Meatless Monday

Last year I had one sad little bell pepper plant, I only had one little pepper on it and  it didn’t grow larger than a silver dollar. This year I have12 giant plants all full of peppers  and they are finally big enough to stuff!! So for Meatless Monday we shall have meatless stuffed bell peppers!!!

Vegetarian Stuffed Bell Peppers

Serves 6

6 large sweet peppers

2 cups cooked brown rice

3 small tomatoes, chopped

1 cup frozen corn, thawed

1 small sweet onion, chopped

1/3 cup canned red beans, rinsed and drained

1/3 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

3/4 cup cubed Monterey Jack cheese

1 can (4-1/4 ounces) chopped ripe olives

4 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3/4 cup meatless spaghetti sauce

1/2 cup water

4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, divided

1.       Cut tops off peppers and remove seeds; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the rice, tomatoes, corn, onion and beans. Stir in the Monterey Jack cheese, olives, basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Spoon into peppers.

2. Combine spaghetti sauce and water; pour half into an oval 5-qt. slow cooker. Add the stuffed peppers. Top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese.
3. Cover and cook on low for 3-1/2 to 4 hours or until peppers are tender and filling is heated through. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.

Meatless Monday

Since it was just Cinco de Mayo I thought we could make our Meatless Monday dish something in theme so tonight we are having:

Vegetarian Mexican Lasagna

Serves 6

1 (15-ounce) can pinto, pink or black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (14-ounce) can diced crushed tomatoes

1/4 C. chopped cilantro

1 clove finely minced garlic

1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles

2 C. frozen corn kernels, thawed

2 scallions, minced

1/2 t. ground cumin

1/2 t. dried oregano

8 corn tortillas

1 1/2 C. grated Monterey Jack cheese

sour cream, optional

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine beans, tomatoes, cilantro, garlic, chiles, corn, scallions, cumin and oregano; mix thoroughly.

Oil a 2-quart baking dish and line with 4 tortillas, overlapping if necessary. Spread half of bean mixture in a layer over tortillas. Sprinkle with half of the cheese. Repeat with remaining tortillas, beans and cheese.

Bake 20 - 25 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly. Let stand 1 or 2 minutes, then cut into squares to serve. Top each serving with a dollop sour cream if desired.

-Amanda 

Meatless Monday

I am in love with tonight’s Meatless Monday recipe, and so are my kids! Tonight we are having Smokey Veggie Quesadillas! We are going to pair it with some Mexican rice, some vegetarian refried beans, my hubbys favorite sweet corn tomalito and we are all going to plop down in front of the tv to watch the college ball conclusion!

Smokey Veggie Quesadillas

Ready In: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
juice of 1 lime (around 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2-1 teaspoon chipotle puree, chipotle powder, smoked paprika, or regular paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (or half as much table salt)
1 clove garlic, peeled and pressed through a garlic press
1 medium zucchini, trimmed, and thinly sliced (1/4 inch) lengthwise
1 red bell pepper, ends sliced off, cored and seeded, and cut into wide strips
1 red onion, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
12 corn tortillas or 8 flour tortilla
1/2 pound grated cheddar or Monterey jack cheese
a handful of cilantro leaves, washed and dried
sour cream and salsa for serving

Directions

1.     Preheat your grill on high.

2.     Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, chipotle or paprika, salt, and garlic. Arrange the vegetables in a single layer on a large, rimmed baking sheet, and pour half the dressing over them, turning them to coat the slices evenly.

3.     Turn the grill down to medium-low and roast the veggies, turning them and adjusting the heat as necessary, until they are completely tender, 10-12 minutes. Remove them to a plate, dress with the remainder of the lime juice mixture, and set aside.

4.     Heat a large griddle (or a heavy frying pan) over medium-high heat, and lay half of the tortillas into it (if you're using a pan, you'll need to do this in batches). Divide the cheese over them, top with the remaining tortillas, and cook until the bottoms are golden and crisp. Flip them, and cook until the tortillas are crisp and the cheese is melted.

5.     Open the quesadillas and divide the cilantro and grilled veggies among them, cutting the vegetables as necessary to fit, then quarter the quesadillas and serve with sour cream and salsa.

Meatless Monday

Its Meatless Monday and we are hungry! Tonight we are having:

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Spinach and Coconut Milk

Serves 4

4 sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons minced gingerroot

2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste

1 ¼ pounds flat-leaf spinach (stems remove removed unless very thin, then chopped)

Salt

1/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1.      Move an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400. Lightly rub each potato with a little oil. Place the potatoes on foil liked baking sheet and bake until the skin is crisp and skewer slides easily through the flesh, about 1 hour and 10 min. Remove the baking sheet and set aside to cool. Increase oven to 450

2.      While the sweet potatoes are cooling, heat the 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the ginger and curry paste and cook until fragrant. Add the damp spinach, cover and cook, stirring once or twice until completely wilted, about 5 minutes. Add salt to taste, then set aside.

