Category: Vegetarian

Simple French Toast


An easy & yummy dish for breakfast or brunch.

Ingredients

  • 2 slices of bread
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/8 cup milk
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions

  1. Beat together eggs, cinnamon & vanilla until blended, then add the milk.
  2. Heat a lightly oiled (or use cooking spray) skillet or griddle over medium heat.
  3. Soak bread slices in egg mixture for about 10 seconds or until they are saturated.
  4. Cook bread until they’re lightly browned on both sides and crisp.
  5. Sprinkle some confectioners sugar on top and serve with warmed or room temperature maple syrup.

Classic Lemon Bars


Recipe courtesy of Food Network Mag

Ingredients

Crust

  • Vegetable oil, for greasing
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, diced
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar, plus more for garnish
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Filling

  • 4 large eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 tsp grated lemon zest
  • 1 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 8 lemons)

Directions

  1. Make the crust: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
  2. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan with vegetable oil and line with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides; grease the foil with oil.
  3. Pulse the butter, flour, both sugars and the salt in a food processor until the dough comes together, about 1 minute.
  4. Press evenly into the bottom and about 1/2 inch up the sides of the prepared pan, making sure there are no cracks.
  5. Bake until the crust is golden, about 25 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, make the filling: Whisk the whole eggs and yolks, sugar and flour in a bowl until smooth.
  7. Whisk in the lemon zest and juice.
  8. Remove the crust from the oven and reduce the temperature to 300 degrees F.
  9. Pour the filling over the warm crust and return to the oven.
  10. Bake until the filling is just set, 30 to 35 minutes.
  11. Let the bars cool in the pan on a rack, then refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
  12. Lift out of the pan using the foil and slice.
  13. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving

Crazy For Cranberries


Here’s a simply amazing recipe for cranberry sauce that you can whip up in no time for the holidays!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar (1/2 cup white, 1/2 cup brown)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 4 cups cranberries (1 12 oz pkg)
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp allspice

Directions

  1. In a saucepan, bring water, orange juice and sugar to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar.
  2. Add cranberries and return to a boil.
  3. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until cranberries burst.
  4. Add spices and stir well.
  5. Remove from heat and cool completely at room temperature.
  6.  Chill in the refrigerator. Sauce will thicken as it cools.

Simply Sorbet


So, do you all know the difference between sorbet and sherbet? Sherbet contains milk or another fat, making it similar to ice cream. With that being said, obviously sorbet is great for people who are lactose-intolerant. And with just a small number of ingredients, it is truly a breeze to make.  My recipe below is for strawberry sorbet, but feel free to use your favorite fruit instead.

Recipe courtesty of Cooking Light

Ingredients

  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup sugar (you can use less if you like)
  • 1 quart strawberries, hulled
  • 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (or lime juice)

Directions

  1. Stir water and sugar in heavy medium saucepan over high heat until sugar dissolves.
  2. Boil 5 minutes.
  3. Working in batches, puree strawberries in food processor or blender until smooth.
  4. Add strawberry puree and orange & lemon juices to sugar syrup, stir to blend.
  5.  Cover and freeze in an airtight container(s).

To soften sorbet, place in fridge for 15 minutes.

Taking this to a higher level of dessert awesomeness, you can use your sorbet to make a pie. Here’s how: spread slightly softened sorbet into a cookie-crumb or graham cracker crust, then freeze until firm. Top with a thin layer of whipped cream and sprinkle with chocolate shavings or add some fresh berries.

What a (side) Dish!


Carrots… some people love ’em and others, well, not so much. This recipe could actually convert those opposed to the orange veggie. And, besides the obvious benefits to eyesight, carrots have many other health pluses, like lowering cholesterol and preventing heart attacks and cancer. So, try out this super-simple recipe that is not only delicious, but adds to your overall good health!

Buttery Steamed/Cooked Carrots

1 lb baby carrots
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup brown sugar

As I’ve mentioned earlier, I prefer steaming vegetables as opposed to boiling them in order to get as many of the nutrients as possible. But, feel free to cook the carrots however you like.

Once your carrots are cooked, put them in a pan with the butter (melted) and brown sugar. Toss them around so they are coated. Continue to cook them on low heat for about 5-10 minutes, depending on how soft you like them.

Getting Corny!


There are tons of different ways to cook corn on the cob… here are my two favorites.

On the Grill
Peel back the husks from the corn & remove the silk. Butter the kernels and sprinkle with salt & pepper and any other seasoning of your choice. Fold the husks back over the corn and grill over low heat for about 15 minutes, turning occasionally.

 

In the Oven

Remove the husk and silk from the corn. Get a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil and add 2 tbsp of melted butter to the middle of the foil. Place corn on the foil, add salt, pepper and garlic and roll the corn so it spreads the spices. Fold in half to keep all of the butter in the foil and for it to cook evenly. Cook for 25 minutes at 425F.

Creamy Vanilla Cheesecake w/Caramel Topping


Love to indulge in the sweets, but feel guilty about the calories? You won’t with this recipe! A healthier, lower-calorie take on cheesecake 🙂

Photo credit: Betty Crocker

Ingredients

  • 15 reduced-fat chocolate or vanilla wafer cookies, crushed (1/2 cup) (or graham crackers)
  • 2 pkgs (8 oz each) reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 3 egg whites
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups vanilla low-fat/light yogurt
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup fat-free caramel topping
  • Pecan halves (if desired)

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 300. Spray springform pan, 9×3 inches, with cooking spray.
  2. Sprinkle cookie crumbs over bottom of pan.
  3. Beat cream cheese in medium bowl w/electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
  4. Add sugar, egg whites and vanilla. Beat on medium speed about 2 minutes or until smooth.
  5. Add yogurt and flour. Beat on low until smooth.
  6. Carefully spread batter over cookie crumbs in pan.
  7. Bake 1 hour. Turn off oven; cool in over 30 minutes with door closed.
  8. Cover & refrigerate at least 3 hours. Drizzle caramel topping over cheesecake and garnish w/pecan halves.

1 serving: Cal 175, Total Fat 7 g, Chol 25 mg, Sodium 180 mg, Total Carbs 23 g, Protein 5 g

Holy Guacamole!


Love guacamole? Me, too! Here is an easy, but tasty dish you can whip together in about 10 minutes.

Ingredients

  • 3 avocados – peeled, pitted & mashed
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 plum tomatoes, diced
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • A pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 1 to 3 chopped serrano chiles (optional)

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, mix together the avocados, lime juice and salt – mash well.
  2. Add in the onion, cilantro, tomatoes, garlic and cayenne pepper.
  3. Best to refrigerate for 1 hour, but can be served immediately.

 Avocado tips:

Use Hass avocados, the brown, wrinkly kind, for guacamole. They’re especially rich & creamy. Buy avocadoes that are slightly soft, but not squishy. Ripen in a paper bag with a banana or an apple at room temperature. Store ripe avocados in the fridge for 2 or 3 days.

Got Sauce? Now You Do!


Here’s a quick, easy & delicious recipe for pizza/pasta sauce that doesn’t require cooking.

Ingredients

  • 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1/2 tbsp oregano
  • 1/2 tbsp basil
  • 1/2 tsp rosemary, crushed
  • 1 tbsp sugar

Directions

  1. Mix tomato paste, water & oil – mix well.
  2. Add the rest of ingredients and let stand for several hours to let flavors blend.
  3. If you’re short on time, you can heat the sauce in a small saucepan.