Pasta salad for picky kids

Oh my god my kids are so picky. they say they don't like beans, eggs, or cheese -- and they are vegetarian!! I made this salad today and only one kid cried so that is a success I guess.

Pasta Salad for picky vegetarian kids

-- 1/2 block tofu

-- 1.5 cups pasta

-- 3 small cucumbers, diced

-- 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

-- 1 tomato, diced

-- 1 small can sliced black olives, drained

-- 1 inch chunk feta cheese

-- 1/2 lemon

-- oil

1. Boil the pasta in salted water. While the pasta is boiling cut the tofu into squares and fry it lightly in oil. 

2. When the pasta is soft drain and rinse in cold water. Mix with fried tofu, vegetables, and crumble the cheese on top. Drizzle with oil and add the juice of the half lemon. Mix and add salt and pepper to taste. 

3. Give to kids and hope they don't cry

Winter Squash and Spinach Pasta Bake

 This is Smitten Kitchen's version of a recipe originally by Ottolenghi. We made it tonight and I really loved it. The down side is it take 1.5 hours to bake and then another half hour to rest, but other than that it's pretty easy and infinitely variable which I really like in a recipe so I definitely hope i make it again. I have varied it a little here.

Winter Squash and Spinach Pasta Bake

From Smitten Kitchen

 Ingredients:

• 1 large egg
• 1 cup (250 grams) ricotta
• 1 cup (100 grams) finely grated parmesan, divided
• 1 cup (85 grams) coarsely grated fontina cheese (I substituted cheddar for this and it was fine)
  
• 1 1/4 cups (300 grams) water
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil, divided
• 2.5 teaspoons kosher salt (use less if you are using table salt)
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste (I omitted this for kids)
  
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 5 ounces (140 grams) baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons thinly-sliced sage leaves or 1 teaspoons chopped thyme leaves (optional) (I substituted 1/2 t. dried sage)
  
• 1 1/4-pound (560-grams) butternut or another sturdy winter squash, peeled, seeded, sliced thin or 1 pound (455 grams) in prepared chunks, sliced thin
• 8 ounces (225 grams) dried pasta (see Note), broken into pieces if large/long (I used penne and it was great)
• 3 Tablespoons pine nuts
  

Instructions:

Heat oven to 350°F (176°C). Line a 9-inch springform with 3-inch sides (see Note) with parchment paper, pressing it across the bottom and creasing the sides to get it to fit as best as possible. If the sides aren’t well covered, repeat with a second piece of parchment in the other direction.

Whisk egg and ricotta in a large bowl. Stir in half of the parmesan, fontina (or cheddar), water, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, a few gratings of fresh nutmeg, lots of freshly ground black pepper, red pepper flakes (if using), and garlic. Stir in squash, spinach, pine nuts, and sage or thyme, if using. Add dried noodles and stir until everything is coated.

Pour into prepared pan and press gently so everything is in as even of a layer as possible. Sprinkle with second half of parmesan. Gently fold any parchment that extends over the rim of the pan into the center and cover the pan tightly with foil. Bake on a sheet (for extra security against drips) for 1 hour, then remove foil, reopen the parchment folded over the top, and drizzle the dish with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Return to the oven uncovered for 30 minutes. Pasta will be baked through and the top will be crisp. If it doesn’t have as much color as you’d like on top, you can finish it under the broiler for a minute or two.

Cool in pan on a rack for 30 minutes before removing the springform ring, sliding the pasta bake by its parchment onto a serving plate, and cut it into wedges.

Do ahead: This keeps in the fridge for up to 1 week. Rewarm uncovered in a 350-degree oven. I haven’t frozen it, but would expect it to freeze well, tightly wrapped.

Notes:
* Structural note: Like a lasagna, this is more wet and messy when it first comes out of the oven. I recommend a 30-minute rest at minimum (what you see here in the loose slices) but it will be cleaner to cut and more set the longer it hangs out. It reheats fantastically and keeps up to a week in the fridge. Last night, we reheated wedges from 6 days ago and they were (still) perfection.

