Lazy, Guiltless, Meatless Mondays: Black Beans Tostadas

Eating vegetarian normally cuts your options short when you are thinking about dinner. This quick meal is both satisfying (who doesn't like Mexican?) and healthy (chock full of protein and good fats).  It's also prepared in a New York minute so you have more time to focus on E! News.  Time is precious my friends.

Ingredients:

- Black Bean Soup can (Goya)

- 1/4 onion, chopped

- 1/4 green pepper, chopped

- 2 garlic cloves, mashed and minced

- Dry oregano

- 1 bay leaf

- Big pinch of sugar

- 1tsp white vinegar

- 2 small corn tortillas

- 1/4 cup of plain greek yogurt (this will be your sour cream- so so good and packed with protein)

- Salsa

- Four avocado slices

- Cilantro

First, cook the beans.  Since I am recommending a pre-made soup (has to be Goya!), use the ingredients listed above to improve the taste and make it as homemade as possible.  

Heat 1 tbsp of EVOO in a saucepan.  Once hot, add the garlic, onion and green peppers, stirring occasionally.  Cook until fragrant and then add two shakes of dry oregano, 1 bay leaf, and simmer in medium low heat for 10 mins.  Add the sugar (I would say like a teaspoon) and the white vinegar.  Stir and turn the stove top off.  Set aside.  

In a big frying pan, add a tbsp of vegetable oil (or any oil that doesn't have a strong flavor).  When hot, add both corn tortillas and flip until both sides are somewhat toasted and hard.  The more oil you add to the pan, the crispier it'll be.  So it's your call.

Assemble dish.  Place tortillas.  Add a dollop on greek yogurt to both, salsa, big spoonful of the black bean soup, and top off with avocado slices and cilantro.  I didn't put cheese on mine but if you want to, go right ahead.

Enjoy and catch up on TomKat's divorce (or 360 Anderson Cooper, I don't judge). 

Have a great week my friends!

Lazy, Guiltless, Meatless Mondays: Veggie + Cannellini Bean Pizzette

In typical NY fashion I've been a busy busy bee with no time to really invent in the kitchen.  A few Mondays ago was no exception when getting home to cook at 9pm didn't really seem so appeling.  Enter, the bootleg pizza (or pizzette, let's make it sound fancy).  I've been making this type of pizza since college and it usually involves any leftovers I have.  In addition to emptying out your pantry/fridge it is also pretty healthy.  This one is filling enough to give you the protein and veggies you need but does not overdo it with the bread.

1 whole wheat tortilla wrap

5 cherry tomatoes (or whatever amount you want)

1/4 of a medium-sized red pepper, sliced lenghtwise

1/4 of a medium-sized onion, sliced lenghtwise

1/2 cup of cannellini beans

marinara sauce

mozzarella cheese cut in chunks, I used spinach rollatini for mine (hence the green leaves)

olive oil

minced garlic (just a bit for flavor)

pesto sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.  Place the tortilla in a cookie sheet, brush with oil oil and minced garlic.  In a bowl, place the cannellini beans and cherry tomatoes, a drizzle of olive oil, a spoonful of pesto, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.

Assemble the pizzette.  Spread marinara sauce on the bottom, sprinkle the cannellini/cherry tomato salad evenly on the tortilla, followed by the peppers, onions, and then the cheese (I like it to bubble so I always place the cheese on top).

Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and tortilla are crisp. Happy eating!

Lazy, Guiltless, Meatless Mondays: Kale

It's been a Kale marathon lately.  I've been eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I bought this ginormous bush about a week ago and it does not seem to end.  I still have like half of it left so I'll be eating Kale allll week long. 

 Kale and ricotta omelet 

Veggie pattie taco with sauteed kale, onion, peppers and pepper jack cheese

Moroccan lentil and kale soup

Notice another pattern here?  Everything is meatless! I'm making an extremely conscious effort to be more vegetarian.  For health reason's more than anything.  It's been a struggle but I'm determined.

