Pierogi Bake

For all you pierogi lovers here is the dish for you! I was lucky in childhood to have a Polish Granny who made real-from-scratch pierogies and they were amazing. Don't worry, this recipe calls for frozen pierogies and is super easy and delicious. I can only imagine how yummy this would be made with Granny's pierogies....

1 (16 oz) package frozen potato and onion pierogies

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup reduced fat cream cheese

1/2 cup broth

1/2 cup (or more) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

1/4 cup chopped tomato

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400

2. Arrange frozen pierogies in an 11 X 7 inch glass baking dish coated with cooking spray or oil.

3. Heat small amount of olive oil in pan over med-high and saute garlic 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add cream cheese, stirring until begins to melt. Stir! Gradually add broth, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Pour cream cheese mix evenly over pierogies. Top with cheese and green onions.

4. Bake for 25 minutes until thoroughly heated. Remove from oven and top with tomatoes and black pepper.

Santa Fe Meatless Meatloaf

Yes, I am a vegetarian that misses meals like meatloaf and shepherds pie. I do not crave or want to eat red meat, but I do miss those home-style dishes. Luckily for people like myself there is a pretty decent product that lends well to making fake meatloaf or burgers. This veggie ground beef is called "Gimmie-Lean" and is wrapped in a "Jimmy-Dean" style case and can be found in the refrigerated section of Whole Foods or stores like that. There are two flavors of Gimmie-Lean: Hamburger and Sausage. Use the burger flavor for making meatloaf.

Santa Fe Meatless Meatloaf

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/3 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced

1 TBS (2 peppers) canned minced chipolte chili's in adobe sauce

2 pkg Gimmie-Lean

3/4 cup dried bread crumbs

2/3 cup bottled salsa, divided

1 tsp dried oregano

2 lg eggs

3/4 cups Pepper-Jack cheese, shredded (or more if you like!)

1. Pre-heat oven to 350

2. Saute onion, bell pepper, chili powder, cumin and garlic about 5 minutes.

3. Stir in chipolte chilies and saute another minute or so.

4. Combine with Gimmie-Lean in a large bowl. (TAKE OFF YOUR RINGS!!!) Add breadcrumbs, 1/3 cup salsa, oregano and eggs. Mush and mix with your hands.

5. Place 1/2 the mixture in an 8 X 4 inch loaf pan coated with oil. Arrange the cheese over the top, leaving a slight boarder around the outside edge. Arrange the remaining mixture over the top, pressing edges to pack.

6. Spread remaining 1/3 cup salsa on top and bake 45 minutes.

This was dinner last Tuesday and I served this with homemade mac and cheese which was awesome! That recipe will be a later post, sorry. Frozen peas for a veggie. Delicious!

Traditional Lasagna veggie style

I found this recipe in a Junior Welfare League cookbook out of Enid Oklahoma. With that said it should be clear any dish from this cookbook is traditional country fare. Nothin' fancy and certainly not vegetarian. I always loved traditional meat lasagna, and most of the veggie lasagnas fell short of meeting my expectations. Then I found this recipe and modified it only by using soy crumbles in place of the ground beef. It is delicious!!! Meat eaters and vegetarians both delight when tasting this dish. Great with a salad and garlic bread. Enjoy!

Lasagna

1 small onion, chopped

1 pkg morning star burger style crumbles

2 - 3 cloves garlic, mashed

salt and pepper

2 TBS fresh parsley

1 tsp fennel seed

2 tsp dried basil

1 TBS dried oregano

2 cans (28 oz) chopped tomatoes

1 (8 oz) can tomato paste

12 lasagna noodles

1/2 lb shredded mozzarella cheese

1 1/2 cups low fat cottage cheese (original recipe probably uses full fat, but low fat works great)

1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook lasagna noodles according to package description

2. Saute onion in a large pot for about 3 minutes. Add crumbles, garlic and spices. Cook until crumbles are thawed and beginning to brown.

3. Add tomatoes and tomato paste. Add a touch of salt and some pepper to taste. Simmer about 20 minutes.

4. Spoon 1/3 sauce in bottom of 9 X 13 baking dish. Layer with noodles, mozzarella cheese, cottage cheese and Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers 3 times and end with noodles. Top with cheese and bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

Temphe and Leek Bake

For those of you wanting different ways to eat temphe, this is a great dish. If you like swiss cheese, leeks and potatoes, this is definently for you. Home country cooking veggie style! I chose a good swiss cheese from the cheese counter, which really made a difference. I have made this before with Kraft shredded swiss, and it was alright, even tastey, but it lacked a bit of flavor a good swiss can offer.

We had this with a side of peas for something green.

Remember, when using leeks, soak in water after cutting, then swirl around a bit to rinse any packed in dirt. Drain before using.

