Vegetarian Meals

[Trog]

From the Recipe Collection of Trog:

Artichoke Dip:

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Artichoke Dip
about 6 to 8 servings

3/4 pound cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup milk or half-and-half
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 scallions (white and green), chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups drained jarred or thawed artichoke hearts, patted dry
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Pinch cayenne
Butter, as needed
Assorted crackers

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a food processor, combine the cream cheese, milk, Parmesan, scallions, garlic, eggs, and lemon juice; pulse until smooth. Add the artichokes, salt, pepper, and cayenne, and pulse until just mixed, but still chunky. Transfer the mixture to a buttered, deep 4-cup casserole dish and bake until lightly browned and set, about 1 hour. Serve warm with crackers.

Olive Garden Hot Artichoke-Spinach Dip

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1 Cup chopped artichoke hearts (canned or frozen & thawed)

1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed

8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
dash black pepper

On the side: Crackers, 
Chips
 or Sliced toasted Pitas

Boil the spinach and artichoke hearts in a cup of water in a small saucepan over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander when done.* Heat the cream cheese in a small bowl in the microwave set on high for 1 minute. Or, use a saucepan to heat the cheese over medium heat just until hot.* Add the spinach and artichoke hearts to the cream cheese and stir well.* Add the remaining ingredients to the cream cheese and combine.
Serve hot with crackers, chips, or toasted pitas for dipping.

Edamame Soup

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Edamame Soup Recipe
To make this soup vegan, omit the creme fraiche.
1 teaspoon olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 potato, peeled and cut into small cubes,

750 g (1 1/2 lb) frozen edamame beans, defrosted

1 quart (1.2 litres or 2 pints) vegetable stock

2 tablespoons creme fraiche

salt and freshly ground pepper

In a pan, saute the onion and potato in the oil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Cover and allow it to soften for about 4 minutes, until they have both softened. Stir to prevent the mixture from sticking and burning. Add the beans and the vegetable stock. Put the lid on and simmer on a medium heat for 15-20 minutes until the beans are tender. Puree in a food processor or with a hand blender. Stir in the creme fraiche, reheat gently without boiling and serve.
Serves 4.

Flatbread, Feta and Chickpea salad

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Flatbread, Feta and Chickpea salad
Slice pita in half, brush with 4 tbsp olive oil mixed with 1/2 tsp paprika, put in oven on tray with olive oil.
Diced Red Onion thinly sliced, and finely chopped 1/2 chili pepper (deseeded). saute with olive oil. Chop large handful of parsley. Grate 2 garlic cloves into pan, Add 400g chickpeas (rinsed and drained), grate lemon zest into pan. drizzle tsp olive oil, juice half of lemon, crumble 75g feta into pan, take off heat, toss, parsley in, twist of pepper, put in bowl top with more feta, serve with flatbread.

Naan Bread

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Naan Bread
2 C. all purpose Flour
3/4 C. luke warm water
2 tsp canola oil
2.5 Tbsp. yogurt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
pinch baking soda
1 tsp yeast

add yeast to warm water, mix. Combine dry ingredients, mix. Add oil, mix, add yogurt, mix, add water/yeast mixture, mix together and knead into a dough. put a few drops of oil into hand and knead a few more seconds. Put in large bowl, covered, in fridge for 3-4 hours.
Preheat oven to 500. Use pizza stone.
Put oil on hands and Divide into 6 pieces. dredge in all purpose flour and make into balls. Roll out with rolling pin to 1/4" thick. wet hands and put naan on stone in oven. Bake for 3 minutes. When done brush with melted butter.

Vegetable Curry

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Vegetable Curry
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 shallot, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped, Saute
Add 1 diced green pepper, season with sea salt and pepper
3 tbsp Madras Curry paste in
A few Cardimom pods in
1 small Celeraic (celery root) peeled and chopped & 1/2 Cauliflower (florettes) in
400g Chopped tomatoes & water in
As it starts to boil add 1 large zuchinni roughly chopped & 1/2 Broccoli (florettes) cook 10-12 minutes.
Add fresh corriander and 250 mL greek-style yogurt

Vegetarian Chili

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Vegetarian Chili
Yield 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients
• 1 (12 ounce) package frozen burger-style crumbles
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 (15 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can light red kidney beans
• 1 (29 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can tomato juice
• 5 onions, chopped
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. In a large pot, combine meat substitute, black beans, kidney beans, diced tomatoes, tomato juice, onions, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cover. Let the chili simmer for at least 1 hour before serving.

