Skillet white beans, spinach & tomatoes over Linguine

This dish was so easy to prepare and fast to cook. You could add more vegetables to it if you like and have them on hand or substitute a different type of white bean.

•  2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 cans diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano (do not drain)
• 1 can Great Northern beans
• 1 package fresh spinach
• 6 cups cooked linguine
• 6 tablespoons Romano or Parmesan cheese (grated)

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add garlic, saute for a minute or so.

In a separate pan start boiling water for linguine and get linguine cooked while you continue.

Add tomatoes and beans and bring to a boil to skillet.

Cover with spinach, top with lid, reduce heat to low and simmer about 10 minutes.

Stir occasionally.

Spoon tomato/beans/spinach mixture over linguine and sprinkle with cheese.

This makes 6 servings of 1 cup of pasta, 1 cup of sauce and 1 tablespoon of cheese.
Number of Servings: 6

Chik'n-White Bean Soup

I made a few modifications from the original recipe I found on the net. It called for cooked turkey breast, dried rosemary and shredded carrots. This is my version and it is delicious. I made this recipe last weekend and forgot to blog it. So, I made again last night for our lunch at work tomorrow, so I'll get to see what others think of it.

• 2 garlic cloves, mined
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes in puree
• 1 can (or the equivalent) vegetable broth
• 1 package (6 ounces) fresh baby spinach, run your knife through it
• 2 cups sliced carrots
• 2 cans (15 ounces each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 package Morning Star Chik'n Strips
• Shredded soy Parmesan cheese

In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook garlic in oil for 1 minute. Add pepper flakes and cook another minute. Stir in the tomatoes, broth, spinach and carrots. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until carrots are pretty tender (about 15-20 minutes).

Stir in beans and chik'n; return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10-15 minutes more.

Serve in bowls with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese as garnish. Serves 6

Cowboy Caviar

Cowboy Caviar starts with a base of black-eyed peas, tomatoes, corn, and avocado. If you want more heat add a fresh sliced jalapeno pepper. Serve with tortilla chips for an appetizer.

Yield: Makes 10 to 12 appetizers

• 2  tablespoons  red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  salad oil
• 1  clove garlic, minced
• 1/8  teaspoon  pepper
• 1  firm-ripe avocado (about 10 oz.)
• 1  can (15 oz.) black-eyed peas
• 1  cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 2/3  cup  thinly sliced green onions
• 1/2  pound  Roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• Salt
• 1  bag tortilla chips

In a large bowl, mix vinegar, hot sauce, oil, garlic, and pepper.

Peel, pit, and cut avocado into 1/2-inch cubes. Add to vinegar mixture and mix gently to coat.

Drain and rinse peas. Add peas, corn, onions and tomatoes to avocado.

Mix gently to coat. Add salt to taste.

Serve pea mixture with chips as an appetizer.

Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry

My intention was to make a Chicken Lo Mein, but when I started pulling out the ingredients I found that my bell pepper was way past it's prime. While in the frig I spotted some broccoli flowerettes and a bottle of stir-fry sauce. So this is what I came up with.

• 8 ounces Dreamfields spaghetti noodles
• 1/2 cup Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing, divided
• 1 package Morning Star Chik'n Strips
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 head broccoli flowerettes
• 1/2 large sweet onion, sliced
• 1/4 cup Szechuan-Spicy Stir-Fry Sauce

Cook pasta according to the package directions.

While the pasta cooks, heat 1/4 cup Sesame Dressing  in a large skillet. Add broccoli and onion and cook about 5 minutes. Add chicken strips and garlic, cook until chicken is done and broccoli is as tender as you like it.  Add the remaining Sesame Dressing and the Stir-Fry Sauce. Heat through.

Serve chicken and broccoli stir-fry over drained pasta.

Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

I found this recipe in a  Healthy Cooking magazine and decided I wanted to give it a Vegan whirl. It was absolutely delicious and very easy to prepare. Give it a try and you can always use real ground beef if you have to ;-)

• 1 can diced tomatoes,  undrained
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 2 large green peppers
• 1 package Morning Star Crumbles
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (use less if  you can't handle it)
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cans (8 oz. each) no-salt-added tomato sauce, divided
• 3/4 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1/2 cup shredded cheedar cheese substitute,  (Veggie Shreds is what I use)

Drain tomatoes reserving juice; set aside.

In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add quinoa. Reduce heat; simmer, uncvoered, 15-20 minutes or utnil liquid is absorbed.

Meanwhile, cut peppers in half lengthwise and remove seeds.

In a Dutch oven, cook peppers in boiling water for 3-5 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water; invert onto paper towels.

In a large skillet, cook the crumbles, onion, garlic, parsley, paprika, salt, pepper flakes and black pepper over medium heat until onion is tender.

Stir in one can tomato sauce, corn, quinoa and tomatoes; heat through.

Spoon into pepper halves. Place in 13x9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Combine the reserved tomato juice and remaining tomato sauce; pour over peppers. 

Cover and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until peppers are tender. Sprinkle with cheese; bake 5 more minutes until cheese is melted.

I served with a tossed salad and a glass of wine.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Chick'n and Mushroom Piccata

I have been following Little House of Veggies blog for a few weeks now and when she posted this I knew I was going to try it with a few modifications... here is my version. This is soooo delicious! You just have to make it. Don't let the list of ingredients sway you... basically you make some some homemade mashed potatoes and  a nice sauce to go over your Gardein Chick'n  Scallopini.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes:

• 1.5 pounds yukon gold potatoes, quartered
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 3 tablespoon vegan butter
• 1/3 cup vegan milk
• 1/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water, and add the potatoes. Boil for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are very tender - don't overcook them, I use a toothpick to test for doneness.  Save about 1/2 cup or more of the water before you drain the potatoes. 

Drain water. Put potatoes back into hot pan. Add the rest of the ingredients. Add the milk slowly to achieve the right consistency - this is where you can add some of the water also. Taste them and add additional salt and pepper to taste.

Sauted Chick'n:

• 1 piece of Gardein Chick'n Scallopini per person
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon vegan butter
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• salt, pepper, and garlic powder to season

Place frozen Gardein chicken on a cutting board and season each one with a pinch of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. 

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat, and add the olive oil and butter. Gently coat each piece of the Chick'n in the whole wheat flour, and cook in the pan on each side until lightly crisped and browned. Remove from the pan.

Mushroom Picccata Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil - if needed, there may be enough in your pan from cooking the chicken
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 8 ounces of sliced cremini mushrooms
• 2/3 cup vegetable broth
• juice of 2 lemons
• 2 tablespoons of capers
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegan butter
• Fresh parsley for garnish

In a bowl, combine the vegetable broth, lemon juice, and capers and set aside. 

In the same pan that you cooked the Chick'n in, add 1 Tbsp olive oil- if needed, and add in your garlic, onion and mushrooms, and a small pinch of salt and pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes until the mushrooms are softened. Then add in your lemon/vegetable broth mixture. 

Cook  over low for a few minutes to let the flavors combine, then add in 1 tablespoon butter to the sauce and slowly melt it in. Add the Chick'n pieces back to the pan to reheat.  Taste the sauce and add any additional salt and pepper if needed. **Be careful not to over salt though, capers will add a natural saltiness to the dish.

Assemble the dish:

Place about 1/2 cup of the potatoes on a plate. Then add chick'n piece and top with the Mushrom Piccata sauce and some fresh chopped parsley.

 

Tofu Lo Mein

This was delicious... be sure to use the correct amount of pasta or you won't have enough sauce. With that said, the sauce was awesome, so my recommendation is to double the sauce (double the amount I list here) and maybe use only 3/4 of it or add more as needed. Enjoy! Makes 4 large servings.

• 1  (14-ounce) package firm water-packed tofu, drained 
• 8  ounces  whole-wheat linguine
• 1  teaspoon  dark sesame oil
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt, divided
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 2  tablespoons  canola oil, divided
• 3  tablespoons  oyster sauce or use extra soy sauce to vegan the dish
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  mirin (sweet rice wine)
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  less-sodium soy sauce
• 1  teaspoon  rice vinegar
• 3/4  cup  vertically sliced onion
• 2  cups  shredded cabbage
• 2  cups  peeled, thinly diagonally sliced carrot
• 1 cup small broccoli pieces
• 2  large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2  cups  fresh bean sprouts
• 1/4  cup  chopped green onions

Place tofu in a single layer on several layers of paper towels. Cover tofu with several more layers of paper towels, and top with a cast-iron skillet or other heavy pan. Let stand for 30 minutes. Discard paper towels. Cut crosswise into 4 (1-inch-thick) pieces.


Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente; drain. Combine pasta, sesame oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; toss. Set aside.

 Sprinkle remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper evenly over tofu. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon canola oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add tofu to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove from pan; cut into bite-sized pieces. Combine oyster sauce (or soy if making this vegan) and next 3 ingredients (through vinegar) in a small bowl, stirring well.

Heat a wok over medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion; stir-fry 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Add cabbage, carrot, broccoli and garlic; stir-fry 2 minutes or until cabbage wilts. 

Reduce heat to medium; stir in tofu and vinegar mixture, tossing to coat.

Add pasta and bean sprouts; toss. Cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

 Sprinkle with green onions.

I served this with steamed edamame that was sprinkled with Kosher salt.