Spaghetti Sauce -vegetarian

Spaghetti is one of our favorite meals around here.  I always make a meat sauce and a veggie sauce, which I have tailored to fit my tastes over the years.  I got tired of using other Italian Seasoning so I finally made my own mix using a variety of recipes for inspiration.

It's sweet and very savory.

1 large onion chopped
1 large red or orange bell pepper chopped
1 cup of chopped carrots (I prefer the baby carrots because they are sweeter)
5+ cloves of garlic minced
3 tbsp olive oil (it can vary depending on how many veggies I put in)
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp brown sugar
1.5 tsp oregano
3/4 tsp basil
3/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/4 tsp rosemary
1 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp pepper

3 15 oz cans of diced tomatoes (I like the ones with garlic and onion or herbs for extra flavor)

1 can tomato paste

2 cups water

1 lb of spaghetti

First, I chop and mince my veggies.  

Next, I mix my sugar, spices and herbs then set them aside.

Then, I open up the cans of tomatoes and tomato sauce, and measure the 2 c of water so they are ready to pour in when I am.

In a large five quart pot, I sauté the onion, bell pepper, carrots, and garlic until tender.

Then I stir in the spices, tomatoes, tomato paste and water.

I bring the pot to a boil and then simmer the sauce on low about an hour or until it is the consistency that I like -not too thin and watery.

When I can tell the sauce is almost done I put on water to boil for the spaghetti and turn on the oven for garlic bread.  If you want to make your own garlic bread, you can use the recipe here.

Grate a little parmesan cheese on top once you plate it and you're set!

Bon appétit!

Suggestion: You really can't go wrong with the amount of veggies you add.  Sometimes I add more than what I noted above, especially if I have leftovers.  I love to add pretty much any veggie to the mix: zucchini, squash, peas, or anything that you think would taste good in spaghetti sauce.  Just toss them in after you your veggies are sautéed.  If you have some grilled or roasted veggies, it will make it even better.  It also freezes well, I just portion it in quart sized freezer bags to pull out anytime I'm ready.

Love Being in the Kitchen

I love being in the kitchen and this reminds me why.  It's quite different with a three year old and three month old but bringing them in with me to share in the preparation can be a beautiful thing.  The silent part is near impossible but being with them is amazing.

Banana Bread

Of all the things my Grandmother left behind, the love of baking and cooking and her recipe books are some that I cherish the most.  I have binders stuffed with her recipe collection, most hand written, as well as a few cookbooks.

Banana bread is definitely a Fall favorite.  My Mom makes it every Christmas.  Now I make it every time we have old mushy bananas.  Grandmother also taught me never let anything go to waste!

Here is her recipe:

2 cups sugar
1 cup of shortening
6 well-ripened bananas, mashed
4 well-beaten whole eggs
2 cups and 4 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup of chopped nuts, walnuts, pecans or roasted almonds -optional (I don't do this)

Grease two loaf pans.
Cream together sugar and shortening.
Add bananas and eggs, one at a time.
Combine dry ingredients, sift and add to mixture.
Stir in 1 cup of chopped nuts, optional.
Pour into loaf pans and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.
If you use glass pans, bake one hour at 350 degrees.

Do not underbake.

Her words of advice: Let your bananas ripen until they have black skins.  If you use yellow or green bananas, you may lose the flavoring.

You can also freeze the black bananas (in a plastic bag) and add some sugar from the recipe to them as they are thawing out.

Just Toss It In

Sometimes I just need to clean out the veggie drawer/pantry before I refill it with fresh new food and produce. So I just chop what's left of the veggies, sauté them and mix it with some pasta and sometimes a protein.  It's easy and delicious.

Last week I had:
1/2 a red bell pepper
1/2 a yellow squash
1/2 a green zucchini
1/3 of an onion
a handful of small carrots left
Two different boxes with a little pasta in them.

