Vegetarian Archives - Thrifty Recipes

Vegetarian Tamale Pie Recipe with Bulgur Wheat

February 28, 2014 by Chrysa 12 Comments

This Vegetarian Tamale Pie Recipe with a cornbread top is a favorite in our house. In this meatless version, we substitute bulgur wheat for the traditional ground beef with bulgur wheat. Believe it or not my husband likes this version much better than when I used to make it with beef! It’s a perfect all-in-one meal for the “reluctant vegetarian”.

Vegetarian Tamale Pie Recipe

1 cup bulgur wheat
2 1/4 cup boiling water
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 packets taco seasoning (or use our Make Your Own Taco Seasoning recipe)
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
1 15-oz can black beans, drained
1 15-oz can whole kernel corn, drained
1 8 oz. pkg. cornbread mix (or make your own)

In a saucepan, pour about the boiling water over over the bulgur, cover the pan, and allow it to stand for about 30 minutes. Drain excess water from bulgur.

Heat olive oil a large skillet. Add in onion and green pepper and sautée until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add in taco seasoning, tomatoes, corn and beans. Cook 2-3 minutes. Stir in prepared bulgur wheat. Prepare cornbread according to package directions.

Transfer wheat & veggie mixture to a 1 1/2 quart casserole or a 9×9 square pan. Spread cornbread mix on top and spread as evenly as you can. Cook according to directions on cornbread box, or until golden brown.

Filed Under: Main Dish, Vegetarian

Kale and Corn Fried Rice Recipe

November 1, 2013 by Chrysa 27 Comments

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of P.F. Chang’s for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Autumn is a season that always brings to mind particular flavors and foods. Apples, pumpkins, ginger and more all bring the flavor of fall. P.F. Chang’s is celebrating the season with a Fall Seasonal Menu. These special dishes incorporate fall ingredients such as flank steak, butternut squash, corn, brussels sprouts, red quinoa, kale, candied walnuts, Chinese broccoli, Asian mushrooms, green apples, daikon sprouts, prawns Fresno peppers and scallions. These fall ingredients also inspired me to create my own Kale and Corn Fried Rice Recipe – which I call Harvest Fried Rice……but I’ll get to that in a moment!

As part of the celebration, P.F.Chang’s is also hosting a The Goodness of Fall Contest. Contest entrtants will create at least three unique fall dishes highlighting 3 of the seasonal ingredients that are used on the new Fall Seasonal Menu. From there, the top 5 recipes will then be judged by a panel of judges for a chance to win the grand prize!

Contest Panelists include: Philip Chiang, Cofounder of P.F. Chang’s; Yuji Iwasa, Head Development Chef at P.F. Chang’s; Mary Melton, Director of Beverage at P.F. Chang’s; and Jennifer Chong; a prominent blogger partner.

Prizes include: a $50 daily P.F. Chang’s gift card winner; The grand prize winner and one lucky guest will win a two-night trip to Napa in Spring of 2014, including an exclusive visit to the guest house at a Napa Valley vineyard where judges Philip Chiang and Yuji Iwasa will be cooking some of their favorite dishes. Director of Beverage Mary Melton will also be there, guiding the winners through an extensive wine tasting. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime Napa Valley getaway!

When you visit the contest page you will also be able to print a $10 off $40 special offer!

I created my own recipe using the fall foods suggested by P.F. Chang’s and I have to say it turned out delicious!!!

Harvest Fried Rice with Kale and Corn

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked brown rice
4 cups kale
1 cup corn
3 scallions
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil

Sauce:
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp honey (or brown rice syrup for vegan option)
1 tsp rice wine vinegar

Make sauce by mixing soy sauce honey and vinegar in a small bowl. Wash the kale and tear into small pieces – no bigger than 1″ across – discarding any thick stems. Leave some of the excess water on the kale and place in a covered dish and microwave 3-4 minutes or until kale starts to wilt. Slice scallion keeping white and dark green parts separate. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok. Add whites of onions and sautee until beginning to brown. Add garlic and green parts of onion and stir while cooking for 1 minute. Add in kale, corn and rice. Cook until heated through. Add in sauce and stir well. Remove from heat and serve.

The fall seasonal menu items at P.F. Chang’s also look delicious. I’m most looking forward to trying the Shanghai Waldorf Salad and the Miso Chicken, but I may just have to work my way through the menu. Other delicious options included are:

*Ginger Jalapeno Mule and Apple Cinnamon Martini

*Pumpkin Dessert Wontons

*Apple Cinnamon Martini

*Apple Dessert Wontons

*Shanghai Waldorf Salad

*Crispy Korean Chicken Wings

*Miso Chicken

*Harvest Vegetable Quinoa “Fried Rice”

*Vietnamese Noodles with Steak & Shrimp

*Citrus Mustard Prawns

For more information you can Follow @pfchangs and Follow P.F. Chang’s on Pinterest.

Which Fall dish are you most excited to try?

