Open-Face Mushroom Sandwiches

I found myself standing in front of the fridge staring at a few mushrooms, a handful of cheese, and an awkward amount of leftover marinara sauce. I was in the mood for something I could pick up with my hands and eat and I remembered I had leftover hamburger buns. Brad had a real hamburger for dinner (a rare treat for him due to my state of vegetarianism) and I had these wonderful open faced sandwiches.

Chocolate and Almond Mini Bananas

Look at these bananas, how could I not buy them?! I assumed these miniature versions would be exactly the same as every other banana I had ever eaten, let me tell you...I was happily mistaken

Green Beans

Sick of plain green beans? Yeah, me too...
 I tried a few varieties of new flavors and found four that were just right. I opted for Mexican flare when I made them which lends itself to an especially pretty side dish. All of the seasoning options stray just far enough from the ordinary to bring new life to a worn-out standby.

Panini with Marinara Sauce

Crunchy bread, melty cheese, meaty mushrooms, and garlicky tomato sauce...this is comfort food if I've ever had it. Paninis have quickly become one of my go-to meals when I am lacking any motivation to cook but want a seriously satisfying and delicious meal.

Avocado with Chili and Lime

Avocado seems to be one of those foods people either love or hate, there doesn't seem to be a lot of middle ground. My position on the matter? 

I could live off perfectly ripened avocados for the rest of my life and be seriously content. 

Easy Marinara

I love good marinara sauce (who doesn't!) but most gourmet and homemade versions have large chunks of tomato and onion and a strong red wine flavor, all of which disagree with my palate greatly. So Brad and I have developed an incredibly easy and rather cheap way to get the best marinara sauce we've ever had.

Roasted Golden Vegetables with Salted Walnuts

Inspired by a "small plate" my family and I shared at Barolo Grill in Denver (one of my favorite restaurants) I decided to roast golden beets but found a few more vegetables destined for my roasting pan than I planned...

Vegetable Minestrone Stew

Nothing welcomes Fall quite like a bowl of hearty vegetable stew. When Brad and I were discussing how I was going to go about making this we both agreed that our favorite part of Minestrone is the noodles, thus Vegetable Minestrone Stew was created.

Roasted Carrots

I recently read something...somewhere that said roasting can be a seasoning all it's own and I couldn't agree more. Roasting carrots and topping them with a pinch of sea salt turns something ordinary into a complex and surprisingly elegant side dish. 

BBQ Tofu

So you bought tofu for that one special recipe and now looming in a tupperware container in your fridge is the rest of that brick and you have nowhere for it to go...

Butternut Squash and Chickpea Stew with Lemon Parsley Couscous

This easy to prepare, hearty stew is a great meal to make when you are low on time and in the mood for a big bowl of something warm and comforting.

Pizza

Happy Vegetarian Day!!!

Start off October (which just so happens to be Vegetarian Awareness Month) with an easy to make veggie pizza. 

During my lengthy quest for the ideal combination of a perfectly chewy, crispy-on-the-edges light crust, tangy but not too sweet tomato sauce, melty cheese, and just the right medley of vegetables to top it all off I found these specific products fit my bill for a "perfect pizza" quite well. So next time you take a trip to your local WalMart pick these ingredients up and discover why Domino's won't be getting a call from you anytime soon.