Vegetarian Blog for the Lazy

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 4-inch piece celery stalk, finely chopped
• 4-inch piece carrot, peeled and finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon mustard seed
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed
• 2 cups vegetable stock or vegetarian faux-chicken flavored stock
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup French green lentils, picked over, rinsed, then drained
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, cut into strips
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• optional- add feta cheese & cucumber

Directions:

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrot and saute until the vegetables are soft. Add the garlic, mustard seed and fennel seed and saute until the spices are fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the stock, water, lentils, thyme and bay leaf. Raise the heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover partially and simmer until the lentils are tender but still firm, 25 to 30 minutes. Drain the lentils, reserving the cooking liquid. Transfer the lentils to a large bowl and discard the bay leaf.

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, mustard and 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking liquid. (Discard any remaining liquid or reserve for another use.) Whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil.

Add the vinaigrette, parsley, salt and pepper to the lentils and toss gently to mix and coat evenly. Serve cold or warm.

Ingredients:

• 6 medium zucchini
• 3 cups toasted bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 small onion, minced
• 3 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Parmesan cheese for topping, optional swiss cheese topping

Preparation:

Wash zucchini and cut off ends; do not peel. Cook zucchini in boiling salted water for 4 to 5 minutes, or until just tender. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise; remove pulp with spoon; place zucchini shells in a large baking pan or jelly roll pan. Combine zucchini pulp, toasted bread crumbs, cheese, onion, parsley, salt, pepper, and the beaten eggs. Fill zucchini shells with mixture and dot with butter. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese (and optional swiss cheese) and bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a medium brown crust forms on top.

• 1 Can of whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 Can of red kidney beans, only 1/2 drained
• 1 Can of pinto beans (or black beans), drained
• 2 Cups of shredded sharp chedder
• 1/2 Cup of green onions, sliced (about 2-3 stalks)
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp of ground cumin
• 1 package (8 1/2 oz. of cornbread mix)
• butter for greasing the pan
• Any toppings you like, such as cilantro, hot sauce, avocado or tortilla chips

In a large bowl, stir together all ingredients except the cornbread. Pour into a greased 2 quart baking pan or casserole dish. Make corn bread according to the directions, and pour on top – spreading evenly.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until cornbread is firm and golden brown.

• Flour Tortillas
• 1T  vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup Onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• 3T chunky peanut butter
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 cups yams, cooked
• 1 cup black beans, cooked and drained

toppings:

• salsa
• light sour cream
• 4 stalks of green onion, chopped
• a small bunch of cilantro, chopped
• crushed & salted peanuts (for texture)

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat, add garlic an onion until tender and translucent.

Stir in peanut butter, yams and black beans, mashing. Add spices and mix. Cook until all ingredients are cooked well, while stirring to prevent burn.

Serve in warmed tortillas and topped with salsa, lots of sour cream, green onions, crushed peanuts and lots of chopped cilantro.

This can easily be made vegan, as it was in the orginal recipe by Ryan Splint in the vegan cookbook, “Hot Damn and Hell Yeah“. Also this can be made into a patty, panko breaded & lightly fried and served as such.

Choose 3 cans of any beans you like – white, kidney, black-eyed peas, pinto, garbanzo etc. I like the combo of  kidney beans, garbanzo beans and green beans.

Drain and mix together in a large bowl Add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper for a low-fat, high-protein, cheap meal. Other nice toppings can be a can of corn, fresh spinach, a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese or chunks of fresh avocado.

• Buns (I like the SF Bay Area local bread, Semifreddi Challah Burger Buns)
• 2 slices (per sandwich) of Provolone Cheese
• small bunch of chopped cilantro
• small bunch of alfalfa sprouts
• 1 tbsp Sriracha
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 heirloom tomato

Cut the buns in half and toast with 2 slices of Provolone cheese on one side of the bun until the cheese begins to bubble and the bread is browned. Mix the Sriracha and the mayonnaise together to create the Sriracha Aioli and then spread it on the toasted bun. Top with tomato, alfalfa sprouts and chopped cilantro.

• 2 (per taco) organic eggs
• 1 (per taco) corn tortillas
• olive oil
• small bunch of cilantro, chopped
• 1 small tomato, chopped
• low fat sour cream
• hot sauce (I like Melinda’s Original hot sauce)
• optional - LifeLight’s Gimme Lean Faux Sausage
• fresh grated parmesan cheese or cotija cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Fry the eggs in olive oil, so they are medium over – this means the yokes are still runny but the whites are well done. Then cut up small rings or patties of the Gimme Lean Sausage and fry in olive oil until it creates a crispy, brown skin. Heat tortillas over a medium heat in a lightly oiled pan. Now top with hot sauce, tomato, sour cream, cheese and cilantro or any other toppings that inspire you!

• 4 slices thick-cut fresh sourdough bread
• 1 ball (1 pound) fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 2 plum tomatoes or 1 heirloom tomato, cut into thick slices
• 1 cup fresh basil & cilantro pesto (see below)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil

Basil & Cilantro pesto:

• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup Parmesan or Romano
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• optional – 1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves

Toast pine nuts in a skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Combine pesto ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well combined but still rough-textured.

If you have a panini press, turn it on to warm up; otherwise, set a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Assemble sandwich by smearing insides of bread slices with pesto. Arrange a layer of sliced tomato and season with a few turns of fresh pepper. Layer the mozzarella slices over the top and then place another piece of bread on top to make the sandwich. Drizzle olive oil over skillet’s surface and place sandwiches on the hot skillet or panini press.

If using a skillet, place another heavy skillet over the top to form a “press”. Turn after 2 to 3 minutes and replace weight. The sandwich is ready when golden brown and mozzarella has melted around the edges. Also, if you want to make this lighter you can bake the sandwich until the cheese gets nice and melted and the bread turns toasted brown.

• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained 
• 4 tbsp mayonnaise, divided 
• 1/3 cup of Panko
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  
• salt to taste 
• 1 small bunch finely chopped cilantro (or flat leaf parsley)
• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• 2 kaiser or french rolls 
• 1 tsp Sriracha

In a small bowl, smash half of the beans with the back of a fork along with 2 tbsp of the mayonnaise, the bread crumbs, cumin, salt and pepper until well-incorporated. Transfer to a bowl and stir in cilantro or parsley and remaining beans. Form mixture into 2 patties.

Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook burgers until outsides are crisp, about 3 minutes per side.

To make the Sriracha aioli, mix 1 tsp Sriracha with 2 tbsp mayonnaise. Stir well to incorporate.

To serve, split rolls in half and place burger on the bottom half. Top with a layer of the aioli and your favorite burger toppings (avocado, sliced cheese, sprouts, onions, tomato, etc).

This burger patty also works well as leftovers in the morning topped with fried eggs, salsa and tortillas (see Mission-style Breakfast Tacos post).

Serves 2