Monday, January 13, 2014

Meatless Monday Dishes

Happy Monday everyone, I hope you all had a great weekend.  As I mentioned in my post on Friday, I've been gravitating towards meatless dishes these days.  It seems like many of us start off the New Year with an intention to eat healthier and/or try new recipes, so I thought I'd share some of the meatless dishes I've been making lately!  Plus I haven't done a recipe post in ages so I figured I was due for one!
 
First up, here is a new idea for an appetizer.  It's a Greek layered dip which is really easy to make and was a hit when I brought it to a get-together earlier this month.  Here are the layers:

6 oz. container of plain Greek yogurt
1 container of hummus (I used roasted red pepper)
1/4 - 1/2 a cup of sliced kalamata olives
1 tomato, diced
1/2 cucumber, diced
1-2 T. chopped parsley
Feta

I served it with carrots, sliced cucumbers, and gluten free crackers



 Next up, 2-bean vegetarian chili.

Ingredients:
1 T. olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 jalapenos, seeded (I don't seed mine as I like it spicy!)
2 carrots, diced
1 green pepper, diced
3 garlic cloves, diced
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 14.5 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 T. chili powder
1 t. oregano
1 t. cumin

1.  Heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion, jalapenos, carrots, green pepper, and garlic.  Saute for 5 minutes.

2.  Add tomatoes, black beans, kidney beans, chili powder, oregano, and cumin.  Bring to boil and then let simmer for about 20 minutes or until chili thickens (longer is better for more flavor).


Lastly, another favorite of mine is Rogan Josh, which is a recipe from the Penzey catalog that my aunt shared with me which I have adapted a bit. You could serve it over rice but I actually eat mine plain and find it filling enough without a carb. Rogan Josh is a spice that can be found at specialty spice markets, but if you can't find it, you could substitute curry powder.

1 c. lentils, rinsed
1 bay leaf
4 c. water
1/2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 T. vegetable oil
1 T. Rogan Josh
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 c. frozen peas (optional)
1 t. salt
1-2 T. lemon juice

1.  In a 2-quart pot, combine the lentils, bay leaf and water.  Boil the lentils until tender (about 30 minutes).

2.  Heat oil over medium heat.  Saute onions and garlic until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add Rogan Josh and let cook until fragrant (15-20 seconds). Add the tomatoes and saute for 1-2 minutes.  Stir in the cooked lentils and bay leaf.  Ad the peas (optional), salt, and lemon juice.  Cook and stir for 5-10 minutes.  Remove bay leaf before serving.

So there you have it - 3 easy meatless dishes!

Have you made any new recipes lately?

12 comments:

Jeanie said...

That dip looks fabulous. Have to try that one. This past weekend I initiated my new Dutch Oven with an America's Test Kitchen pot roast and veggies recipe. It was unbelievably fabulous!

Nilsa @ SoMi Speaks said...

The Greek layer dip looks like a nice, healthy addition to gatherings where apps are usually calorie heavy. I'm bookmarking that one!

Marlys said...

All three look delicious and healthy! You listed tomatoes twice for the dip. Is that right or should it be something else? Just curious. I think I'll try the meatless chili - sounds really good!

Carolina John said...

Those look really good!

Amber said...

That greek dip seriously looks so awesome and so easy! I am definitely going to try it soon. I love love love layered dips!

Kelly (She Wears a Red Sox Cap) said...

I've never even heard of Rogan Josh- now I want to try it! All of these sound really yummy. I'll have to make these for lunch sometimes (Eric and I eat dinner together and he doesn't believe in meatless meals lol)

The Many Thoughts of a Reader said...

Yum. One of my co-workers made a layered Greek dip sort of like that one for one of our pot lucks this year. My favorite newish recipe that I've done is Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese. Yum.

Emilie said...

Oh wow does that dip look good! I gave up meat in June and I honestly haven't missed it much. I love how creative I've been with my meatless dishes! Thanks for sharing these recipes!

Gracie said...

I love making chili with a few kinds of beans, and sometimes I'll throw corn in, too. I find it compliments black beans well.

Abby said...

All these sound delicious! My favorite of the 3 is that Greek dip! I have for to try that - how neat! And I love all things Greek!

I have never heard of rogan josh. Interesting!! I bet I like it, if curry is the substitute! Love curry.

The newest thing I've made was a caprese chicken last week. Nothing too exciting - basically chicken breasts layered with basil leaves, tomatoes, and topped with a Slice of fresh mozzerella.

Jolene - EverydayFoodie said...

Haven't really made any new recipes yet in the new year ... soon though!

Kyria @ Travel Spot said...

Yum. I think I could eat that whole plate of dip by myself! It reminds me of being in Greece where I discovered my love of lettuce-less salads! I probably eat a salad per day and sometimes two and my new favorite is what we call the "Round Table" salad. I don't know if you have Round Table Pizza in your neck of the woods but they have one of those salad bars with all the fun things, and my friend and I like to make a similar salad with everything in it: beans, corn, cheese, olives, peppers, artichokes, bell peppers, tomato, cucumber, ETC! It's so good! I used to eat it with Ranch as a kid, but we found a great Champagne dressing for our grown up version.