Sloppy Lentil Joes

I'll admit that my family was a little skeptical of these. The kids turned them down outright because of the green bell pepper. However, they were super easy and quick to make and will be a go-to for me. I got the original recipe from Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor. 

Ingredients:
oil
1 onion, diced 
4 garlic cloves, minced 
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced 
2 tsp chili powder 
1-2 tsp Italian seasoning 
2 cups cooked lentils 
1 cup salsa 
1 cup marinara sauce 
4 buns or tortillas

Directions:

1. Sauté onion, garlic, and bell pepper until onion is translucent and bell peppers have softened. 
2. Stir in spices to coat well. 
3. Add cooked lentils, salsa and marinara sauce, stirring to combine. 
4. Continue to cook over low, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly warm and reduced slightly. 
5. Spoon onto buns and serve. 

Notes:

• Serves 4
• Per serving: 410 calories, 4.6g fat, 70.9g carbs, 23g fiber, 14.2g sugars, 22.7g protein
• For a serving for two (pictured one of two servings) use: ½ small onion, diced; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced; 1 tsp chili powder; ½ tsp dried oregano; 1 cup cooked lentils; ½ cup salsa; ½ cup marinara sauce; 4 slices bread
• Omnivores could throw in a ground meat of their choice as well.

Tomato Basil Rigatoni

I made this for the family and it was a pretty big hit. The main issue was that I overdid the amount of the sauces, and I didn't reduce quite enough, so the sauce was a little more runny than is ideal. My suggestion is to stick with the amounts in the recipe and/or be sure to reduce sufficiently.

Ingredients:
14-oz dry pasta (i.e. rigatoni) 
oil
2 cups (16-oz) vegetable broth 
1 onion, diced 
3 garlic cloves, minced 
1-2 tbsp Italian seasoning 
2 tbsp tomato paste 
28-oz tomato sauce 
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 
½ cup dry red wine (optional, if using reduce broth by ½ cup) 
fresh basil (optional) 

Directions:

1. Heat a large pot. 
2. Saute onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning in oil until onions are translucent.
3. Add tomato paste, stirring to coat. 
4. Cook 1-2 minutes, adding a splash of broth as necessary to prevent sticking. 
5. Stir in tomato sauce, vinegar, wine and remaining broth until well combined.
6. Cover and bring to a boil.
7. (This is a good time to cook the pasta according to package directions in a separate pot.)
8. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, or until it reduces slightly and everything is thoroughly warm. 
9. Stir in fresh basil, if using. 
10. Serve over pasta or toss together.

Notes:
Serves 4.
Per serving: 423 calories, 4.1g fat, 79.4g carbs, 15.8g fiber, 12.7g sugar, 20.8g protein

Lava Cake Oatmeal

Another dessert for breakfast. In fact, I could post this just as easily as a dessert. I like oatmeal, I like chocolate, I like cake, I like lava cake. This will do. I got the original recipe from Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor, but I've modified it to be even more chocolatey! 

Ingredients:
⅓ cup dry rolled oats 
2 tbsp flour 
1 tbsp cocoa powder 
¼ tsp baking powder 
pinch salt
⅓ cup (2.5-oz) chocolate soy or almond milk 
1 tbsp pure maple syrup  
½ tsp vanilla extract 
1 tbsp chocolate chips or 1 square of chocolate

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and set aside a small ramekin. 
2. In a mixing bowl, combine oats, flour, cocoa, baking powder, and pinch of salt. 
3. Stir in milk, maple syrup, and vanilla. 
4. Mix well and transfer half to the ramekin. 
5. Place the chocolate chips or chocolate square on top, in the center, so that no part of it is touching the sides. 
6. Pour the rest of the oatmeal over chocolate, using your fingers to press down lightly and spread the mixture. 
7. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until the top is slightly firm and dry. 
8. Let cool a few minutes, but serve warm.

Notes:

• Make less chocolatey by using plain/vanilla soy or almond milk. Per serving with plain/vanilla milk:  269 calories, 7.1g fat, 46.4g carbs, 6.8g fiber, 12.5g sugars, 7.8g protein
• Top with yogurt for an icing. 
• Made again, and an additional photo!

Sweet Tomatoes Bowl

This was amazing. I really like lentils, and there is a fabulous flavor combination here. I got the original recipe from Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor. 

Ingredients:
water
1 zucchini, sliced in half moons 
1-2 tbsp Taco Seasoning 
5-oz cherry tomatoes, or grape tomatoes, or combo of small tomatoes, sliced 
⅓ cup corn 
¾ cup cooked lentils 
¼ cup salsa 

Directions:

1. Heat a skillet, and add ¼-cup water. 
2. Add zucchini and Taco Seasoning. 
3. Cook for a few minutes, until zucchini is just becoming tender. 
4. Add tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes start to soften. 
5. Add corn and cooked lentils. 
6. Continue to cook until vegetables reach desired tenderness, stirring constantly and adding water as needed. 
7. Top with salsa and serve. 

