Vegetarian Recipes?

[Disneyphile]

Hey there,

(No, I'm not about to give up my bacon.)

I was wondering if any of you have some great meatless recipes that you like?

I want to eat healthier, and I cannot stand fish, so I'd rather substitute some meaty meals with hearty vegetarian ones.

We're not opposed to cooking with meat substitutes that actually taste like meat, so please share your fave brands of those as well.

A friend of ours made us some really awesome faux chicken gravy and biscuits for breakfast last month, and it was really yummy, and didn't wreck havoc on my stomach or taste buds, and also didn't drain my energy. Ken really liked it too, so we're going to make it from time to time. It had chunks of fake fried chicken in it that actually tasted like fried chicken! So, we're looking for more foods like that.

[Ghoulish Delight]

1 package firm tofu
juice from 2 limes
3 Tblsp peanut oil
3 Tbpsp rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp dried ginger (or use fresh, not sure how much is equivalent)
salt
pepper
2 heads of bok choy, coarsely chopped
mushrooms, cut into largish chunks
2 cloves minced garlic


Drain the tofu, cut into small cubes (no bigger than 1/2 inch). whisk together lime juice, 2 Tblsp of the oil, rice vinegar, soy, ginger, salt and pepper to taste. Add the tofu and stir until the tofu is well coated in the sauce. Let sit for at least an hour.


Over medium-high heat, heat a large frying pan or wok, add remaining peanut oil. Once the oil is hot, add garlic, stirring to keep it from burning. When it starts to brown, add bok choy. Stir over the heat. Once the bok choy begins to wilt, add the mushrooms. Continue to stir until mushrooms just begin to heat up and cook. Dump the tofu (along with the lime/soy mixture) in. Cook, stirring, until mushrooms are done to your liking and liquid has reduced some.

For a thicker sauce, after the tofu has soaked, strain the liquid out and whisk in 2 tsp of corn starch before adding it to the pan.

[blueerica]

This reminds me that I really want to look up a recipe I caught on Ultimate Recipe Showdown. Some sort of vegetarian chili with cashews. I really thought it could have won: the judges loved it, and it looked fantastic.

As for me, I pretty regularly go veggie, but I don't generally cook by recipe. I am a big fan of squash, and just love to throw veggies together to steam, sautée, grill.. Oooh, how I love me some grilled veggies. Grilled Eggplant with a little bit of olive oil and seasoning.. YUM! Okay, I think I'm just getting hungry...

I don't know if you like Asian styles of cooking, but I sometimes will season and cook up a little firm tofu to go with my stir fry. You can also buy some tofus that are fried and extra dry to use in cooking for texture, and they really taste quite good.

I've always had the opinion that good vegetarian cuisine is dependent upon using the right seasonings. I'll keep me eyes out for that chili recipe.

I am also sure that BTD has some excellent recipes up her sleeve, and probably more than a few others!

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by blueerica

I don't know if you like Asian styles of cooking, but I sometimes will season and cook up a little firm tofu to go with my stir fry.

Hey, that's a good idea!

[blueerica]

Okay, I think I found it! I am soooo making it later this week!

Recipe found here

1 yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon each chipotle chili powder and red pepper flakes
14 ounces extra-firm tofu, frozen and thawed
2 (14-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (4-ounce) can diced jalapenos, drained
1 (4-ounce) can green chiles, drained
2 (14-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14-ounce) can dark kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup whole roasted cashews
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Garnishes: sour cream, shredded Cheddar, more roasted cashews, optional

In a large stockpot, saute onion, bell pepper, and garlic in the olive oil over medium-high heat until onions are starting to soften. Stir in cumin, chipotle, and red pepper flakes. Crumble the thawed tofu into the mixture and saute 5 minutes more. Reduce heat to medium. Add all tomatoes, jalapenos, green chiles, black beans, kidney beans, corn and cashews; mix well. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Garnish with sour cream, grated Cheddar, and additional cashews, if desired.

[blueerica]

That Thai stir fry looks good. Hrmm... I am hungry...

[BarTopDancer]

With summer you can grill veggies. I like to grill asparagus, squash and tomatoes with a bit of lemon and garlic.

Mushroom stir-fry. I go to a Japanese grocery store and buy all sorts of fresh mushrooms - enoki, ****aike, oyster and a can of straw(much cheaper than the regular grocery store). Cube some tofu (I like extra firm but YMMV) and let the tofu marinade in Ponzu sauce for an hour or two.

Heat a pan, add tofu, let it heat up a bit, add mushrooms, cook till done. You can add more ponzu sauce to taste/for more liquid. I also add a bit of oyster sauce and Chinese 5 spice.

I also recommend Linda McCartney's cookbook (the non-American recipe one, I forget what it is called) and Vegan with a Vengeance). Neither are preachy, and both have great recipes.

Morning Star farms also has some great frozen things. I prefer the "Gardenburger" brand over Boca (texture). You do need to be careful with the frozen meatless substitutes too, they may seem healthier, but not all of them are healthier.

Chili is also really easy to make veggie. I posted a recipe around here somewhere. I think in Morri's crockpot thread. I'll see if I can find it later (unless someone wants to find it for me).

[Gemini Cricket]

Meatless food? Ugh! That's like dickless sex.




I'm kidding.

[Morrigoon]

And both are to be had in abundance in the right neighborhoods

[Disneyphile]

Originally Posted by BarTopDancer

Morning Star farms also has some great frozen things. I prefer the "Gardenburger" brand over Boca (texture). You do need to be careful with the frozen meatless substitutes too, they may seem healthier, but not all of them are healthier.

One of the big differences it has to have for me is no cholesterol and very little, if any, saturated fat.

I just want to "pad" the days when I go on a meat smorgasbord, so I can continue to enjoy all my fave foods without increased health risk.

The faux fried chicken that we liked comes in a can. It seriously tastes like real fried chicken, but has 0 cholesterol. That's a huge plus to me.

And now, I'm totally wanting some stir fry.