Category Archives: Vegetarian

October 27, 2010 · 1:43 pm

Sunshine Cupcakes

I used to make a version of these a lot when the boys were little for birthday parties, preschool birthday celebrations, etc. I haven’t made them in forever, but I know they’d still like them. It’s a cupcake…what’s not to like?

Ingredients:
1 package of yellow cake mix
1 tablespoon of orange zest
1 cup of orange juice
1/2 cup of canola oil
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
4 large eggs

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the cake mix and orange zest. Whisk to combine.

Add orange juice, canola oil, vanilla extract and eggs. Blend with the mixer on low speed for one minute, then speed it up to medium and beat for 2 more minutes.

Fill cupcake papers about 1/2 to 2/3 full. Bake at 350F until golden in color and a toothpick test comes out clean, about 22-25 minutes.

Did I change anything? The only thing missing from these cupcakes is the frosting. I never put frosting on them when I was taking them up to preschool…the preschool teachers REALLY appreciate that. They are good just the way they are.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

from Family Fun magazine

Leave a Comment

Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Easy, Six Ingredients or Less, Vegetarian

October 25, 2010 · 8:28 pm

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

We go through granola bars like crazy around here, so I thought I would give these seasonal treats a try.

Ingredients:
3 1/4 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup applesauce
¼ cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 by 8 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk oats, spices, and salt together. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk brown sugar, pumpkin, applesauce, honey, and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour over oats and stir well, until all of the oats are moist. Stir in chocolate chips.

Evenly press oat mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. The pumpkin keeps the bars moist, so make sure they are golden and set-you don’t want them to be under baked. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

Using a sharp knife, cut into bars. Remove from pan and let cool completely.

Makes 10-12 granola bars

*Note-You can double the recipe and bake in a 9 by 13 pan.

What did the family think? I will let you know as soon as they cool.

from twopeasintheirpod.com

1 Comment

Filed under After School Snacks, Desserts, Vegetarian

October 21, 2010 · 11:36 pm

Blueberry Lemon Cream Cheese Muffins

Yesterday I was craving a blueberry muffin. I started searching for a blueberry and sour cream muffin recipe, but then stumbled upon this one.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
Zest of 1 large lemon
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1/3 cup skim milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Cream cheese filling:

3 tablespoons cream cheese
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon sugar

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin pan or line pan with muffin liners. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon.

In a small bowl, add the sugar and lemon zest. Rub sugar and zest together, until fragrant. Add to the flour mixture and whisk again.

In a separate medium bowl, mix canola oil, egg, milk, and vanilla together.

Incorporate the wet ingredients into flour mixture. Add slowly and do not over mix. The batter will be lumpy and thick. Gently fold in the blueberries.

In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, lemon zest, and sugar until smooth. Fill each muffin cup half way with batter. Next, add about 1 teaspoon of cream cheese filling to each muffin cup. Cover each cup with remaining batter so you can’t see the cream cheese filling.

Bake muffins for 17-20 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Let muffins cool on a cooking rack.

Makes 9 regular size muffins

Did I change anything? The recipe called for sprinkling turbinado sugar on top of each muffin. I left it out just to reduce our sugar intake a little.

What did the family think? I am the only one who has had one so far since everyone else is asleep, but I will tell you they are fantastic. I love the cream cheese in the middle, but if for some weird reason you don’t like cream cheese, I think they would be good without the cream cheese as well.

from twopeasandtheirpod.com

Leave a Comment

Filed under After School Snacks, Bread, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Vegetarian

October 20, 2010 · 9:42 am

Onion Potato Gratin

In an attempt to get my children to eat a potato in a form other than a french fry…

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
3/4 pound onions, thinly sliced
1 cup (packed) grated Gruyere cheese (about 4 oz)
8 Tbsp (packed) freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 oz)
2/3 cup whipping cream

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400°F (unless preparing in advance).
Combine potatoes and sliced onions in heavy large saucepan. Add enough water to cover. Bring water to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are almost tender, about 3 minutes. Drain potato onion mixture well.

Arrange half of potato-onion mixture in 11×7 inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle mixture with 1/3 cup Gruyere cheese and then 2 Tbsp of Parmesan cheese.

Arrange remaining potato-onion mixture atop cheeses. Pour cream over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the remaining 2/3 cup of Gruyere and 6 Tbsp of Parmesan cheese.

(Can be prepared 8 hours in advance. Cover and refrigerate.)

Bake gratin uncovered in 400°F oven until cream thickens, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Preheat broiler. Broil gratin until top is golden, about 2 minutes.

Did I change anything? I couldn’t find any Yukon Gold potatoes, so I just used another kind. I don’t think it’s super important that you use that variety. I love that you can prepare it ahead of time and pop it in the oven when you are ready. That’s what I did and it worked out perfectly.

What did the family think? Three out of four’s not bad. These are really, really good and we all loved them except for our youngest who just has to get over his fear of new foods. Once he’s seen these on his plate a few times he’ll probably be fine with them.

from Simply Recipes

Leave a Comment

Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Make Ahead of Time, Side Dish, Six Ingredients or Less, Vegetarian

October 18, 2010 · 10:34 am

Gnudi (Pronounced Nudey)

I saw this on Giada’s show recently. It’s an Italian dish that I had never even heard of before last week let alone eaten, but I love to experiment with new foods, so I thought I would give it a try.

