Crescent Rolls - Pesto & Broccoli

As per the name of this blog, simple, easy, and vegetarian is the name of the game when I'm choosing what to make for dinner.  And now that I buy my own food, "budget" is another word I have added to my food vocabulary.  I have always been intrigued by the Pillsbury Crescent Rolls commercials where they get a little creative with the rolls.  Its been a while since I last made stuffed crescents, and with frozen veggies, and crescent rolls, on sale, it was time to get cooking!



What you need:



The best part about these is that you can fill them up with any of your favorite combination of things. I used two tube of crescent rolls, pesto, broccoli and mozzarella cheese.

What to do:
Preheat the oven according to the directions on your crescent rolls.
Lay out the dough and fill them with your favorite things!



Roll them up. I like to wrap the sides in to keep all the ingredients inside the rolls.
Pop them in the oven and bake according to the directions on the rolls.











To me, pesto and broccoli is one of those perfect combinations, like chocolate and peanut butter, or tomato and basil, you just can't go wrong. The cheese was so melty, which is my favorite way to eat cheese. The pesto had lots of great flavor, while the broccoli added a nice crunch. The rolls were nice and crispy on the outside, and soft and flaky inside. Oh crescent rolls, you have produced another winner!

Have you have stuffed crescent rolls? What ingredients should I use next?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

My Adventures with Spaghetti Squash

I have bad luck buying veggies*.  About a week ago, I decided to cook a zucchini dish for dinner, and I needed 3 zucchinis. The first supermarket I went to had zero, due to a contamination issue. So I had to go to a different supermarket, which had a pretty limited supply.  Shortly after, I found a pesto squash recipe that I wanted to try. I went to the same supermarket that finally had zucchini again, but this time no squash. I didn't know what was up with me, but for some reason I was just unlucky with veggies.  I didn't know what to do, but while I was looking around I spotted spaghetti squash. I heard a lot about this veggie. It is supposed to look and taste like pasta, and its used as a healthy and low carb version for starch. I have been thinking about trying it, and now was as good a time as any.



When I brought them home I was really confused. I didn't know how I was supposed to turn these big round squashes into pasta. I did some quick research to find out how to cook these babies.



I found out preparing these is pretty simple. First you need to pierce them all over to help the steam release when they are cooking. Then just put the whole squash in a baking dish, and pop them in the oven at 375 for an hour.



Once you pull them out of the oven, cut them in half lengthwise. CAREFUL: they are super hot!



You need to remove all of the seeds. I ate a bite with the seeds and it was pretty gross, so those have got to go!



Then, using a fork, scrape out all of the squash meat from the rind.





The squash is really stringy, and definitely does look like spaghetti.

In the spirit of pasta, and taking inspiration from my original pesto squash dish, I decided to eat my spaghetti squash with some pesto sauce.



I thought the squash would taste more mild, like pasta, but it really tasted quite vegetabley.   It was also a lot more crunchy than I thought it would be, much more like onions, not pasta.  It wasn't bad, but not really my thing. I wouldn't say that I have gotten on the spaghetti squash bandwagon.  I read that most people like it with tomato sauce, so I might try it again with that.  However, with buying about 5 boxes of pasta on sale for a dollar, spaghetti squash is much more expensive.  Right now, newly living on my own, I am more concerned with watching the size of my wallet, and not the size of my waist. For now, its gonna be carby pasta for me!

Have you boarded the spaghetti squash train? Any tips for a spaghetti squash newbie?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

*Zucchini and squash are actually considered to be fruits.

Trader Joe's Fusilli with Vegetables & Basil Pesto

Hey everyone! Today I have a scheduled post as I am currently in Pennsylvania loading up the moving truck with the things in Ben's house. I can't believe that tomorrow we are finally moving in together and I will be living on my own for the first time! Its a big step, but I'm ready for it!

Today I have a Trader Joe's meal that I recently tried for the first time.



Trader Joe's Fusilli with Vegetables & Basil Pesto was filled with perfectly cooked pasta, tasty pesto, and tomatoes, zucchini, and pesto.



I loved the description on the side of the box! I don't think I could have said it better myself!



As this was cooking, my whole kitchen smelled like a vegetable garden! These veggies smelled and tasted so fresh.



When I mixed it up I found the pesto hiding at the bottom, that sneaky devil! It was so delicious and the Italian flavor went perfectly with the veggies.  The zucchini was so crunchy and the hot tomato juice burst in my mouth with each bite. This dish tasted like it came from a restaurant, and I made it in my microwave in 5 minutes!

This was such a light and tasty meal. I am glad I tried it, I will definitely get this again!

Have you tried this Trader Joe's pasta dish?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Avocado and Pesto Pasta

Hello everyone! Rabbits, rabbits, happy first day of June! I hope the weather has been nice in you neck of the woods.  It had been really bipolar here.  Some days its sunny and beautiful, and the next its grey and rainy.  I'm hoping the weather can stay nice!  With the summer here avocados are popping up in my grocery store, which just fills me with joy! I can't get enough the the creamy and buttery taste.  They are pretty expensive here in NY so I don't get them too often, so when I do its a really nice treat.  I love them so much I usually just eat them on toast with a little bit of lemon juice so I can really enjoy them.  But I wanted to break out of my shell and try something new!