Notes:

• Serves 1
• Per serving: 386 calories, 1.7g fat, 72.2g carbs, 27.1g fiber, 11.6g sugars, 24.6g protein
• You can add hot sauce if you like. 

Indonesian Stir-Fry Noodles

What's funny about this dinner is that when I said it was what was for dinner, everybody balked. Then I made it, with an add-on of chicken for the omnivores in the family. One child, who is super-duper picky, didn't even try it. But it got whole-hearted yums from the other two people. So much that my son asked how much would be leftovers. And asked if I could make it again ... soon. 

The bowl above serves 4. That's right, 4. When I took my helping, everybody's eyes got wide and said, you get that much? Since I'm trying to watch my caloric intake. I said, I get a quarter of the bowl. Then they said, that isn't even a quarter of that bowl. By the way, I was quite full after eating the portion I served myself.

I got the original recipe from Happy Herbivores Meal Mentor. 

Ingredients:
12-oz dry noodles (i.e. spaghetti) 
6 tbsp teriyaki sauce 
2 tbsp soy sauce 
dash Sriracha (i.e., to taste) 
1/4 cup vegetable broth
oil
1 onion, thinly sliced 
4 garlic cloves, minced 
12-oz broccoli florets 
10-oz cole-slaw mix 
1 bunch kale, stemmed and chopped
water, as needed

Directions:

1. Cook noodles via package instructions. 
2. Drain, rinse under cold water. Set aside. 
3. While cooking noodles, n a small bowl, whisk teriyaki, soy sauce, Sriracha, and broth together. Set aside. 
4. Sauté onions and garlic in oil until translucent. 
5. Add broccoli and cook until bright green. 
6. Add cole-slaw mix, cooking and stirring so the veggies starts to soften.  
7. Add kale, stirring to incorporate. 
8. Continue to cook to desired tenderness, adding water as needed. 
9. Stir in sauce and cooked noodles. 
10. Taste, adding more Sriracha or teriyaki sauce, if desired.  

Notes:

• Serves 4
• Per serving: 428 calories, 2.7g fat, 87.6g carbs, 14.8g fiber, 12g sugars, 18.5g protein
• You can use water instead of vegetable broth. You can use thinly sliced cabbage instead of cole-slaw mix. You can add-on more veggies.
• If you want to add some meat, chicken thinly sliced and fried in the same sauce (make more) worked well for us. I think pork may also go well in this dish.

Chocolate Strawberry Oatmeal

Yes, there is oatmeal under those strawberries and chocolate chips. This was so easy and yummy that when I had to travel unexpectedly, I made sure I had some chocolate, strawberries, and oatmeal and just made that for breakfasts. The original recipe from Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor called for banana, which I cannot have. Probably, any fruit that you enjoy will go well in this breakfast. 

Ingredients:
½ cup dry rolled oats 
1½ tbsp dark chocolate chips 
fruit of your choice, sliced (strawberries, banana suggested)

Directions:

1. Cook oats in ¾ cup water (or more). 
2. Top with chocolate chips and fruit.

Caribbeano Chili

This might surprise you, but it turns out that I kind of collect chili recipes. Only those I like, of course. This one is an interesting take on chili. I got it from the Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor. 

Ingredients:

oil
1 onion 
2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced 
2 cups pineapple (frozen okay, thawing might be good) 
1 cup tropical salsa 
30-oz can black beans (undrained) 
1 tbsp chili powder 
15-oz tomato sauce 
8-oz guacamole 


Directions: 

1. Sauté onion and bell peppers until onion is translucent and bell peppers have softened. 
2. Add pineapple, salsa, beans (plus bean liquid from 1 can for a thicker chilioptional), chili powder and tomato sauce. 
3. Cook until thoroughly warm. 
4. Transfer 1-cup (or more) to a blender and process until smooth or partly smooth OR use an immersion blender. 
5. Stir blended portion back into remaining chili. 
6. Heat over low until thoroughly warm. 
7. Let chili rest 10 minutes. 
8. Top with guacamole.

Notes:

• Serves 4
• Per serving: 421 calories, 12.3g fat, 66g caarbs, 18.9g fiber, 19.6g sugars, 16.2g protein
• You can add hot sauce if you like to spice it up. 
• You can also top with green onions.
• For omnivores, you could add some ground meat of your choice, but it really doesn't need it.
• You can half this to make only 2 servings, which is what I did.

