Category Archives: Vegetarian

September 17, 2010 · 4:42 pm

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Twists

Our oldest has never met a baked good he didn’t like, so when he saw these in last month’s Food Network magazine, he HAD to have them. Today I finally got everything we needed and we made them together after school.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup softened cream cheese
1 T cinnamon sugar
1 package refrigerated bread sticks (the kind you smack on the counter to open)
Melted Butter

Instructions:
Beat cream cheese and cinnamon sugar together until smooth.

Spread cream cheese mixture on breadsticks.

Twist and stretch breadsticks and bake as the breadstick label directs.

Brush with melted butter when they come out of the oven.

What did the family think? I had some along with our oldest. They were really good, especially fresh out of the oven. I think the next time we make these, I will sprinkle some cinnamon sugar on top of them so they are more cinnamonny.

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Filed under After School Snacks, Bread, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

September 15, 2010 · 9:23 pm

Spinach and Cheese Pasta Bake

Got this recipe from my good friend, Janelle. She said her whole family ate it up so I thought I would give it a try with mine.

Ingredients:
14 oz. box penne pasta
10 oz frozen creamed spinach, defrosted
7 1/2 oz. low fat ricotta cheese
1 cup Mozzarella, shredded
26 oz jar pasta sauce

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook pasta according to package directions.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together spinach, ricotta and Mozzarella.

When pasta is done and drained, add pasta to spinach mixture. Stir well.

Pour the pasta mixture into a casserole dish. Pour the spaghetti sauce over the pasta making sure to cover as much of the pasta as you can.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Did I change anything? I just changed the type of pasta (Janelle stuffed the spinach mixture into manicotti) and I used a whole jar of sauce. Janelle used a cup of sauce. My family LOVES sauce. I also couldn’t find the creamed spinach at my grocery store, so I ended up making my own creamed spinach.

What did the family think? Everyone loved it including our babysitter who was here to watch the boys so we could go to Back to School night at the boys’ school.

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

September 11, 2010 · 8:24 pm

Apple and Cheese Quesadillas

This has been a new addition to our lunchbox menu and they make a great snack, too.

Ingredients:
Flour tortilla
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Apple, thinly sliced

Instructions:
Place a tortilla on a microwaveable plate. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on tortilla. Place in microwave until cheese is just barely melted. Place apples in a single layer on one side of the tortilla. Fold over, cut in half and enjoy.

If you are going to put this in your child’s lunch, let it rest for a couple of minutes after placing the apples on it and cutting it and then wrap it in aluminum foil. If you don’t wait and wrap it up before it has a chance to cool off a little, your child will have a soggy quesadilla come lunchtime. We learned this the hard way. 🙂

What did the family think? These are a favorite with my oldest.

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

September 10, 2010 · 9:01 am

Oatmeal Applesauce Bread

I love it when I get in the mood to bake and I already have everything I need. This was something I whipped up last night and it was the perfect addition to the boys’ lunches today.

Ingredients:
1 cup applesauce
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine (at room temperature)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup oats
1 tsp vanilla

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease one loaf pan.

Mix applesauce, sugars and margarine together. In separate bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder. Stir together applesauce and flour mixtures. Add eggs, oats and vanilla and stir to combine.

Pour into loaf pan. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean.

I had some of this with apple butter and it was SO good. I bet it is good with regular butter, too. I would try it with apple butter first if I were you. 🙂

Did I change anything? Mine seemed to take more like 50 minutes to bake.

What did the family think? I am the only one who has had some so far and I give it a thumbs up. I put some in the boys’ lunches today, so we’ll see what the verdict is when they get home. This would make a good after school snack, too.

from halfassed kitchen

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Filed under After School Snacks, Bread, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

September 9, 2010 · 10:28 pm

Graham Cracker Sandwiches

My kids found this snack idea in Food Network’s magazine from last month. The magazine had a whole pull-out section of after school snack ideas. They will no longer settle for some popcorn or a cereal bar now that they have seen the possibilities. Thanks Food Network. 🙂

Ingredients:
2 graham cracker squares
Vanilla frozen yogurt (It helps if you let the yogurt stand out long enough to get a little soft.)
Chocolate chips (we used the miniature kind)

Instructions:
Put frozen yogurt on one of the graham cracker squares. Sprinkle a small helping of chocolate chips on top. Place remaining graham cracker square on top like a sandwich. Enjoy!

What did the family think? Well, the boys were the only ones who ate these and they loved them!

from Food Network Magazine

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Filed under After School Snacks, Desserts, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Sandwich, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

September 6, 2010 · 11:07 pm

Pumpkin Doughnuts

This will be our special back-to-school breakfast tomorrow morning.

Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg white
1 T butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup powdered sugar, optional

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat a doughnut mold or mini-muffin tin with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat together sugar, pumpkin, milk, egg white, margarine and vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and spice and mix completely.

Pour the batter into a gallon-sized Ziploc-type bag, snip off the corner of the bag with scissors and squeeze the batter into the doughnut mold.

Bake about 20-25 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.

When cool, dust with powdered sugar or eat them plain.

Store in an airtight container for up to two days.

adapted from Deceptively Delicious

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

September 4, 2010 · 7:25 pm

Roasted Veggies

I haven’t found a roasted veggie I don’t like and these are no exception…

Ingredients:
1 medium zucchini, cut into spears
1 red bell pepper, cut into spears
1 red onion, cut into wedges
2 T olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions:
Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Place veggies in a large roasting pan or on a cookie sheet that has sides. Add olive oil, salt and pepper and stir/toss to coat.

Arrange veggies in a single layer for about 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Veggies are done when they are light brown and tender.

We had this with pesto and lemon kabobs, grapes and bread and butter.

Did I change anything? This recipe also called for asparagus, summer squash and a yellow bell pepper, but I knew we wouldn’t be able to eat all of that, so I just chose a few veggies to work with. If you are going to use all of these veggies, then you need more olive oil.

What did the family think? Hubby and I really liked them. My favorite was the red onions. The kids weren’t impressed.

from cooks.com

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Side Dish, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

August 26, 2010 · 7:52 pm

Pintos and Cheese Salad

This was SO much better than I thought it was going to be. My husband wouldn’t even pass me the bowl so I could have seconds because he wanted it for himself. He did eventually give it up. 🙂

Ingredients:
Salad:
3 cups canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup corn
1/2 cup red onion, diced
8 oz Monterey Jack cheese, diced

Dressing:
1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 T lime juice
1 tsp lime zest
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 T honey
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions:
Place all salad ingredients in a bowl and toss to mix.

Combine dressing ingredients in a blender and until cilantro is chopped fine. Pour over salad and serve immediately. (If taking this to a picnic or a potluck, take the salad and the dressing separately.
Pour the dressing on the salad when you get there and it is about time to eat.)

We had this with tacos and grapes. It’s a nice little salad to add to whatever Mexican dish you are having. It’s also good to have with hamburgers, steak or grilled chicken. It’s very summery, too.

Did I change anything? I halved this recipe when making it for my family. If I was taking it to a potluck, I would follow the amounts in the recipe above.

What did the family think? Hubby was hogging the bowl and wouldn’t give it to me so I could have seconds. I think he liked it. 🙂

from Disneyfamily.com

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Salad, Side Dish, Vegetarian

August 25, 2010 · 8:10 pm

Greek Salad

We went to a Greek Festival this past weekend, so there are going to be several Greek recipes on MommaCooks this week. I love Greek food; it’s so fresh and simple.

Ingredients:
Dressing
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 T dried oregano
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Whisk ingredients together in a small bowl and let stand for about an hour so the flavors have time to mingle.

Salad
1/2 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/2 red onion, peeled and chopped
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled (more or less to taste)

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, together with the dressing and toss well. Refrigerate for about an hour before serving.

Did I change anything? I left out the Kalamata olive; they’re not my favorite.

What did the family think? Hubby and I loved this; it’s a perfect summer salad. The boys liked the feta.

from Wickedfood Cooking

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Filed under Chicken, Make Ahead of Time, Salad, Side Dish, Vegetarian

August 24, 2010 · 3:34 pm

Lunchbox Macaroni and Cheese

I am not a huge fan of hiding veggies in the kids’ food, but with something as nutritionally void as mac and cheese, I am willing to break the rules, especially since our oldest LOVES mac and cheese. They love this recipe and it’s way better than the boxed stuff.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni (we use Barilla Plus since it’s high in protein)
Nonstick cooking spray
1 T olive oil
1 T flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup pureed butternut squash (just use baby food, it’s easier)
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
4 oz. low-fat cream cheese

Instructions:
Cook pasta according to package directions.

While the macaroni is cooking, coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the oil, then the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is a thick paste, but hasn’t started to turn brown.

Add the milk and continue to stir until the mixture begins to thicken. Add the puree, cheddar and cream cheese. Stir until the cheeses have melted and the sauce is smooth and creamy. Stir in the macaroni and serve.

What does the family think? The boys love this stuff and it travels well in a thermos for them to take in their lunch boxes.

Did I change anything? I left out the salt, pepper and paprika that was in the original recipe. My kids like their mac and cheese without it.

from Deceptively Delicious

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Lent, Vegetarian