Fit Fly Mamas

Last week I gave up meat to give my body a break.  I found a few veggie recipes from Ultimate Daniel Fast web site.  I added meat for Hubby and the kids and some recipes I tweaked based on what we had around the house.

Monday

Spinach Zucchini Casserole

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano flakes
1/2 tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
2-3 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds (about 2-3 medium zucchini)
3 cups packed fresh spinach, stems removed
1 cup sliced onion, sliced pole-to-pole (see Recipe Notes)
Cooked brown rice, lentils, or quinoa

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour tomatoes into small saucepan, and add garlic, basil, oregano, parsley, and salt. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat, and simmer about 10 minutes.

While sauce is cooking, prepare vegetables. Lightly coat a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish with olive oil. Place zucchini rounds on bottom of dish, stacking extra rounds to make a second layer, if needed. Spread spinach leaves and onion slices on top of zucchini. When sauce is done, pour sauce over all, making sure vegetables are coated with tomatoes and their juice. If using fresh tomatoes, chop tomatoes and place on top of spinach and onions. Mix tomato sauce, garlic, basil, oregano, parsley, and salt in a small bowl and pour sauce over all. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until zucchini is tender. Stir well before serving with cooked brown rice, lentils, or quinoa.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Recipe Notes

• Serve alone or as a side dish.
• Add 1/2 cup shredded carrots, mushrooms, chopped black olives, or yellow squash.
• To slice an onion pole-to-pole, think of the onion as a globe. Trim root end (south pole) and stem end (north pole). Peel off outer layers. Cut onion in half from north pole to south pole, making a series of vertical slices perpendicular to the equator of the onion.

Tuesday

Spaghetti Squash Stir-fry (I used squash and diced it up instead of spaghetti squash)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups cooked broccoli, cut into 1-inch florets
2 cups cooked spaghetti squash, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups cooked brown or wild rice
1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup Bragg’s Liquid Aminos* or soy sauce
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 tablespoon tahini (didn’t add this)
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 tablespoon chopped walnuts or cashews

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, and cook until soft and translucent. Stir in garlic, broccoli, spaghetti squash, rice, beans, Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, basil, and tahini. Cook 5 minutes or until heated through, stirring frequently. Mix in walnuts just before serving.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Recipe Notes

• Substitute chopped zucchini for the spaghetti squash.
• Other vegetable ideas are green beans, mushrooms, or sweet peas.
• To bake a spaghetti squash, preheat oven to 375 degrees. With a fork, prick squash all over and place directly on rack in middle of oven. Cook 1 hour. Remove from oven, and let squash cool 10-15 minutes before cutting in half and removing seeds. Pull a fork lengthwise through the flesh to separate into long strands.
• Bragg’s Liquid Aminos  is an alternative to soy sauce that has no added salt or preservatives. Bragg Liquid Aminos is a Certified non-GMO (not genetically modified) liquid protein concentrate, derived from healthy soybeans, that contains 16 essential and non-essential amino acids.

Wednesday

Greek-Style Stuffed Peppers (added ground turkey and cheese  for the rest of the family, thought this was great bc I chopped up so many veggies in the mix and Peyton couldn’t even tell)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup diced zucchini
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
3 chopped canned artichokes, drained (I used Asparagus chopped up)
½ cup chopped black olives (I wasn’t a big olive fan, not sure if I should have added the juice)
1 teaspoon dried oregano flakes or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
½ teaspoon salt
6 medium bell peppers (green, orange, red, and/or yellow)
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 ½ tablespoons pine nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place artichokes in a food processor, and pulse until artichokes are chopped well. Set aside. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and zucchini. Cook 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are softened. Lower heat, and add garlic. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly so garlic doesn’t burn. Add tomato sauce, artichokes, olives, oregano, parsley, and salt. Cook 15 minutes, or until sauce is thickened.

While sauce is cooking, prepare peppers. Cut in half lengthwise, and remove stems and seeds. Place peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain in colander, and place in a large baking dish. When sauce is finished, mix in the quinoa and pine nuts. Stir well. Spoon mixture evenly into pepper halves. Add hot water to dish to a depth of ½ inch. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 2 pepper halves)

Recipe Notes

• Increase the protein content of this dish by adding 1 (15-ounce) can great northern beans or pinto beans, rinsed and drained.
• Use brown rice instead of quinoa.
• Add chopped fresh spinach leaves to the rice mixture. (and I added squash)

Thursday

Mexican Rice & Beans

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup diced red onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups brown rice, uncooked
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies (Ro-tel)
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley

Rinse rice in a strainer under cold running water for 30 seconds, swirling the rice around with your hand. Drain, and set aside. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, and cook until soft and translucent. Add garlic, and cook one minute, stirring frequently so garlic doesn’t burn.

Pour in water, rice, tomatoes and chilies, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer 45-55 minutes or until rice is tender and nearly all of the liquid is absorbed. Add beans, and stir well. Cook another 8-10 minutes. Add parsley, and serve.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Recipe Notes

• This recipe is fairly spicy, so to cut down on the “heat,” reduce cayenne pepper to 1/8 teaspoon or elmininate it completely.
• Add avocado slices as a garnish.

Friday

Baked Rice with Butternut Squash and Asparagus

3 cups water
½ cup brown rice
½ cup wild rice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon ground sage
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 ½ pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
½ pound asparagus spears, ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup sliced onion, sliced pole to pole (see Recipe Notes)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rub a little olive oil along the sides and bottom of a 3-quart baking dish. Add water, rice, garlic, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper. Stir well. Bake uncovered 30 minutes. Mix in squash, asparagus, and onions. Cook 30 minutes, stir, and then bake another 15 minutes, or until water is nearly all absorbed and rice is softened.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Recipe Notes

• To slice an onion pole to pole, or into half rings, think of the onion as a globe. Trim root end (South Pole) and stem end (North Pole). Peel off outer layers. Cut onion in half from North Pole to South Pole, making a series of slices perpendicular to the equator of the onion.
• Use 1 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary in place of the thyme and sage.