What's Your Favorite 'Vegetarian' Dish?
It can include milk/eggs, but no meat, chicken, or fish.
In my house, we're trying to be more creative without using meat. Organic stuff is outrageously expensive in the neighborhood, and the cheaper chicken breasts the size of basketballs just do not seem right.
Recipes/prep descriptions are helpful! Thanks!
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29 Comments:
- baked falafel
- black bean & sweet potato shepard's pie
- tabouleh (steep 1 c bulgur 15 min, drain, stir in juice of 1 big or 2 small lemons + olive oil, chill; chopped fresh tomatoes, lots of fresh mint and parsley, salt & pepper to taste)
- butternut squash soup
- hummus (1 can chickpeas,drained, food processor'ed with 2 T tahini, juice of one lemon, 1/2 t salt, 1 t cumin, 1 clove raw garlic, 3-15 cloves roasted garlic, 1 T good olive oil)
- baba ghanoush (roast 1 eggplant and a head of garlic, pull both from their flesh when done, chop well, stir in 2 T tahini, juice of one lemon, 1/2 t salt, 1/2 t cumin, salt/pepper to taste, blend if you want)
joyyy at 3:34PM on 01/19/09
Oh, wow. I don't even know where to start, recipe-wise, so how about I recommend some blogs and cookbooks, instead?
Susan V.'s blog at fatfreevegan.com has tons of recipes for casseroles, stews, soups, salads, you name it. Plus – and this is my favorite part – it has a seacrh function that lets you search over a hundred other vegetarian blogs! I've used that a lot when I had a new ingredient and wanted to see what to do with it.
I also like 101cookbooks.com for healthy meals heavy on the veggies and grains. Tigersandstrawberries has some great ideas for meat-free ethnic dishes, too.
For cookbooks, I really like Veganomicon. It's huge, for one, and almost everything I've made has been a hit with my meat-loving family. I last made the potato and kale enchiladas. I like any of the Moosewood Cookbooks, and Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian. How to Cook Everything Vegetarian might also be a good resource. I've also heard good things about the Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes cookbook, though I haven't made anything from it.
You can get all of these books at a library, so you can check out a few recipes and see if you like the book before you plop down cash on something you'll never use again.
KarynMC at 3:47PM on 01/19/09
These taboleh stuffed peppars are sooo delicious :)
http://www.howcast.com/videos/11833-How-To-Make-Quinoa-TabboulehStuffed-Peppers
parisjetaime at 3:47PM on 01/19/09
Off the top of my head...
- mabo tofu -- sauce comes in a packet at Japanese and probably Chinese/Korean grocers
- Japanese curry using eggplant as the "meat" of the dish. The curry can be made from scratch, but it's easier to use the bricks. My husband usually takes about 4-5 hours to make the curry when he uses the bricks, but that's because it takes him ~3 hours to cook the beef. It would probably take an hour or so if you use eggplant.
Cassaendra at 3:48PM on 01/19/09
- fattoush
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/01/nancy-harmon-jenkins-fattoush-pita-bread-salad-recipe.html
Cassaendra at 4:06PM on 01/19/09
As KarynMC suggests, Mollie Katzen's recipes are delicious. I was going to suggest her "Zuccanoes" from the Moosewood cookbook.
http://www.molliekatzen.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipe=zuccanoes
I make a couple of tweaks -- using beans (drained and rinsed, or dried ones cooked up which is a much better value) instead of rice, and using mozz cheese shredded into the stuffing as well as topping instead of cheddar. But, of course, use what your family likes.
Check out the other free recipes on her Web site while you're there.
