All You Vegans, Vegetarians, Lacto-ovos, Etc.

I am technically not a vegan, but, for health reasons, at least 90% of the food I eat is plant-based.  I haven't had beef or pork in months, I eat veggie burgers.  I do have turkey and salmon occasionally.  DD has coverted me to soy milk.   

I am always on the lookout for tasty vegan recipes.   Anyone care to post your favorite?  Thank you very much.

JoMom, I am just investigating becoming a vegetarian.  Watch for posts by Chefly on Recipes, she does a lot of those dishes. 

I'll be tracking replies, as I am interested also.

Thank you, Beeje.  I need to stop by Recipes more.

JoMom, here is a link to a recent post with vegetarian meal ideas.

http://community.tasteofhome.com/forums/t/691245.aspx?PageIndex=1

I posted my recipes there, but here they are for you again.

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We have this on a regular basis. The way I serve it is in a bowl with a scoop of brown rice on the bottom, two ladles of beans over the rice, topped with the marinated onions as a garnish. The marinated onion/garnish make this dish especially appealing and delicious.

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Cuban Black Bean Soup

Serves six

1 pound dried black beans, picked over for stones and debris

2 quarts water

2 tablespoons salt (my note: this is a lot of salt -- I use only 1 tablespoon and it's still quite salty)

2 bay leaves

5 cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 tablespoon cumin powder

1/2 tablespoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 pound yellow onions (1 large), chopped fine

1/2 pound green bell pepper (2 medium), chopped fine

For the garnish:

additional onion, chopped fine (about 1/2 onion)

equal parts white vinegar and olive oil (about 2 tablespoons each)

Method:

Soak beans overnight. Drain and add 2 quarts water, salt and bay leaves. Boil beans until soft, about 2 hours.

Using a mortar and pestle, crush garlic, cumin, oregano, and vinegar until it forms a paste. (My note: I crush the garlic in a garlic press and just mix it with the other ingredients in a small bowl. The garlic could probably just be minced, too.)

In a large stockpot, heat oil, and add onions and peppers and fry over medium heat until the onions begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic paste and cook 5 minutes more.

If the beans are very soupy, drain some of the water before adding the beans to the onion mixture, and cook for another 30 minutes.

Serve with a spoonful of cooked rice and chopped raw onion marinated in olive oil and white vinegar.

 
Lentil Vegetable Soup (this is good)

2 quarts vegetable stock or water

2 cups rinsed lentils

2 bay leaves

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 large celery stalk with leaves, chopped

1 large carrot, coarsely grated

1 small zucchini, coarsely grated

2 cloves garlic, mashed

2 T. minced parsley

1 t. dried thyme

1-1/2 c. tomato juice

1/4 c. red wine vinegar

salt to taste

Method:

Bring water to a boil and add lentils and bay leaves. Reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook for 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

Saute onion in oil until softened, then add vegetables, parsley and seasonings. Saute until softened and add to cooked lentils with tomato juice and vinegar.  Salt to taste and simmer for another 30-40 minutes or until soup is well blended.

Serves 4-6.

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Please note that tomato products should not be added to bean soups until the beans (lentils) are cooked.

This is my favorite lentil recipe. It is delicious. The olives and capers are what give it its "zing."

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Lentil Eggplant Stew

2-1/2 quarts vegetable stock or water

2 c. rinsed lentils

1/4 c. oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, mashed

1 small, unpeeled eggplant, chopped

1 large stalk celery with leaves, finely chopped

1 6-oz can tomato paste

1 t. each basil and oregano

1/4 c. red wine vinegar

salt to taste

1/2 c. pimento-stuffed olives

2 T. capers

Method:

Bring vegetable stock or water to a boil and add lentils. Reduce heat and cook, covered, for 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

Heat oil and saute onion, garlic, eggplant and celery until well softened.

Stir in tomato paste, seasonings and vinegar. Simmer until well blended. Add to lentils and salt to taste. (Add more water if desired.) Stir in olives and capers and simmer 1/2 hour to blend well.

Serves 5-6.

Here is another lentil recipe. I use elbow macaroni for this, and it is good.

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Italian Lentil Soup

Makes 10 to 12 servings

1 carrot, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 whole onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, diced

2 T. olive oil

10 c. water (plus more, if needed)

1 can broth, veggie, chicken, or beef

one 1-pound bag dried lentils, rinsed

1/2 t. each dried basil and oregano

1 small (8 oz) can tomato sauce or puree

one 1-pound box ditalini or small shells

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Saute carrot, celery, onion and garlic cloves in a large soup pan for 5 minutes in olive oil. Add water, broth, lentils, oregano, and basil.

