Vegetarian Recipes

[Ivaden]

So, I decided I would try being a vegetarian for a week, just to try it. Have nothing against meat or people who eat it or whatever, just trying something new.

Anyone else a vegetarian here, or have a favorite veggie-only recipe they wouldn't mind sharing? I'm not opposed to trying any vegetable or otherwise, tofu included. Part of me deciding I would do this for a week was to try foods I normally would probably never eat. Also, I realize there's tons of recipes online, but I figured it would be a decent discussion since most of the food topics end up being pretty interesting.


I had spinach for the first time tonight that I can remember and it was great.

[Boyiee]

How have you never had spinach before? Go get some Kale too.

Go get yourself some artichokes, avacados, mushrooms, lots and lots of mushrooms, and just go nuts.

Or just grab a bunch of crap in the grocery section and make a stirfry... You can't go wrong with a stirfry really, just take a bunch of shit and toss it in oil and soy sauce.

[sb]

I used to be the Garde-Manger in a 3*** restaurant in NYC so I know many bombastic vegi-only recipes. Still, with my all training, my favorite Vegi only recipe came off of a cooking show from one of the least respected famous chefs out there, Emeril Lagasi (Hi irony, slapping me in the face).

Anyway the recipe:
Prep:
Slice eggplant in 1/2 disks, season with salt/pepper and oil and roast or grill, then cool.
Slice tomato in slightly less than 1/2 disks.
Prepare a Basil oil. The easiest way is to puree basil in oil (I prefer olive). Something to note though, this isn't a lasting oil and you will need to toss any that you don't use within a day or less as it goes bad rather quickly from the blades bruising the basil as it's getting pureed.
Crumble some feta up.

Assemble:
Take one slice of eggplant, lay a slice of tomato on it. Cover with cheese, and (carefully) pour your basil oil over the top. Repeat if you want to make it taller. Season to taste with salt/pepper(go easy on the salt as feta is a naturally salty cheese).

Done. An easy, delicious, and surprisingly filling meal. Also an added bonus, if the prep work is done before hand it only takes a few minutes to plate and serve a group of people.

[Norelco]

Boca burgers are decent (this coming from a massive carnivore). They'll be in the frozen section of your local grocery store.

Also, go to any Thai restaurant and get their mok duck dish...I think it's tofu.

There's also alot of vegetarian Indian dishes out there. Go nuts with them.

[Woozie]

Just wondering: Do vegetarians eat Eggs, Milk, or dairy products?

[Correction]

Just wondering: Do vegetarians eat Eggs, Milk, or dairy products?

yes unless they're allergic or lolvegan

[Olo401]

If you're willing to put a few hours into it, make some vegetarian lasagna - just replace the ground beef and/or sausage with yellow and green zucchini (or even some eggplant) and mix some white pepper and asiago cheese into the ricotta. It's FANTASTIC, and one pan will usually feed a single person well for a week.

BTW I'm not vegetarian personally.. it's just a really decent recipe passed down in the family with a veggie tweak.

[Myst]

vegans are idiots.

vegetarians i can understand.

but vegans? jesus christ. DONT U KNO PLANTS HAEV FEELINGS 2???/

[Mrcloudz]

but vegans? jesus christ. DONT U KNO PLANTS HAEV FEELINGS 2???/

It's more like,
OMG DONT DRINK MILK IT CAEM FROM A POR INOSENT COW U BASTARDD
or
U MONSTER HOW CULD U EAT HONEY??? THINK OF THE BEEEESSS!!!!

[Mizango]

"I'm a level 5 vegan, I won't eat anything that casts a shadow."

[Correction]

"I'm a level 5 vegan, I won't eat anything that casts a shadow."

You mean you don't pocket mulch?

[Mizango]

"I'm a level 5 vegan, I won't eat anything that casts a shadow."

You mean you don't pocket mulch?

For you!

[Correction]

To get back on topic if you want to try your hand at vegetarian cooking I strongly encourage taking up baking your own bread. Some nice herby focaccia goes with just about any vegetarian meals and play the part of 'keep you full while eating rabbit food' nicely. It's also stupid-easy to make.

