These roasted vegetables have become a must have staple around here.

They are super easy to prepare and simply bake in the oven on 425 degrees fahrenheit for 20 minutes.

Use restraint with the olive oil.

You don’t want to fry the veggies, just coat them lightly for a little flavor and so they won’t dry out.

Also, try using a fancy salt for more exotic taste and texture.

Cut them evenly so that they all cook at the same time.

Don’t overcook; you don’t want them to be too soft or mushy.

Salt and pepper is all you need for seasoning.

The beauty of this dish is it’s simplicity!

These veggies go with everything, are healthy and filling!

Make big batches and keep them in the fridge for an always ready snack, side dish or meal.

Add a salad or soup and you have a meal.

You can add some feta cheese or even put them between two slices of toated wheat bread for a sandwich.

There are so many ways to use these.

They can be your new “fast food”.

Having stuff like this on hand keeps your snacking healthy and helps cut down on preparation time for meals!

Meatless Monday! Fried Eggplant and spinach fettuccine is easy and fresh!

Fresh mozzarella puts the finishing touch on thinly sliced eggplant lightly coated in Italian breadcrumbs.

Roasted garlic and roasted cherry tomatoes add rich flavor to spinach fettuccine.

With all this flavor, who misses the meat?

Top with shredded parmesan and enjoy!

Toss tomatoes in olive oil and roast on 400 degrees until they pop open! and smell delicious!

Beautiful beaujolais makes dinner…beautiful!

Egg and water then bread crumbs go into frying pan with hot oil for a quick, light frying.

Mash up roasted garlic with a fork and mix in about 1/4 cup olive oil to create a “sauce”.

Add salt to taste.

Just throw in fresh baby spinach to the last few minutes to boiling pasta to add flavor and nutrition.

Eggs aren’t just for breakfast anymore and these are stuffed with spinach and mushrooms.

When dinner rolls around don’t hesitate to crack a few eggs and enjoy a healthy and hardy meal full of protein and veggies.

Add a salad and you’ve got a well rounded meal for the whole family to enjoy.

Use your favorite vegetables and cheeses to create a quick and easy, Meatless Monday!

Easy and green Meatless Monday!

The cheese sauce starts with a simple roux of butter and flour to which I added about 1 cup of heavy cream and 3/4 cup of shredded parmesan.

I also added 3 cloves of thinly sliced garlic while the butter was melting before I added the flour.

And anytime I use cream or spinach I add a pinch of nutmeg.

This was a hit with my teenage daughters who don’t always enjoy my vegan meals.

Add salad and you have an inexpensive, nutritious meatless monday!

I added aspargus and broccoli to this meal. Artichokes would work here, also.

The girls made dinner tonight and commented that it was tasty and satisfying; something they worry about since I’ve Veganized our kitchen.

This meal is very simple and easy for little helpers.

I always have red sauce in the fridge and usually some gourmet cheese ravioli in the freezer.

The salad really rounds out this meal. Fresh veggies at every meal just makes good sense.

Meatless Monday was so easy today. We all worked together. This mom loved it!

I wanted to spoil my girls with something fun and healthy.

These nachos are made with all organic ingredients and my favorite organic fast food treat; Amy’s Organic Vegetarian Chili.

The avocados and cilantro were so fragrant and delicious. This didn’t last very long!

Just layer, corn chips, organic vegetarian chili, and cheese ( my girls insisted on real cheese; I caved) and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes and finish up on broil for about 5 minutes.

Then top with your favorite fresh ingredients; cilantro, avocado, fresh salsa, olives, fresh corn, and enjoy!

Level: Medium
Serves: 2

Ingredients
4 cups spinach fettucini, boiled
10-12 medium baby bella mushrooms
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, bottled in olive oil and italian herbs
1 garlic bulb, baked
1 tsp agave nectar
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoon panko crust
1/4 tsp substitute salt
1/2 tsp cracked pepper
1/2 fresh fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
2 tsp olive/canola oil
1 tsp dried oregano

Method
Pre-soak mushrooms in a plastic bowl with water and Worchestershire sauce for 30 min.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut off top of garlic bulb and drizzle agave nectar over garlic.

Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Set aside.

In a plastic bowl mix 1tsp. oil, parsley, garlic, capers, oregano, capers, salt and pepper.

Wash and twist off mushroom stems evenly.

Brush or rub 1 tsp oil on mushrooms and stuff with mixture.

In a medium sauce pan bring water to a boil and add pasta until tender.

Sprinkle oregano herbs and serve.

Roasted garlic is the secret to creamy rich sauces and soups. Roasting adds depth and texture as well as a caramel like sweetness without adding calories.

This dish is packed with nutrition and flavor.

Presenting spinach as a sauce is an innovative way to add nutrition and fiber and creamy sauciness without adding extra fat and calories.

Toasting the pine nuts also adds heft as well as flavor. I feel that the nuts really round out the meal.

This has become a favorite in my home.

Ingredients:

1 bulb of garlic
1/3 to 2/3 cup of olive oil
5-6 cups uncooked baby spinach
¼ tsp nutmeg
Salt to taste
10 spears asparagus
½ cup pine nuts
1 box whole wheat spinach spiral pasta or your choice of pasta

Method:

Roast the Garlic:

1 bulb garlic, thin skin removed as much as possible

Use a clay roasting dish or wrap in foil

Turn oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for 30-45 minutes

Remove garlic from oven

While the garlic is roasting cook your pasta

While you are pureeing the pesto, chop and cook 10 spears of asparagus.

While the asparagus is cooking roast ½ cup of pine nuts at 350 degrees fahrenheit for about 5-10 minutes

Puree the Mixture

Allow to cool for a few minutes then simply remove the soft clove from the peel and place in the food processer.
Place about 5-6 cups of uncooked baby spinach along with the roasted garlic
Add about 1/3 to 2/3 cup of olive oil
Blend until smooth and creamy
Add ½ tsp of nutmeg and salt to taste

Serve:

Drain the pasta and mix in about 2/3 of the roasted garlic spinach pesto and the pine nuts and check to see if you need salt.

Mix everything together well

Add cooked asparagus on top

Garnish with the remaining pesto

Enjoy!

Mocktails allow me to induldge and celebrate without the guilt and, quite frankly, the exsessive calories.

This cocktail features organic pomegranate juice, some soda water and a squeeze of lime in a stemmed glass.

Half the calories and an antioxident pick me up!

I also tried my hand at Sofrito to go along with pinto beans and brown rice.

Sofrito

Ingredients

1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 onion
1 head of garlic
1 bunch cilanto
3 large tomatoes

I chopped everything and placed in the food processor.

I froze 2 cups in separate containers and worked with 2 cups: one for the rice and one for the beans.

I sauteed the softened beans in the sofrito and cooked the rice in it also.

Salt and pepper to taste.

This recipe need some work. And maybe some added oil to the rice and beans to give it a richer flavor.

I do like having this powerful flavor ingredient on hand and can see using it in soups and crock pot meals.

So easy , so delicious and nutritious.

This took just minutes and I simply scavenged through my pantry, fridge and freezer to create a colorful, tasty meal.

I enjoyed this with a hot cup of green tea

Ingredients

2 cups cooked rice
2 Tbsp Thai Peanut Sauce
½ cup sliced peppers
½ cup peas
1 cup sliced Shiitake mushrooms
2 Tbsp Cilantro leaves
½ lime

Method

Throw everything into a sauté pan and heat until cooked evenly.

Toss in the cilantro and squeeze lime juice over top to serve.