Vegan/Vegetarian recipes? Looking for some new dishes to try.

[DistinguishedPapyrus]

I started going with as much plant based foods as I can about a year ago, looking for some good ideas, what's some of your favorites?

 

[Grindspine]

I use black beans as a source of protein constantly.

Black bean burgers, black bean chili, black bean burritos, etc.

Also, adding quinoa to rice (and cooking them together) is a nice way to boost the protein content of rice without having to do additional modifications to a recipe!

 

[Necris]

A tip, if you want to use beans as a source of protein you'll likely save a significant amount of money by buying bags of dried beans as opposed to canned beans. While there is some variance in the yield you will get depending on the kind of beans you're buying canned beans generally give you about 1 1/2 cups per can while a 1lb bag will give you about 6 cups worth of beans and the difference in cost between a single can and a bag is usually minimal. I just bought groceries today and a 1lb bag of kidney beans cost about the same as 2 cans of kidney beans but offered double the yield. You have to soak the dried beans overnight (I generally give them 24 hours though) and then you need to boil them for a while, but it's hardly a hassle.

Lentils are also a good option - again buy them dried. Red lentils tend to cook faster than green lentils but both have their uses. I made this recipe quite a few times over the winter and can confirm it's good: http://www.theflamingvegan.com/view-post/Easy-Cheesy-Lentil-Soup-for-Cold-Winter-Days

If you need to buy spices for recipes seek out a local Asian food market or Indian specialty store (or even a health food store depending on what you're looking for) - the prices you'll pay for the tiny containers of McCormick spices at a local supermarket are utterly exorbitant. $12 for 3oz of Green Cardamom pods? Fuck off. $2.50 for the same amount at the Asian market near me. At my local supermarket if you go into the "Mexican" or "international foods" aisle you can find Badia brand spices which are quality and significantly cheaper and you can buy common spices in bulk containers, the same may be true for you, but I still recommend a local Asian food market if you can find one.


If you have a food processor you have an immensely useful tool at your disposal. I've used mine to make homemade peanut butter (and other nut and seed butters), hummus, vegan cheeses, etc.

If you aren't opposed to the consumption of soy products tofu is an extremely versatile food which is low fat and filled with protein, In addition to things like General Tso's tofu and tofu scramble I've used it to make a vegan "riccotta" for homemade lasagna and raviolis.
Tempeh is also fantastic (it's a fermented soy product, which makes it easier to digest) you can make a great "Bacon" with tempeh which is what I tend to use it for most, although I've also used it crumbled up and fried to add to a spaghetti sauce. you can marinade it and grill it kind of like a meat (I've had varying outcomes).
TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) - another soy derivative product - is great for making taco "meat" and "meatballs".

I often cook Indian or Middle Eastern dishes, as well as Thai recipes, and if you like those you'll find all sorts of dishes you can prepare which are fantastic. I regularly make Channa Masala (Chickpea Curry) and Masoor Dal (a curry with lentils). The first two take maybe 30 minutes (or less) to make once you get the recipes down and are full of protein. Broccoli with Thai Peanut Sauce is another easy recipe. I made falafel a couple of nights ago and it was easy, taking all of 40 minutes (not counting putting the chickpeas in to soak the day prior) and turned out great, I baked them instead of deep frying them which significantly reduced the fat content.

If you have some white beans sitting unused you could try making Fasolatha (Greek Bean Soup), you likely have all of the ingredients in your refrigerator already.

I've haven't really left any recipes here, since recipes for all of these are easily found for free on the internet.

 

[budda]

It's not a recipe, but half my band is absolutely obsessed with Beyond Meat burgers. Check them out if you haven't (since it's grill season).

 

[IGC]

HI Distinguished, this isn't a recipe, but I recently started a low cholesterol diet and discovered these wich I highly recommend...just nuke for 5 mins, good to go. Can't imagine any animal matters in them.

 

[Science_Penguin]

If you've got a Verts near you (pita restaurant, same kind of "build your own" deal as Chipotle and Mod Pizza) try the falafel with some hummus, spinach, and onion. Can't speak for how healthy it is, but my measure for how "healthy" a meal is nowadays is weather or not it makes my stomach feel like exploding... and I usually feel pretty good after eating that.

