I’ve got a cluster of vegetarians coming to stay this weekend. And while I’ve got a few vegetarian recipes at my disposal (mostly soup and salads), I think I need some more ideas.
Any good vegetarian recipe blogs out there? Any vegetarian Dopers with recipes to share?
Just posting to subscribe to the thread; I’m always on the lookout for good veggie recipes. I’ll post some as soon as I remember which were the ones we really liked.
I’ve been a vegetarian for 14 years, so while I’m not the best cook, I definitely have some recipes stashed away. Also, Vegetarian Times has some really good stuff (although their search engine can be a bit wonky), and you can search onrecipezaar and limit your search to vegetarian recipes.
There is one recipe I’ve been making a lot lately, from my 15-Minute Vegetarian cookbook (highly recommended). It’s a Mushroom Stroganoff:
6 ounces egg noodles
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 lb. sliced mushrooms
1/2 c. chopped yellow onion
2 tbsp. dry white wine
1 tsp. crushed garlic
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. unbleached flour
1 c. vegetable broth, heated in the microwave
1/2 c. lowfat sour cream
2 tbsp. catsup
Cook the egg noodles & transfer to a serving bowl. Meanwhile, melt 2 tbsp. of the butter in a saute pan over medium-high heat and add mushrooms, onion, wine, garlic, and salt. Saute until mushrooms are limp (approx. 5 minutes).
In a separate saucepan, melt the rest of the butter. Add the flour, then gradually the hot stock, whisking to make a smooth sauce. Whisk in the sour cream and catsup and cook until thickened (approx. 2 min). Fold in the mushroom mixture, then pour the sauce over the noodles & toss to combine.
Delicious, and I’ve found it really does only take 15 minutes.
Falafel pitas is an easy dinner that’s vegetarian (or even vegan!) friendly and that most people like. Boxed falafel mix is super fast and not that bad, or you can make your own.
If you want to do Mexican, bean burritos or enchiladas are excellent, popular, and vegetarian friendly also. We had a barbecue this summer where we had a mix of meat and non-meat eaters, and we had a mix of grilled shrimp, pulled pork, and beans and had everyone just assemble their own tacos, which turned out well enough.
If your guests eat eggs, you can make spanish tortilla- all you need are potatoes, onions, peppers, eggs and spice, pretty much. It’s easy, filling, and reheats well.
(Sorry, I don’t have recipes forany of those things on me, but at least they’re ideas.)
Maryland Flag Chili
This vegetarian chili (can be vegan) can be made entirely with stuff that keeps for a long time (the only thing in it at all perishable is the onion, and those keep a long time), so it’s a good one to do when you really should go to the grocery store but you’re too tired or don’t want to bother. It also uses only one pot (I use a Dutch oven or big saucepan- nonstick is best, just because it’s easier to clean) and one spoon. It doesn’t require precise measurement of anything.
It’s Maryland Flag Chili because it contains things that are red (the tomatoes), white (the white beans), gold (the corn), and black (the black beans), which are the colors of the Maryland flag, and I’m from Maryland.
It could also be made with just black beans instead of a mix of beans, in which case it would be Steelers Chili. That might be good if you needed a smaller portion, as the Maryland Flag Chili recipe makes rather a lot.
It was partly inspired by the Chili Con Corny served at an on-campus cafe at UC Santa Cruz.
Slice an onion and saute it in a little olive oil in the pot you’re going to use for the chili.
Add a big can of tomatoes, a can of white beans, a can of black beans, and a can of kidney beans.
Add a can of corn (you could also use frozen corn).
Add as much stock (I use vegetarian beef-flavored stock, which you can find in the kosher section of the supermarket, but you could use real meat stock if you’re not vegetarian or kosher) or water as you want to make the chili the right consistency (some people like it really chunky, some like it soupier).
Heat up the chili until it is simmering.
Add salt, chili powder, and cumin to taste. If your chili powder isn’t spicy enough, you could add some cayenne, too. I like to put in a splash of tequila as well, but you don’t have to.
Leave it sit on the burner until you’re ready to eat.
This recipe makes enough for a one-dish meal for at least three people. Mr. Neville says it is even better reheated as leftovers. You can vary the leftovers a bit by draining off some of the liquid and using the beans and vegetables as a taco or burrito filling. That feels a little more like a new dish and less like having to eat up leftovers.
Serving suggestions:
It’s good with crumbled-up tortilla chips in it, and that’s a good way to use up the little tortilla crumbs that you always get at the bottom of the bag.
It’s also good with sour cream and/or shredded cheese.
Costco has (or used to have- the last time I went the Costco near me didn’t have them any more :() good pre-made falafel.
Chili
Into the Crock (6-8 hours):
1 white onion diced
1 12oz can V8 Juice
1 can black beans (rinse off syrup first)
1 can kidney beans - light or dark (rinse off syrup first)
1 can Chili beans in sauce (Bush’s) [optional, for those who like lots of beans]
1 large can of tomatoes w/ their juice. I like the chunky cut - diced
works too
1 huge can or jug of tomato juice (top off the crock with this)
1 to 3 tablespoons of chili powder - Alton Brown’s:
Beats the pants off of store bought, and you can substitute the dried chiles you can find for any you can’t.