1. I put on the water and pasta to boil.  (If the two pastas have different cooking times put the 10 min one in first then the 8 min one in 2 min later).
2. Then I drizzled some olive oil and butter in the pan and sautéed the veggies with some salt and pepper until almost tender over medium heat (a few minutes).
3. I tossed in a can of diced organic tomatoes for the last few minutes.
4. Next, I set the veggies aside and sautéed some soy "chicken" in the same pan.
5. Then I mixed the veggies with the "chicken" and tossed it with the pasta.

It was delicious and super easy.
Our toddler, Z digs it with all the colors and different pastas.

Last minute thought: Some tiny fresh mozzarella cubes mixed in would be awesome.  But I didn't have any.

Fettucine Alfredo

Fettucine Alfredo is a favorite around here. It is one of the most simple yet deliciously creamy pasta dishes ever. We love ours loaded with garlic and basil and served with hot fresh garlic bread. Daddy and the tiny boy love meat so they usually grill steak while Mama makes dinner.

Fettucine Alfredo ingredients

1 lb. fettucine

1 1/4 c. heavy cream

1 1/2 c. grated parmesan, fresh is best*

7 tbsp. sweet cream butter

1/2 c. chopped fresh basil

5-6 cloves garlic, minced

salt & pepper

*If you like a creamier alfredo cut the parmesan down to 1 1/4 c. when you make it and sprinkle more on top once it's cooked. That way you get the full parm flavor but a creamier pasta.

Garlic Bread ingredients

Loaf of French Bread

8 tbsp. sweet cream butter (one stick, 1/2 c.)

1/3 to 1/2 c. chopped fresh basil (it's up to you)

5-6 cloves garlic, minced

salt & pepper

Garlic Bread (prep first):

1. Let the stick of butter sit until room temperature

2. Turn on the oven to 350 degrees

3. Chop all the basil and mince the garlic (separate in half for bread and fettucine)

4. Slice the French bread in half lengthwise

5. Saute minced garlic in 1 1/2 tbsp. of the butter -about two minutes until soft and golden but not brown.

6. Let cool in a bowl about 5 min then mix in rest (6 1/2 tbsp.) of the room temperature butter.

7. Mix in the basil with a little salt and pepper, to taste

8. Spread on each half of the French bread

9. Pop in the oven when you put the pasta on to boil

About 8 minutes for softer bread, or 10+ minutes for crispier bread

Fettucine Alfredo (second):

1. Boil the water for the pasta

2. While the pasta cooks (after you pop in the garlic bread), in a medium sauce pan, saute your garlic in 1 1/2 tbsp. butter -about two minutes until soft and golden but not brown.

3. Put in the rest of the butter (5 1/2 tbsp.) and let it melt

4. Pour in the heavy cream and parmesan and whisk it together well, then bring to a boil.

5. Toss in the basil and twist in some salt and pepper, to taste

6. Pour into the drained pasta and mix well.

Serve immediately (with or without steak)

Makes 6 good sized servings.

Serving suggestion: side salad of any kind

Cheesy Peas & Linguine

Cheese, sweet peas and pasta.

These are a few of my favorite things!

We had been playing all morning and lunch suddenly was upon us as our tummies rumbled. I had some of each of these ingredients so I decided to mix them up. The finished product is now one of my favorite quick meals. The creamy cheese melted in our mouths with the buttery linguine and heavenly sweet peas. I just have to share!

1/2 c. shredded asiago with rosemary and olive oil (regular asiago would be awesome too)

1/2 c. large shreds of fresh mozzarella

1/2 package of frozen organic sweet peas

1/2 lb. linguine

2 tbsp. butter

A few twists of sea salt

A few twists of fresh black pepper

Boil the water for the linguine and peas then put them on when it's ready.

While the pasta and peas cook shred the cheeses into a bowl.

Drain the pasta then mix the butter in.

Toss in the peas.

Toss the cheese in and mix well with a few twists of salt and fresh pepper.

Eat it warm right after you toss it.

It will melt in your mouth.

Makes three servings.

Would be great with garlic bread.

After thoughts: I bet I could make an awesome creamy cheese sauce because the cheese will clump a little. But we ate it right away so that wasn't a problem! I was perfectly happy with this as a quick meal. It's super simple, quick and fresh and you can't go wrong with that!

Homemade Pimiento Cheese

Homemade pimiento cheese is delicious and easy to make.

