Quinoa Tabbouleh

This tabbouleh surprised me. We want to start eating more quinoa because they say it's so good for you, so I tried this for a side dish and I couldn't tell the difference between this or the couscous version. It was really fresh and nice. This would be a great lunch also.

Quinoa Tabbouleh

Creamy Broccoli-White Bean Soup

There are two things that I decided I would do from now on after making this wonderful soup, I would always make my own vegetable broth and only use local Texas Olive Oil. That, with the pine nuts, made such a difference!

Creamy Broccoli-White Bean Soup

Viva La Fiesta Vegetarian Taco Salad

This was a great summer dish. Nice and light!

Viva La Fiesta Vegetarian Taco Salad

One Pot Pasta

I've learned by now never to underestimate Martha. I used to scoff at her perfect domestication persona in my youth, but not anymore. She is now a go-to for recipes and has really neat stuff in her magazines.  So, I saw this on Pinterest and in her latest magazine and made it the other night. You can do a lot with it and it is so easy. As usual, I had to season it up, but in a pinch this is a good one. We also substituted regular pasta for quinoa pasta for gluten free and it was just as good.

One Pot Pasta

Sauté Collard Greens with Tomatoes

I bought some collard greens from the community market. I think this guy grew them in his yard. He said they were "beyond organic". I have a sentimental spot for collard greens because they are a staple food in Africa and they know how to make them! I found this recipe I wanted to do because it is stir fry, so you won't lose so much of all the good nutrients in there. While we were eating, the hubby asked if I was going to add these to the blog. Score! They are blog worthy!

Sauté Collard Greens with Tomatoes

Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells with a Lemon Sage Brown Butter Sauce

This meal would have been really successful if the shells hadn't overcooked a bit in the oven. The directions are brief, so they don't explain how to not let this happen, but maybe you know! I switched out ricotta for the vegan ricotta I found at the store, added some other veggies, along with chopped, toasted walnuts and this was really good. The crispy sage in the butter (margarine) was so good! I love having fresh herbs from our garden. This dinner ended up being about 70% local from our community market, so that felt nice also.

Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells with a Lemon Sage Brown Butter Sauce

Baked Avocado Salsa

This was another quick and easy, but really delicious side. I didn't have any salsa, so I just cut up grape tomatoes and it worked fine!

Baked Avocado Salsa

Garbanzo Bean and Tomato Soup

I love this cookbook! So far everything I have made out of it has been really good. One of my favorite and easiest recipes out of here is the simple and flavorful Garbanzo Bean and Tomato Soup. The author has posted the recipe online here. Don't forget to heat the garlic and herbs first. I think this is what really makes that extra level of flavor.

Garbanzo Bean and Tomato Soup

Pesto Genovese

Only two things survived in our garden last year, basil and okra, and they were prolific! We had 5 bountiful basil plants, which gave us mountains to make this wonderful pesto with. I love pesto and I make this one all the time. Sun dried tomatoes really add to the flavor.

Pesto Genovese

Mushroom and Spinach Pockets (Vegan)

I really like using phyllo dough to make tasty pockets of goodness. This vegan mushroom and spinach pocket turned out well. I think if you are not vegan, ricotta or feta would be a good substitute for the tofu. But the tofu didn't bother me in this one. I would probably add more spinach to this and I do have a non-vegan recipe very similar to this one that I like better, but this was a good vegan option. I'll add the non-vegan one a little later.

Mushroom and Spinach Pockets (Vegan)

Sweet Roasted Rosemary Acorn Squash

I haven't posted anything in awhile because nothing has really been worthy or found to be a keeper. Finally, tonight we tried acorn squash for the first time and really enjoyed this recipe with it's brown sugar paste. I did substitute the chili powder with cinnamon and a little nutmeg.

Sweet Roasted Rosemary Acorn Squash

3 Bean Chili and Cornbread

This chili looks and tastes better than the picture from the blog I got it on, but it's a great blog and we really like this veggie chili. This is my go-to chili recipe! I haven't made the cornbread on this blog, but I did make cornbread from an Arrowhead mix.

3 Bean Veggie Chili

Update: I felt this chili came out a bit bland tonight. Talking it over with the hubby, we agreed that veggie chorizo or sausage would have added more flavor.

Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Orzo with Grilled Vegetables

Sometimes just a quick google search can really take a dinner to the next level. I just wanted to grill some vegetables with orzo pasta, but felt it might need a little something extra. All it took was a sun dried tomato type pesto mixed in with the pasta and wahla! You can't really go wrong with any pesto in my book. This is why I'll be posting lots of pesto recipes. We do a lot of pesto. Especially when the basil in the garden is in full effect. I could eat it every day.

Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Orzo

I grilled asparagus, red, yellow or orange bell peppers, small onions and grape tomatoes with salt and pepper. Put it on top of the orzo and finished with a splash of lemon.

Gluten Free & Vegan Butternut Squash Pot Pie

As I continue on my search for the most delicious pot pie, we tried this one tonight and really liked it! The garbanzo beans make a big difference over navy beans and goes nicely with the butternut squash. I  also used puff pastry this time instead of what it called for or biscuit dough. Good stuff!

Gluten Free & Vegan Butternut Squash Pot Pie

Chickpea Pot Pie

So, I love pot pies. I plan on sneaking away and trying the new Kentucky Fried Chicken Pot Pie when no one is looking, but for now it is veggie pot pies in this family! I have found a couple good ones. We had this one tonight, but I switched out the Garbanzo beans for Navy. I also usually switch the puff pastry for biscuit dough. Next time, I'm going to try it with the original Garbanzo beans. I think the Navy beans didn't have enough taste and it all didn't knock my socks off, but I'll keep trying with the pot pies, because who doesn't love a pot pie!
Chickpea Pot Pie

This one was pretty good also.
Veggie Pot Pie

Antipasti Pizza

These were great for party food and you can make so many different types of pizza, but these antipasti were really good. I bought pre-made dough from the freezer section at Sprouts and it worked fine.
Antipasti Pizza

Mini Banana Cakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

These are so good! I have made these a few times and could eat them all up. I usually just put them in muffin tins and add a little lemon juice to the cream cheese frosting for a little extra somethin'. I'll keep making these.
Mini Banana Cakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Tuscan Bean Soup

I made this awhile ago, but remember liking it a lot. I think I really like recipes that include white beans.
Tuscan Bean Soup

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Grapes with Walnuts

My husband didn't think he liked Brussels Sprouts before this recipe.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Grapes with Walnuts

Roasted Red Pepper Pesto and Penne

I have made this a few times now and it is another quick and easy meal. I like to add more to the pesto to give it more flavor. My favorite is to add toasted walnuts both in the pesto and crumbled on top. But lots of experimentation can be done here!
Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

Chorizo and White Bean Stew

As is typical around our house, 6 pm came quickly and I had not thought about dinner, even though I just returned from the grocery store. Good thing I picked up the latest Bon Appetit in the check-out line! After I flipped through the first few pages, this recipe popped out at me because I knew I had veggie chorizo in the fridge that needed to be used before it went bad. It definitely would not be the same as the yummy sausage in the picture, but it turned out really well and was very quick to throw together!

Of course, after making the impulsive magazine buy, I searched and found it on their web site. Enjoy!
Chorizo and White Bean Stew

A New Purpose

I tried to start a blog years ago that would be about different stuff that I came across and liked or found useful. I found it overwhelmingly time consuming and with a young son, I just couldn't keep it going. So this blog is being repurposed, mainly for my own use, but if other people find it helpful that is great also!

Though I find myself pinning many recipes on Pinterest, I find the best ones are from magazines that I pick up at the check-out line in grocery stores. Something on the cover catches my eye and I throw it on the pile of food to be bought. I try and keep track of the good ones, but through the various books, websites, magazines, etc. I always forget the ones we liked and the ones that didn't work.

What I want to do here is have one place I can come to and find the recipes easily. I'm sure there is an app for this already. Most recipes will be vegetarian or vegan, since my husband is vegan. I have substituted meat or dairy in some recipes for a vegan option. I'll leave the original and add my optional changes. I'll also make sure and give credit to all publications these recipes come from or the original web source as best as I can. I might add other things of interest as well if I have time, but we'll see how it goes!