This blog is about happy cooking and delicious eating. Scroll on to find creative recipes and fun stories!
Lasagñe
Time has been flying by. With the arrival of our second baby boy I haven’t had as much time for posting recipes, but today I’m gonna share some delicious ways to make vegetarian lasagne. Not only are these delicious, all-inclusive meals in themselves, they also make a great frozen dinner you can just pop in the microwave on a lazy day. Just section the pasta into 4 giant pieces and place in 4 microwave safe containers before freezing. Alright, let’s get to it!
(Disclaimer: these are not designed for weight loss, but if eaten in moderation, they are amazing 😉 )
Alfredo Lasagne
Ingredients:
Lasagne noodles, cooked(9 per pan)
Cottage cheese (1 med)
Frozen spinach
Alfredo sauce(2 jars)
Crumbled Boca veggie burger
Diced onion and eggplant, lightly sauteed and seasoned
Shredded mozzarella
Salt
Preheat oven to 400°F. Oil 9×13 glass baking dish. Combine cottage cheese and frozen spinach, add salt. In separate bowl combine 1 and 1/2 jars of sauce, burger, onion and eggplant. Beginning with sauce mixture, then spinach and cottage cheese and lastly noodles, layer 3 times, ending with remaining 1/2 jar of Alfredo sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake for 35 minutes or until cheese is slightly golden brown.
Veggie Lover’s Lasagne
Lasagne noodles, cooked (9 per pan)
Cottage cheese (1 med)
Frozen Spinach (1 bag)
Spaghetti sauce (2 cans)
Onions, Eggplant, Carrots, (diced, sauteed and lightly seasoned)
Salt
Mozzarella
Parmesan/Romano
Preheat oven to 400°F. Oil 9×13 glass baking dish. Combine cottage cheese and frozen spinach, add salt. In separate bowl combine remaining veggies and sauce. Beginning with sauce mixture, then lasagne, then spinach and cottage cheese then ending with sauce mixture, layer three times ending with sauce mixture. Sprinkle on shredded mozzarella and parmesan/Romano generously. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden.
Vegan Coconut Pie
It’s been windy and cold, with little bursts of warm days in between here in southern Idaho. It makes me long for the warm days of summer, so even though they’re still a long ways off, I created this simple pie to help prolong the warm feelings.
You will need:
1 can coconut milk
4 tbsp cornstarch
4 tbsp sugar
1 Graham cracker crust
Combine all ingredients in sauce pan, stir well with whisk. Turn on medium heat and whisk continually until thickened. Pour into Graham cracker crust. Refrigerate for 3 hours.
Top with pineapple if desired
Warning: this recipe is super easy 😉
Personal Plate of Pasta, Please
For a breezy spring day with barely time for a breath, this beautiful little plate of pasta was just perfect to give me a little restoration time. Don’t forget to treat yourself as precious. After all, you are a valuable creation: there is only one of you in all the earth. Never undermine your own value.
Stir a can of diced tomatoes into your favorite cooked pasta (drained and seasoned (I like to use olive oil, salt, garlic and pepper flakes)). Pour a little warmed cheese sauce on top and sprinkle torn basil leaves. Enjoy!
P.S. Thanks to those of you that are still following my blog! I know it’s been several months now since I’ve last posted. I really appreciate your support! 🤗❤️😊
Unique Christmas
So… My brother and his wife were over this year during Christmas holidays. She is from Thailand and I love many Asian foods so we decided to have an Asian themed Christmas dinner – and it was fantastic! This meal is actually really great for lunches in the summer as well because it is refreshing and invigorating.
Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients:
Strawberry cake mix
Eggs
Oil
Water
Whipped Topping
Cream Cheese frosting
Sliced strawberries
Directions:
Prepare cake mix according to package instructions. Let cool after baking for at least 30 minutes. Mix together thawed whipped topping and frosting. Spread 1/2 of frosting mixture over the top of the cake. Scoop the rest into a plastic bag. Squeeze frosting to one side of bag and cut a small hole in the bottom corner. Place sliced strawberries on cake. Squeeze remaining frosting mixture over cake. Yum, yum!
