Weddingbee boards

We are not vegetarian or vegan but we are interested in cutting out some animal products, to what extent, I don't know yet so we've been trying various items in the stores as well as trying out different recipes.

If you have a recipe, please feel free to pass it on :)

I've tried a few recipes from lesliesarna.com

Yes we eat fish, although we are trying to stay away from shellfish as soon as we finish the stash of shrimp in the freezer.  DH is wanting to go Kosher, slowly.  So I'm trying to incorporate that as well.

Thank you for the blog posts!  There is SO much information out there so we are trying to sub "meat" for meat in some meals and learning how to make those completely meatless.

Another recipe we love that I got from a friend: Lentil Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

1 cup lentils, 4 cups water, 1 Tablespoon olive oil, 1 medium yellow onion (diced small), 1 green pepper (diced small), 2 cloves garlic (minced), 4 teaspoons chili powder, 2 teaspoons oregano (dry), 1 teaspoon salt, 8oz can tomato sauce, 1/4 cup tomato paste (or about half a 6 oz can), 3 Tablespoons brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons vinegar (I use cider vinegar), 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard.

Instructions:

Put lentils in pot with 4 cups water. Cover and boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer about 20-25 minutes until soft (longer if necessary). Drain any excess liquid and set aside.

10 minutes before lentils are done - preheat olive oil in large pan over medium heat. Saute onion and pepper in oil for about 7 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and saute 1 minute more.

Add lentils, chili powder, oregano, and salt, and mix well.

Add tomato sauce and tomato paste, ground mustard, brown sugar and vinegar - cook for ten minutes on low.

Let flavors meld for about 10 minutes before serving (plenty of time to toast some buns!). Enjoy! :)

If you find it too sweet, cut back on the brown sugar a bit or increase the chili powder.

@Tunacupcakes:  How are you liking GF?  I am GF, DF, Wheat Free and Yeast Free... Not by choice. :P  

@nyebride:  http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/  This is a vegan website that I am on often.  It is also GF, but there are still a TON of great recipies aren't even involving flour on there!

Delicious.....vegan and gluten free!

African Peanut Stew:

1 onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
2 1/4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
2 14.5 ounce cans chopped tomatoes
2 14.5 ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 pound green beans, cut in 1 inch pieces (fresh or frozen)
1 ½ cups vegetable broth
¼ cup natural peanut butter

1. In 6-quart pressure cooker, heat over medium heat until hot. Add onion, jalapenos, and 2 tbsp. water and cook about 8 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally and adding water if needed. Stir in ginger, garlic, cumin, salt, cinnamon, crushed red pepper, and coriander, and cook 1 minute, stirring.

2. To onion mixture in pressure cooker, add tomatoes with their juice, sweet-potato chunks, chickpeas, broth, and peanut butter. Following manufacturer’s directions, cover pressure cooker, bring up to pressure, and cook under pressure 5 minutes. Quick-release pressure as manufacturer directs.

3. Add green beans to pressure cooker. Return to heat and cook, covered, until beans are done, about 10 minutes. Or, return cooker to high pressure and cook for one minute. Quick-release pressure and add additional seasoning as needed.

Regular stove-top directions:

Place 1/3 cup water, onion, jalapenos, ginger and garlic in a large pot. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Add cumin, cinnamon, salt, red pepper and coriander. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Add sweet potatoes, tomatoes, chickpeas, green beans, vegetable broth, and peanut butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

Gluten-Free recipes...interesting!!

The reason we want to cut out more meat out of our diet is that we watched the Barabra Walters show about heart issues with David Letterman, Bill Clinton, etc. and cutting down on meat helped them reduce their cholestorol, which we both have a problem with.  Milk...GAH!  DH drinks it like he breathes air!  We've been trying milk alternatives to find one we like. 

@o0olibelulao0o:  We are drinking Almond Breeze right now.  It's pretty tasty.  Next up is Rice Dreams.  I've heard about the soy and I believe that at least the almond is soy free.

@Looopy:  What could be better than chocolate and mint?  Not much, haha.  We were planning on picking up some tofu this weekend but there were SO many kinds and firmness levels that I had no idea which one we needed.  So silken tofu is a brand but what texture works best?  It's funny you mention honey.  DH asked me if you are vegan, can you eat honey? 

I *LOVE* this recipe for veggie lasagna.  I made it for lunch one day when we had friends over, and every single person had seconds.  Best part is, you can add more veggies if you want, or change it up if you don't like what the recipe calls for.

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/cheesy-vegetable-lasagna/Detail.aspx

I saw this recipe for Braised White Beans with Zucchini, Tomatoes, and Potatoes yesterday and thought it looked awesome: http://www.crumblycookie.net/2011/02/23/braised-white-beans-with-zucchini-tomatoes-and-potatoes/

Black Bean Burgers:

Drain and rinse one can of black beans. Mash them with a fork or potato masher. Add in cilantro, oatmeal, applesauce, and salt (I can't remember the amounts off the top of my head but I can post them if anyone is interested). Form into patties. Dredge in a flour and cornmeal mixture. Cook in a few tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.

Spinach & Shells Soup is another favorite--you can use vegetable broth, "No Chicken Broth", or fake chicken bouillion. There is a similar recipe on Annie's Eats for Tortellini Soup

3 cups of broth
1 boullion cube
1 garlic clove, minced
14 oz can stewed tomatoes, cut up (buy the Italian style ones!)
1 cup small shells pasta (or use a second can of beans instead of pasta)
14 oz can cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup fresh spinach
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp pepper
 
Pour chicken broth, boullion cube, garlic, tomatoes, and pasta into a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook 5-7 minutes or until pasta is nearly done. Add in beans, spinach, oregano, basil, and pepper. Simmer covered for 10 minutes

Crock Pot Tamale Pie:

http://kristakooks.blogspot.com/2010/02/crock-pot-tamale-pie.html

We also really like using Morningstar Farms Crumbles as a meat substitute in spaghetti, Taco Filled Pasta Shells (Taste of Home recipe), and chilis. Good luck!

@Looopy:  I was able to make this on Monday and it is now DH's 2nd favorite pie!  As we were going over our shopping list he said he wanted enough stuff to make two pies (we are supposed to have company tonight): 1 so we can eat it before they get here and the other so we can share with them.  "I'm not kidding.  I want 2 pies."  So 2 pies it is, LOL.  One will be with mint chocolate chips and the other will be with peanut butter chips. 

@JenniBride:  Thanks for that link, we will be checking it out.

@lampshade127:  I've attempted to make black bean burgers in the past (or was it eggplant burgers?) and they did not come out very well but I'm going to give them a shot with this recipe!  DH is loving finding recipes where he can swap the Morningstar meat with.  We have 4 bags in one our freezers right now.

@knitting:  Thanks for that link.  I've heard about her energy balls but didn't realize she had so many other recipes.

For the peanut butter chocolate pie we used 1 3/4 cups peanut butter chips and 1/4 chocolate chips and Kahlua.  It took more than 2 hours to set but it is pretty dang good.