[wyrmtung]

I am currently on a "cleansing diet" which is pretty killer. This diet calls vegans and gluten-free dieters sissies. My friend went on this diet because he had unexplained abdominal pains. His doctor still hasn't figured out what is wrong with him but he put him on a diet to help cleanse his liver and digestive tract. The diet did help make the pain go away for a bit. He told me about it and he also told me about the benefits he is seeing from doing this diet and eating better.

*He has a new appreciation for vegetables and incorporates them more in his regular diet now.
*He sleeps more soundly.
*He lost 10 lbs.
*More energy
*Plus he generally feels better

Hearing this, I decided to try this diet for two weeks even though I don't really need too. I saw it as kind of a challenge. I knew i was forcing myself into two weeks of hell but I'm crazy like that. 8)

Basically the diet is designed to train your body to switch from running on sugar fuel to running on fat fuel. It also helps restore liver function which also helps make fat burning more efficient.

Here is what I can and can't eat:

Can
Unlimited amounts of raw nutrient-dense, high-fiber vegetables. (At least 50% of veggies eaten must be raw)
Cottage cheese or low-fat yogurt (no more than 6oz/day)
Low-fat cheeses like goat cheese (no more than 3oz/day)
Most Fruit (no more than 1/3 of the veggies you eat)
Filtered water (avoid tap)
Raw nuts and seeds (unlimited)
Small amounts of salad dressing


Can't
No animal protein
No sugars and syrups
No starchy foods like potatoes or yams
No grains like bread, cereal, oats, pasta, and rice
Most dairy (see above on what is allowed)
Fruits high in sugar but low in fiber like bananas, raisins, mango, cherries, figs, canned fruit, etc
No coffee
Avoid fruit juice


The diet is big on kale. It is called a "superior vegetable." It's also pretty bitter so I have to chop it up and mix it in some of my salads and soups. Apples are a "superior fruit." Although I am limited on the amount of fruits I eat, I can eat an unlimited amount of apples. Walnuts are a "superior nut." I mostly stick to walnuts and almonds.

In addition, i must drink a mixture of unsweetened cranberry juice, water, apple cider vinegar, and lemon juice before each meal. Plus I take some whole food supplements made from cruciferous vegetables.


What I have found is that living without eating meat is a piece of . The hard part is living without eating grains. You can't even make without grain. My mental attitude for eating has changed from eating for enjoyment to eating to fuel. A lot of the stuff I eat is not bad, in fact I could see myself eating them again when I get off the diet. However there are some meals that I eat when I feel like I'm on a contestant on Survivor and I have power down some cockroach or something.

[Howard Roark]

this, is soooo good

http://www.ivu.org/recipes/african/tunisian-j.html

i made this for my carnivore friend (i've since stopped being veggie but hey i'm lazy and admit it, being truly vegetarian is a full-time job) and he said,

'if all vegetarian meals tasted liek this i'd never eat meat again'

and btw leave out the onions, imo the veggie stock is optional, buy the sliced cabbage in a bag of pre-cut cabbage from the grocery store, and crumble some feta on top, god it's good

[Penthesilea]

40 Dried lily buds
1/4 cup Small dried tree ear mushrooms
OR
1/4 cup Shiitake mushrooms; dried
5 cups Vegetable stock
1/2 cup Bamboo shoots; canned, julienned
2teaspoons Fresh ginger; minced
1/4 teaspoon Salt
3 tablespoons Red wine vinegar
Crushed red pepper
3 tablespoons Cornstarch, MIXED WITH
3 tablespoons Water
1 large Egg
1 large Egg white
2 1/2 tablespoons Black soy sauce
4 ounces Firm tofu; cut in 1/3" dice
1 teaspoon Sesame oil
2 tablespoons Scallion; finely sliced

Directions:
In separate bowls, cover the lily buds and mushrooms wiht hot water. Let soak until softened, about 30 minutes. Drain and thoroughly rinse the lily buds and mushrooms. Trim the tough ends from the buds and halve them crosswise. If using shiitakes, coarsely chop them.

In a large nonreactive saucepan, combine the stock, lily buds, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, ginger and salt. Cover and bring to a boil over moderately high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and 1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper and boil over moderately high heat for 2 minutes.

