Carol's Szechuan Noodles

Makes 4 main dish or 6 side dish servings. Calories set to 6 side dish servings

Ingredients:

8 oz vermicelli, broken in half
3 T rice vinegar
3 T soy sauce
2 T vegetable oil, canola oil, sunflower oil (not olive oil)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 to 2 t minced fresh ginger
1 t dark sesame oil
1/2 t red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/2 red bell pepper, julienned, or more or less as desired
1/2 C chopped cilantro

Garnish: 1 or 2 green onions, sliced

Dave’s Hidden Secret Dessert

Dave says not tell anyone there is tofu in here and they'll think its sherbet! The nutrition facts were designed at Calorie Count!

Hidden Secret Dessert

Ingredients:

10 oz tofu (firm or soft works just fine)

1 banana

3 T honey

1 cup berries

1 t vanilla

½ t salt

Directions:

Into a blender jar put 10 ounces of tofu, 1 banana, 3 Tablespoons honey and a cup of drained berries, peaches, plums or any other fairly strong fruit and 1 teaspoon of vanilla and a half teaspoon salt. Blend at high speed until smooth and frothy.

Ladle out into a pie dish and place in freezer for about 90 minutes.

Options:

Use any combination of fruits: berries, peaches, plums, limes, or other strongly flavored fruit.

Crazypotato98's Ensalada de Nopales (Cactus Salad)

Crazypotato has been at it again with lovely cactus (nopales). Enjoy this delicious salad that she created after tasting a similar one in her local vegetarian restaurant!

The nutrition facts were created at Calorie Count!

Ensalada de Nopales (Cactus Salad)

Ingredients:

6 cups nopales
2 tomatoes, seeded, chopped
1/8 cup cilantro, chopped
2 tsp salt
5 tbsp lime juice
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/8 tsp oregano

Directions:

Boil nopales for 5 minutes or so. You may add a bit of garlic and onion to the water during boiling so as to give the nopales more flavor. You may also add salt to taste.

Remove nopales from heat; add a pinch of baking soda until all the cactus slime disappears. The soda will cause the water to fizz and bubble as it reacts with the acidic cactus slime. Rinse nopales and allow to cool enough to handle.

In a large bowl, combine cooked nopales with tomatoes, cilantro, onion, salt, and oregano. If possible, use fresh limes to squeeze the juice over the salad.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Serve cold with crackers.

Sewchick676’s Butternut Squash Soup

The nutrition facts for this nourishing, very low calorie, and absolutely delicious soup were created at Calorie Count!

Sewchick676’s Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash

4-6 cups water

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 purple onion, thinly sliced

1 cup shredded carrots

2 cups yellow squash or zucchini or combination, sliced

2-3 ears fresh corn kernels cut off the cob

½ t salt

½ t black pepper

Optional ingredients in 1 cup quantities:

Broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, kale, or garbanzo beans

Optional Ingredient Hint:

Make the optional ingredients easy and purchase what you need at a salad bar!

Directions:

Wash the outer skin of the butternut squash and remove any stickers. Pierce 2 or 3 times with a fork and place in crockpot on low for 4 - 6 hrs. Remove lid to allow squash to finish cooking.

Remove carefully and cut open to remove seeds and discard the seeds. Scoop the pulp from skin and place in blender with 4-6 cups of water. Pulse to purée, adding more liquid until the broth has the consistency of thin batter. (you can also peel squash and boil on stovetop til tender then purée with blender stick in pot. Be careful for splatters!)

Once broth is ready, add red bell pepper, purple onion, shredded carrots, squashes, corn kernels, and your choice of the optional ingredients (it all depends on how full your pot is getting!). Season the soup with salt and black pepper (use more or less salt and pepper to suit your taste).

Simmer on the stovetop for approximately 30 minutes - you don't want to overcook veggies to mush. Adjust seasonings and serve with fresh bread for a yummy meatless dinner! Experiment with the veggies you use...or have on hand.

