I’m having two dear friends over for dinner tonight and I haven’t decided what to cook for them.
It was supposed to be a pot luck but only two people could come: one is bringing dessert and one is bringing wine and snacks. So dinner falls to me, which is great, because I love to cook and I always make far too much for my husband and I. So what should I make for them?
Only requirements are that it be vegetarian, not too cheesy, and very tasty.
Pasta, pesto (there are my recipies that contain little or no cheese), olives, artichoke hearts.
My favorite vegetarian dish to make is lasagna, though that may be too cheesy.
Kate’s secret lasagna tricks:
“Secret spice”: nutmeg. It’s really good…trust me.
“Green ricotta”: I’m not a fan of the texture of cooked spinach, but I discovered that if you pile your ricotta, eggs, and fresh spinach in a blender for pulverizing…you get all of the flavor and nutritional value without the slimy, stringy, green lumpiness.
mmm … pasta with pesto … good idea ! Easy and tasty and makes good leftovers.
Nutmeg: which part of the lasagne does it go in?
whoops…I add it to the ricotta mixture and sometimes add a few dashes on top. You don’t need much.
fondue!
Potato Leek Soup. Mine uses chicken broth, but I’m sure vegetarian cookbooks have a standard substitute for that. It’s awesome!
**Twice Baked Potatoes **
2 large Idaho potatoes, well-scrubbed
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3 Tbsp. half-and-half or milk
2 Tbsp. Parmesan
Salt
Freshly-ground black pepper
Dried basil
Onion powder
Additional butter
Additional cheese
The night before serving, pierce potatoes on top with a sharp knife, taking care not to cut through the bottom skin. Microwave 12-15 minutes or until just cooked through, or bake at 400°F for 35-45 minutes. Cover and chill overnight.
Cut a shallow oval slice from the top of each potato. Using a melon baller or a small spoon, hollow out the potatoes, leaving a 1/8” shell inside the skins. Place potato pulp in a large bowl, mash with a fork, and spread pulp evenly over the inside of the bowl. Sprinkle salt, black pepper, basil, onion powder, and Parmesan over potato pulp. Add half-and-half or milk and mix thoroughly with fork. Stuff ends and bottoms of potatoes with filling, leaving a pocket in the center. Slice butter into ½Tbsp. pieces and fit two pieces into each pocket. Stuff potatoes with the rest of the filing, mounding over the excess up over the top. Place stuffed potatoes in a baking dish sprayed with Pam or other non-stick spray. Place a pinch of Parmesan on top of each potato and press on gently to ensure that the cheese does not fall off. Cut several thin slivers of butter with a sharp knife and place over the cheese. Bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 25 minutes.
VARIATION: Use dried tarragon and grated Gruyere cheese instead of basil and Parmesan.
Omit cheese if desired.
This recipe, including its wording, formatting, and presentation, is the original creation of John Braue and Lynn Harris. It is expressly placed in the public domain.
Spinach Quiche
1/2 cup butter
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 (4.5 ounce) can mushrooms, drained
1 (6 ounce) package herb and garlic feta, crumbled
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 (9 inch) unbaked deep dish pie crust
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1 Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2 In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Saute garlic and onion in butter until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Stir in spinach, mushrooms, feta and 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into pie crust.
3 In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into the pastry shell, allowing egg mixture to thoroughly combine with spinach mixture.
4 Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle top with remaining Cheddar cheese, and bake an additional 35 to 40 minutes, until set in center. Allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.
Those both have some cheese, but are not entirely cheesy…
Mexican food is often vegetarian.
Make veggie enchiladas, beans and rice.
There are some great recipes here:
http://vegweb.com/
The recipes in this thread all sound really good!
Also, if you want to cut back on the cheese, I’ve found that firm silken tofu (blended to a nice, thick consistency–add a little plain soy milk, if necessary), can be substituted for pasta sauces, lasagna, quiche, etc. Still use the cheese for flavor, if you prefer, but this trick has helped me many times.
Good luck and have fun!
mmm … thanks for the ideas ! I got hungry reading the thread so I just ate a wonderful roti that my husband made (I kept at him until he got the potatoes just right, now it is a wonder to behold … mmm … roti …)
Fondue: I don’t have a set but I think my folks do ! What goes in a vegetarian fondue, anyway? Cheese is lovely but bad for my belly. And the only non-cheese ones I’ve had involved a whole lotta meat.
Dolores - thanks for the recipes ! those potatoes look amazing. My step-grandmother is a wonderful cook (she makes about three turkey and three roast beef dinners with all the trimmings, every Christmas - because she wants to) but shocked and very trepadatious at the whole vegetarian thing. She made me a quiche one year and was even more shocked that I didn’t know how to make quiche ! so she sat me down and made me learn. Very good.
