meatlessmonday | Wholesome RD meatlessmonday | Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.

Posts Tagged ‘meatlessmonday’

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

February 27, 2012 by erinRD

I have been craving blueberries the past few weeks of my pregnancy.

Blueberry smoothies.

Blueberries and yogurt.

Blueberry coffee.

And these blueberry pancakes were so delicious!!

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 (7 ounce) container Greek yogurt
½ cup skim milk
1 egg
1/2 cup blueberries

Directions:
1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, cloves, nutmeg and brown sugar.

2. In another bowl, combine the egg, melted butter, yogurt and milk. Combine the wet ingredients and the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
3. Cook batter on a greased skillet. Add in blueberries to each pancake as you go and cook until golden on both sides.

Serve with butter and maple syrup (and banana slices if you’d like!). Serves 2.

Nutrition Notes: Let’s chat a little bit about blueberries because they are a powerhouse of health. They have the highest antioxidant content of any fruit. Antioxidants help build up your immune system and fight off free radicals that contribute to many diseases. Blueberries have also been shown to preserve vision, aid in digestion, promote brain health and protect against certain cancers such as colon and ovarian cancers.

Taste Test: Delicious and super filling! I absolutely loved these pancakes!

Category Uncategorized | Tags: blueberries,breakfast,greek yogurt,meatlessmonday,pancakes,whole wheat | 6 Comments
Roasted Vegetable Polenta Pie

February 20, 2012 by erinRD

Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pods

Tomato sauce:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (14.5 oz) cans fire roasted tomatoes
1/8 teaspoon fennel seed
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Dash of crushed red pepper
Pinch of coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Polenta pie:
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 small yellow squash, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 cup spinach
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper, to season vegetables
1 cup polenta
3 cups milk
1 Tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. To make the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until tender. Stir in garlic, tomatoes, fennel seed, basil, oregano, and red pepper. Season with salt and black pepper and let simmer for about 30 minutes over low heat.
3. While the sauce is simmering, roast the vegetables.

Place zucchini, yellow squash and red pepper on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss. Roast for 25-30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. When the vegetables are done roasting, set aside to cool and reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
4. In a large pot, bring the milk, butter, sugar and salt to a light simmer. Slowly add the polenta to the pot, whisking constantly. Once it starts to thicken, trade the whisk out for a spoon and stir until the polenta pulls away from the sides of the pot. Add half of the Parmesan cheese to the polenta and stir to combine.
5. Pour the mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Top with the other half of the parmesan.
6. Evenly spread the fresh spinach and then the roasted vegetables on top of the polenta. Spread the tomato sauce over the vegetables and top with grated mozzarella cheese. Place the pie in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until bubbly and the cheese is melted and slightly browned. Let rest for about 10 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm. Serves 6.

Nutrition Notes: Polenta is a pure dried corn meal and is beneficial for those people who have to avoid wheat in their diet. It is high in fiber, vitamins and minerals and it’s also low in fat. Corn meal can be substituted for polenta as the two products are virtually identical.

Taste Test: Deliciousness! I loved the addition of roasted veggies (any kind will do!) The pictures didn’t turn out that great for this dish but trust me – it’s really good!

I found this great article on How to Store Fresh Produce - check it out! It also comes with a fantastic printable handout!

Enjoy!

Category Uncategorized | Tags: baked polenta,meatlessmonday,polenta,Polenta Pie,roasted vegetables,vegetarian | No Comments
Roasted Chick Pea Tacos

January 9, 2012 by erinRD
Adapted from Peas and Thank You

Beans are a great substitution for meat in almost any dish and this one is no exception. If you’re trying to cut back on your meat intake, try subbing in beans.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons chili powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 Tablespoon lime juice
2 Tablespoons water
One 14 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
8 taco shells
Taco trimmings: tomato, guacamole, cheese, sour cream, avocado

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. In a large bowl, combine chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, cumin, salt, lime juice and water. Add chickpeas and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
3. Place chickpeas on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring once during cooking, until chickpeas are slightly crispy.
4. Prepare taco shells according to package directions. Fill with chickpeas and desired toppings (not included in nutritional info). Serves 4 and makes 8 tacos.
Nutrition Notes

Subbing beans for meat not only cuts out saturated fats and cholesterol but it adds fiber and vitamins and minerals to your diet!

Taste Test

Delicious! We loved the chick peas on the tacos – they were such a great alternative!

Enjoy and Happy Monday!
Category Uncategorized | Tags: beans,chick peas,meatless,meatlessmonday,sub beans for meat,tacos,vegan,vegetarian | No Comments
Spinach Lasagna

October 27, 2011 by erinRD
I made a pan of lasagna for my friends Heather and Matt who just had a beautiful baby girl named Syndey (LOVE her name!). I know that one of the best things you can do for friends with a newborn is bring them food! I figured lasagna was east to heat up and easy to freeze if they had leftovers!

Of course I had to make a pan for us too! I realized when I got home from the store that I didn’t have enough ricotta cheese for two large pans. Luckily, I had a container of cottage cheese in the fridge and it worked wonderfully!

Ingredients

20 lasagna noodles
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups fresh spinach
3 cups ricotta cheese
⅔ cup grated Romano cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 egg
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3 cups tomato pasta sauce
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3. In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook mushrooms, onions, and garlic in olive oil until onions are tender. Drain excess liquid and cool.
4. Saute spinach for 5 minutes.
5. Drain, then squeeze out excess liquid. Chop spinach.
6. Combine ricotta cheese, Romano cheese, spinach, salt, oregano, basil, pepper, and egg in a bowl. Add cooled mushroom mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute.
7. Lay 5 lasagna noodles in bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish.
8. Spread one third of the cheese/spinach mixture over noodles.
9. Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella cheese and ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese on top.
10. Spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce over cheese. Repeat layering 2 times.
11. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour. Cool 15 minutes before serving. Serves 12.
Nutrition Notes

Taste Test

I love this veggie lasagna – no meat needed! I found no-boil lasagna noodles at Trader Joe’s and I love it!

Most of the time, I find that the lasagna noodles are broken in the box but these were perfectly together with no broken pieces!

Enjoy this wonderful lasagna!
Category Uncategorized | Tags: Italian,meatlessmonday,pasta,spinach lasagna,vegetable lasagna,veggie | No Comments
Wheatberry and Tomato Basil Salad

September 26, 2011 by erinRD

What a fun weekend! We went to the County Line Orchard for some apple picking, pumpkin patching and hat riding! Lots of hot apple cider and caramel apples! I love fall!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups wheatberries
1 ripe tomato, chopped
5 basil leaves, finely chopped
2 green onions, diced
3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup feta cheese

Directions

1. To prepare the wheatberries, boil them on the stovetop until tender. Drain and add to a mixing bowl.
2. Chop the tomato and add to the wheatberries.
3. Next, add the basil, feta cheese and green onions and combine. In a small bowl, make the dressing. Add the balsamic vinegar. Pour in the olive oil and whisk vigorously.
4. Pour over the wheatberry mixture. Add salt and pepper. Combine until the mixture is well coated. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.

Nutrition Notes

Loaded with fiber and protein! Read more about wheatberries!

Taste Test

Delicious and simple! I loved the chewy wheat berries and the rest of the salad was super easy to put together!

Enjoy!

Category Uncategorized | Tags: meatlessmonday,salad,tomatoes,wheat berry,wheatberries | 2 Comments
Asian Slaw

September 12, 2011 by erinRD

Wholesome Husband and I frequently go to this amazing restaurant and winery called Coopers Hawk. They have the most delicious Asian Slaw there and it’s usually the highlight of the meal! For a Labor Day BBQ, I thought I could try to recreate it and bring it to the BBQ!

Ingredients

Slaw
1 small red cabbage, thinly sliced or shredded
1 small Napa cabbage, thinly sliced or shredded
2 carrots shredded
1 red bell pepper, sliced thinly
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup red onion, minced

Dressing
1/4 cup sesame oil
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 Tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 lime, juiced
4 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup slivered almonds
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds

Directions

1. In large bowl, toss together the slaw ingredients.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients. Stir into slaw ingredients. Garnish with green onions, peanuts and sesame seeds and serve, or allow a couple hours for flavors to marinade before garnishing. Serves 12 at 1/2 cup each.

Taste Test

Delicious! The sesame seeds and almonds gave it a great crunch and the dressing was fantastic! Perfect for a BBQ, side salad or add chicken if you want this for a main dish! Yum!

Category Uncategorized | Tags: asian,coleslaw,meatlessmonday,napa cabbage,red cabbage,seseame,slaw | 2 Comments
Wheat Berry Salad

August 22, 2011 by erinRD

Hello.

I have a fantastic salad for you.

But before that – don’t you want to know about my first 10K race?

