Meatless Monday #26 - Hurry Up Pasta and Grain Meat Sausage Dinner

I do believe autumn will have it's way and crash our summer party this year. We actually had to turn our heat on this week as the last couple of nights dipped into the 40's°F.  I'm not quite yet ready to give up my quick and light summer fare, but this weather has me craving heartier foods. 

Yesterday I wasn't quite in meal mode when I looked at the clock and realized we should have been eating our supper already and I didn't have a clue what to prepare. I knew I wanted some pasta but that was about all I knew. I quickly went cruising online and came across a recipe for vegan Alfredo sauce. I seriously considered making just pasta and throwing in my standby protein of beans and some broccoli, but wanted to do something more for my honey who I knew would want more. So I dug around our freezer and came across these meat sausages we picked up not too long ago and thought, hmmmm.. quick, easy..... perfect.

So, I don't have an original recipe this week, but am shamelessly sharing one that I found online and hope you visit Lolo's site for more inspiration.

Here's what our Meatless Monday looked like.....simple, but YUM!

Hurry Up Alfredo


Recipe from Vegan Yum Yum

Makes 2-3 Servings

1 Cup non-dairy mil
k 

1/3 Cup raw, unsalted Cashews


1/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast


3 Tbs Low-Sodium Tamari or Soy Sauce


2 Tbs Earth Balance Margarine


1 Tbs Tahini


1 Tbs Fresh Lemon Juice


2 tsp Dijon Mustard


1/2 tsp Paprika (smoked preferably)


1 Pinch Nutmeg


2-4 Cloves of Garlic, optional

Black pepper, to taste

Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. This works best in a high-speed blender (like a Vita-Mix or Nutribullet), but you can definitely make it in a regular blender. 

 Drain the pasta and return it to the hot empty pan. Pour the sauce over the pasta, place on medium heat, and stir until heated through. Serve with lots of fresh cracked black pepper. 

It doesn't really taste like Alfredo sauce, but if you want something creamy and good, this hits the spot.

While the pasta was heating through, I quickly sautéd these lovely grain meat sausages that we found at Costco. Add these links to a hot skillet with just a smidge of olive oil and turn as they brown. You do want to be careful not to overcook these as they would become tough.  These come in a few flavors and we chose the Smoked Apple Sage flavor for our meal. These particular sausages have yukon gold potatoes, apples and rubbed sage in them. And one of the things I love about them is they are Soy Free!  As some of you may know, finding meat replacements without soy is not so easy. I'm in love.  Even my sweetie remarked at how good these were!

I quickly cooked up some frozen broccoli and a meal was made in less than 30 minutes.

I know I tend to share things that require chopping and cooking, but going meatless doesn't always mean time consuming preparations and meals. To me, this is quicker than getting in my car and ordering fast food... and much more tastier.

What quick meatless options have you found?

I'm hooking up with The Recipe Renovator for Meatless Monday. Join me over there for more  Meatless inspiration.

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Meatless Monday with Mindy # 22 Vegetable Chili

Welcome to Meatless Monday with Mindy!

The cool weather is still sticking around for the first full week of August, 2013. We've had our windows open every day for a few weeks now.  It sure is saving us from using the air conditioner, and I love the cooler weather, but it just seems too odd to be this cool in August. 

This cooler weather is keeping me in comfort food mode and today was no exception.  I was wanting that type of meal, but being summer, still wanting the ease of fixing something quick where I didn't have to have the oven on or stand over a hot stove.

This recipe, that I tweaked from my Nutribullet cookbook, fit the bill.  This book is chock full of smoothie recipes, but also has some really good and good for you lunch and dinner dishes in the back. I tweaked it ever so slightly (as I tend to do with most recipes) to use what ingredients I had on hand. And believe it or not, the original recipe did NOT use chili powder!  How can it be a chili without chili powder??? But then there is the Hatfield and McCoy syndrome here too, to bean, or not to bean.  Well, this is definitely full of beans and the not so typical veggies! For those of you who may be beef lovers, you'll not find any here, but I bet you'll like it none-the-less. 

This recipe is easy to put together. To make it even faster to assemble, buy pre-chopped veggies at your grocer. Feel free to use whatever veggies you have on hand as well as the beans. I personally liked the variety of beans in this dish but you could go with all one kind if you needed to. 

