Vegetarian Archives - Queen of My Kitchen

22
May
2019

Orange Sesame Grilled Asparagus

categories: Gluten Free, Healthy, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Grilled asparagus gets a boost of flavor with a delicious sesame citrus dressing. The perfect side dish for spring! JUMP TO RECIPE

No other vegetable symbolizes spring as much as asparagus. If you’re making an effort to eat seasonally, now is the time to enjoy this perennial flowering plant species. Of course, you can find asparagus at the grocery store any time of year, but in the off-season, it’ll likely come from Peru or China and will certainly lose some of its freshness during the transcontinental plane ride to the U.S. After all, vegetables suffer from jet-lag too! To really savor asparagus, you’ll want to jazz it up a bit so that you fully appreciate its beauty, versatility, and amazing flavor. This recipe for Orange Sesame Grilled Asparagus will help you do just that! A simple citrus dressing and a sprinkling of delicate sesame seeds on top of perfectly charred asparagus spears will leave you with a newfound love for asparagus and one more reason to welcome spring! (more…)

01
Apr
2019

Lemony Pesto Roasted Broccoli

categories: Side Dishes, Vegetarian

Basil pesto and freshly squeezed lemon juice give this often bland vegetable a delicious boost of flavor. Broccoli may never be boring again! JUMP TO RECIPE

Broccoli used to be one of my least favorite vegetables until I started roasting it. Prior to that I had always steamed it, but once I learned how high oven heat can transform this ho-hum vegetable I never looked back. I went from feeling indifferent about broccoli to actually liking it and making it fairly frequently. Recently I discovered another way to cook this cruciferous vegetable that elevates the taste even further and now I can say, without hesitation, that I LOVE broccoli! If you want to see how the right cooking technique and two simple ingredients can turn a bland and boring vegetable into a stellar side dish, look no further than Lemony Pesto Roasted Broccoli! (more…)

29
Nov
2018

Cauliflower Puffs

categories: Appetizers, Gluten Free, Healthy, Vegetarian

A healthy, low-calorie hors d’oeuvre with subtle sweet and savory flavor. These melt-in-your-mouth nibbles clock in at only 20 calories each! JUMP TO RECIPE

Appetizers and hors d’oeuvres are the stars of any holiday party. Who can resist all those beautiful puff pastry creations, the rich cream cheese dips, and other delicious bites in the shape of wreathes, snowmen, and reindeer. As much as I love all these (and believe me, I always make a point to sample at least one of each), it’s nice to have some lighter alternatives to these yummy, but often very heavy, appetizers. Enter Cauliflower Puffs! These fluffy and healthy nibbles literally melt in your mouth and are only 20 calories each, so feel free to gobble up as many as you want. Tis the season! (more…)

30
Oct
2018

Roasted Cauliflower with Feta, Tomatoes, Walnuts, and Capers

categories: Gluten Free, Healthy, Side Dishes, Vegetarian

Cauliflower gets dressed up in this vibrant side dish with a variety of flavors, colors, and textures. An awesome appetizer too. JUMP TO RECIPE

The rise of cauliflower as a celebrity vegetable has been nothing short of meteoric. Much of this growth can be attributed to cauliflower rice, a term used to describe cauliflower that has been chopped into tiny pieces that resemble grains of rice. So staggering is the growth of this vegetable in disguise that huge, multinational brands are now jumping in to capture market share. Green Giant (a division of General Mills) now harvests over 100,000 heads of cauliflower daily to meet the growing demand – a six-fold increase from just a few years ago! I’ve done my part as a food blogger by posting a variety of new-fangled cauliflower-based dishes (see the last paragraph for links to these recipes), but recently I had the urge to go back to using cauliflower in a more traditional way and came up with this recipe for Roasted Cauliflower with Feta, Tomatoes, Walnuts, and Capers. (more…)

09
Oct
2018

Herbed Sesame Sunflower Seed Crackers

categories: Appetizers, Gluten Free, Healthy, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian

Vegan, gluten-free, dairy free crackers with a wholesome taste and tender texture. JUMP TO RECIPE

I put crackers into the same category as salad dressings. They’re not at all hard to make from scratch yet most people purchase these foods at the grocery store. This is probably even more true for crackers than salad dressings. I once mentioned to a friend that I make my own crackers and she said she never once considered making crackers – that it was so easy to buy good ones, why bother. And this is someone who loves to cook! Well, I’m here to tell you that making crackers couldn’t be simpler and you’ll be rewarded with ones that are healthier and taste so much better than store-bought crackers. These Herbed Sesame Sunflower Seed Crackers are nothing like any crackers you’ve ever purchased. They’re vegan, gluten-free, and dairy free and have a wholesome taste and tender texture. A few of these crackers dipped in Sun-Dried Tomato Red Lentil Hummus is the perfect, healthy snack to stave off those hunger pangs that sometimes strike before dinnertime. (more…)

