Meatless meals - quick and easy recipes - page 95

Let’s not overcomplicate things, shall we? Sometimes you want a classic, no-fuss grilled cheese. Forget the fancy bread, caramelized onions, pears, or whatever else you can do to multiply the steps in creating this simple tradition. Here’s something to cook when you don’t feel like cooking.

When you hear the words “strawberry shortcake,” you used to think of either a pretty summertime dessert of fresh strawberries, fluffy cake, and whipped cream … or that children’s character with the red hair that smells like strawberries (or Jolly Ranchers). But after you slurp up this milkshake, that’s all going to change. The classic combination makes an irresistible and memorable milkshake. Here, we use crisp vanilla wafer cookies.

Strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate: These three colors are nostalgic for many of us, reminding us of the hot summers and ice cream parties of childhood. This cake is easy to make and shows off your creativity in the kitchen with the three different layers — cereal, ice cream, and whipped cream. You don’t even have to turn on the oven. The combination of soft ice cream and crunchy puffed rice will offer a great textual contrast. Plus, it’s just fun.

Apple dumplings are an early American food stemming from the Northeast, especially in Pennsylvania Dutch towns. Of course, you could trace it even further to Britain and other parts of western Europe too. It’s a great dish during the apple harvest in the fall. And, you can serve apple dumplings for breakfast or dessert. Game Plan: First, you’ll need to make a pie crust. Use our Basic Pie Crust recipe.

I can eat an entire bowl of these Brussels sprouts and still go back for seconds. It is a great side dish at dinner, especially in the fall and winter. The sweetness of the pear, the tartness of the dried cranberries, and the caramelized edges of the Brussels sprouts make for smiling faces around my family table. For the best-tasting Brussels sprouts, bake them on a large rimmed baking sheet to ensure they have plenty of room to spread out.

Staffordshire, right in the middle of England, is a county famous for the invention of bone china, cute bull terriers. In harsh winters of years gone by, farmers in the area would grow oats rather than wheat and so the oatcake was born. They have a delicious natural malty sweetness that is traditionally topped with melted cheese and bacon and were traditionally sold directly from kitchen windows, how idyllic!

This way of making popcorn will change your life. Well, not really, but it will change the way you make popcorn! No need to buy those overpriced (and not to mention wasteful) prepackaged microwave popcorn bags. You can do it yourself with much more healthy and enjoyable results. Top off your popcorn with some nutritional yeast for an added protein boost and cheese-like flavor.

The perfect accompaniment to a meal, or a healthy snack on its own, these kale chips are easy, fast, and healthy. Smoked paprika and truffle salt give added depth of flavor, but don’t feel like you have to use those spices. Add some heat with some red pepper flakes or cayenne, maybe sprinkle on a little cheese if you so desire. Just make sure to keep an eye on these while they’re in the oven as they tend to burn fast!

These polenta pizzas work equally well as a great appetizer or main course and are dead easy to make to boot! You just need some precooked polenta tubes, onions, sun-dried tomatoes, and walnuts (and whatever other toppings you’d like to add to the mix). Simply slice up the polenta tube into rounds, lay them out on a baking pan, pile on the toppings, and bake. The caramelized red onions mixed with the sun-dried tomatoes add a subtle sweet flavor and the walnuts add texture and some bitterness.

Shishitos are so delicious, but enjoy with caution! About one in 10 of these little peppers is spicy. The seeds tend to be the spiciest part so avoid those if you can’t handle a lot of heat. Serve alongside a little dish to discard stems and seeds.

Are you surprised to see such a fancy dessert? Don’t be! Christina Lane made this one dairy-free and naturally sweetened so that she doesn’t feel badly about eating it for breakfast. And she tops it with fruit soaked in honey just because it tastes good. (Honey is acidic and it breaks down the fruit while it rests.) Lane used figs because summer was in full swing when she perfected this recipe, but mango and raspberries are great here too.

Breakfast rice bowls such as this have taken over Los Angeles in the last half decade. People are obsessed with them. And for good reason: they’re satisfying and healthy, and there’s just something about spooning rice and runny eggs from a bowl and into your mouth that makes you feel all wrapped up and warm; it’s like a free hug.

Cauliflower is having a culinary moment. Whether it’s riced, grilled, steamed, or roasted, chefs around the globe have found innovative and delicious ways to present broccoli’s versatile cousin. Baba Cool’s roasted cauliflower with tahini and goji berries is no exception, offering the perfect balance between sweet and salty while honoring the smokiness of roasting-induced char and spicy turmeric. Planning a vegan dinner? This dish would make a perfect vegetable side dish.

Is rice pudding the best comfort dessert of all time? This recipe is convincing enough—it’s simple and satisfying, and comes together in less than half an hour. All you do is combine milk, raw rice, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a saucepan and simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir in a bit of vanilla or almond extract and boom, you’re done.

A bowl of creamy steel-cut oatmeal is a satisfying and healthy way to start the day, but the long cooking time makes these oats hard to execute on a weekday morning. Here, the slow cooker does all the work while you’re getting some shut-eye. Before bed, coat the inside of the cooker with butter to keep the oatmeal from sticking, then add in the oats, water, coconut or whole milk, and brown sugar. Stir it together, set the cooker to low, and wake up to a hot breakfast.

Caramelized onions add a sweet and savory note to anything they top. Try them over grilled chicken, with cheese on your next pizza, or in our Black Forest Ham and Caramelized Onion Grilled Cheese.