A tribute.....

This past week my mom died. She was 3 weeks shy of her 86th birthday. She had a massive stroke. She ate very well, no red meat, just chicken and fish. I learned from her the value of eating 3 square meals a day. In those days I think there where very few vegetarians, but I know my mom must have been a vegetarian at heart. Back then, there was very little money for meat, so their diets where more vegetables than meat. I'm sure she ate more beans which of course are very high in protein. My mom always made us breakfast every morning before we ventured off to school. And by golly, by 5:00 dinner was on the table. That's the way it was. We always ate vegetables and there was always a nice salad with every meal. One of my moms favorite meals (and mine too) was chicken fricassee. I've turned it into a vegetarian dish well sort of, I still make it with the chicken, I just don't eat the chicken (I feed it to my non-vegetarian family). Here's my tribute to my mom....I love you mom....

Chicken Fricassee without the chicken.....(sort of)

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 large onions, chopped

1 can vegetable broth

1 cup water

salt & pepper

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1/2 cup milk (or fat free 1/2 & 1/2)

Cooked rice

1. Saute onions and in butter and olive oil until soft.
2. Add chicken, saute until brown on both sides.

3. Add water and vegetable stock.

4. Add salt and pepper and paprika.

5 Simmer about 20-30 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

6. Thicken sauce with cornstarch and milk, add to pan, simmer until thickened.

7. Add more paprika if you wish.

8. Serve over cooked rice.

Make a nice side of vegetables, I think green beans work well, and a nice big salad and invite your mom over for dinner. Enjoy and don't forget to hug your mom before she leaves!

Kelleys Island, Ohio

Last weekend my husband and I went to Kelleys Island, a small island, only 4 square miles, the largest fresh water American island in Lake Erie. Yes, Lake Erie is actually clean and beautiful, it was named on "CNN" top ten list of America's healthiest beach and lake getaways! Pretty good considering that beaches from Hawaii, California and Florida where also on the list. The weather was great, and I actually was able to eat vegetarian while I was there. The restaurants are mostly pub fare, but fortunately most of the restaurants offer at least one or two vegetarian meals. One of the places we ate was "Kelleys Island Brewery", for such a small island, they actually have a microbrewery and a winery! What more could you ask for? Kelleys Island Brewery (check out their website @ www.kelleysislandbrewpub.com) had several vegetarian dishes. The one I picked was the burrito, it was really different, refried beans, avocado and spinach dip with cheese wrapped in a herb burrito....yummy! To wash it down I had one of their beers called "Summer Haze".
If you ever have a chance to visit Kelleys Island, go for it. Its one of the most relaxing places you'll ever visit! Make sure to check out their website at www.kelleysisland.com. I promise, you won't regret it!

Whats for lunch?

Several years ago (probably at least 20!) I bought one of those little cookbooks you see at the check-out counter, the one I purchased was called "Easy Entertaining" it cost me $2.25. One of the recipes was a layered taco dip. I use to make it every time I had to make a dish for a party, it would always get rave reviews. I was thinking about the dish yesterday and realized what a perfect vegetarian meal it would be. Its loaded with protein and its yummy! I found my little book, ripped pages and all, I've actually adapted it, here's the recipe.....enjoy!
Layered Taco Dip
1 16oz can refried beans (I use fat free)
8 oz carton low-fat sour cream
2/3 cups low-fat mayonnaise
1 package taco seasoning mix
1-2 (4oz) cans chopped green chilies, drained (I use fresh chilies from my garden)
4 medium ripe avocados
2 tablespoons lime juice (you can use lemon)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
8 oz (2 cups) shredded Cheddar cheese (I used a mixed blend of "taco" cheeses, low-fat)
2 cups sliced green onions
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup cilantro
1 6oz can pitted ripe olives chopped (you can leave off if your like my husband and hate olives)

On a 15x10 inch or larger shallow serving platter, thinly spread refried beans. In a small bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise and taco seasoning mix: spread over bean dip. Sprinkle with chilies. Peel, pit and mash avocados; combine with lime juice and garlic powder. If your avocado doesn't mash easily, process in food processor. Spread over chilies. Sprinkle with cheese, onion, tomatoes, cilantro and olives (if using). Serve with chips.
Makes 11 cups

Monday Night Dinner

Cardio Dance tonight, what to make for dinner? Hmm...."Spinach and Mushroom Veggie Lasagna"that sounds good.
Several months ago there was a show on "Lifetime" called "Cook Yourself Thin", it was a diet show, it featured various woman who wanted to lose 10 lbs (sound familiar?) in a certain amount of time.
The 3 chefs would help the person turn their favorite high calorie, high fat meals into leaner versions. They put out a cookbook, which I immediately ran out a bought (actually so did many other people, I had to order it!), the book is also called "Cook Yourself Thin"I purchased this books before I decided to become a vegetarian. I was looking through the cookbook trying to figure out what to make for my non-vegetarian family, when I realized to my surprise how many vegetarian recipes where in the book. Some examples: Mushroom and Spinach Quiche with Potato Crust, Pasta Primavera, Eggplant Stacks, just to name a few. Also some really yummy desserts like Vanilla Cupcakes made with zucchini and Carrot Cake, all low calorie and low fat!
I decided to make the "Spinach and Mushroom Veggie Lasagna" for dinner tonight. It was delicious! Even my non-vegetarian husband liked it!
Here's the recipe:
Serves 12
337 calories per serving

