Spinach-Feta Grilled Greek Pizza

Ingredients:

Olive oil

1 whole wheat pizza crust

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

2 bunches spinach

nutmeg, to taste (optional)

0.5 cup reduced fat feta cheese

0.5 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

handfull of green olives, sliced

sprinkling of fresh rosemary, basil, oregano, chopped

Directions:

In a large skillet, saute the garlic and onion in a little bit of olive oil.  Add the spinach and wilt.  Season with a little bit of nutmeg if desired.

Place a piece of aluminum foil on the grilltop and spray with cooking spray.  Place the pizza crust top down on the grill and heat until the top is golden and crispy.  Flip over crust and top with the spinach mixture, feta, mozzarella, tomatoes, olives, and herbs.  Close the grill lid and let pizza cook until cheese is melted and crust is crisp.

Remove from grill and enjoy with a tossed green salad for a complete meal.

Recipe adapted from: http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=2761

Tomato Basil Roasted Pepper Panini

Delicious!!  My son isn't necessarily a big sandwich lover so for him I boiled some pasta and placed all the sandwich toppings in with the cooked pasta and tossed with a little bit of Earth Balance buttery spread and garlic powder.  He loved it!  These ingredients are so versitile!

Ingredients (makes one sandwich):

2 slices sourdough or multigrain bread

2 tsp Earth Balance buttery spread - spread on the outside layer of each slice of bread

3 thin slices of tomato

handfull of fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 red/yellow/orange bell pepper

1 cup baby spinach, chopped

Vegenaise

Italian seasoning

1/3 cup Daiya dairy-free pepperjack cheese (or 1 slice of pepperjack cheese)

Directions:

To roast the bell peppers: 

Cut a bell pepper into large chunks.  Place on a foil lined cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Lightly spray the pepper pieces with cooking spray, too.  Place under broiler for ~5-7 minutes or until pepper skin begins to bubble and turn golden brown.

Spread Earth Balance buttery spread on the outside layer of each slice of bread.

Spread a thin layer of Vegenaise (vegan mayo spread) on the inside layer of each slice of bread and sprinkle a little bit of italian seasoning on top of the mayo.

Place 1/2 slice pepperjack cheese on each slice of bread.

Top with tomato slices, slices of roasted bell peppers, chopped spinach, and chopped basil.  

Place sandwich on a panini grill pan and heat ~2-3 minutes on each side until the bread is golden brown and sandwich is heated through.

You could serve this with a roasted tomato soup on the side, but my garden tomatoes aren't ripe enough for that yet.  So, I served with a tossed salad to lighten it up a bit.  Everyone enjoyed this quick weeknight meal!

Recipe adapted from: http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2012/05/tomato-basil-roasted-pepper-vegan.html

My 2 year old son really enjoyed this one!

Ingredients:

16 oz jar of mild or medium taco sauce (I used about 1/2-3/4 of the jar)

12 oz can Pillsbury refrigerated biscuits

1 cup shredded colby jack cheese

1 (2.25 oz) can sliced black olives

1 can (8 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained 

1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1/4 cup chopped yellow pepper

1/4 cup mushrooms, chopped

Directions:

Heat oven to 400.  Lightly spray an 11.5x7.5 inch pan with cooking spray.  Spread 1/2 of the taco sauce on the bottom of the dish.  Seperate dough into 10 biscuits; cut each biscuit into 4 pieces.  Place biscuit pieces in taco sauce; turn to coat.  Sprinkle biscuits with 1/2 of the cheese and the olives.  Top with just a little more taco sauce. 

Bake at 400 for 15-18 minutes or until biscuits are raised and bubbly.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet saute beans, peppers, and mushrooms in a little olive oil until veggies are done.  Spread bean mixture on top of the cooked biscuits.  Spread a little more taco sauce on top of the bean mixture and top with the remaining cheese.  Bake for an additional 6 minutes.  

Serve with a tossed garden salad for a complete meal. 

Recipe adapted from: http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/biscuit-taco-casserole/49398e0a-bd60-4759-872c-9f2a1f3a1b45# and http://afrugalsimplelife.com/2011/09/12/vegetarian-monthly-freezer-meal-plan/            

Broken Lasagna with Zucchini Tomato Sauce

A nice, light summer meal!

Ingredients:

2 large zuchini, coarsley grated

12 ounces lasagna noodles (not no-boil), broken into bite-size pieces

3 Tbsp Earth Balance buttery spread

2 cups cherry tomatoes (1 cup whole, 1 cup halved)

1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping

1 small bunch of chives (or other herb), chopped (I used a combo of fresh parsley, oregano, rosemary because that is what I had in my garden)

salt/pepper as needed.

Directions:

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions until al dente (about 12 minutes).  Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

Meanwhile, toss the zuchini with 1/2 tsp salt in a colander.  Set over a large bowl and let stand for 10 minutes, then gently squeeze out the excess moisture from the zucchini.

Heat Earth Balance in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the cherry tomatoes and cook until blistered and slightly softened, about 4 minutes.  Stire in the zucchini and lemon zest and cook, lightly crushing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon, until the zucchini is crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the zucchini-tomato mixture to a large bowl.  Add the past and cheese and toss.  Stir in half of the herbs, about 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking water, adding more to loosen, if needed.  Divide among bowls and top with remaining herbs and cheese.  

Recipe adapted from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/broken-lasagna-with-zucchini-tomato-sauce-recipe/index.html

Black Bean Burgers

Another good recipe for black bean burgers!  It was a hit with the whole family!

Ingredients:

1/2 green pepper, roughly chopped

1/4 medium onion, roughly chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2, 15oz cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp dried basil (or 1 Tbsp fresh basil)

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp tomato sauce

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup breadcrumbs

olive oil
Hamburger buns and toppings (lettuce, tomato, onion, vegenaise, ranch dressing, etc.)

Directions:

Place pepper, onion, and garlic into blender/food processor and pulse 5 times until finely chopped.  Add 1 can of black beans, Italian seasoning, basil, salt and tomato sauce to the blender/processor.  Blend on low for 15 seconds.  Scrape contents down toward blade if necessary.  Mixture will resemble the consistency of chunky guacamole.  (If you don't have a blender or processor, you could just finely chop the pepper and onion and mash the beans with a potato masher).
Transfer bean mixture to a large mixing bowl.  Add remaining black beans, egg, and breadcrumbs.  Combine with a wooden spoon.    Divide into 7 balls and flatten into patties using the palms of your hands.  Make sure mixture is not to wet or crumbly.  If mixture sticks to your hands, add more breadcrumbs 1 Tbsp at a time.
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and pour in some olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.  When oil is hot, cook patties 3-4 minutes on each side, until deep brown.
Place burgers on the buns and top as desired.  Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from: Vitamix Summer Recipe Guide