Spicy Vegetable Stir-Fry

With the holidays mostly under my belt (literally), new resolutions just around the corner, and self-righteous bathing suit collections on the horizon, I'm feeling pretty motivated to start the new year off right. That means trading in the stuffing and pie (so much pie) for something a little healthier. I'm sure I'm not alone in this, as any overworked piece of gym equipment will tell you over the next few weeks, so I thought it would be the perfect time to share this quick and healthy stir-fry recipe.

Heirloom Tomato and Mushroom Frittata

What can I say about frittatas? Actually, I could probably say quite a bit, but any anecdotal quips I might have regarding my love for them would invariably boil down to three main characteristics: they're delicious, easy, and versatile. Here are some more words of affirmtion in case you don't believe me:

Delicious - that one doesn't take a whole lot of explaining. If you've ever had a frittata, most likely you're on board with this statement. 

Easy - I guess this could be debatable depending on what you would consider easy. I usually consider things to be easy if there aren't too many ingredients, steps, or time involved. This particular recipe meets at least two of those three requirements, so I think we're good there as well. 

Versatile - that's a no-brainer. You can pretty much throw any suitable ingredients you have in your fridge into this thing and it will turn out great; it's kind of like soup that way. Also anything that can be prepared for breakfast, lunch, and dinner is a winner in my book. The only other food I can think of that has a similar versatility is cold pizza - I once ate leftover pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner the next day. I'm not necessarily proud of this achievement, but it was delicious nonetheless.

Now that we're on the same page, let's take a closer look.

Mushroom Medley Burger with Feta and Herbs

Every now and then, while perusing my local grocery store, and usually while feeling totally unispired, I will come across something that totally sets my wheels in motion. What starts out as a mundane venture turns into a sudden surge of possibilities. A furry of ingredients leap into my basket, piling up into precarious positions; bags are flying; produce is being squeezed; and I can hardly keep up with my own train of thought.

I appreciate moments like that because they remind me of why I love cooking so much - that spark of an idea that gets ignited into something I can share with the people I love.

That is exactly what happened when I got the idea for this burger. I came across a package of fresh herbs, diced onions, and cheese intended for topping a steak, and instantly the mushroom medley burger unfolded in mind. I picked up some fresh herbs, two kinds of onions, crimini and oyster mushrooms, and some delicious onion rolls; I couldn't wait to get back and start cooking!

Pesto Spaghetti with Mushrooms and Kale

After taking such a long break from the blogging world, I decided to ease back in with a simple recipe that’s easy to throw together and takes very little time to prepare (basically the time it takes to boil pasta). I used whole wheat spaghetti and loads of vitamin-rich kale to make it a healthier dish that I can make regularly without hurting my waistline. Earthy, meaty mushrooms provide some bulk, fresh lemon juice brightens everything up and compliments the mushrooms amazingly well, and the rest of the ingredients just kind of happened as I was going along, as most of my recipes tend to do. I think it turned out pretty well, and I hope you do too.

Let’s get cooking!

Roasted Herbed Vegetables with Red Wine Sauce and Toasted Garlic Bread

Last night I really wanted to have a date night at home. I love getting dressed up and going out to eat, but sometimes it’s nice to put the extra money into a nice home cooked meal, turn on some music, and relax instead. Needless to say, I wanted to make something a little more special than the average weeknight.

I immediately thought about our first trip together to New Orleans and recalled this amazing French bistro we tried on our first night in the vibrant city. I ordered coq au vin (obviously pre-vegetarian days), which I had never had before, and I simply cannot remember what Dustin ordered…probably because I was too busy focusing on my yummy meal! I wanted to make something reminiscent of that dish, only without the meat. It seemed a difficult challenge!

In the end I decided to brown some potatoes in a little oil and butter (you can’t have a French dish without butter!) and then threw them into a pot with loads of mushrooms, a couple of carrots, pearl onions, garlic, lots of herbs, and a beautiful wine sauce. I served it over toasted sourdough French bread, and it turned out perfect! I think I will definitely make this again, only next time I will use a full cup of wine, and will remember to put candles on the table – ooh la la! (Cheesy, I know!)

