Fun with Polenta

Don't be intimidated of polenta - it's just ground cornmeal (ever heard of grits?) and is both delicious and really versatile.

This was my first attempt at cooking polenta, and it turned out really well. I bought a tube of pre-cooked polenta, sliced it into 1 inch rounds, and sauteed the slices in a pan with a little olive oil over medium heat, about 5 minutes per side, until golden.

I topped the rounds with basic marinara sauce that I doctored with some extra veggies. I sauteed 1/2 of a large red onion (sliced into strips), 1 red bell pepper (sliced into strips), and 3 garlic cloves (chopped) in olive oil until they were soft, about 5 minutes, and then added marinara sauce from a jar. Just because, I also added some frozen veggies (a pre-packaged mix of broccoli, carrots, snow peas, and kidney beans) from the back of my freezer solely because they had been in there forever and I wanted to get rid of them to make space.

Top with grated parmesan cheese and you have a really quick, inexpensive dinner. One log of polenta fed myself and my two hungry roommates. I had tons of sauce leftover, which I will use for another quick vegetarian meal later this week.

Snack - Toasted Chick Peas

This is a really tasty snack that's both satisfying and healthy - a great combination that is sadly all too rare. This makes a great party snack.

Chick Peas (Garbanzo Beans) - 1 can, drained

Olive Oil - drizzle

Garlic Powder

Paprika

Salt and Pepper

Add olive oil to medium saute pan set to medium high heat. Add chick peas and seasonings (to taste). Toast until browned and fragrant, about ten minutes. Serve warm.

Hero

Sigh...

Baked Ziti

I confess that this baked ziti recipe is pretty far from being healthy**...but it's really good! This is one of those dishes that come out looking impressive with minimal work. It's great to make for a crowd because it's cheap and easy to make a lot of, plus everyone will love it. Who doesn't love cheesy pasta, after all?

Pasta - 1 lb, any shortcut variety, cooked to al dente

Crushed Tomatoes - One 28 oz can

Olive Oil

Onion - white or yellow, 1/2 chopped

Garlic - 2 to 3 cloves, chopped

Basil - fresh, handful julienned (cut into small strips)

Ricotta Cheese - One 16 oz container

Egg - 1*

Mozzarella Cheese - 1 cup, shredded

Dried Oregano - 1 tbsp

Crushed Red Pepper - 1 tsp

Garlic Powder - 1 tsp

Salt and Pepper - to taste

*I know it sounds a little wierd to add an egg, but you'll find that it will bind the dish together nicely. Without the egg, it can be a little messy.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cover the bottom of a medium saucepan with olive oil (set to medium low heat). Add onion, saute until tender. Add garlic, then tomatoes and basil. Simmer for a few minutes to combine flavors. Add ricotta cheese, stir until combined. Season with oregano, red pepper, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Empty pasta into a large casserole (or any oven safe dish). Add sauce and egg. Stir to combine. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake for 25 min, or until it begins to bubble and cheese melts and browns slightly. Serves 4 - 6. I like to serve/eat this ziti with a tossed salad, garlic bread, and whatever red wine I have in the house.

**To keep this from being absolutely horrible for me, I use whole wheat pasta and low fat cheese. I think that it still tastes rich enough that I don't mind the switch.

Restaurant Challenge #003: Lucia's

Veggie-Bacon Restaurant Challenge #003

Lucia's

Herndon, VA (www.restaurant.com/LuciasRest)

Lucia's is one of those small family-owned neighborhood Italian restaurants that are so common in places like New York, but so rare in Northern Virginia. In fact, it's rare pretty rare to find any restaurants at all in Northern Virginia that aren't boring chains. For this reason (and other reasons), we think that Lucia's is a find. They have great pizza and sandwiches, as well as some really good traditional Italian entrees. One of my favorite things to order at Lucia's in their Linguine con Pesto...basic but fabulous.

As we've said before, Italian restaurants are easy places to go as a vegetarian, because they almost always offer a wide selection of vegetarian dishes. Lucia's is no exception. For meatless entrees, they offer:

Pasta with marinara sauce

Pasta ala Norma (with fried eggplant)

Penne al Arriabiata (with spicy marinara sauce)

Cheese Tortellini

Fettucine Alfred0

Penne con Funghi (with mushrooms)

Linguini con Pesto

Gnocchi

Baked Ziti

Cheese Ravioli

Manicotti

Spinach Lasagna (which is wonderful, and available on Monday nights for half price)

They also offer a Cheese (provolone and swiss), Caprese (fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and pesto), Agrigento (grilled peppers, fresh mozzarella, olive spread), primavera (roasted peppers, eggplant, fresh mozzarella, olive spread), Giardina (grilled vegetables and melted cheese), and Eggplant Parmigiana Sandwich. For lunch, you can get any sandwich with fries and a drink for $7. I think this is a great deal.

Last time we went to Lucia's, Katie and I split a Large Mediterranean Salad and a Unique Veggie pizza. We also ordered Whole Wheat Penne with Pesto. The penne never came, but that didn't matter, because we had a ton of food with the pizza and the salad. We also split a carafe of their house chianti, which wasn't all that cheap, but was very good. We love the Mediterranean Salad at Lucia's, which comes with olives, feta cheese, and giardinera (Italian pickled vegetables). I often order a mediterranean salad and their homemade minestrone for lunch. The pizza was great too. It comes with roasted peppers, spinach, artichokes, and tomatoes. It could have used a bit more spinach, but the vegetables all tasted great, the cheese was good, and the crust was chewy (in a good way!) and tasty.

Despite forgetting the penne, the staff was very helpful and friendly. Our waiter actually gave us a discount on our pizza - we like to think it's because we're cute, but sadly that probably had nothing to do with it :)

Veggie-Bacon verdict: Lucia's is a great find, and we find ourselves going there again and again. The staff is friendly, the food is good, and there are a lot of options for both vegetarians and carnivores.

The Windows 7 Whopper

This is absolutely disgusting (sorry to the guy in the picture, but come on!)...

I'm certainly not one to judge you for eating a burger, but I can't even begin to imagine what eating what...almost 2 lbs (?) of Burger King beef in one sandwich does to your body. PLEASE...if anyone out there eats one of these, send me pictures to post (amandalriley@gmail.com)!! Maybe we'll create a vegetarian version and have a ridiculous regular burger vs. veggie burger competition! Is it coming to the U.S.? I think you can only get one in Japan so far.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1222380/Burger-King-marks-launch-Windows-7-SEVEN-patty-Whopper.html

Black Beans

Beans are another excellent source of protein for a vegetarian diet. Black beans are a good choice, because of their high levels of antioxidants.

Check out the article below for more information on why black beans are great for you...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/12/031205053236.htm