St Patty's Cabbage Rolls

I know this post is late but, better late than never, right?  I made this recipe for St. Patrick's Day.  As you know, I love finding recipes that normally contain meat and switching them to vegetarian/vegan friendly recipes.  This year I decided to give cabbage rolls a try. 

These are super simple and made from mostly packaged things.  In a way this is truly a thaw and dump recipe. 

Vegetarian Low Carb Cabbage Rolls

1 head cabbage (20-25 good sized leaves)
2 bags meatless crumbles (I used Quorn)
2 bags cauliflower rice
2 T minced garlic
1 lb mushrooms, diced
1 large onion, diced

Pasta sauce recipe
4 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
2 T Italian seasoning

Directions

1. Thaw meatless crumbles and cauliflower rice
2. Sauté mushrooms, onions, and garlic
3. Mix together, set aside to cool
4. Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil
5. Separate cabbage leaves, place 3-5 leaves at a time in boiling water for approximately 4 minutes
6. Set aside to cool
7. preheat oven to 350
8. Place tomatoes and paste in blender.  Blend until smooth
9. Put in medium pot add seasoning and simmer for 15-30 minutes
10. Place 2-3 ladles of sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish.
11. Place cabbage leaf on the cutting board so it forms a cup.  Place a scoop of veggie meat, cauliflower combination in the leaf and roll like a burrito. Put each roll seam side down on sauce{follow link for burrito rolling directions HERE}
12. After all the rolls are done, ladle more sauce on top, cover with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes, until hot and sauce is bubbly. 

Frozen Soup

You probably know that dinners in my house aren't your average dinners.  They're a bit odd.  They're quick, don't take much time or work, and are scheduled about a month in advance.

Sometimes I run into problems with my planned dinner.  I sometimes don't want it, or I don't have enough time to make it.  Occasionally, we'll be running late for whatever reason and I know the kids won't be able to wait for the dinner I had planned so, I make something else.

This recipe I'm going to share with you is great.  I figured it out while I was dealing with wisdom tooth pain.  {one of the worst pains ever!}  I really wanted soup but, every time I try and make a soup and I don't let it simmer for at least 45 minutes it tastes like water with vegetables.  Not good. I really don't have that much time when I get home from dance or karate.  I have 20 minutes.

I figured out 2 tricks to make a quick, gluten free, vegetarian, tasty, healthy, vegetable soup.  This soup is great because you can choose any vegetables you'd like.  The first time I used peas, carrots, and fresh spinach.  The second time I used, peas, carrots, broccoli, spinach, onions, and bell peppers.

Trick #1 -- switch out your fresh vegetables for frozen.  This will cut down on cooking time.

Trick #2 -- Puree your soup!  This makes all the flavors come together.

Quick Veggie Soup

Ingredients
1 qt vegetable stock
4 bags of frozen vegetables

Directions

1. Place vegetables in a pot and cover with stock.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Place in blender {do this in batches if you need to} and puree until smooth

I make big batches of this.  It doesn't have alot of calories so you can eat a ton of it.  I also like to add chunks of veggie chicken for protein.  Beans would probably be a good addition too.

What veggies do you think would be good in this?  Do you have a quick goto dinner?

Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving is coming soon!  Actually we only have 2 weeks until the big day!  This is normally about the time that people start thinking about their menus.  I'm not going to lie.  I'm not going extravagant this year.  I'm actually going a bit unusual.  

This year for dinner we are doing a vegetarian "beefless" stew, stuffing, gravy and a pumpkin pie.  I have never actually made a pumpkin pie.  Is that weird??!!?? I feel like it's weird.  Every year since 2010 we have had a pumpkin cheesecake.  Before then we would either go to my family's house for dinner or we'd buy the pie.  This year I decided to make a fat free crustless pumpkin pie.  It's not going to be completely crustless.  I'm making the crust on the side so that the kids can dunk it in the filling.  It also gives me a reason to teach Sunny how to make a pie crust.  

Here are all my recipes.  Beefless stew, stuffing and pie.  Enjoy!  

