Penne Pasta with sautéed dandelion greens & roasted red peppers

Ring in the spring with early spring veggies such as dandelion greens. Last night’s dinner was quick and easy with total prep time of 35 minutes.
Ingredients:
1 lb of Penne Pasta
2 cups of freshly chopped dandelion greens
1 ½ cups Roasted red peppers (frozen)
6 cups of Field greens
12 heaping TBS of Sheep feta
3 heaping TBS of Grated Romano cheese (sheep)
1-3 TBS of Cold pressed olive oil
1 TBS of Crushed Garlic or 1 tsp of Garlic powder
2 TBS of chopped fresh Basil or 1 TBS dried Basil
1 TBS of Parsley or ½ TBS if it is fresh and finely chopped
Sea salt or Kosher (add to pasta)
½ tsp Black pepper
Add salt & 1 TBS olive oil to 2-3 cups of boiling water in a qt pot. Add the Penne pasta to boiling water and cook for about 8 minutes for al dente.
In a skillet: add a tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and turn to high heat. Then add the frozen roasted red peppers, black pepper, garlic, basil, and stir for 5 minutes. Then add the dandelion greens and stir .Cover skillet and lower the heat to simmer. If necessary, add more olive oil. Sauté for about 10 minutes or until the dandelion greens lose their crispness and gain a deeper color. Stir frequently.
While the peppers and greens are simmering, drain the cooked pasta. Place the pasta back into the pot. Stir in 1TBS of olive oil and the parsley. Add the basil and the Romano cheese and mix them well before covering.
On a dinner plate: Place 1 cup of field greens on a plate. Place the pasta on top of the field greens. Then add the sautéed dandelion/roasted red pepper sauté on top of the pasta. Crumble 2 heaping TBS of feta on the top of everything. Enjoy.
*Dandelion Greens are beneficial to digestion and high in vitamin A in the form of antioxidant carotenoid and vitamin C. They also contain calcium and potassium. Dandelion root contains inulin, which can lower blood sugar in diabetics.

Delightful Whipped Sweet Potatoes

This is a side dish that leaves everyone wanting for seconds; so be sure to make enough. You cannot make too much because this potato dish is fantastic even after reheating!



Bring to a boil in a large pot:

1 qt water

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

ADD without peeling:

1 large chopped Sweet Potato or 2 medium (I use Organic Beauregard Yams)

3 medium chopped russet potatoes

6 medium chopped organic carrots



Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking ingredients for 30 minutes or until tender.

Strain these ingredients and place in a large bowl.



ADD:

1/2 cup organic milk or non-dairy beverage alternative (tempt hemp milk is our favorite)

1/2 stick butter or a vegan alternative such as, "Shedd's Willow Run Soy bean margarine”.



With an electric mixer, whip everything together.
Add salt and pepper to your taste.

This dish requires 45 to 50 minutes to prepare and cook, and will serve 6-8 people.



Enjoy!

*Both sweet and russet potatoes are rich in complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, beta carotene (a vitamin A equivalent nutrient), vitamin C, and vitamin B6, potassium, and manganese.

Vegetable Bean Medley Soup

This vegetable soup is much more robust than your usual vegetable soups, and has big flavor along with being packed with vitamins, minerals, protein, and enzymes. This recipe serves about 10-12 people and takes close to 90 minutes to prepare and serve.

In large pot add -

1 qt water

16 oz can organic dice tomatoes

Bring to boil –

ADD -

16 oz black beans (can use kidney, pinto, navy or any bean you want)

Lower heat to medium -

Stir in Seasonings:

Sea, or Kosher Salt - 1 tsp

Black pepper – finely ground – 1 tsp

Celery salt – 1 TBSP

Cayenne – ¼ tsps

Parsley – 1 TBSP

Basil – 1 TBSP

Oregano – ½ tsp

Thyme – ½ tsp

Savory – ½ tsp

Rosemary – ½ tsp

Mustard dry – ¼ tsp

Coriander – ¼ tsp

Cumin – ¼ tsp

ADD:

3 TPS crushed garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

Stir

Add the following vegetables:

1 cup diced russet potato (1 medium size)

1 cup chopped yam (I like garnet yams because they are sweeter)

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup diced celery

3 cups chopped kale

Mix in vegetables – cover the pot and cook on medium heat for 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender, without boiling.

After cooking, lower the heat to simmer for approximately 10 minutes

Serve in soup bowls and top with crumpled feta or either your favorite shredded cheese or cheese alternative; sprinkle with crushed red pepper and add salt & pepper to your taste.

Enjoy!

