Mrs. Homie and I are cutting back on the amount of meat we consume. We’re not going full vegan (no judgment or lectures, please).
For this reason, I would like to crowdsource some delicious vegetarian and/or vegan recipes, main dishes and side dishes welcome. Since we’re not going full vegan, recipes that include dairy and eggs and such are fine.
Go!
Here’s a recipe for African Vegetable Stew that I submitted to the Usenet Cookbook many years ago (back when Usenet was a “thing”).
Here’s one I adapted from The Complete Book of Pasta by Enrica Jarratt amd Vernon Jarratt:
Fusilli with Raw Tomatoes and Basil
3/4 lb. fusilli
2 lb. raw tomatoes (don’t use canned, use the best tomatoes you can find, cherry tomatoes won’t work)
5 Tbsp. of the best olive oil you can get
1 handful of fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Peel the tomatoes (1 minute in boiling water makes this easy). Cut the tomatoes in half crosswise and squeeze out and discard the juice and seeds. Chop the tomatoes (half-inch pieces are about right). Put the tomatoes in a sieve and let the juice drain for at least a few minutes.
Put the tomatoes in a bowl. Add the oil, chopped basil, chopped garlic, salt and pepper to taste.
Cook and drain the fusilli, and put the pasta in a serving dish. Add the cold, uncooked sauce, mix well, and send to the table.
I oven roast vegetables asparagus green and red peppers, onions , zucchini, butternut squash topped with olive oil and salt and maybe a clove or 2 of garlic. Cook up pasta and when vegs are done mix all together with more olive oil and or butter and Parmesan cheese. I make a big batch and eat for a few days. If a saucier sauce is wanted dump in a container of cherry tomatoes while vegs are roasting and cook until they pop.
I will post a bean side dish later … it cooks in the crock pot and uses canned drained beans and fresh red and green peppers etc… great side dish with eggs.
Very simple, quick, and delicious vegetable soup.
Split red lentils (about 2 tablespoons per serving)
Tomatoes (peeled, if not too much trouble)
A couple of other fresh vegetables of your choice - broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, spinach, etc.
Chop vegetables, put in pot with lentils, and add a sufficient quantity of water.
Add salt, black pepper, and optionally any other spices of your choice.
Cook at a slow boil for for about ½ hour. Or a bit longer if you’ve used carrots or potatoes.
It tastes a lot better than it sounds! The red lentils make all the difference.
Not so much recipes, just general ideas as to where to look (I tend to just throw in whatever I like, recipes are just suggestions to me)
Do you like curry? There are zillions of excellent non-meat curries, any indian site or cookbook will have them. You can use vegetables (pumpkin, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach), pulses (chickpeas, lentils), eggs (boiled eggs), paneer (indian cheese). Different flavour with different bases and you can change things up to how you like things. https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetable-recipes/easy-homemade-curry-pastes/
The other cuisine for yummy meatless is mexican. Anything with meat can be done with beans. Yummy black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, whatever. Bean chilli. Yum.
Minestrone soup. Loads of veges (whatever you’ve got, but any recipe will have the “usual” ones), kidney beans (or whatever beans you like), tomatoes and a tiny (seriously, tiny, if you put too much, it’ll be revolting and salty) bit of dark miso paste. Shredded cheese on top, crusty bread.
Mediterranean cuisines are full of vegetarian dishes. Vegetable lasagna, pasta al pesto, vegetable omelettes, humus, bean soups (lentil, chickpea, kidney-shaped beans)…
I’ve been surprised by how tasty it can be to dip tofu in flavored hummus, much like you would with chips in salsa. You just have to find the type(s) of flavored hummus you like and can dip in more than one type of hummus at a time. Tasty, healthy, cheap, easy, fast.
I like a nice bowl of spaghetti tossed with browned butter, freshly cut basil leaves, and plenty of freshly-grated Parmesan (or Romano, or mizithra) cheese.
Here’s a tasty quiche Florentine (sorta) recipe you might like.
This probably would have been a good thread for you to have turned off your .sig.
This is something I frequently bring to gatherings and it is always a hit:
Bonus: it is easy to make.
mmm
Bean and Corn Salad
1 can black beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can sweet corn
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lime juice
Add cilantro if you wish. This takes about 7 minutes to make, which is good if you suddenly are invited to a potluck.
I can’t say enough good things about Mark Bittman’s book, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. Lots of great recipes, most of which are pretty easy to make. And he gives a lot of tips on how to create your own takes on the recipes. He’ll give a basic recipe, then list 10 ways you can customize it. It’s an indispensable resource in my kitchen.
For the bean and corn salad, you can add in chives and diced tomatoes. Some people also use chopped green peppers.
I’m not, but often cook for a group that includes vegetarians. I often combine cheese and potatoes:
Mac & Cheese (or substitute gnocchi for macaroni)
Cheesy potatoes (hash browns, cheese, sour cream, green onions)
Cheddar potato soup
Twice baked potatoes
One without cheese:
Roasted red potatoes (cut into eights, add ranch mix and bake)
One without potatoes:
Pasta with alfredo sauce
Brian