Freezes beautifully! 

Pinot Grigio Braised Leeks

The nutrition facts for this delicious side dish were created at Calorie Count! The servings are extra large because that is the way we eat it. Nutrition facts do not take into consideration that the alcohol evaporates and thus the C- nutrition grade. But, we know better. Enjoy.

Pinot Grigio Braised Leeks

nutrition facts

Ingredients:

4 large leeks

3 T unsalted butter or olive oil

3 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon dried thyme

¼ - 1/2 t white pepper

1 t sugar

1 bay leaf

1 cup Pinot Grigio or other non-sweet white wine (or vegetable stock with 1 T cider vinegar)

2 T parsley, chopped

Directions:

Rinse the leeks to remove external dirt. Slice off the roots. There is about two inches or so of light green above the white bulb and that is fine to eat. Do not eat the dark green stalk. Cut off the dark part of the stalk and remove it hence to the compost bin.

Slice lengthwise and discard outer layer. Slice each half leek lengthwise in the middle (you have just quartered each leek lengthwise). Cut into half inch chunks (see below pic). Add to a bowl of cool water and swish about. Drain in a fine mesh colander and repeat until the dirt is removed. Drain thoroughly and pat with a paper towel to dry.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add butter. When it is melting and bubbly, add the leeks. Stir to coat the chunks with butter. Reduce the heat to medium. Sauté for about five minutes, stir every now and then. After three minutes, add the garlic and stir to release the beautiful aroma.

Sprinkle with thyme, white pepper, sugar, and add the bay leaf. Stir.

Add wine (or stock with cider vinegar) and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium low and braise, covered, for 10-12 minutes or until the leeks are tender and the sauce has reduced.

Remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust with more pepper and if you use it salt. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. If you are using stock and cider vinegar you may want to add another splash of vinegar to finish the flavors. If there is too much liquid, raise the heat to achieve a vigorous simmer, uncovered, for a few minutes to reduce the sauce. Stir frequently. You don't need all the liquid to evaporate, just a goodly bit of it. The leeks should still be quite juicy.

Meganr's Black Bean Chili with Tempeh and Dark Ale

Meganr created this using a 2009 Vegetarian Times recipe as a starter. The nutrition facts for this outstanding chili were made at Calorie Count!

Black Bean Chili with Dark Ale

Ingredients:

(Makes 4 servings)

2 tbsp olive oil

2 chipotle chilis in adobo sauce

2 tbsp cumin

1 1/2 cups onion, chopped fine

1 medium red bell pepper, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups black beans, cooked or from can

1 1/2 pints dark ale

1 1/2 cups tomatoes, chopped

1 cup corn

4 ounces tempeh, diced

Directions:

Heat oil in 3-qt pot over medium heat.

Add chipotles and cumin. Cook 1 minutes, or until fragrant.

Stir in onion, bell pepper, and garlic and sauté 5 to 7 minutes, or until vegetables are soft.

Stir in beans, beer, tomatoes and corn and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered 45 minutes or until thick.

Serve

Marie’s Grilled Butternut Squash

Marie decided to experiment with her grill the other day and the result was pure deliciousness. Her family loved it and so will yours! The nutrition facts were designed at Calorie Count.

Marie’s Grilled Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

1 Butternut Squash
2 T Vegetable Oil
1/8 Salt, or to taste

¼ t black Pepper, or to taste
1 t Chili Powder, or to taste

1 t Garlic Powder, to taste
1 tsp local honey, or to taste and totally optional

Directions:

Rinse and slice a bit off the large end of the squash. Remove seeds with a spoon. Peeling is optional – the skin grills up tender and tasty. Slice the squash into ½ inch thick rings (or halves if you like) and put in baggie with everything except the honey - shake until well coated, adjust the liquid if there is not enough to coat all the squash.

Grill on hot grill for approx. 10 minutes. Brush with honey while cooking.