Black Bean and Spinach Burritos

This easy recipe delivers a great tasting mixture of nutrition that will definitely keep you strong. These Burritos taste fantastic, and can be easily modified to satisfy vegan recipes as well. This dish can be served within forty minutes when you combine the prep. and cooking times. This recipe will make six Burritos.



Ingredients:

8 oz canned black beans (organic), drained

9 oz Chopped Spinach

1 medium chopped onion

Grated Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese (non-dairy cheese alternatives are used here for vegans)

1 package tortillas (I use 6-10 inch Spinach tortillas)

Dried chili – 1 tsp

Chili sauce – 3 TSP

Crushed red pepper ½ tsp

Sea Salt -to taste

Black Pepper – to taste

Olive Oil



Toppings:

Salsa (mild, medium or hot)

Sour Cream

Sliced Black Olives

Alfalfa Sprouts



Preheat oven to 350 degrees



In Blender:

Puree black beans, seasonings and chili sauce.



In skillet:

Heat one tablespoon olive oil, lower heat and add chopped onions, lightly sauté and then stir in chopped spinach. Mix together to lightly sauté and place cover on skillet to keep veggie mixture warm.



On Baking Sheet:

Spread 3-4 heaping tablespoons of pureed black bean mixture in center of tortilla. Add a layer of sautéed veggie mix on that and then add grated cheese on top of that. Wrap as firmly as possible. Place wrapped tortillas on baking sheet. Rub each wrapped tortilla lightly with olive to keep tortilla moist.



Bake burritos for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted, and the tortillas are hot. Serve whole or cut in half. Add toppings & serve with Organic tortilla chips. Delicioso!

Friday Night Pasta

This is a perfect Friday night meal. It is easy to prepare and packed with revitalizing nutrients. Along with your personal touches, this will yield approximately four servings. Hope you enjoy!

8 oz Penne Pasta

6 oz pearled black olives (sliced)

2 cups chopped broccoli

1 tablespoon crushed garlic

Sea salt & pepper to taste

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Shredded Romano (sheep cheese)

Boil water (2 qts)- add dash of salt & olive oil to boiling water

Add 8 oz penne pasta to boiling water

Boil pasta for 6-8 minutes – Al dente

Add chopped broccoli to simmering pasta for about 2 minutes

Strain the pasta and broccoli and empty into serving bowl, drizzle olive oil over the top and add pearled black sliced olives, garlic, and Romano (sheep) cheese. Add salt & pepper to taste and then, toss & serve.

For added protein, add 4 oz canned, strained black beans toss in & serve-

Broccoli is rich in fiber, vitamin C, folic acid, beta carotene, potassium, calcium and contains cancer fighting compounds such as indole-3-carbinol. However; overcooking broccoli will destroy these vital nutrients.


Doreen Gubernat-Hogan, MPH, CHES

Hearty Vegetarian Chili

Hearty Vegetarian Chili

The variations of this chili recipe are sure to warm up those cold feelings in the dead of winter. This is a semolina wheat and protein rich dish with its bean and couscous base. All of the measurements are approximates and are for suggested guidelines. This is a tasty dish on its own however; I keep the chili sauce and extra shredded cheese on the table.

This is an easy dish to prepare and even easier to cook. These measurements will yield 8 servings.

16 oz. Organic (or not) canned dark kidney beans, drained

1 cup couscous

8 oz. tomato puree (organic)

14- 16 oz. crushed or diced tomatoes

1/2 cup fresh chopped red peppers

1/2 cup water

1 cup corn - (frozen, canned or fresh)

1 cup chopped carrots

1 medium size chopped onion

3 Tablespoons organic (or not) chili sauce

3 tsp. chili powder (or more to taste)

2 tsp. sea salt or kosher salt (or more to taste)

4 tsp. basil

1 tsp. black pepper (or to taste)

Mix all of these ingredients together in a slow cooker, or crock pot, and simply slow cook for 4 hours.

Toppings: shredded x-sharp cheddar cheese - dollop of sour cream - sprinkle finely chopped black olives

I love the anticipation of the meal as it builds, with the smell of the chili flowing through the house. Freshly baked corn bread is a great side to this. Enjoy

Welcome

Hi Everyone,

I will be sharing what I believe are my best recipes as judged by taste and nutritous values on my new blog, "Doreen's Vegetarian Recipes".

If you are looking for good vegetarian recipes for yourself or are inviting vegetarian friends over; these recipes are for you.

These recipes are also helpful for people that could use fresh ideas on how to import some better nutrition into their diet.

Please follow, enjoy, and share my blog.

This blog will be particularly helpful to those who wish to be vegetarian or eat less meat but can not seem to come up with satisfactory alternatives.

No fake meat here; just real good food!

Enjoy!
Doreen