For the past seven months, I’ve been a vegetarian and although I love it, it has been a challenge to find recipes that don’t contain meat that were healthy, got me the nutrients I needed and that satisfied my cravings. Here are my go to easy vegetarian recipes!
Every once in a while, I get a major craving for buffalo wings so these Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower Poppers are the perfect snack. * The estimated total time to make this recipe is 25-30 Minutes. *
Ingredients:
- 1 head Cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces (about 4 cups)
- 3/4 cup Water
- 3/4 cup Oat flour
- 1/2 tsp Garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 1 cup Buffalo sauce
- 1 tbs Honey
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. Prepare the batter for the cauliflower by combining the water, oat flour, and seasonings in a medium bowl. Mix until batter is combined, (it will look like pancake mix).
3. Dip the cauliflower in the batter, (you can do this in batches), shaking off the excess batter before placing the cauliflower on the baking sheet. Lay the cauliflower in a single layer on the baking sheet. 4. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
5. While the cauliflower is baking, combine the hot sauce and honey in a medium bowl. When the cauliflower is ready, remove it from the baking pan and toss it in the hot sauce mixture.
6. Serve with dip/dressing of choice.
One of my favorite meals as a kid was spaghetti and meatballs, so when I’m craving some meatballs I immediately go to these Quinoa Zucchini Meatballs!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 cup onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup zucchini, finely diced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 egg
- 1 egg white
- 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 5-6 minutes until fragrant and softened.
3. Add the zucchini, oregano, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes until zucchini softens. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
4. Add to a bowl with the quinoa and stir to combine. Add the eggs, whole wheat bread crumbs, and salt/pepper if needed.
5. Roll into 4 meatballs per serving, about 1 rounded tablespoon each, and place on the baking sheet.
6. Bake for 12 minutes on the first side. Flip over and bake for 10 more minutes.
Beans are key to a vegetarian diet for their protein and I LOVE chick peas. Falafel, a traditional Middle Easter food is a patty made with a chick pea mixture. Here is my favorite falafel recipe!
Ingredients:
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (a.k.a. garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
- 1 1/2 cups fresh parsley leaves, tightly-packed
- 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, tightly-packed
- 1/2 cup diced white or red onion
- 1/3 cup white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4-5 tablespoons grapeseed oil (or another high-heat oil, such as canola or
- vegetable)
- for serving: pita bread, chopped Romaine lettuce, thinly-sliced red onions, diced
- tomatoes, tzatziki sauce and/or hummus
Directions:
1. Add garlic, chickpeas, cilantro, parsley, onion, flour, lemon juice, baking powder, salt, cumin and black pepper to a food processor. Pulse until smooth and evenly mixed, stopping partway through to scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed.
2. Transfer mixture to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, so that the plastic is directly touching the top of the mixture (so that no air can enter.)
3. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until chilled. (If the mixture feels too gooey still after it has been chilled, and is difficult to form into disks, stir in a few more tablespoons of flour.) Lay a large sheet of parchment paper out on a work surface.
4. Remove the bowl with the chilled falafel mixture. Then measure out 2 tablespoons of the mixture, and roll the mixture into a ball with your hands. Place the ball on the parchment paper, and gently flatten the ball slightly with your hand so that it is a little under 1/2-inch thick. Repeat with the remaining mixture until all of the falafel disks are prepared.
5. Heat oil in a large cast-iron or heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until it is simmering. (If you add a drop of water to the oil, it should sizzle.)
6. Carefully transfer 4 or 5 falafel disks to the hot oil and fry for 2-3 minutes per side, or until both sides of the disk are browned. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate. Then repeat with the remaining falafel disks, adding extra oil to the pan if need be.
7. When all of the falafels are cooked, remove the pan from the heat. Then serve the falafel warm however you’d like. (You can eat the falafels plain, served with hummus or tzatziki, in a salad, in a gyro, or in a simple pita sandwich as pictured above. To make the pita sandwich, fill half a pita with chopped lettuce, red onions, diced tomatoes, a few falafel, and then top with tzatziki sauce or hummus.)
If you are looking for more recipes like this, there are tons more super easy and yummy vegetarian recipes on Pinterest to check out!
HCXO, Grace