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10 Delicious Vegetarian Entrées

Katie Sweeney — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 06:30:49 PST

If you're not trying to eat more meat-free meals, I highly recommend you start now. A diet that's filled with fruits and vegetables is not just better for our bodies, it's also better for the environment. Whether it's a resolution to eat vegetarian or an ongoing commitment to a cause like meat-free Mondays, we should all find a reason to eat more plants. To help you get started, I've rounded up 10 of our best vegetarian entrées. Click on for flavorful and satisfying inspiration!

Dutch Baby Pancakes Two Ways - Sweet and Savory

YumSugar — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 05:50:46 PDT

If you're hosting a crowd and can't decide whether your guests would rather eat sweet or savory brunch, here's an idea: make it easy to serve both! Take an unconventional approach by serving Dutch baby pancakes - the famously puffy hotcakes baked in the pan - with toppings both sweet and savory.

Those looking for a sugar high will always appreciate the original, enjoyed with little more than sugar, butter, and a squeeze of lemon. For a heftier option, dot the eggy batter with slices of sautéed onion and crumbles of soft goat cheese, along with a balsamic vinegar reduction for drizzling. Very grown-up, indeed. For the breakfast dish that offers something for everyone, read more.

For a Quick Bite, Roll Your Own Spring Rolls

YumSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:00:59 PDT

This past weekend, San Francisco experienced a couple of the hottest days of the year. After a blistering morning walk around the city with out-of-town visitors, I invited my friends over for lunch. To keep things appropriately light, I served wine spritzers and made fresh Vietnamese-style Spring rolls.

Although they may look and sound labor-intensive, non-fried Spring rolls - or Summer rolls, as they're sometimes called - can make for an incredibly speedy meal. While this recipe calls for deli roast beef (an unusual filling for Spring rolls), you can use any protein you like; I later made rolls with roasted turkey, which tasted great as well. The versatility of the filling is part of the beauty of the dish. Learn how to roll your own when you read more

Salty Series: Entrées

FitSugar — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 03:30:00 PDT

When it comes to restaurant fare and processed food it seems sodium lurks in unexpected places and unexpected quantities. The theory is that salt makes everything taste better, so more salt means tastier food, right? Not really, but you wouldn’t know that after seeing the amounts of sodium used in some of the entrées at some popular food chains. Take a look and see what meals you should avoid, especially if high blood pressure is a health concern of yours. Just to remind you that the upper limit of daily sodium is 2,300 mg a day, which is equal to about one teaspoon. Here's a list of the top saltiest dinners you can order.

Saltiest Burger: Hardee's 2/3 pound Monster Thickburger - 2,770 mg. Most of the sodium comes from the bun and the three slices of processed cheese which make up for 780 mg.
Saltiest Pasta: Fazoli's Rigatoni Romano - 3,180 mg. This dish is made with Italian sausage, meat sauce, and cheese, all of which have high amounts of sodium. Put them together and bada-boom, baba-bing, you've got one salty dish.
Saltiest Beef Entrée: Bob Evans Steak Tips and Noodles - 4,131 mg. Think beef stroganoff soaked in gravy. The steak on its own has 638 mg of sodium. That's some salty gravy.
Saltiest Frozen Dinner: Swanson Hungry-Man XXL Roasted Carved Turkey - 4,480 mg. The label on the box says that the meal is actually two servings, but what kind of hungry man is going to share?

To see the rest of this atrocious list

Kashi Entrées: Black Bean Mango

FitSugar — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 17:15:00 PDT

I recently tried a new flavor of the frozen entrées from Kashi (they're the company that makes those TLC Chewy Granola Bars I love). I loved the Pesto Pasta Primavera so much, and was excited to try another vegetarian option - Black Bean Mango.

As with all of Kashi's products, I was impressed that I could pronounce every ingredient on the list, and they were all things I've heard of like canola oil, ginger, cilantro, and garlic.

I wasn't expecting this entrée to be so deliciously flavorful. It was a combination of sweet from the mangos, and spicy from the jalapeño peppers. The texture was really satisfying too. There were many tender veggies like carrots and red peppers.

There were soft and sweet mangos, and another amazing thing - you could actually see the grill lines on the roasted green peppers and onions. I thought that was a nice touch.

The protein-filled black beans were surrounded not only by rice like you usually see, but also by other chewy whole grains like oats, rye, hard red winter wheat, buckwheat, barley, and sesame seeds.

