Kiwi Summer Rolls

Another yummy meal idea, this one courtesy of Martha Stewart. (Of course, look at that presentation!)

Kiwi Summer Rolls.

I love rolls, but I've never made anything with the rice paper wrappers myself. And I've never used kiwi in a dish. Just plain. I do like it however.

I'll definitely have to try this. As you probably know by know, I love Thai and asian inspired food.

See the recipe here.

Wow Meal: Tofu in Thai Peanut Sauce with Cashews and Boston Lettuce

Another wow meal that will definitely make it into our regular rotation. I adapted these chicken and cashews in lettuce cups from the Real Simple website.

My version included baked tofu sauteed in a thai peanut sauce with some crushed cashews sprinkled on top. The tofu was laid out on a bed of Boston lettuce over Thai lime pilaf.

I wasn't sure of the combination of the peanut sauce and the lime rice at first, but it really popped. And the texture and lightness of the Boston lettuce was a great compliment to the texture of the rest of the meal.

The Thai lime pilaf is a rice mixture with lime, coconut, ginger and lemon grass. I actually purchased it pre-packaged at Whole Foods. It's pictured below. I'd love to try more stuff from that same Tasty Bite brand.

Definitely try your own version. Alex had his with chicken. Since the rice was pre-cooked, the whole thing was super quick and easy.

What *are* ramps exactly?

So ramps seem to be a big thing in the local culinary scene here in New York, but until yesterday, I'd never even heard of them.

Turns out they are what I imagine to be a cross between green onions and leeks. Mostly like small leeks from what I understand. See above.

Given that I'm so into trying new things these days, I'm going to have to head on over to the farmer's market in Union Square to find some.

Both the New York Times and The Kitchn posted about them this week. Check out their ideas about how to use them below, and let me know how you would prepare them? I need some additional inspiration on this one...

Suggested Recipes:

Ricotta gnocci with ramp pesto
Morel mushrooms and ramp pizza
Ramp risotto
Sauteed ramps

Soy and Cashews in Lettuce Cups

This recipe just in from Real Simple. I love lettuce cups and I love Boston lettuce even more. However, their version is chicken, and mine will most definitely be either tofu or fake soy chicken. The cashews are a huge plus.

See the Real Simple recipe here and substitute as necessary to make it vegetarian.

Sweet Eats Recommends

I love the Sweet Eats blog. She's got lots of great food ideas, including what she calls a "yogurt mess," shown above. This version of the yogurt mess includes 3/4 cup of my favorite yogurt fage, with truvia, honey kix, banana and Mighty Maple.

I wasn't actually familiar with Mighty Maple until I read her post.

I might make my own version of this tomorrow morning, but perhaps a bit simpler, with strawberries and peanut butter. I'll let you know how it goes...

Sweet Eats also recommends the baked sweet potato/almond butter combination shown below. I wouldn't have been sure based on the looks of this, but she raves about the combination of sweet potato and almond butter.

Just bought a sweet potato on today's veggie shopping spree, but now I'll have to get some almond butter.


Post via Sweet Eats.

Diet Sloppy Joes and Cheese Fries?

I just saw a fabulous sloppy joe recipe over on the Biggest Diabetic Loser. Of course, I'll have to make a vegetarian version with some ground soy. However, Alex can do his with the sirloin.

The carrots and red peppers are drizzled in Green Goddess dressing. The fries are baked with a small amount of cheese.

Visit the Biggest Diabetic Loser for the complete recipe.

Vegetarian Chili

I've been craving chili lately and decided to make it tonight when I found an old chili recipe my mom sent me wayyy back in the day.

Alex was also much more willing to have some since my mom added a note to the recipe saying that this was veggie chili even she would eat (given that she's a meat eater). He also added ground turkey to his.

This chili is mostly beans and veg rather than soy. Next time I make it I might add a bit more chili powder or garlic to give it more of a kick though. And some corn, lime juice and cilantro might be a nice touch as well.