My mom frequently makes this and now we're addicted (my difference is I use two cheeses).

I highly suggest good quality organic cheddar, vegetables and mayonnaise.

Or choose two or one cheddars that you like, it can be that simple.

Also, use as much red bell pepper and red onion as you prefer.

We like it this way.

1 1/2 c. shredded sharp or medium cheddar cheese

1/2 c. shredded mild cheddar (I use white cheddar)

1/3 c. red bell pepper diced

1/3 c. red onion diced

1/3 - 1/2 c. mayonnaise (use Miracle Whip if you prefer)

Shred your cheeses.

Dice the bell pepper and onion.

Mix the ingredients and stir in the mayonnaise.

Serve with crackers or make a delicious sandwich.

Frittatas

Frittatas are the perfect food for any meal. You can make them hearty or light to fit your mood or mealtime. They're like a fluffy baked omelette that you can put anything you want into. I plan on using this easy base and changing up the ingredients over and over to fit our mood or use whatever leftovers our fridge holds.

I love how simple recipes are usually the best -all of the ingredients shine at once. I found many recipes for frittatas but many were more complicated than I wanted, especially for breakfast. So here's my take and it turned out perfect.

Ingredients:

5 eggs

4 strips of soy bacon diced

2 patties of soy sausage diced

1/4 c. whole milk

3/4 c. shredded mild cheddar cheese (you may want less but not us!)

a few twists of fresh pepper

a pinch of sea salt

Directions:

-Pre-heat oven to 375

-Grease a 9" pie pan (I love to use glass ones)

-Whisk together the eggs, milk, cheese (reserve a little for the top), pepper and salt then toss in the stars of the show -here I used soy bacon and sausage

-Pour the mix into the pie pan, sprinkle a little cheese on top and bake about 20 minutes until set.

-Let it set about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Makes about three servings

Veggie Loaf

It has taken me a while to come up with my own veggie loaf! I used my meatloaf recipe and tailored it to be vegetarian.

Ingredients:

Loaf:

12 oz. package of Morningstar Farms® Meal Starters™ Grillers® Recipe Crumbles™ (or any other meat substitute you like)

½ green zucchini –thinly sliced

½ yellow squash -thinly sliced

½ red bell pepper -diced

½ c. onion -diced

1 clove garlic -diced

½ c. carrots –diced

2 eggs

¾ c. bread crumbs

½ milk

½ c. ketchup

½ tsp. salt (or Nature’s Seasoning®)

¼ tsp. pepper

Topping:

¾ c. ketchup

1 tsp prepared mustard

1 tbsp. brown sugar

½ red bell pepper –thinly sliced into strips/or diced

½ c. onion –thinly sliced into strips/or diced

(Sometimes I just use onion if I don’t have enough red bell pepper.)

Instructions:

Mix the bread crumbs, milk and eggs and let sit for 10 minutes.

Thinly slice the yellow squash, green zucchini and then the red bell pepper and onion for the top (set aside).

Dice the rest of the red bell pepper, onion, garlic, and carrots for the loaf.

Mix the ketchup, mustard and brown sugar for the topping.

(If you prefer you can use just ketchup or ketchup and brown sugar.)

Once the bread crumb/milk/egg mix has set mix it into the Morningstar crumbles with the veggies, ketchup, salt and pepper.

Pack it into a loaf shape inside a 3-4 quart baking dish.

Coat the loaf with the ketchup/mustard/sugar topping and place the red bell pepper and onion on top.

Bake for 1 ½+ hours at 350 degrees or until it cuts well/is cooked.

Makes 4 – 6 servings.

Enjoy!

Serving suggestion: Garlic mashed potatoes with brown gravy and a salad.

Sometimes, for a side, I use the left over zucchini/squash and sautee it in olive oil with other veggies, onion and garlic.

Pea-licious Pasta

Peas are divine. I often crave their sweet loveliness and the combinations of veggies and pasta are endless! Feel free to change it up with any veggie that you love!

Everyone from tots to adults will love this dish.

