A Life in Food by real-life Chef Cheryl Bennett
Vegetarian stuffed peppers with heart-healthy quinoa and beans are an easy weeknight dinner. Vegetarian recipes like this delicious meal will satisfy everyone in the family, even the meat-eaters, and they are gluten-free.
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…Vegetarian recipes don’t have to be bland and boring. Veggie cakes are neither and they are a reader favorite! Whether you want to lean in to a vegetarian diet, or you are trying to eat a little less meat, you’ll find recipes here that are hearty and delicious.
Many of the recipes here are vegan or vegan-adaptable and all of them are simple, easy meals that are perfect for weeknight cooking.
If you are new to vegetarian cooking, this is the perfect time to give it a try. Produce will be at its peak and that is the best time to try something new. Stock up and try a few new vegetarian recipes for dinner.
If you make a purchase through one of the affiliate links, I make a few pennies at no extra cost to you. Questions? Please see disclosure for info.
…Learn step by step instructions for how to make veggie cakes of all kinds. From the original veggie cake recipe to a superfood veggie cake recipe, you will find detailed instructions and helpful tips for making your own veggie cakes from scratch.
Veggie cakes are a tasty way to get more vegetables into your diet, especially if you have picky eaters. They are small enough for little hands and they make a great addition to your work lunches during the week.
Post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the link, I make a few pennies at no extra cost to you. Questions? Please see disclosure for info.
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Vegetarian recipes have been a popular topic around here lately and it seems that there are quite a few folks searching this site for vegetarian recipes for dinner. So, whether you’re looking for Meatless Monday dinners, you’re trying to eat less meat or you just want to try something new, I’ve rounded up the 25 best meatless recipes for you.
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Caprese eggplant stacks are irresistible. Roasted eggplant brushed with flavorful pesto, gooey, melted fresh mozzarella and perfectly ripe summer tomatoes. It’s a hit with vegetarians and meat eaters alike!
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The Kitchen Prescription. This tea has been my “go-to” for years when I’m under the weather. Lemon, mint, ginger and honey tea soothes your throat and warms you up to get you get through even the worst colds. Winter in most of the northern states is serious. Temperatures hovering in the single digits for weeks on end, plummeting to -20 at night, leaving you so cold that you simply can not shake the chill no matter how many layers you pile on. I hate winter, let me rephrase: I loathe winter. I loathe the snow and ice, the freezing temperatures, the slipping and sliding down sidewalks that haven’t been cleaned, chipping an inch of ice from the windshield, car doors that are frozen shut… You get the picture.
And then you get sick. Watery eyes, stuffy nose, scratchy throat and a cough that rattles your insides like gunfire. You have been taken down by the common cold. Once it gets you, it takes weeks until you start to feel human again.
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Soba noodles with stir-fried vegetables is a quick, easy and delicious healthy option for meatless Monday, or any day of the week. Soba noodles cook in a only a few minutes, the veggies get a quick sauté and dinner is done. From fridge to fork in less than 20 minutes – faster if you prep vegetable the night before.
It’s another New Year and once again, after the gluttony that was Thanksgiving and Christmas overindulgence, it’s time to rein it back in. One way that we have decided to do that around here is sticking to a “meatless Monday”.
While we were whooping it up in Vancouver a few months ago, we had a warm soba noodle appetizer at our favorite sushi restaurant. It was loaded with seafood and unbelievably delicious. I wanted to have something reminiscent of that salad, but suitable for a vegetarian dinner. The only restriction I gave myself (aside from the seafood) was that I had to use what I had in the kitchen. It wasn’t like there was a “rule” in play… I just didn’t feel like going to store. Out of sheer laziness, deliciousness was born!
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Freekeh is an ancient grain that is nutty, chewy and delicious. If you haven’t heard of it before, let me introduce you!
No, this is not a new Missy Elliott song, but it is all about that grain.
Freekeh is one of those grains that gets overshadowed by the “in” crowd… You know the cool kid of the grain world at the moment: quinoa. I love quinoa, I’m not bashing it AT ALL, but there is a whole world of grains that people have never heard of, including myself until about 15 years ago. Freekeh has a wonderfully nutty flavor and a chewy texture, similar to barley or other hearty grains.
I absolutely adore grain salads. During the heat of summertime, they are chock full of bright red tomatoes and crisp cucumbers, but as we move into fall they transition to root vegetables, dried fruits and nuts.
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This grilled zucchini salad is the perfect side for a summer BBQ. It is as pretty as it is delicious!
It’s summertime and everyone is in their backyard. Grills are lit and the smell of lightly charred meat and veggies fill the street. You are out walking the dog and you can smell a steak on the grill somewhere… You had dinner planned already, but that just went right out the window. Now, you’re on your way to buy a nice, fat steak or a basket full of veggies to throw on the grill. It’s the smell… it gets you every. single. time.
First, let me say that I love grilling. I stand in front of my grill, tongs in hand, listening to the sizzle as meat or veggies hit the grates. It’s one of the best sounds in the world! I feel like puffing out my chest and grunting “fire”, but the urge passes and I’m back to reality. Then… the smell wafts up and smacks me right across the face with the intensity of an angry mistress in a soap opera. I just breathe deep and inhale until my lungs are full.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of “Grill to Perfection” courtesy of Page Street Publishing. Any links to book are affiliate links.
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One of the first things I do when I go on vacation is find the local Farmer’s Market. I love seeing what the locals buy and spotting new items from area farms, bits of the earth still clinging to the roots.
Walking past the colors and shapes, I can’t help myself… I have to pick up piece after piece. Holding it in my hand, feeling it’s heft. Bringing it to my face, I smell everything from berries to beets; peppers to herbs. I am enthralled. The beauty of food hasn’t been lost on me, I have yet to become jaded and for this I am grateful.
Every market is a different experience, each offering something unique and sometimes things I have never seen or tasted before. That is when I really get excited, when I stumble upon something completely unfamiliar. I begin to imagine all of the possibilities… That’s the fun in experimenting with something unfamiliar; there is nothing to compare it to, so you can’t possibly go wrong!
Here’s where I think some people tend to take a “wrong turn” so to speak… Fear of failure. Or, less than perfect. The people that know me are probably about to roll their eyes at me right now, because I have a teensy bit of an issue with being a perfectionist. Hey, I’m working on it.
Don’t be afraid to buy something that you are unfamiliar with; stepping out of your comfort zone is the only way to grow and learn. Yes, sometimes it’s a bit uncomfortable and perhaps a little painful at times but in the end, it’s usually worth it. Experiment a little and see where it takes you…
You may end up creating something magnificent.
This is my best advice when going to a Green Market: go in with a rough idea of what you’d like.
If you are shopping for dinner that night or the next night, peruse the different stands and see what looks good, then plan your dinner. If you go in with a menu that is “set in stone”, you may miss out on something really amazing. That’s usually the way life seems to work out…
Union Square Green Market, Manhattan
La Boqueria, Barcelona
Prospect Park Green Market, Brooklyn
Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market, San Francisco
Support your local Farmers and Green Markets! Fall produce is amazing right now, be fearless in the kitchen! Buy something you’ve never worked with before and get cooking! I look forward to hearing about your culinary adventures…