Beat the cornstarch mixture into the soup in a steady stream. In a bowl, combine the egg and egg white and beat into the soup. Stir in the soy sauce, tofu and sesame oil and cook over moderate heat until warmed through. Season with red pepper and garnish with scallions.

[Ivaden]

Didn't read the whole thread yet but just skimming through I've seen some suggestions between the typical BG derailing, so thanks for the suggestions. I did read wyrmtung's post and was thinking it wasn't sounding bad until he said no coffee. Can't live without coffee.

Just wondering: Do vegetarians eat Eggs, Milk, or dairy products?

Well for me, I'm going to be eating eggs and cheese and just cutting out red meat, chicken, etc., but I don't drink milk anyway. I don't know if it's considered truly vegetarian or whatever, but who cares.

[Viena]

So, I decided I would try being a vegetarian for a week, just to try it. Have nothing against meat or people who eat it or whatever, just trying something new.

Anyone else a vegetarian here, or have a favorite veggie-only recipe they wouldn't mind sharing? I'm not opposed to trying any vegetable or otherwise, tofu included. Part of me deciding I would do this for a week was to try foods I normally would probably never eat. Also, I realize there's tons of recipes online, but I figured it would be a decent discussion since most of the food topics end up being pretty interesting.


I had spinach for the first time tonight that I can remember and it was great.

There is this book of potato based dishes that I would really recommend (also to non vegetarians). And its pictures are awesome.

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/6350/fotocb0.jpg

[Shuemue]

I definitely agree with experimenting with vegetable curries, you can basically throw anything in there and the best thing about a curry is the reheated leftovers often taste even better because the flavours have soaked even further into the ingredients.

I'm a true meat lover, but if a vegetable dish is well done with fresh ingredients I'll not care about the meat.

Pretty tempted by that Tunisian dish, looks pretty easy.

[Artemas]

I've done vegetarian for a while and someone asked if vegs eat eggs/milk.
Not to sound like a pretentious prat, but there are different namings for that.
There's lacto-vegetarian, meaning you will consume dairy and ovo-vegetarian, which means you consume eggs. There are also self named lacto-ovo-vegetarians, which will consume both eggs and dairy.

I also tried being vegan for a while. During this time, which was about eight months, I did not consume any animal products such as flesh, certain types of lactic acid, gelatin, casein, etc.
I didn't mind it and a couple things I learned from it are that being vegan is not for the lazy cook. There are some products that are easy to prepare but very limited. For example, I couldn't just take an afk really quick during a merit to grab a snack out of the kitchen.
The other thing was how I read food labels. Because of my determination to do this vegan thing all the way, I obssessively read every food label and did research before I went to a restuarant. I learned alot about high fructose corn syrup, aspartame and the differences between bleached and unbleached flour.
Some may claim placebo on this, but I DID feel great during this time.
I recommend it if you're looking for something different and don't mind a challenge.
And I'd like to note that before I did this, I was a veritable Tyrannesaurus Rex about meat. Rare porterhouses, bacon wrapped chicken medallions, Coke-cooked ham, and so on.

Last year I also did the Master Cleanse Detox, which is basically ten days without food, but you can have all the water you want and a lemonade sweetened with maple syrup and cayenne pepper. I was successful in completing it but it was the hardest thing I've ever done. I'd do it again.

But to add to the recipes, this is one I found from a poster named Mr. Wiggles on the SomethingAwful forums. I've done it eleventy billion times. It's a vegan recipe.

Needed:

Mango, diced. Papaya may be substituted if you cannot find a mango.
Can of diced tomatoes.
One red bell pepper, seeded and cut into bite-sized slivers.
Handful of fresh cilantro.
One medium diced onion.
One sweet potato, peeled and cubed.
One can of black beans, with the liquid.
One medium sized soup pot with lid.

Method:
Saute the onions in a little oil (olive is great) over medium heat until they become clear.
Add in the canned diced tomatoes and red bell pepper, stir and mix until they become tender, about two minutes.
Add the black beans, mixing gently for about three minutes.
Add the cubed sweet potato and cover for ten - fifteen minutes, until the sweet potato is ready. It will yield under soft pressure.
Add the mango and serve over flat bread or rice.
Cover with the loose cilantro.

I usually eat this over brown or white rice with a ton of sriracha.