My Vegetarian Recipe of the Day

1 pound of frozen Spinach (thawed and drained)
1 to 1 1/2 cup of egg beater (or 4 or 5 eggs)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup of low fat ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups of mixed low-fat cheeses (I use goat gouda, cheddar, mozza, gruyere, fontina, &
parmesan)
1/4 or 1/2 cup of soy flour
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 to 1/2 tsp black pepper

Mix the ricotta with the hard cheeses.
Add the garlic, onion, and seasonings.
Mix in the spinach and the egg.
Stir in the soy flour. You may need to add more soy flour or egg, depending on the consistency.
Shape into patties and place on an oiled cookie sheet.

Bake for 30 minutes at 375.

Serve as a burger, veggie side dish, etc.

You can add some brown rice to the mixture for a firmer patty.

If you want to eat vegetarian and low carb, you need to make friends with portobello mushrooms. They are really nice and thick and satisfying. They satisfy my craving for something substantial when I’m feeling a bit deprived. They seem a bit decadent, too. Here’s one of my favorite ways to enjoy them.

2 Portobello mushroom caps
6 T. balsamic vinegar
6 T. olive oil
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 c. blue cheese
4 slices veggie bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
1 small tomato chopped

Clean the mushrooms and scrape out the gills. Marinate the mushrooms in the vinegar and oil with salt and pepper for 1 hour to overnight. I find the easiest way to do this is to put the vinegar and oil and spices in a gallon ziplock bag. Add the mushrooms. Seal, shake and refrigerate.

After marinating fill the hollowed out mushrooms with chopped spinach and tomatoes. Top with blue cheese and crumbled bacon. Cook at 350 for 30 minutes. Cheese should be melted and slightly browned.

I know I’ve previously printed an egglplant parmesan sandwich, but that’s not low carb at all. In fact, that’s probably completely off limits right now for a number of reasons. Many of the low carb recipes become unhealthy for other reasons– deep fried is not healthy, even if it is low carb. This one combines a low carb recipe with a low fat recipe for the best of both worlds.

Eggplant Parmesan

1 eggplant, sliced
3 eggs, beaten
Parmesan cheese (start with a half cup, but you may have to increase)
soy flour (about a half cup)
2 jars marinara sauce (just try to find one without sugar, or make your own)
mozzarella cheese, grated
salt and pepper

Slice eggplant. (This next step is vital– do not skip, or your eggplant may taste bitter.) Lightly salt each of the pieces of eggplant. Layer in a colander. Place a plate on top of the top layer. Put something heavy (I use a full bag of flour) on the plate. Let the eggplant sit for about 30 minutes. Rinse the eggplant well.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with foil. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.

Prepare three plates, one with beaten eggs, one with soy flour, one with parmesan cheese. Dip the eggplant slices in the beaten eggs, then in the soy flour, then in the eggs again, then in the parmesan cheese. Place on cooking sheets. Bake 30 minutes, turning eggplant over after 20 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.

Spray 9×13 pan with nonstick spray. Starting with a thin layer of marinara, layer sauce, eggplant, sauce (again) and mozarella. You can use a square pan, but you will need to repeat layers.

Sprinkle Parmesan on top and bake for 20 minutes, or until eggplant is piping hot and sauce is bubbly.