OK, so you don’t want to go full vegan. And can only tolerate so much of life without meat. We get it. But you can go vegetarian once or twice a week, right? Will that really do anything to help our problems with carbon? Glad you asked. Yes, this cuts your “carbon foodprint”. Eat one less burger per week, it’s like driving 6 miles less. Over the course of a year, that’s 320 miles less. If your whole family of 4 goes meatless once a week, that’s 1280 miles less. If everyone in the United States went meatless once a week, that’s the same as about 90 billion miles or 7.5 billion cars off the roads! Twice a week, it’s like 15 billion cars less. Pretty significant impact, huh? Of course, the more you eat vegetarian, the more power you save and the less methane there is in the world. So I figured I’d present my most decadent veggie recipes to help you decide. Let’s dig in!
So every dinner needs a starter course, right? How about:
Spinach Strawberry Orange Salad with Strawberry Dressing
Ingredients:
Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp fresh-ground black pepper
1/2 quart fresh strawberries, washed, tops removed and discarded
Juice from mandarin oranges
Salad:
1 bunch fresh baby spinach, carefully washed
1/2 quart fresh strawberries, washed and sliced, tops removed and discarded
1 can mandarin oranges, drained, juice saved
1 package pecan or walnut halves
Procedure:
Place the first four ingredients in the blender and blend. Do not skip the black pepper! It sounds weird, but is the thing that makes the dressing. Taste test. Add juice from the oranges as needed if the dressing needs sweetening; a bit more vinegar if too sweet. Pour into pretty glass serving jar or pitcher for the table.
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Be sure washed spinach leaves are well drained. Arrange in large salad bowl or on large platter. Top with strawberries, oranges, and nuts in a pretty pattern. Place on table for guests to help themselves. Or make individual servings. Drizzle with dressing just before serving or allow guests to drizzle their own or both!
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Now you need a main course; how about:
spinach lasagna
Ingredients:
48 ounces tomato sauce: If you want to make your own OK, but that’s really time consuming. My favorite is Bertolli’s marinara with burgundy wine. So close to my homemade, I’ve given up making my own! So you need 2 jars of Bertolli’s or your favorite sauce, 24 ounces each.
1 package (3/4 pound) whole wheat lasagna noodles: You can use white, but the wheat have more fiber, and I think they taste about the same and have about the same texture! Not chewy like many whole wheat products.
Olive oil for boiling and sauteing
1 large sweet onion
1 shallot
3 cloves garlic
1/2 package (10-12 ounces) chopped frozen spinach
16 ounces low-fat ricotta cheese
16 ounces shredded low-fat Mozzarella cheese
Dried Italian herbs
8 ounces sliced smoked Provolone cheese
Procedure:
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add a generous drizzle of olive oil; this will help the noodles slide apart rather than sticking together! Then add all noodles, press down so they are under water. Return to a boil and cook according to package directions, stirring once or twice, until just al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain in colander and set aside.
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Meanwhile, dice onions, mince shallots and garlic cloves:
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Add above veggies to skillet lightly drizzled with olive oil. Cook on medium heat until onions begin to turn brown (or to the doneness of your choice). Add spinach. Cover skillet and cook on low until spinach is thoroughly thawed and flavors are mixed.
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Empty ricotta cheese into large mixing bowl. Remove veggies from heat and add to bowl. Add 1/2 of the package of shredded Mozzarella cheese. Stir all together thoroughly. Add dried Italian herbs to taste.
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. While the oven is heating, it’ time to build the lasagna! Use a large rectangular baking pan. Spread the bottom with a thin layer of sauce — this will help keep your finished lasagna from sticking!
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Then add a single layer of noodles.
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Top with about half the filling and spread it out.
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Top with sauce just enough to cover, spread it out. Keep it thin, you’ll need more sauce than you think!
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Then cover this layer with half the Provolone cheese!
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Then repeat with noodles and all the layers. Use up the filling and Provolone.
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Then top with a final layer of noodles and a final layer of sauce!
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Now, take the rest of the Mozzarella, and spread on top:
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Now you’re almost ready to go into the oven! Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil. Try to tent it up a bit so it won’t stick to the cheese. Bake for 15 minutes. Carefully remove from oven (note: it’s heavy!) and turn oven temperature up to 425 degrees F. Remove foil. Return to oven. Bake another 15-20 minutes, or until top is appropriately browned and sides are bubbly. Remove from oven.
