CURRIED LENTILS

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minces
1 tbsp. curry powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
2 medium tomatoes, cored, seeded, and chopped
1 1/2 c. brown lentils, rinsed well
4 c. vegetable stock
2- 3" cinnamon sticks
3 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2" dice
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
salt and pepper
3 c. cooked basmati rice, hot

Heat oil over med-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent. Stir in curry powder, cumin, coriander and ginger. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

Add tomatoes, lentils, stock, and cinnamon sticks to pan, and bring to a boil over med-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer mixture, uncovered, adding more stock if necessary, to keep ingredients just covered with liquid, for 40 minutes or until lentils are very soft.

Remove and discard cinnamon sticks. Add zucchini to pot, cover pot, and cook for 10 more minutes, or until zucchini is tender. Stir in cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately over rice.

VEGETABLE BARLEY SOUP

3/4 c. barley
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
3 carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
2 large onions, diced
2 c. frozen peas
1 bunch spinach
salt and pepper
2-28 oz. cans diced tomatoes
1-15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed


Cook the barley according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pot. Add the carrots, celery, onion, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Cook covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, 20-25 minutes. Add the tomatoes (and their juices) and 4 c. water. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the soup has slightly thickened and vegetables are tender, 45-60 minutes. Add spinach and frozen peas and simmer, stirring occasionally, until it is tender, 5-6 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas and cooked barley and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.

(For this batch I also added some cooked pasta ;p )

i didn't die...i promise

sorry to anyone who reads this. i know i haven't updated this in a while and you can blame my sister for it ;p i've been borrowing her camera and she stole it back from me, lol. hopefully one of these days i'll get my own and then i'll update this on a regular basis.

tomato-basil french bread pizza

so, i LOVE pizza...and their are a million different varieties of this you can make but this is one of my favorites. What can I say? I love basil :)

ingredients:

french bread
tomato sauce (any kind will work, I usually just use leftover spaghetti sauce)
fresh mozzarella cheese (yes, it makes a difference)
basil
tomatoes

Put on the toppings and cook in oven on 450 for about 10-15 minutes, depending on how crispy you want it.

a little tip: Don't put the basil on the very top or it will get burnt.

barbecue tofu-basil sandwich

ingredients:

extra firm tofu
extra virgin olive oil
barbecue sauce
basil
mayonnaise
mozzarella cheese
french bread

preparing the tofu:

take tofu out of packaging and wrap in a towel or a few layers of paper towels. Set it on a plate, set another plate on top of it, and place something heavy on top of the top plate. This will put pressure on the tofu to help soak as much water out of it as possible. Let it sit out like this for an hour.

unwrap the tofu and dry it off as much as possible. Slice it into four slices. Marinate in barbecue sauce in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.

preparing the sandwich:

grill the tofu for a few minutes on each side with a little bit of olive oil until it is heated through. Meanwhile, toast the cheese on the bread. Once the bread is toasted with the melted cheese on it, add the mayo, cooked tofu, and basil.

taco salad

ingredients:

extra virgin olive oil
veggie beef (i prefer morningstar brand veggie crumbles)
lettuce
sharp cheddar cheese
tomatoes
salsa

Just cook the veggie beef in a little bit of olive oil for a few minutes until warm and mix in with the other ingredients. See guys, being a vegetarian isn't so hard after all ;)

cream cheese pinwheels

ingredients:

whole grain tortilla bread
cream cheese (i prefer onion and chive)
lettuce
tomatoes

This one is pretty simple guys. Just spread everything onto the tortilla bread, roll it up, and then cut it into little bit sized pieces.