Meatless Monday

I have been reading a great book recently that I found in the school library's adult non-fiction section while I was helping do inventory last week. The title caught my attention straight away - "Eating Animals." I assumed it would be a book about vegetarianism but right as I began the book, the author, Jonathan Safran Foer, explained that although that's what many people might think, it's really more about his education and knowledge about the culture of eating animals. I wanted to write down so many interesting facts from the book and was reading quotes out loud to Tomislav. The book is an absolute must read to meat eaters and vegetarians alike as it gives you an inside (and sometimes very graphic) look at the world of how animals come to the table. At times, it's sad, but all the time it's terribly fascinating and I couldn't stop reading it.

So the book got me reflecting a lot about my own ideas of food and where animals and plants come from or the idealized version that I've had in my head for a while. Growing up, my Grandma and Grandpa were farmers (and they still live on that farm in Poland) and that gave me a different vision of animals, allowing me to see what farms are really like and how happily all of the animals live on their farm. Since my grandparents are older now, they don't have many animals anymore but they still have their chickens running around. One of my favorite jobs was and still is gathering the eggs from the chickens. I love walking around the yard where they run around and play while I feed them with my Grandpa, calling them "cheep cheep cheep cheep cheep!" So I would love to think that that is how animals are treated on farms and so-called factory 'farms' in the States. Unfortunately, that is so far from the truth. The truth is horrifying - read the book.

 My Dziadek and I, the chickens, and our very beloved farm dog Kubus

The book is changing my way of thinking a lot and it's making me make a lot more vegetarian dishes (once again!). And I finally understand now why an old friend I met in Egypt who is an American, explained to me that she was vegetarian for 'political reasons.' I could go on and on about this but I just HAVE to share this amazing veg dish that I recently made.

Couscous-Stuffed Peppers with Basil Sauce (adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)

Yum!

Here's what you need:

• 1 cup of chicken stock
• 2 tsp ground cumin/turmeric/curry powder
• 3/4 cup couscous
• 1 cup canned garbanzo beans (rinsed and drained)
•  1/4 cup of olive oil
• salt and ground pepper
• 4 red, orange, or yellow peppers
• hot water as needed

For the Sauce (which you WILL want to make):

• 1 packed cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup (about 4 ounces) sour cream
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus extra, as needed
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra, as needed

OK so - this is pretty easy to make and quite quick to prepare. My peppers were on the small side so I had some couscous leftover after I stuffed them and I'm glad I did because I was so hungry and the peppers need to roast in the over for about an hour! I couldn't wait that long ;)

Preheat your oven to 400 F (about 200 C)

For the filling, in a medium saucepan, bring the chicken broth and spice mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the couscous. Cover the pan until the couscous has absorbed all the stock, about 5 to 6 minutes. Put the couscous in a large bowl and add the beans, diced red pepper, and 1/4 cup olive oil. At this point, you can add some dried fruits, spinach, and/or goat cheese or parmesan cheese as you prefer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir until all the ingredients are combined.

Slice the tops off the peppers and remove all the ribs and seeds. If necessary, cut a very thin slice from the base to help the peppers stand up. (I used the extra top and bottom to dice up and put inside the couscous mixture.) Stuff the peppers with the filling and drizzle the tops with olive oil. Put the peppers in an 8 by 8-inch square baking dish. Fill the baking dish with 3/4-inch hot water and bake until the filling is golden and the peppers are cooked through, about 60 minutes.

For the Sauce: In a blender, combine the basil, creme fraiche (or sour cream), olive oil, water, garlic, lemon (or lime, like I used), juice, sugar, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.

Remove the peppers from the oven and arrange on serving plates. Spoon the sauce around the peppers and serve.

This was so delicious and filling, Tomislav and I both loved it and again, didn't miss the meat at all! As for that sauce - oh man, I love putting my basil plant to good use and that sauce you can literally drizzle on anything and it would taste amazing! Next time, I'll make extra sauce!

Meatless Monday!

We're officially in the homestrech of our Vegetarian Lent! This Sunday is Easter Sunday so it's our last week of being meat free. I feel very comfortable with our new meat free lifestyle. It honestly hasn't been that difficult and I've made so many new dishes that I've absolutely loved! Tomislav on the other hand definitely misses meat and even though he won't be eating it every day like he used to, he'll be indulging every so often. It was a great challenge for us and I think I will (probably) continue with a vegetarian diet. I'm not completely opposed to eating meat, so like if we're at someone's house, I won't make a fuss and will just try to eat as much as I can and if there is meat, then I'll partake but if I can help it, I'll try to stick to no meat.