* Pan size: I only tested this in a 9-inch springform but would expect it to also fit in a 11 to 12-inch ovenproof skillet and also, less glamorously, a 9×13-inch baking dish. No need to line with parchment if you’re serving it from the pan or not worried about leakage

Overnight cinnamon buns

Making homemade cinnamon buns from scratch is way easier than I thought it would be, although it does take a lot of passive time for the dough to rise, etc. Prepping these buns the night before so you can have them in the morning is genius.

Here is the recipe:

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/overnight-cinnamon-rolls-recipe-2014250

A few notes:

-- Make sure to dissolve the yeast in a little water before adding to the dough.
-- I didn't use the final 3/4 cup of flour at all.
-- I added 1/2 cup (maybe 3/4 cup?) of chopped walnuts to the brown sugar mixture and it was great! 
-- Don't dump all the frosting on the buns, just drizzle a little and serve the rest on the side since they are quite sweet!
-- Make sure the buns are in the middle of the oven when you cook them, mine were too close to the top and the top of the buns got a little too brown

spinach muffins

These muffins have 2 cups of spinach and Kiran begged for a third one!

From Jenn

Spinach Muffins

1 cup sliced ripe banana (about 2 small or one medium/large)

2 cups lightly packed spinach

3/4 cup milk (dairy or unsweetened plain nondairy)

1/4 cup honey or sugar

2 tablespoons melted and cooled butter OR neutral oil OR plain yogurt

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup flour

Mini chocolate chips, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease a muffin tin. 

2. Place all wet ingredients into a blender (not flour and chocolate chips). 

3. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowls as needed. You want the greens to be very finely blended in so the batter is green.

4. Pulse in the flour just to combine, or stir it in gently.

5. Pour batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup about 3/4 cup full. Sprinkle with chocolate chips if using.

6. Bake for 15 minutes or until firm to the touch and lightly browned around the edges. (You can also check to see if a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly.)

7. Remove from the oven and use a paring knife, if needed, to transfer to a wire rack to cool.

8. Serve slightly warm, at room temp, or chilled.

9. You can store the muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days and eat cold or slightly warmed. Or store in a zip top bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or at room temperature.

Cheesy Vegetarian Mac

This one is easy, relatively healthy, and makes a whole lot! The kids didn't eat too much but I think I under-salted it, will try again with more salt and report back. I quite liked it.

from budgetbytes

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil 
• 1 yellow onion 
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 2 Tbsp chili powder -- this is supposed to be very mild chili powder, I used 1/2 T of ancho chili powder instead
• 15 oz. can diced tomatoes 
• 15 oz. can tomato sauce
• 15 oz. can kidney beans
• 15 oz. can black beans 
• 15 oz. can pinto beans
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 cups vegetable broth 
• 2 cups uncooked macaroni noodles 
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar 
• salt -- at least 1/2 t. maybe more

Instructions

• Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Sauté the onion and garlic with olive oil in the bottom of a large pot (5 qt) over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the onions are soft and transparent.
• Add the flour and chili powder to the sautéed onions and garlic. Continue to stir and sauté for about two minutes, or just until the flour and chili powder begin to coat the bottom of the pot.
• Drain and rinse the kidney beans, black beans, and pinto beans. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, all three beans, corn, and vegetable broth to the pot. Stir to combine and to dissolve any flour and chili powder off the bottom of the pot.
• Add the uncooked macaroni noodles and stir to combine. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium high, and let the pot come up to a boil. Stir every other minute or so to loosen the noodles from the bottom of the pot as it heats up.
• When the pot reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low, or just above low, so it continues to gently simmer. Let the pot gently simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and the liquid is thick and saucy. Stir frequently as it simmers to make sure the pasta does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
• Once the pasta is tender, add the shredded cheddar and stir it in until melted. Serve hot.

Instant-Pot (or pressure cooker) Italian Chickpea Stew

We don't have an instant pot but I made this with a pressure cooker and it worked great so I am adjusting the recipe for our pressure cooker. The original recipe calls for homemade pesto but that is too much for me to make. I added a scoop from jarred pesto and it was a good addition but no one else even wanted any so I might skip entirely next time.

