Classy Cooking, Vegetarian Style

Pizza Bianco

2010-01-27T14:34:00.002-05:00

I love tomato sauce. Especially on a pizza. So I was a little concerned when I chose PIZZA BIANCO to make for one of my Thursday night pizza parties. Pizza Bianco is a white pizza that does not have any tomato sauce at all!!

To prepare this pizza, you combine ricotta cheese, garlic, and Parmesan cheese in a bowl, and then spread this mixture over the pizza crust. This cheesy mixture is topped with mozzarella cheese , and then the pie is put in the oven and baked until the cheese in melted and golden.

Yum, yum, yum. This was outstanding. The flavors were mild, but delicious, and the recipe was so easy! I look forward to making this pizza again.

Corn Muffins

2010-01-27T14:15:00.001-05:00

Many of the meals I make beg to have cornbread served along as a side item. Steamed veggies, and Shepherd’s Pie are all dinners that taste better accompanied by cornbread. Luckily, this cookbook has several variety of cornbread. I made CORN MUFFINS to enjoy alongside macaroni and cheese and steamed veggies.

This easy muffin recipe comes together by mixing flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, egg, oil, and milk are whisked together. The wet ingredients are stirred into the dry, and then the batter is poured into a greased muffin tin. They bake for 18 minutes, and after cooling for a few minutes, they are ready to eat!

These are good muffins, not great. I prefer a thick slice of cornbread over muffins, so I will probably not make them again. That is just my personal preference, there is nothing at all wrong with this recipe!!!

Vegetable and Cashew Curry

2010-01-27T13:32:00.003-05:00

Mr. Sexy Veggie and I have started taking Spin Classes on Sunday afternoons. This is great…it is a lot of fun, a great workout, and we get to spend the time together! However, I am usually pretty tired after the class, and making dinner seems like a huge deal. So I have picked recipes for Sunday evenings that can be made earlier in the day, and then just reheated when we are ready to eat. For the first week of spinning class, I made VEGETABLE AND CASHEW CURRY.

I love the ease and flavors of curry. This one was very simple. Chopped onion, ginger, and garlic were sautéed for 5 minutes, and once they were tender curry powder and cumin were mixed in. Diced tomatoes, water, and potatoes are added, and the mixture is simmered for 20 minutes. Zucchini and cashews are stirred in, and the mixture cooks for 10 more minutes. Lemon juice is mixed in right before you plate the dish. The curry is served over hot basmati rice, with a dollop of yogurt on top to add creaminess and contrast to the sauce.

This was very good, and simple. The flavor is not too intense, and the yogurt adds a slight twang to the dish. We enjoyed it so much that I did not have enough leftovers for my lunch at work the next day!!!

Classic Cornbread

2010-01-06T16:16:00.001-05:00

There are several types of cornbread……..sweet, savory, fluffy, heavy. I enjoy almost every kind! Last night I made CLASSIC CORN BREAD to accompany baked potatoes topped with broccoli and cheese and green beans.

This cakelike quick bread is made by combining cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Melted butter, milk, and one egg are whisked together, and then mixed into the dry ingredients. Once moistened, the batter is poured into a pan and baked until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

This bread turned out very well. It had a good consistency, dense but not very dry. It was too sweet for my taste, I will cut back on the sugar the next time I make this recipe.

Classic Stir-fry Tofu and Vegetables Hoisin over Brown Rice

2010-01-05T15:14:00.002-05:00

Mmmmmm….stir-fry. Tender-crisp veggies, flavorful sauce, brown rice. What a great meal. Last night for dinner I made CLASSIC STIR-FRIED TOFU AND VEGETABLES HOISIN over BROWN RICE.

You start this dinner by simmer brown rice in water for about 45 minutes. While this cooks, you cut tofu into small pieces, de-stem broccoli florets, and dice a red bell pepper. The tofu is cooked in a small amount of oil until golden brown. The broccoli and red pepper are added to the pan, and cooked until tender. Minced garlic and ginger are stirred in, and cooked for a few seconds. A sauce made from soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and sesame oil is poured over the vegetables, and then the tofu is returned to the pan. After cooking for a minute longer, the stir-fry is ready to be enjoyed over the brown rice.

YUM! This is flavorful, nutritious, and filling. The flavors were very nice-not too strong or heavy. It was easy to prepare, and the clean-up was easy as well. I will make this again!!

Semolina Pizza Dough

2010-01-04T13:37:00.003-05:00

The night after ringing in 2010, Mr. Sexy Veggie and I were hitting the town with some friends. Before our night out, I decided to make us a couple of pizzas to enjoy. I used the SEMOLINA PIZZA DOUGH recipe from the cookbook for these pizzas.

This dough is made by proofing yeast in warm water until bubbly. At this point, water oil and salt are mixed in. Flour and semolina (a roughly milled flour made from the yellow endosperm of durum wheat) and added, and the mixture is stirred into a dough. The dough is covered and placed into a warm place to rise until doubled. Then the dough is rolled out, baked, and then topped with pizza toppings!

This dough was one of the easiest I have ever dealt with. It was elastic and smooth, not sticky at all. The crust taste was great, thin with a nutty flavor and good crunch. I will make this lots more often!!

Perfect Pancakes

2010-01-04T12:15:00.003-05:00

What to cook for the first meal of 2010? What a decision! I chose PERFECT PANCAKES from the cookbook to kick off the year right. They are called perfect, how could they be wrong?

This quick bread easily comes together by mixing flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Once the dry ingredients are mixed, egg, milk, and melted butter are stirred in. The batter is poured into a lightly oiled hot pan, and cooked until golden brown. They are topped with warm syrup before enjoying.

These are very good pancakes. I would agree that they are close to perfect! Light, flavorful, and easy to make. I will be making these again!!!

TEMPEH RAGOUT WITH CORN AND TOMATOES

2010-01-04T12:08:00.002-05:00

Before starting this recipe, I was not really sure what tempeh or ragout were. I quickly learned that tempeh is fermented soybeans in cake form (sounds great, right?), and that ragout (ragu) is a main-dish stew. I learned all this while cooking TEMPEH RAGOUT WITH CORN, ZUCCHINI, AND TOMATOES.

