Pillsbury Crescent Rolls - Spinach, Tomato, Mozzarella

Hello everyone!  I hope everyone has enjoyed their February from Valentines to presidents week, and of course all the snow.  During a cold day, I love browsing through Pinterest and saving recipes that look easy to make and delicious.  I also like to find meals that can be easily adaptable for me to fit me, and my boyfriend's diets. He, of course, eats meat and I don't.  On top of that I don't like the veggies he likes, and he doesn't like the ones I like.  So it is really hard to make a meal that we can both enjoy.  Then I was inspired by Pillsbury Crescent Rolls.



I have seen lost of recipes on TV and online, of different ways you can roll and stuff the crescent rolls to make little meals out of them.  I thought that was perfect for us!  That way we could each make our own filled with the foods we like.  We went to the store and agreed on butter garlic flavored crescent rolls, then we each bought the ingredients to fill our own rolls.



I started mine by cutting up mozzarella and tomatoes and making small piles of them at the large side of the triangles   Then I added a couple spinach leaves on top.  Finally I sprinkled some basil and garlic.  Once you have piled on what you'd like, just roll them from the large end down to the small end. Then you bake in the oven according to the directions on the crescent roll package.





What I love about these is that they are completely customizable.  You can literally fill it with ANYTHING you want.  From pizza sauce and cheese, to samosa ingredients, even cream cheese and jelly to make breakfast!





These were so good!  The rolls were warm and flaky, and I loved the hot tomatoes and melty cheese. They were so easy to make and delicious, which are the two most important things to me while cooking.  I am so excited to think of more combinations with make with these!

Have you ever made stuffed crescent rolls?  Which fillings should I try next?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Amy's Indian Spinach Tofu Wrap

Hello everyone!  I hope you are all having a nice weekend so far.   Today I have one of my absolute favorite Amy's wraps.  I first saw Amy's Indian Spinach Tofu Wrap in a supermarket in Pennsylvania, when I used to go to college there.  I would always stock up and buy a lot of them on each shopping trip so I knew I would have them when I wanted.  Unfortunately, once I moved back home to New York, I was sad to learn that my supermarket didn't carry them.  I even saw them in the stores when I visited my boyfriend in PA, but I couldn't bring them home since the trip was 2 hours, and they are frozen.

Then a magical day happened, when I went to a local heath food store and there they were in the freezer section!  I was filled with joy and bought lots of them, as I did back in PA.  I am so glad I found them, these wraps are so good, I couldn't think about how I would never have them again.







This is so delicious!  It is filled with spinach which I love, plus it has tofu in it too!  Pretty much my two favorite things.  Plus it is really healthy, and is filled with nutrients that are essential for vegetarians, iron in the spinach and protein in the tofu.  These are vegan, healthy, organic, but taste so amazing that you would never know it! My roommates in college would always tell me how amazing it smelled when I made it, and always wanted to try some!

Have you had these spinach and tofu wraps? Will you be going out and getting them?  How do you guys get more protein and iron in your diet?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Amy's Minestrone Soup

I have been on such a soup kick lately!  I don't know if its because it is the best food to warm up with on a cold winter day, or because its a great way to help you lose weight, and I still need to shed those extra pounds that I gained from the holidays.  Either way I just love soup, and I love Amy's soups because they are good for you too!  They really help me to make the best choices that I can, since they are vegan too!





Each can is filled with loads of veggies! You can see the carrots, beans and chunks of tomatoes.  It also has lots of vegan pasta in it too, which is why I love this soup.  Tomato soup is one of my favorites, but I still feel hungry when I'm done since there's not much substance to it.  But this soup fills my spoon and mouth with each bite, leaving me nice and satisfied after.





This soup is so delicious and a staple in my cabinet! Whenever I get the craving for soup, its always there for me!

Have you tried Amy's Minestrone Soup?  Will you be going out and getting some to keep warm and full this winter?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Dr. McDougal's Asian Entree Thai Peanut Noodle

Hello everyone! I hope you all are staying warm this winter, and had a nice Valentine's day, weather you spent it with a special person, or with your friends and family.  My boyfriend and I enjoyed a really nice dinner.  I found this nice little place close by that I had never been to before.  We shared a nice arugula  goat cheese and apple salad, and for my main course I had a pasta with butternut squash topped with cheese. Everything was sooooo delicious! Then we saw Colin and Brad live perform some hysterical improv just like they were on Whose line is it anyway! Haha I still crack up when I think about the show, I recommend everyone go see it!

Well, I promised I would be showing you some of the vegan food I have been eating, and here its is!

A lot of the time at work, when its time to get lunch, I run across the street to the supermarket and get some Dunkin Dontus.  But one day I decided to venture out to the rest of the store to see what I could find.  To my amazement, I found the vegan, vegetarian, organic, and gluten free part of the store.  I knew I only had a few minutes to look around before I went to work, so I only grabbed a few things.  After work I went back and stocked up on lots of delisious things.

My new obsession is Dr. McDougals.  They make different cup-o-noodles and dry soups, where you just add hot water to them.  What I love about these is that they are all natural and always vegan.  Some of them are gluten free too, yay!



I gravitated right twards the Asian Entree in Thai Peanut Noodle.  Love Thai Flavors. Love Peanuts. Match made in heaven.





I love these little cups of noodles! They are full of flavor and super easy to make when you're in need of a quick lunch.  These are especially good for taking to work because you can just grab it and go.  I love how this one had little bit of peanuts in it which gave it a nice crunch and flavor.  It makes me feel like all my coworkers eating thier cup-o-noodles...except all natural and vegan, making me the big winner.

Have you tried the Dr. McDougal Asian Entrees?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Philly Cheesesteak Hamburger Helper with Original Smart Ground

I have often been haunted by Hamburger Helper commercials.  Everything just looked to good, and easy to make when I want to pretend I'm cooking, when really you can't call that cooking.  I would think "oh I can just make the box without adding the hamburger meat." Then I would just have...pasta?  I was determined to make a Hamburger Helper (since, as you know, I like to pretend I am an All-American meat-eater haha).



Ok, Philly Chesesteak..pasta.  I don't really get it. But I did finally decide how I was going to make my Hamburger Helper like the real thing.



Lightlife Smart Ground in the Original flavor. LOVE this stuff! My mom makes me meat loaf, meat sauce, and nachos with it.  Its looks and crumbles just like real ground beef and tastes great!  Lightlife also makes the Smart Ground in other variations, and also other meats like chicken strips.  So far I have only had the Smart Ground, but I am excited to try the other kinds, and of course tell you all about it!



I got all my things needed to make this Hamburger Helper, vegetarian style.  Everything you need, and all the instructions are on the back of the box.  Then it was time to get to work.



First add in your Smart Ground crumbles.  I used 2 packages for one box of Hamburger Helper.  Here is the one BIG difference when cooking with these instead of real meat. The box tells you to cook the meat on the pot for a while, since the meat will be raw.  With the Smart Ground, it is already cooked, so you just need to heat it up on the stove for a couple minutes before you continue to the next steps.  Don't cook it for as long as the Hamburger Helper box says or else it will try out.  You also don't have to cook it as long as the Smart Ground box suggests, because they are assuming you are going to eat it right away.  The crumbles will sit on the stove while the pasta cooks, so it will be completely cooked once everything is done.



Then add the milk. You can try soy milk if you'd like, I haven't done it, but It might be ok.



Then add the pasta and flavor packet.

Mix it all up, and let it simmer based on the instructions.  Every Hamburger Helper is different.  So depending on the one you get you might have to mix in different ingredients, and cooking times might vary.

I love how easy it is to make, and you get a pretty large amount, about 3 meals worth. I thought it tasted really good.  It was nice and cheesy, and you could taste the flavor of the Smart Ground.  I added some dried hot peppers, because It definitely needed something to spice it up!





