Tag: vegetarian

BBQ Pasta

Published on by ashley@vegvibesLeave a comment

Almost anything BBQ is a hit in our house, especially with Mike. BBQ chicken salad, pizza, quesadilla, he’s all over it. Don’t get me wrong, I love it too. But I want a healthier version of the flavors. Cue this BBQ Pasta that has been on almost a regular rotation in our house lately. It is versatile as well, with options to be served hot or cold. Even better!

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Here is the recipe for the base, along with some different variations we’ve tried:

Ingredients (base):

  • Pasta of your pick (Cam seems to enjoy the tube shaped ones or shells so we tend to go with those)
  • Equal parts BBQ sauce and Greek yogurt – I use 1/4 c each for about 8oz of pasta
  • Shredded cheddar cheese – 1/2 cup

*this 3 ingredient sauce combined me amazed me with how flavorful and delicious it is!

Directions (kind of):

  • Boil and strain pasta according to package
  • Mix BBQ sauce and yogurt together
  • Add to pasta, along with cheese

Different ways to make it-

  • Classic style (serve cold): Add corn – I put frozen corn in with the pasta about 2 minutes before it is done – and cubbed chicken, sauce, and cheese to pasta; let cool before adding diced cherry tomatoes, avocado, pickled red onions, and cilantro for a BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad (original recipe credit)
  • Veggie loaded (serve warm): Once pasta, cheese, and sauce are combined, load up on the veggies – we used frozen corn, leftover broccoli, cut cherry tomatoes, and added cilantro + green onion on top (we could have added some black beans here too but I didn’t think about it!)
Fresh veg and herbs

This dish is great for any potluck or outdoors event you go to – like camping! Just add the fresh herbs right before serving.

Camping this past weekend! Should have brought our BBQ pasta

[Meatless Monday] DYI veg burgers

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It’s a weird day over here in the Bay Area! It was HOT this afternoon and then raining with thunder and lighting when I got home from work. It’s stormy and gloomy without the cold. All of my windows are open, along with the patio door. The smell of rain is filling my apartment (that, and the smell of a musky candle I have burning too). My lemon tree is happy for the drops of rain. It’s a cozy Monday afternoon. Perfect for experimenting in the kitchen!

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Mike and I avoid meat whenever we can. Veg burgers are on regular rotation over here and although there are some good brands out there (Dr. Praegar’s is my favorite!), I love making my own with only a few ingredients. This recipe was super easy with only 2 main ingredients and some spices and condiments. It can easily be a “kitchen sink” recipe by subbing out the Great Northern beans and rice for whatever you have on hand (quinoa and black beans would be great as well).

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Plus you make now and freeze them for later. I actually find that they heat up better this way because they are frozen into place before pan-frying.

If you’re doing this, I suggest doubling the batch to get the most of your time. 🙂

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If freezing, use parchment paper in-between burgers to keep from sticking

 

DIY veg burgers with a grain and a bean

Prep time:  25 minutes – Cook time: 10 minutes – Servings: 3-4

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup dry rice, cooked according to package
  • 1 can Great Northern Beans
  • 1 TBS Trader Joe’s Onion Salt
  • Hot sauce to taste
  • 1 egg

*you can sub the onion salt for other spices and the hot sauce for mustard or ketchup, etc.

Directions:

  • Mash rice, beans, egg, and spices together until gooey
  • Refrigerate for 20 minutes
  • Round into burgers
  • Freeze or pan fry until middle in warm (about 4 minutes each side on a slightly oiled pan)
  • Dress up and serve

 

Get-Better Broccoli Soup

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I worked from home today because of a major toothache that caused a sore throat and ear pain.  I usually eat breakfast and lunch at work so I really didn’t have much food in the house, especially because it is nearing the end of the week!

I honestly wasn’t feeling breakfast at all (so much pain) and stuck to tea after tea all morning. Around noon I was starting to get hungry though. I had canned soup that I could have easily heated up but I’ve been reading about how bad BPA is for us, especially for women and our fertility (call me crazy or paranoid except not really because it’s fact) so I decided to get creative in the kitchen instead of busting out the can opener.

I whipped up a broccoli soup that was so yummy, I’ll be making a bigger batch to freeze in the near future. I used ingredients I happened to have on hand and this recipe as my muse.