This warm dish starts with simmering diced potatoes in a tomato mixture that has been seasoned with garlic and red pepper flakes. Once the potatoes are tender, diced tempeh and zucchini are added to the pot to simmer. Once this mixture is tender, frozen corn and salt are stirred in, and cooked until warm.

This French-style vegetable stew was OUTSTANDING. I loved every bite of it, it was delicious, warm and filling. My first try to tempeh was great, and I can’t wait to make this recipe again!!

TUSCAN-STYLE COUSCOUS SALAD

2010-01-04T11:56:00.004-05:00

After a weekend of traveling, and a day of unpacking and catching up on chores, I was ready for a quick and tasty dinner. I chose TUSCAN-STYLE COUSCOUS SALAD, a recipe from the cookbook that comes highly recommended by fellow blogger Bridget.

This dish requires almost no cooking. Water is brought to a boil, and stirred into couscous that has been flavored with turmeric. Once the couscous has absorbed all the water, toasted pine nuts, white beans, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, and red onion are mixed in. The salad is then topped with a dressing made from lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.

This is a very fresh and tasty dish. As recommended, I enjoyed it with crostini spread with goat cheese and a glass of white wine. This will be a great summer dish, and the leftovers are great to pack for lunches on the go!!

Eggplant Parmesean

2009-12-24T11:40:00.003-05:00

Love it or hate it, eggplant shows up often in Vegetarian cuisine. Last weekend, while I was snowed in the house, I made EGGPLANT PARMESAN for Mr. Sexy Veggie and myself.

To start, you peel and slice two eggplants. Then you dip the slices in mayonnaise, and coat with bread crumbs. The slices are then put into the oven to broil until they are a deep golden brown. Once that step is completed, the slices are layered in a casserole dish with tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese. The casserole bakes for 30 minutes, and is ready to enjoy-preferably along side some lightly buttered pasta!

This was a very tasty dish, and filling. The eggplant was a little tough, which could be my fault for slicing it too thickly. It was a great dinner, and Mr. Sexy Veggie really enjoyed it too. However, the leftovers were not very good. I probably will not make this recipe again.

Apple Cider Muffins with Streusel Topping

2009-12-24T11:25:00.003-05:00

Muffins are quick, easy, and usually very yummy. This was the case for APPLE CIDER MUFFINS WITH STREUSEL TOPPING. I made these one Sunday morning for a breakfast treat.

This quick bread is made by combining flour, baking powder, spices, grated apple, and sugar, and then mixing in egg, oil, and apple cider. The batter is poured into muffin tins, and topped with a streusel made from flour, sugar, and butter. After baking for 20 minutes, these beautiful muffins are ready to enjoy.

Yum! These were fabulous. Tasty, tender, and warm. Mr. Sexy Veggie really enjoyed them as well!

Smoky Black Bean Enchiladas

2009-12-24T11:11:00.003-05:00

In case you haven't figured it out already, I love Mexican food! Mr. Sexy Veggie really likes it too, so we eat lots of burritos, enchiladas, and quesadillas. So a couple of Saturdays ago, while Mr. Sexy Veggie was riding his bicycle on my indoor trainer, I made SMOKY BLACK BEAN ENCHILADAS for our dinner.

The spicy filling for these enchiladas was made by mixing diced chipotle pepper, onion, black beans and orange juice in a pan, and cooking them until soft. Once cooled, the filling is rolled inside corn tortillas, which are then placed into a baking dish. Topped with a sauce made from salsa, tomato sauce, and spices and covered with cheese, the enchiladas are put into the oven to bake for 30 minutes. I sprinkled cilantro on them one they came out of the oven.

The flavor of these enchiladas was very good, but the texture of the corn tortillas was not pleasing. I know I don't care for corn tortillas in these kind of recipes, and should have known to use flour ones instead. The filling was good, spicy and flavorful. But I had lots of leftovers that ended up getting thrown away-which I hate doing!!!

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and Roasted Asparagus with Garlic Oil, Lemon, and Parmesean Cheese

2009-12-11T15:18:00.005-05:00

Wednesday night Sister Veggie and myself got together to cook a festive holiday feast! I made two recipes out of the cookbook to accompany our meal, ROASTED RED PEPPER HUMMUS and ROASTED ASPARAGUS WITH GARLIC OIL, LEMON, AND PARMESEAN CHEESE.

First was the roasted red pepper hummus. A garlic clove and roasted red peppers are blended in a food processor until smooth, and then chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, salt, and water are added. All of this is blended until smooth, and then you let the mixture sit for at least an hour so the flavors can meld.

Next was the roasted asparagus with garlic oil, lemon, and parmesan cheese, a nice side item to our fancy pumpkin main course. Trimmed asparagus spears are rolled in garlic infused olive oil, and baked for fifteen minutes. Once out of the oven, the spears are sprinkled with lemon juice, salt, and parmesan cheese.

Both of these dishes were winners! The hummus was great-smooth, creamy, and delicious. We enjoyed them with homemade pita chips. The asparagus was also great-tender yet crisp, and very flavorful.

Egg Noodles with Garlic and Herbs

2009-12-09T10:06:00.002-05:00

For a side item to my veggie burger this week, I made EGG NOODLES WITH GARLIC AND HERBS. This is a very easy recipe. While egg noodles are cooking, you sauté garlic in butter. Once the noodles are cooked and drained, you mix in the garlic butter and sprinkle with salt and parsley.

These are great! A very easily prepared side dish that has a flavorful taste.

Thick Corn and Vegetable Soup with Herb Dumplings

2009-12-09T10:04:00.001-05:00

Soup is a great menu item for a cold and snowy day. Not only is it warm and filling to eat, it smells good while it is cooking and it helps warm up your kitchen! On Sunday night, I made THICK CORN AND VEGETABLE SOUP WITH HERB DUMPLINGS for Mr. Sexy Veggie and myself.

