What are some ideas for a quick easy home cooked meal for my beautiful vegetarian girlfriend?!
Answers: she had a crap day so I'm going to spoil her..
That's so sweet. I wish my hubby would spoil me! :-) It seems I'm the one spoiling him. Here are a few awesome recipes.
You could rent the dvd Ratatouille and watch it while you eat some ratatouille! :-)http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Ratatouille...
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Addictive-S...
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spanakopita...
Don't eat cheese
Check out some Indian dishes. Yummy stuff, very flavorful, they have a lot of veggie only ones. Samosas are good.
Spinach and ricotta canneloni - recipe as refined by me!
Filling - mix together about 300g ricotta cheese, a clove of crushed garlic, a packet of frozen spinach (thawed, obviously!), and a couple of handfuls of tasty cheese. Combine. Get some fresh lasagne sheets and cut them into smaller rectangles, then put some of this filling along one edge and roll up into little sausage shapes, and line the sausages into the bottom of the dish.
Topping: Combine a can or two of diced tomatoes, some chicken stock powder and/or chicken salt, a bit more garlic, some freshly crushed pepper, and some basil. Pour over the top of the canneloni tubes, top with heaps more cheese, then bake in a moderate oven for 45 minutes.
Serve with crusty garlic bread and a big green salad.
Enjoy! And good on you for being such a sweetheart ; )
awwww.. what a guy! So no time for a nice spinich lasagna & homemade (or even a good jarred sauce)... another time.
I don't know if she's vegan (lasagna would be out), but how about a nice chili. You can get the soy protein crumbles to add for that "meat" consistency, or do without. Servie it with nice, hot crisp rolls or bread and a salad. It's easy to throw together.
A nice angel hair pasta (whole wheat?), with olive oil, fresh crushed garlic & herbs & s&p, and steamed broccoli.. toss it all together. Add a salad. Or use an good prepared Italian sauce. Serve either version with a nice hot Italian bread.
Those are a rew quick ideas. The pasta's really fast. Add a few candles and a bottle of red wine... and you have a simple, but tasty and romantic dinner.
Lasagna, you can't go wrong
fry tofu in a pan with soy sauce and curry and dill.
tofu scramble
open a can of black beans, cook with oil and garlic and onions and salt and pepper. add some sour cream, it comes out really good and creamy, good with rice
make some pasta then cook a sauce with a can of stewed tomatoes or crushed tomatoes and her favorite veggies!
your so sweet! your gf is lucky!
Yay for men who spoil their girls and respect their vegetarian values to boot!
I can tell you a yummy dessert- bananas, strawberries, kiwis and other fruits she enjoys & fruit dip. (1 package cream cheese and 1 jar of fluff blended). It's sooo good.
First off, that's very cool for you to be respecting your girlfriend's vegetarian diet.
Anyways, Spaghetti is a simple, romantic dinner. (See Lady and the Tramp. JK, lol!) Using the noodles and sauce for "regular" spaghetti, you can easily make a vegetarian meal by using tofu instead of meat.
Get some firm or regular tofu and drain it. (Put a pot of water on top of the tofu on a paper towel on a plate.) Then fry it in a little oil(olive is healthier) until it's golden. Add it to the sauce and voilla! Veg Spaghetti!
Lazy and Hungry Tofu plus Broccoli
You're hungry, dammit, and want some Asian-style cuisine pronto. Here's your recipe!
Ingredients
1 teaspoon veggie oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/3 of a 14 oz block extra-firm tofu
1 cup broccoli (approx; I just prepare what I think will feed me)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
sesame seeds (optional)
Directions:
Cut tofu and broccoli into bite-size pieces.
Heat both oils over medium heat in a large skillet. Place tofu pieces in skillet and let cook for 4-5 minutes, or until golden on bottom. Cover for faster cooking.
Flip tofu pieces so that the other side can cook. Add broccoli. Pour soy sauce over tofu and broccoli. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, until broccoli is heated through and tofu is browned on the bottom.
Serve immediately over pasta, noodles, or grain of choice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.
