Vegetarian Main Dishes [Archive]

jamie

01-03-2006, 03:13 AM

Not a very helpful list... Could you list the things you adore, or love? While I am a carnivore ;) I know a bellyful of could-be considered vegatarian dishes.

Mms, that is a good point Fuzzy. Unfortunately, I don't like more than I do like. The only foods I truly adore are sugar, milk and bread. :rolleyes: I guess broccoli, brussel sprouts and asparagus are my favorite vegetable-wise.

I went to Amazon and got, Vegetarian Times Vegetarian Beginner's Guide. I think the best idea is just to work my way through it and see if I can find some new likes and dislikes. We are not going full-on meat free yet, so there is some wiggle room!

olivefun

01-03-2006, 04:02 AM

I am with Fuzzy here, start with something you like.

You want a vegetarian item, and you don't like sauces or veggies really...you are picky and don't like potatoes much?

Yipes.

You do like milk and sugar, ok that is a start but I cannot think of a single main course that involves them

here is a pasta primavera
you could use any combination of vegetables that you like.

It makes a nice main dish, cold or even warm too.
Google pasta primavera and see what turns up, there will be other recipes.

Just try a variety of things.

Look for a kind of strata too.
That is like a bread pudding, or a version of french toast that is made then put into a ceramic pan into the oven. Often with cheeses and a variety of vegetables you like.

good luck

Pasta Primavera

“Primavera” means spring. Asparagus and spinach are just two of the vegetables to add their springtime nourishment to this great dish.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound pasta shapes, such as tricolor rotelle or penne
1 small bunch broccoli florets, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup asparagus tips, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup fresh spinach, torn into bite-sized pieces
3/4 cup red bell pepper, cut into 2-inch julienne strips
3/4 cup peas, fresh or frozen

Garlic Cream Sauce
1 or 2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup heavy cream

1. Cook the pasta until al dente, according to package directions.

2. Lightly steam the broccoli, asparagus, and cauliflower until crisp-tender, just a few minutes.

3. Combine pasta, broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, spinach, bell pepper, and peas in a large bowl.

4. To make the Garlic Cream Sauce, mix the garlic, lemon juice, and salt in a food processor. With the machine running, slowly add the oil until the mixture is thick. Blend in the heavy cream and pour this sauce over the pasta and vegetables. Toss well to combine.

5. Chill for at least 1 hour.

MissToodles

01-03-2006, 05:05 AM

I would check out this book: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446674524/102-0759586-7525756?v=glance&n=283155

It's for people who aren't vegetarians but want to eat less meat. Don't rule out traditional cookbooks either. The Joy of Cooking (my bible !) has many veggie main dishes.

It's not a main dish but another way to cut down on meat is to substitute tvp for ground meat and to stretch out meat. It can be found at most natural food stores in a bulk bin.

So for example, you can buy some bell peppers. Rehydrate the tvp, season it and cook it in oil along with onions, garlic, maybe a few chopped tomatos, mix in some rice and stuff the bell pepper. You can top it with some cheese and bake in the oven. I just came up with that off the top of my head. :)

Eggs are great source of cheap protein, just buy organic, hormone free ones. If you make an omelet or scramble, remember to cook the veggies well, to get out as much water as possible otherwise your eggs will be runny. If you ever use tomatos, I cut them in half and squeeze out the juice before it hits the pan. This insures a perfect egg every time.

Jes

01-03-2006, 10:10 AM

We are trying to eat even less meat now, and I was wondering if anyone had any fun and creative main dish recipes that they really love? My problem is that I am the pickiest eater I know. I am not the most avid vegetable eater. I avoid most beans, things with most sauces, and the blessed potato most of the time.

would you eat quinoa? very good for you. i think you can bake it into a loaf (with other things)...but I can't think of any recipes, now.

And fatlane, you wash your mouth out with soap for suggesting Indian without tandoori or murgh chicken. NOW!