So this is one of the best meals I've made during Lent. I started to make dinner and kept getting inspired to add more to almost make it like a tapas style meal. This was my delicious Middle Eastern/Mediteranian Spread!

Our Delicious Dinner!

I started out with the idea of making falafel because a co-worker had told me how easy and delicious it was. I remembered that spreading some hummus with the falafel is totally delectable so I decided to whip up some hummus quickly too. In my magic bullet went:

1 Can of Chickpeas (plus about 1/4 of the chickpea water from the can)

1-2 Cloves of crushed and minced raw garlic

1 tsp Sesame oil

1/2 tsp Soy sauce

1/2 Lemon (juiced)

2 (or more) Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil

You can season it some more if you'd like, but I just mixed this up and you can process it until it's smooth or if you like it chunkier, you can just pulse it a couple of times. It's so quick and easy if you have some kind of a food processer! Yum!

Mmmm homemade hummus and sweet, juicy yellow peppers!

Falafel with hummus, pickles, and a bit of the tomato cucumber salad on top. We ate it on something like a kaiser roll because we didn't have pita bread.

Couscous with apricots and nuts yum!

I heated up 1 1/2 cups of vegetable stock to pour over 1 cup of couscous. I covered the couscous with a lid for 5 minutes. Then I added the apricot pieces and nuts in the couscous which I fluffed up with a fork. I left it in for another minute with the lid covered. I seasoned it with salt and pepper,a little bit of olive oil and lemon juice and the secret ingredient which made it our favorite couscous recipe to date - curry powder!. Simple and so so tasty!

I love Euro Pickles

Frying up the Falafel

For the Falafel:

1 Can Chickpeas, drained

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

2 tablespoons flour

Salt and Pepper to taste

oil for frying (I used sunflower)

 

I combined chickpeas, garlic, onion,  salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Add flour and combine well. Then, I mashed the chickpeas with the back of a fork and mixed all the ingredients together very well. Take the mixture and form it into small balls and then slightly flattened them. After heating the oil in a pan, I fried them up for about 3 minutes on each side until they stick together well and are slightly browned.


It came out a bit messy but it tasted delicious!

Fresh and tasty cucumber, tomato, and scallion salad!

This salad is so good and refreshing and the dressing is very easy! I just diced up 2 medium sized tomatos, one large cucumber, and 3-4 green onions. For the dressing I combined:

about 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar

about 1/4 cup of water

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Cover the salad and refrigerate it for at least an hour (up to four hours) - it is so perfectly delicious!

This spread is really easy to make and it's fun to eat a bunch of different little dishes that all go really well together. Try it out! Make it your vegetarian meal of the week ;) 

Meatless Monday!

This is an incredibly delicious alternative to a classic beef (or turkey) burger. It's meaty and filling and totally gratifying! These are my Bean and 'Bello Burgers! They were inspired by this recipe, also where the clever name comes from. ;)

Here's what I used:

2 diced portobellos

6 diced button mushrooms

1/2 onion

1 can of black beans

2 eggs (or egg whites if you prefer)

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/8 tsp black pepper

About 4 saltines (crushed into powder)

4 Kaiser Rolls

1/2 cup of BBQ sauce (mine was homemade)

This recipe is definitely versatile, if you want to add different veggies to it you definitely can, or other seasonings. It's harder to get these to stick together so keep that in mind. I didnt mind that mine fell apart a bit, they were so good! Next time I make these, I will put lettuce and tomato on them too, maybe even a pickle! I just didn't have them on hand an I wasn't about to go to the store.

So basically, heat up 2 tbs sunflower oil on a large pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion and any other veggies in the pan. Cook, stir occasionally about 5-6 minutes.

Add the beans to the pan along with all the spices and seasonings. Cook, smashing beans with the back of the spoon for two more minutes. Transfer mixture to bowl an allow it to cool a bit. Once it's slightly cooled down, add te eggs and cracker crumbs. I used my hands to mix it (hence the cool down) and then formed it into 4 (large!!) patties. Put 2 tbs oil in a skillet on medium and cook the burgers until firm (6-7 minutes on each side). Put them on the buns with anything else you like on your burger and top with barbecue sauce. Mmmm delicious!

Soup for when You're Feeling Sicky

Since I've been under the weather, I've been eating a lot of soup. I haven't had the energy to make my own so I've (or Tomislav!) been making soup from a bag. This is one of the best packaged soups I've ever had. It is truly homemade tasting. Better than any canned soups, it's just so so good, and it's vegetarian!