Serves: 1 (2 if you only want a little bit)
Preparation time: 10 minute
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Lentil Burgers in Pita (or Lentil Stew)
Burgers:
1/2 C. dried lentils
1/2 C. uncooked brown rice
1 onion, chopped
1 T. oil
2 C. water
1/2 C. tomato juice
1 T. tamari soy sauce
1 potato, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 carrot, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 C. wheat germ
Oil for browning
3 pita bread rounds, cut into halves
Optional toppings:
Shredded lettuce
Thinly sliced onions
Sliced tomatoes
Catsup
Combine lentils, rice, onion, water, tomato juice, and soy sauce in a 2-quart sauce pan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Add vegetables. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes longer. Mash mixture. Shape into patties, adding additional liquid or a small amount of wheat germ if needed for desired consistency. Coat with remaining wheat germ. Brown in hot oil skillet for 5 minutes on each side. Tuck 1 patty into each pita round. Add toppings of choice. Yield: 6 servings.
Lentil Stew:
If it has been one of those days, call it quits after simmering mixture, omit pita rounds and toppings, and serve lentil stew!
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Mushroom Risotto
There is a lot of stirring involved but the results are creamy and delicious!
Ingredients:
2 cups Arborio rice
8 oz mushrooms, chopped (I use button but any kind will do)
1/2 cup dried shitake mushroom
1 pint vegetable broth
1 large white onion diced
1 clove garlic minced
olive oil
black truffle oil (optional but it really adds a lot)
Directions:
1) Rinse rice under cold water until water runs clear.
2) Heat vegetable broth to a simmer, leave on burner on low heat.
3) Soak dried mushrooms in really hot water, set aside.
4) Sauté mushrooms in olive oil over medium high heat until well cooked, set aside.
5) Sauté onions in olive oil over medium high heat until translucent, add garlic and cook a minute more.
6) Add rinsed rice to onion garlic mushroom and cook for 3-5 minutes over medium heat.
7) Add one ladleful of broth (about 1/2 cup or so) and stir constantly, when broth is absorbed repeat process adding only one ladleful at time. This will take about 20 minutes. If you run out of broth you can use hot water.
Add all the mushrooms (cooked and soaked).
9) Season to taste.
10) Drizzle with truffle oil and serve.
I know there are a lot of steps but they are easy and it is so good. Sometimes I add sun dried tomatoes or asparagus or substitute other types of mushrooms. ENJOY!
Serves: 4-6
Preparation time: 20 prep, 22 cooking time
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Home-Style Apple Crumble
Ingredients
6 baking apples
1 cup oats (any kind)
1 1/2 cups white flour
2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 - 2/3 cups margarine
Directions:
Peel and core apples, and cut into extremely thin slices (the thinner the better).
Mix with approx 1 cup brown sugar (more or less, depending on your taste), coating the apples, and spread mixture evenly in the bottom of a 10 x 13 cake pan.
In a bowl, add oats, flour, remaining cup of brown sugar, baking powder and cinnamon. Stir together well, then gradually add margarine and crumble with fingers until a chunky but not overly crumbly texture is reached (mixture should stick together when pressed firmly).
Place oat topping over the apples, and press together lightly.
Put in preheated 325 degree oven, and bake for about 45 minutes or until top is golden and apples are soft and fully cooked. Serve warm with vegan vanilla ice cream.
You can make more of the oat mixture if you prefer a thicker topping. And there are endless fruit combinations possible, like pears, cranberries, strawberries, raspberries, peaches...
Serves: 6
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Oh, what a sweetie you are!
Here's a fairly easy recipe for tempeh. It's very easy, but there is marinating time, which you can always shorten.
1 package tempeh
1/ 2 cup balsamic vinegar, for marinating
1/4 cup teriyaki or soy sauce, for marinating
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, for sauce
1/4 cup pomegranate molasses, for sauce
Directions:
Slice the tempeh into small strips. Combine the 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar and 1/4 cup teriyaki or soy sauce in a small bowl, and add the tempeh to marinate for at least an hour.
When the tempeh is almost finished marinating, heat the grill to high. Combine the 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar and 1/4 cup pomegranate molasses in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir often until the mixture is warm.
When the tempeh has absorbed the marinade, grill the tempeh on each side, approximately 2-3 minutes per side.
Serve the tempeh hot, and drizzle with the warm sauce.
Serves: 2-4
Serve that with a wild rice pilaf and some veggies.
Pick up some Road Kill on your way home.....free and easy!