Veggie Teens

Make Your Own Halloween Treats

For more Kids Cook Monday and vegetarian recipes, check out Veggie Teens: A Cookbook and Guide for Vegetarian Teenagers by Elyse May (aka Veggie Teen).

These Halloween Treats are unique and fun to make - AND they are crunchy and taste great!

They're meringue cookies made with egg whites so they are for ovo-vegetarians. The recipe also calls for mini-chocolate chips so if you don't do dairy, leave them out or buy chocolate chips that don't have "milk" or "milk fat" on the ingredient label.

To get these cool halloween colors, look for "neon" food coloring. If you don't want to use food coloring, leave them white and make ghosts with chocolate chips for eyes.

You'll find the recipe on page 100 of your Veggie Teens Cookbook or download the complete recipe for these Halloween Treats (aka Meringue Cloud Cookies) from the link below.

Download www.VeggieTeensCookbook.com_Halloween_Cookies.pdf

Meatless Monday: Vegetarian School Lunch Ideas

There are limited vegetarian lunch options at most high schools. You don't have to settle for cheese pizzas, cheese crisps, and salad bar everyday - take your own lunch instead. Here are a few make ahead vegetarian recipes from prior posts that you might want to try:

• Vegetarian Lunch Wrap - Easy idea for any of your favorite fillings
• Veggie Taco Salad - The secret is keeping all of the ingredients fresh
• Mediterranean Pasta Salad - One version of my favorite food: pasta salad!
• Oriental Salad - Fresh ingredients and bottled dressing make this easy one great
• Bulgar Edamame Salad - A great variation on Tabbouleh (or Tabouli)

For more vegetarian school lunch ideas and recipes, check out Veggie Teens: A Cookbook and Guide for Vegetarian Teenagers by Elyse May (aka Veggie Teen).

Meatless Monday: Oriental Salad with Mandarin, Edamame, and Almonds

For more Meatless Monday and vegetarian recipes, check out Veggie Teens: A Cookbook and Guide for Vegetarian Teenagers by Elyse May (aka Veggie Teen).

Oriental Salad with Mandarin, Edamame, and Almonds

This colorful, delicious, and nutritious salad is easy to make with whatever ingredients you have on hand!

Red leaf lettuce
Red pepper, sliced (see Culinary Techniques: How to Cut a Red Pepper)
Carrots, sliced
Cucumbers, cut in matchsticks
Green onions, sliced
Snow peas, chopped
Edamame, shelled
Mandarin oranges, drained
Slivered almonds (or peanuts)
Seasame dressing (bottled or homemade from Veggie Teens: A Cookbook and Guide for Vegetarian Teenagers)

Assemble the ingredients on a plate or create a salad bar and let each person assemble their own. 

From black bananas to Banana Walnut Muffins

Transforming two black bananas into a dozen fabulous Banana Walnut Muffins is one of life's little miracles, don't you think?

Banana Walnut Muffins

4 Tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup vegetable oil (or applesauce)
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons of skim milk or water
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup mashed bananas (2 to 3 med)
1 3/4 cup white or whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (divided)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease muffin tin.
2. Beat first six ingredients 1 minute on low then 2 minutes on high.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
4. Blend dry ingredients into the banana mixture.
5. Stir in about half of the walnuts.
6. Generously fill 12 muffin cups.
7. Top with the remaining walnuts and add a sprinkle of brown sugar.
8. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

 

Meatless Monday: Rustic Spinach, Basil, Tomato, and Feta Tart

This Meatless Monday post is based on a recipe from Veggie Teens: A Cookbook and Guide for Vegetarian Teenagers by Elyse May (aka Veggie Teen).

Rustic Spinach, Basil, Tomato, and Feta Tart

1 Pillsbury pie crust
1 cup of packed fresh spinach leaves, chiffonaded
Small handful fresh basil leaves, chiffonaded
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved (or substitute cherry tomatoes)
1/4 cup feta cheese
Kosher salt to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Unroll crust onto baking sheet (we find that a baking stone works best). Toss spinach, basil, tomatoes, and feta cheese together in a large bowl. Dump onto the center of the crust and spread almost to the edges. Fold up the edges and pinch to hold in place. Don't worry - it's supposed to look rustic! Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes; remove from oven and cover edges of the crust with foil to prevent burning. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.

Cut into wedges; serve as an appetizer or with  a green salad for a main course.

Meatless Monday: Walnut Streusel Pancakes

Post by Elyse May (aka Veggie Teen), author of  Veggie Teens: A Cookbook and Guide for Vegetarian Teenagers.

Walnut Streusel Pancakes

Serves 4

Ingredients

Pancake mix, prepared as directed to make 12 pancakes
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions

1. Prepare pancake batter according to package directions.
2. Combine next three ingredients for streusel topping.
3. Heat griddle over medium heat. Add one tablespoon of vegetable oil and heat.
4. Pour 1/4 cup pancake batter for each pancake.
5. Top each pancake with two teaspoons of streusel topping.
6. When the edges are dry and one side is golden, flip onto streusel side. Watch closely to avoid burning brown sugar.

Meatless Monday: Vegetarian 7 Layer Dip

Post by Elyse May (aka Veggie Teen), author of Veggie Teens: A Cookbook and Guide for Vegetarian Teenagers.

