The Picky Vegetarian

I love to cook and to eat. My only problem is I am kinda picky. This is my adventure in food. All the recipes I share are my own or my husband's unless otherwise noted.

[pickyvegetarian-blog1]

Tortellini Soup

I bought a big bag of spinach awhile back and needed more ways to get rid of it other than salad and sauté. This rendition of the soup is accidentally organic (except the olive oil and tortellini) thanks to Trader Joes.

Ingredients

Dried tortellini Onion - diced Garlic or garlic powder Fresh spinach Fresh or canned tomato - diced Vegetable broth Olive oil Salt and Pepper to taste

Sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil in a large pot. Add the tomato, let cook for a few minutes then add the broth and tortellini. Rough chop the spinach and add to soup when it begins to boil. Cook until pasta is done. Season as desired.

The items in the picture cost me under $15 and makes 8-12 servings. Not bad for mostly organic!

[pickyvegetarian-blog1]

Day 3

Breakfast: crisp rice with almond milk Lunch: baked sweet potato, grapes and kale Dinner: bean and spinach taquito like things at Trudy's

[pickyvegetarian-blog1]

Day 2

Breakfast: crisp rice and almond milk Lunch: grapes, kale and leftover roasted roots. Dinner: The vegetated pizza from Austin's pizza and 2 shiners (trivia night).

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Day 1 (really day 3, but I didn't blog it so we will just go with day 1)

Breakfast: -chocolate almond milk!! (As the husband calls it almond juice) -last half of kerbey lane blueberry pancake Lunch: -black bean soup -water -corn tortilla quesadilla Dinner: -kale -roasted roots (sweet potato, fingerling potatoes, carrots, whole garlic) -grapes -scoop of blue bell ice cream Overall up on protein and down on my usual bread carbs. Also now daily taking vitamin d, vitamin b, calcium/magnesium/zinc.

[pickyvegetarian-blog1]

Diet change

I hate when people "go on a diet". It's never effective and sounds awful to do. My doctor just told me that I need to increase my protein intake and lower my carb intake. Easier said than done when you are a vegetarian on a strict budget. Posted here will be my current food adventure. Hopefully with some new recipes for you all along the way. The goal here is not to "diet" but to make a lasting change on how I eat and cook. Cheers, S

[pickyvegetarian-blog1]

Veggie Burger

This is a little different from my last burger post. Ingredients:
Millet
Quinoa (I used red)
TVP
Beans (I used pinto this time)
Fresh Garlic
Bell Peppers
Salt 
Pepper
Other spices: I used taco seasoning, but you can flavor however you like. Method: 
Cook the quinoa, millet and tvp. Drain as much water as possible. Mix with beans that have been mashed. Finely cut the peppers and garlic. Mix all together. If too wet you can add some flour as a thickener. I used about a half cup for a mixture that was five cups. I also added some powdered hummus mix for extra flavor. Heat skillet with oil. Pan fry the burgers until crispy on both sides. You can make them as big or small as you want. Serve as you would any burger. Roommate endorsement (meat eater): That’s pretty f****** good! Pictures as soon as my camera works.

[pickyvegetarian-blog1]

Carrot and Cilantro Soup

1 Pound of Carrots

4-5 Red Potatoes

1 Onion

3-4 Stalks of Celery

Vegetable Broth or Water

Handful of Fresh Cilantro

Fresh Ginger about 1-2 teaspoons, but can add more if desired

1 teaspoon Coriander

Butter

Olive Oil

Milk

Salt and Pepper

Coarsely chop the carrots, potatoes, celery and onion. Melt about 4 Tablespoons of butter in a stock pot. Add a few tablespoons of oil. Saute the onions and then add the carrots, potatoes and celery. Cover the pot and let veggies sweat for about five-ten minutes. Add about 4 cups of broth or water to nearly cover all the veggies. Cook until the carrots and the potatoes are cooked through. Finely chop the cilantro and ginger and crush the coriander. In a saute pan, melt another tablespoon of butter and saute the cilantro, ginger and coriander together. Once the soup is cooked, remove from heat. Using a stick blender, puree the whole soup so that it is a smooth consistency. Add in one cup of milk and stir in cilantro mixture. Add more milk to reach desired consistency if needed. Salt and Pepper to taste. 

