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Tag Archives: vegetarian

Homemade Vegetarian Sushi

06 Thursday Feb 2014

Posted by Monique in Recipes

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Tags

recipes, sushi, vegetarian

 

At some point in my early adulthood, I discovered sushi. My office bestie and I, back when we lived with our parents, literally went out for sushi every day. So much so that when we were seated at the restaurant, the owner would greet us and say “Hey Jess! Hey Mo! the usual??” and more times than not we would order the same exact thing.

I eventually took a sushi making class with Jess and while i still enjoy going out for sushi, making it at home is still one of my favorite things to do on a Friday night or any night i just want to create something.  IMG_0952

When I make sushi at home, i stick to the short cuts. Cucumber. Avocado. Canned tuna with sriacha and mayo(if needed). I usually have all the ingredients on hand and finding super fresh fish at the drop of a hat is not relaxing to me.

So with 5 sheets of nori, 2 cups of seasoned rice, 1/2 seedless cucumber and 2 avocados i put on some Pandora (green day channel) and got busy. IMG_0959

The annoying part is definitely the prep but the end result is worth it. IMG_0960It was the first time I made sushi for BR.

He didn’t seem to mind the absence of animal protein.

MOAR SUSHI!!!!

 

Meat Free Monday: Slow Cooker Snobby Joe

13 Monday May 2013

Posted by Monique in Recipes, slow cooker

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

dinner, lentil, meat free, recipes, slow cooker, snobby joe, vegan, vegetarian

A few years ago, I discovered a love for lentils. I discovered my lentil love when I attempted a lentil sloppy joe recipe. Aside from not having any meat in it, it really tasted like those delicious and oh so messy joes from the middle school cafeteria. Only these were lean and healthy (but just as, if not more, messy).

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I’ve made this recipe before but to save time, I decided to use the slow cooker. It worked out really well!

Ingredients (serves 6-8 ppl)

1 cup of dry lentils (+ 4 cups of water to boil)

1 bell pepper, diced

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup tomato sauce

1/4 cup of tomato paste

1 tsp mustard

3 tablespoons of maple syrup

3 tablespoons of chili powder

1 tsp salt

Optional: kaiser rolls

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1. Prepare all the ingredients the night before and set in the fridge. In the morning, set the slow cooker on low and allow to cook for 8-10 hrs or 5 hrs on high. (the night before trick is helpful as the soaking of the lentils allows them to be tender and fully cooked at the end of the 10 hrs)

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When ready to serve, lightly toast a kaiser roll and place a cup of snobby joe mix onto roll.

I served with oven fries.

These were great. They were quite messy as one would imagine. They were also really flavorful. I might have been a tad sneaky by not telling BR these were meatless. But he loves lentils and loved this dish. The lentils are very filling so a little bit goes a long way. I ate the leftovers chili style with bread for dipping and sopping.

This freezes well too!

Meat Free Monday: Vegetarian Chili

06 Monday May 2013

Posted by Monique in Recipes

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

meat free, slow cooker, vegetarian

Whoa! Has it really been that long since my last post?!?

While enjoying a nice happy hour over some wings on Friday night, my coworker Dan told me I was slacking on the posts. He was right. I have been slacking. Sorry!

I recently took the Graduate Record Exam as part of the application process to grad school. As an undergrad, I graduated with honors and thought this standardized test would be a piece of cake. I studied with my Kaplan guides and took lots of practice exams. The practice exams were going well and on the day of the exam, I flopped. Like flopped it. I was so upset. And after so many days with my nose in the books, I felt so unprepared. But, I still have a chance at grad school and I have faith that I will make it in!

Sometimes BR gives me some ideas for the menu planning. I mean, considering that we now live together (surprise!) he gets to put his two cents in every now and then. He had the brilliant idea of incorporating more veggie dinners into our plans. With a  slight chill in the air these days, I felt like making a chili.

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One of the best veggie chilis that I have had contains zero soy and is super filling comes from Hungry Girl. Dan Good Chili. A chili that can be thrown together in an instant or in a slow cooker. Its healthy, its filling, and its delicious.