Meat Substitute:
Top it off with whole mushrooms (rinsed). They float for a bit, then sink as they cook. Whole mushrooms are handy for those who’ll pick them out, and chili-fied whole mushrooms are delicious.
Alton Brown tosses in a few crushed handfuls of tortilla chips for salt and thickening with corn flower. I prefer a few saltines in the bowl - not the crock.
Enjoy.
I can’t find the exact recipe on the new computer but none of the measurements are critical anyway…
Banquet Potatoes
Chop, then sautee a medium onion in half* a stick of butter. Use mediumish heat (don’t wanna scald the butter), cook till onion is transparent.
In a mixing bowl (or in the pan itself), combine:
About 40 oz frozen hash browns or potatoes O’Brien
Can of cream (of mushroom, chicken, celery, whatever) soup concentrate
4-6 oz shredded sharp cheddar
8 oz sour cream
salt
fresh ground pepper
Bake at 350F about an hour, till potatoes are cooked through.
*Here’s the fancy shmancy but optional part. Melt the other half of the stick in a bowl in the microwave. Fill a ziplock about half full with cornflakes. Smash them a bit on the counter. Pour the melted butter into the ziplock with the cornflakes. Shake.
At about 50 minutes into the baking, remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle cornflakes over the top, return to oven to finish. Note: cornflakes don’t microwave so well…turn cornflake side when before nuking. And if you don’t do the cornflakes, just use the whole stick of butter for sauteeing the onion.
Uber tasty and easy peasy. If this is a live-and-let-live get-together, you can cook up some bacon or Italian sausage on the side, add it to your portion. Wrapped in a warm tortilla, this is breakfast, but it’s a great dish all on its own.
Tailor it to your taste. Swap out some soup concentrate for more sour cream, for instance. Or if you like it less cheesy, add less cheese. Or use cheese soup concentrate instead of cream soup if you want a cheesegasm. You can also add things like jalapenos, pimientos, etc, to give it more color.
Hmmboy! I’m known far and wide for these.
I’m in the midst of making this tomato pie for supper. I’ve split the ingredients between two pie shells, but aside from that, I’m following the recipe exactly. I’ve never made it before, but I see no reason why it shouldn’t be awesome.
I would also direct you to Mollie Katzen’s recipe archives. Every recipe of hers I’ve ever made has been wonderful. She was, I believe, one of the founding members of the Moosewood Collective.
And, speaking of Moosewood, try out some of their recipes. I love my Moosewood cookbooks!
Get out your wok. You do have one, right? If not, a large skillet should do.
I’m describing the ingredients in the order they’re added to the pan, but I usually chop everything first before starting. Once the cooking starts, it goes pretty quickly.
Before you fire up the wok, put on a pot of salted water to boil. You’re going to start cooking the veggies at about the same time the pasta goes in. I use bowties, and after they’ve been in the pot a few minutes, I take a handful of spaghetti, break it up into roughly thirds, and toss the short strands in with the bowties. Use whatever shapes you like, though: wagon wheels, fusilli, whatever.
OK, on to the veggies:
Chop up or slice some fresh garlic. You can use “cheater’s garlic” (the minced stuff in a jar) if you’re really lazy, but fresh is so much nicer. Toast it lightly (no oil) in the hot wok for a minute or so.
Also slice up some green onions, celery, and carrots. (You can use regular onions if you like, but I like green.) Splash some olive oil into the wok, add these veggies, and stir-fry for a few minutes.
Next comes the next batch of veggies. You can use pretty much whatever you want: mushrooms, bell peppers, asparagus, eggplant, whatever trips your trigger. Here’s what I use: Zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced; yellow squash, halved lengthwise and sliced; and some frozen corn, french-cut green beans, and sometimes peas, nuked lightly. Add the squash first and stir-fry for a bit, and then the nuked and drained frozen veggies. Of course you can use fresh if you want; just add them along with the squash or whatever other raw veg you’re using.
Toss in some dried basil, and maybe some oregano or whatever you like. For me, basil is just fine by itself. Also a touch of salt and pepper. More olive oil if needed while cooking, and a dibble of butter for flavor.
The last batch of veggies is a couple of chopped tomatoes and some sliced black olives. These are added when the rest of the veggies are nearly done, and they are heated for only a minute or two.
By now your pasta should be done. Drain it and put it in a big bowl. Add the veggies and toss the whole thing with a couple of handfuls of shredded parmesan. I just buy one of those preshredded tubs because it’s easy, but I know that cheese nerds would consider that heresy.
Serve with some nice crusty bread and a salad, and a nice wine. (Though we usually skip the salad, and often the bread, when it’s just us.) This always gets rave reviews when we serve it to guests, whether they’re vegetarian or not.
