Wanted: Good vegetarian recipes

[CDNSushi]

I would wrap the vegetarian in foil andbake at about 350 until he stops screaming.

Now, now... This has been a nice thread so far. Let's not @&%$ it up with something that someone might take exception to.

Old Hippie: Thanks for the great tips! I must admit, when I see the word "vegan" my hackles go up a little. Especially after having read through some of the comments on a few vegan forum threads. But I realize that people are people no matter where they hang out, and it's more a reflection of personal character rather than culinary choices or ethical/moral interests...

However, having said that, I found a couple of great sites yesterday. The first, The Messy Vegetarian Cook. I like it because every recipe is accompanied by a beautiful photo!

The second cool site I found was Vegan Diet Guy. I like HIS site for a number of reasons. First, he also lives in Japan! Yaaay! That means I can contact him, and hopefully pick his brain on where I can buy certain specialty items for certain recipes. I'm hoping he can tell me what to look for in the grocery, and which kanji (Chinese characters) are the correct ones. He also seems to have found two vegan Chinese restaurants in Tokyo -- something I'd love to try.

Next, I can find common ground with his reasons for being (becoming) vegan. He used to eat meat at almost every meal, and switched for health reasons. (I have my own thoughts and beliefs on ethical vegetarianism that are quite irrelevant in this thread, but my foray into vegetarian cuisine is based on health rather than moral/ethical reasons).

Third, his blogroll has some really interesting links! :-)

Rob: Just for you, because you asked... Two nights ago I tried Mael Coluim's quinoa bean salad. I changed a couple of ingredients, but here's how it turned out:



I enjoyed it... My wife was a bit confused by it, especially the quinoa. Her comment was that she would prefer it as a side dish rather than a main course, which is fair enough.

Last night, I took MacBean's suggestion (on page 4 of the thread) and went to the Vegetarian Times website. There I found a brilliant recipe for linguine in lemon cream sauce. Definitely not vegan, but certainly vegetarian.


(Photo not mine -- taken from vegetariantimes.com)

I adapted the recipe a little bit, if you scroll down to the comments section, you can read the comment I left, along with the changes I made to it... Nonetheless, the wife thought it was FANTASTIC and said she'd love to have it again!

More updates in time, as I try some more recipes...

[Rob, ClanMacMillan, NM]

...
Rob: Just for you, because you asked... Two nights ago I tried Mael Coluim's quinoa bean salad. I changed a couple of ingredients, but here's how it turned out:



I enjoyed it... My wife was a bit confused by it, especially the quinoa. Her comment was that she would prefer it as a side dish rather than a main course, which is fair enough.
...

That looks SOOO tasty! Just visually, I agree with your wife, it *looks* like it should be a side dish

[Old Hippie]

I must admit, when I see the word "vegan" my hackles go up a little. Especially after having read through some of the comments on a few vegan forum threads.

People can be dogmatic about the darndest things.

I had moderately elevated cholesterol, so went back to being "mostly" vegetarian and that cleared up. I eat like a horse, no pun intended. One advantage of physical labour is that you CAN have that second helping. I gain a little in the winter teaching, sweat it off in the summer.

I moved a "little more vegan" after reading some compelling long-term big-population research results that strongly suggest casein is almost literally a "cancer switch." The researchers found they could start and stop the growth of most forms of cancer by adding or witholding casein ("milk protein"). Reference "The China Study."

Not arguing with anyone's dietary choices (as I said, I have flexible ethics about food...) but those are some of the factors driving my own choices. I have a minor genetic blood condition that sometimes confounds my test results, but management by diet and exercise keeps everything under control.

Lunch today is Zucchini Fritters -- I think I can type that recipe from memory, but I'll check the books and do it tomorrow.

:ootd:

[pugcasso]

The site below is great for tons of recipes


www.vegweb.com


I don't really follow recipe's (but get ideas from them) but I made some great vegan carrot cakes based on two recipes from that site ("cream cheese" icing being made using a Tofutti product)


Check out my very old pictorial page of how I made ravioli ... lots of time making them, and very little time eating them haha

http://www.dkingdesign.com/food/Ravi...1/ravioli.html



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Regarding the word 'vegan' , going vegan (for whatever reasons) can sometimes attract some unwanted jokes and attacks (especially perhaps if one is male in our western culture) ... perhaps some of these types of remarks can be similar to how some people remark at males wearing "non-pants" haha (things that go against the usual social rules) - so sometimes "vegans" can be defensive ... but then again there are many types of people and sometimes the most obvious information one sees is from the most vocal percentage of any group (which are usually more hardcore in expressing their opinions ... in my opinion).

[Mael Coluim]

CDN that is an awesome presentation of the Quinoa Bean Salad. Glad you liked it.

The China Study a book by T. Colin Campbell is producing a revolution in eating habits. With all the illness that those of us in the western industrial nations are increasing dealing with it is worth the read. It could change your eating habits forever. Here is the link to Dr. Campbell's foundation.

[Old Hippie]

Lunch today is Zucchini Fritters -- I think I can type that recipe from memory, but I'll check the books and do it tomorrow.

"Tomorrow" was a few yesterdays ago but here's a logical progression:

Zucchini Fritters from "Burgers, Roesti and Fritters" published by the Australian Women's Weekly.

750 g zucchini coarsely grated
1 yellow onion, grated
75 g all purpose flour
3 eggs lightly beaten
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
salt
pepper
oil for frying

Combine zucchini, onion, flour, egg and herbs in a bowl. Shallow-fry 1/4-cup measures of batter in hot oil until browned on both sides and cooked through. Drain on absorbent paper.

We made up a huge batch of these (several huge batches) and froze them in freezer bags, stacked up like hotcakes with a sheet of wax paper between each one. All winter we would take out a couple when we wanted them, and reheat them in the toaster oven. Worked like a charm, but lately we've been a "little more vegan" which led us to the next recipe...

..............

Tofu Omelets, from "Vegan Brunch" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

2 garlic cloves (optional)
1 pound silken tofu OR 1 pound soft tofu
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 cup chickpea flour (or fava flour)
1 tablespoon arrowroot or cornstarch
1 teaspoon black salt*

Chop garlic, if using, in food processor. At tofu, yeast, olive oil, turmeric, and salt. Puree smooth. Add bean flour and arrowroot or cornstarch and puree, scraping down the container to mix everything.

Pour batter into a heated, oiled skillet in 1/2 cup measures. Spread out gently with a spatula to about 6 inches around. When the top dries, flip and cook other side.

*black salt is an Indian thing. There are several names for it, one of which is "kala namak." It's not really black, it's pink. It is rather sulfurous, and added to this recipe will make it taste like egg yolks are in it.

.................

And finally, one day while preparing the omelets above my eye fell on a few fresh zucchini on the drainboard, and I thought "Gee, too bad we're not eating eggs. I could be making zucchini fritters." Ding! "Hey! I could shred up a bunch of zucchini and mix it with this omelet recipe, and have zucchini fritters." Worked like a charm.

So there you go, three recipes for the price of two.

:ootd: