Recipes — HippieMommy

Dec 17, 2005

Baked Ziti

1 quart prepared spaghetti sauce, divided
1 lb. ricotta cheese
½ cup parmesan cheese
3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
1 lb. ziti pasta, slightly under cooked and drained

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease 9×13 or 2- 8 inch square baking pans or 3- 8×6 rectangular pans. (I usually freeze one or two.)

In a large bowl, completely combine 2 cups of sauce, ricotta, parmesan, and 1 cup mozzarella. Stir in ziti.

Spread 1 cup of sauce in bottom of your pan. Spread ziti mixure on top of sauce. Spread last cup of sauce on top of ziti mixture. Sprinkle top with rest of mozzarella.

Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and slightly brown around the edges.

This recipe freezes wonderfully! After cooling the ziti pans, either cover them with foil, or use Pyrex pans with lids and stick the lid on there. You can then pop them in the freezer. When you decide to cook them, you can either cook them frozen (this will increase cooking time) or defrost them and then cook them for the same time as the original recipe called for. If your ziti dries out, add a little extra sauce to add some moisture. I have also microwaved the ziti, and it still tastes good!

Filed Under: Main dishes, Vegetarian ·

Dec 17, 2005

My Famous Mac-N-Cheese

By amanda · Leave a Comment

1 cup elbow macaroni (I use more like 1/2 – 2/3 a box)
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 dash pepper
1 1/4 cups milk
6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
bread (about 5-10 slices)

Cook macaroni in unsalted water until tender, but firm.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter, stir in flour and pepper. Add milk all at once. Stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Add cheese. Stir until melted. Stir in cooked macaroni and pour into casserole.

Cut the bread into cubes. Melt enough butter to coat the bread. Toss the bread in the butter. Sprinkle on top of mac and cheese. Top with paprika, if desired (I usually don’t, but my family does).

Bake in a 350 oven for 25-30 minutes, or until it is bubbly and the bread is slightly browned.

Filed Under: Main dishes, Side dishes, Vegetarian ·

Dec 17, 2005

Casein-free Pumpkin Bread

By amanda · Leave a Comment

3 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 can of pumpkin (I use pumpkin that I’ve frozen – about 2 cups)
1 1/3 c sucanat
2/3 c. vanilla almond or rice milk (water works too)
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla (you can omit if you use vanilla milk)
2 eggs or substitute

Preheat to 350. Coat 2 loaf pans with cooking spray. Mix the flour through baking soda in one bowl and then combine the pumpkin through eggs in another bowl. Whisk the wet into the dry until the batter is moist.
Bake at 350 for an hour or until toothpick comes out clean

Filed Under: Breads, Breakfast, Casein free, Dessert, Vegetarian ·

Dec 17, 2005

Casein-free Banana Bread

By amanda · Leave a Comment

1 1/2 cups flour (I either use 1/2 white and 1/2 whole or all whole – I started out 1/2 and 1/2 to see if anyone would notice, but now I’;m doing 100% whole)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sucanat
2 eggs or enough egg substitute/banana/applesauce/whatever to make up for the moisture and stickiness of eggs
1/4 cup Earth Balance, melted
3 bananas, mashed
Enough vanilla almond milk to make a good consistancy – maybe 1/2 cup here, but that’s high-altitude cooking

Grease (I use an olive-oil spray) a loaf pan and preheat the oven to 350. In one bowl, whisk the flour, soda, salt, and sucanat. Min in the egg substitute, melted Eath Balance, and mashed bananas. Add the almond milk until its moist but not squishy
Bake at 350 for an hour or until a toothpick comes out clean!

Filed Under: Breads, Breakfast, Casein free, Dessert, Vegetarian ·

Dec 17, 2005

Stuffed Zucchini

By amanda · Leave a Comment

4 medium zucchini (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
OR
½ teaspoon dried rosemary
10 spinach leaves
8 basil leaves
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
1 medium carrot, peeled and quartered
1 ½ teaspoons olive oil
3 large plum tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup dry breadcrumbs
¾ cup (3 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 large egg white

Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4- inch-thick shell. Set pulp aside. Cut each zucchini shell in half crosswise.

Steam zucchini shells, covered, 3 minutes. Place on paper towels to drain; set aside.

Place zucchini pulp in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Spoon into a bowl; set aside.

Place rosemary and next 5 ingredients (rosemary through carrot) in a food processor, and process until finely chopped.

Heat oil over low heat. Add rosemary mixture. Cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add zucchini pulp, tomatoes, and salt; saute over medium heat 20 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in breadcrumbs. Let mixture cool. Add cheese and egg white; stir well.

Preheat oven to 350.

Divide mixture evenly among zucchini shells. Place stuffed shells on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Filed Under: Side dishes, Vegetarian ·

Dec 17, 2005

Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

By amanda · Leave a Comment

Today I altered my mom’s oatmeal chocolate-chip cookie recipe to be vegan, and it turned out amazing! The best part was that we could eat the dough safely! Yum! My casein-allergic son was in heaven

1 cup vegan Earth Balance (or you could use butter)
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar or sucanat
Replacement for 2 eggs – 4 TBS water, 2 TBS oil, 1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups oats
1 cup vegan chocolate chips (We use “Tropical Source” brand)

Cream the “butter” and the sugars until creamy. Add the egg substitute and vanilla. Beat well. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well. Hand stir oats and raisins.

Bake 10-12 minutes in a 350 oven.

I make them one batch at a time and store the rest in the fridge. That way we don’t eat them all at once!