This soup is full of vegetables! Onion and garlic are sautéed in butter until tender, and then carrots, potatoes, and butternut squash are added to the pan. Also thrown in are vegetable broth, tomatoes, white beans, and seasoning. After simmering for 30 minutes, corn and parsley are stirred in.

To make the dumplings, flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, salt, butter, and milk are mixed together with seasonings to form the dough. Once mixed, it is dropped by teaspoonfuls into the simmering soup. They are simmered, covered, for 15 minutes.

Wow!!! This was excellent! Warm, tasty, and satisfying. The dumplings were outstanding. They had a biscuit-like texture that held up very well in the soup. I look forward to making this many more times!! Mr. Sexy Veggie really enjoyed it as well.

Caramel Pecan Bars

2009-12-09T10:02:00.001-05:00

Pecans and caramel on top of a shortbread crust. What’s not to love?

This easy dessert requires few ingredients. Butter and confectioners sugar are blended with an egg yolk, vanilla extract, and flour to form the dough for the crust. While this crust bakes, melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, baking powder, vanilla and pecans are mixed together to form the topping. The topping is spread on top of the prebaked crust, and put back into the oven until the topping is set.

D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S! Need I say more?

Mixed Greens with Dried Cranberries and Toasted Pecans with Balsamic Vinaigrette

2009-12-09T09:45:00.003-05:00

Last year, I received an Aerogarden as a Christmas gift from my parents. These indoor gardens are very neat. The first set I grew was gourmet herbs, and I loved it. Now I have salad greens growing, and they are beautiful and wonderful! I used these greens while making MIXED GREENS WITH DRIED CRANBERRIES AND TOASTED PECANS with BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE.

This is a very easy salad to prepare. First, the pecans are toasted in the oven until fragrant. Next you combine lettuce and chopped red onion in a salad bowl. Drizzle the leaves with the balsamic vinaigrette, and top with dried cranberries (mine were from the natural foods store, and they were wonderful) and the toasted pecans.

To make the Balsamic Vinaigrette, balsamic vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil are mixed together until blended.

This was easy, beautiful, and delicious. I loved the flavors of the vinaigrette combined with the pecans and dried cranberries. This is a dish that will be great for dinner parties. If you would like to come to a dinner party and enjoy this tasty salad, let me know!!

Classic Vegetable Melts, Broccoli and Roasted Red Pepper Salad, and Classic Vinaigrette

2009-12-03T14:02:00.005-05:00

Bread! Cheese! Veggies! Tuesday night I made CLASSIC VEGETABLE MELTS and BROCCOLI AND ROASTED RED PEPPER SALAD with CLASSIC VINAIGRETTE for Mr. Sexy Veggie and myself.

To make the sandwiches, mushrooms, onion, red bell pepper, and spinach are sautéed until tender, and then seasoned with soy sauce and salt. This mixture is placed on top of thick slices of toasted sourdough bread that has been coated with mayonnaise (yes, I used it), and topped with Monterey jack cheese. These are placed under the broiler for a few seconds, until the cheese is melted. They are served open face, and eaten with a knife and fork.

The salad is quick and easy. Broccoli florets are blanched in boiling water, and then immediately dumped in cold water to help keep their bright green color. Once cool, they are drained on a cotton dish towel, and mixed with chopped roasted red pepper. Toasted pine nuts are stirred in, and the whole salad is drizzled with CLASSIC VINAIGRETTE. The vinaigrette is made by mixing red wine vinegar, mustard, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.

The sandwiches were great. Very hearty, warm, and filling. The salad was ok, the vinaigrette was a little too tangy for the broccoli, but the toasted pine nuts made up for that!!

Sweet Potato, White Bean, and Pepper Tian

2009-12-03T13:30:00.003-05:00

For my veggie burger accompaniment this week, I chose SWEET POTATO, WHITE BEAN,

AND PEPPER TIAN. Unfortunately, I forgot to add the beans to the casserole, but I still enjoyed it. So this review is for a sweet potato and pepper tian.

Sweet potatoes shine in this recipe. The potatoes are peeled and diced, and mixed with diced red and green bell pepper, red onion, plum tomatoes, salt and pepper, and olive oil. This is all pressed into a casserole dish and baked for 45 minutes, and then is topped with fresh bread crumbs and baked for 15 more minutes.

This was a great casserole. It was fresh and flavorful, and beautiful. I will make this again soon, and will add the white beans to give it more substance!

Spaghettini with Spinach in Garlic-Cream Sauce

2009-12-03T13:26:00.003-05:00

Quick and easy pasta meals make me happy. Therefore, the SPAGHETTINI WITH SPINACH IN GARLIC-CREAM SAUCE that I made on Sunday night made me very happy!!

This easy dish requires bringing water to a boil, boiling the spaghettini for 7 minutes, and then throwing in frozen chopped spinach for 2 minutes. You drain that mixture in a colander, and sauté garlic in oil in the pan. Pour in cream and milk, and mix in the drained pasta and spinach. Sprinkle with nutmeg, salt, and pepper, and you are ready to eat!

This was good, flavorful but not overly so. The cream made a filling dish, so the pasta with a couple of slices of bread was a good dinner. It was pretty too, a very nicely presented dish.

Jammies

2009-11-29T12:40:00.005-05:00

You are probably asking, what are jammies? Pajama parties? Music session? The answer is muffins! I made JAMMIES for Mr. Sexy Veggie and I for breakfast this morning.

These were easy and delicious. A batter made from flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, egg, butter and milk is blended, and a little is put into each muffin cup. A teaspoon of jam is placed on top of the batter (I used jam from Mom Veggie!), and the remaining batter is put on top.

The muffin tin is put in the preheated oven, and baked for 20 minutes. After cooling for a couple minutes, they are ready to enjoy.

These were very good. The batter was sweet and tasty, and the strawberry jam in the middle was a lovely treat.

