Are you in the mood to change your meat and potatoes family into a vegetable-loving brood? Well, you can’t trade them in, but you can transform their favorite meaty dishes into vegetarian dishes. Rather than presenting a completely unfamiliar dish to the meat-eating family, ease them into a meatless dish once or twice a week, starting with some of their familiar favorites.
Chickpea Tacos
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp chile powder
1 cup chickpeas
Salt and pepper to taste
Lettuce, shredded
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 cup salsa
8 taco shells, soft or hard, corn or flour
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Sauté onion, peppers, and garlic for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, chile powder, and chickpeas. Cook for 7-10 minutes over low heat.
Place the mixture into the bottom of each taco shell. Top with lettuce, sour cream, cheese and salsa and serve!
Spinach Lasagna
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 ½ cups milk
½ cup white wine
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
4 tbsp olive oil, divided
4 cups spinach
2 tsp garlic, minced
½ cup pine nuts
1 cup Romano cheese, grated
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, grated
¼ cup all purpose flour
½ tsp salt
15 no boil lasagna noodles
3 cups ricotta cheese
¼ cup fresh Italian parsley
In a food processor or blender, pulse pine nuts, Romano and Mozzarella cheese, parsley and 2 tbsp olive oil until pureed. Add ricotta and pulse just until blended into a white sauce.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and soak lasagna noodles in warm water for 12-15 minutes.
Wipe pan clean with a paper towel. In a large skillet or saucepan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium high heat. Sauté spinach with garlic until the spinach has wilted—its mass will reduce significantly when it wilts. Drain excess liquid and transfer spinach to a bowl.
Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Stir in milk and whisk until combined. Reduce heat to low, and sprinkle in Parmesan cheese. Stir until blended and the sauce is smooth, then remove from heat.
Coat a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Add a large spoonful or two of the ricotta mixture to lightly coat the bottom of baking pan. Top with noodles, arranging them to cover the sauce. Top with spinach, then ricotta mixture. Repeat with sauce, then noodles, spinach and ricotta until you use up your ingredients, leaving the last layer open. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 50—55 minutes and let cool slightly before cutting.
Lentil Meatloaf Cups
2 1/4 cups of green lentils
4 1/2 cups of water
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup vegetable broth
2 tbsp ketchup or tomato paste
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp dry mustard (you can also use a tsp of spicy mustard from the fridge)
Tomato slices for garnish
Parmesan cheese for garnish
Bring the lentils to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes. Once they’ve cooled, mix them in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
Spray muffin tins with non-stick spray and then press large spoonfuls into the muffin tins. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Add a tomato slice to the top of each muffin and Parmesan cheese and cook for another five minutes. Use a spoon to remove the lentil cups after 10 minutes.
Choosing these healthier but still-filling meals will have everyone ready to eat vegetarian more often. Try them and let us know what you think!
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