Vegetarian recipes

[Freedom Canadian]

One of my friend's girlfriend is a vegetarian and I want to have them over for dinner. To make matters worse, she's a bit picky. And my cooking skills suck.

So I need a recipe that's both delicious and not too complicated to make. :D

I refuse to work with beans or tofu because I've never really had those to eat and I can't cook something well if I don't know what it's supposed to look or taste like, you know. :)

I guess I could get some of that sweet fresh pasta from the supermarket and do something with it. Maybe with tomato pesto or some type of non-meat-based sauce.

Any ideas ? :)

[Priss]

One of my friend's girlfriend is a vegetarian and I want to have them over for dinner. To make matters worse, she's a bit picky. And my cooking skills suck.

So I need a recipe that's both delicious and not too complicated to make. :D

I refuse to work with beans or tofu because I've never really had those to eat and I can't cook something well if I don't know what it's supposed to look or taste like, you know. :)

I guess I could get some of that sweet fresh pasta from the supermarket and do something with it. Maybe with tomato pesto or some type of non-meat-based sauce.

Any ideas ? :)
Do you know what kind of vegetarian she is? Does she eat fish/seafood? Is she vegan or macrobiotic? You said she's picky so these could be likely.

[Freedom Canadian]

She does not eat fish but she does eat cheese.

[Priss]

She does not eat fish but she does eat cheese.

If you want to go casual you can do a veggie lasagna (just spinach and ricotta) and garlic bread. You can also do a vermicelli with browned butter and a side of steamed veggies and add either an Italian sausage or chicken breast sautéed in garlic and white wine for you and your friend if you like. Another option is portobello burgers with or without parmesan.

I can check with my herbivore friends for some other suggesstions for you.

[Pigs in Space]

This one time, my lovely wife cooked a meal that was penne pasta, with roast pumpkin, fetta cheese, pine nuts... and something green.

It was spectacular. I will have to see if she has the recipe.

[Black Angel]

This one time, my lovely wife cooked a meal that was penne pasta, with roast pumpkin, fetta cheese, pine nuts... and something green.

It was spectacular. I will have to see if she has the recipe.

Ok, found the recipe - and yes this is really tasty and not too hard to make...

Ingredients:
1 packet (500g) penne pasta
1/4 Kent pumpkin (or similar that can be baked)
2 onions, sliced
3-4 cloved garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon butter/marj
rosemary, olive oil, black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon honey
1 packet (100g or so) pine nuts, roasted
1/2 cup chicken stock (use vege stock if needed)
500g (approx, to taste)fetta cheese, cubed
200g (approx, to taste) baby spinach

Method:
1. Roast the pumpkin in small cubes with the garlic, rosemary, olive oil and black pepper until soft, but not falling apart.
2. Put pasta on to boil until al dente.
3. Caramelise the onions by frying them in the butter until brown & soft, then add the honey and chicken/vege stock. Cook for a couple more minutes until the stock is mostly gone.
4. Drain pasta when ready and stir through roasted pumpkin, onions, fetta, baby spinach and pine nuts, then serve.

As a variation, you can add sweet potato as well as pumpkin. Cook at the same time as the pumpkin.




Hope that is of some use - it tastes good and looks good on the plate.

[Harry]

This would be a good place for you to browse:

http://www.molliekatzen.com/

She writes for the Moosewood cookbook, which is the single best thing to ever happen to vegetarian cooking.

[doc]

So do you slow braise your Vegetarian or eat it raw ?

[Freedom Canadian]

Lotsa good ideas so far.

*takes notes*

[Atropine Mama]

Hitler was a vegetarian.

Sorry, couldn't resist the urge to Godwin a food thread! :D

[doc]

Hitler was a vegetarian.

Sorry, couldn't resist the urge to Godwin a food thread! :D

That's one veggie I know is being slow roasted.

[Pigs in Space]

So have you cooked anything yet?

[Freedom Canadian]

Not yet. I have to say that Black Angel's recipe would be pretty tempting to try though if I had the slightest idea whether those generic pumpkins they sell at the grocery store can be baked and where to find pine nuts. :)

I'll ask a food buff friend of mine.

[Black Angel]

Generic pumpkins would probably work fine - at the very worst they might just go a bit mushy (like mine did 'cos I cooked them too much).

Pine nuts could probably be substituted with slivered almonds if you have too much trouble.

[Freedom Canadian]

I found out they do have pine nuts at the supermarket, they are just very expensive. Oh well, you don't make an omelet without buying expensive ingredients. :D

[Morbidity]

Hmmm must add exciting veggie recipe I tried on the weekend, though probably will not fall into the category of uncomplicated. I had a lot of fun doing it and was very easy.

Hmmm ... for 2-3 depending on how much you eat:

500g pumpkin - cut into small chunks, toss with olive oil, roast then mash
500g cherry tomatoes and 1 clove garlic finely sliced - roast then mash
1 yellow capsicum + 1 red capsicum - roast, then take the skin off then chop into 2cm wide slices
400g low fat ricotta + 1/2 cup basil roughly chopped - combine (you can shove some thyme in as well if you want)
lasagne slices - boil for 2 minutes, then transfer to cold water to stop cooking.

Now layer:
Lasagne slice
Roast pumpkin
Roast tomato
1/2 ricotta basil mixture
Lasagne slice
Capsicum
Rest of ricotta mixture
Lasagne slice
Put some olive oil on top and some cheese if you must
Put in oven at 160C for 10 minutes.

Serve with a drisle of olive oil and balsamic for that oh so sophisicated look.
If going extra sophisticated put a few cherry tomatoes in with the layered pasta and serve a mini roast tomato on the side.