Actually, I'm in need of some recommendations here too, cause I've got real bad stomach issues, and, for some reason vegetarian (or, at least pescatarian) dishes do alright by me.

 

[bostjan]

I mean, it depends on what you have available.

As far as processed foods, Morningstar Farm's Spicy Black Bean Burgers are great to throw into any Tex-Mex dishes. I serve them with southwest-style rice (rice with cilantro, green peppers, cumin, oregano, and tomato) or chili-lime corn (with tomato, cumin, black pepper, chili powder, lime juice, and oregano). They can also be used with McCormick taco seasoning or equivalent and thrown into southwest-style tacos with rice, lettuce, and tomato.

Another quick favourite of mine is Morningstar Farms Tomato Basil Burger served with a side of pasta or risotto.

If I have a little more time, I like to make dishes like Chana Masala, Rajma Masala, Succotash, Vegetarian Chili, or Vegetarian Stir Fry. These are all pretty easy once you get a little experience making them.

 

[Mathemagician]

Idk how you feel about eggs/egg whites, but I'm sure they can be replaced for a more vegan-friendly binding agent.

Cauliflower pizza.

Take a cheese grater and grate at least two heads of cauliflower. Add black pepper, oregano/seasonings you like. Crack one egg per head of cauliflower and mix it up, along with some shredded cheese. This is your crust.

I'm sure you can google recipes to buy you specific needs/wants. But that's the gist of it. You can basically eat nothing but vegetables while eating pizza. And it's very light. Won't put you into carb sleep.

 

[bostjan]

Sorry, I don't know why I forgot that you mentioned vegan. The dishes I mentioned above are not vegan, although the last four I briefly mentioned can be made that way, if you are careful. The Morningstar burgers, IIRC are not vegan.

 

[bpprox22]

Broccoli Tofu Stir-fry is a great dish (according to my vegan co-workers)

 

[Necris]

To make a vegan egg replacement combine 1 tablespoon ground flax seed (flax meal) with 2 1/2 Tablespoons of water per egg and let the mixture sit for a few minutes to thicken - it may not be quite the same (I've never cooked with eggs) but it works well enough for many recipes. I've made pancakes, brownies and muffins using flax egg. You can also use ground up chia seeds in place of flax meal.

However, don't expect to make a batch of flax egg and fry it up. It tastes nothing like an egg - that's not the function it's supposed to serve. You'll want to look to a tofu based recipe for that - such as tofu scramble.

Chia seeds can also be used to make jam (look up Chia Jam for basic instructions), I mention it because chia seeds contain a reasonable amount of protein per serving (and fiber) - so you can have jam and not just be consuming pure sugar.

On the topic of Morningstar - they're not vegan, neither are Quorn - as most if not all of their products contain egg or milk. As I recall this is also true of Boca and Lightlife although both companies do offer some vegan products - you just have to read the ingredient list.

Gardein and Tofurkey are the safest bet for Vegan "meats" however they're very expensive at $4 to $5 or more per package. I'd recommend learning how to make Seitan (provided you aren't also bent on eating gluten free since vital wheat gluten is a key ingredient in Seitan) since you can make vegan hot dogs, sausages, etc. with it and it's not that hard. I made seitan pepperoni a couple of weeks ago for a pizza.

 

[Grindspine]

Along the lines of Necris's comments on buying bulk beans... Bulk rice is a win! A huge bag of jasmine rice at an Asian grocery or a bulk foods store can last for months if you're only cooking a cup at a time.

I use my rice cooker for at least three meals a week.

A good 8-cup digitally controlled rice cooker can be had for less than $30. Mixing some well-soaked beans or lentils in with rice can make the basis of many meals. A good rice cooker can also be used to steam vegetables!

 

[Anquished]

Depending on your view on eggs (I know some vegetarians don't touch them), this vegetarian one is quite nice: https://www.thebodycoach.com/blog/lean-lentil-burger-with-portobello-mushroom-56.html

Easy enough to prepare and tastes great. Also I'm sure a vegan egg replacement will work just fine with it.

