HEALTHY VEGETARIAN RECIPES TO SAVOR

East County News Service

September 30, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) -- The Daring Kitchen has shared these tasty and nutritious vegetarian recipes for our readers to savor for rainbow veggie skewers, lettuce wraps, and stuffed banana peppers.

Rainbow Veggie Skewers

There is something enjoyable about barbeque and eating meals outdoor!

The smoke, earthy aroma of a wood fire, the hustle and bustle of trying to put it all together, kids running around, clinking beer bottles, and fantastic food. All this seems so lively and exciting…

No wonder why BBQs are so loved by people all around. Food, when served fresh from the grill, tastes so much better than when cooked traditionally. Ever tried grilling fresh veggies in your BBQ oven?

Grilling fresh vegetable produce takes significantly less time and is so much better in taste and nutritional content. This time around, make your next BBQ party even more enjoyable by serving your guests a colorful platter of vegetable skewers as well! This dish is so appealing to the eyes and adds vibrant colors to your table and nutritional profile.

So, gather as many fresh veggies to please both your eyes and your guests!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• Salt, to taste
• ½ tablespoon garlic paste
• 4 small mushrooms
• 1 small tomato
• 1 small red bell pepper
• 1 small yellow zucchini
• 1 small yellow bell pepper
• 1 small green zucchini
• 1 small capsicum
• 1 small eggplant
• 1 small beetroot

DIRECTIONS

1. Whisk olive oil, vinegar, garlic, and salt in a bowl.

2. Cut all the vegetables into thick slices and then cut them in half or quarters to get square-ish pieces that can be easily pierced into a skewer.

3. Now, place all the vegetable squares in a large bowl and then marinate it overnight in the vinegar mixture.

4. Skew vegetables onto the wooden skewers to resemble the rainbow pattern.

5. Preheat the grill rack and then grill vegetable skewers until they are slightly charred.

6. Serve hot and enjoy!

Lettuce wraps

These days, more and more people are opting for a gluten-free alternative to traditional recipes, owing to an increased health risk triggered by gluten-rich ingredients. This is why we have a gluten-free, vegetarian recipe prepared using plenty of differently colored vegetables and cottage cheese.

This dish is super easy to prepare, and you will surely be mesmerized by the fresh flavors and crunch of this light yet filling preparation. Just use the freshest produce available of the veggies as these are bursting with healthy nutrients and flavors to make all your efforts fruitful…

You can crumble, cube, or grate cottage cheese and other vegetables to break the monotony in the shape and size of the vegetables. For this, you can pick the perfect cheese grater here, in case you are looking to buy one, or you need a better and more functional device to get the grating jobs done well.

With the ingredients and appliances in place, get ready for some healthy munching.

INGREDIENTS

• 4-5 lettuce leaves
• 100g cottage cheese, cubed
• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small capsicum, chopped
• 1 small zucchini, chopped
• 1 small carrot, peeled and chopped or grated
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper powder, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Immerse lettuce leaves in a bowl filled with cold water. Keep it aside.

2. Heat the oil in a pan and sauté cottage cheese until it turns light brown in color.

3. Remove cheese in a separate bowl and cook onion in the same pan until pink in color.

4. Stir in red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, capsicum, zucchini, carrot, and cook it for 3-4 minutes.

5. Season the vegetable mixture with garlic, salt, and black pepper.

6. Stir in cheese to the vegetable mixture and turn off the heat.

7. Drain lettuce leaves and then pat dry the leaves on both sides using a dry kitchen towel.

8. Place the lettuce leaves on the serving platter.

9. Put equal amounts of the vegetable mixture in the center of the leaves.

10. Serve and enjoy!

Stuffed Banana peppers with cottage cheese

Ingredients:

• 500 g banana peppers
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 500 g cottage cheese
• 1 large egg

Instructions:

1. Remove the core from the peppers and set aside.
2. In a small bowl mix the cottage cheese with salt and pepper to taste and stir in the egg. Mix until combined.
3. Stuff the peppers with the cottage cheese and arrange them in a baking pan lined with a piece of parchment paper.
4. Let them bake in an already heated oven at 350 F or 180 C degrees for about 25-35 minutes.
5. Let them cool slightly and serve with diced tomato, sprinkle of parsley and drizzle of olive oil.
6. Enjoy.