It's great garnished with fresh onion, a wee bit of fresh cheese, and since I was feeling indulgent today, I also added just a few fritos from a single serving bag we bought at a convenience store down the street. (Absolutely can't have leftover fritos hanging out!) It would have been better to add baked tortilla chips. That'll be my official recommendation!

Unless you want tons of leftovers, you could make just half the recipe. I went for the whole thing though since I didn't want to have half cans of beans leftover. I also used canned lentils instead of dry ones, and I wouldn't recommend that. They were too soft.

I also have to recommend the largest stock pot you have. I used what I thought was big enough, and it wasn't.

The recipe makes 12, count 'em, 12 servings at 5 points each and 260 calories. Plus whatever you use for garnish. Mine was 7 points per serving with the cheese and fritos. Still not bad!

Recipe Below:

Five-Bean Vegetarian Chili

2 tsp olive oil
2 med. onions, diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1-12 oz. pkg dry lentils
1-16 oz. bag frozen black-eyed peas
4 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1-28 oz. can crushed tomatoes w/puree
84 oz. water (3 tomato cans filled)
1-16 oz. can black beans, rinsed
1-16 oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed
1-16 oz. can dark red kidney beans, rinsed
1/2 tsp salt

In a large kettle, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions, garlic and peppers. Cook, stirring occassionally for 8-10 min. or until the vegetables are soft and fragrant.

While vegetables are cooking, pour the dry lentils into a colander and rinse thoroughly under water. Drain. Add the lentils and frozen black-eyed peas to the kettle, along with remaining ingredients.

Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 to 45 min.

Stir occassionally. Chili should be thick and rich. Season to taste. For spicier chili, add more chili powder or up to 1 tbsp hot sauce.

Flavor improves if refrigerated overnight. Add water if necessary when reheating.

Italian Eggs Over Spinach and Polenta

I almost bought a package of polenta at the store today-- so mad I didn't because I just found this awesome-sounding recipe on Cooking Light.

I'm looking for variety and want to try new things, so this is perfect as it's unique, healthy, simple and fast enough, but still vegetarian. I'll let you know how it turns out when i do make it.

Only 264 calories and six points per serving.

See the complete recipe here.

Maple Smoked Tempeh Bacon

Maybe I'm just hungry, but WOW this sounds good! I've never been a fan of tempeh, but I'm finding that if it's prepared right, it can be great.

Check out the full recipe at The Vegan Ronin.

Spinach, Vegetable Quesadillas

I'm all for quick convenience foods. I'm often tired when I get home from work, so quicker is better. I also grew up in Texas where Mexican food reigns, so that's pretty much a staple in my diet as well.

One of my favorite foods are quesadillas. Which, if not done right, can do you in! However, follow my instructions below and you'll have a quick, healthy, vegetarian dinner option.

Vegetable Quesadillas

Ingredients
fresh spinach
diced onion
fresh minced garlic (or garlic salt (optional))
mushrooms
diced red pepper
low fat cheese
small low fat/whole wheat tortillas (corn are even better!)
hot sauce

Preparation
Using a no-fat cooking spray or a tablespoon of olive oil, saute the garlic and onion until lightly browned. Add the mushrooms and let cook a few minutes. Finally, add the rep peppers and spinach for a final two or three minutes.

Add the sauteed vegetables and a small amount of cheese to a tortilla, fold in half and heat in the same frying pan, just until the tortillas are warm and soft.

Weight Watchers Points
Points will vary depending upon the amount of cheese, oil and the type of tortillas you use, so please measure accordingly. However, points range from 2 to 4 per half quesadilla.

If you're really strict, you could even do a half quesadilla (ie: one tortilla folded) for one point (corn tortilla, a dusting of light cheese, no-fat cooking spray).

Adapt the vegetables to suit your taste. To shave some time off the cooking, keep the mix of veg simple.

Enjoy!