So far 2013 has been great, work has been keeping me extra busy, but I am trying to find time to do things that I love and to keep myself grounded. One of these things is cooking. I love cooking, and I am a notorious health nut- we eat very healthy at our house. I have been a Relief Society teacher for a few months now, and a couple months back I taught a lesson on the word of wisdom, which ended up hinging around the principle that we should eat meat sparingly. After my lesson I had several sisters come up to me and explain how they desired to cook with less meat, but did not have any good recipes. At our home, when we eat meat, we cook with a very small amount (1 lb of ground beef or less, or 6 oz of chicken or less). It is more a garnishment than a key player. Several of my recipes are meatless all together, and as I was preparing today's dinner, which is meat free, I was reminded of this request from sisters in my ward, so I thought I would share some pictures and links to some of my favorite meatless recipes. These are tried and true, cheap and easy!
IN ORDER OF OUR FAVORITES:
1. Macaroni & Cheese recipe from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook
http://www.grandparents.com/food-and-leisure/recipes/recipes-macaroni-and-cheese-deceptively-delicious
If you have not heard of this cookbook, I recommend purchasing it. Not all of the recipes are vegetarian, but they all find ways of cramming extra veggies into comfort classics. When we do cook with meat at our home, I take a note from this author and find a creative way of adding additional nutrition into every bite. We utilize lots of red pepper, cauliflower and sweet potato purees at our home.
We often add non-pureed additions to this macaroni: peas, broccoli, tomatoes, basil, chili and brussel sprouts have been a few that we have tried, but macaroni makes such a great base for anything that you could really spice it up!
2. Tofu Coconut Curry
http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipe/tofu-coconut-curry/
This recipe is so easy, and tastes amazing. If you are a curry person, this dish is sure to delight. We cook quite a few ethnic recipes at our home, and this is a crowd pleaser. Feel free to mix it up with different veggies too, the more the better!
3. Black Bean Burgers
http://spoonforkbacon.com/2012/03/spicy-black-bean-burger/
We have tried a few variations of Black Bean Burger recipes, but this one is our favorite. We serve it on top of what buns with homemade guacamole. I have not tried the sprouts like it shows in the picture, but I am sure that would be delicious! We usually serve with a side of this rice:
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/04/fiesta-lime-rice.html
4. Cumin Lime Chickpeas
http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/2011/12/cumin-lime-chickpeas-379-recipe-063.html
If you have never been to the blog budget bytes, I highly recommend it. I have loved every recipe of hers I have ever made, and she is very good about giving you a variety of foods that are cheap and easy to make, and showing you step by step in photographs how to make them. I have a link to her blog on the right side of the page. Check her out! This recipe takes about five minutes to make, and is so very healthy! We eat with salad or in a pita, or even plain as a side dish- it is packed with flavor!
5. Vegetarian Enchilada Bake
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Vegetarian-Enchilada-Bake
Once again, easy, affordable- I substitute canned items all of the time instead of frozen- just use what you have, and do not be afraid to deviate from the recipe. If you do not have any corn, try something else instead like green beans, or peas.
Happy Cooking, hope this helps some of you discover some new family favorites, from our home to yours!
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