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?