30 by 30: #16. Go Vegetarian for 30 Days

Today is the first day of a 30-day vegetarian challenge I am doing as part of my 30 before 30 list. It's also the first item I am tackling on that list, so today is a big personal kickoff towards those goals.

I'm feeling EXCITED for these 30 days! I decided I wanted to really try to embrace this vegetarian lifestyle and learn about it as if I was making a lifelong change. I bought a book called "The New Becoming Vegetarian" which covers many aspects of the lifestyle such as maximizing the diet for your body and how to make sure you get everything you need nutrient-wise. One of the reasons I decided start this now is because it is perhaps the best time of the year produce-wise and there are so many seasonal options at the farmers market right now. I'm most interested in challenging myself to find and try new recipes that I wouldn't normally be drawn to with my meat-loving palate.

I spent the better part of last night making gazpacho and zucchini gratin (for dinner tonight) and homemade granola bars and whole wheat pesto pasta to have handy to take with me for lunches. I had never made the granola bars or gazpacho before and they are GREAT. All in all... this first-day-vegetarian is feeling very green and healthy.

(I should confess that I cooked myself up a big fat filet mignon with blue cheese crumbles last night as a last stand. Anyone in their right mind could avoid meat withdrawls for a good week after a meal like that.)

Today's Recipes:

Homemade Granola Bars

NOTE: I recommend using whatever dried fruit you most enjoy eating separately! I substituted dried papaya for dried apricots in mine.

Ingredients
2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup honey
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates, apricots, and cranberries and stir well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.

Zucchini Gratin

NOTE: I recommend doubling up the zucchini on this one - The onion to zucchini ratio is overwhelmed with onions if you leave it as-is. Also you do NOT need as much butter as it calls for - I used about half of what it calls for for the veggies and didn't put any on top for baking.

Ingredients
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for topping
1 pound yellow onions, cut in 1/2 and sliced (3 large)
2 pounds zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick (4 zucchini)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup hot milk
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
3/4 cup grated Gruyere
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a very large (12-inch) saute pan and cook the onions over low heat for 20 minutes, or until tender but not browned. Add the zucchini and cook, covered, for 10 minutes, or until tender. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes. Stir in the flour. Add the hot milk and cook over low heat for a few minutes, until it makes a sauce. Pour the mixture into an 8 by 10-inch baking dish.

Combine the bread crumbs and Gruyere and sprinkle on top of the zucchini mixture. Dot with 1 tablespoon of butter cut into small bits and bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and browned.

Gazpacho

NOTE: I doubled this recipe and got a HA-YUGE amount of gazpacho on my hands now. Also when you serve it, one ladle full is enough. Just learned the hard way on that fact and some went to waste because of my indiscretion!

Ingredients
1 hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled
2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
4 plum tomatoes
1 red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
23 ounces tomato juice (3 cups)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not overprocess!

After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.