Bloom Everyday
Inspiration for Healthy Living.Archive for vegetarian
Super Easy Burritto Filling
Mexican food is a weekly staple in our household. Mark and I love enchiladas, nachos, taco salad…we always have the ingredients in! I made these burritos the first time for my husband (then boyfriend) in college. My family loves, his family loves them. This is my fool proof recipe that is delicious anytime of year when the Mexican food craving hits. Plus it’s super simple!
What You Will Need:
small onion, chopped
garlic, 3 cloves, diced
corn, 1/3 cup
green pepper, 1/3 cup
jalapeno, 1/2 of medium, chopped
olives, sliced, 1/4 cups
refried, black, or pinto beans, 1 can
1/4 cup salsa (or fresh tomatoes if you have them)
cumin, 2 teaspoons
chili powder, 2 teaspoons
garlic powder, 1 teaspoon
basil, 2 teaspoons
tarragon, 1 teaspoon
parsley, 2 teaspoons
oregano, 1 teaspoon
hot sauce, to taste
oil
salt & pepper
buritto makings as needed (tortilla, cheese, spinach)
1. In a large pan, heat a little bit of oil and add onions. Cook until slightly tranlucent. Throw in the garlic and saute until you smell it. Then quickly add in the corn, pepper, jalapeno, and olives to prevent in from burning the garlic. Throw in some salt and pepper. Cook until veggies are soft but still have a “crunch”.
Isn’t this little guy cute? He’s from our garden:
2. Next add in the beans, salsa, and all the seasoning through the oregano. Let the flavors marry together.
Add some hot sauce to kick up the spice!
3. Create your self a delish burrito and enjoy!
– Katie @ BloomEveryday
Chocolate Pudding Treat
I often get a craving for chocolate, just like the next girl. I think that it is an unspoken rule that I need to eat chocolate once a day – it is just the way things were meant to be. 🙂 I wanted to satisfy my chocolate cravings, with a guilt-free dessert.
Thank goodness for sugar-free chocolate pudding! Here is a quick idea for a simple, chocolate dessert for one (or as many as you need). Perfect for my mid-evening chocolate cravings!
What you will need:
1 pudding cup (sugar-free chocolate pudding)
2 Tbsp Peanut Butter Cup cereal (or your favorite cereal)
1 Tbsp jam (I use raspberry)
2 Tbsp Fat Free Whipped Topping
In a small ramekin place cereal on bottom (this acts like a crust for your dessert). Add chocolate pudding and jam. Top with whipped topping.
The perfect chocolate treat! Your imagination is the limit – peanut butter would be delish too!
-Heather @ BloomEveryday
Perfect Zucchini Muffins
I recently acquired a lot of zucchini. And I have always been wary of zucchini bread – it’s always soggy and uber-sweet. However, I have created a zucchini muffin that I (and my husband) absolutely adore! They have less sugar (cause I think 1 cup of sugar in one loaf is a little excessive!).
He’s a happy muffin. 🙂
What You Will Need:
flour, 1 and 1/2 cups
baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon
baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon
salt, hefty dash
cinnamon, 1 teaspoon + 1/4 teaspoon
nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon
egg, beaten well
sugar, 1/2 cup
zucchini, finely shredded, 1 and 1/4 cups
canola oil, a little less than 1/4 cup
1. In a large bowl, shift together flour through nutmeg. In a medium bowl, mix together well the egg though oil.
2. At once, add all the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix together well until just combine, it will be lumpy. Don’t over work the batter.
3. Pour into a muffin pan will liners (or greased and floured well).
4. Bake in 350 degree over for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
They are perfect for packing lunches or for an after dinner treat! They are better-for-you baked good, so whip up a batch tonight.
– Katie @ BloomEveryday
Easy Pan Fried Pasta
Remember when I made stuffed shells? Well, I had some left over shells that I needed to make something with. Growing up, this was a staple in our household! My mom would make us fried pasta with the leftovers either for lunch or for dinner later that week. You can make this recipe just with the pasta alone, or do what I do, and add whatever leftover veggies you have in the fridge or frozen in the freezer.
What you will need:
Leftover pasta, in red sauce
oil
salt & pepper
tomato sauce, if needed
parm cheese, finely ground
veggies, optional
1. In a large skillet, heat some oil on medium-high heat.
2. Add your leftover pasta to the pan, add more sauce if needed. Add in veggies if desired. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
Do not move too much, you want your pasta to get a nice golden brown color on the bottom.
3. Lastly, add some parm cheese on top.
4. You’re done! Easy dinner in minutes.
My hubby and I love this easy dish, we hope you do too!
– Katie @ BloomEveryday
Sweet Pepper Polenta Lasagna
I had some polenta in my fridge, so I decided to get creative in the kitchen and make some good for you comfort food! This is a delicious recipe; full of tasty, rich (but fresh) flavors! And good for you too, it’s almost guilt-free.
