Vegetarian lasagna takes more time to make, but is oh-so-good! But, the good news is that it makes 9 servings which means LEFTOVERS! Yum! The "meat sauce" is, of course, made of vegetarian "grounds." I don't know what I'd do without them. I use them in numerous meals! And AGAIN, you'll find them in your local chain grocery store - Boca Grounds, Morningstar Farms Crumbles, Quorn Grounds...they're pretty much all the same in terms of taste.
I also modified this recipe to be healthier. I calculated out all my ingredients. 1 piece of the lasagna is approximately 330 calories and 13 grams of fat. Not bad!
And now the recipe:
Vegetarian Lasagna
1 tbsp oil (canola or olive)
1/2 cup of chopped onion
2 pouches (8 oz.) Boca grounds (or 8 oz of your selected veggie grounds)
1 jar of marinara/spaghetti sauce
9 long lasagna noodles
16 oz. cottage cheese
2 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
STEP 1- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
STEP 2 - Boil lasagna noodles as directed on box.
STEP 3 - Meanwhile, heat oil in deep skillet. Add onion, cooking until carmelized. Add veggie grounds and sauce. Mix well and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
STEP 4 - Place 3 noodles into 13x9 pyrex baking dish. Top with 1/3 sauce mixture, 1/2 of the cottage cheese container, and 1 cup of mozzarella. Repeat layers. Top with remaining 3 noodles, sauce, mozzarella, and sprinkle parmesan cheese.
STEP 5 - Bake for 30 minutes.
STEP 6 - Cut into 9 pieces and serve.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Vegetarian Chicken Parmesan
Before I was vegetarian, this was one of my favorite meals to order at italian restaurants. The taste of juicy chicken, breaded, smothered in tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese...it was delicious! Today, I still enjoy chicken parmesan, but without the chicken. How do I do it? Using breaded fake chicken patties, of course!
I've recently started to make my own vegetarian chicken patties. I'll share that recipe with you later. But there are plenty of brands out there of breaded chicken patties. Some of them even come with Italian seasoning (read: extra salt). There's the usual brands - Boca, Morningstar Farms, and Quorn. I prefer Morningstar Farms. Boca is all right. Quorn has a softer texture and I think it lacks the flavor that Morningstar and Boca's chicken patties have.
Vegetarian Chicken Parmesan
1 box (4 patties) of breaded vegetarian chicken patties
1 jar of marinara sauce
1 8 oz bag of shredded mozzarella cheese
STEP 1: Cook patties according to directions on box. Usually, this means sticking in in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
STEP 2: 5 minutes before the patties are done in the oven, take them out. DO NOT TURN OFF THE OVEN. Using a spoon, cover the patties well with marinara sauce. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella on top until covered.
STEP 3: Put patties back into oven for remaining 5 minutes.
Done! They go great with a side of spaghetti! This meal is definitely comfort food! Enjoy!
I've recently started to make my own vegetarian chicken patties. I'll share that recipe with you later. But there are plenty of brands out there of breaded chicken patties. Some of them even come with Italian seasoning (read: extra salt). There's the usual brands - Boca, Morningstar Farms, and Quorn. I prefer Morningstar Farms. Boca is all right. Quorn has a softer texture and I think it lacks the flavor that Morningstar and Boca's chicken patties have.
Vegetarian Chicken Parmesan
1 box (4 patties) of breaded vegetarian chicken patties
1 jar of marinara sauce
1 8 oz bag of shredded mozzarella cheese
STEP 1: Cook patties according to directions on box. Usually, this means sticking in in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
STEP 2: 5 minutes before the patties are done in the oven, take them out. DO NOT TURN OFF THE OVEN. Using a spoon, cover the patties well with marinara sauce. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella on top until covered.
STEP 3: Put patties back into oven for remaining 5 minutes.
Done! They go great with a side of spaghetti! This meal is definitely comfort food! Enjoy!
Vegetarian Hot Dogs
I almost feel guilty putting this recipe up as it is not really a recipe at all. It is, in fact, the simplest vegetarian meal on the planet: vegetarian hot dogs. Like the veggie hamburger, there are many brands of the veggie hot dog - LightLife SmartDogs, Morningstar Farms Veggie Dogs, and Yves Hot Dogs to name a few. I'm a fan of Morningstar Farms hot dogs. They even have corn dogs that are pretty tasty!
All right, so here is my embarrassing recipe:
1 Package of veggie hot dogs
1 bag of hot dog buns
Ketchup
Mustard
STEP 1: Cook hot dogs as directed on package. Some say to boil them. I've heard from a cashier at Whole Foods that veggie hot dogs taste a lot better if heated in the oven. I haven't tried it yet, so I'll get back to you.
STEP 2: Once heated, put veggie hot dog on hot dog bun. Duh!
STEP 3: Add ketchup and mustard amount as desired.
As a side, you can make up some fries, some potato salad, cole slaw, whatever you'd like!