Stir-Fried Szechuan Tofu, Broccoli, and Mushrooms

2009-11-29T12:27:00.004-05:00

The local natural foods store carries wonderful tofu in bulk, and I jump at any chance I get to use it in a recipe. Last night I used fresh veggies and tofu in STIR-FRIED SZECHUAN TOFU, BROCCOLI, AND MUSHROOMS.

This is a very easy recipe! Before starting to cook the ingredients, the recipe calls to prep all the ingredients. This includes dicing the tofu, chopping the broccoli, slicing the mushrooms, and cutting the carrots. The tofu is sauteed in oil until golden brown, and then removed from the pan. The mushrooms, carrots, and broccoli are cooked until tender, and then a sauce made from cornstarch, water, chili paste, soy sauce, sherry and sugar is stirred in. This warm mixture is served over rice.

This was so good! The flavors were fresh and bright, and the sauce was a little spicy. The leftovers were equally as good. I will make this again--many times!!

Butternut Squash and Cider Soup

2009-11-27T14:54:00.002-05:00

For the starter course for Thanksgiving, I decided to make BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND CIDER SOUP. I thought this warm dish would be a great start for a special meal.

It is a very easy soup to make. You peel and dice one butternut squash, saute garlic and leeks in butter until tender, then add the squash, water, apple cider and curry powder to the pot. The mixture is simmered for thirty minutes. At this point, the mixture is transferred to a food processor and pureed until smooth and creamy. Reheat a little, and it is ready to eat!

I did not care for this. It tasted too much like apple cider, and very little like butternut squash. I really liked the idea of the soup, and might try it again with a smaller amount of apple cider. It was very pretty, at least!!

Flaky Pie Crust

2009-11-27T14:45:00.002-05:00

Yes, I know it is not very fair to show a picture of a chocolate pie and talk only about the crust, but that is the recipe this post is about. For Thanksgiving, Mr. Sexy Veggie likes a chocolate pie, and I made a FLAKY PIE CRUST to hold the delicious chocolate filling!

The process begins by mixing flour in sugar in a food processor, and blending in flour until it is crumbly. Oil, cold water, and cider vinegar are added, and it is blended until the dough becomes pliable.

The dough is then wrapped and plastic wrap and chilled for 20 minutes. At that point, it is ready to be rolled out into the appropriate size. Once rolled, the dough is wrapped around the rolling pin and transferred to the pie plate. It goes back into the refrigerator for 30 minutes, and then is ready to bake!!

This crust was great!! I will admit I am not good with pie crust, and usually go for one that requires no rolling. I was very pleased with the ease of this one, the consistency and workability of the dough was nice. The flavor was nice, crispy and flavorful. I will be making this again!

Baked Mexican Style Rice and Beans

2009-11-27T14:37:00.002-05:00

I'm back! After a fun trip to New York City and a little bit of recovery time, I am back into my cooking groove. Tuesday night I made BAKED MEXICAN STYLE RICE AND BEANS!

I wanted an easy and flavorful meal to make, and I picked this filling casserole. Basmati rice is cooked until tender, and then mixed with tomato sauce, chilies, beans, and chili powder. The filling is layered in a casserole dish with monetary jack cheese and sour cream, and baked for 30 minutes until the cheese is bubbly!!

This was a very favorable, comforting, and filling dish. The flavors melded together very well, and the cheese gave it a nice and creamy consistency. Served with corn on the cob and tortilla chips, it was a great dinner!!

Ten-Minute Chilaquiles

2009-11-17T18:33:00.002-05:00

I love Mexican-style recipes. They usually incorporate 3 of my favorite ingredients.........tomato sauce, beans, and cheese. This recipe used all three!!

TEN-MINUTE CHILAQUILES (Layered Tortilla Casserole) is a very easy and satisfying dish. For the sauce, salsa, tomato sauce, water and kidney beans are mixed together. This is poured on the bottom of a casserole dish, and topped with crumbled tortilla chips. The chips are covered with sour cream and Monterey Jack cheese. The layers are repeated, and then the casserole is baked for 35 minutes.

Yum! This was so easy, and delicious. It was warm, spicy, and flavorful. The leftovers were even better the next day!! I will be making this again-Mr. Sexy Veggie will love it!

Ravioli with Broccoli and Red Peppers

2009-11-17T18:25:00.002-05:00

On Sunday evenings, I usually take ingredients for dinner to Mr. Sexy Veggie's house. I prefer quick and tasty recipes, and many pasta recipes fall into this category.

This Sunday I made RAVIOLI WITH BROCCOLI AND RED PEPPERS. This meal is easy to prep and cook. One red pepper, sliced, is sauteed in oil with garlic until tender. Meanwhile, frozen ravioli is cooked in water until done. Broccoli is added to the boiling water for 3 minutes. All of these ingredients are mixed together, and sprinkled with Parmesan before serving.

This was great! Very easy to prepare, and pleasurable to eat. Leftovers were great for lunch the next day too!

Mixed Berry Smoothies

2009-11-15T14:40:00.002-05:00

Today is a beautiful, sunny Sunday in southwestern Virginia. It was a perfect day to start with MIXED BERRY SMOOTHIES for breakfast!

This unbelievably easy recipes combines frozen berries, orange juice, sugar and ice in a blender. The mixture is blended until smooth!

These were wonderful! A delicious and nutritious way to start the day!

CHEERS!

Classic Fresh Salsa and Chocolate Glazed Almond Cookies

2009-11-15T14:28:00.002-05:00

Last night, I made one of my favorite recipes that I have preciously made out of the cookbook-the roasted sweet potato and black bean quesdadillas. I made classic fresh salsa and chocolate glazed almond cookies to round out this meal.

The CLASSIC FRESH SALSA was an easy and beautiful dish. Ripe, fresh tomatoes, red onion, jalapenos, cilantro, garlic and lime juice are chopped and mixed together to create this festive dip.

The CHOCOLATE GLAZED ALMOND COOKIES were also easy. Butter, sugar, ground almonds, flour, egg, and almond extract are mixed together to form the dough. The dough is dipped in sliced almonds before being placed on a cookie sheet and baked until golden. After being removed from the oven, the cookies are glazed with melted chocolate chips.

