stir fry vegetables

Every once in awhile the regular 10 inch skillet with the 3 inch deep drop just will not do. There comes the time when you have to pull out the beast. In this case it is the faithful wok.

The secret to a great stir fry does not rest with the skillet you use. One can pull this show off with a 7 inch fryer if necessary.

The mystery is uncovered when you take your time and not throw everything into the pan at the same time. I am learning this while speaking on it. As I watch the master's show at the some of the famous hibachi grills, they are precise. They are working with massive heat and moving fast. Know that you are working with different textures, flavors, and sizes. Some are sweet naturally, others are take longer to cook.

Another lesson learned, is to not over cook. No one wants a soggy mash over rice or noodles. As you prepare 1-2 two vegetables over high heat and oil, remember that unless you plating them immediately for serving, pull back. The wait time it takes to complete the entire entree will allow each set of vegetables to continue cooking as they cool down on the charger.

Once all vegetables have received some fire, you can then combine them all for a quick toss to marry the flavors. Just make sure you season each on their own for layered flavor. When reheating, do so in a broiler, never the microwave!

Ingredients
red pepper, green pepper, red onion, zucchini, cabbage, carrots, green beans, baby spinach, and eggplant

Served over whole grain linguine.

breakfast sandwich...anytime of the day

Ingredients
1 large egg
spinach
sliced tomato
diced red onion
vegan sausage (from textured soy)
cheese
2 slices gluten free bread

Preparation
Toast or grill one side of two bread slices. Heat vegan sausage. Saute spinach, tomato, and onion. Fry the egg. Assemble your sandwich. Served with an organic Valencia orange and decaf green tea!

fattoush salad

Ingredients:

whole grain pita (diced, seasoned, lightly oiled, toasted)
salad greens
red onion
tomato
cucumber
juice of 1/2 a lime
olive oil
salt, herbs, red pepper



Preparation: Toast pita. Allow to cool. To make dressing, whisk oil slowly into lime juice until it becomes viscous. Season. Dice vegetables. Mix dressing with greens and vegetables. Mix with salad. Serve chilled. Delicious!

lunch with a blt two ways...

BLT Deviled Eggs

Ingredients
hard boiled eggs
dried parsley
diced tomato seeded (cherry or Roma)
1-2 slices of diced cooked Morningstar Farms bacon
1/4 c mayo
pinch of sugar
dash of garlic powder
dash of onion powder
dash of cracked black pepper
chili powder
1 T ranch dressing
plastic baggie for piping


Preparation
Slice eggs length-wise in half. Remove egg yolks. Finely break up egg yolks with a fork or press through a sifter/strainer. The sifter/strainer makes a very light dusting that mixes well. Try it! Next, mix all ingredients except chili powder and set aside one slice of bacon crumbles for garnishing. Note; when adding mayo/ranch, mix a little at a time. You want the texture of the mix to be stiff but not dry. Keep mixing until smooth and add more as needed. Fill a small baggie with mixture, clip a corner. Note: place egg whites on a bed of lettuce if you do not have a deviled egg tray. Fill egg whites. Sprinkle with remaining bacon crumbles. Garnish with parsley and chili powder. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours. Serve with a Romaine Salad.


Vegetarian BLT on 
Whole Grain Gluten Free Bread

Ingredients
2 slices of bread grilled 
2 slices of cooked Morningstar Farms Veggie Bacon

romaine lettuce
tomato slices
red onion slices
guacamole
mayo
black pepper

Preparation
Grill one side of each bread slice.
Assemble sandwich as you like or as follows: mayo, bacon, guacamole, lettuce, onion, and tomato.

chickpea & tomato salad

Salad Ingredients:
chickpeas, Roma tomatoes, English cucumber,
fresh cilantro, red onion,
diced pepper jack cheese,
fresh lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, Italian seasons

greek salad...my way

Ingredients: 
1 head Green Leaf Lettuce (or Romaine Lettuce or Iceberg lettuce will work fine too), 1 Red Bell Pepper, 1 Green Bell Pepper, ½ a Red Onion, 1 cup Black Olives, 1 cup Grape Tomatoes, ½ an English Cucumber, 1 cup Feta Cheese cut into small cubes (more for serving).