Vegetarian 7 Layer Dip 

Serves 12

Ingredients
2 cans of refried black beans with jalepenos
8 ounces of light sour cream
1 package of taco seasoning
2 small cans of sliced olives, drained
2 avocados, diced
1/2 lemon for juice
1 can of white corn, drained
1 red pepper, diced
1 head of romaine lettuce, shredded
1 cups of salsa (we used our Salsa Fresca recipe from page 39 of Veggie Teens)
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Spread black beans in the bottom of clear bowl.
2. Stir together sour cream and taco mix. Spread layer on top of beans.
3. Put diced avocado in next; squeeze lemon juice over avocados.
4. Stir together corn and diced red pepper. Pour over avacado.
5. Top with shredded lettuce. 
6. Pour salsa or Salsa Fresca over lettuce.
7. Finish with shredded cheese.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Meatless Monday: Vegetarian Fried Rice

Post by Elyse May (aka Veggie Teen), author of Veggie Teens: A Cookbook and Guide for Vegetarian Teenagers.

Vegetarian Fried Rice

Serves 4

Ingredients
8 cups of vegetables (fresh or frozen) - your choice of broccoli, cabbage, mushrooms, celery, frozen peas and carrots, corn kernels, soy beans (for protein)
4 cups cold cooked rice
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon chili garlic sauce (found in Asian section of supermarkets)
2 tablespoons Hoisin stir fry sauce (found in Asian section of supermarkets)
4 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions

1. Heat large frying pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add oil; when hot, add fresh vegetables and cook about three minutes.
3. Add frozen vegetables and cook until hot.
4. Add rice one cup at a time and stir into vegetables.
5. Add soy sauce, chili sauce, and stir fry sauce.
6. Push the vegetable-rice mixture to one side. Slowly add the beaten eggs to the bottom of the pan and scramble.
7. Stir the cooked eggs into the vegetable rice mixture.
8. Serve in bowls and enjoy.

Meatless Monday: Vegetarian Cream of Broccoli and Spinach Soup

Meatless Monday: Vegetarian Cream of Broccoli and Spinach (or Cream of Any Vegetable) Soup

Post by Elyse May (aka Veggie Teen), author of Veggie Teens: A Cookbook and Guide for Vegetarian Teenagers. 

This is a versatile recipe for Cream of Any Vegetable Soup because you can substitute virtually any vegetables for the broccoli and spinach. Just make a "roux" - that's the butter, flour, and milk mixture below - and add pureed vegetable broth and vegetables. Try potatoes, cauliflower, corn, asparagus, mushrooms, carrots, artichokes, tomatoes, or whatever you have leftover from last night's dinner.

Ingredients 

3 tablespoons butter, divided
I onion, diced
3 cups broccoli flowerettes
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup of packed spinach leaves
2 tablespoons of flour
2 cups of milk (we used skim but 2% or whole is good too)
Salt and pepper (or red pepper flakes, optional)

Directions

1. Melt 1 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.
2. Add diced onion and cook until transluscent.
3. Add broccoli and saute until bright green.
4. Add vegetable broth and increase heat to medium high. Simmer until broccoli is soft.
5. Add spinach leaves and cook for another minute.
6. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
7. To make the roux, melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a separate saucepan over medium heat.
8. Stir in flour and cook until it forms a paste, but don't allow it to brown.
9. Gradually add milk, about a half cup at a time, stirring until smooth after each addition.
10. Slowly bring the milk to a boil, stirring frequently for five minutes.
11. Using a hand blender, pureed the vegetables and broth.
12. Add the roux to the pureed vegetables, stir, and reheat if necessary.
13. Add salt to taste and 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes if you like a little bit of a kick.
14. Serve with bread; garnish with grated cheese if desired.

 

Meatless Monday: Bulgur Edamame Salad

Recipe by Chef Owen May; notes by Michelle May MD 

With Labor Day picnics and barbecues right around the corner, we created a little twist on tabbouleh (also sometimes spelled tabouleh, tabouli, or tabuli). No matter how you spell it, tabbouleh is a yummy Middle Eastern dish that is traditionally made with bulgur (a precooked and dried wheat with a nutty flavor and texture like brown rice), parsley, mint, tomatoes, olive oil, and lemon juice. Using that basic foundation, we added grilled zucchini and yellow squash, shelled edamame (soybeans), and spinach leaves.

It is an amazingly tasty salad that is hearty and healthy enough to serve as a main dish for vegetarians (even vegetarian teenagers if you can get them to taste something with the gross word "bulgur" in it!)

Meatless Monday Recipe: Bulgur Edamame Salad

Ingredients:

2 cups bulgur (wheat)
2 cups water
1 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick
1 medium yellow squash, sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick
3/4 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
1/4 chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup fresh spinach leaves, chiffonade
3 green onions, thinly sliced
3 medium tomatoes, diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1/4 oil olive, divided
1 large lemon, juiced
Kosher salt to taste

Directions:

1. Place bulgur in a large bowl and cover with water. Allow bulgur to soak for one hour.
2. While bulgur is soaking, brush zucchini and yellow squash with a small amount of the olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and grill until soft and grill marked. Allow it to cool then chop coarsely.
3. Combine all of the ingredients and serve.