It's from Podravka (the brand that makes like everything in Croatia) and it's their Proljetna Juha or Spring Vegetable Soup. You can truly taste all the different vegetable flavors and there are small pieces of red bell peppers, cauliflower, leeks, and potatoes inside and with every bite it actually tastes like those veggies! Yum! I definitely recommend this one if you're not up for making your own soup (which lucky for me, Tomislav's Mom did make me some) but when soup is all you're eating, this is such a flavorful and delicious one that you should definitely try!

Meatless Monday!

Last week I made so many delicious meals, I could hardly decide which one to write about. I decided to go with the one that was so hearty, you really don't miss the meat at all! Honestly, I think it's better without the meat! These are my bean enchiladas inspired by this BBC recipe- yummy!

Simple, delicious ingredients, baked to ooey gooey goodness

Here's what I used:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 large onion , chopped
• 2-3 carrots , grated
• 2-3 tsp chilli powder (mild or hot, according to your taste)
• 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
• 2 x 400g cans beans (red, black, pinto, lentils - whatever you've got!)
• 1 x 400g can corn
• 6 small whole grain tortillas
• 200g natural yogurt (I used one of the small cups of Greek variety)
• 50g cheese (or veg alternative), finely grated

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Cook the onions and carrots for 5-8 mins until soft - add a splash of water if they start to stick. Sprinkle in the chilli powder and cook for 1 min more. Pour in the tomatoes and beans and bring to the boil. Add the corn. Turn down the heat and simmer for 5-10 mins, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Remove from the heat and season well. 

 

Heat the oven to 180 degrees C (350F). Spread a spoonful of the bean chilli over a large ovenproof dish. I layered the tortillas so they overlapped one another and then spooned the chili mixture over the tortillas followed by yogurt and cheese. Next, I added another layer of tortillas followed by the chili mixture, yogurt and cheese until I used it all. Spoon the remaining chilli on top.

 It may look messy but it's oh-so-good!

 Bake for a few minutes until the top is golden and bubbling. Mine ended up looking like a tortilla/enchilada lasagna!

 

This recipe will seriously satisfy even the biggest carnivores!

Meatless Monday Meal

When Oprah challenged her entire staff to go vegan for an entire week, some people were extremely hesitant about it. It was around this time last year that they all went a week without any animal products. By the end of the week, the consensus was that it was actually easier than they had orginally anticipated (perhaps also because all of the lunch options in the cafeteria were made vegan for the week) and everyone felt better inside and out during their week off meat. Many people continued with a vegan/vegetarian diet following that challenge!

During Lent, Tomislav and I have decided to give up meat. Meat is a huge part of Croatian diet (and really, lifestyle). There are a lot of customs and traditions based on making, cooking, and eating meat so it definitely is a challenge for us and we'll be tempted in many ways. I love a good challenge though! I made this absolutely delicious vegetarian soup, which could be a great starter or light meal for lunch or dinner.

The color is so beautiful! This is a carrot-ginger soup inspired by a recipe I saw in Bon Appetit magazine. So simple, I knew it would be good so I really wanted to try it! Here's the page I ripped out of the magazine with the recipe-

  

The recipe calls for roasted peanuts and chili butter on top of the soup. I didn't have peanuts on hand when I first made it so I skipped them but I did make the chili butter (so good!). Of course, if you'd like to make this vegan, omit the butter.

Ok, so for the chili butter you mix butter with green onion and dried crushed red pepper (if you do make it, it makes the soup so luxurious then and the red pepper gives it a little heat that melts in beautifully with the soup). Put the butter mixture in the fridge to harden up.

For the soup:
1.5 lb carrots cut into 1/4 inch rounds
1 big onion -chopped
1 white skinned potato - chopped
2 tbsp minced ginger
5 cups (or more if you want it thinner) of vegetable broth
6 tbsp roasted peanuts (again, I didn't have this when we had the first bowls of soup and it was still so yummy but later we did buy some and the crunch was just awesome!

Sauté all the veggies for ten minutes until they are a bit softened:

Then, add the broth, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Cool a bit and then purée in batches until smooth. (I had to do it 4 batches because I only have the Magic Bullet but it worked great!) Add salt and pepper at the end. If you want to add the chili butter (or maybe just a bit of chili flakes) and the peanuts, do it right at the end. We squeezed a bit of lime into our soups one time and that was nice too.

 

After Oprah and her staff did the week long vegan challenge, they decided to continue having meatless meals one day a week at their office cafeteria, hence, meatless Monday! It's a great idea to reduce the amount of animal products you eat, even if it is just for one day a week. Or if not for a whole day, try having just one meat meal a day and the rest vegetarian, and definitely try the carrot-ginger soup!

This soup is silky and so flavorful. Next time, I will make a much bigger batch because we gobbled it all up quickly. But the point is, I will definitely be making this one again!