to make the dressing: 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, The Juice and Zest of one Lemon (or lime),2 tablespoons chopped fresh Parsley, (dry is okay too but a 1/4 t.) ½ tablespoon dry Oregano, ¼ teaspoon minced Garlic, Salt to taste, Ground Black Pepper to taste

gluten free pizza (cauliflower & zucchini)

1 ½ c shredded cauliflower

1 c shredded zucchini

½ c Italian blended cheese

1-2 eggs

¾ c rolled oat flour

Spices: salt, pepper, oregano, basil, Parmesan seasoning

Mix ingredients together. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Shape into a large pizza on a lined pizza tin or baking sheet. You can also make mini pizza’s measuring ½ c of mixture and spreading it onto a lined pie tin or 7 inch skillet.

Bake at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown on each side. Half way through baking crust, take a fork and poke holes gently to allow the crust to release moisture.

Top with sauce and your favorite toppings. Return to oven for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until done.

Serve. Enjoy.

Cauliflower & Zucchini crust pizza
(topped with: Spinach, Field Roast Italian Sausage
Red Onion, and Smoked Provolone

Spinach, Veggie Meatballs, Onions, Pineapple,
Smoked Provolone, Red Pepper flakes, and Oregano

multi-layer salad

Ingredients

Romaine Lettuce, torn pieces
Roma Tomatoes sliced
Broccoli chopped
Green Peas
Red Onion sliced
Carrots coarsely shredded
Hard Boiled Eggs sliced
Green Pepper diced
Cucumber sliced, quartered
Shredded cheese
8 slices Morningstar Farms bacon chopped
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
2 T sugar

Preparation

1. Place torn lettuce layer in the bottom of a glass dish. Layer the remaining vegetables to your desire, alternating colors.
2. Mix mayo, sour cream, and sugar. Spread dressing over the top of vegetables completely to the edge of bowl. Sprinkle with cheese and vegetarian bacon.
3. Cover salad. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
4. Serve. Enjoy.

broccoli vegetarian pasta salad

Hot days drive your desire for cooler foods. Here's a salad that you make your very own way. As a vegetarian I of course took the vegetarian route. But you can use chicken breast if you choose. You can substitute other vegetables, such as rainbow peppers, tomatoes, and cucumber.

2 cups tri-color rotini uncooked (cook al dente)

1 cup vegetarian (meatless chicken) strips (about 4-5 pieces)

1-2 cups broccoli cut in pieces steamed (1-2 minutes)

1 T minced garlic

2 T diced red onion

2 T diced celery

1 T minced carrot

¼ c sharp cheddar cheese

Salt, dill weed, black pepper, bacos, and parsley to taste

Preparation. Sautee strips in garlic, cool, then slightly pulse in food chopper.  Mix ingredients. Season to your taste. Chill. Serve with Vegetable Crackers.

You can use coleslaw dressing to your desired taste or make your own.

Dressing:

3 T mayo/salad dressing

1 T sour cream

1 T Caesar Dressing

1 T acv

1 T sugar

1 t honey

dill weed, black pepper

stromboli

I must admit, I took a short cut with the pizza dough. While shopping at Trader Joe's I was browsing the produce and spied this bag of seasoned pizza dough and was anxious to try it. I brought it home and made a wonderful Stromboli.

 

Ingredients:

Field Roast Lentil Slice

Red Onions

Tomato

Mozzarella Cheese

Spinach

Mushrooms

Olive Oil

 

Preparation: Preheat oven to 400 degrees and move the center rack up one position.

After sautéing the vegetables and allowing them to cool, I placed about 1 T of olive oil on a baking sheet and brushed it over a section large enough to stretch the dough over while flat. I never make folded pizza or Stromboli on any surface other than the one I am using to bake it.

 

Press dough over surface of baking sheet. Sprinkle some cheese on one half of the surface area and place toppings on top of cheese. Sprinkle more cheese on top. Fold the dough of the empty portion over the toppings portion and seal the edges by pressing or crimping. With a knife prick vents into the top surface of Stromboli and place in the oven on the top rack. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

 

Using a pizza cutter, cut the Stromboli in half and serve warm.

 

I had enough dough to make two but prepared them on separate occasions. It was hit!