Cook over medium heat for one hour, adding water as necessary. Add tomato sauce and cook for 1/2 hour longer. Add ditalini and cook until the pasta is done, continuing to add water as necessary. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Have you discovered tofu?

In China or Japan tofu is also called "meat without bones." It is so nutritious and easy to digest. It's available in most supermarkets now. When I was much younger I had to buy tofu at the health food store. My grocery store sells it in 12-ounce packages in the produce section. It is important to press tofu to squeeze water out of it before using in some recipes. I use a fresh dish towel for this.

You can eat it on a sandwich, or cubed, and used as a salad topper. Tofu can be used in a stir-fry like meat. Add vegetables and serve over rice. I like to add cashews or almonds to a tofu stir-fry.

 Jo, one of my favorite snacks is vegan, but it's a very free form, simple recipe - no set amounts or times,  so you'll have to use your best judgment and decide how you like it prepared to your tastes. Another thing about tofu - if you freeze it, it changes the texture and makes it "meatier" once you've thawed it again. I always freeze my tofu for dishes like this one.

Tofu and Carrots

Tofu, thawed, water pressed out

Carrots, scrubbed

Green onions

Soy Sauce

Cooking oil

Sesame Oil

Rice Wine Vinegar

Cut tofu into cubes and slice carrots into slightly smaller chunks than the tofu. Put in bowl and add soy sauce, a bit of cooking oil and a small amount of sesame oil and a pinch of salt. Toss well and leave to marinate at room temperature for half an hour. Place all, including marinade, in single layer in roasting pan and roast, stirring every 15 minutes, until carrots are tender and tofu has developed a slight baked "skin". About half an hour to 45 minutes at 350. Discard any remaining marinade. Remove tofu and carrots to bowl and add green onions, sliced a bit large, to bowl. Dress well with rice wine vinegar and a bit more sesame oil. Can be eaten warm, room temp or cold. YUMMY!

I did "pick up cooking"  for the last month of operation of a vegetarian fast food place in Sacramento some years back. In one of my many boxes of notebooks I have a notebook full of vegan and vegetarian recipes, some from that place and some from other places and some of my very own ideas. If I can find it I'll definitely start posting the vegan ones for you. I've got hundreds of notebooks full of recipes, so it may take a while. Some aren't even recipes, just cook's notes with ideas on how to rework another recipe or recipe ideas. But I'm sure there's some really good stuff in there! I'll start digging this afternoon when I need a break from everything else. I love looking at my old notebooks. LOL!

~Morg~

Saw-whet, thank you for those.  I will put this thread in My Favorites.

I have a mental thing about tofu.  I tried buying it once, years ago, and got totally turned off by the appearance.  Silly, I know, but I can't stand to look at the stuff.  So, I have never really given it a chance.     I was raised on Southern cooking, delicious, but a lot of it, fat-laden.

I am trying new things slowly.  I have been pleasantly surprised by just how delicious low-fat/vegetarian dishes can be.  And once you start looking for them, there is an amazing variety of foods to try that wasn't available say, 10-20 years ago.

 JoMom,

I had to answer your post. Beeje is right, stop on over to Recipes. I always post there and cook vegetarian and often vegan quite a bit. Often, I'll just substitute a vegetarian "meat" for the real thing when I"m making a recipe.

I made almond milk last week and it was so easy and so delicious, not to mention so much cheaper than purchasing it. Are you switching to healthier sugars too? I use a lot of stevia and agave because of my diabetes.

Tonight I"m making BBQ Shrimp, but I'm substituting tofu for the shrimp. The recipe is from a BBQ cookbook I got from the library. I'll sprinkle the tofu with a dry rub before broiling or frying it then cook it in a lemon, butter, garlic mixture (Earth Balance vegan margarine actually). The recipen sounds so good to me, but we love tofu especially broiled after it has been brushed with oil.

chefly

Morg, your snack recipe looks good if I can get past my tofu aversion.  Thank you for posting it.

Thank you, Chefly.  DH is diabetic, and mostly, I just don't use sugar, at all.  I have heard of stevia and agave, but as yet, have not tried them.  I use Splenda on cereal.  As I said, I am changing over slowly.  We are eating a lot more fruits and veggies and shunning animal fat.  I am open to about anything as long as it is healthful. 

