Fast Fresh Penne with Feta

Ingredients:

6 ounces uncooked penne pasta
½ pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 can (14½ ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking sauté mushrooms in oil in a large skillet for 5 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes, basil and salt. Cook and stir for 5 minutes.
3. Drain pasta and add to the skillet. Stir in the cheese, heat through.
4. Serve with warm buttered Italian bread or rolls. Makes 4 servings.

http://www.momswhothink.com

Eat Your Veggies...

More Veggies!

Asparagus- excellent source of potassium, fiber, vitamins A, C, K and B complex, reduces weight, Inflammation and depression

Allium Foods- Have natural antibiotic properties, boost immunity, reduce inflammation and fight infection.

·         Leeks

·         Onions

·         Shallots

·         Scallions

·         Garlic

Sweet Potatoes- are rich in carotenoids, vitamins A, B6, C, potassium, iron and fiber and are delicious.

Bell Peppers- great source of potassium, manganese, fiber and vitamins A, B, C and K

·         Green  peppers

·         Yellow peppers

·         Orange peppers

·         And red peppers

Summer and Winter Squash- rich in carotenoids and vitamins A, C, potassium, magnesium and fiber

Eat Your Veggies!

Mother always said to eat your vegetables…here’s  why.

Here is a list of the healthiest vegetables and why.

Cruciferous Vegetables

Are filled with anti-aging, cancer fighting, immune boosting phytonutrients, plus vitamins  C, K, potassium, calcium, iron and folic acid.

·         Broccoli

·         Cauliflower

·         Brussels Sprouts

·         Green and Red Cabbage

Carrots- protect against cancer, improve eyesight, high levels of carotenoids and vitamin A, B, C, and K (when raw)

Dark green leafy

Most nutritious eaten raw, contain iron, potassium, calcium, carotenoids, vitamins B, C, E and K.

·         Kale

·         Spinach

·         Swiss Chard

·         Collard greens

·         Parsley

·         Red and green lettuce

·         Mustard and turnip greens

Tomatoes- high in lycopene carotenoids and vitamin C

Beans and Peas

High in protein, fiber, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium and potassium

·         Peas

·         Lentils

·         Soybeans

·         Lima beans

·         Kidney beans

·         Garbanzo beans

refried black beans

These are great as a side with

 your favorite tex mex, on nachos or tacos.

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 (19-oz) can organic black beans, including liquid

1/2 to 1 cup water

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Cook garlic in oil in a skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add beans with their liquid and mash with a potato masher or the back of a large spoon to make a coarse purée.

Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is hot. Stir in enough of water to thin to a creamy consistency. Add pepper to taste.

Serve warm, sprinkled with cilantro.

Easy Black Bean Chili

12 oz can of black beans
1/2 tsp paprika
pinch of cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder
1 Tsp of ketchup
1 cup of chunky salsa
salt and pepper to taste

Add beans (do not drain) and all of the other ingredients, simmer for

20 minutes on low temp and serve. I like it over rice with cheese and sour cream.

Stuffed Manicotti

1  (16-ounce) carton fat-free cottage cheese 

1  (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry

1/4  cup  (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1 1/2  teaspoons  dried oregano

1/4  teaspoon sea  salt

1/4  teaspoon  black pepper

1  (8-ounce) package manicotti (14 shells)

2  cups  (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

Combine 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, cottage cheese, and the next 5 ingredients (through black pepper) in a medium bowl. Spoon about 3 tablespoons cheese mixture into each uncooked manicotti. Pour half of tomato-basil pasta sauce(see above) into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange stuffed shells in a single layer over sauce, and top with the remaining sauce. Pour 1 cup water into dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella evenly over sauce. Cover tightly with foil. Bake at 375° for 1 hour or until shells are tender. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Quest for a Vegetarian Sloppy Joe

I have been on a quest for sometime to make the perfect vegetarian sloppy joe.  I think this is the best recipe so far.

4 Amy'sVeggie Patties
red and yellow bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup of vegan barbecue sauce
1 Tsp of ketchup
1 tsp of Louisiana Hot sauce
1/2 tsp of brown sugar
1/2 tsp olive oil

Defrost veggie patties in microwave and the crumble until it resembles ground meat, set aside. Saute bell peppers in olive oil until soft, add veggie crumbles and heat through, in a bowl add barbecue sauce, ketchup, hot sauce and brown sugar whisk together and pour over the veggie crumbles and stir continue cooking until the mixture simmers.  Pile of a bun or fresh Kaiser roll with your favorite cheese.

The livestock sector is responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, while all the cars, lorries, ships and planes added together do not account for more than 13% of greenhouse gas emissions.

