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Posts tagged as “vegetarian”

Fresh and Easy Greek Salad

Fresh and Easy Greek SaladBrowse recipes, menu ideas and more From Anna's Kitchen (www.fromannaskitchen.com)

As much as I love to cook as a way to relax, we've all been there: coming home from a long day at work or school, just wanting something quick for dinner so the kitchen clean-up can be expedited and the unwinding after that can begin.

Fortunately, it doesn't take a lot of time at all to make a big main course salad—one of my go-tos for an easy dinner on a weeknight, on a hot summer night when turning on the oven is out of the question or, frankly, on any night when the last place that anyone wants to be is in the kitchen for a long period of time.

Served on a big platter for 2-4 people, salads make a complete meal with the addition of some protein or a side of bread while still being light enough not to weigh you down for the rest of the night. Cobb salad is a favorite of mine, but takes a lot of ingredients to get it all together: blue cheese, bacon, avocado... All delicious, but if you're really looking to cut down time and want to save a couple of pennies since avocados and a good blue cheese can get pricey, turn to Greek salad.

Coconut-Currant Steel Cut Oatmeal

Coconut-Currant Steel Cut OatmealCoconut-Currant steel cut oatmeal recipe From Anna's Kitchen (www.fromannaskitchen.com)
Have you tried steel cut oats? Sometimes also called "Irish oats", steel cut oats when cooked generally have a chewy, al dente texture and a nutty taste. They are oat groats, or oat kernels with no husk, that have been cut into smaller, coarse pieces using a steel blade. Size-wise, they remind me of tiny Acini di pepe pasta. Like their cousins rolled and instant oats, steel cut oats are a blank canvas for adding different flavors and ingredients. You can cook steel cut oats longer to make them a little more softer and creamier, as I usually do, but don't expect them to fall apart and turn to mush as instant oats would when cooked. Of course, adding a pat of butter or a touch of cream when cooking would help add creaminess and richness, as well. Much like my recipe for banana-pecan oatmeal, this one requires a couple more steps than just opening a package of instant oatmeal, adding water, and heating—but it's still very easy to make, and the results taste much better than what comes in a package. [caption id="attachment_1091" align="alignnone" width="900"] Raw steel cut oats[/caption]

Pantry Raid: Baked Penne with Vodka Sauce

Pantry Raid: Baked Penne with Vodka SauceBrowse recipes, menu ideas and more From Anna's Kitchen (www.fromannaskitchen.com)
Fact: Anything homemade is always better. Sauces, especially. "Alternative" (ha, ha...) Fact: There are days when ain't nobody got time for that. As far as I'm concerned, there's no shame in opening up a good boxed, canned jarred, or otherwise pre-made sauce from time to time. I've used many -- Italian marinaras and vodka sauces, Indian and Thai simmer sauces... -- for the makings of a quick, easy, and tasty meal on nights when the last thing that I want to do is stand by the stove and cook dinner and take-out isn't the greatest option either. It's true that many pre-made sauces have extra preservatives and salt added to them, which are usually essential in the commercial canning process to ensure taste is consistent over time or from batch to batch. I often check the labels and find the ones with the fewest ingredients (where possible). 9 out of 10 times, these ingredients are also things that I can also easily pronounce. ;) This baked pasta dish is an alternative to a traditional baked ziti with marinara sauce. It starts off very similar to another baked pasta dish that I posted about in the past and recently tweaked to include an easy Alfredo sauce in place of the jarred sauce (although it's perfectly fine to still use jarred in the recipe.) Onions and garlic, an essential foundation of anything that's bound to taste great IMHO, are cooked along with frozen spinach and sun dried tomatoes. A quality vodka sauce (I used Victoria) and cheese are added to cooked pasta in a large skillet, then the whole thing is topped with more cheese and baked. So, clearly the message here is this: baked pasta is extremely versatile and can never be bad. ;) Easy to make ahead and freeze or make the same day, a delicious meal is on the table in just an under an hour.

Pantry Raid: Tex-Mex Casserole

Pantry Raid: Tex-Mex CasseroleBrowse recipes, menu ideas and more From Anna's Kitchen (www.fromannaskitchen.com)
It was a snowy week here in the Northeast and I'm not a cold weather-loving person. Looking at the snowfall is all well and good, but I prefer to stay inside and do that. It's not that I'm necessarily scared about driving in bad weather—been there, done that—but everything that goes with said weather adds up to be a royal pain. Cleaning off the car and walking on ice both suck... Letting the car windows defrost for what feels like an eternity before it is possible to see clearly to drive anywhere is annoying... And don't get me started on what it feels like to be in wet clothes after getting caught in the snow or trudging through feet of it after it's drifted across the driveway. Ugh, ugh, and ugh. As far as I'm concerned, on an icky day nothing beats staying toasty in the house, crafting or playing board games with plenty of time for cooking or baking in between breaks. When nobody has to venture out to get anything for dinner, thanks to leftovers or a well-stocked pantry and freezer, it's even better. This is a vegetarian main dish that includes pantry-staples like salsa, tomatoes, and beans, and takes advantage of the oven—which helps to warm up the house on a cold day, too. Feel free to add chicken or cooked ground meat to the vegetable mixture, if you want added protein, and season to a heat level of your liking. As a happy compromise when I'm cooking for most of my friends and family, I sautee jalapeños (seeds and ribs included) with the rest of the vegetables and serve more fresh ones served alongside as an option, since there are different heat preferences ranging from no heat at all to spicy as possible (with myself preferring something towards the upper end of the heat spectrum.)

Sun Dried Tomato and Cheese Strudels

Sun Dried Tomato and Cheese StrudelsBrowse recipes, menu ideas and more From Anna's Kitchen (www.fromannaskitchen.com)
These strudels are quick to make and are versatile: cut in small squares for hors d'oeuvres with cocktails before dinner, or cut in slices to serve with a simple green salad for a light lunch. If you can't find the Alouette garlic and herb cheese spread, Boursin cheese, herb goat cheese, or garlic and chive cream cheese would be similar alternatives to try.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Sweet and Sour MeatballsBrowse recipes, menu ideas and more From Anna's Kitchen (www.fromannaskitchen.com)
These sweet and sour meatballs are better than take-out and can be made in less than 30 minutes -- talk about a fast dinner! I like adding extra Sriracha to mine and topping with some cilantro, but it's totally optional. Quorn meatless meatballs are available in many of the grocery stores near me. If you can't find them, make these with frozen beef or pork meatballs for a non-vegetarian take on the recipe, or with another brand of vegetarian or vegan meatballs that you might prefer better or can find easier in your local stores. The sauce also works great with chicken or a chicken substitute, like Quorn chick'n products, which are vegan and I've used many times before.

#WorldVegetarianDay: Recipes, Facts, and Myths Debunked

#WorldVegetarianDay: Recipes, Facts, and Myths DebunkedCelebrating World Vegetarian Day From Anna's Kitchen (www.fromannaskitchen.com)

It’s #WorldVegetarianDay! In case you haven’t picked up on a theme, many of the recipes that I feature here are vegetarian. I was a vegetarian for the better part of 14 years and while I’m not as strict as I used to be, I still limit my intake of meat and encourage the benefits of following a plant-based diet. Get the facts about vegetarianism and “celebrate” #WorldVegetarianDay by upping your knowledge, getting to know a few famous veggies, and trying some new recipes. Know Your Terms Generally-speaking, a vegetarian doesn’t consume meat or meat products but instead follows a plant and…