Broccoli Soup with Blue Cheese

Choose a soft blue cheese for this soup, the flavor is mild with just a bit of a bite and the texture very creamy and suitable for soup. The nutrition facts were created at Calorie Count!

Broccoli Soup with Blue Cheese

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil
1 head broccoli, cleaned, stems peeled, and chopped (approximately one pound, you can easily sub in frozen)
1 small onion, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 red potatoes, chopped - leave the skin on, just cut off any rootlets
8 cups vegetable stock, low sodium
3 ounces Gorgonzola cheese
salt and pepper to taste, but do go easy on the salt
Optional: slivered almonds as a garnish

Directions:

Put the olive oil in a large pot and heat over medium heat until the oil shimmers. Add the broccoli, onion, zucchini, carrots, and red potatoes. Stir to coat with oil. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring a couple times. Add the stock, return to a simmer, cover and simmer about half an hour or until the vegetables are thoroughly cooked and super tender.

Using either an immersion blender or a hand held potato smasher slightly blend the ingredients. You don't want a smooth soup, leave enough chunks to make it interesting. A chunky soup will fill you up better than a smooth soup even though the calories remain the same.

Stir in the blue cheese and simmer until it melts (no boiling please, a gentle simmer). Season with pepper, taste. If you need salt add some, but there is a lot of salt in cheese so you should be fine without it. You might try a few dashes of Tabasco sauce instead of salt.

Serve as is or top with slivered almonds.

Broccoli with Parmesan

Simple and fresh is the way to go with side dishes. Buy the most beautiful head of broccoli you can find - nice tight  buds and no yellowing sections. Don't pitch that delicious stem. It's wonderful and tender if you simply take a minute to peel off the outer darker layer. Enjoy. The nutrition facts below were designed at Calorie Count - a fantastic place to log calories!

Broccoli with Parmesan
nutrition facts

Ingredients:

1 large head broccoli
pepper to taste (salt if you must)
1/4 t oregano
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T extra virgin olive oil
3 T Parmesan cheese, grated
1 lemon, wedged

Directions:

Wash broccoli, peel the stems and trim off the tough ends. Cut into bite sized pieces.

Place the broccoli in a steamer basket and position inside a pot with a little water - an inch or two. Not so much that the broccoli stands in the water. That is where vitamins will leach out. Steaming is the healthiest way to cook broccoli.

Bring the water to a simmer, cover, and steam until the broccoli is easily pierced with a fork. Some of you like your broccoli crisp tender. If you like that start testing after five minutes. Broccoli is at this point when it turns a vibrant bright green. If you like your broccoli very tender, start testing after seven minutes. Do not cook to the point where the whole thing turns to mush and turns a not too attractive grey so I do not recommend going beyond 10 minutes.

Remove the strainer from the pot and remove the broccoli to a serving platter or bowl. Sprinkle with the seasonings, drizzle with olive oil, top with cheese, and serve with lemon wedges.

Crazypotato98’s Herbed Red Potato and Green Beans, Microwaved

Use the wonderful Calorie Count Conversion Tool to translate those tasty grams into ounces. It’s easy! The nutrition facts were also designed at Calorie Count - the smart place to log your calories.

Herbed Red Potato and Green Beans, Microwaved

Ingredients:

312 g red potatoes

250 g green beans, frozen

1 tbsp butter

1 cup water

1 cube chicken bouillon

1 tsp basil

1 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp onion powder

Directions:

Butter the microwaveable dish with the 1 tbsp butter.

Quarter potatoes and toss them in the dish until coated with butter.

Add green beans.

Microwave five minutes.

Add water and bouillon and the rest of the ingredients.

Stir and microwave for an additional 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft.

Serve hot.

Vegetable Curry

Short on time? This Vegetable Curry can be made in a jiffy with fresh or thawed from frozen vegetables. If you are a curry newbie, start with one tablespoon of curry, taste, and add more until it is just right. Adore curry already? Head straight to four tablespoons!