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds cremini and/or shitake mushrooms, sliced (I used button mushrooms, its what I had in the refrigerated)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
kosher salt
1 15-oz container part-skim ricotta
3/4 cup skim milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups shredded, part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided evenly
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 10-oz box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil, plus more to garnish
1 teaspoon dried oregano
freshly ground black pepper
5 cups tomato sauce
12 sheets no-cook lasagna noodles
nonstick cooking spray
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and thyme and season with salt. Cook until softened, about 10-12 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, milk, and eggs and stir. Add 1 cup of mozzarella, Parmesan, spinach, basil and oregano: season with salt and pepper and stir to incorporate.
4. Spread 1 cup of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9x13x2 inch pan. Layer 4 sheets of lasagna on top, slightly overlapping. Spread with half the ricotta mixture on the noodles, and cover with half the mushroom mixture. Top with 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce. Repeat with 4 sheets of lasagna pasta, remaining ricotta mixture, remaining mushrooms and 1 1 /2 cups tomato sauce. Cover with the remaining 4 sheets of lasagna, the remaining cup of tomato sauce, and the remaining mozzarella cheese.
5. Lightly coat a sheet of aluminum foil with nonstick spray and cover the uncooked lasagna, spray-side down. Bake at 375 degrees, covered, until bubbly, about 45 minutes.
Remove foil from lasagna and increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees. Cook until cheese browns, about 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 15 minutes before cutting. Serve warm and garnish with basil.
Enjoy!

Out to Dinner

Several years ago my daughter took a class on India. For extra credit they could choose to eat at an Indian Restaurant. Her professor recommended a local restaurant "Bombay Sitar" located in Canton, Ohio, 4633 Belden Village St NW. My daughter loved it! She has since turned me into an "Indian Food fanatic"! Its a vegetarian persons dream restaurant! They have over 15 different vegetarian offerings. We went the other night, I got "Bayngan Bharta" eggplant roasted in the Tandoor and cooked with green peas, fresh tomatoes, onions, ginger, and garlic in traditional Punjabi style....yummy!
To go with it, I highly recommend "Naan" bread, traditional Punjabi-style tear drop shaped white bread baked on the wall of the Tandoori Oven.
For dessert, we love the "Kheer", rice pudding made with almonds and pistachios.
If your ever in Canton, you MUST try "Bombay Sitar". OK, so your thinking, why would I ever go to Canton, Ohio? Did you know the "Football Hall of Fame" is located here? And we're only 45 minutes south of Cleveland.
If you can't make it to Canton, at least try an Indian Restaurant in your town, I know you won't be disappointed!

Yummy Lunch

Did I mention I love reading cookbooks? I'm always pursuing new recipes. Now that I'm a vegetarian, I like to see what I can find that maybe wasn't strictly vegetarian and turn it into a vegetarian dish. One of my favorite chefs is Ina Garten, "The Barefoot Contessa". I have one of her books which has fabulous vegetarian recipes or recipes that can very easily turn into vegetarian recipes. The following recipe I found in her book
"Barefoot Contessa at Home", I made it for lunch yesterday and now have left-overs for dinner tonight!
Summer Garden Salad
serves 6
4 pints cherry tomatoes, halved (I used these golden tomatoes I found at the local farmers market)
olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
18 large basil leave, julienned, plus extra for serving (I grow lots of basil in my garden in the summer, its my favorite herb)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound dried angel hair pasta
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Combine the cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, basil leaves, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper in a large bowl. Serve with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for about 4 hours.
Just before your ready to serve, bring a large pot of water with salt to a boil and add the pasta. Cook al dente according to the directions on the package. Drain the pasta well and add to the bowl with the tomatoes. Add the cheese and some extra fresh basil leaves and toss well.
Serve in big bowls with extra cheese on each serving.
It simple and so fresh and yummy!
Enjoy!

Confessions.......

So, where did the week go? Wow! I can't believe it! Time flies by doesn't it?
My husband just got back from a 5 day fishing trip to Alaska, a trip of a lifetime. I gave him my camera to take lots of pictures, he took 10! On my trip to Amsterdam I took over 300! I guess he doesn't get digital....Well, he brought back lots of fish, salmon, halibut, rock fish, and cod, probably over 100 lbs of fish. What's a vegetarian to do with all that fish? We did give some of it away, but I must confess, I ate some of it (yikes!). As I was preparing the fish, all's I kept thinking, "this poor fish was swimming alive and well 3 days ago!" I marinated it, my husband grilled it, I ate it (along with lots of veges of course), I have to admit, it was good but I didn't LOVE it.
Dr. Dean Ornish put it best, once you give up meat, you really won't miss it, you probably won't like it any more. I highly recommend his book "Eat More, Weigh Less" This book was my first step into becoming a vegetarian. He explains a lot, has lots of great recipes and I found this book very interesting and made a lot of sense.
So, I'll probably eat a little more fish, it won't sway me from my vegetarian ways though.
I still consider myself a "Green Vegetarian"!