Healthier Vegetarían Pizza

from: http://manhattan.ny1.com/content/ny1_living/cooking_at_home/158677/recipe--ve...

Vegetarian Whole Wheat Pizza With Goat Cheese By: Dan Eaton

Today's recipe uses store-bought whole wheat pizza dough to make a vegetarian pizza with sauteed onions, peppers and goat cheese.

Ingredients :
1 3/4 pounds whole-wheat pizza dough
4 ounces crumbled goat cheese
Grated parmesan cheese
2-3 medium onions
1/2 cup chopped green onion
2 medium fresh peppers
2 large cloves of garlic
1 Tbs fresh chopped thyme
Olive oil
Black pepper (optional)

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and then peel, halve and thinly slice the medium onions and also deseed, quarter and thinly slice the fresh peppers. Any color pepper can be used.

Saute it all in a large nonstick pan in a little olive oil, with the green onion, minced garlic cloves and fresh-chopped thyme. While keeping an eye on the vegetables, roll the pizza dough out on a floured surface and transfer that rectangular shape to an oiled baking tray and let that rest as the vegetables finish up.

After the onions and peppers have been cooking along for 10 minutes or so, turn the heat off and let them cool down. At that point, transfer that mixture to the top of the pizza, sprinkle on the crumbled goat cheese and grated parmesan cheese, add a crack of black pepper if you like, drizzle the outside edge of the dough with olive oil and pop the tray into the preheated oven. It shouldn't take more than 15 minutes to bake.

A Celebration of Veggie Burgers

For burger lovers who want to cut back on meat, vegetarian burgers can be a tasty and healthful way to recreate the burger experience.

In this week’s Recipes for Health, Martha Rose Shulman offers five ways to create vegetarian burgers at home. She writes: I wanted to work on veggie burgers because I have never had a commercial one that I liked. They all taste overprocessed to me, with no fresh flavors. I’ve had much better luck making burgers from Luke Volger’s excellent cookbook “Veggie Burgers Every Which Way.” I especially like his bean and vegetable combos.

Puréed beans make a great binder for grain and vegetable burgers, and an egg added to the mixture will help to hold it together. (If you want to keep them vegan you can, though you have to be careful when you flip the burgers over because they tend to fall apart.)

I found that all of these burgers somehow tasted better a day after they were assembled ― the flavors had gelled, the burgers held together better, and a burger that seemed a bit dry to me right after cooking did not seem so dry the next day when reheated. I can’t tell you why.

Like Mr. Volger, I found the best way to cook these vegetarian burgers was to brown them on one side in an ovenproof frying pan, then turn them and stick the pan in a 375-degree oven for 10 minutes.

Turning can be tricky, but if the burgers do crumble, just patch them back together with your spatula, apply a little pressure and put the pan into the oven. Here are five new recipes for homemade veggie burgers:
Go here http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/30/a-vegetarian-burger-bash/

"egg" salad no mayo no eggs

from: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/smashed-chickpea-avocado-salad-sandwich/?ut...

Yield: Salad for 3-4 sandwiches
Prep Time: 10 minutesTotal Time

This Smashed Chickpea & Avocado Salad Sandwich is a great quick and easy lunch option that is good for you too! The salad also makes a great dip!

ingredients:
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas or garbanzo beans (I use Bush's Garbanzo Beans)
1 large ripe avocado
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
Juice from 1 lime
Salt and pepper, to taste
Bread of your choice (I use whole wheat bread)
Fresh spinach leaves or other sandwich toppings: lettuce, tomato slices, sprouts, etc.

directions:
1. Rinse and drain the chickpeas. Place on a paper towel and remove the outer skins. You can leave them on, but I like to remove them.
2. In a medium bowl, using a fork or potato masher smash the chickpeas and avocado together. Add in cilantro, green onion, and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
3. Spread salad on bread and top with your favorite sandwich toppings. I like to add fresh spinach leaves.

Note: This salad also makes a great dip. Serve with cut up veggies, crackers, or pita chips. Also, this salad is best eaten the day it is made because it will turn brown due to the avocado.

If you like this Smashed Chickpea & Avocado Salad Sandwich, you might also like:
BBQ Cheddar Chickpea Burgers from How Sweet It Is Smashed
Chickpea Salad from Smitten Kitchen Hummus and
Grilled Cheese Sandwich from Naturally Ella Guacamole
Grilled Cheese Sandwich from Two Peas and Their Pod

What To Eat as a Vegetarian Besides Salad

Love this post by Matt the No Meat Athlete. He gives a great example of what to eat for a full day as a vegetarian.
go here to see the complete article:
http://www.nomeatathlete.com/what-vegetarians-eat-all-day/

What Vegetarians Eat All Day (And It’s Not Just Salad!)