Vegetable Curry

nutrition facts

Ingredients:

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, deseed and chop

4 cups fresh spinach

6 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tbs olive oil

15 ounce tomatoes, diced

30 ounce chickpeas, either freshly cooked or drained and rinsed from cans

1-4 tbs curry powder (to taste)

Directions:

Chop and saute all the raw vegetables in olive oil until soft.

Add the spinach, tomatoes, drained chickpeas, and curry powder.

Simmer for 20 minutes.

Brandy's Grilled Sweet Corn

Brandy's wonderful hint for grilling corn will work well with whatever seasonings you enjoy.

The nutrition facts for one ear of non-buttered corn was designed at Calorie Count.

Grilled Corn

Ingredients:

1 ear corn
seasoning of your choice: salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, garlic, etc

Directions:

Rinse cobs well. Pull back, but do not remove the husks. Remove the silks.

Season with your favorite seasonings.

Recover the corn with the husk and grill for 15 minutes or so over medium coals turning every now and then. It's fine if the husk burns a bit, just don't cook so long the kernels burn. You can check one just to make sure.

Peel back the husks and enjoy!

Janice's Microwaved Corn on the Cob

Sometimes it is just too hot to boil water much less get outside and light the grill. But, it's sweet corn season! So, take advantage of the microwave and in just a few minutes you will have delicious summer corn.

The nutrition facts for a single ear of corn was designed at Calorie Count!

Microwaved Corn on the Cob

Ingredients:

1 ear of corn

1 sheet of wax paper

or a lidded microwaveable casserole dish large enough to hold ears of corn (you can cut the corn in half to make it fit!)

Directions:

Remove the husk and clean off the strands from the ear of corn.

If you have time, soak the ear in a water dosed with salt for a short while. The cob will soak up the water and provide an assist in the steaming department. The bit of background salty taste blends so well with the corn that you may not need butter.

Wrap the ear in the wax paper or place in the casserole and cover.

Microwave on high. Now, times for this will vary depending on the age and speed of your microwave. Most new ones can handle an ear of corn in about two - three minutes. My microwave is old, well to be precise, it is 27 years old and not as fast as the new ones. I microwave an ear of corn in about five minutes. Increase the time if you nuke more than one ear at a time. In a new fangled microwave, add about a minute or so per extra ear. In an old antique, add a couple minutes extra per ear.

Enjoy.

Carole's Eggplant Stuffed Peppers

Terrific vegetarian stuffed peppers from our newest contributor. Welcome to the team Carole!

The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count.

Carole's Eggplant Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

1 Red Pepper

1 small Italian eggplant (the long tiny ones)- peeled and chopped small

1 small tomato, chopped small

1-2 T tomato and basil flavored crumbled feta cheese

1 T parmesan cheese, ground

1 T fresh basil, chopped fine

1 T whole wheat bread crumbs (I just grind up one slice of bread in the mini-chopper)- or, 1 T panko plain breadcrumbs

1/4 c. roasted garlic flavored hummus (I like Good Neighbor brand low fat)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the pepper in half, and scoop out the membrane and seeds. 

Mix together all other ingredients in a small bowl. 

Mound stuffing into peppers. 

Put about 1/2 inch of water in small casserole pan; place peppers into pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until peppers are done.

Paul's Pasta with Veggies

Pure Vegan deliciousness. The nutrition facts were designed at Calorie Count with wine instead of olive oil. If you use olive oil, remember to add the calories.

Pasta with Veggies

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup wine (or 1 T olive oil)

2 cups cremini or Portobello mushrooms, sliced

2 cups Brussels sprouts (frozen or fresh, cut in half outer leaves removed)

2 cups broccoli florets (frozen or fresh)

28 ounces Roma tomatoes, crushed

1 t dried basil or thyme

salt and pepper to taste

1 pound whole wheat spaghetti, thin

Optional:

tomato paste for a thicker sauce

vary the proportions of the veggies to suit your taste.