Thanks for that link. You are right she wrote the original Moosewood cookbook in 1977. Unfortunately she “modernised” all the recipes for modern sensibilities so they are healthier but less tasty. I am still hoping to find a copy of the original and not the new one.
I got an awesome potato peanut curry dish from Cook for Good - I doubted it before I tried it, because it is definitely not the curry method I’d use normally, but it’s super-easy and really, really tasty.
1 lb potatoes (I like Yukon Gold for an all around pantry potato)
1 can diced tomatoes (the regular sized can, or half a big can)
1 cup water
salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 tsp ground cayenne or chipotle pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 tsp tumeric
Peel and dice potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes.
Put potatoes, water, tomatoes (do not drain) and salt in a medium pot. Cover and bring to boil over medium high and then reduce to simmer.
In microwave safe bowl, add rest of ingredients. Cover and nuke 2 minutes. Add to potato mixture and simmer 10 minutes or until potatoes are done (probably 20 minutes total counting the time you spend futzing around with the tahini mixture and such.)
Quick, easy, and absolutely delicious - don’t knock my microwave curry until you try it. 
I always recommend my Ratatouille. It’s delicious and eggplant is in season right now.
Chickpea curry:
This takes about 10 minutes. Fry chopped onion, curry leaves, ground kumin and chopped chillies for a few minutes. Add chopped tomatoes (and some red wine), cook for a couple of minutes to reduce a little. Add canned chickpeas. Heat through. Season.
Eat up. Like that or possibly with rice.
Some kind of semi-sour cucumber salad will probably taste good with it.
-buffalo wing taco’s using vegi-buffalo wings chopped up.
-BLT wraps using vegi-bacon
Greek Salad
-head of cauliflower
-bunch of broccoli
-package of feta cheese cubed
-can of pitted black olives
-cherry tomatoes sliced in half
-1/4 cup of onions
-1 green pepper chopped up
1/4 cup oil & vinegar mixed 4 parts oil to one part vinegar
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. tarragon
1/2 tsp. thyme
mix everything in lidded container, shake the heck out of it and let sit for at least a couple of hrs to marinade. You can add more of the spices and dressing but keep the ratio’s the same. Shaking forces cheese and other bits into olives and tomatoes. Cut out the woody parts of broccoli and cauliflower so they are more tender and sweeter to eat.
Teriyaki shish kabob veggies -
You can grill anything but cherry tomatoes and ripe peaches really stand out.
Oh, and fried eggplant. I’ve never made it myself but I’m dying for some.
Rasberry stirfry.
This is my own concoction,
slice up a couple of large garlic cloves in a large pan and cook them in a couple Tbsp. of oil to infuse taste. Discard garlic.
While oil is still hot toss in any of your favorite veggies that are relatively neutral in flavor. I use Belgian endives, leeks, water chestnuts bean sprouts and Chinese pea pods. To that add some dried cranberries and chopped pecans. Stir fry it to coat and add a few drops of Raspberry flavored wine vinegar. I’m not kidding about a few drops (a splash) because it’s very strongly flavored and it makes a mess when it hits hot oil. The raspberry flavor works well with the cranberries and the sweet pecans. You could probably add fresh ginger or soak the water chestnuts in lemon juice but I haven’t experimented with it yet.
This is an excellent crunchy salad with a bright fruity taste that is tempered with the flavor of garlic. You can substitute butter/margarine for the oil and it still works. I would suggest using an olive oil flavored margarine if you want the warmer taste of butter.
Interesting that your user name is Surok, which I take as Vulcan from Star Trek–the Vulcans are vegetarians.
So many good suggestions have already been made that I don’t really know what else to add. My introduction to vegetarian food came via a taste of eggplant parmesan, which is truly a delicious dish that both meat eaters and veggies will love. There are also plenty of meat substitutes out there–some people like em, others don’t. Tofu can be used in place of meat; it pretty much takes on the flavor of whatever spices/herbs are used in the dish. Some people don’t like it’s texture or taste. Morningstar Farms has an edame patty that I’ve tried that’s not too bad tasting. Such a ringing endorsement, I know, but some of the stuff is really hit or miss.
I hope you’re guests are enjoying their weekend with you.
Vegan Mexican Corn
1 Large Styrofoam Cup
1 Plastic Spoon
2 ears of charcoal roasted sweet corn
1/4-1/2 cup of Veganaise
2-3 tsp chili powder (toasted and ground fresh Ancho would be nice)
1/2-1 tsp cayenne pepper
1-2 tbsp granulated sugar
The juice of half a lime
Salt and Pepper
Cut the roasted sweet corn from the cob with a knife. Add all ingredients to the styrofoam cup and mix.
Popular street food from Brownsville, from what I understand.
Really, Really Unbelievably harmonious and delicious. It shocked me the first time I tried it, but that was also with real mayonaise (disclaimer)
Upon further exploration, this recipe is a form of mexican roasted corn (Elote) known as Esquite.
Better check, many cream of creature soups are made with animal broth as part of the soup base.