Meatless March: Week 3

One of the reasons that I'm blogging this month in diary format is so that I can give you a taste of all of the different recipes that I try out, even if I don't share all of the details.  I chose to do it this way in an effort to demonstrate all of the different options that are out there...and to dispel a lingering myth that being a vegetarian really just involves eating a lot of salad and tofu.

The other reason for the diary format is more of a personal challenge: one of my aims is to not repeat any recipes...with an exception for the use of leftovers.  Thus far I have managed with the help of my many cookbooks, a cooking magazine subscription (yes, I just out-ed myself as a giant food nerd), and, of course, the internet.

I used one of those online recipes to start my week with black bean enchiladas.  I did make several changes to the recipe based on the ingredients that I actually had on hand...chipotle peppers instead of anchos (since I had some of the former in the fridge from when I made chili) which made the sauce quite a bit spicier, ketchup instead of tomato paste (a substitution I make most of the time as I always have ketchup in the fridge and don't usually keep tomato paste on hand), a slightly larger can of black beans, and regular grated cheddar instead of the mexican blend they recommend.  After reading some of the reviews I also added one cup of corn (had frozen kernels in the freezer) to the black bean mixture in order to make the filling go a little farther...I ended up with enough to generously fill 10 whole wheat tortillas.

Trust me...it might not be pretty, but it's delicious!

Overall, an excellent recipe for enchiladas.  For those of you who might not be fond of spicy food, consider adding only one chipotle pepper, or look for the dried anchos recommended by the recipe, they're milder.

The best thing about spicy food, in my opinion, is that it gets better over time...meaning that the above pictured enchiladas were even more delicious when I had them for dinner again on Monday night.

As for Tuesday...

Finding myself somewhat down due to a head cold I was in the market for something comforting but the usual suspects (pastas and such) weren't appealing to me.  So I took a spin through my cookbooks and magazines to find something that was: stuffed baked potatoes.  Stuffed with cheese and broccoli to be precise.  Having made my decision I made a list and went to the grocery store where I ran into a bit of a snafu: while there were baking potatoes in five pound bags, they didn't have any that I could purchase piecemeal.  They did have little yellow potatoes so I bought some of those and made a quick change to my plans.

Making stuffed baked potatoes is a multi step process: first you bake the potato, then you scoop out the insides and mix them with all sorts of goodies (sour cream, cheese, broccoli) before returning the insides to the skins and baking them again (ever so briefly, really just long enough to melt the cheese).  My lack of a baking potato with a nice thick skin forced me to improvise: instead of stuffing the mixture back into a potato, I would "stuff" the mixture into a little casserole dish...I'd have the delicious stuffed potato filling without the stuffed potato skin.

The broccoli did double duty: stems in with the potatoes, and the crown steamed on the side.

Wednesday there was no cooking.  I succumbed to my illness and spent most of the day wrapped in a blanket, using up kleenex like it was going out of style.  Lucky for me there were leftovers in the fridge.....

When the time dinner rolled around on Thursday I was back to my (mostly) normal self, ready to cook up a storm.  Not too much of a storm though...just a simple veggie stir fry.

Mushrooms, onion, garlic, zucchini and broccoli stems...with brown and wild rice.

Friday was when I decided to get fancy.

I have a number of different cookbooks and magazines in my house, and one of the things that happens when you have that many potential recipes on hand is that you forget that they exist.  While going through the magazines earlier this week I found one such recipe...one that I am surprised I did not attempt the first time that I saw it.  It was for roasted portobello mushrooms stuffed with spinach and artichoke dip.

I, like more sane people, love spinach and artichoke dip.  Mushrooms have grown on me in the last couple of years...but even if I weren't a fan I would probably still make this recipe.  It's quite simple, easy to lighten, and tastes DELICIOUS!

You will need.....

-3 tbsp olive oil
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-4 medium portobello mushrooms (stems and gills removed)
-100g cream cheese (I like the low far garlic and herb kind)
-3 tbsp sour cream (or plain yogurt, or mayonnaise)
-1 1/2 tsp dried thyme (or 1 1/2 tbsp fresh)
-300g(ish) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
-1 can artichoke hearts, drained, patted dry, and chopped
-1/2 cup breadcrumbs
-1/3 parmesan cheese

First, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Combine 2tbsp of oil and two thirds of the garlic.  Brush the insides of the mushrooms with the garlic oil; season with salt and pepper.  Arrange oiled side up on a backing sheet and roast until just tender (about 10 minutes).

Meanwhile, combine cream cheese, sour cream and 1/2 tsp thyme in a medium bowl.  Add the spinach and artichokes; mix well.  In another bowl combine the remaining garlic, 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp thyme with the breadcrumbs and cheese.

Remove the mushrooms from the oven.  Spoon the artichoke mixture evenly into the mushroom caps and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs.  Bake until the crumbs are golden brown and the filling is hot (about 10 minutes).

Delicious...and this is coming from someone who did not like mushrooms until recently!

Bonus with the above recipe: easy to prep ahead.  Roast the mushrooms and make the filling, and keep both refrigerated separately until mealtime.  At that point spoon the filling into the mushrooms, add the breadcrumbs, and bake!

I spent all day Saturday working on various and assorted different school assignments, and by the time dinner time rolled around I was quite exhausted so I kept it simple: crispy tofu and asparagus.

Finger food...no need to dirty any cutlery!

The best part: you only need one pan, and your meal is ready in less than 15 minutes.  This recipe is definitely a keeper, and will be making its way into my regular weeknight rotation!

And with that another week is gone.  Next week is my last and holds the final challenge: convincing my parents that meat free meals aren't all that bad.

Wish me luck!