[empatheticvegan]

[pickyvegetarian-blog1]

I've been away, but I'm back and ready to start posting again! 

Hope your summer has been fabulous!

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Raspberry & Pear Tart (Taken with instagram)

Cooked Raspberries and Pears in butter and sugar - reduce until begins to be thick, but do not burn. Crush shortbread cookies and cover the bottom of a small oven safe dish. Pour raspberries and pears over cookies. Put in oven for 5-10 minutes at 350. Cool and dust with powdered sugar. 

[pickyvegetarian-blog1]

Sauteed Broccoli with Garlic

You will need:

Broccoli florets

One or two cloves of garlic, minced

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

In a medium saute pan, which will still be warm if you used it for the okra, add a few teaspoons of oil. Add florets and lightly toss. They should not get crispy like the okra, but just cooked enough so they aren't crunchy. Toss the garlic in right before they are done and take off heat when the garlic is golden. Add salt and pepper as needed.

[pickyvegetarian-blog1]

Sauteed Okra

One of my all time favorite things.

You will need:

Fresh or Frozen Okra cut into pieces

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Put a medium sauté pan on medium heat for a minute. Pour in a

few teaspoons of oil and let it warm up. If you have frozen okra, make sure it has thawed before

putting it in the skillet or the oil will splatter. Add in the okra and let it cook until crispy. Make sure to toss every few minutes to make sure you get an even cook over all the okra. Sprinkle

salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and serve warm.

Be sure not to add too much oil even if you think you will need more. The okra should have enough liquid in them to aid in the cooking process. You should notice at some point that they look kind of slimy when cooking. This is the liquid I mentioned earlier, it will cook off and if it doesn't there was too much oil added at the beginning.

[pickyvegetarian-blog1]

Hidden Broccoli Tomato Sauce

The broccoli gives this standard sauce an extra subtle flavor. Great way to throw in a few extra veggies. Other vegetables could replace the broccoli, like cauliflower or carrots.

you will need:

1 small head broccoli - diced

garlic - minced

onion  - small dice

5-7 tomatoes - diced

red wine

basil, oregano, salt and pepper

olive oil

In sauce pot, heat oil and saute onion and then garlic. Add in tomatoes - stir well. Add broccoli and wine. Cook altogether at a medium heat until broccoli is almost fully cooked. Preferably using a stick blender (but a food processor or regular stand blender will work too, just more dishes), blend whole mixture until it is a smooth sauce. Add spices and seasonings. Simmer for an additional few minutes. Serve over favorite pasta or can use as a pizza sauce. 

[pickyvegetarian-blog1]

Dinner this evening consisted of caramelized cheddar cauliflower, sauteed swiss chard and rice with garlic and parsley. Everything but the garlic and rice came from the garden. This meal has moved into my top 10 favorite meals of all time. Garden fresh food is one of the most amazing things in the world. If you don't have a garden - I highly recommend it.

[pickyvegetarian-blog1]

Pinto Soup

I originally created this as a quick and very cheap meal back in college. While it is faster and cheaper to use canned goods, it tastes even better with fresher ingredients. 

1 can Pinto Beans

1 can Tomatoes

1 can Green Chile

Garlic

Olive Oil

Taco Seasoning

In a sauce pot, saute garlic with olive oil. Add everything else to pot and let simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add other seasoning to taste as desired. Goes well with rice or over fritos for frito pie. 

[pickyvegetarian-blog1]

I've been a slacker and haven't been posting. But at least I have a good reason. We got a puppy, so posting will probably be less than normal for a few weeks. 

Meet Athena.

[vivatvintage]

[pickyvegetarian-blog1]

aspicandotherdelights:

 A fresh new salad triumph, featuring gelatine. 1957

People get nostalgic for the 50s, but this is the kind of thing they were eating. Hmmmm.