With my recent turn to vegetarian status (almost a year now), my Christmas was littered with cooking supplies - my Dad’s gift to me was an entire assortment, including everything I need for pasta (noodles, sauce, olive oil, a timer, bread - which is now gone, wine, salt and pepper, etc). I also happened to rack up TWO veggie cookbooks. One was from my Dad - How to Cook Everything Vegetarian (which, in addition to “real” recipes, also tells me how to do basic stuff, like make egg salad) - the other from my Mom - Betty Crocker Easy Vegetarian, which is where these two recipes came from.
When I got paid this period, and finally had money to buy food, I flipped through the cookbook, searching for relatively easy recipes with not too many ingredients. I may have gotten paid, but I’m still broke. What I found was a Lemon-Pepper Pasta and Asparagus and Crunchy “Chicken” Nugget Tacos. My Mom loved coming home to me cooking, and the recipes turned out fairly well.
When I got paid this period, and finally had money to buy food, I flipped through the cookbook, searching for relatively easy recipes with not too many ingredients. I may have gotten paid, but I’m still broke. What I found was a Lemon-Pepper Pasta and Asparagus and Crunchy “Chicken” Nugget Tacos. My Mom loved coming home to me cooking, and the recipes turned out fairly well.
Sadly, I forgot to take photos of the completed meals. By the time I was done, I was starving and just plain forgot. Plus, it's hard to take pictures of yourself cooking :(
Recipes are after the jump.
11. Try 32 new recipes (3/32)
Recipes are after the jump.
11. Try 32 new recipes (3/32)
Lemon-Pepper Pasta and Asparagus
Prep Time: 25min Start to Finish: 25min 4 Servings
Ingredients:
2 c. uncooked farfalle (bow-tie) pasta (4 oz)
¼ c. olive or vegetable oil
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)
1 lb. asparagus, cut into 1-in. pieces
1 tsp. grated lemon peel (I forwent this, and just upped the lemon juice amount)
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. freshly ground pepper
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 can (15-16 oz.) navy beans, drained, rinsed (the grocery store didn’t have any, so I subbed black beans)
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Cook and drain pasta as directed on the pasta
2. Meanwhile, in a 12 oz. skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, asparagus, lemon peel, salt and ½ tsp. pepper; cook; stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender.
3. Stir in lemon juice and beans. Cook until beans are hot. Add pasta; toss with vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with pepper.
Crunchy “Chicken” Nugget Tacos
Prep Time: 20min Start to Finish: 20min 4 Tacos
Ingredients:
12 frozen chicken-style breaded soy-protein nuggets (from 10 or 10.5 oz. package)
¼ c. creamy Caesar dressing
4 flour tortillas (8-10 in.)
2 c. shredded iceberg lettuce
1 medium tomato, cut into 8 slices
½ c. chow mein noodles
1. Bake or microwave nuggets as directed on package.
2. Meanwhile, spread 1 Tbsp. dressing over each tortilla. Sprinkle each evenly with ½ c. lettuce
3. Arrange 2 tomato slices and 3 nuggets down center of each tortilla; sprinkle nuggets with 2 Tbsp. chow mein noodles. Fold sides of tortillas over filling, slightly overlapping.
It is amazing to me how people come up with recipes in the first place. Who came up with the brilliant idea of soaking chicken in buttermilk, and why did they think that? Recipes are a mystery....
ReplyDeleteCheck out the farmers markets and such around Richmond. I'm not sure what part of town you're in, but you should be able to find one close.
ReplyDeleteThe people who sell there are always looking to give out recipes and such. The best thing about getting recipes from a person instead of a book is that people keep 'em simple.
My only other advice would be to acquaint yourself with the kitchen basics... If you know how to make a basic sauce, you can create new sauces.