 

[odibrom]

I can't believe no one posted this before... https://www.youtube.com/user/VeganBlackMetalChef?spfreload=10

All the previous suggestions on buy dried beans/lentils/etc. instead of canned beans are spot on!

I'm vegie since 1995. I don't follow no recipes, every time is an opportunity to change something. However, I try to have a full meal without nutrients loss: lots of vegies, brown rice and/or full/complete cereals, leguminous beans and seeds (chick peas, peas, lentils, beans, there are lots of variants to choose from, I prefer the smaller ones = less flatulence... true word!) and fruit.

Generally, I cook cereals with some sort of leaf vegie and the leguminous with a sweet vegie, like carrots or pumpkins. When I'm in a hurry, full grain spaghetti with onions, green peas (frozen or fresh), olive oil and Miso is an excellent meal and pretty fast to cook.

Mixing cereals is OK for a meal, but mixing leguminous is not so (too heavy for the Intestines, it will make the digestion too long and... lots of flatulence as an aftermath).

Pressure cooking the leguminous is a way of getting things fast, specially with chick peas and soy beans. As for beans, we (me, my wife and kids) prefer AZUKI beans: small, red Chinese/Japanese beans, also called red soy or something alike. Fantastic beans, super tasteful and sweet (unlike the soy bean). Pressure cook by 25 minutes as a reference.
The Mungo/Monk Bean (a small green bean also known as the green soy) is fantastic to let sprout and eat raw in salads, put it in water for 3 to 4 days, but change the water daily. Bang, instant protein source in raw format.

Sprouts are wonderful, it's like eating fresh life. They are full of nutrients and vitamins.

RAW GINGER in all meals with leguminous. It helps prevent flatulence (we all fart, but ginger helps it not being so... inconvenient).

Seaweeds are and extra source of vitamins and minerals, calcium included of course, with a 10x rate over cow milk some times.

Last but not least: do favor an alkaline meal against an acidic one. Vegie live style favors it, but may not be enough. avoid processed food whenever possible. You can process it yourself most of the times. Also favor organic certified food, for the agrotoxics used in large scale food farming is poisoning everything, cause of diseases like many forms of cancer, infertility or allergies, for example.

 

[DistinguishedPapyrus]

Actually, I'm in need of some recommendations here too, cause I've got real bad stomach issues, and, for some reason vegetarian (or, at least pescatarian) dishes do alright by me.

The ones I've tried most recently are things like tofu tacos (cut tofu into strips, batter it like you would a piece of fish, but with almond milk and bread crumbs, pan fry in olive oil, fix it like you would a normal taco) , tofu chili including vegan "meat substitute" crumbles, falafel burritos, sushi with asparagus, avocado and/or sweet potato. There's even a way to make vegan chocolate pudding with a base of avocado. Good stuff.

Youtube has been really helpful in finding some of this stuff.

 

[marcwormjim]

Last but not least: do favor an alkaline meal against an acidic one. Vegie live style favors it, but may not be enough. avoid processed food whenever possible. You can process it yourself most of the times. Also favor organic certified food, for the agrotoxics used in large scale food farming is poisoning everything, cause of diseases like many forms of cancer, infertility or allergies, for example.

I'd always suspected you were Gwyneth Paltrow!

 

[odibrom]

lol, I can ensure you I am not...

 

[Semi-pro]

We've had this thing in Finland for a few years called "pulled oats". It's got more protein than meat or chicken, it's 100% plant based (oat and beans) and it tastes good. Not sure if it's availabe abroad, but check it out: http://goldandgreenfoods.com/ - maybe you could ask if your local market could get its hands on it?

 

[LiveOVErdrive]

My favorite easy after-work veggie meal is to put rice and red lentils (dry) into the rice cooker with curry paste, shredded cabbage, and peanuts,and coconut (though really just whatever you've got around). Everything gets cooked perfectly, it's super easy, and very tasty. Also nearly free.

 

[DudeManBrother]

http://www.thisrawsomeveganlife.com/p/recipes.html?m=1

There are some good raw recipes on this site. I typically just eat a ton of fresh fruit for the day, and celery with PB once in a while; but I avoid protein and mucus forming foods as often as possible.