learn to cook healthy vegetarian dishes

I have been making a lot of new stuff lately, all healthy and vegetarian. I’ve tried some new stuff, like quinoa, and I’ve started improvising my own recipes using whatever produce I have on hand. I am pretty happy with my progress on this.

I’ve bought a couple of veggie cookbooks and sort of adapted the recipes to suit my own tastes (a lot of the dishes are mushroom based and I simply can’t stand mushrooms). Love making my own pasta with spinach and pine nuts. Yummy.

My mother and one of my daughters have gone vegetarian, so this would be good for me and for entertaining as well.

Two days ago I turned on the crock pot and made my mother’s spicey pasta sauce: mushrooms (optional), onions, garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, and basil. I cook it down, then fridge it. Later I cook brown rice while I heat ground “veggie” meat with a little oregano and black pepper (no salt is needed!). I mix the brown rice into the “meat” then start mixing in the homemade pasta sauce and parmesian. Take this filling and stuff the prepared (tops cut off, insides removed, bottom flattened) peppers (either red or green). Cover the peppers with the remaining pasta sauce and some more parmesian. Cook in the oven at 325 covered for 20 minutes (longer for softer peppers, but I like them still crispy), then 5 minutes uncovered to get the cheese brown. Serve with some garlic bread and yum yum!

I found a new book when I was used book store shopping the other day. It’s called “The Classic 1000 Vegetarian Recipes” by Carolyn Humphries. It’s a UK book, so a few of the recipes call for ingredients I can’t get here, but the large majority of the recipes look awesome. Included are drinks, snacks, main dishes, side dishes, desserts and more. The only thing lacking is cookies. I don’t know why I care about vegetarian cookies, but since the book covered everything else I sorta found it odd that I couldn’t find any cookie recipes. Maybe they don’t eat a lot of cookies in the UK?

making a marinara sauce tonight from scratch. lesse how it works out….

-2 hard-boiled eggs
-1.5 tbsp mayo (I use light)
-paprika, dill, sea salt to taste
-1/2 tsp dijon mustard

Wrap up in tortilla with lettuce.

Options:
-1 tsp. relish
-more garnish, including sliced tomato and diced onion

Part of wanting to do this is not just about me. I’m seventeen, so I often get The Protein Lecture from my parents (grandma, friends, teachers, etcetera). I’m thinking that if I could whip up a good, healthy meal, it might make them back off a little … :]

I just made a yummalicious fritata, cutting the fat by using more egg whites than egg yolks. Whip ‘em up really good, add red potatoes, leeks, and spinach, then broil some cheese on top once the egg has firmed. Yum!

So far I have learned to make my mom’s incredible quiche, a wonderfully delicious pot pie from vegweb.com, stir fried rice and noodles, and my step-dad’s potato soup and matzo ball soup.
I wont lie though, most the time I’m still microwaving something from Morningstar when I’m hungry. I have to try to involve fresh veggies whenever I can.