Stuffed Zucchini
Ingredients
6 med zucchini - approx 6-8 long and 2 in diameter
2 med or 4-6 plum fresh tomatoes
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms
1 fresh red pepper
1 med to large sweet onion
3 lg garlic cloves, more if you love garlic
olive oil for sautéing
salt & pepper to taste
1 bunch fresh basil
breadcrumbs or matzoh meal or falafel mix (approx 1/2 c)
Directions:
Trim the stem on the zucchinis, but don't cut it all the way off. Carefully cut the zucchinis in half lengthwise, making two boats. Use a paring knife and carefully hollow out the zucs, leaving about 1/4 inch all around sides & bottom. Save the parts you remove. Place the zuc boats in an oiled baking pan or cookie sheet.
Chop all the vegetables, but keep them separate. Heat olive oil in large pot or Dutch oven. Add red pepper, a few minutes later onion, a few minutes later garlic. Simmer slowly so they get soft and onions become translucent, but not browned. Add mushrooms, chopped zucchini innards, a few minutes later tomatoes, chopped basil, salt & pepper. Simmer uncovered about 15 min (you don't want them to get mushy). Taste for seasonings, to see if it needs anything. If there is lots of liquid, strain vegs in a colander, but save the liquid. Mix in some vegan bread crumbs or matzoh farfel just to help hold it all together. Fill all the zucchini boats - there should be enough filling for them to be slightly mounded. Baste with the saved liquid.
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 1/2 hour to 45 min, until boats are tender but still holding their shape. Check them during baking - if they're getting too dry or browned, cover with foil until the last few min, and baste a couple of times during baking.
Serves: 12
This is a recipe from Vegweb.
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=4706.0
I narrowed it down to 3 zucchs and cut all other ingredients in half as well. This recipe was not only a thumbs up from me, but my fiancee as well (not an easy feat). More outstandingly, my brother, who detests most veggies, decided he would finish his girlfriends' share as well. The only downside to this recipe is the length of time it takes to chop up all of the ingredients. Like, the author of this recipe wrote, "If you have a food processor, you're in luck."
PS. It was also extremely satisfying, which I was worried about, and very filling. I will be making it again.
Pop Tarts! (or Baked Toaster-Like Pastries)
Every time I go grocery shopping with Chris, he grabs an unhealthy processed box of Poptarts, blueberry, and proceeds to finish them off within two days. (And he wonders why he constantly has headaches...) That being said, I felt it my duty to look for a healthier version of the toaster pastry and luckily found it on Veg Web!
Ingredients:
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup margarine
1/4 cup water
fruit jam or preserves
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a cookie sheet and set aside.
In a bowl, combine the flours (you can use whatever flour you want). Add the margarine and cut into flour with pastry cutter or fork, adding water as needed-- I didn't need the full 1/4 cup.
Divide dough into 4 equal sized balls, and on a floured surface, roll each out one at a time into a rectangle shape. On one half of the rectangle, spread about a tablespoon (or more if you like) of jam, leaving an edge of dough visible.
Fold dough over to cover the jam and use a fork to connect the edges. You might need a little water to get them to hold together, if you use a lot of flour to roll it out.
When all 4 are done, put them on the cookie sheet and bake for 12-18 minutes.
Take them off the cookie sheet and let rest on a cooling rack.
Serves: 4
Preparation time: about 30 minutes
This recipe was insanely easy to make. It was quick and the end result was better than any store bought toaster pastry I've ever had. In fact, as soon as I took them out of the oven, they were gobbled up by me and roomies. My fiancee even ate about have of mine, before I stole it back from him!
PS I did make my own icing with powdered sugar, water, some of the blueberry preserves I used for the inside, and a hint of lemon juice.
Portabella Mushroom Burgers
This is my own recipe from experimenting in the kitchen. Every once in a while, Chris and I are down for some burgers, specifically portabella mushroom burgers. It's usually a big deal, even when we shop. We put the shrooms in the cart and it's Christmas all over again. I made the perfect recipe a long time ago, but unfortunately forgot it. This one is still mouth-watering and satisfies his meat cravings and my mushroom ones.
Two large Portabella mushrooms (stems removed, we fed them to our rats)
1/2 large Onion (white, chopped)
Less than half of Green or Red Bell Pepper, chopped (We just use the insides and the surrounding stem area so we can use the pepper for other recipes)
Splash of Veggie Broth
Olive Oil as needed
Liquid smoke (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Toppings: Burger Buns (http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=15153.0)
Tomato slices
Onion slices
Condiments of choice
Lettuce leaf, we had Kale on ours.
Start off by heating up the olive oil (very small amount) in a pan, medium heat. Throw in your peppers. Let simmer for 3 minutes or until almost soft. Somewhere around this point the oil may cease to exist. This is where the veggie broth comes in handy (cutting out some fat here). Add the onion. Let simmer until transparent. Add liquid smoke to taste, along with salt and pepper.
In the same pan, push the sauteed veggies to the side and set the mushrooms in, with the under-part facing upward. Make sure your sautés aren't getting burnt and that your shrooms aren't either. There is no need to flip them. When the edges soften down, the mushrooms are finished.
Assemble the burger with mushroom still upside-down (it's a perfect place to put those yummy sautes). Add toppings. We had Kale instead of lettuce on ours. (Chris' idea believe it or not!) You can serve it with sides or all by its lonesome. We had it with carrot sticks (Chris' idea too! Where's the Chris I used to know? :])
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