Grilled Portobello Mushroom “Steaks”

Is calling them “steaks” going a bit too far? Perhaps, but that’s what I thought of when I was grilling these yummy portobello mushroom slices. I spotted a tidy package of these beauties while perusing the produce department recently. I almost walked right past them, but their gleaming white flesh, dark gills, and perfectly curled edges looked so pretty…how could I not throw them in the basket? My mom had recently told me about a grilled mushroom burger she had seen on the food network, and grilling seemed like the perfect thing to do, so in they went!

Making them was super easy. They were the focus of our meal, but they would also work great as a side, would be perfect for burgers or sandwiches, and would be even more fantastic with some melted cheese on top…darn, now I’m hungry again!

Vegetarian Gyros

When my husband and I lived in our first apartment, we used to love going to the gyro place down the street. Their freshly made flatbread, overflowing with seasoned meat and cool tzatziki sauce, was practically irresistible! After moving away, and especially after becoming vegetarian, gyros became a thing of the past. Other yummy foods happily took their place, until my sister recently suggested I try making Tzatziki Sauce for the blog. This immediately reminded me of my gyro loving days, and suddenly I was wondering why I had never tried making a vegetarian version before. The idea seemed simple enough, so I began looking for recipes I could adapt. I found a meat version I liked on tammysrecipes.com, and thought mushrooms would be a great substitution, since they have a meaty texture and adapt to different flavors well. 

Let me tell you, I was not disappointed. It. Was. So. Good. And much healthier than the meat version I used to love. This recipe definitely makes the cut for my weekly rotation!

Veggie Quiche with Herbed Crust

This was my first attempt at making quiche, and I have to say that I felt a little 50’s-housewife-esk with the presentation and paprika on top, ha ha, especially since I don’t actually have a quiche pan and had to use a pie plate instead. I think it's the paprika more than anything that makes me feel that way; it's very reminiscent of my grandmother, who was an amazing cook, by the way!

Although perhaps a little dated in design, I was pleased with how the quiche turned out. I added asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms, onion, and garlic for the filling, along with mozzarella cheese, eggs and cream; fresh tarragon was used to season throughout, which has a very interesting taste that somehow blends wonderfully with the eggs, cream, and paprika; and the finished product was very tasty!

Roasted Vegetable Medley with Couscous

Roasted vegetables are one of my favorite things to make, (there’s a good possibility I say that about all my recipes, but it’s true in this case!). There are so many different kinds of vegetables and flavors a person can add, and it easily adapts to the changing seasons – lighter vegetables and fresh herbs in the summer, or autumn squash and heavier spices when it gets chilly. It’s also one of the best ways I’ve found to make sure all the vegetables I buy actually get eaten, which is a constant challenge because I always over buy and want one, or seven, of everything! 

In addition to tasting great as a standalone dish and having an enormous amount of flexibility, roasted vegetables can also be added to all kinds of things to make a complete meal. I added them to couscous in this case, but they are also fantastic with rice, or mixed into salads or pasta. They can also effortlessly be reinvented into something else the next day; I sometimes blend up the leftovers with some broth or cream for a delicious and hearty soup the next day.

Panini Sandwiches

Panini are one of my favorite things to make. There are practically endless flavor combinations to suite all tastes and preferences, and they are incredibly fast and easy to make, especially if you actually have a Panini maker or similar appliance. The day I realized I could use my George Foreman Lean Mean Grilling Machine to make these delicious pressed sandwiches was a turning point in my sandwich making endeavors! Never again will I stand over a skillet waiting for cheese to melt while my bread burns. NEVER AGAIN, I SAY!

Although the Foreman Grill (or other such appliance) makes Panini making a cinch, you could very easily achieve a similar result with a grill pan or regular skillet, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t have one of these glorious machines at your disposal!

Creamy Mushroom Soup with Hearty Vegetables

I’ve been on a serious soup kick lately. I love that I can throw just about any kind of vegetable and spice in there and have it turn out great. They make for a healthy lunch or dinner, and are easy for Dustin to take to work with him. This also prevents him from taking raw potatoes, which is really an embarrassment for both of us.

I started making vegetable stew the way I always do, dice an onion, start to cry, rub my eyes and make it worse, curse the existence of onions…etc. I reached in the fridge to get out the carrots and zucchini, and spotted the leftover mushrooms from the Veggie Lasagna I had just made.