I have a bag of sugar and a couple boxes of salt just sitting.  I might as well toss them.  I don't add salt to anything, and we have found we don't miss it.  I do use Mrs. Dash, which comes in several blends.

 Jo, how do you feel about curry? A classic Indian dish is simply cooked garbanzo beans, cubed potatoes and  yellow curry sauce. I'm more into spicy foods, so buy a red curry paste, mix it with some coconut milk and simmer some lightly saute'd veggies (and usually chicken for me) in it, serve it over rice or couscous. I also have a notebook full of Indian food somewhere when I got interested in that type of cooking. They don't use tofu in traditional Indian cooking. I would suggest giving tofu another chance, tho! It's awesome stuff. It absorbs the flavors of whatever you cook/marinate it in. But in the meantime, a classic recipe from Moosewood Restaurant in NY and one of my favorite dishes to make just for us at the restaurant on days we're closed but having a "family meeting" - everyone loves the smell and it tastes good, too.

Moroccan Stew

 1/3 C Olive Oil

3 C chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 t. cumin

1 t. turmeric

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 to 1 t. cayenne

1/2 t. paprika

1 C sliced carrots

4 C cubed butternut squash or sweet potatoes

3 C cubed eggplant

1 bell pepper, cut into strips

4 C sliced zucchini or summer squash

2 lg. tomatoes, chopped

1 1/2 C garbanzo beans

1/2 C raisins

1/4 C chopped parsley (optional, I suppose, but I always add it for the fresh flavor)

In a large pot, heat the olive oil and saute the onions for 2 or 3 minutes.
Add the garlic and spices, stirring constantly. Add the vegetables in the order given above. Saute after the addition of each veggie until its color deepens. Stir in the garbanzo beans and the raisins. There should be some liquid at the bottom of the pot from the cooking veggies, but if the stew is dry add 1/2 C of tomato juice, water or veggie stock. Cover the stew and simmer on low until all the veggies are tender. Add the chopped parsley just before serving.

I always serve this either over couscous or in a bowl with some pita bread.

~Morg~

Morg, curry is fine by me.  I will give tofu another try.  We LOVE beans of any kind and I love brown rice.  Beans and rice are a meal for me, maybe add a few fresh veggies. 

 A lot of vegan cooking is dependent on the spices for a really nice flavor. At least IMO it is! I love "big" flavors, tho. I'll dig around and find that Indian notebook I did later today when Caturday on my other boards and on Usenet slows down a bit. Can't miss the opportunity to make many, many LOLCats and snag kitteh blanks for next Caturday!

In the meantime...

Creole Beans and Rice

3 C dried kidney beans

1/2 t cayenne

1/8 t allspice

salsa

3 green onions, diced

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

2 tomatoes, diced

3/4 C chopped fresh parsley

1/4 C veggie oil

3 1/2 T. cider vinegar

salt to taste

Tabasco or other hot sauce to taste

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3 T. Veggie oil

3 C chopped onions

6 garlic cloves, minced

3 stalks celery, diced

1 C diced carrot

2-3 bell peppers, chopped

1/3 C tomato paste

1/4 C red wine (best) or veggie stock

1 t. apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 t. brown sugar

1 t. dijon mustard

1 1/4 t. salt

1/2 t. oregano

1/8 t. cayenne

1/8 t. allspice

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2 1/2 C. uncooked rice

Cook the beans with the cayenne and allspice in first part of recipe.

Combine all the salsa ingredients and set aside at room temperature. (If you refrigerate it before adjusting your seasonings, the flavors will not develop properly and your seasonings will be "off") After half an hour, taste and adjust heat, adding more hot sauce if you want it hotter.

Saute the onions and garlic in oil on medium heat until the onions and translucent. Add the celery and onions and continue to cook several minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Add green pepper and saute just until all veggies are tender. Whisk together the tomato paste, wine or broth, vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, herbs and spices. Add to  sauteed veggies. In a large pot combine cooked beans (drained) and the veggie mixture (not drained, of course) and stir together. Simmer covered for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. While that's working, cook  your rice. 

To serve: Prepare each plate with a layer of rice, then beans and top with a spoonful or two of salsa. I usually garnish mine with sour cream, but of course that's optional.

~Morg~