A friend recently mentioned that she was thinking about becoming a vegetarian. A move which I enthusiastically applaud. Don’t worry, I promise not to get all preachy at the rest of y’all, but my goodness, there are some delicious vegetarian recipes out there. I’m not really into the fake meats or replacements, just yummy dishes that coincidentally don’t have meat in them..
I’m on a cooking kick at the moment, and here are some of my favourites:
- Molly Wizenberg’s Chickpea Salad with Lemon and Parmesan.
- Also on the chickpea tip – Chana Masala.
- Jamie Oliver’s killer Mac n’ Cheese. It’s fancy. I served it to ‘grow-ups’ for the win.
- Saag Aloo, a classic potato and spinach curry. Say yes to carbs.
- Tofu with Garlic Tahini, Couscous and Chickpeas from NZ’s premier food blog, Hungry & Frozen. 20th Century Soy!
- I love this Southwestern style Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili – good in all seasons.
- Veggie lasagna – good for impressing girlfriends and parents.
- Brown Rice salad – very nutritious and fast to make if you cheat with the rice packets…
- I haven’t made this Sichuan style Celery and Tofu salad yet but it sounds all good.
And a couple of mini ideas:
- Spring rolls! Buy some premade rice wrappers, soak them in water, then fill them with whatever veggies you like & dip into saucy goodness. Good fillings: greens, carrots, sprouts, cucumber.
- Sweat out some seasoned leek and mushrooms, cook up some penne and smother with Parmesan.
- Roasted vegetables with curry powder & pepper, mashed into greek yoghurt.
- Red pepper bruschetta. Thickly slice some good bread (I like sourdough), then toast with a little bit of olive oil in the oven. Caramelize some onions and spread liberally on the toast, along with some chopped roasted red peppers, and thin slices of basil.
- Tachos – chili beans, salad ingredients and browned onions, stuffed into taco shells or burritos. Replace cheese with hummus if you want to be sooooper healthy.
What are your favourite go-to recipes? Or what do you serve up when you’re feeding a bunch of happy herbivores? I would love to know!
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Dude, soup! I have this carrot soup that I make a lot, which is seriously awesome. Carrots, red peppers, onions sliced and boiled with some olive oil, fresh ginger, garlic, a bit of balsamico and veg broth. Then add chilli, honey, fresh lemon juice and a can of coconut milk (I’m not usually so fond of coconut milk, but in this it’s delish) and after a bit of a boil blend it all to your chosen consistency! Add salt if needed (usually not). Serve with creme fraiche and bread. It takes less than an hour to make!
I made another soup the other day which was quite lovely and veg!
Olive oil, onion, fresh ginger, garlic, cayenne pepper, chili, cinnamon first, then add broccoli (I didn’t have any the other day so I used sugar snaps), carrots, half a fennel and a zuccini all sliced in prefered sized bits and fry for about 5 minutes, add some fresh herbs (thyme, coriander if you’re into that – I only had basil and thyme), two cans of tomatoes and half a cup of red lentils and boil for at least 45 mins. In the end add a can of red beans and boil for five minutes and it’s ready! You can serve it with rice or bread or as is! :)
Both of them are sometimes even better the next day or two and the carrot one is also really good served cold as an appetizer!
You know my stance on meat eating, and the second soup is really nice if you add some bacon… just saying!
Talking of chick peas – a friend has a recipe website – not vegetarian but featuring some vege dishes – of which Aloo Chole and Channa Masala are a couple of my faves.
Check them out at http://www.choponionsboilwater.com/
Under the indian recipes section. I’ve made them both often and they are always really good!
I made a curry last night which could easily have been meat free – in fact I intended it that way but was hit with a certain someones protestations about wanting lamb. However, without lamb, it would be just as good! Onion, eggplant, chickpeas, crushed tomatoes, lite coconut milk, red curry paste, other bits and pieces to flavour, some greek yoghurt to serve. Yum.
I’m a vegetarian too and since I’m moving out soon I’m getting worried about what I’m going to eat. I’ve never cooked or anything because yeah my mom never made me do it. Unlike you I do like meat replacements and I eat them a lot, but your ideas sound great! I should keep them in mind for when the time has come to feed myself (and my poor roommates). Maybe I’ll even try them out sooner than that! (Promises, promises…)
Awesome recipes guys! Thank you. I guess I should say I’m not in to the veggie meats because too much soy makes my tummy sad. However if I ever get the chance to try Fake Bacon or something like that, I won’t be saying no :)