Contributors - various
Well, the trend is catching on. One major women's magazine that posts menus in the back of the magazine now lists all Monday Dinners as meatless. Maybe it's a tougher economy. Maybe people's cardiologists or diabetes counselors have told them to lay off the half pound of fried meat that most restaurants serve as a standard portion. Who knows? Anyway, we have some recipes and tips here, and would love to hear from you - recipes, tips, and ways to convince a meat-loving family that yes, beans, eggs, cheese, and grains can be yummy too. For what it's worth, I consider a dish in which a very small amount of meat is used to flavor a largely non-meat (like a pot of beans simmered with a ham bone) a meatless dish.
Happy Meatless Monday!
Crustless Quiche
6 eggs
diced onion
1 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 container (12 oz) spinach
(and I add a 1/2 cup milk)
Beat all ingredients together. Spray pie plate or 8x8x2 baking dish with butter spray. Pour in contents, and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
We have this often. Everyone in the family likes it, and it's cheap.
Baked Eggs
Mix together 2 cans of crushed tomatoes, 1/2 cup parm cheese, and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Add any combo of spices. I use parsley, rosemary, and garlic. Sauté a few onions and add them. Place portion size amounts of the tomato mixture in individual baking dishes and add an egg to the top. OR you can put the entire mixture of tomato into a 2-qt baking dish, crack the eggs evenly spaced over the top of the mixture. Bake for 30 minutes (until egg whites are cooked, but yolks look slightly soft) at 375 degrees. Serve over toast.
It sounds like a strange combination. The first time that I put it all together, I thought "Uh, Oh, I made a mistake with this one, because no one will like it." But both the guys said it was "Awesome." *editors note - this recipe, made slightly spicier, is the traditional Italian dish "eggs in purgatory"*
Red Beans and Brown Rice
1 cup of uncooked rice
Chicken Broth, Veggie Broth, or Beef Broth
Cook the rice until tender in the broth - using amounts specified on bag or box of rice.
Meanwhile, throw a can of tomatoes (again, I use frozen garden tomatoes) together with spices of your liking (I use Italian seasoning, garlic, and rosemary). Cook on stove top at medium heat, and add kidney beans (I have used 2 cans or comparable amount in dried beans that have been soaked and cooked until tender). When rice is done, add and simmer until heated through. We also have this on toast.
Quick Pasta Sauce
3 tomatoes chopped (ours were on the small side)
1 small can of tomato sauce (no salt added kind is what we used)
2 gloves garlic, minced (this is what I wish we had done)
Seasonings to taste:
- onion powder
- oregano
- basil
- salt
- fresh ground black pepper
- pinch of red pepper flakes
Sauté the tomatoes and garlic in some olive oil, add tomato sauce and seasonings and simmer. Serve over pasta of choice.
Strata (great way of using bread ends/heels/crusts!)
No one in my house likes eating bread ends, so I save them in the freezer, then make strata.
One small onion, chopped fine
6 slices stale bread ends/heels/crusts
2 cups grated cheese blend
3 eggs
2and 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon dry mustard
salt and pepper to taste
Sauté onion until translucent. Coat a 9" square baking dish with cooking spray and put three slices of bread in the bottom, tearing it to fit, if necessary (I use Orowheat whole grain bread which is extra long; if your bread is smaller, you may need four slices). Sprinkle the onion over the bread, then one cup of the cheese. Put three more slices of bread over that and mix the milk, eggs, mustard and salt and pepper in a container with a wire whisk and pour over the bread. Top with the rest of the cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
2 cups macaroni
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup dry milk powder (or cut out most of the water, and use regular milk)
1/4 cup melted butter
2 eggs
3 cups grated cheese (I use cheddar-jack blend)
4 ounces sliced American cheese, cubed
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Boil macaroni until tender. Combine all other ingredients in a well greased casserole dish. Add the drained macaroni and stir well. Sprinkle with parmesan if you have some and bake at350 degrees for 45 minutes or til nicely browned on top. 6-8 servings.
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