From epicurious

Ingredients

2. For the chickpeas:
   • 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
   • 1 quart water
   • 12 ounces dried chickpeas
   • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
   • 1 small onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
   • 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped (about 3/4 cup)
   • 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
   • 4 cups chicken stock
   • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan or similar cheese
   • Some basil pesto (if desired)
   
   
   

   Preparation

3. Soak the chickpeas:
   1. In a large bowl, dissolve 1 tablespoon of kosher salt in the water. Add the chickpeas and soak at room temperature for 8 to 24 hours. Drain and rinse.
4. Sauté the onions:
   1. Put the pressure cooker pan on a burner over high heat. Add the olive oil and heat until it shimmers. Add the onion and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion pieces separate and soften, 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Pressure cook:
   1. Add the drained chickpeas, carrots, tomatoes with their juice, stock, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Lock the lid into place. Once the pressure cooker whistles, let it cook for 10 minutes. It will whistle occasionally. Then, turn off the heat and let the pressure come down for at least 30 minutes before touching it. Push the weight a little to see if there is still pressure inside, if it is mostly gone you can take off the weight to let the rest out. Unlock and remove the lid. 
6. Serve the chickpeas:
   1. Ladle the chickpeas into bowls and top each with a spoonful of pesto (if desired). Sprinkle with the cheese and serve. 
7. 
   

Beefless Stew

You know me, always trying to make a vegetarian version of my favorite meat foods. While this one really doesn't come close to real beef stew, it is a very good vegetarian stew in it's own right. Great for this time of year. Add crusty bread and life is pretty good. My son who is going through a picky phase with vegetables at least ate the carrots and potatoes and peas out of this soup, which I count as a success in my book.

a bit adapted from McDougall's beefless stew
 

Beefless stew

Ingredients

• 1 lb crimini or 2 medium portabella mushrooms, cut into ¾-inch pieces (about 4 cups) 
• 1½ large yellow or white onions, chopped into ¾-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
• 3 medium carrots, sliced lengthwise and cut into ¾-inch pieces (about 2¼ cups)
• 3 ribs celery, cut into ¾-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
• 1½ tablespoon finely chopped garlic (about 6 medium cloves)
• 5 cups water
• 2 pounds white potatoes (2 large), peeled and cut into ¾-inch chunks (about 6 cups)
• ⅓ cup tomato paste (half of a 6-ounce can)
• 1 tablespoon dried Italian herb seasoning (I used Herbs de Provence which is french but was still good)
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary (I didn't have this so left it out, it was fine)
• 1½ cups cooked peas (if frozen, rinse under warm water)
• butter or oil for cooking

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter or oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat.  Add the mushrooms and fry until browned on the sides, maybe 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes to try and get as many mushroom sides brown as possible. Transfer cooked mushrooms to another bowl.
2. In the same pan add a little more butter or oil, then fry the onions, carrots, and celery for about 8 minutes, or until mostly translucent.
3. Stir in the mushrooms and garlic, and continue to cook while stirring for 5 minutes more, adding butter or oil if needed.
4. Add the 5 cups of water, potatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and paprika, and bring to a boil, uncovered. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the rosemary (if using). Cover and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the carrots and potatoes are very tender.
5. Add the peas and cook for 5 minutes more.
6. Place 2 cups of the stew (broth and vegetables) into a blender, and blend just briefly. Stir the mixture back into the pot to thicken the stew.

Quesadilla Packs

Sometimes I make Kiran a quesadilla in the morning to put in his lunch, to speed things up I started making these "quesadilla packs" and keeping them in the freezer so all I have to add is tortilla and cheese in the morning.

Each one has:

-- 1.5 T. corn (I use frozen)
-- 1.5 T. black beans from a can, drained
-- 2 T. red bell pepper, diced smallish

Vegetarian hand pies

I had the idea to make a savory hand pie for Kiran's lunches, I wanted to make one as close to classic chicken pot pie as I could, but without the chicken. This came out so good, both Kiran and Mahesh loved it. You can also use the same filling and crusts to make a full-size veggie pot pie. This would be great for a really nice vegetarian main dish at a celebration like Thanksgiving as well. I love chicken pot pie and I'd bet most meat eaters wouldn't even notice no meat chunks, especially if you make a really good crust.

