Actually there has been very little vegging going on around here this week, what with dealing with the snow storm, work, flat tire, gym, tanning, getting ready for holidays, and cooking there has been no time for relaxing.
And yes cooking has been high on the activity list, the switch to a vegetarian diet means trying out new recipes which has been fun but it takes time as a lot of it is new.
And there is a huge learning curb trying to replace the meats with a healthy diet, learning about proteins, carbs, fiber, vitamins, fat, etc.. things that before we didn't pay to much attention to but now realize we have to know about in order to stay healthy. On top of that Ev and I have dissimilar tastes and eating habits, after being married for twelve years I've gotten to know how to cook for the two of us but now that meat has left the equation, well it's like starting all over again, between what is not liked and what upsets the stomach compromises have to be made about what can and cannot be cooked and eaten, it's a bit frustrating at times but I still find this whole new culinary revamp fun.
And there is a huge learning curb trying to replace the meats with a healthy diet, learning about proteins, carbs, fiber, vitamins, fat, etc.. things that before we didn't pay to much attention to but now realize we have to know about in order to stay healthy. On top of that Ev and I have dissimilar tastes and eating habits, after being married for twelve years I've gotten to know how to cook for the two of us but now that meat has left the equation, well it's like starting all over again, between what is not liked and what upsets the stomach compromises have to be made about what can and cannot be cooked and eaten, it's a bit frustrating at times but I still find this whole new culinary revamp fun.
I have found some good recipes on my online searches that are keepers and are being added to our new veggie home cooking book.
My favorite so far has been
“ Eggplant Parmagian I “
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant, cut into 3/4 inch slices
- 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
- 8 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 ounces ricotta cheese
- 6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
- 4 cups pasta sauce
Directions
- Sprinkle both sides of the eggplant slices with salt. Place slices in a colander, and place a dish underneath the colander to capture liquid that will sweat out of the eggplant. Allow to sit for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta, mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Mix in egg and basil.
- Rinse the eggplant in cold water until all salt is removed. In a large skillet, heat 4 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Place one layer of eggplant in the pan, brown each side. Repeat with remaining eggplant slices, using additional oil if necessary.
- In a 9x13 inch baking dish, evenly spread 1 1/2 cups of spaghetti sauce. Arrange a single layer of eggplant slices on top of the sauce. Top the eggplant with 1/2 of the cheese mixture. Repeat layering process until all the eggplant and cheese mixture is used. Pour remaining sauce on top of layers, and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.
- Bake 30 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until sauce is bubbly.
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Printed From Allrecipes.com 3/3/2016
I didn’t have fresh basil but I did have some fresh coriander so I chopped a bit of that and added it to some dried basil instead and I also added a couple of cloves of garlic (chopped). The eggplant I coated in breadcrumbs before frying, this dish turned out great !! Ev was hesitant about the eggplant, I promised her she would like it done like this and once she tasted it she was a convert ! as far as this dish goes but unfortunately eggplant won't be a staple in our new diet.
Now Ev has been sticking to the new diet but I have been eating meats, yes I know I’m a sinner !!, but no, we have in our freezer a few containers of frozen foods that I have made during our carnivorous days, I like to make a big batch of whatever it is we are cooking and then freeze some for another day, that way we are not always slaving over the stove. So I am going to finish all the old foods we have left in the freezer as I think that throwing them out would be very disrespectful to the animals that gave their lives for it, once it is all gone I think I will fully join Ev in this new lifestyle !
Now Ev has been sticking to the new diet but I have been eating meats, yes I know I’m a sinner !!, but no, we have in our freezer a few containers of frozen foods that I have made during our carnivorous days, I like to make a big batch of whatever it is we are cooking and then freeze some for another day, that way we are not always slaving over the stove. So I am going to finish all the old foods we have left in the freezer as I think that throwing them out would be very disrespectful to the animals that gave their lives for it, once it is all gone I think I will fully join Ev in this new lifestyle !
Here is a sampling of our kitchen activity.
This was an awesome potato-spinach dish with mozzarella,recotta and cheder cheese in it , very good !!!
Of course being a vegetarian means eating tofu so this was our first go around with it, Ev eat it but is very hesitant about it, I fried this lot and we had them with some fried eggs, asparagus and leftover potato/spinach casserole, yum yum !
And last night I fried the rest of the tofu and adding it to a noodle dish Ev made . I am finding that with the extra exercise I am hungrier and have to eat more if I am going to maintain the workload.
And tonight an awesome " Quinoa and Black Beans " dish with corn kernels, onion, garlic, cumin, black pepper and fresh coriander, very very tasty !!
More recipes to come in future posts