Vegetable Chili

1/2 Tbs olive oil

3 cloves of garlic

2 cans of diced tomatoes (One of my cans was fire roasted tomatoes)

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped zucchini

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped bell pepper

1/2 poblano pepper or 1 large jalapeño, chopped and some seeds left in for heat, optional

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

2 Tbs dried oregano

1/2 cup vegetable broth

4 oz chili powder

Add olive oil to to a large stock pan over medium heat.  Once the oil is hot, add in the onions, peppers, carrots, celery and zucchini and cook until the veggies just start to become tender.

Next, add in the beans.

Then add the tomatoes, garlic, oregano and broth. Stir all this goodness up.

And it isn't chili without chili powder. For goodness sake, add chili powder! You can add more or less depending on your taste preference. The 4 oz I added was just the right amount of flavor. If you want more heat, I would suggest using more pepper flakes from your poblano or add red pepper flakes or cayenne if you're serious about heat.

Bring this mixture to a boil while stirring to combine all the flavors.  Once it boils, put a lid on it and turn down the heat to simmer, then wait patiently if you can for about 1 hour. This allows the flavors to meld beautifully together.  You'll want to stir this occasionally to prevent sticking.

Serve it up and eat it while it's hot.  It's even better the next day!

I hope you are enjoying the recipes I share on here.  I'd love to hear your thoughts on these. Would you take the time to leave me a comment?

If you have a blog and want to link up here, join me by clicking on the blue frog below.

All photo's were taken by my honey.  You can see some behind the scene photo shots over at his blog at Photography Musings by Dave 

Meatless Monday with Mindy #14 Vegetable Bean Stew

Welcome to the 14th installment of Meatless Monday with Mindy!

This weekend was Mothers Day and traditionally I've always taken this day to garden with my children, and now with my honey. Often times a trip to a local nursery would be the big highlight of the day, then we would come home and plant the treasures we acquired. Living in the Midwest since 1987, we could be certain that by Mothers Day we were safe to plant without the threat of frost.

Not so this weekend!

We had lots of cold wind during the day with over cast skies. And for the past 2 nights we've had to cover up my spring garden of lettuces, spinach, peas and the herbs and strawberries that have come back on their own to prevent frost from burning them. Brrrr! 

Because Monday was such a blustery cold day, I was in the mood for some good ole comfort food. At first I thought I would make a soup, but when I started browsing my books, stews kept catching my attention and sounding really good. One of the many cookbooks on our bookshelves we've had since we first got married ...over 30 years ago!  It's a Better Homes and Gardens book simply called "Soups & Stews".  It's one of those good ones I refer to over and over again that has stains on the yellowed pages and notes jotted, you know...one of those keepers.  I was on the hunt for a recipe that I could tweak to make meatless and found one called Basic Stew. It of course called for stew beef as well as beef broth, but most of the other ingredients were already vegetarian or easily convertible.  So, here is my vegetarian take on a basic stew.

Vegetable Bean Stew

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon of salt (optional)

1 teaspoon prepared horseradish or mustard (I used horseradish)

1/2 teaspoon of your favorite dried herb (I used basil)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

16 oz of vegetable broth

5 cups fresh vegetables cut into 1-inch pieces ( I used potato, carrot, celery, turnip and onion)

1 15 oz can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup cold water

2 Tablespoons flour ( I make a flour mix using whole wheat, buckwheat and white flours)

1 cup coarsely chopped spinach

Instructions

In a large saucepan pour in the vegetable broth. Add the garlic, bay leaf, prepared horseradish, salt if using, dried herb, and pepper.  

Stir this together and bring to a boil.  Add the chopped vegetables, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes or until the veggies are tender.

Stir in the kidney beans and continue cooking until the beans are heated through.

Blend the water and flour together then stir into the stew. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.  Remove the bay leaf and stir in the chopped spinach.

Serve this comfort food right away with a slice of bread and enjoy.

If you make this recipe, I'd love to hear back on how you liked it, or tweaked it to make it your own.

Got a blog?  How about linking up here and sharing what you're making meatless.

First time linking up?  Go here to find out how.

Meatless Monday with Mindy #13 Black Bean Hash

Welcome to the 13th installment of Meatless Monday with Mindy. 