Korean-style Potatoes Braised in Soy sauce
Ingredients:
Cubed potatoes (approx 3-4 cups)
Chopped half onion
Minced garlic (2-3 cloves)
1/3 c. Soy sauce
Cayenne
1 Tbsp sugar
Salt
Water
Directions:
Saute onions and garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add potatoes and sauté 10-15 minutes. Add in 1-2 cups of water (not quite covering potatoes in pan). Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook on med-high heat till potatoes are tender. Salt to taste.
Note: This recipe is “korean-style” not Korean. I have never had the opportunity to try authentic Korean braised potatoes, though I would love to. This recipe is the result of scanning over various recipes and watching Kdramas, such as Healer and looking at photos.
Kimbap
Ingredients:
Seaweed wraps
Cooked white rice
Carrots, julienned or thinly sliced sliced longways
Onions, sliced into thin rings
Cucumbers, julienned
Tofu
Avocado slices
Spinach
Sesame seeds
Oil
Vegetarian meat or tuna
Directions:
1) Saute/lightly fry and salt each ingredient separately excluding cucumbers and avocado. Sprinkle sesame seeds on to spinach after cooking. Season cooked tofu with salt, garlic powder and onion powder.
2) Lay seaweed on sushi roller or wet cloth. Spread rice evenly over one third of the seaweed. Place vegetables longways over rice and roll. Slice into bite sized rounds. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. (Sesame oil is also a great way to give this a more authentic flavor if you have some on hand).
For a tutorial on rolling kimbap see this Youtube video by Amy Kim
Korean Eggroll
Ingredients:
Eggs
Finely diced carrots, garlic and green onion
Salt to taste
Cayenne to taste
Directions:
Whisk together all ingredients. Pour a tbsp of oil into a pan on med heat. When hot, pour in 1/2 of egg mixture. Do not stir. Fold egg over, and over leaving last bit flat. Pour 1/2 of remaining egg mixture onto pan and over the egg still touching the pan. Cook a few minutes. Roll egg again and repeat process once more. Place on plate or serving dishes and slice. For a tutorial click here.
Growing up we celebrated holidays differently from most of our American friends and relatives, so I have never actually eaten a traditional Christmas meal. I just recently figured out many Americans eat ham at Christmas – we were vegetarian growing up as well so that may be the reason I didn’t know about the ham. That being said, please comment your traditional Christmas dinner below. I would love to see what other people usually eat for the holidays!
Pita Wraps
The other day I needed to throw a lunch together for my husband, but we were out of bread so I used the other quick option on hand: pita bread. It turned out so good, we have a enjoyed it twice since both as a birthday party dinner as well as a quick, filling breakfast. I’m sure this is something that has been made many different ways by other people, but since it is our first original recipe with pita bread I am pretty excited about it. If you have your own delicious way of preparing pita wraps, please comment below so I can try it, too!
Ingredients:
Pita bread
Mayo or spread of your choice
Lettuce leaves (I prefer red leaf)
Tomato slices
Cucumber slices
Sauteéd, sliced Bell pepper
Onions (sliced into wedges-sauté optional)
Sliced Olives
Sliced avocado
Shredded Cheese
Hot sauce (optional)
Vegetarian meat crumbles, tofu or eggs – you choose which filler suits your mood
Directions:
Lightly fry crumbles or tofu (for eggs, scramble as usual). Set aside. Lightly season Bell peppers and onions with onion powder and salt. Place all ingredients starting with mayo and lettuce on one side of pita bread. Fold over and enjoy (this is like holding a soft taco – it is messy)!
Note: anything in this recipe can be modified or replaced to suit your taste. Make it taste good! In food preparation the 3 main rules to hold to are: 1) Nutrition 2) Taste 3) Visual Appeal. If you can get that down, you will be able to warm your loved ones hearts and tummies with just a little practice.
