Image: http://www.wearenotmartha.com/2011/02/quinoa-stuffed-acorn-squash/
I made this as a side dish on Thanksgiving, and it was a hit! It would be perfect as a main dish for dinner too, paired with a little salad or something else green on the side. Read more…
Image credit: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/pasta-with-brie-mushrooms-arugula-recipe-00000000023129/index.html
You’re probably sick of leftover turkey by now, right? If you’re in the mood for a light, easy dinner, this is one of my favorites!
Ingredients:
12 oz. penne (3/4 box)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb. button mushrooms, quartered
1 small red onion, sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
kosher salt and pepper
8 oz. brie, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 cups baby arugula
Directions:
1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, drain the pasta, and return it to the pot.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and onion and cook, tossing, until the mushrooms begin to release their juices, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook until the mushrooms begin to brown, 5 to 6 minutes.
3. Toss the pasta with the brie and reserved water until coated. Stir in the mushrooms, onion and arugula.
Serves 4. Cheers to Real Simple.
Bon appetit!
Happy Thanksgiving, Greenists! If you’re looking to make your holiday a little greener this year, we have plenty of suggestions for you. Thanksgiving is all about the food — mainly turkey — but you can still give thanks without eating meat if you so choose. Here are some alternatives to the turkey dinner for the meat-avoiders among us:
1. Embrace the season.
When we think of fall food, we think of gourds, nuts, and spices. Why not turn your Thanksgiving meal into a fall festival? There are tons of recipes that involve pumpkin, squash, acorns, veggies, and all sorts of fall goodies. At the very least, you can find some great side dishes to try.
2. Speaking of side dishes…
I’ve often wondered why we only eat stuffing at Thanksgiving. Stuffing is delicious! So is cranberry sauce! So if you want to avoid meat, why not make a meal out of side dishes only? This is a great opportunity to try some new and interesting stuff, and if you’re having a party, you could have everyone bring something different to share.
3. There’s always Tofurky.
If you want your meal to have the feel of meat but don’t want an actual dead bird on your table, Tofurky is an option. Made with organic, non-genetically-engineered soybeans, Tofurkey makes several products, including deli slices, sausages, links, pizza, and “jurky.” It’s probably available at your local grocery store.
And if it’s just not Thanksgiving to you without a turkey on the table, hey, we’re not going to judge. There are greener options you can make with a meat dinner as well — choose a heritage turkey that hasn’t been injected with a bunch of foreign substances to make its breast grow bigger, and shop for veggies at your local farmer’s market.
What are your suggestions for a green Thanksgiving?
Image credit: fromrosieskitchen.wordpress.com
Who doesn’t love the Crock-Pot? I put it right up there with the wheel as one of the greatest inventions ever. This one requires a little more work than just throwing everything in the pot and leaving it for a few hours, but make it on one of your days off and you’ll have enough left over to freeze. Read more…
Please welcome today’s guest poster, Sara.
Hi there! I’m a food blogger over at From Blah to Ta-Daa, and a virtual pal of Allie’s. When she invited me to guest post for Meatless Mondays, this recipe was the first to pop into my head. I’ve had it sitting in my recipe box for two years now, but every time I considered making it, I got shied away by the oddball list of ingredients. Sweet potatoes with yellow mustard? And soy sauce? And taco spices? Ummmmm … Maybe next time. But I finally bucked up to make this and see what all the 5-star fuss was about.
And, honestly, I kinda love it. The flavor combo is unexpected and different, but I love the sweet potato and black bean filling. Who knew that sweet potatoes would be fantastic in burritos? Adding cheese is definitely a must (it adds a melty and creamy texture that makes these burritos really tasty), so if you don’t do cow cheese, I highly recommend tossing in some Daiya instead. I normally skip cheese on everything, but these were definitely more delicious with a bit melted into the filling. Read more…
Halloween is my personal favorite holiday, so after I’ve carved myself a pretty sweet jack-o-lantern (shown above, and my carving is done with the aid of a template, not because I’ve got skillz) there’s nothing better than roasting the pumpkin seeds. I’ve been doing this since I was a kid, and since I’m a little old to go trick-or-treating anymore, this has to take the place of candy. Well, except for the candy that won’t get taken by the trick-or-treaters that come to my door. (I may or may not buy way more candy than I’ll give out every year. What? I may be an adult, but I still love my Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.)
Anyway, here are four ways to roast your seeds this year. Which will you choose? Read more…
I know what you’re thinking: Eventually, Meatless Monday is going to feature a recipe for vegetarian steak. It’ll go like this- Take a plate out of the cupboard, salt to taste, enjoy! Because any dish is vegetarian if you just omit the meat.
But I think chili is one meal where you can get away with the reductionist approach because your protein is already accounted for in the beans, so taking away whatever meat you might have been throwing in doesn’t leave it nutritionally bereft. Read more…
As soon as we start to get a chill in the air, I become a comfort food addict, and nothing hits the spot for me quite like a big bowl of noodle soup. This is one of my favorite quick meals. You can use single serving packets of noodles if you’re making a meal for one (I like Thai Kitchen Lemongrass & Chili), or make a batch of rice noodles and use vegetable broth if you want more servings and less packaging.
The secret to turning this simple soup into a meal is to add fresh, frozen, or canned veggies to dress up the noodles and broth. It’s a great way to use up appropriate leftovers. Sometimes when I’m making dinner, I chop up some extra veggies to save for soup for my lunch the next day.
Add adzuki beans, lentils, or TVP for protein. It’s such a filling and satisfying meal, that you won’t even miss the meat.
To add variety, I also mix and match ingredients like:
Before my book came out, I had a lot more time on my hands. I enjoyed putting together elaborate meals and thought nothing of hand chopping nuts to make nutloaf for a Meatless Monday meal.
Now shopping for, making, and cleaning up after meals feels like a major time suck. I want quick recipes that employ most of the necessary food groups, don’t dirty every dish in the cupboard, and allow me to get back to writing as soon as possible. Big heaping plates of nacho loaded up with great stuff have become my favorite go-to meal when I’m in a time crunch.
I used to make a really good layered Mexican casserole all the time. Nachos are basically the same ingredients, but take a fraction of the time to make.
Things you might want to include:
Looking for a hearty, healthy soup that’s a snap to make and gets a whoooole lotta veggies into you? Look no further! Read more…
I promise to do a real garden update next week. Well, I don’t promise, but I’ll try to. In the meantime, I will give you a quick idea of what’s going on. Bunnies. Eating. Everything.
“But, Allie,” you say, “don’t you have a big, hulking, wolf-like dog? Doesn’t he scare off the bunnies?”
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