Almost without fail, any time a runner tells me that he or she is really thinking about giving this vegetarian thing a try but is afraid to make the leap, it’s one of three questions that’s holding him or her back: It's not just salad and bread, either.

Will I have to actually cook? Do I have to eat salad all day? How am I going to get enough nutrition (especially protein) to support my training?

Let’s handle the first one right now: the answer is yes. You have to cook your own food. Unless your spouse does all the cooking and he or she is on board with your crazy plan, you’re going to have to learn to cook. (Here “learn” is an overstatement; all you really need to be able to do is follow directions.)

It’s simply not possible in most parts of the world to get the variety of healthy vegetarian foods you need from a takeout window or microwaveable meals. But cooking is fun, and lots of people who have never done it start cooking for this reason and find that they love it. (In a future email, I’ll provide some resources for those of you who think a Dutch oven is what it’s called when…well, you know.)

So that’s out of the way. Let’s look at the next two questions.
http://www.nomeatathlete.com/what-vegetarians-eat-all-day/

Get out there with fido

Spring is sprouting and if you are like most people and their pets, the urge to get outside is almost irresistible! Why not start this spring with a set of new energizing habits and routines? Your dog is certainly feeling the urge to get outside too so what's holding you back? Does your dog pull on the leash and drag you around all over the place? If so, you may want to consider using a dog harness instead of a leash. These babies are said to train dogs almost like magic to walk like a pro and make your walks together enjoyable and energizing . Get more information and reviews of the most popular dog harnesses on the market here: http://www.easywalkdogharnesses.com

Vegan Fest & The Vegetarian Scale

Weavers Way held its second annual Vegan Fest this past Sunday (3/18). Vegetarian starter kits were available for those not quite ready to make the full commitment of a vegan diet.

Vegans do not eat animal products or by-products. The event highlights the many vegan products offered at the two Weavers Way stores in Northwest Philadelphia.

To help you understand where you are on the Veggie-Vegan scale here are a few lifestyle options you can pursue:

VEGETARIAN: Vegetarian is a blanket term used to describe a person who does not consume meat, poultry, fish, or seafood. This grouping includes vegans and the various sub-categories of vegetarian; however, it generally implies someone who has less dietary restrictions than a vegan.

SEMI-VEGETARIAN: The term semi-vegetarian is usually used to describe someone who is a vegetarian who consumes dairy products, eggs, chicken, and fish, but does not consume other animal flesh.

OVO-LACTO-VEGETARIAN: Ovo-lacto vegetarians are vegetarians who do not consume meat, poultry, fish, and seafood, but do consume eggs and milk. This is the largest group of vegetarians.

OVO-VEGETARIAN: Ovo-vegetarian is a term used to describe someone who would be a vegan if they did not consume eggs.

LACTO-VEGETARIAN: Lacto-vegetarian is a term used to describe someone who would be a vegan if they did not consume milk.

VEGAN: Vegan is the strictest sub-category of vegetarians. Vegans do not consume any animal products or by-products. Some go as far as not even consuming honey and yeast. Others do not wear any clothing made from animal products.

(Categories and descriptions provided by vegetarianvegan.com)

Thai Peanut-Sauced Veggie Meatballs

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 14
Recipe by: Morningstar Farms® This recipe has been tested and endorsed by Kellogg and Morningstar Farms.

DESCRIPTION Chile paste with garlic (also called sambal oelek) imparts spiciness to the creamy peanut sauce. Look for the chile paste in the Oriental section of your local grocery store or in an Asian market.

INGREDIENTS
2 packages (8.5 oz. each) Morningstar Farms® Meal Starter® Veggie Meatballs 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons chile paste with garlic (sambal oelek)
2 teaspoons grated gingerroot
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons sliced green onions
3 tablespoons dry roasted peanuts

DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare MORNINGSTAR FARMS MEAL STARTER Veggie Meatballs according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, in small saucepan whisk together peanut butter, broth, soy sauce, vinegar, chile paste, gingerroot and sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until heated through.

3. In chafing dish or 2 1/2-quart crockery cooker place meatballs. Spoon peanut sauce over top, gently stirring to mix. Sprinkle with green onions and peanuts. Keep warm over low heat for up to 2 hours. Serve with cocktail picks.

For more delicious Morningstar recipes, go here:
http://www.morningstarfarms.com/thai-peanut-sauced-veggie-meatballs.html?vers...