Both of these recipes turned out very well! The salsa was very fresh and good, I can't wait to make it again next summer with ingredients from my garden. The cookies were good-very similar to pecan sandies, only with almonds. The chocolate glaze was perfect touch!

Mushroom Pate, Crostini, Spinich Salad with Pink Grapefruit and Avocado, and Upside Down Gingerbread Pear Cake

2009-11-12T15:38:00.003-05:00

Last night I cooked with my sister (http://www.bostonsinvirginia.blogspot.com/), and we made a great dinner. I used four recipes out of the cookbook for the evening.

The first was an appetizer, MUSHROOM PATE. This simple topping is made my pulsing portabella mushrooms in a food processor a few times, and then sauteing the mushroom pieces with garlic and thyme until tender. Once cooled to room temperature, it is enjoy with bread. I served it with CROSTINI-french bread sliced, coated with olive oil, and baked until crispy.

Our salad for the evening was SPINACH SALAD WITH PINK GRAPEFRUIT AND AVOCADOS. This salad is simply fresh spinach topped with sections of pink grapefruit, and slices of ripe avocado. (picture at top of post)

Dessert was delicious......UPSIDE DOWN GINGERBREAD PEAR CAKE. This cake has a caramel type topping drizzled on the bottom of the baking pan, and pear slices are placedon top of the caramel. A simple cake batter that incorporates molasses is poured over the pears, and then baked for 30 minutes.

These recipes all turned out well. The mushroom pate was more like caviar--it was not smooth and spreadable as I had expected. It was tasty though, very earthy and a good contrast to the crispy crostini. The salad was wonderful-very fresh and light! The dessert was perfect--rich, moist, and tender. I would recommend all of these dishes!

Zucchini and Red Pepper Gratin and Sauteed Kale

2009-11-11T12:42:00.002-05:00

This was a side item spectacular meal! I made two recipes from the side dish chapter of the cookbook tonight.....zucchini and red pepper gratin, and sauteed kale.

The SAUTEED KALE dish was very easy to prepare. The kale is chopped into bite size pieces, added to a pan that has olive oil that has been heated, stir in some water, cover, and steam for about 7 minutes. Balsamic vinegar is stirred into the greens right before serving.

The ZUCCHINI AND RED PEPPER GRATIN was another easy side dish, but this one took longer to prepare and bake. Zucchini, red pepper, and onion are thinly sliced and coated with olive oil. Then they are transferred to a baking dish, and they bake for an hour. Breadcrumbs are scattered over the top of the dish during the last fifteen minutes of baking.

These dishes were good, but not great. I am not a fan of greens, so the kale didn't impress me too much. It was slightly bitter and tough-but I don't think that was the recipes' fault. The gratin was very good, fresh, and tasty. It makes a great dish for a side item, and I will make it again!

Pumpkin Pancakes

2009-11-08T15:12:00.004-05:00

Breakfast is my hardest meal to plan for. I usually have cold cereal during the work week, so that doesn't require much effort. On weekend, usually I will make some scrambled eggs and toast, or sometimes French toast. This cookbook has quite a few breakfast and brunch recipes, and I am grateful that they will help me break out of my breakfast rut!

This morning I made PUMPKIN PANCAKES. This was a simple pancake recipe with canned pumpkin added. The batter was thin, so it cooked quickly on the hot skillet. Cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg were added to the batter to give it a great autumn flavor. Served with butter and hot syrup, these quick pancakes were a great treat!

These were very good. As I was making them, I was worried they would taste too much like pumpkin pie with the addition of the spices. Luckily, the pumpkin and spice flavors were light, leaving the pancakes with just a hint of pumpkin. These are great for a fall breakfast, and I will be making them again!

Cheese Scones and Large, Soft Ginger Cookies

2009-11-08T13:35:00.003-05:00

Last night, I decided to make potato soup for dinner. The soup recipe is not from the cookbook, but I chose two recipes from the cookbook to accompany the soup. The first was cheese scones, and large, soft ginger cookies for dessert.

The CHEESE SCONES are an easy quick bread to make. Butter is mixed with flour and baking powder, and eggs, milk, and cheese are added to the dry mixture. The wet dough is placed on a baking sheet, cut into six sections, topped with more cheese and baked until golden.

The LARGE, SOFT GINGER COOKIES were also easy to make. Flour, baking powder, salt and spices are mixed with molasses and eggs to make a dark and tasty dough. After chilling for an hour, the dough is rolled into balls, rolled in granulated sugar, and baked for 15 minutes.

Both of these recipes turned out well. The scones took longer to bake than I expected, but I think I did not pat them out thin enough. They were very good though, moist and flavorful, a perfect side to the potato soup! The cookies were very good, gingery and soft.

Beer Pizza Dough

2009-11-08T13:18:00.006-05:00

For my pizza night this week, I decided to try a BEER PIZZA DOUGH for the crust. This very simple recipe combines flour, baking powder, salt and beer. When mixed together, this sticky dough is ready to be rolled out on a baking sheet and baked until crispy!

This pizza crust was very dense and heavy. It was good, but not the best choice for a light cheese pizza. The cookbook recommends using this crust for a caramelized onion pizza, and I think the heaviness of the dough will go well with the intense flavor of the caramelized onions. I look forward to trying that, but I will probably not use this recipe for my usually weekly cheese pizza again.

Classic Hummus, Garlic Pita Chips, and Greens, Potato, and Feta Cheese Pie

2009-11-04T19:37:00.006-05:00

Tonight, I got a bit brave and decided to make 3 new recipes. Not only that.....2 of the recipes were things that I was very unsure about. I have had bad luck with making homemade hummus before, and most vegetable and cheese pie type dishes are usually not my thing at all.

Luckily, I my preconceptions of this evening's meal were wrong! The CLASSIC HUMMUS,a simple mixture of chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, salt and water, was excellent. The GARLIC PITA CHIPS, simply pita bread cut into triangles and coated with garlic oil before baking, were a great tool to carry the hummus to my mouth!

