A great book: Okay, So Now You're a Vegetarian

This is a great book. I highly recommend it to all vegetarians, especially teens. This book was write by a sixteen year old named, Lauren Butts. The book is advice and 100 recipes from one teen to another. Some recipes will be without pictures. If they are, it is because I am typing it straight from this book. It has breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert recipes. Also snack recipes and even some recipes for vegans. You can find it at your local bookstore for probably anywhere from ten to fifteen dollars, a great deal. Buy this book and you will have completed step two of becoming a vegetarian.

So, you wanna become a vegetarian?

            Being a vegetarian isn't as easy as it looks. And becoming one, is even harder.  You need to have the will power. Your parents might not support you but, this is what you are putting into your body so they can't stop you. Thats advice for people not old enough to make there own decisions. I became a vegetarian with my best friend, Justine, after her papa told us all about when he worked at a slaughter house and what he had to do. He was trying to scare us and it worked. We swore to be vegetarians. Both of our parents assumed that it would last for a week at most. I have proudly been a vegetarian for two years and I don't plan on stopping it anytime soon, or anytime at all. She was on and off because being a vegetarian is very hard and expensive. Her mother also didn't approve so she had no choice but, to go back and forth. I remember when my friends mother made "meatless" chili for us one night at dinner time. The next hours were spent with stomach grumbles as loud as a corvette engine and headaches rated a 100 out of 10 in pain. Finally, her mother apologized and said that she forgot it had meat in it. My friend and I knew she was lying and that she just didn't support our decision. Their are 10 easy steps to becoming a vegetarian:

1) Have a reason (Ex. animal lover, don't like the taste, religious beliefs, staying fit and heathy, want to try something new, economics, etc.)

2) Read up! I love goveg.com, so try it even if you aren't becoming one!

3) Find a website with recipes for your every needs. ) I recommend keeping a note book of your favorite recipes and where you found them)

4) Start cutting out different meats every week and see how you do or cut it out all at once.

5) Find protein substitutions.

6) Tell friends and family and see how they react. But, if they disagree, it's still up to you.

7) FInd vegetarian foods you like and restaurants you like.

8) Talk to  your doctor and another doctor that can help you with the process.

9) Take any recipe with meat and use "fake" meat. (Ex. Morningstar)

10) Maybe organize a group of vegetarians to talk to and share recipes or look in your area for one to join!

Congrats, your a vegetarian! F0r more information, email me at hgdazzeo@gmail.com!

Pasta and Meatless Sauce

            One of my favorite recipes is Pasta and Meatless Sauce! It's the easiest and fastest meal for you and your family when you are having a lazy dinner day.
       I love to use Penne pasta because if it's cooked perfectly its texture works the best and it's bite size. Morningstar is a great fake meat brand and its prices are reasonable for its portions. In this case you will want their fake meat crumbles bag. It's enough for maybe twenty people, so put it in the freezer and use it when ever lazy dinner days come up. SO use the recipe and pictures below to guide you through the way!

Rate: 4 beans
         

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 pound penne pasta (use rice pasta for gluten-free version)
• Salt
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large onion)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (blend of dried basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, and savory)
• Dash red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme (or a pinch of dried)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound (16% fat) ground beef
• 3 fresh basil leaves, chopped (or a 1/2 teaspoon of dried)
• 2 1/2 cups canned chunky tomato sauce (almost 1 28-ounce can, Muir Glen brand if you can get it)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

METHOD

1 Heat to boiling a large pot with 4 quarts of water in it. Once the water is boiling, salt it with 1 Tbsp of salt. Once the water returns to a boil add the pasta to the pot. Leave uncovered, let cook on high heat with a vigorous boil. Put the timer on for 8-10 minutes, or whatever your pasta package says is appropriate for al dente (cooked but still a little firm). Drain.

2 Once you've started to heat the water, start working on the sauce. Heat olive oil in a very large skillet on medium heat. Add the chopped onion, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened. Add the garlic, fresh thyme, season with salt and pepper. Cook for an additional minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.

 

3 Heat a large cast iron pan on high heat. Salt the bottom of the pan generously. Once the pan is hot, break up small chunks of ground beef and add them to the pan, without stirring. (You may need to work in batches; do not crowd the pan.) You want the meat to get well browned. If the pan is too hot and the meat is burning, not browning, take the pan off the heat for a little, and reduce the heat to medium high. On our coil electric stove, it takes the high heat setting for the meat to brown sufficiently, but your stove may be different. Once the meat is browned on one side (a couple of minutes), use a metal spatula to flip the meat over to brown on the other side. At this point, assuming you are using a cast iron pan, you can remove the pan from the heat. The residual heat in the pan will finish cooking the meat.