Wholesome Husband came with me – as always a big supporter even though I know he’d rather be sleeping. That man loves his sleep.

The course was through a forest preserve so I thought it would be nice a shady – but it was mostly prairies. So the sun was beating down a lot of the time – especially brutal on the last 2 miles when the sun was right in our face. That was pretty hellish – not gonna lie.

Here are the hardcore runners. They finished in like 33 minutes. Crazy people.

Can you find me in this picture? I was comfortably at the back of the pack. The race didn’t have a time chip, which was kind of annoying so the time that they had me at was probably about a minute off. But I did bring my Garmin with me for my “official” results.

I was trying to pass this runner in the straight away at the end – I was so tired…

Got her!

I look miserable and pretty bad at this point – I was definitely ready to be done. I felt good until the 5 mile mark and then running straight into the sun took its toll on me.

First 10K: 6.24 miles at 01:08:06 for a 10:54 min/mile pace.

Slower than I wanted but I’ll take it. Speed is not my thing but I am hoping to work on that this Fall.

As soon as I saw Wholesome Husband, I felt better. Please excuse the sweaty mess.

He also made me take silly pictures. What a meany.

So next up is the Hot Chocolate 15K in Chicago. Training starts this week! I hope to really improve my pace and feel really comfortable. Autumn is obviously the best time of the year to run so I’m all in!

Ok – so on to that salad that I teased you before with pictures!

Wheat Berry Salad
Adapted from Eat Live Run

1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 cup wheat berries
2 ears corn, shucked
1/2 cup red onion, minced
2 cups sliced grape tomatoes
1 avocado, diced
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 oz smoked mozzarella, cubed
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions:
1. Soak the wheat berries in cold water overnight. In the morning, drain, replace with fresh water and simmer for 20 minutes, until tender. Drain and set aside.
2. Simmer the quinoa in 1 1/2 cups water for 15 minutes until all the water has been absorbed. Fluff and add to the cooked wheat berries in a large bowl.

3. Add the corn kernels, red onion, avocado, mozzarella cubes and grape tomatoes to the grain mixture and toss well. Then drizzle in the olive oil, vinegar and salt. Mix well. Serves 4.

Nutrition Notes: Wheat berries are entire wheat kernel (except for the hull), comprising the bran, germ, and endosperm. Wheat berries contain about 6 grams of fiber and protein per one-fourth cup (uncooked) and about 150 calories. They also contain about 8 percent of the daily value for iron, per 1/4 cup.

Taste Test: I love love LOVE the chewy texture of the wheat berries! It reminds me of the texture of Farro. The combo of wheat berries and quinoa was so delicious! The raw corn was a delicious addition as well. This would be a perfect side salad for a party. With lots of fiber and protein this also makes for a perfect main dish!

Category Uncategorized | Tags: 10K race,corn on the cob,meatlessmonday,quinoa,salad,smoked mozarella,summer,tomatoes,wheat berry | 2 Comments
Spicy Black Bean Burgers

August 15, 2011 by erinRD

Look what popped up in my garden this weekend.

Only home grown tomatoes have that imperfect look. I’ll take it – they are always more delicious than the perfect looking store bought ones!

Tomato recipes are coming your way!

Spicy Black Bean Burgers
Adapted from Eat Live Run

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tablespoon ground flax + 3 Tablespoon water
1 jalapeno
2 cloves garlic
3 Tablespoon tomato sauce
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
2 teaspoon cumin
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup corn (fresh or frozen and defrosted)
1 avocado, for topping

Directions:
1. Seed and roughly chop jalapeno. Add it and the garlic cloves to a food processor (or high speed blender) and mince finely.
2. Add one can of beans to the jalapeno/garlic mixture and pulse to combine. Add cumin and salt and pulse until mixture resembles chunky black bean dip.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the ground flax and water. Let sit for five minutes.
4. Transfer the mixture in the food processor to a large bowl and stir in the bread crumbs, tomato sauce, flax and corn. Stir well until everything is combined. Add remaining black beans.

5. Spray a skillet with non-stick spray and heat on medium high heat. Form black bean mixture into patties and fry for about 4 minutes per side, until golden and crusty brown.
6. Serve burgers with avocado slices, sriracha and ketchup. Makes 6 burgers. 1 burger per serving.

Nutrition Notes: Feel free to sub a regular egg in place of the flax egg, but the flax egg makes this dish vegan. Tons of fiber and protein – these burgers pack in the nutrition and flavor!