The main dish, the GREENS, POTATO, AND FETA CHEESE PIE, was a warm pie with a bread crumb crust, and potato, spinach, and feta cheese filling. This was very good. Like I mentioned above, this type of dish I usually do not like. However, this was very good! It was tasty and light, and I enjoyed it very much!

Grilled Jalapeno Cheese, Tomato, and Roasted Pepper Sandwiches

2009-11-04T10:45:00.003-05:00

This is the recipe in the book that made me decide I had to have this cookbook! Not that I couldn't figure out how to make a spruced-up grilled cheese on my own, but I loved the idea of this sandwich (and most sandwiches in general-I love bready, cheesy food!).

To assemble these, you take a piece of sourdough bread, top it with 2 slices of Pepper Jack cheese, then top the cheese with slices of roasted red pepper and ripe tomato. 2 more slices of Pepper Jack are placed on top of that, and then another piece of sourdough tops it all.

After buttering the top slice of bread, you cook the sandwich in a medium-low heated pan until browned, and then flipping it over to cook the other side (which you butter while the other side is cooking). After 10 minutes, you have a warm, gooey, cheesy sandwich ready to eat!

This was delicious! Very easy to prepare, and tasty and satisfying to eat. I enjoyed it with chips, and it would also be great alongside a bowl of tomato rice soup. YUM!

Marinara Sauce

2009-11-04T10:17:00.004-05:00

Monday night I made tofu nut balls, one of my favorite pasta accompaniments. I decided to make the MARINARA SAUCE recipe from the cookbook to serve with the pasta and tofu nut balls.

The recipe was really simple. Saute garlic in oil, add tomato puree, red wine, and spices, and simmer for 20 minutes. Top your pasta with the sauce, and enjoy!

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this sauce very much at all! It was boring, and slightly bitter. I could be the brand of tomato puree I purchased for the recipe, but I do not really think that was the problem. I appreciated the ease of this recipe, but will not be making it again!

Vegetable Lo-Mien, Iced Ginger Tea and Chocolate Earthquakes

2009-11-02T10:28:00.007-05:00

I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I like when the time falls back. Especially the first few days after the change, you feel like you have an extra hour in the morning! On the day of the time change this year, I took advantage of the extra hour and made 3 great recipes!

The first was ICED GINGER TEA. This drink is made by simmering chopped ginger in water, then stirring in sugar and chilling until cold. Serve over ice, and then you have a simple tea drink that is a surprisingly refreshing treat!

The main course was VEGETABLE LO-MIEN. I have made a few different versions of this recipe, but this one blew all the others away! Garlic and ginger are sauteed in oil until fragrant, and tofu is added and cooked until golden brown. Carrots and scallions are added to the mixture, along with a sauce of sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch and water. Cooked noodles are stirred into the mixture, and the result is a flavorful, fresh Asian style dish!

For dessert, CHOCOLATE EARTHQUAKES were on the menu. These simple, fudgy cookies are formed into balls before cooking, then rolled in powdered sugar. As they bake, the powdered sugar "cracks", creating fault lines from the earthquakes!

This dinner was amazing! The ginger tea was outstanding. I was very unsure about it when I made it, afraid that it would be overly gingery. Luckily I was wrong. It was light and flavorful. The lo-mien is the best I have ever had, and was easy to make. The cookies were great, very chocolaty. The cookies even got a "WOW" out of Mr. Sexy Veggie! These are my favorite recipes from the cookbook so far!

Southwestern Black Bean Soup with Homemade Vegetable Stock

2009-11-01T10:51:00.004-05:00

Halloween night dinner deserves a dark and spicy dish, and that is exactly what this meal turned out to be! Mr. Sexy Veggie and I traveled to Sister Veggie and Veggie 2.0's house for a fun Halloween evening, and I took a soup from the cookbook to share!

The base of the soup is VEGETABLE STOCK, another recipe from the cookbook. This was an easy and beautiful base to make, and it smelled wonderful while it was cooking. Onions, scallions, garlic, carrots, parsley, and mushrooms are boiled in water, along with some soy sauce and nutmeg. It boils for an hour, and then the vegetables are poured into a strainer set over a large bowl, and the excess water is pressed out by pushing a wooden spoon on the cooked veggies.

The main course of the evening was SOUTHWESTERN BLACK BEAN SOUP. This soup is thick and spicy. Black beans are cooked with onions, garlic, and green pepper in the homemade vegetable stock for 1.5 hours. Half of the soup is pureed in a food processor and returned to the soup, to add some thicker consistency. Lime juice and salt are stirred in right before serving to add a burst of flavor!

The soup was great! All four of us enjoyed it. We ate it with quesadillas and blue corn chips, and sprinkled cheese on top of the soup. This is a great cold weather meal, and I will be making it again!

Chipolte-Tomato Cooked Salsa and Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quesadillas

2009-10-28T20:33:00.008-04:00

Tonight I made versions of two of my favorite foods, salsa and quesadillas. The salsa is a smoky, spicy dip, and the quesadillas were cheesy and delicious!

The salsa recipe is CHIPOLTE-TOMATO SALSA, a easy and wonderful salsa to make. Onions, garlic, and peppers are sauteed until tender, and then tomatoes and chipolte peppers are added to the simmering mixture. After being processed in a food processor, the salsa is cooled to room temperature. Cilantro and lime juice are stirred in right before serving.

ROASTED SWEET POTATO AND BLACK BEAN QUESADILLAS were the main course this evening. These Mexican style grilled cheese sandwiches feature roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, scallions, and monetary jack cheese sandwiched between two flour tortillas. They are cooked in a skillet with a small amount of butter until the tortillas are brown and the cheese is melted.

What a wonderful dinner! I loved the salsa, it was very spicy! I enjoyed this with homemade corn chips, and will make this salsa many more times. The quesadillas were outstanding, filling, cheesy and a little sweet. I am so glad I made extras to have for lunch tomorrow!!!