Kalhoun - loooove potato and leek soup ! (And FYI, vegetarian soup stock is usually sold wherever other kinds are. I use it all the time !) The only thing that could compare is squash and leek soup … drool … I love recipe threads !
Bad News - I love mexican food too ! How do you make enchiladas?
Zhen’ka - nice tip ! I’ve never used silken tofu. Do you just mix it right in with your tomato pasta sauce?
Enchiladas are easy, and always impressive.
Fry some corn tortillas one by one in oil until the are soft. If you don’t want to use oil, you can also just dip them in warmed enchilada sauce for a while. Then put a line of cheese (real Mexican cheese is best but jack works and mild cheddar can be used if you have a red sauce), diced onion, finely chopped chilis and enchilada sauce (pick up one of those really big cans) down the center of the enchilada. Roll it up, and pack it into a cassarole dish. Do this until the dish is full. Top with the rest of the sauce, cheese and onions. Add sliced tomatillos on top if you use a green sauce (my favorite) or sliced olives with a red sauce. Bake until cheese is melty and gushy.
To this basic recipe you can add whatever you want as a filling. I’ll often throw in a can of black beans. Once I added garlic mashed potatos and rosemary roasted veggies. Use your imagination. It’s hard to go wrong.
Oh yeah, make sure to smear sauce around the bottom of the cassarole dish before you start filling it. It’s pretty hard for your enchiladas to end up too saucey, so don’t worry.
Appetizers:
Stuffed mushrooms
Blue Cheese in Celery Sticks
Antipasto Platter
Guacamole
Deviled Eggs
Shitake Mushrooms with Chevre (broiled mushrooms with French goat cheese)
Red Pepper Couli (roasted pepper sauce or dip)
Salad:
Hearts of Palm with Creamy Vinaigrette
Carrot and Raisin Salad
Namasu (Japanese bean sprout and carrot salad)
Potato Salad
Coleslaw (from “The Pantry”)
Greek Salad
First Course:
Glazed Baby Carrots
Pita bread and Feta Cheese
Cheese Sauce (sauce for steamed vegetables)
Mashed Potatoes
Spanish Rice
Mexican Style Beans
Sweet Hominy (buttered hominy in maple syrup)
Main Course:
Stuffed Artichoke Crowns
Stuffed Bell Peppers
Stuffed Cabbage Leaves
Ricotta Ravioli with Pesto Sauce
Cheese Fondue
Raclette (Swiss style potatoes and cheese)
Sauteed Mushrooms and Scallions (main course topping)
Linguini Alfredo
Eggplant Parmesan
Note: There are lots more vegetarian recipes in The Ultimate Recipe Thread’s Active Index
Yay, Zenster’s here ! Thanks, as always, for the recipes ! I think I’ve made your Mexican beans already and I’m filing the red pepper dip one for this weekend. Question re: the mushrooms - all the Shiitake ones I can find are dried, and I’ve never made them taste any good. But Portobello mushrooms are widely available here and I usually use them instead. Am I missing something important? Also I’m still not sure what “hominy grits” are - is it just coarsely ground yellow corn meal? … uh, just noticed your recipe calls for a “can.” I’m stumped. I can get “polenta” in a tube, is that the same thing?
Thanks for the recipe, sven. Question: what’s in enchilada sauce? I love my city for all the varieties of national food that are widely available - Ethiopian, Tibetan, Sri Lankan, to name a few of the more non-standard groceries I can get at the store on the corner - but we are always sadly lacking in Mexican things. I don’t think I’ve ever seen enchilada sauce. Can I just use some kind of tomato-based thing?
I usually only use silken tofu for “creamier” dishes. However, you can use chopped or canned tomatoes (the juices mix well with the tofu) to give the dish more consistency.
I really like this recipe for Vodka Pasta ( I omit the shrimp (or use extra-firm tofu in its place–marinated with garlic, oregano, or other yummy spices and coated with olive oil first) and use silken tofu in the place of the whipping cream, though you might have to play around with the amount to achieve the consistency you want):
LINGUINE WITH SHRIMP AND ASPARAGUS
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter (I find that olive oil or cooking spray works well, too)
1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled, deveined ** (omit if you want a veggie dish)**
1 cup sliced shallots (about 3 large shallots)
16 asparagus spears, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped (you can substitute canned, for time constraints, though fresh tastes best!)