Lazy, Guiltless, Meatless Mondays: Spaghetti Squash and Meat(less)balls

Meatless Monday has become a fun thing to do when the beginning of the week starts, to the point that now my other roommate is collaborating. Today she came home with two huge spaghetti squash. So we cooked up "spaghetti" and "meatballs" made from spinach and Stove Top. You are probably thinking "Uhhhh?!?". I know it sounds odd, but honestly it was delicious. I am actually craving it as we speak. It's a fun and easy recipe to make and definitely feels just as hearty as the real thing.

Spaghetti Squash and Meat(less)balls Recipe

2 spaghetti squash

1 Stove Top box

1 frozen spinach cube

1 egg

1/4 c. parmesan cheese

salt + pepper to taste

store bought spaghetti sauce

Drain spinach to remove as much water a possible. Make Stove Top as instructed in the package. Mix spinach, parmesan cheese, Stove Top and bind with the egg. Form into balls. Place them on a baking sheet, lightly greased. Place in oven for about 20 minutes.

Cut spaghetti squash lengthwise in halves. NOTE: Spaghetti squash is hard to cut through so be very careful with your fingers!!

Lightly grease a baking sheet with olive oil and place halves facing down. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until tender inside.

When the spaghetti squash is done, take it out and wait for it to cool a bit. Once cool enough to handle, take a fork and start scraping the insides. Place scraped squash in a bowl and add some olive oil, salt and pepper.

Serve spaghetti squash with balls on top, some sauce and parmesan. Molto bene.

Lazy, Guiltless, Meatless Mondays: Broccoli Rabe

I have to admit, I had never heard of, eaten or seen broccoli rabe until last year when my boyfriend made it for me on our first date. He is italian (clearly) so broccoli rabe is like his lettuce. Bottom line is that it is delicious. I consider it a mix between broccoli and asparagus. For a quick vegetarian dinner filled with antioxidants and protein make it with spaghetti and white beans. It may sound a bit weird but beans and pasta go amazing together, especially tuscan or chickpeas.

1 cleaned bouquet of broccoli rabe

4 garlic cloves

fresh chopped parsley

1 can of tuscan beans

1/2 cup of chicken broth

1/2 of a roasted red pepper

1 small onion

cooked spaghetti

salt and pepper to taste

Cut 1 inch off of the stem of the broccoli rabe. Bring salted water to boil. Throw rabe in boiling water for like 7 mins or until tender. Once cooked, drain with cold water so it stops cooking. Pat dry. In a pan drizzle olive oil and two big cloves minced. When pan is fragrant (like 1 min) sautee broccoli rabe with salt and pepper. Put aside.

In another pan sauté garlic and chopped onion until caramelized (5 mins). Add drained beans, parsley, chopped roasted red pepper, salt, pepper and chicken broth. Cook for like 10 mins. When cooked simply serve beans on top of spaghetti and broccoli rabe on the side. If you rather toss everything together, lightly chop the broccoli rabe and in the same pan add spaghetti, beans and about 1/2 a cup of water from the spaghetti. The starch will make it creamy. Add parmesan cheese at the end. As much as you want.

Lazy, Guiltless, Meatless Mondays

Mondays are utterly painful. Waking up at 7am after two nights of going out and sleeping in gives your body a shock. Mentally, you are not all there either so the easier the day the better. No one wants to go home and cook an elaborate meal but who wants to start the week eating a greasy burger for dinner? That's why this year I decided to start having lazy meatless Mondays. This way I reduce my intake of meat (news flash: meat is not that good for you) and do the least work possible.

Today, I made a quick but satisfying pizza with fresh ingredients. For the busy New Yorker in all of us, do yourself a favor and try it too:

1 pre-made multi-grain flatbread

1 red and firm tomato, sliced

1/2 an onion thinly sliced

mushrooms thinly sliced (with stem)

1 big garlic clove, mashed and chopped

Sliced fresh mozzarella

1/2 cup of tomato sauce

5 basil leaves, roughly cut

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Throw chopped vegetables in a bowl. Toss with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Lay flatbread on a baking sheet. Lightly brush with olive oil. Spread tomato sauce leaving the sides clean. Place mozzarella evenly on flatbread, throw vegetables on top of the mozzarella. Bake on a very hot 400F oven for about 15 minutes or until crust is crispy. Cut and eat while you watch E! News on your couch with a huge glass of wine. Come on, it's Monday, you deserve it.