Canteloupe and Yogurt breakfast bowl

A vegetarian breakfast that will surprise the taste buds. It is a funny sounding recipe, but wait until you try it before you judge. It's wonderful.


You will need:
~freshly cubed cantaloupe
~vanilla or plain yogurt
~toasted pecans
~cinnamon

As simple as it sounds. Toast the pecans in your toaster oven until you can smell them. They toast fairly fast, so watch them so they don't burn. Place your cantaloupe in a bowl and spoon on some yogurt. Toss some pecans on top and sprinkle with cinnamon. The amount of anything, base on your likes, how hungry you are etc. Not a strict recipe, basically here to suggest the combination!

Lasagna with Eggplant and Kidney Beans

I have never made Lasagna before so I picked up the ingredients I knew usually go into the dish and added a few to make it heavier and full of flavor. Hope you like it!

You will need:

Meat Filling:
1 lbs. Ground beef (imitation)
1/2 Eggplant
8oz cooked Kidney Beans
4 Garlic cloves
s/p to taste
oregano to taste
basil to taste

Veggie Filling:
1/2 cup Broccoli
1/2 cup Cauliflower
1/2 cup Carrot
1 white or yellow onion
1 cup Fresh Spinach

Sauce:
2 cans Tomato paste
2 cans Crushed tomato
Oregano, Basil, Garlic, Salt to taste
Three 'dashes' of of Hot Sauce
Three 'dashes' of Soy Sauce
1/2 cup heavy cream (lactose free opt.)


Ricotta Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese (I have found both cheeses in a vegan form)
Three small fresh tomatoes

The picture is lame and once I make it again in my own kitchen I will provide better pictures but... It was so good I wanted to share it as quickly as possible!

Here is how to make it:

~First using a cheese grater shred the eggplant until you have the same quantity as the 'beef'. Add into a deep skillet and heat with olive oil and garlic, crushed and chopped. Then add the 'beef'.
~Cut the veggies into smaller pieces and steam until barely soft, remember they will soften more while baking, we are just giving them a head start. Leave Spinach out. This will steam on it's own wonderfully while baking. Once the steamed veggies are drained, thinly slice the spinach and mix into the others.
~Heat lasagna noodles in water and watch.
~Into the 'meat filling', add seasonings and beans and continue to heat. Cut tomatoes in half one way and thinly slice the other way, creating a half moon shape.
~When noodles are ready strain and place to the side. Grab a 9x13 pan and put a tsp. of olive oil and spread with fingers and place one layer of noodles on the bottom. I use three or four. Lay half of the fresh tomato on top and sprinkle with mozzarella. Add another layer of noodle, and the 'meat filling', then more noodle. Veggie's turn. Add ricotta on top of that and sprinkle with a little salt and garlic, more noodle. This is the top layer of noodle. Lay down the last of the mozzarella and then the tomato slices. Sprinkle with oregano and basil for garnish and bake at 375d for 30 minutes. The cheese on top will be brown and crunchy and the noodle a little stiffer than the others. This is desirable to hold the pieces together!

Zucchini with Beans

This is a neat one I came up with attempting to make a meal out of random things in another persons' kitchen, in a time crunch. It got a ten out of ten with the eaters! It is neat because you can use any type of bean and completely change the flavor. Lentils and Navy beans were my family's favorite. Wild rice can bee added or substituted for a complex protein combo or for a change!

You will need:
~one whole Zucchini, thinly sliced bite sized pieces
~half cup onion, chopped
~garlic ( fresh if possible), salt, black pepper, basil ( fresh if possible), all to taste
~1.5 cups cooked lentils or navy beans
~medium tomato, bite sized pieces
~olive oil
~~Parmigiana cheese (if vegan~ seasoned bread crumbs are wonderful!), liberally to taste

In pan, saute onions, zucchini, and tomato. Add seasonings. Add beans and cook until hot. Mix in parm. or bread crumbs and keep on heat until it is lightly browned. Serve with salad or on crackers!

Fun Salad with Black Olives

Fun salad to make when you don't have a lot of time but you do have some random ingredients!



You will need:
~Broccoli
~Black olives
~Baby spinach
~Arugula
~Onion
~Carrot
~Home made vinaigrette or favorite dressing

Slice veggies into bite sized pieces, add olives whole or cut. Toss with dressing and serve!



Sandwich featured in picture:


A silly little sandwich I made with fake chicken strips and stale hot dog buns.

~ Toasted hoagie
~ Red pepper
~ Sweet potato
~ Onion
~ Chicken strips, I use vegan 'chicken' strips
~ s/p, olive oil

Cut potato into thin strips almost like thick fries, place in microwaveable bowl with a little little water in the bottom and microwave until soft. Or steam until soft using any technique you chose. In a pan, saute onion, peppers and chicken strips in a little olive oil. Add potato asap. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and saute until browning on each side of chicken and veggies are soft. Toast hoagie open faced, fill with veggie mix and serve warm.

Baked Beans with Apple

After an evening of experimentation and heavy ingredients... This came forth!


You will need:

1 cup kidney beans

1 cup navy beans
*canned or boiled. If canned, drain before adding to heat.

1 medium white onion

1/4 apple, chopped


Tbl. Agave Nectar


4 cloves fresh garlic, chopped

salt to taste


extra virgin olive oil







Instructions:




In sauce pan or deep skillet, slice onion into long strips, add olive oil and heat on low. Add beans, salt and garlic. Let sit with onions on bottom and beans on top. Do not mix. Wait until beans are warm and add the Agave. Stir. Add apple and stir. Wait until heated all the way through.