Lentil Salad

This is a Rachel Ray recipe from her 30 minute veggie meals book.

She indicates that it serves 2 as supper and 4 as a side dish.

1/2 pound lentils

1 bay leaf

1 large plum tomato, chopped

2-3 T evoo

juice of 1 lemon

a splash of red wine vinegar

1/2 t ground cumin

1/4 t allspice

1/4 t coriander

1/2 t paprika

3 T tahini

Cook lentils and rinse under cold water and drain. Combine lentils with tomato and a touch of parsley if on hand. Whisk the oil, lemon juice, vinegar, cumin, allspice, coriander and paprika together. Pour dressing over lentils and coat evenly. Top with a drizzle of tahini sauce.

Vegetable Tofu Stir Fry

This is another GREAT recipe from the YOU Diet book!

2 servings

602 cal per serving

1 T evoo

1/2 t toasted sesame oil
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 onion

1 cup broccoli

1/2 red bell pepper

6 large button mushrooms

1 t bragg's amino or soy sauce

1 package of tofu drained and chopped

2 green onions

1 small bunch of cilantro

1 t sesame seeds

In a large skillet or wok, heat EVOO and sesame oil and pepper flakes over high heat. Add onion and stir fry two minutes. Add broccoli, bell pepper, mushrooms and soy sauce, stir fry until veggies are crisp-tender 2-3 minutes. Add tofu, green onions, cilantro and sesame seeds until heated through.

Black Bean and Avocado Salad

This was very yummy! Sorry having camera problems!

Recipe from Vegetariantimes.com


Ingredient List
Serves 4

2 Tbs. lemon juice
1 Tbs. whole-grain mustard
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup fresh or frozen corn, thawed
1 avocado, diced
1/2 cup diced sweet red pepper
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1/4 cup diced celery
2 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced (about 1/4 cup)


Directions
Whisk together lemon juice and mustard in large bowl. Add oil, and whisk until smooth. Add all remaining ingredients, and gently toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.


Nutritional Information
Per SERVING: Calories: 238, Protein: 7g, Total fat: 14.5g, Saturated fat: 2g, Carbs: 24g, Cholesterol: mg, Sodium: 488mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugars: 3g

Mac with a hidden twist

Serves 4

Everyone loves this nostalgic favorite. Here we've added roasted peppers, garlic and sharp cheddar cheese to the classic macaroni and cheese.

http://www.wholefoods.com/ check out the recipe here!

**I pureed the peppers to hid them from the little one and added some broccoli too! :)

Ingredients
8 ounces dried small whole wheat or spelt elbow macaroni 1 (12-ounce) jar red and yellow roasted peppers, drained 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 cloves garlic, peeled 2 cups low-fat (1%) milk 2 tablespoons wheat or spelt flour 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cook macaroni according to package directions and drain well. Meanwhile, cut peppers into quarters and place in the bowl of a food processor. Add mustard, cayenne, and garlic and process until smooth. Transfer mixture to a small pot and whisk in milk and flour. Cook over medium high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened. Stir in cooked and drained macaroni and 3/4 cup of the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Transfer macaroni mixture to a 9x9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until browned and bubbly. Serve hot.

Nutrition
Per serving (298g-wt.): 410 calories (100 from fat), 11g total fat, 7g saturated fat, 20g protein, 61g total carbohydrate (5g dietary fiber, 3g sugar), 35mg cholesterol, 480mg sodium

Mixed Veg Masala

Mixed Veg Masala

Serves 4

Adapted from vegetariantimes.com



Printer Friendly Recipe


Ingredients:
1 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced
1 15oz can diced tomatoes
2 T canola oil
1 med onion, chopped
1 small yellow bell pepper
2 med boiling potatoes, cubed
2 med carrots, sliced
1 1/2 t garam masala
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 cups cauliflower
1/2 c light coconut milk

Directions:
1. Pulse ginger and garlic in food processor until finely chopped. Add tomatoes with juice and cayenne pepper, and pulse until combined. Set aside.2. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper, and sauté 10 minutes, or until softened. Stir in potatoes, carrots, garam masala, and chili powder. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 3. Add cauliflower, tomato mixture, and 1/2 cup water. Simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in coconut milk. Season with pepper.

Nutritional Information
Per : Calories: 200, Protein: 4g, Total fat: 10g, Saturated fat: 2g, Carbs: 26g, Cholesterol: mg, Sodium: 465mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugars: 10g

Greek Feta Salad with Peppers and Olives

This is a very refreshing recipe from The YOU Diet book. I ordered it after watching an Oprah with Dr. Oz. Its actually a very good book and makes you think twice about some of the stuff you eat. It contains a few recipes and they are all good!

Dressing ingredients:

1 T evoo

1 T red wine vinegar

1 T lemon juice

1/2 t dried oregano

1/2 t honey

Salad ingredients:

1 head romaine, torn

1 tomato, chopped

4 pepperoncini peppers

1 small cucumber, chopped

1/2 cup feta low fat

several sprigs of fresh dill

1/2 green bell pepper cut into rings

8 olives

Combine all dressing ingredients. Season to taste with salt/pepper and let stand 5 minutes. Toss with solid ingredients.

Ruffoni Cookware

I stumbled upon this neat seat with lots of Copper cooking items! http://www.ruffonicookware.com The ruffoni cookware is just simply beautiful! I found a really pretty ruffoni copper fondue pot. Oh yum, I can just taste it now! YUM YUM! I liked how the site http://www.ruffonicookware.com was laid out with copper cookware, it had it laid out by size and also by price point. Definitely when dealing with copper cookware the prices can get high quick, however with the refined search you were able to keep a fine handle on that.

I noticed on the website that you can get free shipping on any ruffoni product, which is excellent. That is nice, might do some Christmas shopping! This site http://www.ruffonicookware.com has some beautiful cookware and I found some beautiful molds. Definitely something this cook will be dreaming about for a while! Click away and take a look, you'll be dreaming too! Happy shopping and cooking.