Makes 4  servings

2 cups peeled and chopped butternut squash

2 garlic cloves

1 apple peeled and chopped

5 cups vegetable broth

1 1/2 cups arborio rice

1 Tbs butter or butter substitute (I used smart balance and it was fine)

2 oz goat cheese

2 tspn olive oil

1. Melt the butter in a large pot and add the squash. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of water, crushed garlic, and salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally.

2. While the squash is cooking bring the broth to boil in a separate pot.

3. Mash the squash in pot and add the rice. Stir to mix completely.

4. Add one ladelful of the hot broth to the pot with the rice. Stir until completely absorbed.

5. Continue adding one ladelful at a time until the risotto reaches the correct consistency.

6. When the risotto is almost fully cooked, add the chopped apple and goat cheese and season with salt and pepper.

7. Mix in the olive oil just before serving.

This makes 1 meal sized serving or 2 sides

1/2 cup cooked brown rice

2 oz vegetarian sausage (I used this)

1 cup frozen chopped spinach

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup V8 Spicy

salt and pepper to taste

1. Crumble and brown the sausage over medium heat

2. Add the spinach and crushed garlic to the pan and heat until everything is cooked

3. Add the rice and V8, mix all the ingredients, season with salt and pepper, and allow to cook for another minute

This serves 2

1 cup cooked chopped spinach

2/3 cup drained and rinsed black beans

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 Tbs olive oil

salt and pepper

Shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

2 servings cooked rotini pasta

1. Heat the olive oil and saute the garlic

2. Add the spinach and black beans and season with salt and pepper

3. Top 1 cup of the pasta with 1/2 cup of the sauce

4. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese while hot

This makes one large pot of soup:

1 head of cauliflower

3/4 cups chopped carrots

1 large onion

1 clove garlic

2 cups vegetable stop

1 leek

olive oil

salt and pepper

pomegranate seeds

1. Saute the onions, garlic, and leek in the bottom of the pot in a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Cut the cauliflower into florets and add along with the carrots to the pot.

3. Once the vegetables have softened a bit add the broth, cover and cook for about 45 minutes.

4. Puree in a blender and top with a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds.

1/2 block of tofu, sliced

3/4 cup black beans

3/4 cup non fat plain yogurt

hot sauce

black pepper, paprika, chili flakes

1. Season each side of the tofu slices with pepper, paprika, and chili flakes. Brown both sides in a pan coated with cooking spray.

2. Add the black beans to the pan and cook until heated through.

3. In a separate bowl, mix the yogurt, more of the spices, and about 4 dashes of hot sauce.

4. Add the yogurt sauce to the pan and turn the heat down to low. Heat until it’s hot but hasn’t turned watery.

5. Serve over a grain, I had it with quinoa. Cous Cous would be great too.

These were some vegetarian pizzas we made on New Years Eve. On the left we have roasted grape tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil. The middle is ricotta mixed with fresh garlic and rosemary, provolone, mozzarella, parmesan, and basil, with a brushing of balsamic vinegar on the crust under all of the cheese. On the right is sauteed baby bella mushrooms and cipollini onions, roasted asparagus, havarti and smoked gouda cheese.

We bought the dough from the local italian deli. Yum!!!!!

For dessert, my friends made this amazing recipe

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/molten-chocolate-cake

and it looked like this !!!!

This was like a fancy lower fat mac and cheese.

Serves 2:

2 servings whole wheat pasta

2 “chicken patties” microwaved half way

3/4 tbs butter

3/4 tbs flour

3/4 cup skim milk

1 oz low fat cheese

8 baby bella or similar mushrooms

1 medium onion

1 clove garlic

1/3 cup white wine

salt, pepper, rosemary

Everything can be prepared in the time it takes to boil water and cook the pasta.

1. Chop and saute the onion and garlic in a large pan with a little olive oil or cooking spray.

2. Chop the mushrooms and add to the pan.

3. Cook until the mushrooms are soft then add cubed “chicken” and wine.

4. When the chicken is cooked empty everything from the pan and set aside.

5. Melt the butter in the pan and then add the flour. Mix together and cook until it becomes a light caramel color.

6. Whisk in the milk and season with salt, pepper, and crushed rosemary. Whisk until it thickens.

7. Add the vegetables and chicken back into the pan and cook for a couple of minutes to get the mushroom flavor into the sauce.

8. Add the cooked pasta and cheese and mix until everything is coated with the sauce.

This looks fancy, but if you’ve already prepared the pomegranate it only takes about 5 minutes!

Serves 2

2 un-breaded vegetarian chicken cutlets

2 oz goat cheese

1/2 cup cous cous (the cous cous pictured is Isralei cous cous so it’s large)

1/4 cup pomegranate seeds

olive oil

black pepper

1. Microwave the chicken patty for half of the time specified in the package’s cooking directions.

2. Microwave the cous cous with an equal amount of water in a covered bowl for about 2 minutes.

3. While the cous cous is cooking, cut each chicken in half so you have two thin pieces and spread the goat cheese in between the two pieces.

4. Take the cous cous out and let it stand covered while microwaving the chicken/goat cheese for the rest of the cooking time.

5. Assemble the chicken on top of a bed of cous cous, season with pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.

I know that it’s pretty nutritionally void but sometimes nothing beats a good bowl of Oriental flavor Top Ramen. That is until I devised this recipe to add a lot of protein, some actual vegetables, and some spice.  I usually end up eating the whole thing, so this recipe is good for 1 hungry person or 2 sort of hungry people.

1 Package of Oriental flavored Top Ramen. I know that this one is totally vegetarian, I can’t vouch for other brands or flavors.

1/2 package of tofu

3/4 cup frozen peas

2 cups water

asian chili sauce (check that yours is vegetarian)

salt, pepper, paprika

1. Microwave the tofu for 30 seconds before slicing it. This helps drain out some of the water.

2. Grill the tofu in a pan coated with cooking spray. Use the ramen flavor packet, salt, pepper, and paprika to coat each side of the tofu. Cook until it is browned on each side.

3. Add the water, peas, and chili sauce and bring to a boil.

4. Add the noodles and simmer for about 3 minutes or until the peas and noodles are cooked.