    4 1/4 cups canned tomato sauce
    1 cup canned diced tomatoes with green chilies
    3/4 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
    3/4 cup canned red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
    1/4 cup canned jalapeno slices, chopped
    1 cup canned sweet corn kernels, drained
    1 1/2 cups chopped onions
    1 large red bell pepper, chopped
    1 large green bell pepper, chopped
    1 3/4 cups chopped carrots
    1 1/2 cups chopped mushrooms
    1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
    2 teaspoons crushed garlic
    1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
    1 teaspoon ground cumin
    Optional: salt

Directions

Place the tomato sauce, tomatoes, jalapenos, chili powder, and cumin in a large pot slow cooker. Stir over low heat. Once the mixture is heated, stir in the garlic and continue to cook for about 5 minutes.
Add carrots and continue to cook over low heat. Meanwhile, over medium heat, cook onions, peppers, and mushrooms for 3 to 5 minutes in a large pan with just 1/2 cup of water (and some salt if desired). The onions and peppers should still be a little crunchy. Using a slotted spoon to drain any excess water, and the veggies to the pot.
Add beans, corn, and Worcestershire sauce to the pot. Mix Well. Everything should now be in the pot.
Cook on low heat for about 2 8 hours, stirring every 20 minutes or so. Chili is done when carrots have lost their crunch.
Makes 10 servings.

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Each 1 cup serving is 147 calories, That’s a hell of a bargain. I served this over fluffy white rice and topped with sour cream and shredded cheddar.

A great freezer friendly meal, and nearly effortless to put together.

We liked the meat free night… but we are true carnivores!

Spinach, Feta, and White Bean Quesadilla

10 Wednesday Oct 2012

Posted by Monique in Recipes

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

brunch, feta cheese, light dinner, light lunch, quesadilla, quick dinner, spinach, vegetarian

Before I really knew what I was getting myself into with regards the cooking for my new boy, I was menu planning with great excitement. BR is a regular dinner guest and I am more eager to get home and cook. I really get a kick out of trying new things and making bellies happy. A challenge I have is making things that are healthy for me and still hearty enough for the likes of BR. BR is a guys’ guy. When he sits down to a meal, he doesn’t care what’s on the plate as long as there is meat. It never fails that whenever I ask him what he feels like for dinner, he replies “meat”.

I found this recipe for a spinach and feta quesadilla on the weight watchers website.  It looked simple enough to make with ingredients that I usually have on hand anyway. The only modification I made was adding shredded rotisserie chicken to BR’s quesadilla to bulk it up for him.

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Ingredients:
2 sprays of cooking spray
1 bunch of scallions
1 clove of garlic, minced
10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
¼ cup fat free feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp fat free half and half
4 ounces reduced fat cream cheese
½ cup part skim mozzarella, shredded
¼ cup cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
¼ tsp black pepper
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
4 medium flour tortillas

(ADD 1-2 Chicken Breasts, shredded to the mix to bulk up the protein…or for the eaters in your life that MUST have MEAT)

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Directions:
Coat a 10 inch skillet coated with cooing spray and heat over medium high. Add scallions and garlic. Sauté for 1 minute. Stir in spinach. Cook through until spinach is hot , about 3 minutes.
Add feta cheese, parmesan, half and half, cream cheese, mozzarella, beans, pepper and lemon juice. Stir until well combined.

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Spread ½ cup of the spinach spread onto the bottom half of the flour tortilla. Fold to create a half circle and crisp up on a pan that was sprayed with cookin spray.

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Toast the tortilla on each side (about 4 minutes).

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Remove from heat and serve immediately with sour cream and salsa.

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Quesadillas are simple enough to make and can be quite versatile. These quesadillas should be enjoyed fresh. They lose a lot of the crispness after they sit for a while or even after refrigeration. But if you must have leftovers, heat them in the toaster oven and top with a fried egg for a healthy brunch!

Eggplant Tart

27 Monday Aug 2012

Posted by Monique in Recipes

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

baking, dinner, eggplant, light lunch, tart, tomatoes, vegetarian

Sunday is by far my favorite day of the week. I usually don’t plan much for Sundays aside from Brunch or an early movie because it’s the day before the dreaded Monday and the last day of the weekend. So I do what relaxes me. Put on a movie, or blast the Green Day station on Pandora and zone out in the kitchen. It’s a ritual that I have been honoring for years.

I choose a somewhat labor intensive dish to make on Sunday because after coming home from work and walking Mickey, going to the gym or whatever, sometimes the last thing I want to do is be patient while dinner cooks. I have tried this in the past and what I have learned is, I am not a pleasant person to be around when I’m hungry. So when I started prepping Sunday meals and coming home to dinner in less than 15 minutes, that sunday ritual became mandatory.