 

4 Use a slotted spoon to lift the meat from the cast iron pan and add it to the pan with the seasoned onions. Add tomato sauce. Use the edge of your metal spatula to break up the bigger chunks of meat into smaller pieces. Add basil. Add a teaspoon of sugar. Bring to a simmer on low heat, let cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

 

5 Once the sauce has simmered for 15 minutes, adjust seasonings. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add a little more sugar if the sauce is too acidic. Add more tomato sauce if the sauce is a little dry. Stir in the cooked penne pasta. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Yield: Serves 4.

Nice to meet you...again!

It's been so long! I wanted to start up because what savvy vegetarian doesn't need back up when they want to eat meat or wants to become one. I miss writing because I, myself am a huge fan of writing and being in school I write a lot! Keep stalkin' my bloggin'!

Lentil Soup

Lentil Soup

Total Time:

1 hr 15 min

Prep

30 min

Cook

45 min

Yield:

6 to 8 servings

Level:

--

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 pound lentils, picked and rinsed
• 1 cup peeled and chopped tomatoes
• 2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground toasted cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground grains of paradise

Directions

Place the olive oil into a large 6-quart Dutch oven and set over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, carrot, celery and salt and sweat until the onions are translucent, approximately 6 to 7 minutes. Add the lentils, tomatoes, broth, coriander, cumin and grains of paradise and stir to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook at a low simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately 35 to 40 minutes. Using a stick blender, puree to your preferred consistency. Serve immediately.

Rating/Opinion:

Rating: 5 beans

Opinion: I would eat this again! This was a great dinner! The soup tasted much better than it looked! I recommend all vegetarians should eat this!  I found the Grains of Paradise at our local Whole Foods store.

Stuffed Chick'n with a Sherry Dijon "cream" Sauce

Stuffed Chicken Divan with a Sherry Dijon Sauce

Used THE Veggie Patch Fake Chicken!

Total Time:

50 min

Prep

20 min

Cook

30 min

Yield:

4 servings

Level:

Notes

Intermediate

We've updated this classic dish while still keeping all the elements that people love: crisp broccoli, juicy chicken, and a tasty Parmesan sauce. By stuffing the chicken breasts we were able to cut down on the overall cheese in the dish while still maximizing flavor. A mixture of low-fat evaporated milk, broth and sherry with a touch of cornstarch makes a creamy sauce that tastes as rich as the full fat version.

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 2 cups (4 ounces) fresh broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Gruyere cheese
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 4 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup low-fat evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup low-sodium veggie broth
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Preheat the broiler. Mist a shallow rectangular baking dish with cooking spray. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook until bright green and crisp tender, about 5 minutes.Drain well and run under cold water until cold. Drain well again and squeeze dry in paper towels.

Chop the broccoli and toss in a bowl with the Gruyere and garlic. Insert a paring knife into the thickest part of each chicken breast to make a 3-inch deep pocket. Stuff each chicken breast with equal amounts of the broccoli mixture. Rub both sides of the chicken breasts with oil and thyme and season with salt and pepper.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, about 5 minutes. Put the chicken in the pan and cook until golden brown and just cooked through, about 6 minutes per side. If the chicken begins to brown too quickly, turn the heat down to medium to finish cooking through. Transfer to thebaking dish.

Meanwhile, combine the milk and stock in a small pot, season with salt and pepper and bring to asimmer over medium heat. Stir the sherry and cornstarch until smooth and pour, whisking constantly, into the sauce. Cook until just thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the Parmesan. Top each chicken breast with 2 tablespoons of sauce and place under the broiler. Broil until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes.

Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes and then cut each breast in half on an angle. Whisk the mustard into the remaining sauce and spread a few tablespoons on each plate. Top with a halved chicken breast.

Nutritional analysis per serving

Calories 347; Total Fat 11g (Sat Fat 5.1g, Mono Fat 3.9g, Poly Fat 1.1g) ; Protein 50g; Carb 10g; Fiber 1g; Cholesterol 126.5mg; Sodium 433.5mg

Rate/Opinion

Rate: 4 beans

Opinion: I would surly eat this again! So healthy and yummy! Oh and you need to use fake chicken! Its the first one!  Serve with roasted carrots.

My rating system is based on beans! So here it is:

1/2=didn't like and wont eat again

1=not my favorite and will have to think about eating again

1 1/2= filled my stomach and might try again

2=ok and could maybe eat again

2 1/2=getting better and could eat again

3= good enough and would eat again

3 1/2= good and will eat in the future

4= great and would love to eat all the time

4 1/2= happy stomach and would eat every night

5= the best and would munch on all day long if I could

Note:

3 and 3 1/2- I would say you should try

4,4 1/2 and 5- Try!!!!!! Worth your time and so good!!! In love!