Taste Test: Absolutely delicious! My husband scarfed down three of these bad boys!

Enjoy!

Category Uncategorized | Tags: black bean burgers,black beans,burgers,meatlessmonday,vegan,vegetarian | 4 Comments
Channa Masala

August 8, 2011 by erinRD

Happy Monday!

There’s a new cook in the kitchen…

Well, one new sous chef and one furry supervisor…

Wholesome Husband gets home from work a lot earlier now than he did at his old job. So we’ve been making dinner together lately! Hopefully he’ll learn some things and be able to make me dinner!

Channa Masala
Adapted from Eat Live Run

4 cups chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 inch knob ginger, peeled and chopped
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
3 Tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 lemon
1 Tablespoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon tumeric
2 Tablespoons butter

Directions:
1. In a large cast iron skillet, heat the butter.

Once melted, add the onions and cook for about 15 minutes on medium low heat, or until golden brown.
2. Once the onions have caramelized, add the garlic, ginger and jalapeno and stir well. Cook for about two minutes.
3. Add the tomato paste and cook on medium high until a crust is formed. This is very important and if you don’t do it right your dish is pretty much doomed. No pressure.
4. Add the coriander, cumin, cayenne, salt and tumeric and stir well. Then add the diced tomatoes, chickpeas and garam masala.
5. Cook for about five minutes or until the chickpeas have heated through.
6. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and top with plain yogurt and cilantro if desired! Serves 6 at ~ 1 cup per serving.

Nutritional Notes: Channa Masala is a popular vegetable dish in Pakistani cuisine and Indian cuisine. Packed with fiber and protein!

Taste Test: Spicy and delicious! If you love Indian food, you’ll love this dish. It uses a ton of unique spices and the flavor is amazing!

Category Uncategorized | Tags: channa masala,chick peas,garam masala,Indian food,meatlessmonday,tumeric | 1 Comment
Soba Noodle Veggie Stir-Fry

June 20, 2011 by erinRD

I hope everyone had a wonderful Father’s Day and weekend! We went to my parents house for a BBQ on Sunday.

Of course my Dad is being his silly self.

We tried to go visit Ed’s Dad but they were gone for the day when we arrived but we are going on a weekend long camping trip with them next weekend! Can’t wait!

Soba Noodle Veggie Stir-Fry
Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

12 ounces buckwheat soba noodles
2 Tablespoon sesame oil
2 red bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
2 cup shredded napa cabbage
1 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup carrots, shredded
1 sweet onion, diced
2 sticks fresh lemon grass, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger
4 scallions, sliced thinly
½ cup almond slivers
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds

For the Sauce:
3 Tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
2 Tablespoons Thai chili sauce

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a pinch of salt. Add the soba noodles and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, rinse with water and set aside.

2. In a large sauté pan or wok, heat a splash of sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add the cabbage, red pepper, carrots and broccoli and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, onion, lemon grass and ginger and continue to sauté for an additional 1 to 5 minutes, until desired crispness.
3. Remove vegetables from heat, add the noodles, and toss with the scallions, slivered almonds and sesame seeds.
4. To make the sauce, whisk the ingredients together. Pour over the stir fry mixture, and toss to coat. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Nutrition Notes: This dish is vegan and gluten free if you sub out the soy sauce for liquid aminos or another substitute. I used fresh lemon grass for the first time in this recipe and it was delicious! Chinatown in Chicago is not too far from where I work and so the grocery stores in the area sell a lot of traditional Chinese, Thai and Asian foods!

Lemon grass looks a little scary at first (1 foot + stalk!) but it’s really easy to use. Just peel off the tougher outer layers. They peel away easily. These are usually more bitter and not as soft. Cut off about 1 1/2 – 2 inches at each end and then cut into little pieces – the size of scallions – if you were to use those in a recipe.

Super easy and adds a lot of flavor to the dish, not to mention health benefits! In traditional Chinese medicine, they used lemon grass to treat cold and flu symptoms, fevers, headaches, abdominal pain and other stomach conditions, arthritis, fungal conditions. Pretty interesting!

Taste Test: This is one of my favorite stir fry’s! You could easily add in tofu or chicken if you wanted to add some protein. The almond slivers are a must in this dish – gives a perfect crunch! So yummy! The soba noodles were also delicious!

Happy Meatless Monday!

Category Uncategorized | Tags: asian,buckwheat,gluten free,lemon grass,meatlessmonday,napa cabbage,noodles,soba,stir-fry,vegan,vegetarian | 1 Comment