Filed Under: Asian, Vegetarian

Easy Baked Egg Rolls Recipe with Homemade Sweet & Sour Sauce

August 27, 2013 by Chrysa 12 Comments

This is a great recipe for a meatless dinner, or can also serve as a fun party appetizer. They are easy to make, but the results look like you worked really hard! If you prefer an egg roll with meat, you can add a bit of shredded chicken or pork.

Veggie Egg Rolls

2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cups bagged coleslaw mix
1 green onion
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
2 tbsp oyster sauce
6 egg roll wraps

Heat oven to 400°. Heat oil in a wok or skillet. Add coleslaw, green onion and ginger and cook appx 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in oyster sauce. Place 2 heaping Tbsp of filling on the center of each wrap. Fold up starting with the bottom corner folded into the middle, turn in both sides, then wet the top corner and fold over to seal. Place rolls seam side down on a greased cookie sheet. Brush tops and sides of rolls with olive oil using either a pastry brush or your fingers. Bake 10-15 minutes or until starting to brown and crisp.

Sweet & Sour Sauce:

2/3 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 Tbsp ketchup
2 Tbsp cornstarch

Whisk all together in a small sauce pan. Heat until boiling point and stir constantly until thickened. It will thicken further once removed from heat. (This makes more sauce then you will need for egg roll recipe above, but it can be stored in the fridge.)

Filed Under: Appetizers, Asian, Vegetarian

Easy Peanut Broccoli Pasta with (Optional) Tofu

September 16, 2012 by Chrysa Leave a Comment

This recipe is super easy and CHEAP to make. While the tofu is optional, it does help to add protein to the meal and also thicken the sauce a bit. You can use any shape of pasta that you like.

2 cups pasta (preferably whole wheat)
1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/2 cup silken tofu (pureed in a blender or food processor)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
3 cups broccoli florets
1 red pepper, finely chopped

Cook pasta per package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving 6 Tbsp of the cooking water. While pasta is cooking, steam broccoli in the microwave. (Put it in a bowl with 2 Tbsp water, cover, and microwave 3-4 minutes on high.) In a large bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, tofu, reserved cooking water, crushed red pepper. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add pasta, broccoli coarsely chopped, and the bell pepper. Toss well and serve warm.

Filed Under: Main Dish, Vegetarian

Kamut with Spinach, Red Pepper & Feta Recipe

March 5, 2012 by Chrysa Leave a Comment

If you’re not familiar with Kamut, it is a type of wheat. You cook it like other grains or rice and it has a nutty, chewy texture. It’s a great source of whole grains. This recipe is a salad that is great to make and keep in the fridge for a few days (or up to a week) to grab for a quick lunch at any time.

1 C. Kamut
3 C. water*
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 small red onion, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1 tsp lemon pepper (or use 1/2 tsp pepper and 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice)
1/2 tsp salt
2 oz. crumbled feta cheese

Cook Kamut according to package directions. You can simply cook it all in the rice cooker, or if you don’t have one you can bring the water and salt to boil in a saucepan. Then add the Kamut, reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes. Drain excess water.

While Kamut is cooking, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add in onion and red pepper and cook until beginning to brown. Add in garlic, lemon pepper and salt – cook while stirring for 45 seconds. Add in spinach and stir until wilted.

Add veggies into Kamut and stir to combine. Stir in feta. If you don’t want the feta to melt, you can wait until mixture is cooled to stir in the cheese.

*If the Kamut does not soften enough with cooking, add up to 1 cup of additional water and simmer until absorbed.

Filed Under: Vegetarian

Easy Sweet Potato Hash Recipe

November 18, 2011 by Chrysa Leave a Comment

If you wind up buying too many sweet potatoes for your Thanksgiving dinner, use the extras to make this tasty sweet potato hash.

1 1/2 lb peeled sweet potatoes, diced
4 Tbsp butter
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup red bell pepper, diced
1 cup green bell pepper, diced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

In a medium pot, cover potatoes with 2 inches of salted cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain.

Melt the butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and celery – cook for 8-10 minutes or until onions are soft. Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add red and green peppers, and crushed red pepper flakes – cook for 5 minutes. Add potatoes and cook until just heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Filed Under: Side Dish, Vegetarian

Easy Pad Thai (Peanut Noodles) Recipe – Healthy Style!

April 13, 2011 by Chrysa 3 Comments

Pad Thai can be absolutely delicious, but the traditional version is a bit tricky to make and can also be VERY fatty. This is a vegetarian version, but feel free to add precooked chicken during the final mix. As you can see from the picture, I also like to add veggies to my recipe. This is even farther from traditional, but it makes a nice balanced meal. (I simply stir fry a package of pre-cut stir-fry veggies in a bit of oil and add them in at the end.)

1 tsp oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced (substitute powdered if needed)
1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp water
crushed red pepper flakes to taste
8 oz. fine spaghetti (or thai rice noodles if available)

Cook pasta to package directions. Meanwhile heat oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Sautee garlic and ginger for about 30 seconds. Add in peanut butter, soy sauce, sugar and water. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until mixture is heated through. Add to pasta and toss to coat, adding red pepper flakes to taste. (Another option is to add chopped peanuts and or/finely sliced scallions at the end.)