Spinach Salad with Oranges and Feta Cheese, Citrus Vinaigrette and Greek Pasta Casserole

2009-10-28T13:44:00.005-04:00

Yesterday afternoon, I got home at 5:00, and decided to make homemade fococcia, a pasta dish, and a salad with homemade dressing-and all this had to be ready at 6:30 (when Mr. Sexy Veggie was scheduled to arrive for dinner!) So I had a crazy busy hour and a half, plus a very messy kitchen, but it was worth it!

The salad I made was SPINACH SALAD WITH ORANGES AND FETA CHEESE. Olives were supposed to be included in this salad, but I don't care for them so they were omitted. Along with the fresh oranges sections and crumbled feta cheese, the recipe calls for CITRUS VINAIGRETTE to top the salad. The vinaigrette is another recipe from the book. The dressing is easily assembled by mixing fresh lime juice, fresh lemon juice, orange juice concentrate, red wine vinegar, garlic, and salt and pepper in a jar. The result was tart and tasty! The combination of the spinach and the tangy orange bites, feta, and dressing was wonderful!

The entree for the evening was GREEK PASTA CASSEROLE. It is another easily assembled dish. You boil the pasta, and saute minced garlic in olive oil for 30 seconds. After the pasta is cooked, you mix the garlic oil with the pasta shells and let it cool to room temperature.

Once cooled, chopped roasted red peppers, diced tomatoes, and feta cheese are mixed in. After baking for 30 minutes, the pasta dish is hot and ready to enjoy!

YUM!! I loved this dinner. The salad was a great way to start, crisp and fresh, and the dressing was great. The casserole was excellent, the flavors meld together perfectly to make a warm and satisfying dish. Mr. Sexy Veggie enjoyed both dishes as well, including the vinaigrette, which he doesn't usually care for!

Mixed Potato Home Fries

2009-10-26T19:35:00.003-04:00

Yes, I know I made fries last Monday. Mondays and Thursdays are my "lazy" nights, Monday being my veggie burger and fries night. This evening I made MIXED POTATO HOME FRIES, a easy baked french fry recipe that incorporates white and sweet potatoes. These sweet potatoes were provided by MOM Classy Veggie, on her recent trip to visit!

The potatoes are peeled and sliced into sections, tossed with onions (onion powder for me-I was out of onions!) and olive oil, and baked for about 30 minutes, turning once during the baking period.

These fries are flavorful and good. The ease of preparation makes this recipe very accessible, and easy to do on any weeknight. I will make these again!

Penne with Garlicky (and oily) Butternut Squash

2009-10-26T13:27:00.004-04:00

Last night I made PENNE WITH GARLICKY BUTTERNUT SQUASH. This easily prepared pasta dish highlights an autumn favorite, butternut squash. The recipe calls for peeling and dicing the squash, sauteing the squash in olive oil until golden and tender, then mixing the squash mixture with cooked penne pasta and topping with Parmesan cheese.

This dish was ok, nothing great, nothing bad. I did misread the recipe and tripled the amount of olive oil called for, so I think that has something to do with my overall satisfaction of the dish. Olive oil is good for you, but that much is just excessive! The recipe also calls for nutmeg, parsley, and sage, but the recipe never tells you what to do with them. I just added them to the squash during the last few minutes of cooking

I will not be making this recipe again, even without the extra 2/3 cup olive oil!!

Vegetarian Chili and Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-10-25T11:09:00.005-04:00

One of my all time favorite foods is chili. Especially when it is a spicy chili, rich with tomato flavor. Last night I made VEGETARIAN CHILI from the cookbook. This recipe incorporates onion, garlic, green pepper, bulger and lots of spices.

Added to this base are tomatoes, beans, and water, and the mixture is simmered for 30 minutes. I topped the servings of chili with cheese, and served it with homemade corn chips and carrots.

This was a very good chili-spicy, hearty, and filling. I did double the spices the recipe called for, because I like my chili to be hot! The recipe also called to stir in butter and the end of the cooking period, and I forgot to do that. I am interested in knowing what the butter will add to the dish, and I will add some to the leftovers I have. The bulgur added a lot of texture and heartiness to the chili. I will make this again-it is an easy dish to prepare, and does not require a very long cooking period.

For dessert I made PERFECT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES from the cookbook. These cookies start with a butter dough that is chilled in the refrigerator for a few hours before being shaped into balls and baked for 15 minutes.

These cookies were good, but I would not consider them perfect. The cookbook said to take the cookies off the cooking sheets 1 minute after taking them out of the oven, which I did not do. Therefore, I had a very hard time getting these cookies of the baking sheets. The cookies are rich and flavorful, but they are not the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever made. I will keep searching for the "perfect" cookie recipe!

Baking Powder Pizza Crust

2009-10-22T20:13:00.003-04:00

For this Thursday's weekly pizza, I choose to make the BAKING POWDER PIZZA DOUGH recipe from the cookbook. This is a very quickly assembled dough that requires no rising. Flour, baking powder, salt, and butter are combined in a food processor, and milk is added to make the mixture stick together.

After the dough is mixed, it is rolled out into a baking pan and baked for a few minutes, and then topped with pizza toppings and put back into the oven to finish crisping.

This dough is very biscuit-like, and i did not think I would like it as a pizza crust. However, it was very good, dense and crispy. It will not be my go to pizza crust recipe, but I will use it again if I decide to make a pizza at the last minute and don't have enough time to make a yeast based pizza dough.

Macaroni and Smoked Cheese

2009-10-21T20:06:00.007-04:00

Butter
+
Milk
+
Cheddar Cheese
+
Smoked Gouda Cheese
+
A Hot Oven
=

Delicious!

This baked macaroni and cheese is very warm and yummy! It was easy to make, and it makes a lot of food (yay leftovers!). I will make it again, although I will probably use regular Gouda instead of smoked Gouda the next time.