Beefless Stew

Serves: 6 to 8 (makes about 10 cups)

Ingredients

• 1½ large yellow or white onions, chopped into ¾-inch pieces
• 3 ribs celery, chopped into ¾-inch pieces
• 3 medium carrots, sliced lengthwise and cut into ¾-inch pieces
• 2 portabella mushrooms (about ½ pound), cut into ¾-inch pieces
• 1½ tablespoon finely chopped garlic (5 to 6 cloves)
• 5 cups water
• 2 pounds Sweet potatoes cut into ¾-inch pieces
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon dried Italian herb blend
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1½ cups green peas (if frozen, thaw first)
• ½ cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
• Ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat a large soup pot on high with 1 tablespoon of water. When the water begins to sputter, add the onion, celery, and carrot, and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently as the edges of the onion browns slightly, and adding a little water as needed to prevent sticking.
2. Stir in the mushrooms and garlic, and continue to cook while stirring for an additional 5 minutes, adding water as needed.
3. Add the 5 cups of water, potatoes, tomato paste, dried Italian herbs, and paprika. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a low boil. Stir in the rosemary and cook covered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the peas, and cook for 5 minutes more, or until the carrots and potatoes are tender.
4. Place 2 cups of the stew (broth and vegetables) into a blender, and blend under very smooth. Stir this back into the pot to thicken the stew, and stir in the parsley. Serve with a few twists of ground black pepper and, if you like, add a small sprig of rosemary as garnish.

{The stew recipe was taken from: Straight Up Food}

Stuffing

Approx. 18 slices of whole wheat or whole grain bread, cubed
1 cup of onions, diced
2 cups of celery, sliced small
1 T poultry seasoning
1 T ground sage
1/2 cup egg substitute or egg whites
1 cup veggie broth


Directions

1. Saute onions and celery until soft (if you're using regular non-vegetarian sausage you want to cook it too at this point)
2. Place all ingredients in a big bowl and mix together (use your hands, it works the best. Don't be afraid to get messy!)
3. Place in a baking pan and cover with tin foil. 
4. Put into a 325 degree oven for 30 minutes
5. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes until golden brown.

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup egg substitute (equal to 2 eggs)
1 can (15 oz.) 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 can (12 fl. oz.) Fat Free evaporated milk

Directions

1. Spray pan or dish with nonstick spray
2. Mix dry ingredients together in a small bowl.  
3. In a separate bowl whisk together eggs and pumpkin.  Add in dry ingredients.  
4. Gradually stir in fat free evaporated milk.
5. Pour into pan/dish and bake according to list below

Baking Times

9-inch-round glass pie dish: 325° F; bake for 55 to 60 minutes
10-inch-round glass pie dish: 325° F; bake for 45 to 50 minutes

8-inch-round cake pan: 350º F; bake for 45 to 50 minutes
9-inch-round cake pan: 350° F; bake for 35 to 40 minutes

8-inch-square baking pan: 350º F; bake for 45 to 50 minutes
8-inch-square glass baking dish: 325º F; 55 to 60 minutes

9-inch-square baking pan: 350º F; bake for 35 to 40 minutes

11 x 7-inch glass baking dish: 325º F; bake for 45 to 50 minutes

13 x 9-inch baking pan: 350° F; bake for 35 to 40 minutes
13 x 9-inch glass baking dish: 325° F; bake for 40 to 45 minutes


Cooking for a crowd?  You can make a bigger crustless pie in a 13 x 9 dish!

13 x 9 Pie
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. salt
1 cup egg subsitute (equal to 4 eggs)
1 (29-oz.) can pumpkin
2 (12-oz.) cans fat free evaporated milk


Baking Times
13 x 9-inch baking pan: 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes
13 x 9-inch glass baking dish: 325° F; bake for 60 to 65 minutes



Do you make "unusual" dishes for Thanksgiving?  What are they?  Tell me below!

Free Pancakes

You read correctly.  Free pancakes!  Pancakes free of gluten, fat and animal products.  I have to let you know, these still contain flavor.  They are loaded with flavor!

I've been trying to stay away from wheat flour.  I don't consider myself gluten free because it's only wheat that I have cut out of my diet.  I personally don't like the way I feel after eating flour.  But, I do occasionally still indulge in a wheat flour pizza or a slice of bread.

My cheat meals are normally loaded with carbs.  The main three dinners on my cheat day (Tuesday) are pizza, pancakes, and sandwiches.  I decided I wanted pancakes and I wanted to try something new.  I knew right away that I wanted to try gluten free pancakes.

I love trying new culinary things.  Whether it's a food, or a recipe, or a new food in a new recipe.  It's one of the things that excites me these days.  The girls and I went to the Asian grocery in town the other day because we needed seaweed for sushi nite (Sunny's favorite dinner.)  Whenever we goto the Asian store I always look at the fruits and vegetables.  They always have the best prices.  The cheapest vegetables can always be found at the famers market and the asian grocery stores.  I picked up a purple sweet potato.  I had never seen one before.  I've had white sweet potatoes, various shades of orange but, never purple.  When I cooked it I was shocked at how deep the purple was.  Take a look for yourself.

