Meatless Monday! Spinach and Mushroom Omlette
Posted by Shelly Perry (03/01/2010 @ 10:36 pm)

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!

Meatless Monday! Spinach Fettucini with Garlic Parmesan Sauce
Posted by Shelly Perry (02/15/2010 @ 8:24 pm)

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.
Posted in: Food on a Budget, Green Living, Healthy, Ingredients, Recipes
Tags: butter, garlic, Meatless Monday, parmesan cheese, parmesan sauce, roux, vegetarian, vegetarian meals, vegetarian recipe

Meatless Monday; Ravioli with Red Sauce and Cucumber Salad
Posted by Shelly Perry (02/08/2010 @ 8:28 pm)

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!
Girls Night Vegetarian Nachos
Posted by Shelly Perry (02/03/2010 @ 8:37 pm)

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!

Mama Mia Shroom Pasta! Meatless Monday with Carmen Garcia
Posted by Shelly Perry (02/01/2010 @ 9:55 am)

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.
Posted in: Chefs and Restaurants, Healthy, Ingredients, Recipes
Tags: Carmen Garcia, Meatless Monday, mushrooms, pasta, spinach pasta, vegan, vegan meals, vegan recipe, vegetarian, vegetarian meals, vegetarian recipe

Roasted Garlic and Spinach Pesto with Asparagus and Pine Nuts on Pasta
Posted by Shelly Perry (01/28/2010 @ 7:09 pm)

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!

Posted in: Healthy, Ingredients, Recipes
Tags: asparagus, olive oil, pasta, pesto, pine nuts, roasted garlic, spinach, vegan, vegan meals, vegan recipes, vegetarian, vegetarian meals, vegetarian recipes

Mocktails and Meatless Monday!
Posted by Shelly Perry (01/25/2010 @ 8:33 pm)

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.
Posted in: Cocktails, Healthy, Ingredients, Recipes
Tags: beans, brown rice, sofrito, vegan, vegan meals, vegetarian, vegetarian meals, virgin cocktails

Brown Jasmine Rice with Shiitake Mushrooms and Peanut Sauce
Posted by Shelly Perry (01/19/2010 @ 9:37 pm)

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.
Posted in: Food on a Budget, Healthy, Ingredients, Recipes
Tags: brown jasmine rice, brown rice, peanut sauce, peppers, shiitake mushrooms, vegan meals, vegan recipes, vegetarian, vegetarian meals

Turista Chef Carmen Garcia’s Meatless Monday Recipe
Posted by Shelly Perry (01/18/2010 @ 6:55 pm)

A little bit about Carmen…
Carmen Garcia is an internationally recognized fitness celebrity, proactive in all levels of nutrition, health, wellness, and yoga principles.
An all around athlete with a competitive nature and a zest for healthy living, Carmen’s philosophy: spiritual, physical, emotional, and mental well being are the inseparable ingredients to a healthy life.
Carmen has worked hard to become one of America’s most popular fitness models, appearing in numerous publications, commercials, seminars and workshops. As a world class chef and entrepreneur, Ms. Garcia continues to re-invent herself via new challenges and accomplishments.
Carmen is a proud member and spokesperson for PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals), a fitness instructor and nutritional consultant certified by the Professional Personal Trainer’s Association (USPTA); and a member of IDEAfit, having studied with the International Sports and Science Association.
Leaving the old paradigms behind of stressing the body with strenuous workouts and hardcore weight training trends, moderation is the key for this femme-fit guru. Not only does she speak four languages (Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and English), her company, Fitbody Star offers live and online education to an ever-growing international audience.
A world traveler and true “foodie” at heart, Carmen’s mantra is to achieve balance through proper nutrition from plant (protein) sources, supplementation, and variations on classic exercise techniques, to achieve homeostasis and improve overall quality of life through a sound mind, body, and spirit.
Promoting her unique style of vegan cooking as the “Turista Chef”, she writes with signature joie de vivre about a hidden world of exotic destinations and cultures through the lens of the traditional and not so traditional regional cuisine.
Fitbody Star offers instruction in: nutrition, indoor/outdoor activity, yoga movement and stretching, dance form, body and weight strengthening, interval training, outdoor circuit training, boot camp, kickboxing techniques, plyometrics, meditation, core training and overall functional training for better sports & daily task performance.
Learn more about Carmen Garcia, and visit her at:
Twitter
Color vibrancy, rich and nutritious flavors is what makes this dish so deLIGHTfully tasty. Inspired by roots of Jamaica, I’ve prepared this easy vegan dish with an array of spices that burst into tropical flavors.
Recipe courtesy of Carmen Garcia