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Let sit about 5 minutes or until it stops steaming so you won’t burn yourself. Then you can cut and serve!
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Makes 8 generous servings. I get a lot of requests for this, nobody ever complains about the lack of meat. Enjoy!
Want a side dish? Or skip the lasagna and go vegan? I don’t do vegan, but I have it on good authority this recipe’s a winner. Since it has bourbon in it, it looks good to me! Thank you, KarmaBaby! If you want to make it a main course, serve with fresh baked bread or chips. Many additional great recipes at the link!
vegan baked beans with bourbon
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, sliced into thin strips
1/4 cup bourbon
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 Tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp blackstrap molasses
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp prepared mustard
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp liquid smoke, optional
1/4 to 1/2 cup maple syrup, to taste
2 cans (14 ounces each) navy beans or great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
Salt and pepper to taste
[Note: I don’t usually have apple cider vinegar — I prefer balsamic for dressings and such — so would probably substitute and use more balsamic vinegar, since it doesn’t taste nearly as strong.]
Procedure:
Coat the bottom of a Dutch oven with olive oil. Place over medium-low heat. Add onion and toss a few times to coat. Allow to cook, flipping occasionally, until onion is very soft and caramelized, 30-40 minutes. Raise heat to medium and add garlic. Cook until very fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add bourbon and bring to a simmer. Allow to cook until most of the liquid has cooked off, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
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Preheat oven to 350°. Stir tomato paste, Worchestershire sauce, molasses, vinegar, soy sauce, mustard, paprika and optional liquid smoke together in a small bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup maple syrup, taste test and add up to 1/4 cup more. Add beans and maple syrup mixture to Dutch oven. Stir a few times to mix everything up. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cover and bake 40-45 minutes, until bubbly. Uncover and bake 10 minutes more. Remove from oven and allow to sit for a few minutes. Serve.
[More notes: I switched from the author's skillet to a Dutch oven because it's much easier to have plenty of room to stir. I would probably increase the heat and brown the onion more in less time. I would probably not use any salt, and always use fresh-ground pepper, it’s so much more pungent. When you taste test, don't be afraid to add more bourbon (to the dish or the cook!) or other ingredients as needed. I might garnish with something a little more interesting than parsley — fresh cilantro or vegan cheese or plain yogurt.]
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No meal would be complete without dessert, right? This is nutritious too, but nonetheless it has the feel of decadence:
pumpkin streusel coffeecake
Ingredients:
Streusel Topping:
2/3 cup turbinado or demerara (“raw”) sugar
Pinch of salt
2/3 cup white flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup pecans, chopped small
4 Tbsp melted butter or margarine
Filling:
1/3 cup raw sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Cake:
Olive oil to grease pan
1/3 cup applesauce
1 cup raw sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp salt
1.5 tsp baking powder
2 large eggs
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
Procedure:
Make the topping: In medium bowl, whisk together sugar, salt, white flour, cinnamon and pecans. Add melted butter. Stir until well combined. Set aside.
Make the filling: In medium bowl, whisk together sugar and cinnamon. Taste test; add more cinnamon as desired. Combine thoroughly and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 8” square pan or 9” round pan with olive oil.
Make the cake: In large bowl, beat together the applesauce, sugar, pumpkin, spices, and baking powder. Beat until smooth. Taste test; add more pumpkin pie spice and/or cinnamon until the flavor is fairly strong. Add the eggs. Add the flour gradually, mixing just until smooth.
Pour about half the batter into the greased pan, spreading to the edges, leveling the surface. Sprinkle all the filling evenly over the top of the batter. If it seems there is not enough, make more if desired. Pour the remaining half of the batter on top of the filling. Gently spread to the edges and level. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the top of the batter.
Bake the cake at 350 about 40-45 minutes, until the top is light brown and a pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven.
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Transfer to cooling rack and let cool about 20 minutes before serving. Serve straight out of the pan.
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I hope you enjoyed our recipes and photos and feel inspired! Please try them and/or share your favorites below.
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