What do you eat?!

Whenever I tell people I try to cook mostly vegetarian meals for my family the response is usually, "What do you eat?!" It's funny how as americans we don't consider food a meal unless there's meat in it somewhere.

I'll admit, it's not always easy. This week has been a good one though, so I thought I'd review what we've been eating.

Sunday- Jake went to Alaska at the beginning of the summer and brought home fabulous amounts of frozen halibut filets. That means fish tacos are definitely more frequently in rotation. When we had friends over for dinner Sunday night, fish tacos was on the menu! I mix flour, bread crumbs, tempura and corn meal with some salt, pepper, and paprika for the breading. We make sure to skin and get the dark pieces off the fish, toss them in the breading and then pan fry them in PREHEATED butter or olive oil. You have to have it hot, because cooking the fish fast is the trick to a nice light and flaky fish. Then we stack them with cabbage, cheese, fresh salsa, and some sort of cream/sauce. So delicious!

Monday- It's zucchini time and one of our favorite ways to eat zucchini is in omelets! I chop up the zucchini  and then saute it in bacon greese (nobody's perfect;) and you can use some other fat of your choice) with garlic and other veggies (mushrooms, peppers, ONIONS, spinach, diced baked potato, etc). I set that aside. Then I whip up 3 eggs with a little greek yogurt. I pour half of it into the hot, greased omelet skillet. Throw in the veggies, some fresh tomatoes or salsa, and Cheese and then fold in half. We top them with a little more greek yogurt and avocados and Jake adds some hot sauce.

Tuesday- We ate one of my vegetarian standbys- Rumbi Rice bowls. I've linked it on here before I think, but here it is again:http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2011/04/our-version-of-rumbi-rice-bowls-with-rumbi-rice.html. I make mine without the chicken, and I just use bottled teriyaki sauce. I half the rice, but still use a whole can of coconut milk and don't add any sugar. I think my kids are starting to get a little tired of this one, but Jake and I still love it!

Wednesday- Last night I made Easy Pad Thai: http://browniesfordinner.com/2010/05/11/easy-pad-thai/  I followed the recipe exactly, but doubled it. We had left overs, but not a tone, so I'm glad I doubled it. Everyone gobbled it up!!!

Tonight- Tonight I'm planning on making fancy grilled cheese sandwiches and salad, inspired from a pin I saw that took me to this blog post: http://anediblesymphony.blogspot.com/2009/04/tff-fic-grilled-cheese-forever.html  I've got ripe avocados and tomatoes all ready!

And over the weekend I'm sure we'll eat out and have some meat on the menu- but hey, when you've been eating vegetarian all week, that's no big deal! So see, it's very doable. Plenty of variety in 5 days worth of vegetarian dinners!

Tuna Salad Pitas

Made this last night. It was a quick and tasty dinner for summer weather!

Tuna Salad Pitas

6 Pita flatbreads
2-3 cans of tuna in water, squeezed dry and flaked
1 large tomato diced
2-3 Tbsp mayo
juice of half a lemon
2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

optional garnish- lettuce, fresh salsa, cheese

Mix everything, except flatbread, in a bowl. Scoop into pitas, fold in half and enjoy!

I served with fresh fruit, tortilla chips and salsa. So refreshing!

Slow cooker Enchilada Casserole (vegetarian!)

I love using my slow cooker. It's so nice to throw some things in a pot during the day and then not have to worry about "what's for dinner". It's also nice to have something warm waiting when you're not sure exactly what time you'll be sitting down to eat. Timing food can be so hard. It seems like most crockpot meals feature meat- but this vegetarian creation went over very well :)

Slow Cooker Enchilada Casserole

2 cups peeled, diced, sweet potato
1 large tomato, diced
1 large bell pepper diced
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp garlic
1/8 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp cumin
9 small corn tortillas
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can favorite enchilada sauce
shredded cheese to your liking

1. Warm oil, garlic, and spices in pan. Add sweet potato and bell pepper. Sautee 2 min. Add tomato and beans, stir till combined and warmed.
2. Spray crock pot. Spread thin layer of enchilada sauce on bottom of pot. Then create one layer with 3 tortillas (can tear if you like). Then spoon over 1/3 of sauteed mixture. Pour another thin layer of enchilada sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Repeat 3 times. Turn on low 6+ hours. Serve with plain greek yogurt, salsa, avocado, or other garnishes of your choice.