The Indian food suggestions are also excellent.
zucchini at 4:10PM on 01/19/09
We're also making much more vegetarian dishes. Cheap meat weird me out!!!! Some of my favorites:
- Pan Fried Gnocchi with lemon garlic greens
- Grilled Chimichurri Tofu sandwiches
- Chickpea salad w/soft boiled eggs
- Potato Frittatas with homemade hot pepper sauce
- Eggs over polenta w/roasted veggies
- Cold Noodle salad w/Napa Cabbage, carrots, cukes and cashews with toasted sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, lemon juice and lots of cilantro
- Pierogis or raviolis
- Beans - in quesadillas, tacos, as chili, over rice
Also, check out 101cookbooks.com. All vegetarian, all delicious!
bitchincamero at 4:13PM on 01/19/09
any good italian cookbook (or google recipes) has tons of vegetarian options ... so many pasta's that incorporate fresh veggies. as long as you have garlic, olive oil and a nice grating cheese ... the possibilities are endless.
most people in the world can't afford to eat meat like americans do... so any ethnic cookbook will certainly have tons of recipes.
good luck and have fun... i also love 101cookbooks... very creative recipes.
pooch at 4:17PM on 01/19/09
I just tried a recipe from Everyday Food for "classic minestrone" last week. For anyone who, like me, is on a soup kick and doesn't need meat to survive, this was great.
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/classic-minestrone
I used the leftover veggies from above to make a tomato based version this week instead. 46 oz of low sodium V8 and 46 oz of water, throw in the veggies and simmer until tender. Ta-da!
meem21 at 4:22PM on 01/19/09
I love this Chinese veg yellow curry dish. It is a curry type stew with potatos, broccoli, onions, garlic, carrots, peas and califlower, but you can add whatever veggies you want. To me what makes it so good is the potatos. I also like this veggie stir fry again with lots of sauce, and any veggies you like, I like onions, garlic, broc, eggplant, carrots, celery, bok choy, cabbage and best of all tofu I do not like to fry the tofu I just put extra firm in it because it absorbs the sauce and it is sooo good. I also like veggie lasagna with lots of cheeses and spinich. Lesczo which is Hungarian and is made up with tomatos, onions, garlic, multi color peppers and plenty of paprika and orzo. Simmer it for about an hour or until it turn ito a stew (DO NOT) add water it creats 's own juices. I actually like it the next day better. I like it cold as well spread on little slices of baquettes. There is much more but I will be here all day writing.
pjracz10 at 4:22PM on 01/19/09
Chili con carne using Morningstar Farms Grillers in place of meat.
Lasagne using spinach or mushrooms
SavtaShayna at 4:26PM on 01/19/09
I have been a vegetarian for about 10 yrs now. Here I have a few ideas for you... these are my favorites:
Baked Pasta with 4 Cheeses - great for a date dinner
White Lasagna with Spinach and Almonds
Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese - great flavor and nutrition
Pumpkin Risotto - it just tastes very yummy!!!
Toston Sandwich, - a great alternative sandwich without bread
Stuffed Chayotes - great alternative to a potato
Potato and Fried Eggplant Pastelon
Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese and Almond Praline
Madelyn
KarmaFreeCooking
MadelynRodriguez at 5:00PM on 01/19/09
Grilled or sauteed vegetable pitas with plenty of hummus, ajvar, parsley and mint.
SqueezeBottle at 5:19PM on 01/19/09
Great to see you on-board the veggie train! (I'm a flexitarian LOL)
Here's some of my favourite veggie dishes:
Creamy white beans - a great winter meal with protein
Market Sandwich - an awesome opportunity to utilize what is fresh in the market and in season
Cold Fennel Salad - with BIG flavour
Brown Rice Mixture - also really versatile and you can use it to stuff some peppers or tomatoes
Warm Bean Salad - Also a good protein source
Vegetarian rec[pes can get really exciting! Good Liuck!
:D Chrsitel
hungrychristel at 5:21PM on 01/19/09
Sorry heres the beans: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/05/warm-cannellini-bean-and-herb-salad-recipe.html
and heres the brown rice: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Brown-Rice-with-Shiitakes-and-Scallions-242806
...sorry bout that
hungrychristel at 5:28PM on 01/19/09
another wonderful veg cookbook is edward espe brown's tassajara recipe book. i've been making some of his recipes for over 20 years.
my current favorite vegetarian dish is frozen artichoke hearts sauteed with a bunch of garlic, onions, and herbs, then mixed with bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, and a couple of eggs, then baked.
cybercita at 5:29PM on 01/19/09
Check these out:
Moosewood cookbook
Mollie Katzen's Vegetable Heaven (my favourite)
Madhur Jaffery's World Vegetarian
Any: Italian, Indian, Thai, Chinese, Central/South American cookbook
The big slab of meat with 2 sides way of eating is a North american anomaly
PeanutButter at 5:55PM on 01/19/09
I made this yesterday: http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/01/mushroom-bourguignon/
I'm convinced it might have been food of the gods...I'm plotting on making another batch if I find time between all my microbiology and chemistry labs...