Delicious. Best bit is you can prepare it all in advance and then just whack it in the oven when you'r ready to eat.

[Black Angel]

Mmm sounds tasty Morbs!

[EhtoZed]

Not yet. I have to say that Black Angel's recipe would be pretty tempting to try though if I had the slightest idea whether those generic pumpkins they sell at the grocery store can be baked and where to find pine nuts. :)

I'll ask a food buff friend of mine.
I don't think pine nuts would be too hard to find in Montreal. If nothing else I'm sure you could find them in one of the Italian grocers along St. Laurent or the marche for fresher stuff.

[TiQuinn]

Eggplant Parmesan

3 medium size eggplants, sliced into discs
Breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/4 cup of milk
1/4 cup of flour
Tomato sauce, prepared or homemade
16 oz. bag of Mozzarella cheese
Olive oil

Add the egg and milk to a bowl, and beat until mixed. Put the flour in a bowl, and put the breadcrumbs into a seperate bowl. Heat up the olive oil in a skillet, putting in enough to cover the bottom. Dredge the eggplant slices in flour, dip in the egg mixture, and then coat with the breadcrumbs. Then add the slices a few at a time to the oil. Cook until golden brown. When done, put them aside on a plate with some paper towels to drain. Take a casserole dish, and start layering: eggplant, a little bit of tomato sauce, a little bit of cheese, repeat. Finish it off with an lot of cheese on top. Throw it in the oven at 375 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes until cheese is nice and bubbly.

In my opinion, you can prepare this a day in advance, and even reheat before serving. This is definitely something that is better a day later. :D

[doc]

Little translation probem here Morps, is capsicum what we call bell pepper (http://re3.mm-a7.yimg.com/image/3923995882) ?

[Morbidity]

Doc that would be it. I've always found it strange how vegies are called different things in different countries. They're called sweet peppers in the UK.

[Freedom Canadian]

We just call them "peppers", I think.

I tried Black Angel's recipe tonight. It's awesome ! :D

(It did take nearly two hours to prepare, though, but it's worth it.)

[Goblin Girl]

One really easy and filling thing you can do is roast a bunch of vegetables. You can use potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, squash and whatever else you like.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment. Cut the vegetables into large-ish chunks. Toss them in a bit of olive oil. Lay them out on the cookie sheet and sprinkle them with rosemary and coarse salt. Stick them in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees. (How long they need is contingent upon how big the chunks are and what sort of vegetables you're roasting.)

When the're done, serve them on a platter. You can just serve them as-is, or provide a selection of dips.

[Eliezer]

Doc that would be it. I've always found it strange how vegies are called different things in different countries. They're called sweet peppers in the UK.

Capsicum is botanically (as opposed to common usage) the name of a family of plants that all produce a chemical called capsaicin. In the US, in part due to the Mexican and South/Central American influence we distinguish greatly between different varieties of Capsicum. Jalapenos, Habeneros, Thai red, scotch bonnet, serrano, tabasco, cayenne, bell peppers, sweet peppers, etc. are frequently sold by name. The "sweat" peppers are so called because of the relative scarcity of capsaicin, the heat causing agent.


Wiki article that talks about different regional names (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsicum)

Funniest part of all of this is all these varieties originated in the Americas and so did not exist in Asian cuisine before Columbus. So chilies are about as native to Thai food as tomatoes are to Italian cuisine.

[Eliezer]

Veggie Dish we used to make:

Vegetable Mash

quarter potatoes (peeled or well washed)
quarter peeled carrots
chopped onions

Boil together in pressure cooker until all well cooked. Mash together with plenty of butter and milk to create creamy orange colored, interesting flavored mashed potatoes. (If you really want to go with filling mash with a block or 2 of cream cheese.)

You can get interesting with this by adding sweet potatoes or yams, pumpkin or other seeded squashes, finely chopped celery adds a nice touch. Turnips, beets and other vegetables can be used.

Freshly chopped herbs can be mashed in during the mashing phase. Parsley and Cilantro are good choices.

Serve with cheese/butter or perhaps a gravy made from vegetable stock.

To make this you need a good understanding of how to make good mashed potatoes (and not over mash them) and this allows you some real variety in texture and taste.

But either way, mashed potatoes get a lot more interesting :)

[Space Cadet B^3]

Morningstar brand veggie crumble acts like 1 pound of browned ground beef, add it to some prego to go over pasta, or stir in taco seasoning to make burritos/tacos/nachos, etc.

I believe it was even used in some damn tasty enchiladas.

That way you can find something to cook that's in your comfort zone. One time I made a batch of the morningstar tacos and a batch with ground beef. the only difference was a slight texture difference and the lack of grease in the morningstar. People who tried both were impressed.

[Megamieuwsel]

Toast Chevre (Dessert)

One slice of Chevre Doux (WITH "SKIN"!) of about 80-100gr
One slice of toast
Teaspoon roast Pine nuts
Teaspoon honey
Some fresh Thyme, Dill and Marjory
(Little amount of whatever else you think might be tasty..)

Place the Chevre(with skin!) on the toast, spread the Marjory, Dill, Thyme and Pine nuts evenly over the cheese.
Spread the honey somewhat evenly over it all, but not on the toast(It'll get there anyway and you'll want most of it on the cheese.)
Put in the oven 'till the hevre starts to melt.
Serve warm.
You may take off the skin, if you don't like it before serving, but it MUST be on it while in the oven.(It just doesn't taste as good without it..)

[Bregh]

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