cheese grits with chunky tomato sauce

Once again, this is something you can make with stuff you already have around the house. I've never had grits with tomato sauce before, and once I did, it made me wonder- what's the difference between grits and polenta? It doesn't matter to me- I love them both, especially when home-made. This is a simple, delicious recipe, and also a great way to use up any tomato sauce leftovers. You can find the recipe here.

broccoli-potato stratas

Aside from this being one of those recipes that doesn't really look like the picture that is presented, it was pretty good. Look at VT's picture- what is all that white stuff on top? More ricotta mixture, I guess. The recipe calls for two teaspoons of Parmesan on top of the broccoli- two teaspoons. Anyone who says they don't triple any cheese topping is a liar. I put the chips on top, since I got a tip from a friend. She said, and I agree, that this strata is good but generally only mushy in texture. The chips on top give a tiny bit of crunch. I do think that the ricotta could have had a little something extra in it- maybe rosemary? -but was pretty good. Also, this is a perfect toddler food. I might just freeze it in cubes for that purpose.

Here's the recipe!

GOOD LUCK STEPH!!!!!

autumn red cabbage with pears

Did today feel like autumn, or what? Cold and wind, then sunny, then really windy- I thought for sure the power was going to go out. On the way to the store, there were a bunch of kids at the elementary school flying homemade kites! It all reminded me that I have been meaning to make a recipe to use up some red cabbage- autumn red cabbage with pears. It's in the "Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook." I made it with apples instead of pears, because that's what I had. It tastes just like that German side dish that is served with sausages, and is seasoned with vinegar, sugar, salt, nutmeg, and pepper. I'm sorry this picture makes it look so disgusting- it really turned out delicious, and the kitchen smelled like mulled spices while it cooked. I am just having a hard time trying to figure out a vegetarian entree that I could serve with this.

banana cocoa smoothie

Didn't I just make something chocolate last night? I suppose I'll get over it. This smoothie tastes exactly like you think it would! Really yummy! Sometimes I get irritated when I see a recipe like this because I feel like I should be able to think it up on my own. Did I think this up on my own? Of course not. So apparently I do need the recipe.

One of my favorite things about VT is that the recipes remind me that I don't need to add sugar or other sweeteners as much as I think I do.

Here's the recipe!

jamaican curried tempeh tacos (sounds good); chocolate zucchini cookies (actually good)

I was soooo excited to make these tacos.... if you've seen the picture in the magazine, then maybe you were tempted, too. They weren't really all that bad, it just turns out tempeh has a strong, bitter taste. I had all the right seasonings- no substitutions, and they were boring and dry. I had to keep adding water while the tempeh cooked to keep it from drying out. The recipe then calls for a topping of plain bell peppers and mustard greens (I used lettuce). Too dry! I melted some mozzarella cheese on it, not the right flavor, but it needed something. It was edible, and I'll probably do the same with the leftovers tomorrow.

Can you buy prepared jamaican jerk sauce? I think that would be better on top of sauteed tofu (no more tempeh, thanks).

The one good thing about this recipe was all the things you cook the tempeh with- pineapple, ginger, cilantro, curry powder- smelled so good together. There must be a better way to use these ingredients together.

Jamaican Curried Tempeh Tacos recipe.

And then there were the chocolate zucchini cookies..... soooooo good, and I didn't even make the glaze. Well, I did, but I messed it up. Totally my fault. Didn't even miss it- the cookies are like soft cupcake tops. Mmmmmmmmm.

Chocolate Zucchini Cookies recipe.

creamy quinoa with dried cranberries

I was wondering why VT didn't put in a picture of this ... until I made it. It looks like a pile of prison gruel. I made it with oat bran instead of quinoa and it was pretty good. I was suspicious of the amount of spices- enough for an entire pumpkin pie- but dumped them all in anyway without thinking. It tasted good at first when it was still warm and creamy, then started to taste a little gross after becoming cold and gelatinous. However, it did add more flavor where I normally would start adding more sugar. I will definitely try this again when I get some quinoa.

Here's the recipe!

Beet-Top Crustless Quiche

This month's issue looks so amazing already that it was part of the inspiration for the blog. I almost passed over this recipe because I didn't know what beet tops are, but the recipe says you can use chard instead. The rest is stuff most everyone has in the kitchen already.

It turned out delicious-but it needs salt.

Also-
Vegetarian times puts most of their recipes online, so they are really easy to find.
Here's this recipe!

Low expectations... but still going for it!

OK, so I have made many attempts at putting things online. Or just getting things done in general. However, I am going to really try to stick with this. The fact that I can already see something wrong with the font that I cannot fix that is making me crazy will not stop me.

Enough rambling. Here is my mission statement.

Vegetarian Times magazine is a favorite of so many of my friends and family, who are scattered all over the place. I am always going on and on about the B.V.T.R.E.s (best vegetarian times recipes ever), so I decided to put it down somewhere.

I will also put in other recipes (there will be meat, sorry!) but since I cook out of VT weekly, if not daily, that will be the focus. I'll do pictures if I can, but I'll never stick with it if I try to force it.

I hope you enjoy!
Update:
I have decided to keep this blog to vegetarian times recipes only - no meat! I really want this to be a resource for those of you who are interested in knowing how some of these recipes turn out for me before making them for yourselves. Enjoy!
I still have no idea what is going on with this font, but it seems to only be affecting this post. I will try to forget about it.