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When I spotted these beautiful babies at the Farmer’s Market, I knew they were eggplant but I had planned them for another recipe. I recently subscribed to Cooking Light magazine (soooo excited!) and now receive  daily emails about what is for dinner. Something caught my eye and I began to peruse the site chocked FULL of amazing recipes. When I saw the Eggplant, Tomato, and Smoked Mozzarella tart, the plans for my eggplant changed. I tweaked the recipe a tiny bit according to the supply on hand.

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For the Crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon toasted wheat germ

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon olive oil

Cooking spray

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Method:

Preheat oven to 400*.

Combine flour, wheat germ, baking powder, pepper and salt in a large bowl and whisk. Create a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the water and oil to the center of the well. Using either your hand (my preferred method) or a rubber spatula, fold the ingredients together to create a soft dough. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead the dough four  times. Make a 4 inch circle out of the dough and cover it with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge and allow to chill for 15 minutes.

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After the dough has chilled, roll it out between two sheets of plastic wrap and press into a 9 inch tart. Making this tart makes me think of the Dude, who gave me this tart pan because he didn’t want to take it to his new home across the country. Paying homage to one of my bestest friends and his tart pan. Hi mike!

Pierce the dough after its been fitted into the tart pan with a fork and bake at 400* 20 minutes.

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When the dough is baked, allow to completely cool. While it is cooling, prepare the filling for the tart.

Filling:

1 eggplant (about 1 lb), cut crosswise into  1/4 inch slices ( I used two small, but heavy eggplants)

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided

1/3 teaspoon oil

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (1/8 tsp garlic powder)

(1/2 large spanish Onion, thinly sliced)

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano (3/4 tsp dried italian seasoning)

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint (I don’t care for mint)

2 plum tomatoes (1 large beefsteak tomato)

1/2 cup shredded smoked mozzarella, divided (I used smoked gouda)

2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan Cheese

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Crank up the oven to 450 and arrange eggplant on a nonstick cookie sheet. Roast eggplant for 20 minutes or until slightly browned. This particular eggplant that I used is a non-bitter eggplant. If using regular eggplant, you might want to soak the eggplant to eliminate the bitterness or salt the eggplant while roasting it.

Set the eggplant aside when its cooked and work on the sauce.

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In a medium skillet, sauté the sliced onion in a tsp of oil over medium heat. I like the onions to be slightly sweet when making a tomato based sauce so I cook them until they start to caramelize a tiny bit. About 8 minutes. Add salt and garlic powder while constantly stirring the onion to prevent the spices from burning.

The recipe takes a turn here where I stop looking at the instructions and kinda do what feels right. 

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Lower the flame and add the tomatoes, basil, italian seasoning and stir. The tomatoes will break apart and create a rustic sauce. Its amazing to watch. and the smell! heavenly! Allow the sauce to simmer for 15 minutes on low. I tweaked my sauce at this point and added a tiny bit more garlic powder.

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Remove the sauce from the heat and bring the oven back down to 400*.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the smoked gouda on to the crust.  Add a spoonful of the tomato sauce. Layer the eggplant.

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Please note that I used double the amount of eggplant this recipe called for.

Cover the eggplant with remaining sauce, smoked gouda and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

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Bake at 400 for 10 –15 minutes or until cheese melts.

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Allow tart to rest for a few minutes before removing from tart pan.

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And allow tart to rest before slicing. This recipe makes 4 servings. I unknowingly calculated the calories without noting the serving size. the Serving size for this recipe is two slices.

So, tart makes 8 slices, you can serve yourself 2 slices. Smile

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I ate this as a light lunch. The tart warms beautifully in a toaster oven and can be bulked up with a side salad or plate of veggies.

As I write this, I sent my mother an apology for bringing her a tiny slice of this tart and telling her it was 8 Weight Watcher points. Its only now, long after she ate the tart that I apologize. Mothers know best. She looked at the tart scratching her head wondering how on the planet was that little slice 260 calories…

well. now we know.

About me

My name is Monique. I am a mom to a sweet baby girl, a wife, an office dweller, and a passionate home cook/ food lover. I am the owner and operator of this lovely blog and everything you see here is a direct result of my passion... If you wish to contact me please feel free to do so. I can be reached at moniquer83[at]gmail[dot]com.

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