Tired of vegetables yet?  Me neither.  This really should be titled: Vegetable Sandwich, but that sounded a little lame.  I thought Roasted Vegetable Slider sounded good, but I didn’t actually roast the vegetables and sliders are supposed to be smaller than this behemoth turned out.  Balsamic Sauteed Veggie Sandwich would have been accurate, but its got olive mix so I think Muffaletta is more descriptive.  Really, this sandwich is another meat-less, low fat yet delicious, fast, and satisfying way to eat healthily.

We have a pretty extensive history of heart disease in our family and my mother recently begun trying to follow a pretty rigid reversal diet.  Since I have her genes and some heart issues of my own, I have been trying to eat a lower fat, less-meat oriented diet as well.  For a quick lunch at my mom’s I wanted to put together a heart-healthy sandwich.   A portobello mushroom and some fresh spinach would be perfect here as well, but my mom didn’t have either.  She did have some delicious pretzel rolls but any crusty whole-grain bread or soft, toasted bun would be good here as well.  (...)
Click here for the recipe Veggie Muffaletta

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

One of the best aspects of our newly food-centric world is that we have so many categories of burgers.  We enjoy chipotle turkey burgers and Thai shrimp burgers and any kind of burger you can imagine-and none of them trying to be the same thing.  Real veggie burgers-burgers made of beans and grains and vegetables, not at all trying to be imitation beef burgers-are hard to come by.  Houston’s (now Hillstone’s) restaurant has a great one.  Consisting of black beans, brown rice, oat bran, and veggies, it’s not trying to be a beef burger.  Yet it is chewy and hearty and savory and sweet and so much more than just a veggie burger.  It doesn’t hold together in a perfect patty, with imitation grill marks, so if that’s what you are looking for then I suggest the freezer aisle.  I wanted to re-create this infamous burger and apparently a lot of other people on the webs did as well.  I found several recipes that gave me a good jumping off place and this is my interpretation from there.  It is a work in progress and if you decide to try them let me know what changes you make in the comments.

This is not a patty that holds together perfectly but it holds together well enough to grill, if you work carefully.  As written below it is vegan but many people add an egg or egg white to help it hold its shape.  The restaurant’s burger is vegan and I found that chilling the patties for a few hours before grilling helped them hold their shape without the egg.  A thick slice of Monterrey Jack helps it hold together as well (at least until you get it on the bun).  I used a 1/2 cup of finely diced beet which is clearly way more that the restaurant’s burger, and several testers felt the burger was too beety, so I have reduced it below to 1/4 cup.  (...)
Click here for the recipe Almost Houston’s Veggie Burgers

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

I am always on the look-out for hearty vegetarian meals to help stretch our budget.  Eating a few meatless meals every week is also great for our health and the earth, so really its a win all around.  Unfortunately, it can be hard to find meatless meals that don’t leave us feeling unsatisfied or hungry after few hours.  These enchiladas are hearty and spicy and delicious!  In fact they are so hearty you won’t even miss the meat.

My friend Reshma gave me her recipe.  Restaurant spinach enchiladas tend to be a bit bland and boring but these are amazing.  She makes hers with spinach and black beans or even sliced squash and zucchini.  Spicy and flavorful, the key is to season every layer of the dish.  Serve with beans and rice and you have a fiesta.(...)
Click here for the recipe Meatless for a Meal: Spinach and Mushroom Stuffed Enchiladas

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Oh, potato salad.  Tangy, smooth with bits of crunch, drenched in creamy mayo.  Why do you have to be so bad for me?

I have been craving potato salad something fierce lately, but I have also been doing very well in my commitment to eating healthier and lighter.  So what’s a girl to do?  Make this healthy potato salad.  Potatoes and garlic, roasted with grainy mustard and coriander seeds then stirred into creamy, tangy yogurt with fresh bits of green and onion, this potato salad has all of the flavor elements of a great deli potato salad yet with much fewer calories and far less fat.

Roasted Garlic Potato Salad

• 3 lbs medium or small red potatoes, cut into small pieces
• 1  tablespoon oil
• 1  tablespoon stone-ground mustard
• 2  teaspoons coriander seeds, crushed
• 6  garlic cloves, halved
• 1/2  cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2  cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
• 1/3  cup thinly sliced green onions
• 3/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Cover a baking sheet with foil.
2. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, tossing mixture to coat.
3. Spread potato mixture over prepared baking sheet.
4. Bake 30 minutes or until tender, stirring mixture occasionally. Cool to room temperature.
5. Combine parsley, yogurt, green onions, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl. Add the cooled potato mixture, and toss gently.
6. Serve salad at room temperature or chilled. Garnish with green onion, if desired.

It is very important to cool your potatoes before stirring them into the yogurt mixture.  Otherwise, the hot potatoes will soak up all of your yogurt and your potato salad will not be very creamy.

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Is there anything better than a steamy, salty bowl of chicken noodle soup when you’re feeling sick?  The heat of the broth soothes throats and clears sinuses while the bits of chicken and noodles fills uneasy tummies.  Soup keeps you hydrated and gets you started on the right track towards building up your immune system with vitamins and antioxidants from the veggies.  It is also a great healthy lunch paired with a sandwich or sent to school in a thermos.

This soup is really easy to make if you have chicken meat and broth on hand, but even if you don’t it isn’t too labor intensive.  For the best flavor: buy a chicken the day before you want to make soup, that night salt it and roast it in a 400°F oven for 1 hour.  Remove the meat and refrigerate.  Simmer your chicken carcass, covered in water, in the crock pot overnight.  In the morning, strain the broth and get the last bits of chicken meat off your carcass and refrigerate both. Now you are ready to chop up the veggies and heat up the soup whenever you want it.

Mom’s Chicken Noodle Soup

• 2 quarts chicken broth, homemade or best quality
• 2 cups cooked chicken meat
• 4 carrots
• 3 stalks celery
• 1 onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp chicken base
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp chopped celery leaves
• 1 tsp fresh chopped tarragon (optional)
• 6 oz egg noodles
• salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1. Heat chicken broth to a boil.  Add chicken and vegetables.
2. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes or until carrots are soft.
3. Add chicken base, herbs, and noodles.
4. Cook ten minutes more or until noodles are soft.
5. Salt and pepper to taste-you may not need any additional salt.

You can make the soup ahead of time and freeze it but you’ll want to leave out the noodles (and add them in when you serve it) or only partially cook them so they don’t get too mushy when reheated.  You can also make this soup with assorted bone-in chicken parts rather than a whole chicken, such as chicken leg quarters or bone-in breasts.

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh