Easy dinner recipes: Wild mushroom frittata and more for Meatless Monday

You can’t beat the rich flavor to be had from these dishes, each ready in 45 minutes or less. They’re just a few of the many vegetarian options available in our new recipe database:

Wild mushroom frittata: Love mushrooms? You can’t beat this frittata combining thinly sliced wild mushrooms with tangy creme fraiche, Pecorino Romano, sliced garlic and shallot, and fresh thyme and chives.

Brussels sprouts salad with mustard vinaigrette: This fun salad gets its crunch factor from blanched Brussels sprout leaves, which work well tossed with colorful dried cranberries and blueberries and toasted whole almonds. The gentle tang from the mustard vinaigrette brightens the dish, which is finished with a few shavings of Manchego cheese for added richness.

RECIPES: 99 easy dinner ideas in about an hour or less

Rice with roasted cauliflower: This deceptively simple dish contains a wealth of layered flavors. Roasting the cauliflower concentrates the vegetable’s flavor while softening it to buttery tenderness, the rich caramelization complemented with a sprinkling of earthy curry powder. Tossed with rice spiced with a pinch of chili flakes, the dish is finished with bright crunch from fresh green onion. A perfect harmony in every mouthful.

You can find the recipes below.

And for more ideas, click through our easy dinner recipes gallery and check out our Dinner Tonight page, devoted to recipes that can be made in an hour or less. Looking for a particular type of recipe? Comment below or email me at noelle.carter@latimes.com.

MORE RECIPES: 99 ADDITIONAL easy dinner ideas in about an hour or less

WILD MUSHROOM FRITTATA

Total time: 30 minutes

Servings: 6

Note: From David Lentz at the Hungry Cat

12 eggs

3/4 cup creme fraiche, divided

1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 cups thinly sliced shallots (about 5 to 6)

6 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 cups cleaned, sliced mushrooms, wild if available, such as chanterelles or morels (cultivated types such as cremini may be combined or substituted)

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon chopped chives

Sea salt

1. Whisk together the eggs, one-fourth cup creme fraiche and the cheese until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet or cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and butter and heat until the butter bubbles but is not yet turning brown. Add the shallots and garlic and cook over medium to medium-low heat until tender and beginning to brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.

3. Add the mushrooms and thyme and cook until the mushrooms are tender, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Stir the egg mixture to recombine, then pour it over the mushroom mixture. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Use a rubber spatula to even out and distribute the mushroom-shallot mixture. Cook until the bottom is set and the edges begin to shrink a little, about 5 to 8 minutes. Meanwhile, set the oven rack at least 6 inches away from the broiler and heat the broiler.

5. When the bottom is set, finish the frittata by broiling briefly until the top is just set, 1 to 2 minutes. Do not brown.

6. Remove the frittata from the oven and loosen it from the pan with a spatula. To serve, cut into wedges and top each with a dollop of creme fraiche and a sprinkling of chopped chives and sea salt.

Each of 6 servings: 378 calories; 24 grams protein; 14 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 26 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 461 mg cholesterol; 504 mg sodium.
BRUSSELS SPROUT SALAD WITH MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE

Total time: 40 minutes

Servings: 1

Note: Adapted from La Grande Orange Café. Spanish Marcona almonds are available at Trader Joe’s and well-stocked supermarkets. Manchego cheese is available at cheese stores and well-stocked cheese sections of major markets.

Mustard vinaigrette

2 tablespoons honey

1 1/2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar, more as desired

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice with pulp

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest

1 1/2 teaspoons whole grain mustard, more as desired

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

3/4 cup light olive oil

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the honey, vinegar, lemon juice and zest, mustard and garlic. Continue whisking while slowly drizzling in the olive oil until the oil is thoroughly incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and brighten the dressing as desired with a little extra vinegar and mustard. Chill well before using. This makes a generous cup of dressing, more than is needed for this recipe, and will keep for 1 week, covered and refrigerated.

Salad

1 pound Brussels sprouts

1 tablespoon dried cranberries

1 tablespoon dried blueberries

2 tablespoons toasted whole almonds, preferably California or Spanish Marcona

3 tablespoons mustard vinaigrette

1 ounce Manchego cheese, shaved using a peeler

1. Peel the leaves from the Brussels sprouts, discarding the core. In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the Brussels sprout leaves just until they are a vibrant green and barely tender. Drain immediately and place in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and dry well. You should have 3 cups of leaves.

2. In a large bowl, toss the Brussels sprout leaves, cranberries, blueberries, almonds and just enough vinaigrette to lightly moisten.

3. Mound the salad on a plate, and top with the cheese shavings. Serve immediately.

Each serving: 572 calories; 13 grams protein; 36 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams fiber; 44 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 19 mg cholesterol; 311 mg sodium.

AD HOC’S RICE WITH ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

Total time: 45 minutes

Servings: 8 to 10

1/2 head white cauliflower, cut into florets

2 tablespoons canola oil

Salt

Pepper

Pinch of curry powder

6 cups water

1 cup Carolina, or long grain, rice

1 teaspoon red chili flakes

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower with the canola oil and season with one-fourth teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper, or to taste.

3. Place the cauliflower in a roasting pan (reserve the bowl) and roast until the cauliflower is a deep brown and tender throughout when pierced with a knife, 20 to 25 minutes, tossing every few minutes for even coloring and cooking. Remove the cauliflower from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees.

4. While the cauliflower is roasting, cook the rice: In a large saucepan, add the water and a generous pinch of salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the rice and chili flakes and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook the rice just until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the rice well, then spread the rice in a thin shallow layer in a large baking dish.

5. Place the rice in the oven to dry out for 5 minutes. Remove, then stir in the olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired with salt and pepper.

6. Place the cauliflower back in the bowl and toss with the curry powder. Taste and season, if desired, with additional salt and pepper.

7. Gently stir in the warmed rice and butter, tossing until the butter is melted and evenly coats the rice and cauliflower. Stir in the green onions and serve immediately.

Each of 10 servings: 136 calories; 2 grams protein; 18 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 6 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 6 mg cholesterol; 68 mg sodium.

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