25
Sep
2018

Artichoke and Roasted Red Pepper Salad

categories: Appetizers, Gluten Free, Healthy, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian

A no-cook, easy antipasto salad you can make in under 10 minutes. Great for picnics, tailgates, and casual entertaining. JUMP TO RECIPE

If you enjoy shopping at upscale food markets that sell a wide variety of prepared foods then you’ll appreciate Artichoke and Roasted Red Pepper Salad because this is exactly the type of dish you’re likely to find at one these stores. In fact, I came up with this recipe after purchasing a small deli container of a similar type salad at my local specialty food store, for which I paid an insane amount of money. Since it contained only a few simple ingredients I decided to make my own version and I’m so glad I did. This salad is perfect for picnics, tailgates, and casual entertaining. It’s quick to throw together and can easily be scaled up to feed large crowds. (more…)

04
Sep
2018

Lemony White Beans with Garlic and Rosemary

categories: Appetizers, Gluten Free, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian

A healthy, Tuscan inspired dish you can make in under 10 minutes. Quick, easy, and delicious. JUMP TO RECIPE

Next time you walk your hungry self into the kitchen and discover that there is very little in your refrigerator or pantry that can be made into a meal, I hope you remember this dish. Lemony White Beans with Garlic and Rosemary is what I make for a light, healthy meal when my cupboards are bare and I am way overdue for a trip to the grocery store. You can pull this dish together in just a few minutes with canned beans and some other staple ingredients you most likely already have on hand. (more…)

28
Aug
2018

Black Rice and Sweet Summer Corn Salad

categories: Gluten Free, Healthy, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Disclosure: I received free samples from Nature’s Earthly Choice to develop this post. All opinions expressed are my own. JUMP TO RECIPE

I’ve served Black Rice and Sweet Summer Corn Salad several times this summer, always to rave reviews. This is one of those side dishes that’s served at room temperature so it’s great for cook-outs, picnics, and buffet tables. It’s easy to prepare, a little bit different, and absolutely delicious, all of which make it perfect for the type of casual dining we seem to crave on carefree summer days. It’s also a great way to showcase sweet summer corn, one of the best foods the season has to offer! (more…)

01
Aug
2018

Curried Black Rice Veggie Burgers

categories: Gluten Free, Healthy, Sandwiches, Vegetarian

Disclosure: I received free samples from Nature’s Earthly Choice to develop this post. All opinions expressed are my own. JUMP TO RECIPE

Plant-based eating has been getting a lot of buzz lately as more and more research supports its association with a lower risk of many chronic diseases. If you’re a meat lover who is concerned about your health you might not want to hear this. But don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with these savory, delicious, Curried Black Rice Veggie Burgers. I won’t claim these burgers taste exactly like ones made with meat, but if you believe the expression “we taste with our eyes first”, then perhaps your stomach will be tricked into believing you’re eating beef burgers! Over the years I’ve come across lots of recipes for veggie burgers but never one where the patties look almost identical to beef burgers, as they do here (check out the picture below). This is due to the recipe’s key ingredient – black rice, which, color aside, has some amazing health benefits. (more…)

24
Jul
2018

Sweet and Spicy Chile Lime Popcorn

categories: Healthy, Snacks, Vegetarian

A healthy, delicious, whole grain snack that can be ready to eat in under 10 minutes! JUMP TO RECIPE

I believe one of the keys to maintaining a healthy diet is to always have wholesome, nutritious snacks available. Most of the time when we overindulge in unhealthy foods it’s because we’re so hungry that we’ll eat whatever is available at that moment and if there are no healthy choices in front of us, that’s when the trouble begins. There are lots of great options for healthy snacks, but one of the best is good old-fashioned popcorn. Not the kind you get at the movie theatre (read this article to see what’s actually in movie theatre popcorn), and not the kind that comes in microwavable paper packets, (read here about these), but popcorn kernels cooked plain, and then coated with REAL melted butter and seasonings, and maybe even a little bit of unrefined sugar to make it more of a treat than a snack. I’m talking about something like this Sweet and Spicy Chile Lime Popcorn. (more…)

Category: Vegetarian