Have you had Hamburger Helper before? What is your favorite flavor? Are you going to make it vegetarian next time?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Morning Star Hot & Spicy Sausage Patties

Good morning! Today i have a great vegetarian breakfast option to show you (just in case you haven't eaten yet).  I am talking about Morning Star Hot & Spicy Sausage Patties.  This is one of those foods that I never ate at a meat eater. Yep that's right, I never had real sausage in my life.

This actually all started when I saw Morning Star made maple sausage. Yes, MAPLE! I have heard many wonderful things from meat eaters, that maple ham and sausage are amazing.  Well I just took their word for it and moved on.  When I saw Morning Star maple sausage I bought it right away, and it was amazing! I used to buy it all the time, but unfortunately  I stopped seeing it on the shelves, instead I saw hot & spicy.  I love spicy food, so I gave it a try.  While it was not as magical as the maple flavor, it was still pretty darn good!





I can't tell you how they compare to actual spicy sausage, but I call tell you they are delicious   They have a soft center with a chewy outside and an amazing flavor, full of spice! These are great to add to any breakfast, or brinner for that matter. Sometimes I think I should use them to make sausage egg, and cheeses...but then I remember I don't eat eggs.


Yum!

If you guys can find the maple flavor, I would say pick it up right away (and a second box to send to your favorite blogger) but while you are looking, try these guys too! Especially if you like some heat with your breakfast!

Have you tried these before? If not, are you going to get some for your next breakfast (or brinner)?

Bye from the Veggie Side

Awareness Wednesday: Sweethearts

Hello, and welcome to February's Awareness Wednesday!

We all know that Valentine's day is coming up soon, so it's time to start thinking about how you are going to celebrate.  If you plan on taking out your boo to dinner, make those reservations NOW!  V-day is a really busy day in restaurants since everyone is going out to eat that night, if you don't book now you might get stuck with a bad time, a bad restaurant (with no vegetarian options!), or you might even need to go out on a different night.

You also might be planning on having a Valentine's day party for your friends or office, or even helping your kid with their Valentine's activities as school.  And what is the most iconic V-day treat?


Source.

Yes, Sweethearts.  Those little, colorful, chalky hearts with the cute messages.  By now they have covered the shelves of your local drug stores and super markets, and If you are going to a Valentine's party, I guarantee you will see these little guys there.  Just make sure you only look, and don't eat!

Sweetheart candies have gelatin.  Gelatin seems to sneak its way into all the foods.

However there are plenty of other things to hand out for Valentine's day from chocolate, to flowers, or thoughtful cards.

I hope everyone has a fun Valentine's this year, whether you are spending with your other half, family, or friends!

Will you be cutting out Sweethearts from your V-day this year?

Bye from the veggie side!

Amy's Spinach Pizza Pocket

Hello everyone! Today I have another Amy's Pocket to show ya.  I really love these little pockets.  I remember as a kid loving Hot Pockets, but being said there was only one flavor that was vegetarian.  Now that I know more about food, I will never eat a Hot Pocket again, but I still love all the cheesy pizza flavor.  Of course when I am reminiscing about food, usually Amy's has the solution.  I have shown you other Amy's pockets, and today we have Spinach Pizza.  So far, this is my favorite of all the pockets.  It is full of cheese and pizza flavor so its kind of like you are eating bad food, but there is also lots of spinach stuffed in, so you can feel goo about eating healthy.  For vegetarians, spinach is super important to us, as is has a lot of iron that we aren't getting from red meat.  I eat a lot of spinach, and I have never had an iron deficiency. Take that all you nay-sayers that thing vegetarians are not healthy!







These pockets are exploding with spinach, cheese, and flavor!  They may not look the prettiest, but they taste amazing, take my word for it!

Have you tried these Amy's Spinach Pockets? Will you be getting them on your next shopping trip?

Bye from the Veggie Side!