3.       Using a folded kitchen towel to hold the hot sweet potatoes, cut each one in half lengthwise. With a spoon, scoop the flesh from each half in to a bow, leaving ¼ inch of flesh and skin in each sell, place potatoes back on baking sheet.

4.      Mash the sweet potatoes in the bow with the coconut milk until smooth. Stir in the spinach mixture and cilantro Adjust seasonings to taste.

5.      Mound the sweet potato filling into each shell. Bake until the top is firm and crisp, about 15 min.
-Amanda

Meatless Monday

Its Meatless Monday, we got todays delicious dinner from The Vegetarian Family Cookbook by Nava Atlas. I love it, the food is meat free, low cal, and yummy for me and the kids! Today we are having:

Savory Bean Burgers with Yogurt-Mustard Dressing

Makes 12

76 Calories

Burgers:

1/3 cup quick-cooking oats

One 16-ounce can beans, drained and rinsed, or 2 cups well cooked beans

½ bell pepper, minced

2 scallions, minced

2 tablespoons soy sauce

½ cup wheat germ

1 to 2 teaspoons salt free all-purpose seasoning (Mrs. Dash or McCormick’s is great)

Light olive oil

Dressing:

3/4 cup low fat yogurt or soy yogurt

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon minced fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill

1 tablespoon tahini, optional

1. Combine the oatmeal and 2/3 cup boiling water in a cup. Let stand for 5 minutes

2. Mash the beans well in a mincing bowl. Add the oatmeal and the remaining    burger ingredients except the oil, and still until thoroughly mixed

3. Heat just enough oil to coat he bottom of a large nonstick skillet. When sizzling hot, drop the burger mixture onto the skillet in 1/3 cup full and flatten lightly to 3-4inch rounds. Cook on both sides over medium heat until nicely browned.

4.  Combine all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and stir until completely blended.

We ate this with veggies from garden (onion, lettuce, and our confused tomatoes that are red even though its winter) and pitta bread. For a side we had some yummy vegetarian baked beans and coleslaw.

-Amanda

Meatless Monday

I have mentioned before how many environmentalist consider vegetarianism the ultimate eco diet. I am all for going vegetarian; my Mother was vegetarian so I grew up eating this way, unfortunately my husband and the rest of the Happy Green Life crew look at me like I am crazy whenever I mention that we should all stop eating meat. In an effort to appease me and to get me to shut up about totally abandoning our carnivorous habits, we have all decided to give up one meat meal a week.

 Starting today we here at A Happy Green Life will start our Meatless Monday! One of our two families will pick a delicious meatless meal to make and share it with all of you. We might not be going totally meatless, but every little bit helps. Remember we learned a few weeks back that if every American cut down their meat consumption by half we would save 645 million global acres of land (that is 484 million football fields). So here we go!! *If anyone has any great meatless meals send them our way we would love to try them!!

Winter Squash Risotto With Sage and Parmesan

Serves 4

 2 ½ pounds winter squash, halved, seeds and strings removed and reserved

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon melted

salt

1 quart veggie broth

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

 2 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 ½ cups Arborio rice

¾ cup dry white wine

¾ cups freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon minced sage leaves

1.      Move an oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450. Place squash flesh side up on baking sheet. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with salt to taste. Bake until tender (about 45 min) Remove from oven. When cool, use spoon to scrape flesh from skins. Discard skins and mash flesh.

2.      Meanwhile, place squash scrapings (seeds and stings) in a medium saucepan. Add veggie broth and ½ teaspoon salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer about 20 min. Strain mixture through mesh strainer into large measuring cup, pressing squash scrapings to extract as much liquid as possible. Return the squash broth to saucepan along with enough water to make 6 cups (you will probably add 2 cups of water). Bring to a simmer, turn off heat and cover to keep broth warm.

3.      Heat 1 tablespoon of remaining butter and the oil in heavy bottom medium saucepan over medium heat. When the foaming subsides add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 min. Add garlic, cook about 1 minute.

4.      Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, add the rice and cook for 1 min. Add wine and cook, stiring often about 2 min. Add 1 cup of the hot broth and cook stirring frequently until the rice absorbs the liquid. Continue adding the broth in ¾ cup increments and stirring often until the rice is creamy (not soupy) and soft but still a bit al dente, about 25 min.

5.      Remove the saucepan from the heat and vigorously stir in the roasted squash, cheese, sage, and remaining butter. Keep stirring until the butter melts. Adjust seasonings, adding salt to taste. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!!- Amanda