1 cup whipping cream (silken tofu here)
1/2 cup vodka
1/2 cup sliced drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (about 2 ounces)
12 ounces linguine
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
Melt 1/4 cup butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp; sautée until opaque in center, about 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to bowl. Add shallots and asparagus to saucepan; saut until shallots are tender and slightly brown, about 3 minutes. Add plum tomatoes, cream, vodka and sun-dried tomatoes. Simmer until tomatoes are tender, about 4 minutes. Add shrimp; toss to coat.
Meanwhile, cook linguine in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain well, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Return pasta and reserved cooking liquid to pot. Add sauce; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving dish. Sprinkle with basil and serve.
Makes 4 Servings.
Bon Appétit
June 1997
from: www.epicurious.com
I forget the brand, you can usually find it in the produce section of any supermarket with the other tofu products, but there are good soy cheese substitutes. They have green packaging, if that helps! I use the parmesan one to top this dish.
This dish also tastes great the second day!
For my birthday this past spring I did vegetarian tacos. I used ground portobello mushrooms in place of the meat. It turned out pretty tasty!
I’ve also seen portobello burgers: A grilled portobello cap, on a bun.
Two years ago I hosted my brothers for a holiday lunch. One of my brothers is a confirmed vegetarian. I had a brand new wok, so I did a big vegetable stir fry. (I noted to said brother that the wok had not yet tasted meat.)
I need to go through Zenster’s recipies. I do a lot of vegetarian cooking, because it’s a bit hard for me to keep my freezer stocked with meat.
Are you stopping by the store or cooking out of the fridge?
Do you want one dish (like a pasta dish) or courses (salad, size, something that would take the place of steak in the middle of the plate)?
How much time do you want to spend cooking?
I do a very nice pasta with tofu. Firm tofu, pressed and cubed. Coat with lots of thyme. Bake for firmness - they stir fry in olive oil.
Boil noodles (penne)
Cook asparagus in microwave (so easy)
Remove tofu from pan, drain pasta and asparagus. Throw into thyme-y olive oil. Toss, add tofu back. Very elegant (something elegant about anything with asparagus in it). Very quick. Definately what I would whip up if I needed to stop by the store and impress guests with some fast cooking.
Couscous is another favorite. You can make a vegetable ragout to go over the top, or make more of a “pasta” salad with it. As a pasta salad its a wonderful light summer meal. As the base for stew, you get a hearty sort of thing.
Mexican and Italian both work well veggie. As does most Asian.
Are they egg eaters? A fritatta works well, cooks up fast and is filled with protein. Works well as a main dish with a salad. So does quiche.
cowgirl, please avoid attempting the mushroom recipe using dried shitakes. That was how I made them the first time and it was a compleat disaster. You will want to check out any of the Asian or gourmet food stores in your area for fresh shitakes. Other mushrooms tend to have a much higher moisture content than shitakes and may not work as well. I’d use the largest crimini brown Italian field mushrooms (baby portabellos) as a second choice. I certainly hope you try this recipe as it is one smashing little appetizer. Be sure to check out Trader Joe’s (if you have one), as their logs of Chevre are extremely economical. Whole Foods, Draeger’s or Kroger should carry the fresh shitakes.
The hominy referred to in the recipe is a tinned large kernel yellow corn. The kernels are washed in a mild lye solution that makes them swell and soften. You should be able to find yellow hominy in any local supermarket. (Be sure to use genuine maple syrup if you make this recipe.)
I’d certainly recommend grilling some herbed polenta topped with Parmesan cheese and the red pepper sauce on the side, it should be delightful.
Portabella mushroom pasta
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic (more iffen ya like garlic)
coupla shakes red pepper flakes
3-4 portabella mushroom caps, thinly sliced
2 14-oz cans diced tomatoes (or one bigass 28 oz can of same) - I like the petite diced best
1 lb penne, cooked al dente
salt and pepper
Warm up your largest skillet to medium heat. Add the oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. When the garlic sizzles, toss in the portabella mushroom slices, drizzle with some more EVOO, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cover and cook/simmer for 15ish minutes - check and shake every once in a while. When it’s cooked down and your mushrooms are a nice, deep color, dump in the diced tomatoes and heat through. If you’d like, add fresh basil or parsley. Add to your cooked pasta and serve immediately with fresh grated cheese.
This is one of my current faves, and it’s quick. The pepper flakes also add a touch of spiciness that’s excellent. Enjoy!
Snicks
Another tasty salad would be, tabouleh.
You could also serve kasha, farfel or orzo for a starch dish.
Falafel is a good main course as well. There’s a great topping recipe for falafel in the active index.