Directions:

Saute small onion and 2 cloves of garlic in wine or 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 3 minutes over medium heat.

Add wine or water if pan gets dry.

.

Add 1 or 2 cups of sliced cremini or Portobello mushrooms.

Saute for another 3 minutes.

Add 1 or 2 cups of brussel sprouts.

Add 1 or 2 cups broccoli florets.

Cover the pot and steam veggies until soft. Add water or wine if pot is dry.

Add 28 ounce can of roma tomotoes.

Add basil or thyme, black pepper, and salt to taste.

Add some tomato paste if the sauce is too thin.

Simmer for 15 minutes or more.

Serve over whole wheat spaghettini pasta. 

Yum!!

Susan’s Apple, Almond, Curried Quinoa

Susan makes enough of this to last her a week - it's great cold! Make it up on Sunday, divide into containers, and take it to work for a deliciously healthy lunch! The nutrition facts were created at Calorie Count!

quinoa

Apple, Almond, Curried Quinoa

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 cup Quinoa

1 Apple (seeded and cut into little pieces, like 1/2 inch squares)

2 t Dried Onion Flakes

1/4 cup Slivered Almonds - toasted for crispness - (a small handful)

1 t Curry Powder (I use boring old regular spice aisle kind, you might like more curry powder when you make it, so taste!)

1/4 cup Dried currants (a small handful)

2 T Honey (to taste)

Pinch of Saffron (for color, so just use a smidge)

6 Cardamon Pods, whole

Directions:

Get water boiling and add honey/onion/curry powder/cardamon pods/saffron/ - then add quinoa and cook until done.

Find and remove cardamon pods (they were just for flavor and I hate biting into one of those pods!). Let cool a bit.

Add apple and almond and mix well.

Dress with a bit of salt and lemon

Options:

Make a mixture of olive oil/lemon and salt and drizzle that and mix it in.

Adjust the seasonings and amount of almonds and currants to your taste. 

jk87hgtfhg387’s Zucchini with Feta

This dish is a favorite of ours.  My son is a vegan, so I've included how to make the dish vegan in the notes below.  As a side dish, this serves 4-6.  As a main dish, it serves 2-3. The nutrition facts were designed at Calorie Count and set for a side dish of four. The dish is just as delicious prepared with less oil.

Zucchini with Feta

Ingredients:

4-5 Medium zucchini squash, sliced into ¼” thick circles

1 Ripe tomato sliced and quartered

1 Clove garlic, chopped

½ cup Extra virgin olive oil

8 oz Crumbled Feta Cheese

2 oz Shredded Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º.  In a deep casserole dish, combine olive oil, chopped garlic, salt and pepper (remember to go easy on the salt since feta cheese is salty too).  Stir together then put in the squash and tomatoes.  Stir until all the vegetables are coated with the oil mixture.  Press down the vegetables until you have a flat well mixed casserole dish with tomatoes and squash evenly distributed.

Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes until the vegetables are soft then remove from oven.  Sprinkle the feta cheese evenly over the top of the dish and then do the same with the parmesan cheese.  Return to oven and bake until the cheese is golden brown (approx 10 minutes).

Enjoy.

Serve with:

Shrimp Scorpio and some toasted Italian or French bread.

Note:

Larger, tougher zucchini can be used here since it’s baked.  Just peal and remove the large seeds from the middle.  Then cut the zucchini lengthwise into quarters and slice crossways into ¼” thick slices.  When baked, they will be juicy and tender.

Optional Ingredients:

Add red onions, mushrooms or green or red sweet peppers

Lighter Version:
nutrition facts

Use less oil and cheese and more veggies and garlic.

Vegan version:

Leave out the cheeses.  Add another clove of garlic and one cup cubed medium firm tofu to the vegetables when tossing in the oil mixture.   Don’t put the tofu on top like the cheese because it will burn and it needs to be in the mix of vegetables, oil and garlic to absorb the flavors of each.

