Vegetarian Pizza on Thin Crust

So tonight is pizza night :) I'm so excited! How sad is that? Let me explain hehe, pizza is my one big weakness and I haven't had it in months! But tonight I am going to treat myself to a nice veggie pizza on the President's Choice Thindido Crust. I love that crust with some fresh herbs on it such as basil and oregano, then organic pasta or pizza sauce, topped with portobello mushrooms, roasted red peppers, red onions and a bit of skim-mozza cheese. YUMMY! I might throw some asparagus tips on there as well.

So no real recipe today, just a delicious easy to make pizza mmm. That and a night of Big Brother, what more can a girl ask for? ;)

Minestrone Soup & Lima Bean Patties

I have to post some photos still of the chili I made, forgot to do that last night! Yesterday I ended up having leftovers, so delicious! The chili is even better the next day. I topped off the meal with a yummy salad with roasted red peppers, red onion & cucumber in a tortilla bowl. I think I'm addicted to those bowls - I just can't get enough of them :) And only 1 point!

So tonight I am going to be making a Minestrone Soup recipe I got from WeightWatchers - it's only 1 point per serving and it's delicious and so easy! I don't use a rutabaga though, instead I opt for a yam or regular white potato. And instead of whole wheat pasta I use brown rice pasta.

Minestrone
POINTS: 1 per serving / 6 servings

INSTRUCTIONS
1 sprays cooking spray, (5 one-second sprays per serving)
1 large onion(s), chopped
2 medium stalk celery, chopped
1 1/2 medium carrot(s), chopped
8 oz rutabagas, chopped
2 cube vegetable bouillon cube, dissolved in 3 1/2 cups hot water
14 oz canned tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp dried oregano, or a combination of dried Italian herbs
1 oz uncooked whole wheat pasta, shells or other small shape
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste
1 Tbsp parsley, fresh, chopped (for garnish)

Pour in prepared vegetable stock; add tomatoes and oregano. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer over a very low heat for about 15 minutes.

Coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, carrots and rutabaga; cook for about 3 minutes.

Add pasta to saucepan. Cook until pasta is tender, about 10 minutes more. Taste soup and season to taste as necessary. Ladle into individual serving bowls and sprinkle with parsley.


I am going to be making Lima Bean Falafels as well to go with the soup on the side - I got this recipe from a wonderful site called Vegetarian Meal Plans (great blog!). I made these once before and loved them. I do find them a bit dry, but I like to serve them with low-fat dip on the side and that takes away any dryness.

Lima Bean Falafels

2 cups frozen lima beans
1/4 cup roughly chopped chives
small handful of cilantro leaves
large handful of parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon spelt flour

Cook lima beans in boiling water for about 5 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking. In a food processor, combine all ingredients, except spelt flour. Process to a finely chopped consistency. Adjust seasoning, if necessary. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of spelt flour. Form patties and saute in an oiled skillet until browned on both sides.

Yields approximately 12 2-inch patties.

I put these through my Recipe Builder on WeightWatchers and it works out to be about 3 points for 1/2 the recipe! Totally worth it considering that is 6 small patties! These are also good in a WeightWatcher wrap with some fresh veggies and fat-free cheese slices.

Chunky Vegetarian Chili & Tortilla Bowls

Over the last year, I have developed a love for chili. This is something I *never* use to eat, but once I became vegetarian I was coming across many yummy looking chili recipes and thought I would give one a go! By far my favourite so far is one from Cooking Light called Chunky Vegetarian Chili. I serve it in a whole wheat tortilla bowl (I use WeightWatcher wraps - 1 point & so good!). I make a medium size ball from tin foil and then spray the wrap with some cooking spray. I then mold the wrap around the tin foil to make a bowl shape. It doesn't do it perfectly, but that's fine - I hold it down for a moment to take the shape and then throw it in the oven until it browns around the edges. SO good! Then I scoop the chili on top and serve it with diced green onions & fat-free sour cream. Sometimes I add salsa too. The favourite salsa of the house is the PC lime & chili one. Mmmmm :)

Here is the recipe, enjoy :) Just a note - I use chick peas instead of pinto beans! And for the kidney beans I opt for red.

Chunky Vegetarian Chili

Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 (16-ounce) cans stewed tomatoes, undrained
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Preparation
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell peppers, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add sugar and remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

8 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 257(9% from fat); FAT 2.7g (sat 0.3g,mono 0.5g,poly 1.2g); PROTEIN 12.8g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 150mg; SODIUM 876mg; FIBER 14.2g; IRON 4.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 48.8g

What's for dinner? July 16 - 20

Hey everyone, this is my first post - so welcome to anyone who happens to come across my little corner of the world. Food has been a passion of mine for years, most likely due to the fact that my parents owned their own restaurant for pretty much my entire existence! I grew up around such yummy delights and after I got out on my own, I found my love of cooking. Last January I became a vegetarian full-time and I have loved every moment of that decision. It took some accepting on my family's part..mostly my father who is about as old-school Greek as you can get! But it's all good and through being a vegetarian I have explored so many recipes and great finds..which I hope to share here :) So welcome to my little space.

Every week I'll post whatever it is I'm cooking, the recipes...photos, new food finds, etc. Plus I am on WW's and have been since 2003, so I'll post nutritional info & points as I go along. Always nice when the nutritional info is handy :) Doesn't always happen on blogs, or so I have found!

Every Sunday I plan out my work week in regards to meals (mostly suppers). This is how this week is shaping up so far...this week I'm kind of winging it, so I'll update the list as the week goes on. Sometimes I get a hankering for something not on the list...I swear to god I feel like I'm at the grocery store EVERY day, even though I do a week's worth of shopping on Sunday afternoon!

Monday - Chunky vegetarian chili with homemade tortilla bowls
Tuesday - Lima bean patties with homemade Minestrone soup
Thursday - Vegetarian pizza (thin crust)

I don't have anything for Wednesday yet, mainly because the nights I run I get home late & usually end up having cereal or something else light. Sometimes I still cook for my husband though and just take the leftovers to work. So not sure about Wednesday yet! I will post recipes & photos as I cook and prepare each meal. Can't wait for Thursday, been months since I had pizza!