What's For Dinner? Taco Soup :)

I absolutely love taco soup! My mom made it a lot after she found a recipe while on Weight Watchers. This is a different recipe that does not include ground turkey, but from reading the ingredients list, it sounds easy as pie and delicious! We like to eat it with sour cream and topped with some cheese :)


Jameson’s Taco Soup

• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1 15 1/2 oz. can dark red kidney beans, not drained
• 1 15 1/2 oz. can pinto beans, not drained
• 1 15 1/2 oz. can corn, drained
• 1 14 1/2 oz. can tomatoes w/chilis, not drained
• 1 14 1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes, not drained
• 1 4 1/2 oz. can green chilis, not drained
• 1 package taco seasoning mix

In a large pot, sauté onions in a very small amount of oil, water, or cooking spray until tender and translucent. Add all other ingredients and simmer covered for one hour.  For a thicker soup, simmer uncovered.

Recipe and Photo From: http://ieattrees.com/a-little-trip-and-vegan-taco-soup/

Brown Rice and Lentil Casserole- So How Was It?

I didn't have very high expectations of this dish because it seemed too simple to be very great.  To my surprise, this was a very hearty and savory dish. I added a teaspoon of cumin, a teaspoon of chili powder, and a 28oz can of diced tomatoes to the recipe.

If you have time between getting home from work and dinner time, this is a great lazy dish.  The only work involved is chopping the onion and opening the can of tomatoes.  Everything else is literally just dumping ingredients into a pan and stirring.  I think this could even be a crock pot dish if you wanted to make this but don't have an hour and a half after work to let it cook.

The leftovers re-heat great for lunch the next day. I'm actually eating my leftovers as I write this, and they are just as good as it was last night! I'll definitely make this again, but I'll probably try it in the crock pot instead.

For those of you who like to add meat, this could be served as a side dish with your favorite dish!

What's For Dinner? Brown Rice and Lentil Casserole

Tonight I'm trying out this casserole with a side of Cesar salad.  I've had the ingredients sitting around for a little while, but never got around to making it.  I'm substituting the cheddar for Velveeta shreds queso blanco and adding a teaspoon of cumin and chili powder for some extra flavor.

Ingredients

• 3 cups chicken broth or 3 cups vegetable broth
• 3/4 cup lentils
• 1/2 cup brown rice
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder ( I use more)
• 1 cup grated cheese ( cheddar or a blend is preferable)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients except the cheese in a baking dish (I use an 11 x 7).
3. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes.
4. Then remove the foil, add the cheese, and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
   
   Recipe and photo from: http://www.food.com/recipe/brown-rice-and-lentil-casserole-74629

Portobello Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches- So How Was It?

Well I didn't get a picture of the final product because we were hungry and I was ready to eat!  As you can see from the pictures, this is full of mushrooms and bell peppers.  I hate mushrooms and bell peppers but theses sandwiches were amazing!  We had them with some roasted potatoes tossed in olive oil, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.

The recipe calls for red peppers, onions, and portobello mushrooms. I used a jar of roasted red peppers, a green bell pepper, an onion, and two containers of baby bellas.  I also used munster instead of provolone cheese and added a little mayo. This will definitely be a repeat dish!

What's For Dinner? Portobello Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches

I'm seriously craving a hearty and delicious sandwich, and a cheese steak seemed to fit the bill.  The only problem is I just got back from four days of vacation (read four days of eating bad) and needed to get back into the swing of eating well.  I'm not a big mushroom fan, so this recipe is a dive into the unknown for me. Let's see how it goes! 

Makes: 4 sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 4 large portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed (see Tip), sliced
• 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano, or 2 teaspoons dried
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth, or reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 3 ounces thinly sliced reduced-fat provolone cheese
• 4 whole-wheat buns, split and toasted

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until soft and beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, bell pepper, oregano and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are wilted and soft, about 7 minutes.
2. Reduce heat to low; sprinkle the vegetables with flour and stir to coat. Stir in broth and soy sauce; bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, lay cheese slices on top of the vegetables, cover and let stand until melted, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Divide the mixture into 4 portions with a spatula, leaving the melted cheese layer on top. Scoop a portion onto each toasted bun and serve immediately.

Recipe and Photo From: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/portobello_philly_cheese_steak_sandwich.html

Spinach Lasagna- So How Was It?

This was by far the easiest lasagna I've ever made!  It took all of maybe twenty minutes to assemble and an hour start to finish.  The response after my husband's first bite was a very excited "Oh my God, babe this is so good!" So I'm guessing that means it's a hit, and I'd have to concur.  This will be a repeat dish in our household!

For those who gotta have the meat, ground beef would work well or chicken if you're feeling adventurous!  Some zucchini would be a welcome addition along with some diced onion.

What's for Dinner? Spinach Lasagna!

We love spinach and we love lasagna, so I'm looking forward to this meal! The best part of this recipe is that it calls for oven-ready lasagna noodles, which I never knew existed until now.  Hopefully they come out just as well as regular lasagna noodles, and if they do, I'm pretty sure it will make my life way easier!

Just in case anyone is wondering, yes, we are seeing results from this new life change. My husband has lost THIRTEEN POUNDS!!! I have only lost two, but it's better than nothing! We've also been out of the gym for the past two weeks, so after vacation is over and we get back into the swing of things, I'm pretty sure our weight loss will ramp up!