 Isn't that gorgeous??!!??  I knew that this sweet potato needed to be the purple in my rainbow pancakes.  {Just so you know, all the other colors were made with food coloring.  Next time I plan on using various fruits and vegetables to make my rainbow}.  I mostly followed the package directions.  I had to alter it a bit to compensate for the sweet potato.

In addition to making these pancakes gluten free, I wanted to make them vegan.  I made an egg replacer using chia seeds.  1 T of chia seeds and 3 T of liquid equals 1 egg.  

These are my finished pancakes.  Clockwise from the left:  Rainbow, blue, purple (the sweet potato ones), red, green, and yellow.

Fat Free Gluten Free Vegan Pancakes

Ingredients
1.5 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pancake mix
.25 cup sugar
.5 cup purple sweet potato puree* (orange or white would be fine too)
1 T chia seeds
1.25 cup non-dairy milk

Directions

1. In a medium bowl mix together pancake mix and sugar.
2. In a separate bowl stir together milk, chia seeds and sweet potato puree and let sit for 10-15 minutes
3. Mix pototo mixture into dry mix
4. Cook according to package directions (I use an electric griddle and set it to 375-400, use a quarter cup to measure the batter and cook pancakes for 3-4 minutes on each side)

**To make sweet potato puree-- wrap potato in tin foil and bake in a 400 degree oven for 45-90 minutes until soft.  Cut open potato and scoop out the flesh.**

What fruits/veggies would you use to color your rainbow pancakes?  Let me know!

Veggie Nachos. Sneaky Sneaky

Inevitably the kids gets hungry 10-15 minutes before dinner.  Don't you love when that happens??  It's always nice to have a recipe that is super quick and will subdue the hungry troops when dinner is taking longer than expected.  

Even with appetizers I like them to be nutritionally well rounded.  Canned vegetables are great to keep on hand to add to your dishes.  The one thing that bugs me about canned vegetables is the amount of space they take up.  My pantry is pretty small and with a family of 5 it's normally pretty packed.  

Trying to keep lots of cans in my pantry is like trying to keep a toddler still.  It's difficult.  That's the nice thing about Libby's new line of Vegetable Pouches.  They are a time saving solution for healthier meals.  Libby's is introducing 5 vegetables, sliced carrots, sweet peas, cut green eans, mixed vegetables and sweet corn.  They are all shelf-stable and microwaveable.  They don't take up as mich space as cans.  1 can takes up as much room as 2 or 3 pouches.  This new line is great for some other reasons too.

1. The packaging is microwavable and cooks in less than 1 minute {Gotta love quick foods!} 
2. It's flexible and has no sharp edges  {Great when you have a young child who wants to help}
3. They won't dent {Which means you'll never have an issue opening them}
4. They stand up {No rolling away}
5. Environmentally friendly:  Uses 75% less energy to produce ouch packaging.  Waste is easily compressed, which reduced home disposal and landfills {Love saving Mother Earth}
6. Easy-to-open, easy-to-carry {great when you're juggling a baby and dinner}
7. Packaging made with BPA non-intent materials

They will be rolling out in select Walmarts this fall and will be available nationwide in January.  

Libby's challenged me to create a dish that takes less than 10 minutes using their new Vegetable Pouches.  I received free samples of Libby's new Vegetable Pouches and by posting this recipe I am eligible to win prizes associated with this contest.  I was not compensated for my time.   

So back to my hungry kids.  One of their favorite appetizers is nachos.  These nachos are packed with vitamins and minerals.

Veggie Packed Nachos
Ingredients
1 cup of cheese sauce/1 cup of shredded reduced fat cheese
1 cup of salsa
1 package of Libby's Vegetable Pouch Sweet Corn
1 package of Libby's Vegetable Pouch Cut Green Beans
1 package of Libby's Vegetable Pouch Sweet Peas
Tortilla chips (store bought or homemade)
Fat Free Sour Cream (optional)
Sliced Jalapenos (optional)
Directions

1. In a microwavable bowl put the cheese sauce or cheese and the salsa.  Microwave on high 2-4 minutes, stirring every 20-60 seconds until the cheese melts.
2. Heat the Libby's Vegetable Pouches Sweet Corn, Cut Green Beans and Sweet Peas according to the package directions, drain and add to the cheese, salsa mixture.
3. Stir to coat the vegetables with the cheese sauce.
4. Place a layer of tortilla chips on a plate, pour half the cheese sauce over chips, place another layer of chips, then the rest of the cheese sauce.  Top with sour cream and jalapenos if you want.

In under 10 minutes you have a healthy appetizer that will make the whole family happy.

Do you have any 10 minute recipes that your family loves?

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