Corn and Red Pepper Chowder

2009-10-21T13:03:00.005-04:00

Autumn and soup go hand in hand, and last night I made CORN AND RED PEPPER CHOWDER. The chowder recipe is easy to follow, although it does take about 30 minutes to prep the ingredients for the soup. Chopped onion and garlic are sauteed in melted butter until tender, and then vegetable broth is added to the pan. Once the broth is boiling, chopped celery, red pepper, and diced potatoes are added to the mixture. After simmering for 15 minutes, the corn is stirred in, then part of the soup is transferred to a food processor and blended until smooth. The pureered chowder is mixed back into the pan, along with milk and cream. The mixture is reheated, and seasoned to taste!

The soup was delicious and filling, and the corn gives the dish a slightly sweet flavor. The milk and cream gave the chowder some body, but it wasn't heavy or too filling. Mr. Sexy Veggie stated "This isn't too bad, actually". (It isn't the prettiest dish, so I don't think either one of us had too high of expectations!) The leftovers were even better today for lunch, the corn flavor came through a bit more and it wasn't as sweet.

This corn chowder is warm and tasty, and will be a great addition to any dinner table, especially with a green salad and warm, crusty bread.

Hot Potato!

2009-10-19T19:26:00.003-04:00

Tonight I played hot potato.......spicy hot and temperature hot! I made spicy potato fries, a great accompaniment to a veggie burger on this chilly evening.

These fries are easy to make. You peel the potatoes (or taters, depending on where you are from), cut them into fry size pieces, arrange them on a baking sheet, and bake for about 30 minutes.

Once they come out of the oven, they are tossed with chili powder and salt, and ready to enjoy!!

I really enjoyed these fries, and ate them very quickly. I did cut them a little too thin (shoestring size) for my taste, next time I will cut them thicker. This recipe gets a thumbs-up from me!

Two Recipes in One Night!

2009-10-19T15:34:00.009-04:00

I made two recipes out of Vegetarian Classics last night. The first was an appetizer, Spicy Black Bean Dip. The second was Cheese Polenta with Corn and Green Chilies, a hot and satisfying entree.

The SPICY BLACK BEAN DIP was a smoky, tasty delight. It is quick and easy to make, only requiring throwing the ingredients in a food processor for a few turns around the blade. The recipe calls for chipolte pepper in adobe sauce, and I was afraid the pepper would add too much smoky flavor to the dish (neither Mr. Sexy Veggie or myself like overwhelming smoky flavors). However, the pepper gave the dip depth and a little kick, and was not too smoky at all! The dip was enjoyed with homemade tortilla chips.

The main course dish was CHEESE POLENTA WITH CORN AND GREEN CHILIES. I have never made polenta before, and was interested in seeing how cornmeal can become a yummy dinner. I was impressed!

To make the polenta, the recipe calls for mixing cornmeal with water and milk. Stirring constantly, you bring the mixture to a simmer and stir until thick, about 10 minutes.

After the mixture is thick, you pour half into a baking dish, top with corn, chilies, and cheese, and cover with the remaining polenta. Spicy Monetary Jack cheese tops the casserole.

After baking for 40 minutes, the cheese is melted, and the dish is ready to enjoy!

I was a little uncertain about the mushy consistency of this dish, but the flavor was great. Mr. Sexy Veggie and I both agreed that something crunchy on the side (a cheese quesadilla, perhaps) would have taken the focus away from the mealy texture. However, the leftovers reheated perfectly for lunch today!! I am pleased with my first try at polenta, and will try it again!

First Recipe: Classic Pizza Dough

2009-10-15T19:22:00.028-04:00

The first recipe I chose to make from the cookbook was not a very exciting one, but a convenient one. I have a tradition of making a homemade pizza every Thursday evening, and decided to try one of the pizza doughs in the cookbook for tonight's cheesy pie. The recipe is CLASSIC PIZZA DOUGH, and it is an easy recipe to follow.

First I assembled the ingredients, and then let the yeast soak in warm water. Then, I added the rest of the ingredients, and mixed them all together to form a dough. The dough is placed in a well oiled bowl, and is left to rise for about an hour. It should double in size.

After rising, the crust is ready to roll out and bake. After baking it for a few minutes, I topped it with sauce, jalapenos and cheese, and put it back into the oven until the cheese was ooey and gooey!

Since I am reviewing the crust recipe, and not the toppings, I will do my best to concentrate on only the crust! I was impressed with how the crust turned out- it was light, crispy, and flavorful. It was like a cracker-just a little fluffier. It is not a very filling crust, it is quite thin.

Now that I know that this recipe produces a thin, crispy, flavorful crust, I will be making it again. I think it will make a great crust for calzones!

Check back next week to see how the Black Bean Dip and Corn Chowder recipes turn out!

2009-10-13T13:43:00.003-04:00

Vegetarian Classics
Classy Cooking, Vegetarian Style

When I first laid eyes on Vegetarian Classics: 300 Essential Recipes for Every Course and Every Meal by Jeanne Lemlin at Mr. Sexy Veggie's house, I knew it was a book that I would quickly become acquainted with. Once I started browsing the sections and skimming the recipes, I knew I was hooked. Every recipe seems delicious and easy to make. On a recent trip to a used book store, Mr. Sexy Veggie found a used copy of the cookbook for me! Inspired by Julie Powell of Julie and Julia fame, I have decided to cook my way through Vegetarian Classics. I am not giving myself a time frame, and I am not cooking them in any certain order-just whatever sounds good at the time I am planning my menu. Also, I will allow substitutions when needed-such as when mayonnaise is called for. (Those of you who know me know that I am not a fan of the thick, greasy, fatty condiment.) I promise to take pictures of each recipe I cook, and post them in relatively quick time. Just a hint of what’s to come…..

Smoked Cheese, Potato, and Spinach Calzones
Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quesadlillas
Leek Tart

Don’t those sound yummy, and fun?

I, Classy Veggie, will be reviewing each recipe, and Mr. Sexy Veggie's comments will also be included when he shares the meal.

Check back soon, and be sure to leave some comments!