In need of vegetarian recipes

[Gamom3]

I am going vegetarian as of 2wks ago.

I am in need of recipes.

I love pasta, rice and veggies(of course)

 

The thing is I only know of a couple of recipes.

 

I have no idea what to fix for lunch.

 

I do not like tofu!

All the recipes I see online have tofu.

 

I don't want to spend a lot of money, since I am the only one in our family of 5 wanting to do this.

 

Any thoughts?

[myfunnybunch]

Tortilla pie is a favorite around here. My whole family likes it.

 

Cube and roast 1-2 med. sweet potatoes or 2-3 med. yellow potatoes. Toss in olive oil and garlic, add 1/2 tsp. cumin for the sweet potatoes or just some salt and pepper for the yellow potatoes. 400 degrees, 20 minutes or so until the potatoes are between hard and soft.

 

Butter a quiche dish or pie plate. Layer 4-5 corn tortillas in the bottom.

 

When the potatoes have cooled some, put them in the dish on top of the tortillas. Sprinkle 1 cup cheese over the top. (For the sweet potato mixture I use a mix of pepper jack and jack cheese, for the yellow potatoes I use a mix of jack and cheddar. Goat cheese would be yummy with the yellow potatoes too, but I rarely have it on hand.) Mix 1 and 1/2 cups milk and 3 eggs, a little salt and pepper, green onions if you like them. Pour over the top of the potatoes and cheese. It'll run under the tortillas a little but that's ok.

 

Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, until the middle is set. Let it sit for 10 minutes before serving. Yummy served with with green salad, makes great leftovers for lunch.

 

I'd recommend the cookbook Vegetarian Planet, Didi Emmons. She's got lots of yummy recipes. We're not vegetarian, but we use many recipes out of the cookbook.

 

Also, baked pasta is a hit. Rigatoni or a similar round noodle, boil and toss with a cheese sauce (I melt some ricotta and a little jack cheese in a pan with some sauteed garlic), or tomato sauce. Toss in some favorite steamed veggies too and about 1/4 c. grated parmesan. Top with more grated parmesan and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until the parm on top is melting and beginning to brown a little. Yum and easy. I think I got this idea from Vegetarian Planet too, come to think of it.

 

Cat

[Marylou]

 

www.savingdinner.com has a vegetarian menu mailer

[MomOfOneFunOne]

 

www.vegweb.com Great site with ton of recipes.

[LoriM]

When I became a veg*n 10 years ago, I started with side dishes and salads, and lots of baked potatoes. Think simple, not complex. Take meals you already cook regularly, and just drop the animal products out of them...or prepare them on the side for your family. I also stopped cooking with oils or eating added fats, so I had to revise a few recipes. Probably the family favorite was cornbread:

 

LoriM's Cornbread

 

1 can creamed corn

1 cup cornmeal mix (self-rising)

1/2 cup flour (whole grain or white)

1/4 cup of soy milk (or a bit more if the corn is dry)

 

Lightly spray a 7" cast iron skillet with cooking spray, and mix the ingredients in a separate bowl. Bake in the skillet at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes or until browned.

 

This cornbread goes great with chili or soups, or bean dishes.

[Amira]

We're not vegetarian, but we don't eat much meat. My husband can't stand tofu so none of these call for tofu. If you like these recipes (they aren't necessarily conventional), there are lots more on my blog.

 

Plov

 

Saute a chopped onion and some grated carrots in a oil for a couple minutes, then add two and a half cups of rice, 1 or 2 teaspoons of cumin, 1-2 tsp salt, an entire head of garlic (peel off the outer layer) and some crushed red pepper. Stir the onions and rice till the rice is coated with oil, then add about 4 cups of boiling water. Turn the heat down a little and simmer till the water is just gone. As soon as the water is gone (the rice won't be fully cooked), use the handle of a spoon to make some holes in the rice down to the bottom of the pot. Pour a bit more olive oil over the top, cover, and turn the heat as low as it will go. If you have an electric stove, you might want to set the pot on top of a pair of tongs so the bottom doesn't burn. Let the rice steam till the garlic is cooked. If you get worried, you can add more water. The goal is to have a nice brown crunchy shell on the bottom. It'll take at least 30 minutes. Stir it all up when you're done and enjoy. Pop the garlic out of its skin to enjoy it.

 

 

Dal with Coconut Milk

 

2 c red lentils

5 c water

 

1 T oil

1 T minced garlic

2 T minced shallots

Lots of crushed red pepper

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp salt

1 c coconut milk

 

Boil the lentils in a large pot in the 5 cups water till they're soft, then keep warm. Heat a pan over high heat and add the oil, then add the garlic and shallots and stir-fry for a minute. Add the rest of the spices and cook 2 more minutes, then add the salt and coconut milk, lower the heat, and cook 5 minutes. Add the spice mixture to the hot lentils and simmer a couple of minutes. This is from Mangoes and Curry Leaves.