The cumin and lime give this soup such a nice flavor with just the right amount of kick. Plus, all of the vitamins and antioxidants in the broccoli really did have me feeling better; not to mention the garlic, carrots, and nutrient power-house lentils that were also in there.

I now present you with my Get-Better Broccoli Soup (which is both vegan and gluten free #hey)

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The random ingredients I had to work with… (frozen homemade veggie broth FTW)
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Sauteed garlic and carrots
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Added lentils and veg broth
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Add cumin, lime juice, and frozen broccoli; boil, simmer, blend!
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Ta-da 

Get Better Broccoli Soup

Prep time: 10 minutes – Cook time: 20 minutes – Serves 4 *freezes well*

Ingredients

  • Olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic – chopped
  • 1 c carrot – chopped
  • 1/2 c red lentils
  • 4 c veg broth
  • 1 c broccoli
  • 1 Tbs cumin
  • 1 Tbs lime juice

Directions

  • Sauté garlic until translucent
  • Add carrot and continue heating for ~1 minute
  • Add lentils, veg broth, and broccoli
  • Bring to a boil
  • Stir in cumin and lime juice
  • Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes
  • Blend together (I used an immersion blender but a regular blender would work too)
  • Serve, sip, and get better!

** Note this blog went through a rebrand and is now veg vibes; which aligns better with the direction I organically gravitated towards. It’s all about your vibe.**

A rocky start to my meatless March

Published on by ashley@vegvibes2 Comments

It is March 2nd and my goal for being a public vegetarian has already been shattered. Why? Two words: carnitas nachos.

Growing up and living in California, delicious Mexican food has always been available to me. I am obsessed with all things beans, cheese, and tortilla. Enchiladas, tacos, burritos, quesadillas. Let’s.go.

And nachos? NACHOS! I can’t resist them even if I tried… the light and perfect-crunch fried tortilla chips smothered with melted cheese and beans? the creamy avocado and flavorful pico de gallo sprinkled on top? I CAN’T SAY NO! With or without a side of animal on top okay!?

So, today, when a friend/co-worker asked if I wanted the rest of her carnitas nachos (key word: NACHOS), I grabbed some of her napkins and didn’t breathe again until all of the ooey gooey goodness was gone. Granted, I probably only ate about 5 chips with meat on them, I still ate meat. I still failed.

Hopefully this is my only slip up for the month week but we’ll see… Did I mention I’m going Nashville in 2 weeks? Is it possible to survive in the south without meat…?

Stay tuned and eat your greens.

** Note this blog went through a rebrand and is now veg vibes; which aligns better with the direction I organically gravitated towards. It’s all about your vibe **

No More Sausage

Published on by ashley@vegvibesLeave a comment

It is the week before the start of my Veg Voyage – starting with public vegetarianism – and I have one package of Trader Joe’s sausages in the freezer. This particular sausage isn’t worst on the market, by far. However, I’m not so sure about the quality of the chickens they used to make them and how they were treated (!!!!) so, based on my last post, I won’t be buying them again. For now.

I can’t help but wonder about the social impact my new lifestyle will have on my life outside of my house. For example, this past weekend I went to a wedding and ate pork, bacon and steak. (Oh, my!)

In perpetration for March, I thought it would be helpful to breakdown the options offered and what I will still be able to eat once I give up meat in the public sector.

For appetizers, I sampled a mini caprese salad on a toothpick (word to the wise, don’t plop the whole thing in your mouth at once… not cute.), seared tuna on crackers, a small potato pancake with a dollop of cream cheese, and tiny pulled pork sliders.

Then dinner came which consisted of a nice green salad followed by filet, mashed potatoes, and asparagus.

Dessert was made-to-order crepes with Nutella and whip cream.

Next up were homemade empanadas – that I am assuming had meat – with a side of chips and guac.

So? say this wedding was next month. What would I have been able to eat? Being vegetarian the following items would be have still been okay to eat:

  • mini caprese salad
  • small potato pancake with a dollop of cream cheese
  • green salad and whatever the veg option was (I believe it was pasta)
  • crepes with Nutella and whip cream
  • chips and guac

Still plenty of delicious options that I think would/will be totally doable but we’ll see how March goes…

Stay tuned and eat your greens.

** Note this blog went through a rebrand and is now veg vibes; which aligns better with the direction I organically gravitated towards. It’s all about your vibe **