Veggie Delights -- Delicious Big Bowl Quinoa

What Veggie Delights is all about: I'm convinced that I can share with you some really amazing meatless dishes that you will love, even if you're not a Vegetarian!

Okay, let's just go ahead and get it out of the way - my picture taking skills STINK! The picture above does not do this recipe justice. I promise you it is probably one of the most delicious recipes I have tried in a very long time. My husband and I both loved it!

The mixture of all the ingredients is just perfect. I love nuts, potatoes, and grains mixed together. It's so yummy. If you've never tried quinoa, you're in for a treat. It's kind of like rice or couscous or any other grain. The texture is what sets it apart, though (it's a nutty grain). You'll know it's done cooking when the quinoa opens up and you see little curly spirals. The trick with quinoa - DO NOT OVERCOOK! It's supposed to be just a tad crunchy-like. You don't want to overcook, or it will become a sloppy/soggy mess that has no texture at all. Quinoa is so healthy for you, and a great way for Vegetarians to get protein!

This recipe came from one of my favorite Vegetarian cooking blogs called 101 Cookbooks. I followed the recipe almost exactly as it is written.

Ingredients:

2 cups quinoa, rinsed well
4 cups water
1 tsp salt
extra virgin olive oil
4 medium/large potatoes
1 large onion
1 clove garlic
1 cup nuts (I used walnuts)
1-2 cups asparagus

Directions:

1. Combine quinoa, water, and salt in a pot. Cook according to package instructions. Drain, set aside.

2. While the quinoa is cooking, dice the potatoes and chop the onions.

3. Heat some olive oil in a pan on the stove. Add potatoes and cook until tender and a little crispy (I like mine extra crispy, though).

4. Meanwhile, cook asparagus however you'd like to. (I simply boiled/steamed mine. It took about 5 minutes.) Also, place nuts on a cookie sheet in a single layer and toast in the oven until slightly browned.

5. When potatoes are done cooking, salt to taste and set aside. In the same pan, heat some more oil. Cook onions for a bit, then add minced garlic. Cook until desired softness.

6. Combine everything together in a large bowl: quinoa, potatoes, toasted nuts, cooked asparagus, and onions/garlic. Salt and pepper to taste.

7. Enjoy!

What About You: If you try this recipe, let me know what you think!

Veggie Delights -- Flatbread Topped With Salad

What Veggie Delights is all about: I'm convinced that I can share with you some really amazing meatless dishes that you will love, even if you're not a Vegetarian!

Let's just be honest. I've been slacking on this Veggie Delights feature! No worries, though - I've been taking pictures and have lots of delicious meals in store for you!

This was a meal I made about a month ago. It was our first time trying it, and my husband and I both loved it. Very simple, light, tasty, and filling.

I found the recipe for the salad mix in Good Housekeeping Favorite Recipes: Vegetarian Meals. I used this Flatbread recipe from All Recipes. The two made a great pair. I wasn't sure if it was going to work, but the two recipes mixed wonderfully!

*Salad Mix Recipe*

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp mustard (I left this out)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
6 cups salad greens (I estimated)
2 ripe medium tomatoes
1 small cucumber

Directions:

1. Prepare salad dressing by whisking together the first 6 ingredients in a bowl until blended.
2. Cut tomatoes into 1/2 inch pieces.
3. Peel cucumber, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces.
4. Mix lettuce, cucumber, and tomato into the dressing! That's all there is to it!

*Flatbread Recipe*

I followed this bread machine recipe exactly as written on All Recipes! Very easy!

Once the bread is ready, simply cut it into serving-size pieces and top the bread with the mixed up salad! So yummy!

One tip: For the flatbread, if you decide to use a cookie-type sheet to bake it, I suggest spraying a little bit of non-stick oil on it before placing the dough on it for baking. It was quite difficult to remove from the pan. ;)

What About You: Enjoy, and let me know if you like it!

Introducing...Veggie Delights -- Yummy Mac n Cheese!

I am really excited to introduce to you a new weekly feature on this blog...Veggie Delights!

So as many of you know, my husband and I are Vegetarians. Most of the time when we tell people this, we get responses such as...

"Oh, I could never go without meat."
"Gross. I hate vegetables."
"How do you make yummy meals without meat?"
"Cooking must be so difficult. There's nothing to work with."
etc. etc. etc.

Because this is something I am very passionate about, and since I love to cook, I thought it would be fun to highlight a Vegetarian recipe every week! I'm calling it Veggie Delights because I'm convinced that I can share with you some really amazing meatless dishes that you will love, even if you're not a Vegetarian! Every week I will highlight one of my favorite Vegetarian recipes.

This week's fantastic recipe: Yummy Mac n Cheese (pictured above)!

I made this Mac n Cheese with my friend Blake while she was here visiting back in January. We got it from an edition of Family Circle magazine. It is honestly the best mac n cheese I've ever tasted. We were both really impressed by the recipe.

The only problem is that it isn't a very budget-friendly meal, simply because of the type of cheese it calls for. It calls for Gruyere cheese (which is like over $10 a block). When my friend and I made it, we substituted Havarti cheese (a little cheaper) and it was amazing. When I made it by myself the second time on my Freezer Cooking weekend, I substituted Mozzarella (even cheaper) and it worked great! (It wasn't quite as creamy and delicious, but it was still amazing).

What You'll Need:

• 1 box penne rigate pasta (I used whole-wheat...tastes so good!)
• 3/4 pound shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 pound Gruyere cheese, shredded (or Havarti or Mozzarella)
• 1/2 cup shredded Asiago or parmesan cheese (I've used Parmesan both times)
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk (I used skim milk)
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 2-quart broiler safe baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. (Mine is only in aluminum foil, because I was going to freeze it for later). Bring a large pot of slightly salty water to boiling.

2. Once water boils, add pasta. Cook about 6 minutes, drain.

3. In a large bowl, toss together all cheeses. Set aside.

4. Meanwhile, melt butter in medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth and slightly bubbly. In a thin stream, whisk in milk. Stir in onion powder, salt, and cayenne. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in 2 1/2 cups of the cheese mixture.

5. In pasta pot, stir together cooked pasta and the cheese sauce.

6. Pour half of the pasta/cheese sauce mixture into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with generous cup of the shredded cheese mixture. Spoon remaining pasta/cheese sauce mixture into dish and top with remaining shredded cheese.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Increase oven temp to broil and cook 3 minutes, until top is slightly browned. Cool slightly before serving.

Enjoy! It makes 12 side dish servings. (But of course I always eat way more than that). Oh, and just so you know...I've stayed away from this recipe due to my efforts to Get Thin in 2010 (update coming tomorrow)! Ha Ha!

What About You: Do you think this recipe looks tasty? If you try it, let me know what you think!