 

 

Red Lentil Soup

 

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

5-6 c beef broth

2 c red lentils

16 oz can crushed tomatoes

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp coriander

1 Tbsp lemon juice

Salt and pepper

 

Combine everything in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 40-50 minutes, adding more beef broth if needed. Serve with plain yogurt, if desired. This is nearly universally liked, even by people who are unfamiliar with Middle Eastern flavors. Serves 6. The recipe is from the first edition of The Jewish Holiday Cookbook by Gloria Greene.

 

 

Chilaquiles

 

6-9 corn tortillas, torn into bite-sized pieces, and fried in a bit of oil till golden (set aside)

 

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned

1/2 Tbsp dried oregano leaves

Crushed red pepper to taste

2 cups cooked black beans

1 tsp salt

Plain yogurt

 

Heat oil in a frying pan (cast-iron is good), then add onion and saute till soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, oregano, and at least 1/2 c water (add more if needed). Simmer 3-8 minutes (longer if your tomatoes were fresh). Add beans, salt, and fried tortilla bits. Heat through and serve warm, topped with yogurt. It shouldn't be dry, so add more water as needed. Serves 4. Based on a recipe from Flatbreads and Flavors by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid.

 

 

Laghman

 

Noodles (homemade or fettucini or spaghetti)

Lots of oil (I use olive, I don't care what you use)

1 large onion, sliced

4 sweet peppers, sliced

4 cloves garlic, sliced

2 T tomato paste

Crushed red pepper

 

Prepare and boil the noodles, then stir-fry them over almost high heat in a wok till they start to get crispy. Put the noodles onto a plate. Add more oil to the wok and heat it almost to high again, then add the onions and cook for a few minutes, then add the peppers and the garlic. Stir-fry for about 5 minutes, then add the tomato paste and some salt and crushed red pepper. Cook a minute or two more, then add the noodles and stir-fry for one more minute. Serve hot.

[happi duck]

http://www.amazon.com/Peaceful-Palate-Fine-Vegetarian-Cuisine/dp/1570670315

Peaceful Palate by Jennifer Raymond is great. See if you can get it at the library to try it out. HTH

[LaxMom]

I tend to make "modular" meals, where I can add the meat for the other 4 and leave it out for me.

 

I made "chicken" pot pie last week, sauteed onion, garlic, celery, carrots, cubed potatoes, sprinkled the whole thing with flour, added "no chicken" broth (which I prefer to vegetable stock) and cream, and simmered until the whole thing had thickened up. I added chicken to their ramekins (ok, actually French onion soup crocks), then put the veggie mix into all of them, topped them with biscuit and popped them into the oven. Yummy.

 

Last night, we had pasta with garlic and fresh peas: sautee garlic in olive oil while the pasta is cooking (about 2 minutes less than instructions call for), shell the peas into the pan, then add the pasta, some milk, and let the whole thing thicken up while the pasta absorbs the extra moisture in the pan. We had a Caesar salad with cubed, roasted potatoes (out of croutons and bread) on the side.

 

In the summer, we like cheese tortellini tossed with olive oil, grape tomatoes and basil. Sometimes I add fresh mozzarella and the kids/husband add grilled chicken.

 

Bean burritos are a staple food - I make a big crock pot of beans about once a week (I alternate between pintos and black beans) and a double or triple batch of flour tortillas, and we eat them in various forms all week.

 

Spanikopita is vegetarian and one of my <carnivorous> husband's favorites. Indian samosas are high on the list of favorite things, as well. I'm not a fan of fake meat products in general, but Smart Ground taco and burrito flavor makes a great taco salad (we usually throw in a can of beans and some salsa)... so good, in fact, that my husband used to make it for dinner at work (firehouse) on request. :)

 

Bon appetit!

[Rosie_0801]

Beans are good. White beans substitute for white meat, and kidney beans substitute for red meat in a lot of recipes.

 

:)

Rosie

[eternalknot]

Don't forget to experiment with beans and grains ... not only will they round your diet, but they are relatively inexpensive to purchase for just one person :) not to mention they often make for an easier transition to a nonmeat diet.

 

Expand your online search to include ethnic foods ~ many Mediterranean, Asian & African recipes are naturally veg*n. And some will have exotic, not easy to find or afford ingredients but once you have a name for a recipe (and a general idea of what goes into it) you can add those relevant key words to an internet searches to come up with Westernized adaptations.

 

The library might also have a ton of books you can flip through and get ideas from (both veg*n and ethnic). My MIL bought us THIS book that had some decent recipes, and might be something your library owns.