For a frozen vegan meal, this was very tasty. It only has only 340 calories, 430mg sodium, and no cholesterol (obviously). It also has 430mg of potassium, 8g of protein, 7g of fiber, 150% of your daily vitamin A needs, and 100% of your daily vitamin C needs.

Want to see what it looks like when you heat it up? Then

read more I recommend this 100%. Kashi does such an amazing job of incorporating pure, all natural ingredients, that are full of protein, fiber, and other nourishment. They prepare their products in such a way that respects the food's natural flavors and textures. I love that the grains and veggies are all intact, not overcooked or overly processed. The ingredients look and taste just as if you prepared them yourself. Fit's Tips: Try heating this up and wrapping it in a flour tortilla with some cheese and you'll have an instant burrito. Or your can heat it up and use it as a delicious dip for tortilla chips.

Kashi Entrées: Pesto Pasta Primavera

FitSugar — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 02:34:17 PDT

I've just recently tried a new product from Kashi (the company who makes those chewy granola bars I love). They are broadening their scope and have just introduced some frozen entrées to their Kashi brand, look for them in the freezer at your local health food or grocery store.

I was very excited to try one because I already have the utmost respect for anything with the Kashi name. When I looked at the back of the Pesto Pasta Primavera package, the ingredients were just what I would use if I were to make it myself: whole wheat pasta, basil, Parmesan cheese, peas, yellow carrots (yup), sweet red peppers and garlic. There wasn't anything on that list I didn't recognize, and that made me feel good.

The serving size was very filling, but because there were so many veggies, it was only 330 calories for the entire meal. Speaking of the veggies - they were actually very fresh tasting and even had a little crisp to them, so I know they weren't overcooked.

For a pasta dish, I was surprised to find out it has 12 grams of protein. It also has 7g of fiber. Out of the 11g of fat, only 2g are saturated, and there are NO trans fats. The sodium level was a little high - 790mg - but not over the top high considering you can have 2,300mg a day.

Another great thing? Since it has as many veggies as noodles, I felt energized after eating it, not exhausted like you can get with most pasta dishes.

Want to see what it really looks like? Then

read more It's very creamy and flavorful. The penne pasta was cooked well (some people may prefer it to be a little bit more firm) with actual cheese sprinkled on top. It only took about 4 minutes to warm up, and couldn't have been easier to do. I would definitely recommend Kashi's Pesto Pasta Primavera for a great lunch idea. I have yet to try the other frozen entrées, but I'll let you know when I do.

Power Up With These Protein-Packed Vegetarian Meals

Michele Foley — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 03:06:47 PST

Just because you skip out on the meat, doesn't mean you have to skip out on the protein. Here are five filling and delicious meals that utilize different sources of vegetarian protein. Each one of them makes a perfect entrée for those days when you want to go meat-free!

Italian Dishes For Cozy Winter Meals

YumSugar — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:20:30 PST

If cooler temperatures leave you craving cozy comfort food, try cooking one of these delicious Italian dishes. We've got you covered with everything from fast and easy appetizers to entrées worthy of a dinner party.

In Season: Carrots

YumSugar — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:29:21 PST

You eat carrots regularly - but how much do you know about them? Although they can be grown year-round, all root vegetables thrive during the Winter season, protected from cooler temperatures by the earth. Carrots are known for their vibrant orange color, but there are also purple, red, yellow, and white varieties - mostly grown as novelty crops. The root itself is crunchy and sweet, while the leafy greens tend to be on the bitter side.

To learn more about carrots and discover new dishes, just keep reading

Burning Question: Aren't Hors d'oeuvres Just Appetizers?

Susannah Chen — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:30:45 PST

Finger foods, starters, appetizers, hors d'oeuvres: call them what you will, but in the days leading up to yet another New Year's Eve celebration, they've been the talk of every media outlet food section. In reading them all and planning my own Saturday festivities, I've come to wonder: is there a difference between appetizers and hors d'oeuvres?

Although both are meant to foster an appetite and they're listed as the same thing in Wikipedia, there is a subtle difference between the two courses. The French term hors d'œuvre (pronounced "or-derves"), which literally means "out of work" but translates to "outside the meal," is a one-bite item that's either stationary or passed and served separate from or prior to a meal.

This means an hors d'oeuvre is typically finger food and might refer to, among other items, canapés, crudités, deviled eggs, and bruschetta. Appetizers, on the other hand, appear as the first courses when seated at the table. They're often slightly larger and composed in a way that complements the entrée and dessert courses to follow. Which do you prefer - or is it all the same to you?