This weekend my daughter and I were blessed to be able to visit some friends whom we haven't seen since 2007. We drove up early Saturday morning and came back late last night, exhausted, but thankful we made the time to visit these dear friends.  Saturday night we began discussing what we wanted to do for dinner. Do we go out to eat or make something....??  I volunteered to cook and started with "What kind of veggies do you have?"

Long story short, I was not pleased with what I threw together. An unfamiliar kitchen and not having access to my familiar herbs and spices resulted in just a so-so meal.  It had potential though, so I thought I would try to improve upon what I tried to create over the weekend. This time it finally hit the spot. Eric and Cristina, try this one.... much better!

Black Bean Hash

1 medium to large sweet potato, thick diced

2 medium white potatoes, thick diced, you could leave the peel on if you want

1 medium onion, thick diced

Olive oil

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp sweet oregano 

1 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup corn kernels, thawed if frozen
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425°

Thick dice the white and sweet potatoes

Thick dice the onion and mix these with the potatoes in a large bowl.

Drizzle just enough olive oil over this mixture to coat all the veggies. (I used about 2 Tablespoons)

Mix together the garlic powder, cinnamon, cumin and oregano and sprinkle over the veggies in the bowl. Stir well to incorporate the seasoning on all the veggies.

Spread the veggie mixture on a foil lined cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. (Trust me, you don't want to skip spraying the foil or you'll be scraping the pan and breaking up the chunks trying to get it all off.)  Salt and pepper to taste. Pop the cookie sheet into your pre-heated oven and roast, stirring once and adding more salt and pepper if needed, until slightly browned around the edges.

Meanwhile, open, drain and rinse a can of black beans. Add corn that is fresh off the cooked cob if you have it, or thawed if frozen, to a bowl.  Place this mixture in the large bowl and microwave this just until hot, stirring as needed. It only took me about one minute.

Once the veggie mixture is done.....

Add it to the bowl with the beans and corn and stir well to share the seasonings love to all.

Serve with greens and voila!

I served ours with steamed kale. You can find how I made that here.

I want to apologize up front to Babs who hates her corn mixed in with anything. Just serve your corn on the side Babs, it'll be okay, we won't tell anyone. 

What did you do for Meatless Monday or any other meatless meal you've made?

To share your meatless meals from your blog, click on the blue frog and follow the prompts.

Unfamiliar with how to share your blog? Click here and scroll to the bottom to find out how.

Meatless Monday with Mindy #12 Chickpea Salad

Welcome to the 12th installment of Meatless Monday with Mindy!

Are you trying to go meatless but are unsure where to start?  Don't over-think it. There are a lot of ways you can incorporate alternatives to meat in your meals.  

Americans eat meat at almost every meal.  Meatless Monday isn't just replacing meat at the dinner hour. Breakfast and lunch should be meatless as well.  Have oatmeal or a whole grain cereal for breakfast.  For lunch, try a veggie chili either from a can, or make your favorite recipe at home replacing the meat you’d normally use with a vegetarian ground meat product, or some cooked lentils.

Nuts, seeds and beans along with an increased consumption of fruits and vegetables will provide a well-balanced meal plan on the days you go meatless. Adding greens and citrus fruits will also pack a healthy punch to your immune system as well as your overall health.

Of course, you can make it easy and simply use beans in place of the meat for meatless any day of the week. Meatless Monday can be Meatless Tuesday, Meatless Wednesday, Meatless Thursday.......... you get the idea!

Today I used my favorite tuna salad recipe for lunch and replaced the tuna with garbanzo beans (chickpeas).  I hope you enjoy the recipe!

Chickpea Salad

1/2 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 Tbs each diced carrots and green onion

2 Tbs Veganaise or Mayonaise with Olive Oil

1 1/2 tsp prepared yellow mustard

1/2 tsp dried oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

Serves 2

In a small bowl, add the chickpeas and coarsely mash with a fork.

Add the carrots and green onions and toss with the smashed chickpeas.

Add the dressings, herbs and spices and mix well.

Spread the chickpea salad on a bun and top with your favorite toppings.

Serve with fruit for a well rounded lunch!

Adopting a healthy meatless diet isn’t just taking meat off your plate and eating what’s left. You need to take extra steps to ensure you’re meeting your daily nutritional needs as well.  Plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds are eaten in combination to create a well-balanced meatless diet.

