Recipe: Pasta with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto and Seitan
"Sounds good, but ..."
If you are newer to vegetarian eating, or you are just getting started cooking your own meals, you may come across recipes that sound like they would taste good, but contain ingredients you choose to not eat. However, it is surprisingly easy to alter a recipe (for as a wise man once said "cooking is art"*). This recipe, which originally used steak, is one I found in a magazine and tweaked to make it both vegetarian and healthier. The recipe serves 2, but can be easily doubled.
4 oz rotini or penne pasta (whole wheat or other healthy option)
2 Tbsp canola oil, divided
1/2 - 1 onion (depending on size and taste), diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 - 2 bell peppers (red, orange, yellow, or any combo), diced
1 package WestSoy Seitan cubes, cut into slices
1/2 of 8.5 oz jar sun-dried tomato pesto
6 (or to taste) reconstituted sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
2 oz crumbled feta (or other crumbled cheese), optional
Cook pasta according to directions.
In non-stick skillet, heat 1 Tbsp of oil. Add onion. Saute for a few minutes. Add peppers and saute until both are tender. Add garlic and cook for a minute more.
Remove veggies from skillet. Heat 2nd Tbsp of oil and cook sliced seitan until brown and warm.
When pasta is done, drain and return to pot. Add in veggies, seitan, pesto, and sun-dried tomatoes. Toss in cheese if using and serve.
* He followed this statement with "but baking is science" - which was a warning to be careful about following baking recipes exactly, because baking is not very forgiving of experimentation.
What We Ate Last Week #15
Monday: Pasta with sun-dried tomato pesto and seitan ... Recipe to be posted later this week
Tuesday: Manwiches made with TVP, fries, and sauteed spinach
Wednesday: Fajitas made with Morningstar Farms Chik'n Strips, bell peppers, and onions. Served with "refried" beans made in my crockpot. (Another recipe I will share in the future. Much easier to make than you may think, and so much healthier than the canned version!)
Thursday: Bean burritos (cause I had to use up the rest of the beans made the night before).
Friday: Vegetable Lo Mein
Saturday: PBB&J, baby carrots, and pop chips - after lunch out at Sweet Tomatoes (have I mentioned that it is my favorite restaurant?)
Sunday: Scrambled eggs with lots of grilled veggies, Boca sausages, and fried potatoes
See Previous Week Menu
What We Ate Last Week #14
Yep, still trying to work through the pantry/freezer/fridge backlog. Man, I feel like this will be going on forever!
Monday:
gardein chick'n filets as sandwiches served with roasted purple potatoes and brussel sprouts
Tuesday: Curry made by mixing Kashi Moroccan Curry envelope (a product I see that the company no longer makes, so I gotta wonder how long it was sitting in my pantry) with lots of veggies like sweet potatoes, broccoli, and sugar snap peas.
Wednesday: Boca burgers, potato salad, and roasted asparagus
Thursday: Frozen pizza (book club night)
Friday: Dinner out at Bennigans (celebrating our son's 22nd birthday, day 1)
Saturday: Dinner out at Pizzeria Unos (celebrating our son's 22nd birthday, day 2, because, yeah, we are pushovers when he drives home from college to visit us)
Sunday: Mixed warm vegetables (bell peppers, onions, etc.) combined with quinoa and served over a spinach salad
See Previous Week Menu
What We Ate Last Week #13
Note for this and upcoming weeks: I am in the process of using up the older food in my freezer, pantry, and fridge, so my meals may be less interesting and even a bit odd.
Monday:
Shepherd's Pie (the classic one, made with a combo of Morningstar Farms crumbles - I had a half package left - and TVP)
Tuesday: Buckwheat pancakes, Boca sausage links, and fruit
Wednesday: leftovers (shepherd's pie)
Thursday: Stew (made with seitan) and potato rolls
Friday: Salad made with roasted asparagus, Aunt Nellie's sliced pickled beets, & hard boiled eggs served over mixed greens with a Greek yogurt dressing. (Recipe was slightly adapted from the one on the jar.)
Saturday: Dinner out at Zio's Italian Kitchen
Sunday: Salmon piccata (yep, one of those pescatarian dinners)
See Previous Week Menu
Recipe: Fruit Salad, the Lazy Way
You may have noticed that I often serve a "fruit salad" about once a week, often when I serve a traditional breakfast type food for dinner. Following is a mix-and-match recipe for fruit salad options.