It's so easy to commit to one day a week without meat, not only will it be beneficial to the environment, but it can have a positive impact on your health as well.  If you are a die hard meat lover, try using a meat substitute like Morning Star Crumbles, they work great with tacos, chili, or spaghetti sauce.

for more on this subject:  http://hubpages.com/hub/The-carbon-footprint-of-meat-consumption

Vegetarian Thanksgiving Dinner- Green beans and Cranberries

This is a great recipe from the PETA website: http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/
1/2 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut on the diagonal
2 Tbsp. margarine
1 cup cranberries
1 clove garlic, minced and pressed
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh tarragon, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the beans and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Drain the beans in a colander and hold under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Blot the beans with a paper towel to remove the excess water.
• Put the beans into a dry skillet and heat over medium heat until the remaining moisture on the beans evaporates. Stir in the margarine, cranberries, garlic, parsley, tarragon, salt, and pepper, tossing to coat well.
• Cook until heated through.

Vegetarian Thanksgiving -Apples and Sweet Potatoes

·         4-5 sweet potatoes, sliced or chopped

·         2 apples, chopped

·         1/4 cup maple syrup

·         2 tbsp brown sugar

·         2 tbsp margarine, melted (earth balance, for vegans)

·         1/4 tsp cinnamon

·         1/4 tsp nutmeg

·         salt and pepper to taste

Place apples and sweet potatoes in a crock pot or slow cooker.

Sprinkle remaining ingredients on top of the potatoes and apples.

Cook on low for 4 to 5 hours. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Vegan Potato Soup

about 1 pound of potatoes

3 tablespoons olive oil  
2 chopped onions
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 vegetable bouillon cubes
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves
4 cups of water
cheddar soy cheese, shredded

dollop of Tofutti’s vegan sour cream

In a large stock pot, saute the onion with  sea salt until the onion turns slightly translucent

Add the garlic and stir well with the onions. Saute for another minute
Add the potatoes and saute for about a minute or two
Add the water and bouillon cubes
Cover and bring the soup to a brisk boil
Reduce heat to a simmer
Simmer the soup for about 20 minutes
Turn off the heat and use an immersion or hand held stick blender to puree the soup in the pot. You can also pour the soup into a blender and puree the soup one cup at a time.
Add the fresh rosemary leaves while blending and blend until smooth making sure that all of the chunks are pureed out.
Once the soup is pureed and smooth, return to the soup pot to reheat.

Top with cheese and sour cream

I'm not crazy about casseroles but...

• 2 cups of plain soy milk
• 1 8 oz tub of cream cheese (you can use vegan if you like)eat
• 1 can of rotel tomatoes
• 1 can of sliced mushrooms, drained
• 2 cloves of garlic, mashed into a paste
• Pasta of your choice, I used rotini
• grated cheese for the top
• cracked black pepper to taste

cook pasta according to directions
heat soy milk on medium temp, add cream cheese and garlic paste and stir until the cheese melts.
once cheese is melted and milk and cheese are combined then add tomatoes, mushrooms, and pepper
pour mixture over pasta and top with shredded cheese, bake at 350 for 20 minutes

Vegetarian Thanksgiving Dinner

Popovers

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus 1 teaspoon room temperature for pan
• 4 3/4 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 1 cup
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup whole milk, room temperature

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Grease a 6-cup popover pan with the 1 teaspoon of butter.
Place all of the ingredients into a food processor or blender and process for 30 seconds. Divide the batter evenly between the cups of the popover pan, each should be about 1/3 to 1/2 full. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 40 minutes. Remove the popovers to a cooling rack and pierce each in the top with a knife to allow steam to escape. Serve warm.

 

Vegetarian Thanksgiving

Crudités is a French term that refers to "raw vegetables," so a platter of crudités typically consists of one or more types of raw vegetables served with one or more dips. These are great for parties and can be served as an appetizer or in place of a salad. The sky is the limit, use what you like best.

Easy Pizza







brush with olive oil and sprinkle on Italian seasonings
Bake at 450, for 10 minutes or until crisp



for sauce use all natural Bruschetta
it's perfect for pizza

saute some veggies in 1tsp vegan butter and 1tsp of olive oil

top crust with bruschetta, veggies and your choice of cheese,
 bake until cheese melts

slice and eat



What the Buddha Said About Eating Meat

Ajahn Brahmavamso

Since the very beginning of Buddhism over 2500 years ago, Buddhist monks and nuns have depended on almsfood. They were, and still are, prohibited from growing their own food, storing their own provisions or cooking their own meals. Instead, every morning they would make their day's meal out of whatever was freely given to them by lay supporters. Whether it was rich food or coarse food, delicious or awful tasting it was to be accepted with gratitude and eaten regarding it as medicine. The Buddha laid down several rules forbidding monks from asking for the food that they liked. As a result, they would receive just the sort of meals that ordinary people ate - and that was often meat.