Ingredients:

1 lb. pasta

2.5 tbsp. butter

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 leek thinly sliced

1 c. diced baby carrots

½ tsp. sugar

1 diced zucchini

½ c. fresh chopped green beans

1 ¼ c. frozen sweet peas

¼ c. fresh chopped parsley

Pint of chopped small sweet tomatoes

Salt

Pepper

Instructions:

Put on the water to boil for the pasta.

Melt the butter with the oil until it sizzles.

Toss in the leek and carrots with the sugar and sautée it for about 5 minutes over medium heat.

You can put the pasta in the boiling water now.

Next, stir in the zucchini, green beans, peas, salt and pepper and cover it with a lid for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. (I did it for 8 minutes because I wanted the vegetables a little softer for our son, Z.)

Stir in the parsley and tomatoes.

Toss the veggie mixture into the pasta and serve.

I suggest serving it with some warm garlic bread.

Delicioso!

Carrot 'Dilla

The other day I had to come up with a quick dinner for Z when I accidentally put too much chili powder in his taco fixings. A carrot quesadilla was the perfect answer. It was so tasty I wished I had made one for me! So we had them for lunch a few days later. Super easy and awesomely tasty.

Ingredients (to make three quesadillas):

6 flour tortillas (corn would work if you prefer that)

~4 oz. Colby Jack or Mozzarella cheese

15 baby carrots

1/6 whole onion

Dash of oregano

1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil, divided

Directions:

Thinly slice the baby carrots. I love sweet baby carrots.

Dice the onion

Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a medium skillet.

Sauté the carrots and onion until tender.

Drop the dash of oregano on top.

Remove from the pan onto a plate.

Drop a little more olive oil in the skillet.

Place a tortilla in the pan and spread 1/3 of the carrot, onion, oregano mix onto the tortilla and then top it with cheese.

Put the other tortilla on top.

Grill until golden then flip it to grill the other side.

Remove when golden and the cheese is melted.

Mmmmm. Slice and enjoy.

Suggestion: Salsa! I also served it with a side of refried beans.

Three Z Pizza

I love squash. But squash on pizza? Why not? Even a one-year-old little man loves it! At one Traveling Bistro Sunday brunch, brother Beau cooked an amazing pizza inspired by their Italian trip years ago. I decided to put a twist on it and make it my own. It all started with leftover (homemade, of course) veggie marinara sauce…

Ingredients:
Three individual or one large pizza crust (homemade or store bought)
6-8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
1c. marinara sauce (or pizza sauce of your choice)
1 yellow squash
1 green zucchini
1/3 red bell pepper
1/6 of a sweet onion
3 garlic cloves (or 1 tbsp. pre-diced garlic)
¼ tsp. garlic salt
½ tsp. Italian seasoning
2 tbsp. olive oil

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
Peel the garlic cloves then dice or press.
Thinly slice the squash, zucchini and onion.
Dice the red bell pepper.
Heat up a skillet with the olive oil and when it is warm, toss the squash, zucchini, onion, red bell pepper and garlic into the pan and sauté until tender.
While the veggies sauté spread the marinara sauce then mozzarella on the pizza crusts and set on a cookie sheet.
Top with the cooked veggies, sprinkle lightly with garlic salt and Italian seasoning then pop into the oven for about 8 minutes (allow more time if using one large pizza crust).
Bam! Yum! Enjoy.

Note: If any of the ingredients do not appeal to you simply omit them. It will still taste awesome.

Bam! Yum! Enjoy.

Inspired by Love

I'm no chef. I'm just a mama inspired by love.


There have been many things that have inspired me to cook for our family but at the top of the list are our beautiful son, my amazing brothers (in-law), Beau at Traveling Bistro Austin and Buddy as well as my grandmothers. Here I intend to share my creations and inspirations and hope that I can entice you to cook at home for those that you love.

I began with a love of baking and moved onto “real food” not that long ago. I used to burn cereal! OK, not really, but after our son was born I pictured him smiling and playing in the kitchen while the aromas of his home cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner filled our home at each mealtime. I just knew he and daddy would also love to have home baked goodies for dessert. So here’s to my humble beginnings…

Mama Been