Tag Archives: Meatless Monday

Loaded Veggie Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

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This is the grilled cheese sandwich that you never knew you needed. Is it a bit over the top? Yes. But sometimes life calls for over the top delicious grilled cheese sandwiches. And when that happens – make this. 

Freshly made guacamole, sauteed onions, mushrooms and spinach, freshly sliced tomato and melted cheese come together to create this deliciousness.

And, like most things on this site, this is very customizable. Don’t like mushrooms? Leave them off. Want to add some meat? Go ahead! Want to go lighter on the cheese? That’s okay, just add one piece instead of two. I don’t suggest that, but I do agree, not every day is a two-piece of cheese sandwich kind of day. Some days are, but not every day.

Every layer of this sandwich is special and it all comes together so perfectly. The flavorful guacamole, the fresh, juicy tomatoes, the melty cheese, the onions, cooked with a splash of wine, the spinach and the caramelized balsamic mushrooms all come together to make one unforgettable sandwich. Dig in!

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Loaded Veggie Grilled Cheese Sandwich

This is what I used for one sandwich. Double, triple, etc. as needed.

Ingredients

  • 2 slices your favorite bread
  • 1/2 of an avocado
  • Salt and pepper
  • Juice from 1/2 of a lime
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 large handful fresh spinach
  • 1 large portabello mushroom
  • Olive oil
  • Small splash white wine
  • Small splash balsamic vinegar
  • Butter

Instructions

  1. For the guacamole, scoop out the flesh of the avocado and add it to a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add the lime juice. Mash together with a fork or potato masher until just slightly chunky. Set aside.

  2. Add about 1 tablespoon olive oil to a pan over medium high heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook for several minutes, or until the onion begins to brown. Once slightly browned, add a splash of white wine to the pan and let it cook off. Once the wine has cooked away, place the onions in a small bowl and set aside.

  3. To the same pan over medium heat, add a large handful of spinach. Cook until wilted. Remove from pan and set aside.

  4. Wipe the mushroom clean with a paper towel. Remove the stem and brown scaly insides. Slice the mushroom into long strips. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the same pan over medium high heat. Add the mushroom strips and stir around to coat the mushrooms in oil. Let cook for several minutes, until the mushroom begins to get soft. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar to the pan, stir, and let cook several more minutes, until the vinegar has cooked away. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside.

  5. To make the sandwich, butter one side of each piece of bread. Place one piece of bread in the same pan over medium heat. Top with the guacamole, tomato slices, one slice of cheese, onions, spinach, mushrooms and then another slice of cheese. Let cook until the bread is crispy and browned. Add the other piece of bread on top, buttered side up. Using a large spatula, quickly but carefully flip the sandwich. Let cook until the other slice of bread is crispy. Smash down a bit to combine everything together, slice and eat.

 

Squash + Corn + Onion Cabbage Wraps

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I’ve got another little cabbage wrap recipe to share with you!

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These shrimp + veggie cabbage wraps were so delicious, but they do involve a bit of work to prepare. These ones, just as good, require less work. They come together easily but still have amazing flavor.

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Let me tell yow how easy these are.

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Make some quinoa. Quinoa is so simple. It’s like rice, but takes less time. Rinse quinoa, boil quinoa, cover and let cook for 20 minutes. That’s it for the quinoa.

quinoa

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While that’s happening, if you have a grill, grill the corn. If you don’t, like me, broil or roast the corn in the oven. If you broil it, it doesn’t take long at all.

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Chop the squash. I cut each of mine in half, long-ways, and then chopped it from there. Also, slice the onions and peel the garlic. Into a pan: olive oil, garlic and onion. Cook and then add the squash. Cook some more, add the corn and then taste-test one of the best veggie dishes ever.

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Blanch the cabbage. It’s simple, really. Don’t be afraid to do this.

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Pile ingredients onto cabbage, roll, then dig in. Eat, then repeat. It’s that simple!

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This simple summery meal is delicious, healthy and takes no time at all. Enjoy!

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Ingredients
2 cups water (or stock of your choice)
1 cup quinoa
Olive oil
1 large garlic clove
4 large spring onions
2-3 cups chopped squash
2 ears of corn
Cabbage leaves, one per wrap
Soy sauce, optional

Start with the quinoa. Rinse one cup of quinoa thoroughly in a fine mesh strainer. Add the rinsed quinoa and water (or stock) to a medium pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, stir once, cover and turn heat to low. Let quinoa simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until all water is absorbed and quinoa is light and fluffy.

While quinoa is cooking, brush two ears of corn with olive oil. Place under the broiler for 5-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Alternatively, grill the corn. Once the corn is down, let cool then remove the kernels from the cob.

Also while quinoa is cooking, add about 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook for a few minutes. Add the onions and cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes, or until onions start to get soft. Add the squash and cook for about 10 minutes, or until squash is soft or at the tenderness you prefer. Once done, add corn and remove from heat.

To blanch the cabbage: Prepare a large bowl of ice water and set aside. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place the cabbage leaves into the boiling water and blanch for about 1 minute. Remove the leaves and place into the ice water. I did two leaves at a time, but you may do more depending on the size of your pot. Pat the leaves dry with paper towels.

To assemble the wraps, place a blanched cabbage leaf on a plate. Top with quinoa, a drizzle of soy sauce, if preferred, and the veggies. Fold over the bottom edge of the leaf and then fold in one of the sides. Begin rolling and tucking in the other side as you roll. It may be messy while eating.

Enjoy!

Portobello Sandwiches + Oven Fries

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I’ve got something a little different for you today.

I have two things for you. And I’m going to show you how I made them.

