University Vegetarians

No meeting tonight!

I don’t know if everyone who follows us here is also on our Facebook group, so in case you aren’t, there will be no meeting tonight. We will be meeting for dinner next Monday, the 5th of December for the semester’s final meeting (location to come). 

Not a member of our Facebook group?

You should be!

Comfort Food

So, University Vegetarians went to Austin’s Pizza last night, and it was delicious! I always get the Vegetated pizza because the veggies are super fresh. It got me thinking about some of my favorite meals and comfort foods. Some comfort food would be great right now with the rain pouring down today. 

I went straight to my home-girl Martha Stewart, because I have never had a bad experience with her recipes. (All recipes are from MarthaStewart.com)

 

 

Broccoli Calzones

These turnovers make a great weeknight dinner. Just pop them straight from the freezer into the oven, and serve with your favorite tomato sauce.

• Prep Time 1 hour
• Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
• YieldServes 8

Ingredients 

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• Flour, for rolling dough
• 2 packages (1 pound each) balls fresh or frozen pizza dough, thawed if frozen
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 cups shredded (6 ounces) part-skim mozzarella cheese
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• Prepared tomato sauce (optional)
• 1 medium red onion, finely chopped

Directions

1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium. Add onion; cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add broccoli, garlic, and pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl; set aside to cool.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Form calzones: Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, stretch each piece out, first to a 3-by-4-inch oval, then stretch again, this time to a 6-by-8-inch oval. (Let dough rest a few minutes if too elastic to work with.)
3. Stir cheeses into cooled broccoli mixture; season generously with salt and pepper. Assemble calzones: Spread a rounded 1/2 cup broccoli mixture over half of each piece of dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border; fold over to form a half-moon. Press edges to seal. With a paring knife, cut 2 slits in the top of each calzone.
4. Using a wide metal spatula with a thin blade, transfer calzones to 2 baking sheets lined with parchment or waxed paper; reshape if needed.
5. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Serve with tomato sauce, if desired.

 

Portobello and Zuchini Tacos

• Prep Time 15 minutes
• Total Time 45 minutes
• YieldServes 4

Ingredients 

• 5 medium portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed, sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 4 medium zucchini, cut into 2-by-1/2-inch sticks
• 1 medium red onion, halved and sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 12 (4 1/2-inch) corn tortillas
• 1/2 cup fresh salsa

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss mushrooms with 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1/4 cup water; season with salt and pepper. On another rimmed baking sheet, toss zucchini and onion with remaining teaspoon oregano and tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper.
2. Place both sheets in oven. Roast, tossing occasionally, until vegetables are browned and fork-tender, 25 to 30 minutes (zucchini may cook faster than mushrooms).
3. Meanwhile, in a small skillet over medium-high heat, warm tortillas according to package instructions (they should be lightly browned but still soft). Wrap loosely in a clean kitchen towel to keep warm.
4. To serve, fill each tortilla with mushrooms, vegetable mixture, and salsa.

Cook’s Note

To clean portobellos, snap off stem, then use a small spoon to gently scrape (then discard) the dark gills from the inside of the cap. 

Did you know you can adopt a turkey for thanksgiving??

http://www.adoptaturkey.org/aat/adopt/sponsor.html

Look at this cutie…

Fall’s Fruit: Alternative Pumpkin Usage.

 What better way to celebrate the season than with Fall’s most memorable fruit,veggie,squash, the pumpkin! Lately, I have become bored with the usual fall pumpkin recipes that include breads, pies, soups, etc. You get the idea. So, I am posting two recipes (one vegetarian and one vegan) that are alternative ways to use pumpkin this fall. 

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

Prep Time: 15 mins    Cooking Time: 40 mins to 1 hour

Ingredients
2 sugar pumpkins
1 tablespoon melted butter or canola oil
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 egg
3/4 to 1 cup lowfat milk (depending on how milky you like your oatmeal)
1 granny smith apple (peeled + diced small)
extra brown sugar for sprinkling
extra milk for splashing (optional)

Preheat oven 375 degrees. Start by carefully cutting the top off your pumpkin and cleaning the insides out. 
Combine all remaining ingredients (except the sugar for sprinkling and milk for splashing) in a large bowl. Stir well and divide batter evenly between the two pumpkins.  Sprinkle lightly with brown sugar.  Place both pumpkins on a cookie sheet and bake for 45 mins  to an hour or until pumpkin is soft enough to scoop and oatmeal is done.  After it was done, we added a splash of milk. Remember: When doling out scoops be sure to scrape up some of that baked pumpkin goodness with the spiced oatmeal. Makes 4 servings.

We cooked the pumpkin with the top off for the first 20 mins and then put the top on loosely (allowing for steam to come out) for the rest of the baking time. If you choose to cook with top on, make sure that the stem soaked in some water and that it is far enough away from the heat source. You can also cook it with the top off the entire time – the oatmeal will still come out tasting great.

from: http://www.cookingwithmykid.com/recipes/baked-pumpkin-oatmeal/

Pasta-free Pumpkin Lasagna

Strawberry Unmilkshake

This vegan unmilkshake from Veggie Wedgie is a refreshing treat for whenever. 

Ingredients for 2-3 servings 

-2 cups of raw almonds
-4 cups of water
-1 1/2 cup of strawberries
-1/2 tsp ground vanilla powder
-2 tsp agave nectar

Directions

Soak the almonds for 8 hours in water and rinse them well. Add almonds to a high speed blender combined with water and blend for a minute. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh bag (nut milk bag). This is a basic almond milk recipe, made a bit thicker ( by adding less water) to make the milk creamier as it would be in a dairy milkshake. 

Once you strain the milk, add it back to the blender with the strawberries, vanilla and agave and blend until smooth and creamy. If you have a strong blender you can leave the leaves of the strawberries on and they will dissolve completely.

Chill in the fridge for a few hours before serving.