Beth From Denver: Zucchini Crisps for Healthy Snack Wednesday

My best friend Beth from Denver is back with another delicious vegetarian friendly dish. This is a great addition to the game night snack spread, or even for a quick appetizer before a dinner party. Some of our favorite Italian restaurants in St. Louis (where we grew up) offer fried zucchini sticks as an appetizer. While they are always tasty, this version is more appropriate for Healthy Snack Wednesday. Enjoy!

From Beth:
I love snacks! Especially when they are healthy and easy to make. I knew I would want something to snack on while watching the Broncos on Monday Night Football but didn't want to spend too long in the kitchen. So I sliced some zucchini and made some crisps. Sorry for the vague ingredients list, as I was being speedy, I didn't measure anything.

Zucchini Crisps
1 zucchini, cut into about 1/4 inch slices
Shredded parmesan cheese
Bread crumbs
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Marinara sauce

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Slice the zucchini and toss with olive oil in a bowl to coat evenly. Combine the shredded parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, salt and pepper to taste in a smaller bowl. Coat both sides of each zucchini slice before placing on a foil covered cookie sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes until zucchini is tender. Serve with warm marinara sauce for dipping.

Beth From Denver: Vegetable Stock and Vegetable Chili

Enjoy this delicious guest post from my best friend, Beth! She lives in Denver and cooks up vegetarian meals for herself. Check out her previous posts here.  Enjoy this great winter warmer recipe!

On Mondays at work, we take turns bringing soup for lunch. After receiving "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" by Mark Bittman as a belated birthday gift, I was excited to really make soup from scratch for my turn this week. I started with making vegetable stock.

2 carrots, cut into chunks
1 onion, quartered
1 potato, cut into chunks
3 garlic cloves
1 bunch parsley
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

I was making soup for a large group of people, so I doubled the ingredients and combined them all with 12 cups of water in a pot. After bringing to a boil, I turned the heat down and let everything simmer for about 45 minutes. Then I strained the vegetables out (creativity necessary as I only have 1 pot that large) and put in a container to store in the refrigerator over night.

The next morning, I checked for all of my ingredients for the chili. Again, I doubled the recipe but since I only had large enough pots and pans for 1 batch at a time, I just repeated the steps. Here are the ingredients for a single batch.

1 zucchini, chopped
2 peppers, seeded and chopped (any color works, I used 1 red and 1 green)
2 portabella mushrooms, chopped
1 red onion, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped as finely as possible
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped as finely as possible
2 cups black beans, cooked
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons paprika
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups vegetable stock
extra virgin olive oil

Modeled after Lara, I chopped all my vegetables and took out all my other ingredients and measuring tools before I started cooking anything. I sauteed the zucchini, peppers, mushrooms and onion using the olive oil.

In a different pot, I heated up a couple of splashes of olive oil and cooked the garlic and jalapeno for 3-4 minutes.

When the vegetables were sauteed, (I let them cook about 7 minutes until they were a bit soft), I added them to the pot with the garlic and jalapeno. Then I added the beans and let them heat up. Then I added the chili powder, paprika and a dash of salt and pepper. Next I stirred in the tomato paste and let it cook for another 2 minutes. Finally I added the vegetable stock and let the soup simmer. If this hadn't been for school, I would have added a cup of beer and reduced it for about a minute before adding the vegetable stock. Like I said before, I made 2 batches and combined them in my crock pot. It is a bit spicy, but nothing that a handful of shredded cheese won't balance out! I'm excited to share it with my co-workers!

Beth from Denver: Scrumptious Simplicity

Another installment from Beth from Denver! Beth cooks up delicious and easy vegetarian meals. Enjoy!

I’m not allowed to have a grill at my condo complex, so I have recently invested in a George Forman Grill. It doesn’t feel the same as grilling on the patio, but it is easy to use, easy to clean and does a great job! When I wanted something simple and healthy a few nights ago, I decided to set up George to grill some tofu and asparagus. I completed the meal with some quinoa.

Grilled Tofu, Asparagus and Quinoa
1 bunch of asparagus
1 package of extra firm tofu
3 teaspoons Target brand South American Style Grilling Paste (or any preferred seasoning)
1 cup quinoa

Open and drain the tofu
Place in a strainer in the sink with a saucepan on top in order to squeeze out as much water as possible
Preheat the grill to medium-high
Cut the ends off the asparagus and then cut the stalks in half
Grill for about 5 minutes, rotating halfway through (unless you are using a George Forman with a grilling plate on top
While the asparagus is cooking, combine the cup of quinoa with 1 cup of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil
Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until water has been absorbed (10-15 minutes)
Cut the tofu into half inch slices
Spread the grilling paste on both sides of tofu slices before placing on grill
Cook for about 10 minutes (depending on how firm you like the tofu), making sure to flip in order to cook both sides

Enjoy your simple and healthy meal!

Guest Post: Vegetarian Delight by Beth

Since I've been away on vacation I'm a little behind in my cooking and blog posts. Instead, I'd like to introduce a new guest blogger - my best friend Beth! She's been a vegetarian for a long time and will hopefully add some tasty vegetarian recipes to the Good Cook Doris recipe box! Enjoy!

Here's one of our many photos involving food (yes, mashed potato martinis):

From Beth:

While I enjoy cooking, complicated recipes intimidate me. I am easily overwhelmed by multiple steps and long lists of ingredients - especially when I haven't heard of all of them. I can proudly say that in my many years of vegetarianism, my repertoire has recently greatly expanded.

Good Cook Doris must take some credit for my new found confidence in the kitchen as it has helped to teach me, guide me and, above all, inspire me. Thanks Lara! Here is a vegetarian sloppy joe recipe, adapted from a Rachel Ray cookbook, that I made it a few days ago to be enjoyed by omnivores and carnivores alike.

Beth's Veggie Sloppy Joe

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 jalapeno peppers, seeds and ribs removed (unless you like it super spicy)
1 red, green or yellow bell pepper
1/2 large red onion
1 can black beans
1 15-oz can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 rounded tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (or vinegar if don't want to include anchovies)
4 crusty rolls

Seed and chop the jalapeno peppers and bell pepper
Chop the red onion
After heating oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, add the chopped jalapenos, bell pepper and onion
Cook until tender (it took about 8 minutes on my stove)
Add the black beans (drained), cumin and coriander to the skillet
Season to taste with salt and pepper
Stir in the tomatoes, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce
Allow mixture to simmer for a few minutes before serving on toasted rolls

I added a slice of sharp cheddar cheese and a pickle before serving. The leftovers are easy to reheat and taste great too.