Vegetarian Burritos- Yumm!

I have found a new recipe that I make AT LEAST once a week. It is so yummy and filling and low cost (big plus!)

My "foodie" board on pinterest is insanely full of recipes and now I have started a "vegan and veggie" board which is filling up fast. I came across two different burrito recipes that were meat-free for my husband and kind of mixed them together to make a super awesome burrito! Burrito inspiration recipe #1 Black Bean Veggie Enchiladas and Burrito inspiration recipe #2 Spicy Bean and Rice Burritos. Either of these would be amazing I think! But one, I have little ones that don't do spicy! And two I really wanted to add the extra veggies and rice to the burritos so coming up with my own little recipe turned out well for our family!

Vegetarian Burritos
1 small onion-chopped
1 bell pepper (you choose color)-chopped
2 garlic cloves- diced
A handful of mushrooms- chopped
15oz can of black beans- drained and rinsed
Small can of green chilies (my kids sometimes feel these are too spicy but really only if they see them!)
Taco seasoning (I just add a few dashes of cumin, onion powder, chili powder and oregano) But here is a link for how to make your own Taco Seasoning
Olive oil to slightly coat pan
Rice- either prepare your own or use leftover rice! Our family makes 1cup dry rice for these tacos, which yields about 3 cups cooked.
6 flour tortillas- burrito size
Shredded cheese
Choice of toppings- cheese, chopped lettuce, avocado, sour cream, cilantro, salsa

1. heat large skillet with a little olive oil. Toss in your onion and garlic. Let them get soft for a few mins. Then toss in peppers and mushrooms.

2. Once the veggies are to the tenderness of your choice (I like my peppers with still a little crunch) then toss in black beans, green chilies and seasonings.

3. Fill your burritos with rice, bean mixtures, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, salsa, and avocado (whatever else you choose) and tad-da! Super yummy filling meat-free dinner for you family!!

Enjoy!

Amazing Grilled Sandwiches!

Love Love Love Grill Season!!! (which is most of the time in Southern California) But there is something about those warm early summer days and firing up the grill!
We stumbled across the recipe while trying out the 'one vegetarian meal a week" idea.
Here's the originalrecipe from Allrecipes.com But of course we've changed things up a bit... :-)

Grilled Veggie Sandwiches

1 Red or Yellow or Orange Bell Pepper, cored and pulled apart into two halves
1 Zucchini, sliced longways
1 Yellow Squash, sliced longways
Half Red Onion, sliced
Mushrooms, if desired, either buttons sliced or Portabellas- they would make a pretty hearty huge sandwich
Loaf of Really Yummy Bread- (we normally go the focaccia route) sliced horizontally and vertically
Feta Cheese, crumbed
Pesto
Olive Oil for drizzling

Preheat grill to medium high.

Brush veggies and grill grate with oil. Place veggies on grill about 3min each side. Watch carefully though some may cook alot faster! (when I do mushrooms I do them inside in a saute pan and just saute with some garlic powder and pam spray)

(you can see the kids' ham and cheese side, but we did veggies

on their other side. Also added some parm cheese this time too!)

Place bread on cookie sheet. Spread both sides of bread with pesto. Pile on veggies (one side or both- sometimes hard to put together if on both sides) Top with feta. Pop them under the broiler for a few mins (could also put back on grill)

and ENJOY!!!

Sorta Soba Bowl

I really enjoyed watching Rachael Ray when I became a newly stay at home mom. She has such great recipes and understands the need to make a quick healthy meal. I don't get much time to watch her show now (Kids keep me too busy for that!) But we have some favorites of hers that we always come back to.

Sorta Soba Bowl
 Feeds 4-6 Adults

1lb of whole wheat spaghetti (we normally have a ton of leftover noodles but I freeze them or use them up         the following days)
2tbs vegetable oil- basically a few turns in the pan to help with sticking
1 onion diced
2+cloves of garlic-chopped
3 "handfuls" of store bought shredded carrots- I don't shredded my own carrots- more power to you if you do!
10ish shiitake mushrooms- thinly chopped
1 large zucchini, cut into half moons then sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 large bok choy or 3 baby boks- (remove middle part if using large bok choy) chop
6 cups of stock -chicken or veggie works

Topping
1/4cup toasted sesame seeds
1/2tbs ground coriander
1/2tbs chili powder
cayenne pepper- just a pinch depending on how spicy

Soy Sauce

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the noodles. Once it boils add some salt and the noodles and cook until al dente- try not to overcook.

While water is boiling for noodles, swirl veg oil in a large soup pan/pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and carrots. Cook until onions start to get tender (4-5mins)

Add mushrooms, zucchini and bok choy- cook for another 2-3mins. Add stock and bring to a simmer for 5mins.

In a small bowl mix topping ingredients together- reserve for a garnish for soup.

Take cooked noodles and drain. Toss with a little veg oil and place in individual bowls. Drizzle some soy sauce over the noodles. Then pour veggie soup over noodles. Top with sesame seed topping.

For our little ones, I leave off the spicy topping and just sprinkle regular sesame seeds on theirs. I also serve it with forks and spoons for them. I, myself, use just a fork. We have left it vegetarian before but have also added shrimp and/or chicken to it. If chicken, I will marinate the chicken in some soyaki (from trader joes) or just some regular teriyaki sauce. Then bake in marinade and shred or dice cooked chicken and add into soup last minute.

Enjoy!