Veggie Stir Fry

I am a carnivore. I love meat and would eat it for every meal every day. Lately however, meat hasn't really sounded good, like at all. Maybe it's because i'm trying to be healthier, maybe it's because healthy foods sound so refreshing in the summertime, maybe it's because I love veggies...whatever the reason - All i've wanted lately is veggies and barbequed food. So, the other night I was needing dinner in a hurry and had no idea what I was going to make. I had loads of veggies in my fridge so I threw them all together with some spices and had the most delicious stir fry ever. The best part, besides cooking the rice, dinner took like ten minutes! Keep reading for a fast yummy throw-together kindof dinner!

{Ingredients}
2 C cooked rice, I prefer brown but choose your favorite.
1 White onion, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
2 C mushrooms, chopped
2 C fresh broccolli, chopped
1 red Bell Pepper, diced
1/2 C Soy sauce
1/8 C Worstershire sauce
1 tsp. garlic
1 sprig fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste



Cook rice according to package directions. 
Roughly chop onion. Sautee onion and garlic in a dash of olive oil for a few minutes until pungent. Add mushrooms, broccoli, peppers, soy sauce, worstershire sauce and spices. Sautee 3-5 minutes until veggies and spices are mixed well. Cover for 3 minutes to steam veggies. Uncover and mix well.
Add rice to veggies, mix well and enjoy!

Black Bean, Rice and Sweet Corn Salad

I should work for Cooking Light. I just love their recipes. They are so healthy, creative, usually pretty simple and delicious! Jared and I preferred this one with tortilla chips but it was good as a salad too. I personally want to try it in fajitas, tacos etc. to add a little something extra. Get creative and let me know how you use it!

Source

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1/3 cup)

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 cup long-grain rice
• 6 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 2 large limes)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup rinsed and drained canned black beans
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

Combine 1 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large, heavy saucepan; bring to a boil. Add rice to pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork.
Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, juice, oil, pepper, and garlic in a large bowl. Add rice and beans; toss to coat. Let stand 15 minutes or until completely cool. Stir in corn and cilantro.

***I have since added this to tacos and fajitas more than once and IT. WAS. DELICIOUS!!!!! I think my favorite was in fish tacos. Go figure!

Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables

This one is new tonight, no transfers from the old blog.
I've been craving baked pasta all day today, but didn't want the calories of the cream and butter. I searched the internet and all the healthier versions of pasta called for weird things that I didn't have in my kitchen. Just as I was about to call it quits and begin experimenting...I found, this! It still ahs cheese so I don't think I can go super healthy but it's WAY better than most.

Dinner was inspired by a recipe I found on Food Network tonight. It has been heavily modified but I'll still give them the credit for the idea :)

{Ingredients}

• 1 red bell pepper, cored and cut into large strips

• 1/2 C Broccoli Florets, broken into bite sized pieces
  

• 1/2 C sun-dried tomatoes
  

• 1 C Pearl Onions

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil(or enough to coat vegetables)
  

• 1 teaspoon salt, divided

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

• 1 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix or herbs de Provence(I didn't have these specific spices so I mixed basil, cilantro, garlic powder and seasoning salt together and made my own "herbs de Provence")
  

• 1/2 pound penne pasta

• 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)

• 1/2 cup grated mozzarella (smoked mozzarella would be great)

• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/3 cup for topping

{Directions}

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

On a baking sheet, toss the vegetables with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and dried herbs. Roast until tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain and set aside.

In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheeses, peas, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Gently mix, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce and the ingredients are combined.

Pour the pasta into a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Top with the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and butter pieces. Bake until top is golden and cheese melts, about 20 minutes.

*my amounts are guesstimated as close as I could. My favorite part about this recipe is how easy it is to modify to your situation. Substitute whatever veggies you want/have; squash, zucchini, yellow onions, mushrooms, etc. and add fancy cheeses if you want. The amount of spices needs to coordinate with the amount of veggies, sauce and pasta but everything can be changed to your liking very easily.

This was delicious and very easy. It's definitely a repeat menu item, and that's saying something!!!