Janice's Quinoa with Grilled Veggies

Simple, quick, and delicious. A real hit with my family. If you have not tried quinoa, this is the perfect introductory recipe. If you are not a fan of spicy peppers, substitute any kind you like. The nutrition facts, set for side dish, were made at Calorie Count!

Quinoa with Grilled Veggies

Grilled Veggie Ingredients:

4 banana peppers, deseeded and cut in half
2  hot chili peppers, deseeded
1 habanero pepper, deseeded and cut in half
1/2 onion, cut into large chunks
6 baby bellas, rinsed and dried

Quinoa ingredients:

1 1/2 cup quinoa (cooked to package directions)
2 t extra virgin olive oil
1 t ground garlic
1/4 t fresh cracked black pepper
pinch of salt

Directions:

After prepping the veggies, run them all through skewers in preparation for grilling. There is no need to marinade, but if you want to, you could use some olive oil, garlic, and black pepper.

Start the quinoa before you put the peppers on the grill. I got fast cooking quinoa - simmering time 10 minutes, then sitting time 5 minutes. It never hurts to have things like this done ahead of time. Waiting on the quinoa while the veggies cool off would not be tasty.

Grill over medium-hot coals, turning frequently approximately 15 minutes or until nicely charred and cooked through.

When the quinoa is done, sprinkle with garlic, pepper, and salt. Drizzle with olive oil and give the whole a stir.

To serve, top the quinoa with the grilled veggies. Quinoa has a lot of protein, but it has a fairly mild or bland flavor and needs seasoning. This spicy dish can serve either as a side dish or as a main if you are vegetarian.

Note:

Jalapeno or serrano would be just fine as milder peppers to sub for the hot chili and habanero. Use a pretty colorful mix of bell peppers if you just can't stand the hot kind. I used the peppers in the recipe because that was what was ready in the garden! The quinoa seemed to cut the heat a bit which was great as that was one HOT Habanero!

Summer Squash Chips

Have a dehydrator? Looking for a healthier snack for you and the kids? The nutrition facts for summer squash were found at Calorie Count. There's nothing added here except a pinch of salt. Eat them out of hand or dip them. Just eat lots of them, they're good for you!

Summer Squash Chips

Ingredients:

as many summer squash (zucchini or yellow) as you want to use
Salt to taste
Optional: onion or garlic powder

Directions:

Slice summer squash into 3/8 inch thick slices.

Sprinkle with salt.

Arrange the slices on a dehydrator. They'll shrink, so crowd away!

Dry at 140 degrees F for 5-10 hours or until they are nicely dried.

These can be left at room temperature if you eat them within a week. Otherwise, store them in the fridge!

Meganr’s Yellow Squash and Tomato Chutney Frittata

Frittata recipes are a little loosy goosy. Mix and match seasonings based on your preference for that day. Meganr says the cast-iron skillet is necessary for a perfect frittata and an investment that is worth every penny. The nutrition facts were made at Calorie Count.

Meganr’s Yellow Squash and Tomato Chutney Frittata

four servings

Ingredients:

6  eggs (at room temperature)

¼ cup  water
½ cup tomato chutney

½ tsp oregano, dried

½ tsp basil, dried

½ tsp thyme

Pepper to taste

3 garlic cloves, minced

6 tbsp Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp olive oil 

2 cups yellow squash, diced

½ cup onions, minced (or 2 green onions)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 500 F.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs, chutney, water, herbs, and garlic. Add the Parmesan and mix well.

In a large cast-iron skillet, sauté the yellow squash and onions in the olive oil for 3 - 5 minutes, or until tender.

Before adding the egg mixture to the pan, make sure the sauté mixture is evenly spread across the bottom of the skillet. Then add the egg mixture, but do NOT mix or scramble, and cook for about 6 - 9 minutes or until the edges of the frittata are starting to separate from the sides of the pan.

Then place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for another 5 minutes or so, until the center of the frittata is fully cooked. Remove from the oven, let set a few minutes, slice and serve.