Weekday Vegetarian: Ted Talks

Graham Hill makes some really good points in this Ted Talks episode. Being a weekday vegetarian is one way to help you take meat out of your diet. Check it out the video and see if its something you'd want to try! 

Eggplant Sandwiches and Balsamic Glazed Asparagus

My boyfriend and I went out for dinner one night at The Blind Tiger in Topeka, Kansas. We both got the most delicious eggplant sandwiches we'e ever had. A couple weeks later we were craving the eggplant sandwiches. Instead of going out we decided to try out our own recipe.To go along side the eggplant sandwiches we thought balsamic glazed asparagus would pair nicely. Sorry, I forgot to take pictures of the different steps like I usually do...my bad everyone! I'll try to explain the steps as clearly as possible. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 eggplant 
• 1 onion 
• 1 tomato 
• 1 egg 
• 1 bundle of asparagus 
• balsamic vinegar 
• lettuce 
• Any type of buns (we got sesame seed buns) 
• Panko bread crumbs 
• Parmesan cheese 
• mozzarella cheese 
• Mayo (we got a spicy chipolte favor)  

Balsamic Glazed Asparagus 

These are super simple to make and packed full of flavor! You'll want to start out by cutting the ends off the asparagus (about 2 inches) that part has a woody texture that we don't want. Next grab a baking dish and pour 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, 2 table spoons of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss the  fresh asparagus in the mixture. Bake for 20 mins at 375 degrees. Take out of the oven and sprinkle the balsamic glazed asparagus with Parmesan cheese. 

Eggplant sandwiches

Alright, these sandwiches are also super simple to make you just have to make sure you have an assembly line set up. First off you'll just want to slice up the eggplant, tomato and onion. You should slice the eggplant about a 1/2 of an inch thick. Next you will want to have 2 dishes. One dish with 1 cup of panko bread crumbs and the other dish with 1 egg whisked with just a splash of water. Next, you will want  to have a large skillet, set heat to medium and coat the bottom with olive oil.  Now its time to dip eggplant into the egg wash; making sure to coat both sides. Then dip it into the panko bread crumbs and put it in the skillet. The cooking process will go by pretty fast since its a veggie its not going to take that long to cook, about 2 minutes per side. Right when you take out the golden fried eggplant. top it with mozzarella cheese. Repeat this process for the rest of the slices of eggplant. Now its time to assemble the sandwiches. Spread both sides of the toasted sesame seed bun with the mayo, then one slice of eggplant, tomato, onion and lettuce. This simple recipe is another go to meal if you want something quick and full of flavor! I hope you like them as much as I did! 

Shrimp Fajitas

Shrimp fajitas are a quick fix for lunch or dinner. Whether your a college student or a busy mom or dad this is a go to recipe that you can personalize anyway you'd like. I decided to throw in shrimp, however you can choose to add chicken, beef, pork, or no meat at all. I didn't get a picture of all the ingredients so there will just be a list of them, sorry about that. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 red onion 
• 1 pepper (I used red and yellow to make it colorful) 
• 5 mushrooms (sliced) 
• 12-15 shrimp
• Any kind of shredded cheese (I choose a 5 cheese blend) 
• 1 package of fajita seasoning. It includes chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. 
• Soft tortillas 
• sour cream 

In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add in the sliced onion, pepper, and mushrooms. Cook the veggies until they are soft. 

Once the veggies are soft, you'll want to add the shrimp and fajita seasoning. Add in a 1/4 cup of water and let everything simmer for 10 minutes or until the shrimp are a pinkish color.

To assemble the fajitas you'll want to heat a separate skillet to medium heat. First, toast the soft tortillas on both sides. On one side add the shrimp and veggie mixture and the five cheese blend on the other side. Fold in half and you have yourself a spicy shrimp fajita! 

Serve with a side of Spanish rice and sour cream. Quick and easy shrimp fajitas are going to be your new favorite dish. Enjoy! 

Stuffed Mushrooms

Hey everyone! I hope you all liked my mac N' cheese recipe! I figured I'd do a separate post for the stuffed mushrooms that were pictured with the mac n' cheese just so it would be easier to follow. Mushrooms are probably one of my favorite ingredients to work with. They are very versatile and they also have a "meat-like" texture that seems to be more satisfying compared to other vegetables. Stuffed mushrooms are an easy appetizer or side. I went for a simple but delicious recipe. 

Ingredients: 

• 6 medium sized portobello mushrooms
• 1/3 cup of cream cheese 
• 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese  
• 2 table spoons of mozzarella cheese  

Start out by removing the stems from the mushrooms. Then align the mushrooms into a baking dish. Drizzle olive oil over the mushrooms. Salt and pepper the mushrooms as well. 

  

Mix together the cream cheese and  Parmesan cheese.  

Stuff the mushrooms with the cheese mixture. Then top the stuffed mushrooms with the mozzarella.  

Bake the mushrooms at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is golden and bubbly. 

Serve along side of some veggie mac N' cheese and a bottle of wine, and you've got yourself one comforting meal. 

Veggie Mac N' Cheese

Mac N' Cheese, need I say more? Being a college student (or any person for that matter) and wanting some comfort food Mac N' Cheese is the way to go! I decided to make it a bit "healthier" by adding some veggies. Here is my take on Mac N' Cheese. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 box of medium pasta shells 
• 2 cups of mild cheddar cheese 
• 2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese 
• 2 cups of mozzarella
• 1 cup of Parmesan ( not shown in picture) 
• 1/2 stick of butter 
• 1 medium white onion 
• 2 handfuls of baby spinach leaves 
• 5-8 mushrooms sliced (doesn't have to be any certain kind) 
• 3 cups of milk 
• 1 cup of flour 

You'll want to start out by chopping 1 medium onion and the mushrooms. You will also want to melt the 1/2 of stick of butter in a medium pot over medium/medium high heat and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Throw the chopped onion and mushrooms into the pot. Saute the veggies for about 3 minutes or until the onion is translucent. 

Once the veggies are cooked, add the cup of flour. Let the flour cook down for about a minute. 

Now add the 3 cups of milk. Make sure to stir the mixture well. 

Keep stirring until it starts to thicken. It should take about 2-4 minutes, once it starts to thicken add the 2 cups of mild cheddar, 2 cups of sharp cheddar, 2 cups of mozzarella, and just 1/2 of a cup of Parmesan. Leave the other 1/2 cup for later. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Let the cheese sauce simmer while you cook the pasta shells. Follow the directions on the back of the pasta box. 

After the shells are cooked strain the water. Mix the creamy cheese sauce and shells together. You'll want to add the handfuls of spinach leaves and stir them in as well. 

Divide the mac n' cheese up into baking dishes. Bake the mac n' cheese for 20 minutes. 

After the 20 minutes of cooking, add the extra Parmesan on top and bake for another 5 minute or until golden brown.  

Pull out of oven and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving. If you can wait that long...

Enjoy my take on some tasty veggie Mac N' Cheese! I will have the recipe for the stuffed mushrooms pictured below in my next blog post! Check it out!