*sigh*
feriorrenna at 9:52PM on 01/19/09
Mashed potatoes!
Twinwillow at 10:39PM on 01/19/09
I make:
-stir fry about 3-4 times a week. Usually I use onion, garlic, celery, carrot, broccoli, bell pepper, baby bok choy, and maybe mushroom.
-garlic sauteed veggies in olive oil as a side on many nights or just for lunch
-fried rice
- vegetable soup (I add a jar of vegetarian marinara for a flavor boost)
smile at 3:27AM on 01/20/09
spinach and mushroom risotto - arborio rice, spinach/ baby spinach, mushrooms, parmesan
ratatouille - garlic, onion, zucchini, squash, carrot, red bell pepper, tomatoes
vegetarian red curry - tofu, green beans, carrot, baby corn, mushrooms, lychee
natamari at 5:38AM on 01/20/09
i noticed I forgot to include this link... just in case anyone is interested:
Toston Sandwich
MadelynRodriguez at 10:34AM on 01/20/09
ooh, almost forgot vegetable Indian-style curry. I call it that because nothing that comes out of my kitchen could ever be called authentic since I'm as Heinz 57 as they come :P
Brown one chopped onion to a pretty dark brown in butter or olive oil, add in 2 T fresh garlic paste and 2 T fresh ground ginger (I used a fine grater for both) and stir. Add spices (something like 1 T cumin, 1/2 t turmeric, 1 T ground coriander, 1-2 T curry powder, some garam masala if you like, cayenne to your taste), stir, add 1 can diced tomatoes slowly, building it up nice and thick with the spices. If you want spinach in your sauce, add it now. Then slowly add 1-2 cups of broth (chicken or veg, depending on your household). At this point, I like to hit the whole thing with an immersion blender and make it nice and smooth, then add in the vegetables. Dice a potato and cut up half a head of cauliflower and steam that in the microwave for a few minutes, then throw them into the sauce with a few handfuls of frozen peas. Chickpeas are also a good add-in. Serve with rice and some naan or other thick, soft, warm bread.
That usually makes enough for me and the eatslikeahorse bf for dinner, plus at least one lunch serving that I pack away to take to work the next day.
joyyy at 11:18AM on 01/20/09
YUM. This all sounds great. I appreciate the various comments that make reference to the fact that it's a pretty Western/American thing to be so carnivorous. My dad was a butcher when I was growing up, and the shop was across the street from our house. So, um, we ate a lot of meat. Talk about eating locally....
Experimenting with little/no meat dishes has been really fun and even horizon-expanding. It seems a little claustrophobic in the meat-side-side box now.
Thanks guys!
savecara at 2:09PM on 01/20/09
tofu curry and broccoli (red thai curry in a jar from trader joe's -- aint no shame on a weekday!) with naan and jasmine rice. mmmmmmmmm.
megannesta at 3:07PM on 01/20/09
Zucannoes!!! They are the BEST!
lo82070 at 3:38PM on 01/20/09
Some of my favorites:
Tofu stir fries (I have issues with getting stir fried meat to taste right but tofu is very forgiving)
creamy mushrooms on toast or over polenta. Polenta with red sauce as well.
veggie risottos, pizza with veggie toppings. (latest sucess was with sauted mushrooms, pesto and brie)
also baked eggs- put eggs in greased ramekin with spinach, or mushrooms (can also put meat in there too if you like) and bake for 15-18 minutes depending how runny you like your yolks.
missjess at 12:50PM on 01/21/09
chick pea curry served over couscous - love it!
Maureen at 1:28PM on 01/21/09
I'm a carnivore, but I love my veggies
*salad
*ratatouille
*roasted root vegetables
*eggplant parm
*any gratin: potato, zucchini, etc.
*fried green tomatoes
*broccoli carrot raisin salad
I could go on and on.........
PerkyMac at 1:53PM on 01/21/09