Giveaway winner and new series announcement!
Thank you to everyone who participated in the pregnancy cookbook giveaway! I loved reading all your ideas and was surprised to see that avocado seems to be the most popular superfood. Some people liked eating it with whole wheat pasta while others mentioned that they added mashed or sliced avocado to scrambled eggs for a healthy breakfast. Â Other commenters enjoyed eating roasted sweet potatoes during their pregnancy and quinoa was another popular response. I assigned a number to each entry (including new facebook “likes” and comments) and used a random number generator to pick the winner. And the winning entry was . . . Sheree, who said that her favorite superfood is blueberries! Â Congratulations, Sheree, and thank you again for participating!
My other news of the day is that I am going to start a new series of recipes this week that I like to call “Vegetarian for Carnivores” or maybe “Vegetarian Lite”? Not sure what the best title is, but they will basically be vegetarian recipes that appeal to meat-eaters. “Why would a meat-eater want to eat vegetarian?”, you might ask and my answer would be threefold: Health, budget and the environment. Although my husband and I both LOVE a good steak or hamburger, we have been trying to eat vegetarian meals a few times a week to cut back on the amount of fat in our diet, trim our grocery budget and narrow our carbon footprint. However, in order for us to actually stick to this plan, the meals must be hearty and flavorful enough that we don’t feel deprived. So, I’ve been collecting a lot of vegetarian recipes (some that I developed myself, others from favorite food websites) and I’d like to share some of our favorites with you. In most cases, these recipes will not be vegan and some may even include some meat products like chicken broth or fish sauce (hence the title “Vegetarian Lite”) but they will not have actual meat in them.
Sicilian Cauliflower Pasta
To kick things off, I have a wonderful, hearty fall pasta from Food Network magazine. I love the weeknight menu feature in the magazine and they usually include a couple of tasty looking vegetarian options. Â This month I was especially interested in trying the Sicilian Cauliflower Pasta because cauliflower with pasta seemed like such an interesting combination. I was not disappointed! The whole wheat penne and grated cauliflower make this dish very filling, while the lemon juice, Parmesan, and garlic add lots of flavor. This is definitely a must-try meal for anyone trying to cut back on meat in their diet. We will be eating it many times this fall!
Please send along links or recipes for your favorite vegetarian meals; I’m always looking for new ones! Meanwhile, here are some links to vegetarian recipes from previous posts:
Pad Thai (just leave out the chicken)