All right, I owe you a good recipe next time! This one was way too easy!
All right, so here is my embarrassing recipe:
1 Package of veggie hot dogs
1 bag of hot dog buns
Ketchup
Mustard
STEP 1: Cook hot dogs as directed on package. Some say to boil them. I've heard from a cashier at Whole Foods that veggie hot dogs taste a lot better if heated in the oven. I haven't tried it yet, so I'll get back to you.
STEP 2: Once heated, put veggie hot dog on hot dog bun. Duh!
STEP 3: Add ketchup and mustard amount as desired.
As a side, you can make up some fries, some potato salad, cole slaw, whatever you'd like!
All right, I owe you a good recipe next time! This one was way too easy!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
The Vegetarian Hamburger
Okay, so you're going vegetarian - fantastic. I personally use milk and egg products, but they can easily be cut out. Use soy milk, tofutti sour cream, soy cheese, or Ener-G egg replacer instead of milk or egg products. Whole Foods is a great resource if you have one near you.
Now, here are my super easy recipes for days when you want something fast, something vegetarian, and something delicious to eat! Today, we'll discuss the vegetarian hamburger.
Vegetarian Hamburgers
There are MANY different types of vegetarian hamburgers out there. Popular brands include Boca, Morningstar Farms, and Gardenburger. You can find all of these in the frozen section of your local large chain grocery story. I'm personally a fan of the Boca cheeseburger. This is what I like to do:
1 box (4 patties) of your preferred vegetarian hamburger brand
4 slices of cheese (your choice)
1 medium onion, sliced
1 small tomato, sliced
4 large leaves of lettuce (or the bagged lettuce, it's just to put on the sandwich)
1 bag of hamburger buns
ketchup
OPTIONAL - Like bacon? There's vegetarian bacon you can put on your veggie hamburger. Morningstar Farms has some nice fake bacon that tastes and smells pretty darn good!
STEP 1: Put a little butter or olive oil into a skillet and carmelize the onions until clearish-brown. Set onions aside. If you elected to add bacon, you can make it up now with the onions. Follow the package instructions for the fake bacon.
STEP 2: Put veggie hamburger patties into skillet. Cook approximately 4 minutes on each side or until heated through. Boca and Morningstar patties can be microwaved, but honestly, I think they taste mushier when microwaved. Cooking them on the stovetop gives them a nice brown finish and they taste a lot better.
STEP 3: About 2 minutes before you think your veggie hamburgers are going to be done, put a slice of cheese on top of each pattie. Let it melt a little.
STEP 4: All right, time to make up the sandwich - Grab a hamburger bun. Squeeze ketchup on to the bottom. Put one pattie on the bun along with a slice of tomato, some lettuce, and top with the carmelized onions. Add bacon if you made it.
DELICIOUS!! You can make up some frozen fries in the oven to compliment your veggie burger. It's sort of like fast food, except no animals have been harmed and it's half the fat and calories! Enjoy!
Now, here are my super easy recipes for days when you want something fast, something vegetarian, and something delicious to eat! Today, we'll discuss the vegetarian hamburger.
Vegetarian Hamburgers
There are MANY different types of vegetarian hamburgers out there. Popular brands include Boca, Morningstar Farms, and Gardenburger. You can find all of these in the frozen section of your local large chain grocery story. I'm personally a fan of the Boca cheeseburger. This is what I like to do:
1 box (4 patties) of your preferred vegetarian hamburger brand
4 slices of cheese (your choice)
1 medium onion, sliced
1 small tomato, sliced
4 large leaves of lettuce (or the bagged lettuce, it's just to put on the sandwich)
1 bag of hamburger buns
ketchup
OPTIONAL - Like bacon? There's vegetarian bacon you can put on your veggie hamburger. Morningstar Farms has some nice fake bacon that tastes and smells pretty darn good!
STEP 1: Put a little butter or olive oil into a skillet and carmelize the onions until clearish-brown. Set onions aside. If you elected to add bacon, you can make it up now with the onions. Follow the package instructions for the fake bacon.
STEP 2: Put veggie hamburger patties into skillet. Cook approximately 4 minutes on each side or until heated through. Boca and Morningstar patties can be microwaved, but honestly, I think they taste mushier when microwaved. Cooking them on the stovetop gives them a nice brown finish and they taste a lot better.
STEP 3: About 2 minutes before you think your veggie hamburgers are going to be done, put a slice of cheese on top of each pattie. Let it melt a little.
STEP 4: All right, time to make up the sandwich - Grab a hamburger bun. Squeeze ketchup on to the bottom. Put one pattie on the bun along with a slice of tomato, some lettuce, and top with the carmelized onions. Add bacon if you made it.
DELICIOUS!! You can make up some frozen fries in the oven to compliment your veggie burger. It's sort of like fast food, except no animals have been harmed and it's half the fat and calories! Enjoy!
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