The Cookbook: Earthy Girl's Guide to Meatless Meals

I am proud to announce that my E-cookbook, Earthy Girl's Guide to Meatless Meals is finally complete and available for download!

Whether you are a vegetarian, vegan or just trying to incorportate more meatless meals into your diet, Earthy Girls Guide to Meatless Meals will help you do just that.  This cookbook contains over 50 super simple recipes for every meal of the day.  Recipes such as: Popeye's Egg Sandwich; Mascarpone and Strawberry Stuffed French Toast; Okra Baby Bella Soup; Grilled Portabella Sandwich; Puff Pastry with Ricotta and Broccoli; Pesto and Cherry Tomato Pasta; Mango Black Bean Salad; or even Vegan Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting.

Eating meatless doesn't mean giving up mouthwatering delicious foods, or even your favorite meals; it means adding even more!

Here are some links on where Earthy Girl's Guide to Meatless Meals can be downloaded:

Smashwords (download available in multiple formats)  http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/336940 

Amazon (Kindle e readers)  

http://www.amazon.com/Earthy-Girls-Guide-Meatless-ebook/dp/B00EFM9KC8/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376252078&sr=1-1&keywords=Earthy+girl%27s+guide+to+meatless+meals

Barnes and Noble (Nook e readers)  

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/earthy-girls-guide-to-meatless-meals-patti-connelly/1116263814?ean=2940045156035

Sony
https://ebookstore.sony.com/search?keyword=Earthy+Girl%27s+Guide+to+Meatless+Meals

Kobo
http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/earthy-girl-s-guide-to-meatless-meals

Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Pasta Shells w// Marinara Sauce

It has been awhile since my last posting. Not because I haven't been cooking, but because I haven't come up with any recipes that I felt were blog worthy!

Tonight the dry spell came to an end. And the winning dish is this Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Pasta dish. All I can say is, Yummy!

So, without further ado, here is the recipe.

Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Pasta Shells:

Ingredients:

12-14 jumbo pasta shells

10 oz. frozen spinach, chopped. (Swiss Chard would work well, too)

2 cups low fat cottage cheese, drained

2 egg whites

4 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

2 tbsp. fresh Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

pepper to taste

2 plus cups Marinara sauce - see recipe below

Directions:

Prepare pasta shells according to package directions, drain and cover with cold water so they don't dry out.

Drain the spinach thoroughly. I like to simply squeeze it out with my hands.

In a 13 x 9 inch baking dish, pour 1 cup of marinara sauce.

Combine spinach, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella, egg whites, garlic powder and pepper. Stuff the spinach/cheese mixture into the shells and place in the baking dish. Cover with the remaining marinara sauce.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes - or until bubbling.

Marinara Sauce:

Ingredients:

2 (14.5 oz.) cans of diced tomatoes

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste

4 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

6 tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup vegetable broth

Directions:

In a large skillet, over medium heat, saute the onion in the olive oil for about 2 minutes. Then add the rest of the ingredients. (If you prefer a smooth sauce with no tomato chucks, you could put the tomatoes in a blender or food processor first.

Simmer the sauce for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Tip: Make a double or triple batch and put the extra in containers in the freezer for another meal. The sauce taste even better after all the flavors have had a chance to marry. It is a nice light sauce that is great over angel hair pasta as well.

As always, be kind and eat well!

Enjoy.

Swiss Chard Enchiladas

I know, Swiss Chard, sounds to healthy to taste good. But it is. Actually, these enchiladas were fabulous and very easy to make.

So lets talk a little bit about Swiss Chard....

Swiss Chard is a leafy green, but it is actually a member of the beet family, which is something I just learn. I always thought it was a member of the spinach or kale families.

When the Swiss chard is young and tender, it is great in salads. However, when it is mature, it becomes tougher and can have a more bitter flavor. For this recipe, we will be using the mature chard.

When the mature chard is used, the leafy green portion is removed from the stem, as the stem can be tougher. However, in this recipe, we will use the stems. To deal with the tougher stem, we will just be cooking it longer, and then later adding the leaves.

Lets talk nutrition: Swiss Chard is high in vitamins A, K, and C. It is also a great source of potassium, iron, and manganese. And of course it is a great source of fiber.

So lets get to the recipe so that you can get to cooking! Here you go...

Ingredients:

2 - 8 oz. cans green enchilada sauce

1-2 jalapenos, minced

2 large bunches of Swiss chard

1 medium onion, diced

8 tortillas, corn or flour

8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

1 large handful of cilantro, chopped

salt

Preparation:

Prepare the chard by removing the leaves from the stems. Chopped the stems into small pieces, rinse thoroughly, and set aside. Cut the leaves into ribbons, and again, rinse and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil on high heat. Add the onion and saute for about 1 minute. Then add the chard stems and cook for another minute. Next, add the chard leaves. Add 1/4 cup of water and 1 tsp of salt, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until tender. Then remove the lid and cook off any remaining moisture. We don't want watery enchiladas!

In a bowl, combine the Monterey Jack cheese, the chard/onion mixture, and the cilantro.

In another container, mix the green enchilada sauce and the desired amount of jalapeno.

Now to put it all together...

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Scoop about 1 cup of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 9"x 13" casserole dish.

Take each tortilla and dip it in the remaining enchilada sauce one at a time, lay it in the casserole dish, and fill it with about 1/4 cup of the cheese/chard mixture. Roll up and place seam side down in the casserole. Repeat this for all the tortillas.

Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over top of the enchiladas. Sprinkle with another couple of ounces of Monterey and the Parmesan cheese.

Bake for about 25 minutes, until it bubbles on the sides and the cheese is melted.

Take out of the oven, and sprinkle with additional cilantro for garnish.

Enjoy!

As always... Eat Well, and Be Kind!

Pesto and Cherry Tomato Pasta

This is one of the easiest pasta recipes you will ever make! Guaranteed.

It makes a great weeknight meal when you are just too darn tired to put much thought or effort into cooking.

My dear husband, Stephe, who is quite the food junkie, says, "I love the tanginess of the tomatoes and the lemon." I would have to agree. Normally I am not a big fan of pesto, but with the addition of the tomatoes and the lemon - it is a winner.

If you don't have arugula, feel free to experiment with spinach or kale, or swiss chard.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup pecorino cheese, grated

2 handfuls baby arugula

1 handful basil

1/3 EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

1/3 cup walnuts

juice from 1 small lemon

several handfuls cherry tomatoes

1/2 lb. whole grain penne pasta - I like Barilla for the higher protein content.

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Prepare the pasta to al dente.

Put all the other ingredients (except the tomatoes and S&P) in a blender and blend until thick and smooth.

Season with the salt and pepper.

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half, lengthwise.

Mix the pesto and the cherry in to the pasta and serve.

You can sprinkle additional cheese on top if you would like.

It doesn't get much easier than that!

Serve with a simple salad and a piece of crusty bread and you are good to go.

Enjoy!