Temphe and Leek Bake

1 pound baby potatoes, cubed

olive oil

2 leeks, sliced

1 TBS garlic, mashed

1 pkg temphe, cubed and sprinkled with soy sauce

6 - 8 oz swiss cheese, shredded OR cubed

1 TBS Dijon mustard

1/4 cup parsley

Pre-heat oven to 425

1. Cook potatoes in boiling water until just tender - do NOT over cook

2. Saute leeks and garlic in olive oil until leeks begin to brown.

3. Add temphe and cook about 5 more minutes until it starts to brown.

4. Place into a baking dish.

5. Add 2 TBS of olive oil into the pan and cook potatoes until browned.

6. Mix into the temphe mixture, add mustard, cheese and parsley.

7. Cook 10 - 12 minutes.

Parmesan "Ficken" and Rice Casserole

This is not the red sauce Chicken Parmesan you may be thinking of. Oh no. This is a wonderfully simple and delicious dish using Parmesan cheese and a bit of whipping cream to for a casserole. We had this on Monday night and I modified the dish a little bit from the original recipe found in Cooking Light. The obvious change is using fake chicken. The second modification is replacing boil-in bag brown rice (yuck) with real wild rice (yum!). This of course adds a bit of time to the preparation, but well worth it for the added flavor and nutrition.

Parmesan "Ficken" and Rice Casserole

1 cup chopped onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup wild rice, uncooked

1 1/2 cups veggie broth

1/3 cup dry white wine OR white cooking wine

1 package veggie delight patties, cut into quarters

1/2 tsp dried thyme OR 1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

3 TBS whipping cream

1/3 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Cook rice in veggie broth for 45 - 50 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Set aside.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Saute onion for about 3 minutes, then add garlic. Cook until onion begins to brown. Deglaze pan with the wine, cook about 3o seconds. Stir in rice. Remove from heat.

3. Spoon rice mixture into a 13 X 9 inch baking dish. Arrange veggie chicken on the top, sprinkling with thyme and salt. Pour cream evenly over the chicken and rice mixture.

4. Bake for 25 minutes at 425 degrees. Sprinkle with cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes.

This was great with Green Beans Tarragon as a side dish. Look back in my blog archive to find the recipe.

Chick Parmesan

I can't believe I forgot to post this one! Well, yes I can actually. Given that last week was extremely busy with painting the kitchen after work, having a terrible headache Wednesday, working all day Thursday, then leaving the house Friday while it was still dark to catch a plane to Tampa....

Chick Parmesan is a favorite of ours, and is actually fairly simple. I think Morning Star original breaded chick patties work best for this recipe. If you want an extra rich smokey flavor, add sliced provolone on the top.

A salad and dinner bread make this a filling meal, especially when served over cooked spaghetti.

Chick Parmesan

4 chick patties

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1 bay leaf

2 - 3 garlic cloves, crushed

1/8 tsp pepper

a little tiny bit of salt

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1 small onion, chopped

2 1/4 pound canned tomato (1 big and 1 normal can)

shredded mixed Italian cheese

Parmesan or Romano cheese

4 slices provolone (optional, but good)

1. Heat oven to 375

2. Saute onion until just tender. Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds.

3. Add chopped tomatoes, sugar, herbs, salt and pepper to pan. Stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes.

4. Place about 1/3 cup of sauce in the bottom of a baking dish.

5. Place chic patties in, spoon tomato sauce on top.

6. Sprinkle with cheeses - use as much or little as you like.

7. Bake 30 minutes.

**** I usually use 2 boxes of chick patties (8 total patties) and just repeat the layers. I put chick patties, cheese, sauce, chick patties, sauce, cheese. This leaves us with alot of delicious leftovers. ****

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Yummy. I am tired this evening, so no descriptive write up about this dish - sorry, yummy is all you get. Well, I will say this is not a spicy dish, so if you are scared of heat in your food, this is one that is safe. There is always leftovers with this dish, so look forward to eating it again the next day for lunch, or later in the week for a quick dinner.

1 TBS olive oil

1 cup onion, chopped

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

3 cloves garlic, mashed

2 X 15oz Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups diced veggie chicken (your choice, but quorn works well)

1 cup chopped green onion

1/2 cup black olives, sliced

18 X 6inch corn tortillas

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup milk

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

16 oz jar green salsa

sour cream for topping

1. pre heat oven to 350

2. Saute onion about 3 minutes. Add cumin, garlic and chili powder. Stir in chicken and cook another few minutes.

3. Add beans and cook over medium heat until warm. Add green onion and remove from heat.

4. Lightly grease 9 X 13 inch baking dish with oil. Layer 6 tortillas on the bottom. Spread 1/2 bean mixture, then sprinkle with some cheese. Repeat layers once, topping with tortillas.

