Top Ate...Vegetarian Recipes

10-2-13
Can I just say how much I love fall?  It's the best time of year in New England.  The foliage is just gorgeous and the heat and humidity have broken.  I HATE being hot.  Last Saturday we did all the FFFAs with our son...apple picking, the pumpkin patch and tractor rides.  For those of you who don't speak Jen, that stands for Fun Fall Family Activities. You'll see some fab fall veggies in this post.  

A couple weeks ago, my family went vegetarian for an entire week.  My husband was skeptical...to say the least.  With these recipes, not only did we survive, but we actually enjoyed it.  

1. Create Your Own Quinoa: I got into quinoa this past summer and now wonder how I lived 32 years without it.  The nuttiness is nutty!  I often make this when I need to use up left overs in my fridge.  The possibilities are endless.

2. Spinach Goat Cheese Quesadillas with Pesto: This recipe includes so many of my Top Ate Ingredients.  How could it not be good?  I dream about the crispy, crunchy, garlicky, goat cheesy creaminess.

3. Saucy Baked Eggplant: This was and has always been the vegetarian recipe that is so near and dear to my heart.  For longer that I care to admit, it was really my only vegetarian recipe.  I have a couple vegetarian friends (HI KEVIN AND JOYCE) and they would get this for dinner each time they came.  No one ever complained....the tomato sauciness, the salty nutty cheesiness.  I can't take credit for its origins; this is another keeper from my step-mother.

4. Savory Pumpkin Polenta Tart: I've made a pumpkin polenta that I got from Rachel Ray for years.  I let it set in a tart pan and then baked it. With the mushrooms and pesto, I ate half the tart....for dinner.

5. Baked Spaghetti Squash: We all know about my love affair with pasta.  If you don't, check out my Top Ate Pasta Recipes; you'll begin to understand.  Spaghetti squash is a carb-free alternative that can be prepared in all the same ways.  Don't get me wrong...I'm not giving up pasta...just trying to eat it less often!

6. Crispy Quinoa Cakes: If you love quinoa, you going to LOVE quinoa cakes.  You can actually feel decent about eating fried crispy crunchy goodness!  The sour cream topping adds the perfect amount of light freshness. It's shown here with balsamic glazed brussel sprouts.  Look for that recipe in a future post.

7. Butternut Squash Bisque: My son loved this soup.  As I have told you before, if he loves it, I love it.  He couldn't get enough.  The fresh rosemary highlights the flavor of the butternut squash.

8. Spaghetti Squash with Pumpkin Sage Sauce: I was over my dad's house a couple weeks ago and my step-mother had made a version of this recipe.  It was creamy buttery cheesy goodness. I could not believe there was no cheese in it. I could not believe there was no butter in it.  I could not believe there was no cream! So, I had to try it and am so glad I did.   It was adapted from detoxinista.com.