Balsamic portobello mushroom sandwiches with crispy onion, melty cheese and fresh tomato. Yes. And, baked french fries.

This super simple, quick and easy meal will amaze you!

I would say that neither of these are exactly recipes. They are ideas, really. Simple ideas. And two things that can become a regular weeknight meal.

For the easy oven fries, start with a potato (or two or three — this is very easily doubled, tripled, etc. for how many you need!)

potato

Cut the potato in half.

And then cut the halves in half to make quarters.

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And then again, cut the quarters in half.

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Take the quarters, and slice them into fries.

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Put the fries into a bowl and drizzle with some olive oil.

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And then season those fries. I used salt, pepper, onion powder, paprika and garlic salt. Look below for specific amounts.

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Toss those fries up so that they all get evenly coated.

And then, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Lining the baking sheet with parchment paper is not completely necessary, but will make cleaning up easier!

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While the fries are baking away in the oven, it’s on to the sandwich!

Start by prepping the ingredients. Slice a tomato, onion and some cheese.

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Then take care of the onions. You are going to cook them in very hot oil to sort of flash fry them. Read below for detailed instructions. Here is what they will look like once they are done.

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Then, take a nice, big portobello mushroom.

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Pull off the stem and using a spoon, scrape out the black insides.

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Heat a pan over medium heat with about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, place the mushroom in the pan.

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Let the mushroom cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. When it’s done, it should be soft and will have shrunk in size.

Once the ‘shroom is soft, turn up the heat to medium high. Pour some balsamic vinegar into the pan. And stand back. It may splash everywhere. You will have some cleaning up to do!

balsamic

Let the mushroom cook in the balsamic for an additional 3-4 minutes and then turn off heat and place the sliced cheese on the mushroom.

To assemble, first, take a bun. Any bun. One that will make you happy!

bun

Place the tomatoes on that bun. Some fresh, ripe, juicy, red tomatoes. I used two, sliced thick.

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Then, the balsamic ‘shroom that now has melty delicious cheese on it.

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Top that mushroom with crispy pan fried onion rings.

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And there you have it, a portobello sandwich!

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Smash down, cut in half, dig right in. However you prefer. Go for it.

It will be good. And it will be messy!

cheese

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This is one of my favorite quick and easy meals. It takes no time at all and has few, simple ingredients that make for a not-messy kitchen after.

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I hope that you will enjoy this meal as much as I do!

Ingredients
*For one. This recipe is very easily multiplied.
1 potato
Olive Oil
Salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic salt
1 portobello mushroom
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
Sliced tomato
Sliced red onion
Cheese (I used fontina)

Preheat oven to 400*. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Start with the potato. Slice it in half. Slice the halves in half to make quarters. Slice the quarters in half. Then slice into fries. Add the fries to a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the seasoning. I used 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, a pinch of paprika and a pinch of garlic salt. Toss well to evenly coat the fries. Place on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, flip and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Clean the mushroom. Remove the stem and using a spoon, scrape out the black insides.

Heat a pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onions. The key here is to make sure the oil is very hot before you add them. They will sort of flash fry and get caramelized and crispy, quickly. Once they are done (mine took about 5 minutes), remove from the pan and set aside.

Add a little more olive oil to the same pan and turn the heat to medium. Add the mushroom and let cook on each side for 3-4 minutes. When it’s done, the mushroom should be soft and have shrunk in size. Turn the heat to medium-high and then add the balsamic vinegar. Let the mushroom cook and additional 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the cheese slices to the mushroom.

Assemble the sandwich by placing the sliced tomato on a bun. Top with the mushroom that now has melted cheese on it, and then the red onions.

Take the fries out of the oven and enjoy the meal!

Smoky Black Bean + Cilantro Veggie Burgers

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I made veggie burgers for your Monday!

carrots

celery

Have you guys heard of Meatless Monday?

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peppers

It is a national campaign encouraging people to limit their meat consumption by not eating it on Monday.

breadcrumbs

By going meatless on Mondays!

beans

I think that it’s a great idea.

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What better way to start a week than with something fresh and healthy? That makes you feel satisfied and nourished. And with these veggie burgers, also delicious.

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They are smoky from paprika, cumin and chili powder.

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They have a bit of spice from crushed red pepper.

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They are bright and fresh from lime and cilantro.

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The thick and creamy texture from the black beans is perfect.

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Try serving on a bun and topped with avocado, salsa and an extra squeeze of lime. Or, over a bed of greens. I’ve been loving both ways.

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Whether you are trying to cut out meat or not, you should try these burgers! They will please meat lovers and veggie lovers alike!

Ingredients
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
1/2 of a red pepper
1/2 of a green pepper
1/2 of a yellow onion
Olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2- 15 oz. cans of black beans
1 c. bread crumbs (I used panko)
1 egg
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Large handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice from 1/2 lime
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Dice the carrots, celery, peppers and onions very fine.  I used a mini food chopper to get the veggies diced very small. Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, to flavor the oil. Add diced veggies to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, or until veggies are soft. Remove from heat and set aside.

Drain and rinse black beans. Add to a large bowl and mash using a potato masher or the back of a fork.

To the bowl with the black beans add the breadcrumbs, egg, onion powder, paprika, cumin, chili powder, crushed red pepper flakes, cilantro and lime juice. Stir well. Then add the cooked veggies. Stir well to incorporate everything. Add salt and pepper, if desired.

Make this mixture into rounded patties. This should make about 6 to 8 burgers, depending on the size.

In a pan over medium heat, add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the patties and cook 5-6 minutes on each side, or until slightly crisp and cooked through.

Enjoy!