Once, a rich and influential general by the name of Siha (meaning 'Lion') went to visit the Buddha. Siha had been a famous lay supporter of the Jain monks but he was so impressed and inspired by the Teachings he heard from the Buddha that he took refuge in the Triple Gem (i.e. he became a Buddhist). General Siha then invited the Buddha, together with the large number of monks accompanying Him, to a meal at his house in the city the following morning. In preparation for the meal, Siha told one of his servants to buy some meat from the market for the feast. When the Jain monks heard of their erstwhile patron's conversion to Buddhism and the meal that he was preparing for the Buddha and the monks, they were somewhat peeved:

"Now at the time many Niganthas (Jain monks), waving their arms, were moaning from carriage road to carriage road, from cross road to cross road in the city: 'Today a fat beast, killed by Siha the general, is made into a meal for the recluse Gotama (the Buddha), the recluse Gotama makes use of this meat knowing that it was killed on purpose for him, that the deed was done for his sake'..." [1].

Siha was making the ethical distinction between buying meat already prepared for sale and ordering a certain animal to be killed, a distinction which is not obvious to many westerners but which recurs throughout the Buddha's own teachings. Then, to clarify the position on meat eating to the monks, the Buddha said:

"Monks, I allow you fish and meat that are quite pure in three respects: if they are not seen, heard or suspected to have been killed on purpose for a monk. But, you should not knowingly make use of meat killed on purpose for you." [2]

There are many places in the Buddhist scriptures which tell of the Buddha and his monks being offered meat and eating it. One of the most interesting of these passages occurs in the introductory story to a totally unrelated rule (Nissaggiya Pacittiya 5) and the observation that the meat is purely incidental to the main theme of the story emphasizes the authenticity of the passage:

Uppalavanna (meaning 'she of the lotus-like complexion') was one of the two chief female disciples of the Buddha. She was ordained as a nun while still a young woman and soon became fully enlightened. As well as being an arahant (enlightened) she also possessed various psychic powers to the extent that the Buddha declared her to be foremost among all the women in this field. Once, while Uppalavanna was meditating alone in the afternoon in the 'Blind-Men's Grove', a secluded forest outside of the city of Savatthi, some thieves passed by. The thieves had just stolen a cow, butchered it and were escaping with the meat. Seeing the composed and serene nun, the chief of the thieves quickly put some of the meat in a leaf-bag and left it for her. Uppalavanna picked up the meat and resolved to give it to the Buddha. Early next morning, having had the meat prepared, she rose into the air and flew to where the Buddha was staying, in the Bamboo Grove outside of Rajagaha, over 200 kilometres as the crow (or nun?) flies! Though there is no specific mention of the Buddha actually consuming this meat, obviously a nun of such high attainments would certainly have known what the Buddha ate.

However there are some meats which are specifically prohibited for monks to eat: human meat, for obvious reasons; meat from elephants and horses as these were then considered royal animals; dog meat - as this was considered by ordinary people to be disgusting; and meat from snakes, lions, tigers, panthers, bears and hyenas - because one who had just eaten the flesh of such dangerous jungle animals was thought to give forth such a smell as to draw forth revenge from the same species!

Towards the end of the Buddha's life, his cousin Devadatta attempted to usurp the leadership of the Order of monks. In order to win support from other monks, Devadatta tried to be more strict than the Buddha and show Him up as indulgent. Devadatta proposed to the Buddha that all the monks should henceforth be vegetarians. The Buddha refused and repeated once again the regulation that he had established years before, that monks and nuns may eat fish or meat as long as it is not from an animal whose meat is specifically forbidden, and as long as they had no reason to believe that the animal was slaughtered specifically for them.

The Vinaya, then, is quite clear on this matter. Monks and nuns may eat meat. Even the Buddha ate meat. Unfortunately, meat eating is often seen by westerners as an indulgence on the part of the monks. Nothing could be further from the truth - I was a strict vegetarian for three years before I became a monk. In my first years as a monk in North-East Thailand, when I bravely faced many a meal of sticky rice and boiled frog (the whole body bones and all), or rubbery snails, red-ant curry or fried grasshoppers - I would have given ANYTHING to be a vegetarian again! On my first Christmas in N.E. Thailand an American came to visit the monastery a week or so before the 25th. It seemed too good to be true, he had a turkey farm and yes, he quickly understood how we lived and promised us a turkey for Christmas. He said that he would choose a nice fat one especially for us... and my heart sank. We cannot accept meat knowing it was killed especially for monks. We refused his offer. So I had to settle for part of the villager's meal - frogs again.

Monks may not exercise choice when it comes to food and that is much harder than being a vegetarian. Nonetheless, we may encourage vegetarianism and if our lay supporters brought only vegetarian food and no meat, well... monks may not complain either!

May you take the hint and be kind to animals.

References:

[1] Book of the Discipline, Vol. 4, p. 324
[2] ibid, p. 325

more on this subject-http://http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma3/meat.html