Polenta is naturally fat-free and a great substitue for pasta. I had found an amazing deal on the organic polenta (only $1.50 a log!) that I couldn’t pass up. So this is what I created…What you will need:
1 log of polenta (I had sun-dried tomato flavor), sliced thin
Jar of your favorite red sauce
3/4 cup frozen mixed sweet peppers, diced
1 cup frozen broccoli pieces
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 cup of part-skim ricotta
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
1/4 grated Pecorino cheese, plus 1/8 for top
Pepper & Salt
Drizzle of Olive Oil
To Create Veggie Sauce Filling:
To Create Ricotta Cheese Filling:
Combine the ricotta cheese, italian seasoning, pepper, and 1/4 cup Percorino cheese in a bowl until well mixed. Set aside
To Assemble Lasagna:
Coat the bottom of a 8×8 glass pan with remaining red sauce . Layer the sliced polenta in the sauce, then drop small spoonfuls of ricotta cheese around pan, cover with layer of veggie sauce. Repeat until the ingredients are used (should be about 3 layers). Sprinkle remaining cheese over top of lasagna.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 – 30 minutes, when sauce is bubbling and cheese is melty. Cut into 9 servings; serve and enjoy!
The best part is, each serving is only about 165 calories! Serve with a big side salad or some tasty, fiber-filled fruit. YUM!
– Katie @ BloomEveryday
Vegetarian Loves ME: Sloppy Joe Edition
Why do meateaters only get to enjoy the sloppiness that is a Sloppy Joe? Tonight, I mentioned making it for my hubby and he was overjoyed. So I decided to get a little creative and make myself a vegetarian version too. Both came out delicious!
Here What You’ll Need:
For the meat version:
ground meat (turkey or beef), 1 pound
roasted red pepper, chopped, 1/2 cup
roasted red pepper canning liquid, 1/8 cup
onion, chopped, 1/2 cup
garlic powder, 3/4 teaspoon
mustard, 2 teaspoons
BBQ Sauce, 2 tablespoons
ketchup, 3/4 cups
brown sugar, 3 teaspoons
salt & pepper, to taste
1. In a pot, pour roasted red pepper canning liquid (this will eliminate the need for oil).
2. Brown the meat in the pan with onion and pepper. Drain off any excess liquid.
3. Throw the rest of the ingredients in the pot. Mix well and cook on low heat for 20 more minutes.
4. Place on toasted bun with some cheddar cheese (optional) and let your meateater enjoy!
For the vegetarian version:
black beans, drained/rinsed, 1 can
roasted red pepper, chopped, 1/4 cup
onion, chopped, 1/4 cup
garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon
mustard, 2 teaspoons
BBQ Sauce, 1 tablespoons
ketchup, 4/8 cups
brown sugar, 2 teaspoons
salt & pepper
sweet potato, chopped, 1/2 cup
1. In a pot, soften the roasted red pepper and onions.
2. Toss beans into the pan to heat through.
3. Throw the rest of the ingredients in the pot. Mix well and cook on low heat for 10 more minutes.
4. Lastly, throw in the sweet potatoes and heat thoroughly (not until mushy).
Mix well.
5. Place on toasted bun with some cheddar cheese (optional) and let your vegetarian enjoy!
Now we can all enjoy the beauty of the sloppy joe!
– Katie @ BloomEveryday
Easy Iced Chai Latte
Surprise, surprise. Today I was actually not in the mood for coffee. Instead, my mom said a few days ago that she was making an iced chai. I thought that sounded wonderful this morning, so here is my version.
You’ll need:
prepare chai tea, chilled.
milk
ice cubes
1. I prepared the chai tea with my Keurig Brewer. But you can do it the old fashioned way with a Chai tea bag and hot water. Steep until your desired strength and then put in the fridge to chill.
2. Add 1/3 to 1/2 ratio of milk to the chilled tea.
Add ice cubes.
3. It’s done! Enjoy the creamy, spiced flavor.
– Katie @ BloomEveryday
Vegetarian Loves ME: Stuffed Shells Edition
Last night was one of those nights where I was tired, had an evergrowing to do list, was short on time, and still hadn’t thought of what to make for dinner. I had a chat with my Nana and she gave me the great idea to make Stuffed Shells.
I still needed to exercise for the day, so I went on a run to our favorite grocery store and picked up some large shells and ricotta cheese.
You’ll need:
> Large Pasta Shells, 1 box
> Your favorite red sauce (like our recipe), as needed
> red pepper flakes, as desired
> Fresh herbs (I used oregano, tarragon, basil), 3 tbsp
> Italian Seasoning, dried, 1 tsp
> Garlic powder, 2 tsp
> frozen broccoli, small dice, 1 1/2 cups
> ricotta cheese, part-skim, small container
> parmesean, shredded, 1/4 cups
> chicken tenders, three
> milk
> bread crumbs
> egg
> flour
> oil
1. In a medium size bowl, mix together the ricotta, herbs, seasoning, broccoli, parmesean, garlic powder, and salt & pepper.
And get this!
2. Cook shells as directed, drain, and then coat with thin layer of pasta sauce to prevent them from sticking together.
3. Place red pepper flakes in the bottom of two baking dishes. Put a thin layer of red sauce on the bottom of the dishes.
4. Fill the shells with the cheese fillings and arrange in baking dishes. Cover the tops with sauce.
5. Place in a 375 degree oven while you prepare the chicken. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces, dip the chicken in a milk and egg mixture. Then coat in the bread crumbs and flour. Cook in oil until golden brown.
6. Pull one of the dishes with the shells out and place the chicken around the dish.
7. Sprinkle some parmesean cheese on cook until bubbly and cheese is melted.
Yum!
– Katie @ BloomEveryday
What is your favorite go-to meal when you cannot think of what to make?
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