Filed Under: Casein free, Dessert, Vegan, Vegetarian ·

Dec 17, 2005

Vegetarian Lunch Ideas

By amanda · 1 Comment

I have been a vegetarian off-and-on since 1992, and I have found that its easy for me to get stuck in a rut when it comes to my meal planning. Before I know it, I’m only eating a few different meals. I thought I’d go ahead and post some of my lunchtime favorites. If you have any, please feel free to comment and add them on!

Make Ahead Lunch Wraps
Summery Tomato Pasta Salad
Peanut Butter and Jelly
Peanut Butter and Banana
Baked Beans on Toast or Cornbread
Vegetable Soup
Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese
Nachos with guacomole and tons of fresh veggies
Pizza
Pinto Bean Pasta Salad (Pintos, tomatoes, pasta, corn, cauliflower, broccoli – whatever is in your pantry, basically) with Italian dressing on top
Peanut Spaghetti
Yellow rice with black beans
Deviled Eggs
Chickpea “chicken” salad in a pita

For more ideas, check out this amazing site: The Vegan Lunchbox

Filed Under: Casein free, Main dishes, Meal ideas, Side dishes, Vegetarian ·

Dec 17, 2005

Sourdough

By amanda · Leave a Comment

Starter
2 cups warm water
1 Tbls. sugar, honey, or maple syrup (optional)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbl. dry yeast

- Beat all ingredients together in a 2-quart bowl
- Cover the bowl with a towel and place it somewhere warm (use a towel, not plastic wrap, so airborne yeast can enter – it will give your starter a unique flavor)
- The mixture will bubble within a few minutes. Initially it will double in bulk, but as it begins to ferment, it will settle down.
- Let the mixture sit in a warm place, stirring the liquid back into the batter (it will separate) once a day for 2-5 days. When the bubbling diminishes and it has a sour, yeasty aroman, it is ready to use
- Stir the mixture and measure out the amount you need. It will be the consistancy of pancake batter.

To keep the starter going
- Store the finished starter in a sealed jar in the refrigerator
- Each time you remove some starter, replenish it with equal amounts flour and water. So, if you use 1/2 cup of starter, stir in 1/2 cup each of flour and water into your starter. Then, let it sit in a warm place for 12 hours and let the yeast bubble and grow again before returning it to the fridge.
- A starter can be kept indefinitely – just stir and feed every week or two. Stirring removing and replenishing your starter serves to feed the remaining batter.

Sourdough bread recipe
For a 2lb. loaf
2/3 cup sourdough starter
1 cup warm water (I use closer to 2 – I add extra as its mixing)
1 Tbl. sugar, honey, or maple syrup (optional)
1 Tbl. oil (optional)
4 cups all purpose or bread flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. dry yeast

Add all ingredients to the bread pan in the order given.

Mine is way too dry with only 1 cup of water. I’m not sure how much of that is due to altitude. Today I used about 2 cups. Last time I think I used more like 1 2/3. I just add enough for it to form a ball, and then add a little flour if I add too much water. Its easy once you get the hang of it!

Filed Under: Breads, Casein free ·

Jun 25, 2005

Vegetarian again!

By amanda · Leave a Comment

Ahhh, yet again I am vegetarian. I am so fickle with this! I feel really good today though, and I always prefer the way that I feel when I’m veg. I also hate it when I start back up on meat, and yet I do it. The same thing happens with sodas. They don’t even taste good when I go back to drinking them, and yet I do it from time to time. I’m so silly.

For lunch I made Spaghetti with Peanut Sauce from vegweb. I love that site! The recipes are soooo good! For breakfast I had eggs and toast and then for dinner I had a salad and yellow rice with black beans. The black beans were organic and from Wild Oats and were REALLY yummy.

I’m almost done with my scarf that I’m knitting. I need to get batteries for my digital camera so that I can post pics. I’m very proud of myself!

I had a bit of a panic attack last night, and I don’t know why. I wasn’t even worried about anything. This morning I did my ashtanga yoga and I felt better. I did a modified primary series, and I was definitely more relaxed by the end. I’m just frustrated that it happened since it had been about a month since it last happened. It seems to be related to my hormonal cycles. (sigh) Its very annoying.

M and J are doing great. They are growing up so quickly. Today J started saying “Uh Oh!”, which is really cute. She still says f*ck instead of “flag”, and it keeps catching me off guard when she screams it out, lol. She really makes a hard “k” sound at the end, so its really jarring to hear! We were in line at Chick-fil-A the other day and the cashier was going on about how beautiful J is (grin) and then J yells “F*CK!” and points. The girl and I both looked shocked and then I saw they had a huge American flag hanging in the back of the store. LOL. Its really embarassing. She’s done it a few times here at the house and I’ve whipped my head around, thinking she was cussing, only to see her pointing at a flag, lol.

Well, on that note, I’m off to finish my knitting! Good night

Filed Under: Main dishes, Vegetarian, Vegetarian ·

Jun 1, 2005

Mmm, chewy!

By amanda · Leave a Comment

My family is in love with this recipe for Chewy Granola Bars from the Laine’s Letters site. They’re really good

After re-reading a few of her letters, I felt a little guilty yesterday. My main source of guilt is that Joe usually gets up with the kids in the morning. Even if its only 15 minutes or a half hour before I wake up, its sooo nice. My dad used to get up with me when I was younger, and I loved those special times that we had together. Even still, Laine’s writing made me think that I’m missing out or less spiritual because I don’t get up before the sun. I don’t know what I think yet…

Aside from the guilt, I decided to implement a few of her suggestions, like working before playing. This morning I made sure my house was picked up and my daily chores were done before I went on GCM. I think that’s probably wise.

I’m supposed to go running this afternoon. We need to make up for the long run that we missed earlier this week, but it looks really rainy outside. We’ll see what I can do…

I’ll try to update later!

Filed Under: Casein free, Dessert, Vegetarian ·