Vegetarian Hand Pies

makes 22 hand pies

For crust:

-- 1 cup butter (2 sticks) plus more for pie plate
-- 2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out dough (I usually use 1 1/2 cups white and 1 cup whole wheat flour)
-- 1/2 t. salt

For filling:

-- 1/2 potato, peeled and cubed (maybe 1/2 cup)
-- 1/2 cup peas, frozen
-- 2 T. butter
-- 1 cup carrots, chopped (1 medium)
-- 1 onion, chopped
-- 1/2 cup celery, chopped (1 rib)
-- 2 T. flour
-- 1/2 tsp. salt
-- 1/4 tsp. pepper
-- 1/4 tsp. celery seed
-- 2 cups milk
-- 1 heaping T veggie bullion

-- 3 T. milk or 1 egg, beaten with 1 t. water (to seal and wash pies)

Instructions

First, make your pie crust.

1.   The trick with pie crusts is 1) keep everything cold and 2) try not to work the dough any more than you absolutely need to. Cut each stick of butter into 8 pieces, refrigerate until needed

2.   Place the flour, and salt in a large mixing bowl and mix to combine

3.   Add the chilled butter. Using a pastry blender, chop the butter into the flour mix - the mixture should resemble coarse meal with small pieces of butter, the size of peas, visible.

4.   Drizzle 1/4 cup ice water over flour-butter mix, blend, repeat with another 1/4 cup of ice water. Keep adding 1/4 cup of ice water until the dough mostly sticks together. Squeeze a little bit if you must but don't touch it too much with your hands at this point. The dough will get a bit stickier as it rests.

5.   Divide dough into 2 pieces, flatten into disks, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.

Make the filling

6.   Prep all your ingredients for the filling.

7.   Preheat your oven to 425 F (220 C).

8.   Boil a pot of water and add chopped potato and boil gently for about 15 minutes. When there are 2 minutes left on the timer, add frozen peas to the mix. Drain and set aside.

9.   In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter and cook onions, celery, and carrots for about 15 minutes or until onion is translucent.

10. Stir in the flour, salt, pepper and celery seed and cook for at least 60 seconds to cook out the raw taste of the flour. 

11. Slowly whisk in milk and veggie bulllion. Whisk for about 5 minutes until thickened.

12. Stir in the potatoes and peas. Boil until it reaches the right consistency, you want it saucy but not to run all over the place. Some runniness is OK because it gets thicker as it cools. 

13. Remove from heat and set aside.

Make the pies

14. Take one pie crust out of fridge and roll out a bit thinner than regular pie crust. 

15. Cut 4.5 inch circles (I used a blue plastic bowl) and move the circles to a greased baking sheet (or one covered with a silpat).

16. Refrigerate circles until fully chilled. (the crust is easier to work with when cold)

17. To make a pie, wet the entire edge of the circle with milk or egg wash. Add about 2 heaping Tablespoons of filling, then fold dough in half, press around the edge, and crimp with a fork. Wash top with egg wash or milk, then poke with fork on top to let vent.

18. Bake the pies 17 minutes, or until brownish on top and the crust is baked through. 

19.  Remove your pie from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes before serving. 

Classic Chickpea Noodle Casserole

I saw this recipe for a chickpea casserole, and I immediately bookmarked it to try out. But then I started thinking about tuna noodle casserole, which I love, and wondering if I could make something more like that, but with chickpeas (garbanzo beans). So I made half Chickpea Casserole with Lemon, Herbs, and Shallots, and half classic Tuna Noodle Casserole (the kind with the cream of mushroom soup) with chickpeas substituted for the tuna in one 9x13 dish. I asked Mahesh and Kiran which casserole they preferred, and both preferred the classic casserole over the new version, which is good  So I will make it again, it was good but a little bland and needed a little salt, and might be good to try adding in some canned artichoke hearts for a little extra flavor next time. It's quite filling due to the high chickpea content, which is nice. Here is the recipe:

Classic Chickpea Noodle Casserole

Makes one 13x9 pan, can halve the recipe (with one can chickpeas) for an 8x8 pan.