5. Combine milk, cilantro and salsa in blender. Blend until smooth. Pour over tortillas.

6. Cover and bake 35 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining cheese, green onions and black olives. Bake 5 - 10 minutes until melted.

Top with a dollop of sour cream if you want. I think it's delicious this way.

Baked Barley and Beans

Alright I am playing catch up from my lack of posting this week. I made Barley baked on Wednesday evening I think. The twice baked potatoes were Tuesday, Barley bake Wednesday and pasta Thursday.... nope, move everything back by one day. That means barley bake was made on Tuesday. Regardless, I am trying to catch up on this weeks menu.

Barley bake is a tastey way to get hearty grains into the menu. It is not an exciting looking or sounding dish, but it is yummy. As always, I modified the recipe by adding some shredded cheddar, I just can't help myself!

1 cup pearled barley, uncooked (found in the bulk section of the grocery)

olive oil

2 1/2 cups veggie broth

1 pkg mushrooms, sliced

1 small onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup cheddar cheese (optional)

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3 TBS sunflower kernels

1. Spread barley on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 8 minutes or until lightly browned. I found it helpful to shake the pan back and forth about half way through the baking to evening brown the barley.

2. Combine barley and broth in a saucepan, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed. The barley should be tender.

3. While the barley cooks, saute the onions and mushrooms for about 5 minutes, then add the green bell pepper. Cook until just tender.

4. Stir in barley, beans, salt and pepper, and cheese if you want to. Spoon mixture into a 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Cover and cook at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with sunflower kernels and bake another 5 minutes.

Brown rice, Veggie and herb gratin

I am running a couple days behind on the dinner blog.... sorry. Lets see, we had roasted chicken on Wednesday evening, which was amazing! I dropped by the farmers market last Saturday and bought a frozen chicken. This chicken was locally raised, under the sun, living it's full life as a chicken should. No hormones, no antibiotics and no inhumane cage.

I have to admit though, I did not take part in the preparing or the cooking of the chicken. I learned to cook after becoming a vegetarian, and am clueless as to the ways of preparing or cooking meat. I had good intentions of learning, but realized I may not be ready for such endeavors. Once the cutting and hacking started, I was out of there! Lucky for me, Jason is a great cook and knows how to prepare chicken. He did a wonderful job and the roasted chicken was delicious!

Friday night was pizza night - BBQ pizza this time around. Again, this was all Jason. In fact, I think he cooked dinner 3 nights in a row!

Now, up to the weekend. Saturday I made a brown rice casserole, but changed it up a little. Rather than use zucchini that is not in season around here, I chose rainbow chard, which is a winter green. I will post the original recipe, as it appears in the book, but also provide my modifications. Both are tasty.

Brown rice, Veggie and Herb Gratin

1/2 cup brown rice

1 cup veggie broth

olive oil

1 medium red onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, mashed

1 carrot, cut into matchsticks (6 smallish carrots, cut into thin strips, but not matchsticks)

1 zucchini (2 bunches rainbow chard, coarsely chopped, including the stem)

3 oz baby corn cobs, halved lengthwise (1 can of corn, drained)

2 TBS sunflower seeds

2 TBS chopped mixed herbs (hmmm, best guess here - 1/4 tsp dried thyme, 1/4 tsp dried rosemary, 1/4 tsp dried sage)

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

2 TBS whole-wheat bread crumbs (crushed Wheatsworth crackers)

salt and pepper

1. Cook rice in veggie broth according to package directions. Brown rice is usually 1:2 ratio.

2. Heat olive oil in a skillet and add onion. Cook 3 minutes, then add garlic. Cook another few minutes, stirring often.

3. Add carrots, zucchini (or chard), corn, and herbs cooking about 5 more minutes.

4. Mix the rice with the sunflower seeds, then add to veggies.

5. Stir in 1/2 the mozzarella cheese, stir together.

6. Spoon the mixture into an oven proof 13 X 9 inch dish. Sprinkle bread crumbs and cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes until cheese begins to golden.

I served temphe sauteed in olive oil and soy sauce for our protein. I think the description on cooking temphe in the fashion can be found in a previous post.

Enjoy!

Beefy Potato Casserole

This is a veggie version of Shepard's Pie. My step mom used to make a great Shepard's pie back in the day, and I never found a veggie equivalent until this recipe came along. It's easy and comforting to eat. My nieces helped me cook this meal last night - sorry, I forgot the pictures!

If you wanted to lighten this recipe up a little, use less cheese and fat free milk. I used less cheese last night and it was still delicious.

