rehoboth Beach VegFest was a one day event….this year is the whole week-end, but the day to really go and enjoy the tastings, recipes, and talks will be on Saturday, June 14th. All the details can be found at http://www.rehobothvegfest.org.
Have a great day!
April 28th, 2014
This recipe is from the book called The End of Diabetes by Joel Fuhrman, MD. A very interesting book…I have it on my Kindle. Dr. Fuhrman says “When you eat a diet rich in healthy, natural foods from the earth, you give your body the nutrients it needs to heal and protect itself”.
It has started to rain. This soup is tasty, filling and vegetarian. The only thing I changed was that instead of water I used No Salt Vegetable Broth. It gave it even more flavor.
It is up to you if you wish to use organic vegetables.
GOLDEN AUSTRIAN CAULIFLOWER CREAM SOUP
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
3 carots, coarsely chopped (I bought the shredded carrots.)
1 cup coarsely chopped celery
2 leeks, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons of your favorite no-salt seasoning blend
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash spice blend
2 cups carrot juice, fresh or bottled
4 cups of No Salt Vegetable Broth
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup raw cashews
5 cups chopped baby spinach
Place cauliflower, carrots, celery, leeks, 2 tablespoons seasoning blend, Mrs. Dash, carrot juice, No Salt Vegetable Broth, garlic, and nutmeg in a large soup pot. Cover, and simmer until cauliflower is soft; about 15 minutes.
Transfer 2/3 of the soup, (vegetables and stock) to a blender or food processor, add cashews, and blend until smooth and creamy. You might have to do this in batches.
Return blended mixture to the soup pot, stir in spinach, and simmer until spinach is wilted.
Serve and garnish with a few cashews.
Note: The cashews add thickening power, protein and fat to this delicious soup.
 
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