Challenge yourself to take your favorite recipe that uses meat and see what you can create using a meat substitute. It's fun, tasty and much healthier!

I would love it if you try this recipe and leave a comment on how you liked it.

What are some of the foods you are trying for Meatless Monday?

Add your link to your blog by clicking the little blue frog below and following the prompts

Meatless Monday with Mindy #11 Vegetarian Sweet-and-Sour

Welcome to the 11th installment of Meatless Monday with Mindy.

Happy Earth Day!

Earth Day is an annual holiday, celebrated on April 22, on which events are held worldwide to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network, and is celebrated in more than 192 countries every year.  

There are many things we can do to lessen our environmental impact.  Taking part in Meatless Monday is an easily implementable first step towards helping!

Did you know that by choosing to cut out meat every Monday you’re playing a key role in helping the environment by preserving water resources?  *"The water requirements of meat production are enormous. Producing a quarter-pound of beef, for example, requires over 1,000 gallons of water, by most estimates. This can be up to 100 times more water than is needed to produce plant-based proteins.

Water pollution is also a serious side effect of industrial meat production. Fertilizers and pesticides used to grow animal feed crops, and waste generated by industrial food animal production facilities, pollute waterways and threaten ecosystems." *Meatless Monday

You can also Plant a garden!

*Buying locally grown produce is great — harvesting your own vegetables and herbs is even better! The whole family will love planting, caring for, and eventually picking and cooking what you grow. Even if you don’t have space for a garden, you can still grow herbs in a window box placed in a sunny spot inside your home.  You will love the fresh taste these herbs bring to your meals.

What better way to celebrate Earth Day than to choose to cut out meat on Mondays!

I started out this Earth Day eating a serving of whole grain cereal with sliced almonds and a sliced banana and topped that off with rice milk.  Then for lunch, I munched on raw vegetables dipped in Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and enjoyed a few whole grain crackers.

  

Dinner was an adaptation of an old family favorite which I haven't made in very long time. This recipe is adapted from a Betty Crockers Cookbook New and Revised Edition....from the early 1980's!! This is the cookbook I went to marriage with!  The pages in this book are spotted and stained and many of the hole-punched pages no longer have the holes punched. Rather they are torn and hanging lose in the binder.

I have to clue you in though, although I made this version meatless, it is not low in calories. Lower in calories than the original recipe, and higher in fiber,  but this recipe has plenty of sugar.  If I were to do it again, I would find a way to cut back on the sugar even more than I did. I don't think it would hurt the flavor any either.

So, here is my adaptation of Sweet-and-Sour Meatballs found on page 29 of this new and revised 1980's something cookbook.

Vegetarian Sweet-and-Sour

3 cups of cooked rice, preferably brown.

8 oz of whole brown mushrooms, quartered

1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed

20 oz canned pineapple tidbits

2 cups sweet peppers, coarsely chopped (I used small red, yellow, and orange)

1 cup loosely packed brown sugar 

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

2/3 cup white vinegar

2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

Start out making your rice and let simmer while you prepare the recipe.

I made up brown and red rice. 2 21/2 cups of water to 1 cup of dry rice blend.

Prep your ingredients by chopping your vegetables....

and measuring out your staple ingredients.

Heat a skillet and add the mushrooms.

Add enough water to the skillet to prevent the mushrooms from sticking. Start out with 1/4 cup of water, adding more as needed.  Cook the mushrooms until the liquid is gone and the mushrooms are breaking down.  Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, add the brown sugar and cornstarch and mix together.

Add the pineapple, soy sauce and vinegar and stir. 

Heat this to boiling, stirring constantly; then reduce heat.

Add the mushrooms back in as well as the beans and sweet peppers.

Simmer the mix for about another 5 minutes until the beans are heated through and the sweet peppers are crisp tender.

Plate this mixture over a bed of mixed rice and enjoy!

I would recommend serving this with a side of steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrot mix.  This would round this meal out well.

What did you do this earth day?  

Share your meatless recipe with us!  

Click on the litte blue frog and follow the prompts.  If your new to sharing your blog, see this post for instructions.  Thanks for sharing!

All photos' were taken by my honey. You can see more of what he likes taking picture of over here.