Vegetarian Thai Green Curry (Vegan/Gluten-free)

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Vegetarian Thai Green Curry (Vegan/Gluten-free)
Ingredients:
• PASTE:
• 1 stalk lemongrass, sliced finely (see instructions below)
• 2 tsp. ground coriander (grind whole coriander seeds yourself in a coffee grinder for the best taste!)
• 3 Tbsp. vegetarian fish sauce (available at Vietnamese food stores, or substitute wheat-free soy sauce)
• 1 tsp. brown sugar (optional)
• 1-3 green chillies, deseeded (adjust according to desired spiciness)
• 1 small onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 thumb-size piece galangal (or ginger), peeled and sliced
• 2-3 kaffir lime leaves (fresh, frozen, or dried), snipped into strips or small pieces with scissors
• 1 loose cup fresh coriander leaves and stems
• 1½ tsp. dark soy sauce (substitute 1 Tbsp. wheat-free soy sauce for gluten-free diets)
• OTHER:
• 2-3 kaffir lime leaves (Trog sez: In place of kaffir lime leaves I usually just use a little lime juice.)
• 1 can good-quality coconut milk
• 1 package firm tofu cut into bite-size pieces (for gluten-free diets), OR 1 package wheat gluten “chicken" cutlets
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 cup snow peas
• 1 cup fresh holy (or sweet) basil, chopped roughly
• 1 small yam or sweet potato, cubed
• 3 Tbsp. oil for frying
• optional: other vegetables of your choice, such as carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, etc...
Preparation:
1. For complete instructions on how to buy and cook with lemongrass, see: All About Lemongrass: Your Guide to Buying, Preparing, and Cooking with Lemongrass.
2. To make the green curry paste, place all paste ingredients in a food processor or blender. Add a little of the coconut milk (enough to keep the blades going). Process well.
3. Place oil in wok or deep frying pan. Turn heat on medium-high and add paste.
4. Stir fry until fragrant (about 1 minute), then add coconut milk.
5. Add wheat gluten or tofu and stir until everything is well mixed.
6. Add kaffir lime leaves and cover.
7. Turn the heat down to medium-low and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes.
8. Add bell pepper and yam/sweet potato.
9. Cover and cook another 10 min.
10. Finally, add snow peas, stir, and continue cooking for 2-4 minutes.
11. Do a taste test for salt and spice. If not salty enough, add up to 2 Tbsp. more vegetarian fish sauce, soy sauce, or sea salt. If too salty, add a little fresh lime juice. If too spicy, add more coconut milk until desired mildness is reached.
12. To serve, place on a serving platter or in a large serving bowl.
13. Sprinkle with fresh basil and extra sliced green chillies, if desired.
14. Accompany your curry with Thai jasmine-scented rice, Thai brown rice (if unavailable, try whole grain basmati), or your choice of noodles.

Trog's International Recipe Tip: coriander leaves are, in the U.S., known as cilantro.

[Roukon]

You mentioned earlier that you were a starving college student, and were looking at vegetarian options. I like this book and most of the meals in it are filling and well done. It can be hard to find, but I think it is worth the time.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The...ent+vegetarian

Later Days,
Roukon

[golentan]

Oh, goodness me, a vegetarian thread. What's your cooking proficiency/preferred seasonings? I have dishes that run the gamut from easy to murderous, and american blandness to take the roof off your mouth curry/hispanic foods to crazy fusion stuff.

Starting easy, I'd recommend updating your existing foodstuffs to vegetarian substitute. Ground Black Beans, for example, will be an adequate replacement for a wide variety of meats (primarily ground). For more solid affairs, I can give you the recipe I use for vegetable sausage.

Of course, my simple, easy favorite is rice, beans, grilled onions, homemade guac, tomatoes and a touch of sour cream wrapped and ready for eatins. And my general advice for cooking vegetarian is simply to familiarize yourself with your spices of choice, pick a good dairy product, and then stand in the vegetable aisle smelling things while picturing different cooking methods.

I like cooking. And I don't eat that much meat when left to my own devices.