Ingredients;
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 pound frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup grated Parmesan
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus 1 cup for coating
1 jar store bought marinara sauce, heated

Instructions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

In a large bowl, mix ricotta, spinach, Parmesan cheese, eggs, and yolks. Stir in nutmeg, salt, pepper, and flour. Form mixture in to small, flattened balls.

Dredge the formed gnudi in flour to coat, tapping off the excess. Slide formed gnudi into the boiling water. Make sure the water is at a gentle boil. If it is at a hard boil, the gnudis will fall apart. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan; work in batches if necessary. Remove the gnudi using a slotted spoon after they float to the top and have cooked for about 4 minutes.

Arrange gnudi on a platter and lightly drizzle with marinara sauce.

We had this with some pasta and Italian sausage links on the side.

Did I change anything? The only thing I did differently is that once they were all cooked, I microwaved them for about a minute just to make sure the eggs that are in them were thoroughly cooked and to get the ones that came out of the boiling water first warm again since it did take a while to make them all and the ones that came out of the water first were getting a little cold.

What did the family think? Hubby and I really liked these. Our oldest tried a few bites, but was not impressed which is what I thought would happen, but I was proud of him for trying.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Italian, Vegetarian

October 17, 2010 · 5:00 pm

Sunshine Eggs

I saw this recently in a magazine…Parents or Family Fun maybe…anyways it brought a smile to the boys’ faces this morning when they sat down for breakfast. 🙂

Ingredients:
Scrambled Eggs
Toast

Instructions:
Scramble the eggs and place in the center of a plate in a circle.

Toast some bread and use a knife or a pizza cutter to make triangles. Place the triangles around the eggs to look like the sun’s rays.

What did the family think? They thought it was great…smiles all around. 🙂

Leave a Comment

Filed under Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

October 15, 2010 · 2:39 pm

Pumpkin Nutella Bread

Yes, it’s as good as it sounds AND it makes two loaves…one for now and one for later. 🙂

Thank you to Erin for pointing me in the direction of this recipe.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/3 cup water
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon hazelnut extract
8 tablespoons Nutella (4 tablespoons per loaf)

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray 2 loaf pans with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, water, pumpkin, eggs, and extracts. Whisk until smooth and combined.

Slowly stir in the flour mixture. Mix until ingredients are combined.

Pour the batter into the loaf pans, making sure batter is evenly divided. Drop 4 heaping tablespoons of Nutella onto each loaf pan. Swirl the Nutella into the pumpkin batter with a knife. Place the loaf pans onto a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Place the loaf pans on a wire rack. Cool for 15 minutes in the pan and then carefully remove the loaves. Cool completely before slicing.

Did I change anything? I didn’t have any hazelnut extract so I left that out.

What did the family think? They haven’t had any yet because they are all at work and school. I did have some though and it is YUMMY!

from twopeasandtheirpod.com

Leave a Comment

Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Vegetarian

October 13, 2010 · 12:41 pm

Apple and Beet Salad

I am always trying to figure out what to do with the other half of the apple that doesn’t get used when I make the boys an apple and peanut butter sandwich or an apple and cheese quesadilla for their lunches. Well, this is what I decided to with it today after seeing it in An Apple a Day in this month’s Food Network magazine.

Ingredients:
1/2 apple, diced
2-3 T diced canned beets (not the pickled variety)
1-2 T plain yogurt
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.

Makes 1-2 servings.

What did the family think? I just made this for myself since I honestly don’t think anyone else in my house would eat this. It made a nice side with the sandwich I had for lunch and it’s kind of cool because the juice from the beets turns everything pink. 🙂

Leave a Comment

Filed under Easy, Salad, Side Dish, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

October 10, 2010 · 9:37 pm

Apple Coleslaw

There was an apple fest at our grocery store today and this was one of the samples.

Ingredients:
12 oz. cole slaw mix
2 tart apples, cored and finely sliced
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup green bell pepper, finely diced
1/3 cup sunflower or vegetable oil
3 T lemon juice
3 T honey
1 1/2 tsp celery seeds
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:
In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, honey and celery seed.

Add the cole slaw mix, apple, celery and green pepper; toss to coat.

Season with salt and pepper

Chill until serving.

We had this as a side with salmon and a baguette.

Did I change anything? I used broccoli slaw instead of traditional cole slaw mix and I didn’t add the celery seeds because I didn’t have any.

What did the family think? Hubby and I liked it. The kids picked out the apples and the carrots. I ended up breaking up my salmon and mixing it in with the apple slaw. It was really good like that. The salmon goes really well with the sweetness/tartness of the apples. It would make a really good summer salad with salmon like we did or maybe with chicken.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Easy, Side Dish, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

· 9:17 pm

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I got this great recipe from my friend and former neighborhood pal, Valerie.

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 16 oz can of pumpkin
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips (or chunks – my kids love when I have those)

Instructions:
In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, all spices, and salt; set aside.

In large mixer bowl, beat butter and sugar till creamy. Add pumpkin and eggs and vanilla.
Gradually add flour mixture.
Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by spoonfuls on greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes until edges are lightly browned.

Let sit 5 minutes – if you can!

Enjoy!

recipe from Valerie

Leave a Comment

Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Everybody Ate It, Vegetarian