Select 2 or more fruits
Yes,
two or more. Most people think of fruit salad as needing a huge variety of fruits, which
is delicious, but is also a lot of work. But, just a few fruits can also be great. Think strawberry and kiwi, pear and orange, or apple and blackberry. Or select a trio of similar fruits: summer berries, winter citrus, or melons.
Add exotic
If you are big fruit eaters like us, these may be common in your house, but, if not, try some less common fruits like mangoes, papayas, figs, starfruit, cherimoya, kumquats, persimmons, pomegranate seeds, etc. Just one can make a fruit salad extra special. Find what is in season, so they taste best and the price isn't exorbitant.
Add canned
It's quick and easy to fill out a fruit salad with some canned or jarred fruits - pineapple and mandarin oranges are great choices, but really any fruit in juice works.
Add dried
A handful of dried fruit (chopped if needed) is great in a fruit salad, whether it's a basic like raisins or dried cranberries, or something less common like papaya, blueberries, or cantaloupe.
Think beyond fruit
Sure, we call it a fruit salad, but you can also add vegetables (jicama, cucumber, fennel, or grated carrots for example) or nuts/seeds! Yum.
Now dress it
(1) In a hurry - just splash the fruit with a juice like lemon, lime, orange, or pineapple.
(2) Try my favorite. 1 small container Greek yogurt, 1 - 2 Tbsp lime juice, and 1/2 - 1 Tbsp honey (or other sweetener). To really perk it up, add 1 tsp - 1 Tbsp cinnamon, cardamon, allspice, etc.
(3) Or for a real taste treat - lime juice, chili powder, and salt! Especially good on a mix of tropical fruits.
What We Ate Last Week #12
Note for this and upcoming weeks: I am in the process of using up the older food in my freezer, pantry, and fridge, so my meals may be less interesting and even a bit odd.
And, oops, forgot to snap a pic this week!
Monday: Gardenburgers and frozen veggies
Tuesday: Pizza on Boboli whole wheat crust (toppings: Roma tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, and olives)
Wednesday: Annie's mac & cheese with Yves hot dogs pieces mixed in + brocolli
Thursday:
Quesadillas
Friday: Salad made with chickpeas and toasted strips of pita
Saturday: Grilled cheese, creamy tomato soup, and fruit salad
Sunday: PBB&J, baby carrots, and pop chips (after lunch out at Which Wich)
See Previous Week Menu
Some LazyVeg Updates
I have done a bit of re-vamping here on the lazyveg.
(1) I made the body a bit wider. Please let me know if I messed it up for your browser (seems to work well in Firefox, and OK in IE).
(2) I added a bookshelf in the left sidebar of the cookbooks I'm currently using regularly. This list should change periodically!
(3) I added the more recent recipes I've posted into the recipe links in the right sidebar.
(4) I finally updated the blog links in the right sidebar. If you sent me an email asking me to list yours but it still isn't there, feel free to email me again. I get copious emails, and some important ones get lost in the flotsam.
Blog link request:
I've received a couple blog link requests from blogs that review restaurants in a particular city/area. I'd like to add a category for these, but would like a few more first. So if you write, or read, a blog of restaurant reviews from a vegetarian/vegan point of view, please send me the link, or leave it here in the comments.
Hope everyone likes the changes!
What We Ate Last Week #11
Monday: Stir fry (tofu, asparagus, broccoli, etc.) over brown rice
Tuesday: We went to a vegetarian cooking class at Central Market - ate Texas caviar, polenta, potato tomato gratin, and granny smith apple crisp (also had leftovers, including eggplant portobello chili, for lunch the next day).
Wednesday: Morningstar Star Farms turkey burgers, bananayams, and crispy kale
Thursday: Scrambled eggs with chorizo (Yves brand), toast, and fruit slices
Friday: PBB&J sandwiches, carrots, and popchips (after lunch out at Sweet Tomatoes - my favorite restaurant!)
Saturday: Went to Chipoltle (Did you get that B1G1 coupon last week? I couldn't pass that one up - love getting their vegetarian bowl, even though it's pretty unusual for us to eat out twice in 1 week, especially 2 days in a row!)
Sunday: Baked tofu strips (with lemon pepper seasoning) served in pitas with lots of veggies, plus canned Progresso soup (yep, went the easy route, instead of making my own)
Note for upcoming weeks: I spent yesterday making a detailed inventory of all the food I have in my pantry, freezer, and fridge that needs to get used up sooner, rather than later. I will be planning around these items, so I may have some weird meals in the near future!
See Previous Week Menu