Jamaican Jerk Portabello
Serves 2
1 cup brown basmati rice, steamed
2 large portabello mushrooms, sliced
1 small banana squash, steamed/seeded and chopped into medium size cubes.
1 small red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 small green bell pepper, sliced into strips
2 cups of organic black beans, drained (canned for quick and easy)
Jerk Pineapple Marinade
1 small red onion, chopped
1 small serrano green chili, minced (seeds removed)
1 cup pineapple, cubed
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small lime juice
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp Pompeian olive/canola oil
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp sea salt or substitute salt
Steam rice in a slow cooker or rice cooker before you begin to prep and cook the Portabello mushrooms and marinade.
Mix all marinade ingredients and set aside in a plastic or glass bowl. Slice Portabello mushrooms and mix into marinade bowl.
Store in fridge over night or for a minimum of 1-2 hours before cooking. When ready to cook, pre-heat large wok on high/med by lubricating the wok with the canola/olive oil.
Stir in all of the ingredients of the marinade and mushrooms only.
Lower heat and cover allowing steam to soften the mushrooms for about 5-8 minutes depending on how tender you wish as they tend to shrink with prolonged heat.
In a separate medium sized pan, steam banana squash for 12 minutes or until tender. Toss in the bell peppers during the last 4- 5 minutes.
If they lose their color vibrancy, you have over cooked them. In another small sauce pan heat black beans on low.
Find a beautiful plate and pack the rice into a small bowl and onto the center of the plate.
Carefully arrange and assort all of the ingredients as you wish and top with sprinkled coconut shreds and slivered raw almonds.
Almonds, beans and Portabello mushrooms are loaded with protein, fiber and nutrients. The steamy fragrant rice and fibrous vegetables are delicious as a low GI (glycemic index) food topped with an unforgettable pineapple chutney sauce and a spicy jerk marinade. This dish is low in fat and moderate in carbohydrates. High in protein, fiber and nutrients.
Mushrooms and Tarragon with Dried Figs
Posted by Shelly Perry (12/03/2009 @ 1:31 pm)

I am always looking for really yummy fast food that I can cook and store in the fridge for those times when I know I’ll be pressed for time to eat.

In order to try to avoid eating a bag of potato chips I like this really satisfying, gourmet’ish dish that I can throw in a wrap, or, let’s be honest, I do a quick heat on the stove and eat standing up!

This is too good for that. I like it over brown rice or some spinach fettuccine. I also like this quesadilla style with vegan cheese.
Anyway you choose, it’s healthy and delicious, nutritious and satisfying.
Ingredients:
6 large Portabella mushrooms
2 pkgs. Baby Portabella mushrooms
4 large cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil
½ white onion
½ red bell pepper
2 -3 stems of fresh Tarragon
5 dried figs
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Start with the olive oil and garlic in a deep sauté pan on low heat.
Add onion, pepper, and mushrooms and figs.
Let everything cook for about 45 on medium heat.
Add Tarragon the last 15 minutes for maximum flavor.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Posted in: Green Living, Healthy, Ingredients, Recipes
Tags: figs, onion, portabella mushrooms, red pepper, tarragon, vegan, vegan recipes, vegetarian meals

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