Vegetarians: Week Two

Saturday: Veggie Burgers with Curried Couscous
Monday: Butternut Squash Pizza, Artichoke, Red Pepper, and Zucchini Pizza
Tuesday: Roasted Vegetable Curry
Wednesday: Mexican Rice
Thursday: Leftovers with Steamed Zucchini

Butternut Squash Pizza
Adapted from Allrecipes.com 

This was my favorite recipe of the week. If your looking for a greasy, gooey pizza, this is not it. But give it a try, you may be surprised at how much you like it.

1/2 sliced red onion
1-2 Cups peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced (about 1/4 inch) butternut squash
 2 T chopped sun-dried tomato
1 1/2 t dried rosemary
2 T olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar (or to taste, this is what gives this pizza such a great flavor)
1/2 t kosher salt
Pizza crust that you like
cheese (mozzerella, parmesan, feta, or any combo)

Make the pizza dough.  I used this recipe (from last week's pita bread). Tip: Last time I made this dough I par-baked two extra crusts (no toppings) for about five minutes then froze them.  So all I had to do was pull them out of the freezer about 10 minutes before I needed them. 

Coat the red onion and squash with the oil, rosemary and salt.  Spread on a roasting pan and roast at 450 degrees for 15 minutes or until tender. Don't overdo it because it will cook more on the pizza.  Pull out of the oven and spread them on a crust with the sun-dried tomatoes.  (next time I wouldn't add the tomatoes, they were good but the pizza was flavorful enough without them). Sprinkle with cheese.  I did mostly mozzarella, and Parmesan, with just a light sprinkling of feta.  The stronger feta was delicious.  It would also be good with goat cheese or even a mild bleu cheese. Bake for 10 minutes at 500 degrees, or until crust is golden and cheese is bubbly.

Artichoke Heart Pizza
From our family pizza repertoire 

We make this pizza, or variations of this pizza, pretty often.  I rarely use tomato sauce anymore and haven't missed it.  If I want a saucy pizza, I order a greasy pepperoni from Dominos.  Which, to be honest, I really like.

Marinated artichoke hearts
1 Roasted Red Pepper, chopped
Roasted Onion (from above, I just roasted a whole onion and used half on each pizza)
Thinly sliced zucchini
Mozzarella and Feta cheese

Put a layer of zucchini on the par-baked crust.  Then add the mozzarella cheese.  Top with artichoke hearts ( I like to cut mine), chopped red pepper, and roasted onion.  top with more cheese.  Bake 10 minutes at 500 degrees. This is super easy since the artichokes and red peppers are from a bottle.

Roasted Vegetable Curry
From Moosewood Restaurant's Simple Suppers

This was delicious.  And really easy.  It would be easy to swap out the vegetables for what you like and have on hand.

Vegetables:
1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes
1 onion
3 C cauliflower florets
2 T vegetable oil
1/2 t salt

Curry Sauce:
2 t grated ginger
2 T curry powder
1/2 t salt
1 C coconut milk
1 C diced tomato

Cut the vegetables into 3/4 inch chunks.  Coat with oil and salt.  Spread on an oiled cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 450 degrees.  Stir after 10 minutes.

In a pot, whisk together the ginger, curry powder, salt, and cocunt milk until smooth.  Add the tomatoes.  Add the roasted vegetables to sauce and stir to coat.  Heat for about five minutes, until everything is hot.

Serve over rice.  Top with raisins, nuts, cilantro, and yogurt.

Greek Frittata (from last week)
From Moosewood Restaurant's Simple Suppers

This was so so good, quick and healthy.  It used almost a whole bag of spinach so it really packs in the nutrients.  It also makes delicious leftovers.

1 C chopped scallions or onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 T olive oil
4 C packed baby spinach
1 t dried oregano
8 eggs
1 tomato, chopped
1 C feta cheese

In a large skillet, cook scallions and galic until soft.  Add the spinach and oregano.  Cook until spinach is wilted.

Beat the eggs, a tablespoon of water, and salt and pepper.  Keep the stove on medium-low.  Pour over the spinach mixture.  When the eggs begin to set, use a spatula to cut through to the bottom in a couple of places in the center of the frittata and lift the cooked edges while you tilt the pan so the raw egg runs onto the hot skillet.

When the eggs are mostly set, spread tomatoes and feta over the top.  Lower the heat and cover until feta is soft and eggs are set.

Curried Couscous Salad
Adapted from this recipe from foodnetwork.com

This was a pretty good side dish.  It was really quick, which was perfect since I had about ten minutes to make it before our friends came over for dinner. The lemon juice is key. 

1 C dried couscous
1 3/4 C water
1/4 C orange juice
3/4 C dried cranberries
1 T curry powder
1 t salt
1 t sugar
1/4 C plain yogurt or sour cream
lemon juice

Put dry couscous, cranberries, curry powder, salt, and sugar into a bowl, pour boiling water over it.  Add orange juice.  Stir, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, fluff with a fork and add some fresh yogurt or sour cream to make it stick together.  Squeeze on lemon juice to taste.

Mexican Rice
A family favorite.  I always cook this when we have leftover rice.  

1-2 Cups cooked rice
1 can diced tomatoes with chilis
1 can black beans, drained
1/2 can corn
Cheddar Cheese

Combine everything in a large skillet.  Stir occaisionally until heated through.  Top with cheese, cover until cheese is melted.  Serve with sour cream and tortillas.

A few more thoughts:
*Veggie Burgers aren't bad.  But they really aren't that good.
*The large container of spring lettuce from Sam's Club lasts forever.
*I think I could become a permanent weeknight vegetarian, just eating meat on weekends.  I really haven't missed it.
*In conjunction with this new eating endeavor, I have started working out more.  I downloaded this Nike App on my phone and love the workouts.  It is a lot of fun.  I also took a spinning class which I absolutely loved.  I tried a pilates class yesterday and decided it is not my cup of tea.  At all.  I was totally bored.  But it did prove that my abs are really not what they used to be.  I blame it on the three kids.