Some Dinner Recipe Favorites

I have not been inspired to blog recently, but my friend Bridget often posts her meal plans so I am inspired to post some of my favorite recipes.

"Spicy peanut pasta" this recipe is from the magazine Cooking Light and also in my cookbook from them (their website also has lots of recipes). This recipe is delicious and fast. Note: you absolutely must use an all natural peanut butter for this to be tasty. Nothing with added sugar, etc. We also make a few amendments: we use sauteed firm tofu cubes instead of shrimp, and we do not add any salt, chopped peanuts, cilantro or lime. The green onions are also optional. We also often add more cucumber and bell pepper.

Butternut squash lasagna this is also from Cooking Light. It's more time consuming, but can be prepped in advance of cooking, and makes tons of yummy leftovers that also freeze well. The parsley is optional I am not a fan of eating much dairy, so I usually substitute mashed tofu for some or all of the ricotta.

 Veggie Gumbo, serve with rice. Technically not a gumbo since we don't make a roux, but it does taste like it. Also makes lots of yummy leftovers.
1 small green pepper chopped
1 small red pepper chopped
3 celery ribs chopped
1 medium onion chopped
2 c. okra chopped (I usually prefer frozen precut)
2 cloves garlic minced
1 Tbsp veg. oil
3 c. broth
1/2 Tbsp no salt cajun spice (double if salted)
1/2 tsp salt (omit if adding salted cajun spice)
2 soysausage patties, cut into small pieces (optional)

1. Sautee peppers and onions in oil in a medium pot.
2. Add okra and celery and saute until tender, then add garlic and saute another 1 min.
3. Add broth, spices and soysausage, cover and simmer.

To me this recipe is like chili, you can cook it as long as you want or eat it quick.

For homemade no salt Cajun Seasoning:
2 Tbsp white pepper
2 Tbsp black pepper
2 Tbsp onion powder
2 Tbsp garlic powder
2-4 Tbsp cayenne
2 Tbsp paprika
Optional-2 Tbsp thyme, oregano

Note: most cajun spices are about 1/2 salt, so if you use this for other recipes you want to cut the amount of seasoning in half! Otherwise burn your tongue.


Beans and Rice-I use a pressure cooker but if you don't have one, it will cook in about twice the time (it may also require a little more liquid to account for water loss). I usually double the recipe to make lots of leftovers.
1/3 cup black beans, soaked
1/3 cup black-eyed peas, soaked
2/3 cup brown rice
1 large green pepper, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp thyme
2 1/4 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes chopped
2 oz veggie sausage (optional)
1 Tbsp veg oil (double if no sausage)
cayenne, salt and pepper to taste
(we use low sodium broth and then add 1/4 -1/2 tsp salt)

1. sautee vegetables until soft in pressure cooker.
2. add garlic and thyme, cook 1 min.
3. add all other ingredients, stir and place on lid.
4. heat on medium heat to high pressure. Reduce heat to stabilize pressure.
Cook: 24 min brown rice. If using white rice, cook 16 min.
5. release pressure by running cold water over cover. Let stand, covered but unlocked, 5 min.

Notes: Can use jalepenos instead of cayenne. If you add extra vegetables, you need to reduce the amount of broth added.

 Broccoli Rice Casserole-This recipe is from the cookbook The Compassionate Cook. While it is a PETA cookbook, it is one of the least "stuck up" vegetarian cookbooks I've found. What I mean by that is it doesn't call for a lot of weird ingredients or call for a million different preparations to complete the recipe. And the recipes are usually tasty too! Being a casserole this particular recipe does take prep work. I usually steam the broccoli in the microwave and use instant brown rice. I also add tempeh for protein. In spite of not having cheese, the nutritional yeast makes it taste cheesy. I omit the salt, especially since I am usually using salted margarine or butter.