Mmm....veggies

I've always said that I could be a vegetarian if it weren't for chicken and bacon, because I generally don't eat a lot of red meat.  I usually get a craving for a hamburger 3 times a year and a steak even less than that.  That being said, I'm pretty picky about my vegetables, and I think it can often be difficult to make really tasty, meat-free dishes. I would like to offer up a couple of my favorite meatless wonders.

NOTE: These are NOT vegan recipes; as much as I try to change, I am a lover of almost all things dairy

Fresh Corn Frittata with Smoked Mozzarella
(This recipe is adapted for my personal tastes.  You can find the original recipe in All-New Complete Cooking Light Cookbook Oxmoor House 2006, pg 307)

Cooking spray
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 3 ears)
1/2 cup (2 ounce) shredded smoked mozzarella cheese, divided
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh basil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
5 large egg whites, lightly beaten
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1. Preheat broiler
2. Heat a medium (8 inch works well) ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add onion and corn, and sauté 5 minutes.  Remove pan from heat and allow to cool for 2 minutes. Combine corn, 3 tablespoons of cheese, basil and remaining ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.
3. Heat pan over medium heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray; add corn mixture.  Cover and cook 5 minutes or until almost set.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Broil 5 minutes or until set and browned. Cut into wedges.  Yield: 4 servings.

This is really tasty hot or at room temperature.  It makes a good brunch item, or you can turn it into a light dinner by adding a salad or a cup of soup.  You can substitute an equal amount of thawed frozen corn to replace the fresh, but it won't be quite the same. However, I find that canned corn makes the final product a bit too salty even after omitting all of the salt that the recipe calls for.

The next recipe is one of Tom's recent favorites.

Broccoli Cornbread
(This recipe has been adapted for my personal tastes.  You can find the original recipe in Jenny Craig's Simple Pleasures: Recipes to Nourish Body and Soul Oxmoor House 1998, pg 70)

Cooking Spray
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
1 (8 1/2) ounce corn muffin mix (Get the Jiffy; it's not the same with the store brand)
3/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup egg substitute
1/2 cup shredded extra sharp low fat cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground  black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Coat a small skillet with cooking spray.  Add onion and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes or until softened
3. Coat an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray.  Add butter and place in oven for 3 minutes or until butter melts.
4. Press broccoli between paper towels to remove excess moisture.  Combine broccoli, muffin mix, onion, and remaining ingredients, stirring well.  Spoon into prepared pan.  Bake for 23-25 minutes or until set and golden.  Yield 16 servings.

Now loyal readers (all 2 of you :P) I ask that you submit your favorite vegetarian recipes to be featured in an upcoming post.  If it's not an original recipe, please include your source material, and if you would like your name to appear a certain way, please let me know.  And yes, I'm fishing for comments, so leave some ;)

Comments

[X-tina]

Hey, you got your blog off the ground! Awesome! I'll share something. One of my favorite go-to veggie dishes is pasta with pesto. It's quick, versatile, and delicious. I love anything you can make in a food processor :)

As we all know, it consists of:

Big bunch of basil
Parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves (I like my pesto pungent)
Extra virgin olive oil at desired consistency
Pine nuts/walnuts/hazelnuts

Of course, it's best to toast the nuts beforehand so you get that nice Christmassy nutty smell and their flavor is more intense.

I've been into whole wheat pasta lately in order to get more fiber into my diet and to keep loving up on my pesto. Also, crusty French bread is awesome with it, too.

[Kris H.]

I was experimenting a little, and came up with this, a simple guacmole recipe of my design I affectionately call the Seven Layers of Hell Guacamole:

2 whole, ripe avocados
2½ tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette
1 tablespoon Cayenne pepper powder
2 small, whole Scotch Bonnet peppers
2 small, whole jalapeñoa
1 tablepoon sugar

Bisect the avocados and remove the seeds.

Bisect each half, and cut each segment in half again lengthwise. This will make removing the meat from the skin easier.

Remove the skin from all the pieces.

Cut each of the skinned slices into approximately 1 cubic inch chunks.

Place these chunks, the Cayenne pepper, sugar, and vinaigrette into a food processor for blending/mixing.

De-stem the Scotch Bonnet and jalapeño peppers and add them whole to the contents of the food processor.

Blend until the contents are an even paste. Pour into a serving bowl.

Sprinkle with more Cayenne over it. Serve with an appropriate snack food.

[Paige]

I have a vegan friend who visited and made this awesome vegan mac and "cheese." I don't remember the specific amounts, but the best part about this recipe is that it's very forgiving.

Ingredients:
1-2 servings of orzo
1/2-3/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
healthy shakes of onion powder and garlic powder.
normal shake of turmeric
pinch of dried basil
healthy squirt of bragg's liquid amino acids
olive oil

Cook the orzo. Drain and put back into pot. Pour in olive oil to coat the pasta. Add in the onion powder, garlic powder, turmeric, and basil. Stir to cover evenly. Add the Bragg's liquid amino acids. Add the nutritional yeast flakes a little at a time stirring to coat the pasta. If it's a little dry, add more olive oil.

Then enjoy!

Also works with rotini or spirally pasta. Also delicious if you add steamed green peas!

I've enjoyed your website! Have a good night!

[Kelty]

This is a recipe my mom makes every summer when there are fresh Vidalia onions, and it's one of my very favorites. It's from a cookbook (credited in the recipe), and it's best made in the summer with Vidalia onions and garden tomatoes.

Savory Cheese and Onion Pie

Recipe By : The Vegetarian Epicure - page 210
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :1:00
Categories : Main Dishes
Ingredients:

1 10-inch Pie Crust
280 Grams Cheese (1/2 Swiss, 1/2 Gruyere) -- (10 ounces)
2 Tablespoons Flour
2 Large Onions
4 Tablespoons Butter
1 Teaspoon Basil, Chopped
2 Large Tomatoes (firm ones), Sliced
2 Large Eggs
3/4 Cup Cream

1) Prepare the pastry for the pie, line a 10-inch pie dish and chill it.

2) Grate all the cheese and toss it with the flour.

3) Melt the butter in a large skillet, slice the onions and saute
them very gently in the butter until they begin to turn golden (about
1/2 hour).

4) Spread about 1/3 of the cheese over the bottom of the pie dish,
then spread the onions (without the butter) over it.

5) In the butter that is left in the pan, heat the tomato slices with
the chopped basil for a minute or two. Arrange the tomato slices over
the onions, then cover with the remaining cheese.

6) Beat the eggs with the cream and pour it over the cheese.
Sprinkle a little nutmeg on top, if you like.

7) Bake in a preheated oven, 180° C (350° F) oven for 35 to 40
minutes, or until the top browns nicely.

8) Serve hot, in wedges.