Ingredients:

• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (I might try cream of celery soup next time)
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 2 (15 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained
• 4 cups hot cooked medium egg noodles (8 ounces dry)
• Salt
• (might be good to try adding in canned artichokes next time)
• 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs 
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions

1. Stir soup, milk, peas, garbanzo beans, noodles, and artichoke hearts, if using, in 3-quart casserole (I used a 9x13 pan).
2. Bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes or until hot. Stir.
3. Mix bread crumbs with butter in bowl and sprinkle over garbanzo bean mixture. Bake for 5 minutes more.

Pouding Chomeur (Poor Man's Pudding)

This is a French-Canadian treat I remember having on rare occasion as a child. My mom made this recipe the other day, it was so delicious I couldn't stop eating it and I had to have the recipe. 

Ingredients 

⦁ 1/2 cup softened butter or 1/2 cup margarine

⦁ 1 cup sugar

⦁ 2 eggs

⦁ 1 teaspoon vanilla

⦁ 2 cups flour

⦁ 1 teaspoon baking powder

⦁ 1 1/3 cups milk

⦁ 1 1/2 cups pure maple syrup

⦁ 1 1/2 cups brown sugar

⦁ 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

⦁ 1/3 cup butter

Directions

CAKE.

1. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugar till the mix is light.

2. Add eggs and vanilla and mix.

3. In another bowl, mix flour and baking powder.

4. Alternate flour mix and milk to the butter mix.

5. Pour into a 13 inch by 9 inch greased pan.

MAPLE SAUCE.

1. In a large casserole, bring to boil the syrup, brown sugar, cream and butter and constantly stir.

2. Reduce heat and gently cook 2 minutes or till sauce has reduced a little bit.

3. Pour sauce gently over cake.

4. Bake at 325°F about 40 - 45 minutes or till cake is light brown and when toothpick inserted comes ou

Mushroom bolognese

I love meat bolognese sauce, but because my husband and son are vegetarian I never make it at home. Plus, it's not that healthy. When I saw this Eatingwell vegetarian version that uses mushrooms instead of the meat, I had to give it a shot. This isn't going to convince anyone it's real meat sauce but the recipe is easy to make, healthy, and has at least an echo of that bolognese flavor/texture in it (more if you add lots of Parmesan cheese). So, worth remembering.

from Eatingwell

Ingredients

• •  5 ounces spaghetti
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 large shallots, finely chopped
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
  • 10 ounces mushrooms, finely chopped
• • ⅛ teaspoon salt, or to taste (I used more than this)
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes (or blended diced tomatoes)
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano (I used 1/2 teaspoon dried)
  • Parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Cook pasta until a little less than you want it done. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, drain pasta.

 

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots, carrot, mushrooms, salt and pepper; cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms have wilted and the juices have evaporated, about 12 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and oregano and cook, stirring often, until the sauce has thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. 

 

3. Add the pasta to the sauce with some reserved pasta cooking water and let bubble for about 1 minute to cook some of the sauce flavors into the pasta. 

 

4. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.  

• Make Ahead Tip: Make the sauce (Step 2), cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Chilaquiles Casserole

Eatingwell magazine often features inventive, healthy vegetarian main dishes that are easy enough to make on a weeknight, so when one is good, it ends up being a real keeper. This is a dish we tried recently, Kiran helped me make it and we all agreed it was good. I changed the recipe a bit, this is what I made:

from Eatingwell

Ingredients

• • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 medium zucchini, grated 
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 19-ounce can black beans, rinsed
  • 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1½ cups corn, frozen (thawed) or fresh  
• • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 12 corn tortillas, quartered
  • 1 10-ounce can mild red or green enchilada sauce-- it is excellent with this homemade enchilada sauce
  • 1¼ cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. 

 

2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and red pepper and cook, stirring often, until starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in zucchini, beans, tomatoes, corn, cumin and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are heated through, about 3 minutes.  

 

3. Scatter half the tortilla pieces in the pan. Top with half the vegetable mixture, half the enchilada sauce and half the cheese. Repeat with one more layer of tortillas, vegetables, sauce and cheese. Cover with foil.

 

4. Bake the casserole for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the casserole is bubbling around the edges and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes more.

• Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 3 and refrigerate for up to 1 day.