Fried Rice and Soup
Well, it’s the season for sniffles and coughs, and we have definitely been getting our share. After a long cold day, this just hit the spot. For anyone unfamiliar with Asian style soups – give this a shot! It may look a little different than you’re used to, but it will surprise you how tasty it is 😉
Fried Rice:
Saute onions, carrots, broccoli and garlic in light olive oil for 7-8 minutes or just until tender. Add an egg or two and saute 2 minutes more. Season with cayenne, onion powder and salt. Add in white rice (and gochujang if desired). Serve with a smile!
Jjigae (Soup)
Boil chopped onion, garlic, and cabbage until tender. Stir in mushrooms, tofu and seasonings (cayenne, soy sauce, lemon juice, salt). Simmer until flavors have blended (approximately 5 minutes).
Homemade Tomato Soup
Ever get tired of paying an arm and a leg for tiny cans of soup that never quite measure up to expectations? Well, that’s what happened to us. To be more precise, we went to Noodles and Company, where my husband ordered a bowl of their delicious tomato soup – I was sold. Problem is, we can’t afford to eat out every day —- so —– I looked up a few recipes online, modified them to our particular taste, and Voíla! Here you have it – Tomato Soup!
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 med onion
2-3 garlic cloves
2 small carrots
4 cans diced tomatoes
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Cayenne
Basil
Bay leaf
Salt
Saute onions, garlic and carrots 8-10 minutes. Add canned tomatoes and seasonings. Boil on med-high heat for 40 minutes or until carrots are tender. Blend until texture is creamy. Yum, yum!
(If desired, blend and set aside a portion for baby leaving out the salt and cayenne).
Vegan Vanilla Pudding
Here is a delicious little treat for busy nights 😉
2/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. cornstarch
4 and 1/2 c soy milk
2 tsp Vanilla
Directions:
Mix sugar and cornstarch together. Whisk in soymilk and continue whisking over low-med heat until thickened. Stir in vanilla. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Slice and serve. Top with fruit and graham crackers if desired. Enjoy!
Empanadas
Today I was balancing my baby on my hip while unloading my buggy at the grocery store before checkout (for those of you unfamiliar with the term, “buggy” is the southern word for “grocery cart” 😉 ). When I was about halfway through, the woman behind me came up and asked, “May I help you with this?” Of course I was surprised, but I gave my consent, and she proceeded to help me unload the rest of my groceries. After I paid, she also helped me bag them up, and gave me a smile as she left. I’m sure she won’t think much of it, but I can assure you, it brightened my day tremendously, and I will definitely remember her act of kindness. I hope that I will be a blessing to others in my life as she was to me.
On that note, here is a nice little recipe I’m sharing with you – I hope you can make it yourself and brighten a loved one’s day!
Ingredients:
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, diced finely
1/4 green bell pepper, chopped
1/3 c chopped mushrooms
1/2 bag of Morning Star vegetarian crumbled burger
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Taco Seasoning
Salt
Directions:
Heat skillet on med-high heat.
Sauté onions and garlic for 1-2 minutes, add green bell pepper and sauté 3-5 minutes or until bell pepper is tender. Add crumbled burger and seasonings. Lower heat slightly and add seasonings to taste. Sauté 4 minutes. Turn off heat.
Roll out premade biscuits into flat 4-5″ diameter circle. Place small spoonful of sautéed mixture on one side of dough. Fold dough over and seal closed with fingers or fork. Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown. Enjoy!
Tropical Orange Sorbet
Nothing like a cold treat on a summer night after the noise quiets down and the lights are lowered. Tasty, fresh and sweet; this little evening splurge was right on target. (Romantic, too, if I might add 😉 ).
1 Orange
3/4 c frozen fruit punch concentrate (I like the 100% juice, but use whatever you have)
2 tbsp white sugar
2 c ice cubes
Place all ingredients in blender (VitaMix work great for this). Start on lowest setting and gradually speed up. Blend until the consistency is smooth, but be careful not to blend for too long or the sorbet will melt. Serve with a touch of romance!
Servings: 2
Pleasant Taste 