Recipe for Vegetarian Taco Salad

Every once in a while I like to make something a little different. I got this from my dad. Bless his heart, he loved tacos, but just couldn't get the hang of eating them, because every time he tried to bite into the tortilla it would break apart and he would have a mess on his plate. I watched with amusement as my dad broke up his taco with his fork and ate it like a taco salad. From then on my dad would break up two tortillas and then load all the goodies on top. Since then when I serve tacos with hard tortillas I do the same thing.

Here is what you need:

1 head of lettuce shredded
1 can of drained chili beans
2 diced tomatoes
1 cup of chopped onions
2 ripe avocados
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 pint of sour cream
2 packages of taco seasoning
8 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese
1 bag of tortilla chips

Here is what you do:

Mash up the avocados in a small bowl. Add lemon juice. I like to put the avocado into the food processor with the lemon juice to make guacamole.

In another bowl add the sour cream, and add the taco seasoning to it and set aside.

In another bowl add the diced onions, chili beans, and tomatoes.

To build the salad you put a layer of tortilla chips on the bottom. (I like to break them up into smaller pieces.) Add a bed of lettuce on top of the chips. Then add the chili beans, onions and tomato mixture. Top with cheese, guacamole, and sour cream mixture.

Enjoy!

Recipe for Spaghetti Squash

I like vegetables, but sometimes I just want something different in the line of veggies. The other day I found a good sale on spaghetti squash, so I picked up 5 of them. You can make a meal off from spaghetti squash. If you are a vegetarian, you can make spaghetti squash and cover it with spaghetti sauce and eat it like regular spaghetti, but that is not what I do.

When you go to purchase a spaghetti squash you will need to note how the squash looks. The outer shell should be very hard; it should be a fairly uniform pretty yellow color. If you see bruising or discoloration on the shell of the spaghetti squash do not buy it. Only buy spaghetti squash that is not bruised or blemished, because they may be spoiled inside.

To prepare spaghetti squash, wash and dry it, and then you should cut it in half lengthwise. Spaghetti squash is very hard, so you will have to use a large sharp knife to pierce the skin of the squash and push the blade down into the squash. Once you get your knife inside the squash you will need to work the knife down to split one side; next start from the other direction and continue to split the squash. Once you have it split all the way, you then just pull the two ends apart until the squash breaks in two pieces. Now you will need to remove the seeds. Take a spoon and scrape out the seeds and throw them away. You can also save the seeds and dry them out for planting if you wish.

Once you have removed the seeds from the squash lay them flat side down on a baking pan lined with aluminum foil. Bake them in a 400 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes. When the squash is done the inside of the squash can be scooped out of the shell and into a bowl. The meet of the squash looks just like spaghetti.

All I do is add a bit of Italian salad dressing and top with Parmesan cheese. It is that simple. If you like you can serve with diced tomatoes, or you can prepare your spaghetti squash just like you would with real spaghetti. Any way you fix this vegetable is delicious.

Recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes

Green Fried Tomatoes are easy to make as a side dish. I serve them together in the same bowl. This is what I do:

I take 3 or more green tomatoes and slice them up fairly thin. While I am getting the tomatoes ready I have a frying pan getting hot with a good splash of extra virgin olive oil and a good dollop of butter to fry them up.

After slicing the tomatoes, you will need to make an egg wash. Just scramble up a couple of eggs with a splash of milk. I like to pour the egg wash into a Ziploc bag. Then I put the tomato slices in the bag and gently let the egg wash get all over the tomatoes.

Then I season a cup full of flour with garlic salt and pepper and put that into a Ziploc bag. Put in the tomato slices and let them get coated with flour. Once they are coated lay them out into your frying pan that is sizzling with the olive oil. Let them fry up until they have a firm brown coating on them. When they are brown, flip them over easily with a spatula. I hold them in place with a fork while flipping them. Let them finish frying. This recipe would also be good for diabetics.

When the fried green tomatoes are done they will be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. They taste so good. I love to eat mine with ketchup. Fried green tomatoes are good to serve with beef or chicken or any meal actually.

Enjoy!

Recipe for Stir Fry and Rice

Being on a budgeted amount of money each month, I can only allot so much money toward food, so I need to make due with what I have been able to purchase at the beginning of the month. I buy several 3 to 5 pound bags of mixed veggies every month at Walmart, and I buy 10 pound bags of rice at a time.

I have found by eating less meat each week we are all getting healthier and losing some weight. Here is the recipe that I follow to make stir fry and rice.

I boil 2 cups of brown rice and set it aside.

Next just add some olive oil to a frying pan or wok and let the pan get hot. Then open a bag of stir fry veggies and cook up as much as you will need for your meal. I like to cook enough to have leftovers.

On the side I like to serve garlic toast. I just butter one side of the bread and shake some garlic powder on it and toast it on both sides in the broiler. Garlic toast goes really well with this simple meal.

Fun Vegetarian Oatmeal Breakfast Recipes

I am slowly becoming a vegetarian. I still do eat meat twice a week; however, when my body becomes accustomed to the changes I have made in my diet I will go to being a vegetarian full time. It can be
challenging to find things to eat for breakfast that don't come from an animal.

Breakfasts can get kind of bland if you don't have a plan. I've made some really neat changes in breakfasts. This morning I am having peanut butter oatmeal, cantaloupe and a strawberry and banana shake.

I have two ways I like oatmeal. One is peanut butter oatmeal and the other is oatmeal mixed with soy yogurt. For the peanut butter oatmeal I just make one serving of the quick cooking oatmeal as directed on the package. When the oatmeal and water start to cook together I add 2 tablespoons of chunky peanut butter. That's it. I don't add anything else. This is so smooth and creamy.

For soy yogurt oatmeal I take 6 ounces of plain soy yogurt, and add strawberries or a half of a banana and blend them in a blender. I make the oatmeal according to the instructions on the package and then add the blended fruit and soy yogurt. This is good with blueberries, or any kind of fruit. I like to have cut up cantaloupe on the side.

For the shake I put 8 ounces of vanilla soy milk, and 4 ounces of crushed ice in a blender, along with 1/2 of a ripe banana and 4 large strawberries. I like my shake a little on the sweet side, so I put two packets of sweetener in it and blend for about 30 seconds. I pour the shake into a glass and drink it with a straw.

Enjoy!