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Roasted Brussels Sprouts

6 Nov

Super easy and delicious side dish…enjoy!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lbs brussels sprouts
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt & Pepper
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Prepare the brussels sprouts by trimming off the bottoms and cutting in half
3. On a baking sheet lined with foil, lay out the sprouts
4. Generously sprinkle with olive oil and salt & pepper (if you want an extra kick, add some crushed chili flakes!)
5. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes
Told you it was easy :)

Baked Rigatoni with Roasted Eggplant & Basil

2 Nov

I spotted this recipe in my Bon Appetit magazine…the basil crunch with the gooey mozzerralla caught my eye immediately. I decided to try it out for our October cooking club. Although there are alot of steps involved, its a pretty easy recipe and the outcome is amazing…the dish was clean by the end of the night!

Ingredients

  • 1 unpeeled large eggplant (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 2 medium yellow bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch squares
  • 2 cups grape tomatoes
  • 3 large garlic cloves, divided
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 2 cups (firmly packed) fresh basil leaves, divided
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 1 28-oz can whole tomatoes in juice
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 lb rigatoni
  • 1 lb whole-milk mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray; add eggplant and peppers. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise; add to sheet. Sprinkle 1 crushed garlic clove onto vegetables. Drizzle vegetables with oil; toss. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast vegetables until tender, stirring often, 35 to 45 minutes.

2. Combine 2/3 cup basil, 1/2 cup Parmesan, pine nuts, and 1 garlic clove in mini processor. Blend until crumbly. Season topping with salt.

3. Blend tomatoes with juice, cream, 1 1/3 cups basil, and 1 garlic clove in processor until smooth. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

4. Cook pasta in pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally; drain. Return to pot. Toss with vegetables, sauce, and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Transfer to 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella and pine nut topping.

5. Bake pasta until heated through, 25 to 35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes and serve.

Mexican Tostada

30 Aug

I love to cook every night! But sometimes after work there just isn’t enough time to try out a complicated new recipe with alot of components. Mexican food always fills that gap for me, its easy, takes no time to make and is delicious. I’ve never actually made a tostada before so I figured I’d give it a whirl. Crispy fried tortilla with a bunch of yummy toppings? Why not :) I was in a veggie mood so I just used grilled peppers and onions to enhance this but  you could easily add on some chicken or steak. I also figured I would step up the recipe a notch by making homemade Pico De Gallo.

Tostada

  • 1 can Refried Black Beans (I know ‘refried’ isnt the healthiest thing but it’s mandatory for this. A tostada just isnt the same without a schmear of yummy beans on the bottom!)
  • 1 Red Bell Pepper
  • 1 Medium Yellow Onion
  • Grated Cheese (I used a pre-grated mexican blend)
  • Avocado
  • Lettuce
  • 1 can sliced black olives
  • Pack of Tortillas (I used whole wheat)
  • PICO DE GALLO
1. Heat up the black beans in a small saucepan.
2. Slice up the peppers and onions and saute in a saucepan with a little olive oil.
3. Right before assembling, fill a saucepan with vegetable oil. Once hot, fry each tortilla (only needs about 1-2 mins per side). Lay on a paper towel to remove excess oil.
4. Layer on the ingredients however you’d like it!
Pico De Gallo
  • 2 Medium Tomatoes, diced
  • 1 Red Onion, diced
  • 1/2 Jalapeno (seeds removed), diced
  • 2-3 sprigs of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
  • 1 green onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder or 2 garlic cloves (minced)
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
1. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients.
2. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Zucchini With Toasted Almonds & Parm

25 Aug

I first had this dish at a local Italian restaurant (Jackson Fillmore) in my neighborhood…I was blown away at how delicious it was because of its simplicity! I come to find out that my sister had recently made a dish like this of her own, so I figured I had to try it out. It turned out incredible, the salt of the parm is perfect with the fresh zucchini and the crunch of the toasty almonds. A perfect side dish any time of the year!

Thanks Kate! (p.s. how cute is ava?!)

Ingredients

  • Zucchini
  • Handful of Sliced Almonds
  • Olive Oil
  • Parmesan Cheese
  • Salt & Pepper
1. Slice the zucchini into thin matchsticks. (If you dont own one already, invest in a mandolin!)
2. Coat a sauce pan with olive oil over medium heat.
3. Add a handful of sliced almonds and toast. Ready after about 1-2 mins or golden brown.
4. Remove the almonds from the heat and toss in the zucchini, quickly stir to combine. This is the most important step, work quickly as you just want to slightly heat the zucchini through, you dont want to cook it.
5. Add Salt & Pepper to taste and top with shaved parmesan.

Veggie Lasagna

11 Aug

There is something about food baking in the oven until it gets golden brown that is always so appealing to me. I knew that was where I wanted to start in my search for the next recipe to try out. I came across Giada’s recipe for Individual Vegetable Lasagnas and couldnt resist trying it out! Not only do these little guys bake in the oven BUT I was also able to try out my new oven safe pots! I’ve made a few different types of lasagnas before and this is by far the tastiest! I went the extra mile with this recipe and made homemade marinara sauce…super easy and made a big difference in the taste department :) Also although the recipe is for individual guys, you can also make one big one. I made one individual and with the rest of the ingredients was able to make a big one as well. There is alot of room to make this recipe “your own”, as you’ll see below, I didnt follow this to a “T”. I changed around the types of veggies and also opted to not use beans and go with more cheese instead.

Individual Veggie Lasagna

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
  • 1 medium zucchini, finely chopped
  • 1 medium summer squash, finely chopped
  • 8 asparagus spears, cut into 1/4-inch slices (I dont love asparagus, so I used crimini mushrooms instead)
  • 1 pound lasagna sheets
  • 2 cups marinara sauce, recipe follows
  • 1 1/2 cups canned white beans, rinsed and drained (the beans weirded me out so instead of using these, I mixed the spinach with ricotta cheese)
  • 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (I used fresh spinach – quickly steamed them and then squeezed the excess water out)
  • 3 cups shredded mozzarella
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, halved
  • Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In the meantime, place lasagna sheets in salted, boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes (al dente).

2. In a saute pan over medium heat, add extra-virgin olive oil. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the carrot and cook for 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, squash & any additional veggies, cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat when all vegetables are completely cooked but still have a good crunch. Allow to cool.

3. Using a 6-inch round cookie cutter, cut circles out of the lasagna sheets. You will need 18 circles. Coat the bottom of 6 (6-inch) gratin dishes with a teaspoon of tomato sauce in each. Place a circle of pasta on the bottom of each ramekin.

4. (if using beans) Rinse the beans with water and season with salt and pepper. Divide the beans between each ramekin. Next, divide the spinach between the ramekins. (if not using beans) Mix the spinach with ricotta cheese, divide the mixture between the ramekins

5. Place a second layer of pasta on top and gently press down. Divide the vegetables among the ramekins and top with tomato sauce in each.

6. Place the third layer of pasta in each ramekin and coat with tomato sauce. Sprinkle ramekins with the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, and top each with 1/2 tablespoon of butter.

7. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place gratin dishes on top. Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes or until brown and bubbling.

*If using an 8×8 or 9×10 pan, layer the lasagna until all ingredients are gone. Bake for 25-30 minutes until brown and bubbling.

Homemade Marinara Sauce (I halved the recipe and it was more than enough sauce for the lasagna)

  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 small onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • Salt & pepper
  • 2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
  • 2 dried bay leaves
1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick.
3. Remove bay leaves and season the sauce with more salt and pepper, to taste.
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