Skinny Spinach Lasagna 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
• 6 ounces fresh spinach
• 2 lbs. ricotta cheese (I used 1 lb. whole milk and 1 lb. nonfat)
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• a squeeze of lemon juice (optional, to taste)
• 12 no-boil lasagna noodles
• 1 24 ounce jar of spaghetti or marinara sauce (I used Trader Joe's tomato basil)
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions 

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and thyme; sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the spinach; sauté until just barely wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, salt, nutmeg, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Add the spinach and stir to combine. Transfer some of the mixture to a food processor and pulse a few times to break up some of the spinach pieces (totally optional, but makes for a really nice texture).
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread a little bit of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Layer with 3 lasagna noodles, ⅓ of the spinach mixture, ¼ of the tomato sauce, and ¼ of the cheese. Repeat and pour ½ cup water over the two layers. Repeat once more, ending with noodles, sauce, and cheese. Pour ½ cup water over the whole thing again and cover tightly with oiled foil.
4. Bake for 30-40 minutes; when the liquid is bubbling and the noodles have softened, remove the foil and bake uncovered for 10 more minutes. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before serving so that the lasagna noodles can soak up all the extra moisture.

Recipe and photo from: http://pinchofyum.com/skinny-spinach-lasagna

What's For Dinner? Black Bean Quinoa Burgers!!!!!

Tonight we are having the BEST veggie recipe I have found so far! I don't usually repeat recipes unless they are really good, and we have this once a week! These burgers will change your life, or close to it. We usually have ours on a pretzel or ciabatta bun with some good cheese, creamy sriracha sauce (mayo and sriracha mixed to your heat preference), and spinach. The leftovers are just as good as they were for dinner, so lunch is taken care of if you're only cooking for two! I cannot wait for dinner tonight!

Ingredients: 

Makes 5 burgers

•  1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
•  1/2 cup quinoa
•  1 cup water
•  1/2 cup bread crumbs
•  1/4 cup minced yellow bell pepper
•  2 tablespoons minced onion
•  1 large clove garlic, minced
•  1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
•  1/2 teaspoon salt
•  1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Frank's RedHot®)
•  1 egg
•  3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

1. Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Roughly mash the black beans with a fork leaving some whole black beans in a paste-like mixture.
3. Mix the quinoa, bread crumbs, bell pepper, onion, garlic, cumin, salt, hot pepper sauce, and egg into the black beans using your hands.
4. Form the black bean mixture into 5 patties.
5. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.
6. Cook the patties in the hot oil until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Recipe from: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Quinoa-Black-Bean-Burgers

Creamy Veggie Pasta Skillet- So How Was It?

This dish was extremely easy to make and only resulted in a dirty pan, plate, cutting board, and some measuring cups. For me that's not a lot because I'm pretty good at using every pot and pan in sight when making a simple meal for no reason whatsoever. It took me about an hour to make only because I needed half and half and my husband had grabbed evaporated milk by mistake, so I had to wait for him to get the half and half and get home to finish cooking.  Without that slip-up, this is easily a 30 minute meal.

This is a nice feel-good pasta dish that's very hearty and packed with veggies. Look at all those veggies!

We also had a Caesar salad on the side, so I'm pretty sure we got our five servings in for the day! If I use this recipe again, I will likely replace the carrots for something else. They were a tad overpowering, and I don't like sweet tasting pasta dishes, but if you like to cook with carrots, you'll probably enjoy it. For you meat lovers, this would be good with Italian sausage or chicken.  My final verdict? This is a good, quick meal for a busy weeknight, but it does not make a good lunch the next day and it would be better without the carrots.  

What's for Dinner? Creamy Veggie Pasta Skillet

Tonight I'm making Creamy Veggie Pasta Skillet from http://foxeslovelemons.com/creamy-veggie-pasta-skillet/ for the first time. Most of the recipes I will post will be new to me because I like a lot of variety and am fairly new to the veggie game. I will do a follow-up post on how it turned out and if I'd make it again! From the ingredients list, this dish sounds fail-proof and full of veggies!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
  
  
• 1/2 large bunch broccoli, finely chopped
• 2 medium shallots, minced
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 jar (24 ounces) marinara sauce
• 8 ounces whole wheat spiral pasta
• 2-1/2 cups water, plus additional if needed
• 1/2 cup frozen green peas
• 1/4 cup half-and-half
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
• Chopped fresh parsley, for serving

Instructions

1. In large high-sided skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add broccoli and cook 4 to 6 minutes or until tender-crisp, stirring occasionally. Add shallots, carrots and salt; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer vegetables to bowl; set aside.
2. Add marinara, pasta and water to skillet; heat to boiling over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; cook 15 to 17 minutes or until pasta is tender, adding more water by 1/4-cupfuls if necessary, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in peas, half-and-half, red pepper flakes and reserved vegetables; cook 1 minute or until vegetables are heated through. Serve pasta garnished with Parmesan cheese and parsley.

Recipe and photo from: http://foxeslovelemons.com/creamy-veggie-pasta-skillet/

Why Veggies?

About a month ago, my husband and I decided we needed to change the way we eat and we needed to do it now. We do not use the word "diet" because we plan on maintaining it. Are we vegans? No. Are we vegetarians? No. We are just trying to eat tasty food and feel better, a side effect of that being a major reduction in the amount of meat we consume.  We used to eat meat with every lunch and dinner, so 14 times a week. Now, we have meat with a meal maybe 4 times a week depending on whether there are dinner leftovers for lunch (if not we have a turkey sandwich).

I am definitely not a trend follower. I could care less what other people are doing, what music is cool, and what the new style is each season, so I assure you I'm not jumping on any train with this new way of eating and am not doing it to be cool or whatnot. I am simply trying to be a better me, and I wanted to start this blog as a resource for anyone who is interested in incorporating more vegetable based meals into their life. Personally, I hate vegetables, so I can promise you the recipes I use are meat eater friendly!