Tortiere

My mother, being French-Canadian, made something she called "Tut-kay" (phonetically spelled) every New Year's Eve. Apparently, I didn't like it growing up. It is a traditional meat pie. Being vegan, I won't eat it now. However, in the interim, the husband and I started making it. For whatever reason, Mom wouldn't give me her recipe. But we found this one on the internet.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 lbs ground pork
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp poultry seasoning
2 tbsp salt
1 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp sage
1 tsp pepper
1 cup water
medium onion, chopped
6 potatoes
2 9-inch pie crusts, with top

Directions:

1. Cook the potatoes and mash them until smooth.
2. Combine ground beef, ground pork, onion and garlic in a large pan or skillet. 
3. Cook on high, stirring often, until the meat is cooked through (no pink).
4. Add the spices and seasonings, and water. 
5. Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes.
6. Remove the lid and simmer another 10 minutes
7. Remove the cooked meat from heat and mix in the mashed potatoes. Set aside to cool.
8. Preheat oven to 425F.
9. Once the mixture is cool, spoon mixture into your pie shells and cover each with their top crusts. 
10. Slash each top crust, making a small hole.
11. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 300 and back for 25 minutes more.

Notes:

• Recipe make 2 pies.
• Time to make is approximately 2.5 hours, including prep and baking.
• Pies may be prepared and frozen, but freeze before baking. Thaw before baking or increase baking time to accommodate being frozen.

Spring Grape Salad

This is a great fresh salad to serve as a side or even have as a dessert. It's improved by slightly sweeter grapes for the sweet-toothed, but if you have slightly tart grapes, the tart & sweet is also delish. I got the original recipe as a bonus with the Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor. 

Ingredients:
1 cup sliced red grapes
1 cup sliced green grapes
1/4 cup vanilla Silk soy yogurt
1 tbsp granola

Directions:

1. Toss grapes and yogurt together.
2. Chill for at east 30 minutes.

Notes:

• Serves 4
• You can also top with brown sugar, nuts, or ground cinnamon instead of the granola, or in addition to the granola.
• I also ate it for breakfast. 

Lasagna Soup

I was unexpectedly a fan of this. The flavors work really well together. This could be a side, but really fits better as an entree. It is super filling. I got the original recipe through Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor.

Ingredients:
4-oz dry noodles, ex fettucini, linguini or angel hair
oil
3 cups (24-oz) vegetable broth
½ small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp tomato paste
14-oz can diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
¾ cup prepared white beans
¼ cup plain hummus
1-3 tbsp soy or almond milk
salt and pepper for taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large pot. 
2. Sauté onion and garlic until translucent. 
3. Add oregano and tomato paste, stirring to coat. 
4. Add tomatoes (with juices), bay leaf, and broth. 
5. Stir to combine, cover, bring to a boil. 
6. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. 
7. While simmering, break noodles in half. Cook noodles via package instructions to al dente texture. Drain, rinse under cold water. Set aside. 
8. Remove bay leaf and stir in white beans. 
9. Transfer HALF to a blender and puree until creamy OR use an immersion blender. Return to pot. 
10. Stir in cooked noodles. 
11. Add salt and pepper, plus more oregano if desired.
12. Spoon into bowls and set aside briefly. 
13. In a small bowl, whisk hummus with milk 1 tbsp at a time until it's a thick sauce.
14. Drizzle or swirl hummus-cream in soup.

Notes:

• Serves 2
• Per serving: 432 calories, 5.4g fat, 81.2g carbs, 15.9g fiber, 12.4g sugars, 17.4g protein
• For omnivores, you could add some browned ground beef

Berry Breakfast Pizza

This was a great, if messy, breakfast. During the berry season, you can have lovely fresh fruits for it. I got the original recipe (altered here) from the Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor. 

Ingredients:
2 oz vanilla or berry vegan yogurt 
2 tsp orange marmalade 
dash ground cardamom 
1 pita  
¼ cup sliced berries of your choice
¼ cup sliced 2nd type of berries of your choice
orange zest 

Directions: 

1. In a bowl, mix yogurt, marmalade, and cardamom until well combined. 
2. Slather on to pita. 
3. Top with mixed berries and orange zest.

Notes:

• Serves 1
• Per serving: 284 calories, 2.6g fat, 56.7g carbs, 7.4g fiber, 17.5g sugars, 10.1g protein
• The original recipe called for strawberries and blueberries. I subbed red grapes for blueberries since I don't care for blueberries. You could really use grapes or berries or citrus (orange) slices for either portion of the quarter cup of berries.
• You could probably sub jam/jelly/preserves flavor of your choice in for marmalade.
• I rolled it up into a wrap.