Ever Evolving Food Blog

Hello Everyone! I have had this blog for years now, and as my personal life has changed, so have my tastes and eating habits...for the better!! I am now a fully plant-based eater, so my newer recipes will reflect this lifestyle and way of eating.

All of my old recipes will remain on my food blog, of course, so there will be a mixture of the old and the new for everyone to look through and choose. You can always play around with any recipe out there and make it your own, whether it's plant-based or not. There are always other options!
Thanks SO much for following! Happy Eating!

What's Cooking With Melissa

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Friday, June 27, 2014

Roasted Vegetables

This is a nice, easy, healthy, and filling meal. It is also a vegetarian recipe.  It's colorful and fun and delicious, too!  You could serve these veggies with a protein, a salad, quinoa, rice, or just have them on their own.  Any way you serve them, you will love them!!












Ingredients:
2 zucchini, cut into coin pieces

5 white, button mushrooms, quatered
1 fennel bulb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (save the herb top and finely chop)
2 white new potatoes (medium), quartered
2 red new potatoes (medium), quartered
2 purple new potatoes (medium), quartered 
3 parsnips, peeled and cut into coin pieces
2 Tbsp grape seed oil
1 gallon sized ziplock bag
cracked pepper to taste

Prepare a baking sheet by covering in foil and giving it a light spray so the veggies won't stick. Preheat the oven to 450 F.  Put all cut veggies into the ziplock bag, pour in the grape seed oil, close tightly and  shake gently until the veggies are coated.  

Spread the veggies out into a single layer onto the baking sheet. Sprinkle on the fennel herb top and
the cracked pepper.

Bake at 425 for 30 minutes. Serve.

Monday, June 23, 2014

Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage and Veggie Pita Mixture

I've been making this dish for a long time, and it has always been a favorite of mine. It's delicious and easy and filling and FULL of taste with no added salt or spices.  It's full of colorful veggies, and the Italian turkey sausage is full of protein.  






Ingredients:
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
5 white button mushrooms, chopped
6 green onions, chopped
3 cups of kale, chopped
6 Sweet Italian turkey sausage links, cut open and crumbled in the pan
2 Tbsp grape seed oil
Whole wheat pitas, cut in half

Directions:
In a large frying pan, heat grape seed oil. Crumble the turkey sausage into the pan and fry it like you would hamburger for tacos. Remove from heat and transfer into a medium bowl until later.

In the same pan, sautee the veggies for about 5 minutes until cooked and the kale is wilted.  Add the
turkey crumbles back into the mixture, stir over heat for a couple of minutes until heated through and well-mixed.

Divide into fourths.  Fill each pita half with the mixture and enjoy! 


For 1/4 of the mixture (not including the pita)
Calories 266
Fat 12.4 g
Cholesterol 75 mg
Sodium 884 mg
Carbs 14 g
Fiber 3.2 g
Sugars 2.8 g
Protein 25.8 g


Sunday, June 22, 2014

Kale, Mushroom, and Green Onion Crustless Quiche

I am trying to be a clean eater these days, so I don't eat anything out of a can, a box, frozen meals, junk food, or fast food.  I try, as much as possible to use natural, fresh, organic ingredients when I prepare meals.  It's not always possible, but it is certainly do-able for the major part of what I eat now.  This is a recipe that I made using the best ingredients I could find that were good for me.  









Ingredients:



3 brown, cage-free, grain-fed eggs (Simple Truth)

1 ½ cups unsweetened soy milk (Silk)


½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp nutmeg

2 Tbsp grape seed oil

5 green onions, minced

3 garlic cloves, chopped (or 2 tsp organic minced garlic)

5 white, button mushrooms,diced

2 cups kale, chopped

1-2 Tbsp chives, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9-inch glass or ceramic pie pan by brushing with grape seed oil.




In a bowl, whisk together eggs, soymilk, nutmeg, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Set aside



In a skillet on med-high, heat grape seed oil. Add onions and garlic, cooking until softened (3-5 min). Stir in kale and mushrooms and cook, stirring until wilted (5 min).



Spoon the veggies into the pie pan, then poor the egg and soymilk mixture gently on top.  Sprinkle chives evenly over the top.



Bake until the quiche is just set in the center, about 40-50 min.   Cool completely on a rack before serving.


Serves 6  (amounts were calculated using the MyFitnessPal app)
Calories  107 per slice
Fat 7.9 g per slice
Cholesterol 78.25 mg per slice
Sodium 50.8 mg per slice
Carbs 3.5 g per slice
Fiber 1.2 g per slice
Sugars 1 g per slice
Protein 5.25 g per slice