3 - 4 potatoes, peeled, cubed, cooked then mashed (use milk/butter like usual)

1/4 tsp salt

1 pkg soy morningstar soy crumbles

1 small onion, minced

1/4 tsp pepper

2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

11 oz can corn, drained

10 3/4 oz can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup 2% milk

1 - 2 cups frozen peas

1. Saute onion in skillet, adding salt and pepper while stirring. Add ground soy crumbles. Cook until heated.

2. Add 1 cup cheese, corn, soup, milk and peas. Stir.

3. Pour "beef" mixture into a lightly greased 13X9 baking dish.

4. Spread mashed potatoes over the top.

5. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Add remaining cheese, and bake another 10 minutes.

Kale and Spinach Bake

My mom used to make a great spinach casserole, which may appear on here one day. This was one of the few dishes my mom could cook, bless her heart! (I just had to throw that in, I do live in North Carolina after all.) This kale spinach bake is similar but different, maybe a cousin of mom's dish. It is a great way to eat dark leafy greens, which are packed with goodness. I modified the original recipe a little bit, and will give you the original, but note my changes.

This dish takes some time, so do not plan this dinner on a busy night. I forgot this, and to make up for it, I opted for a side dish of tater tots. Unhealthy, but tasty and easy. Since I did not get around to buying local chicken today, I used veggie chicken to make lemon pepper chicken.

Olive oil

1 small onion chopped

2 cloves garlic, mashed

1 lb kale, rinsed and coarsely chopped

1 lb fresh spinach, rinsed and coarsely chopped

6 oz plain low-fat yogurt (I used fat free Greek yogurt... we'll see what happens)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 1/2 TBS all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground pepper

1 (16 oz) 1 % cottage cheese ( I used 4% cottage cheese to make up for the fat free yogurt)

2 eggs

1 egg white

a little more grated Parmesan cheese

I added a sprinkle of mozzarella/ provolone on top too

Heat oil in a large pot or dutch oven over med heat. Add onion and garlic, saute about 3 minutes. Add kale and spinach, stirring well. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook 15 - 20 minutes until wilted. Stir occasionally. Don't over cook, we don't want yucky color greens with no nutrients left! Remove from heat, strain with spoon, then plop into a 2 qt. baking dish coated with oil.

Position knife blade in a food processor bowl. Add yogurt and next 8 ingredients. Process until smooth. Pour over greens, stirring gently. Sprinkle with the cheese and bake uncovered for 40 minutes at 350ish (I baked mine at 365 degrees).

Yummy! I just took a bite, and it is gooooood! Creamy, not too cheesy. Gotta go and eat my dinner.

Pictures coming soon.

Chicken pot pie

I used to make the traditional chicken pot pie recipe found on the back of the Bisquick box. It was pretty good, fairly easy, but seemed to be lacking something. One thing I found troublesome about that particular recipe, was getting the biscuit topping to cook through. The last time I made it, the Bisquick left us with a goopy, doughy surprise. Yuck! I was traumatized and decided not to make that again.

Lucky for us, Cooking Light published a different take on chicken pot pie, and this one does not require Bisquick! I tried it, and loved it. I made one modification, and that was to add a bit of cheddar cheese, simply because everything tastes better with cheese. One thing I love about this recipe is it leaves fewer dirty dishes, and that is always a bonus. It is also a one dish wonder, since you get your protein, veggies and carbs all together!

This makes enough for both of us to eat for dinner, and usually leaves enough leftovers for both us to eat the next day for lunch.

I'll post a picture later, only because my sweet cousin told me pictures were a necessity!

Ingredients:

Pillsbury refrigerated pie dough

1 tsp dried sage

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 pkg (~ 10 oz) veggie chicken, cubed (veggie delight works great, found at whole foods/weaver street. I ended up using Morning Star's meal starter chicken strips, cut into chunks)

1 small onion, diced

1 package mushrooms, sliced

1 1/4 cup veggie broth

1 1/2 cups frozen mixed veggies

10 1/2 oz. can cream or mushroom OR cream of celery soup

1/2 cup shredded cheddar

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees

2. Cut 4 circles from pie dough. (I use a bowl so that crust fits on top) Grease baking sheet with butter/cooking spray. Place dough circles on sheet and sprinkle with salt and olive oil. Bake 10 - 12 minutes, until a golden color.

3. Heat olive oil in large pan over med - high heat. Add thyme, sage, salt and pepper. Saute onions and mushrooms until tender. Add veggie chicken, cook until just browning.

4. Add broth and soup. Add frozen veggies and cheese if you want it.

5. Simmer 10-12 minutes.

6. Serve in a bowl with the crust placed on top!

*I like the crust topping so much, that I will take the scraps, roll it into a ball, flatten it out, and make extra circles to bake. If you don't have a rolling pin, use a plastic cup or some other smooth rounded object that can be used like a rolling pin.