Ceres

01-03-2006, 10:14 AM

Well i know plenty of vegetarian recipes!let start with ricotta and spinach filled ravioli with 4 cheeses sauce,then you can choose from melanzane alla parmigiana(parmigiana eggplants) or baked cauliflowers with bechamel sauce
and in the end a waldorf salad or broccolis in salad with olive oil and fresh lemon juice...Ceres

Jes

01-03-2006, 10:43 AM

What's her face over at...what's it called....in Ithaca has a great--Ooh, Mollie Katzen--a great recipe I like. It's a pasta with sauce and steamed brocolli. I find you can make the sauce and use it on LOTS of things. It's essentially lots of steamed spinach, toasted walnuts (instead of pignoli), cottage cheese, garlic, etc. That sauce is deeelish and packs in a lot of veggie goodness while only being a creamy sauce (you blend it in a blender). I can look it up if interested, lemme know.

jamie

01-03-2006, 01:00 PM

jamie

01-03-2006, 01:04 PM

Toodles, I have never heard of TVP before.. I will have to research that some.

Jes, I am pretty fond of quinona, hopefully the new book will have some ideas of what to do with it.

Ceres, thanks for the ideas!! Spinach is great.

Jes

01-03-2006, 01:08 PM

This sauce sounds really tasty... I would be interested in knowing, as spinach is one of those vegetables that I actually enjoy! Thanks.

allright. I'mgiong to find this for you and I'll post it. I recommend it to all. You could probably put it on chicken just as easily as pasta.

HottiMegan

01-03-2006, 01:15 PM

Indian food is SUPER easy to make just a little time consuming. Palaak Paneer is easy to make and the paneer is really easy to make too. It's my favorite indian dish so i have to make it regularly and you wouldnt belive how cheap it is to cook indian.

Now for a resource on main dishes there are a ton of great websites that have a huge list of dishes. I'm a vegetarian but also very picky.. i only like a handful of veggies.
If you want to try your hand at soy-meat alternatives i get my stuff from www.dixiediner.com they have soy meat crumbles that my husband says is similar to the real stuff (i have never eaten meat in my life so he has to tell me what is near real and not) You can order broths to make the meat flavored like beef or chicken. I love throwing it in my spaghetti so that it adds a big boost of healthy soy protein.

I'll get some recipe sites for you to look for, i just have to hit my mom up for them :) She's my online source for recipes :)

Megan

Jeannie

01-03-2006, 02:18 PM

Here are some veggie recipes from today's Boy Meets Grill show on Food Network. I can't personally vouch for any of these but Bobby usually has very good recipes.

Grilled Artichoke with Smoked Tomato Vinaigrette Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
User Rating:

4 large artichokes
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Smoked Tomato Vinaigrette, recipe follows

Place artichokes, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and fill pot with enough cold water to cover the artichokes in a large pot. Boil for 30 to 35 minutes or until tender. Remove artichokes from pot and let cool.
Preheat grill. When artichokes have cooled, slice in 1/2 lengthwise and remove the choke. Brush each half with the remaining oil, season with salt and pepper and grill cut-side down for 1 to 2 minutes. Turn over and grill an additional minute.

Smoked Tomato Vinaigrette:
5 plum tomatoes, smoked and chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil

Place tomatoes, salt and pepper, vinegar, garlic and basil and olive oil in a blender and blend until smooth.

Grilled Nectarines with Blue Cheese, Farm Stand Honey and Black Pepper Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
User Rating:

6 nectarines, halved and pitted
Vegetable oil
Maytag blue cheese
Honey
Coarsely ground black pepper

Heat grill. Brush cut side of nectarine with oil and place on the grill, cut-side down. Grill until caramelized. Turn over and grill for 1 to 2 minutes until almost soft. Place nectarines on a platter, cut-side up and place a dollop of cheese in the center of each nectarine, drizzle with honey and ground fresh pepper over the top.

Grilled Asparagus and Quinoa Salad with Goat Cheese and Black Olive Vinaigrette Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
User Rating: No Rating

12 spears asparagus, trimmed
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 cups quinoa
8 ounces aged goat cheese, shaved
1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 nicoise olives
1 Roma tomato, sliced
Parsley sprigs for garnish

Heat grill. Brush asparagus with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill on both sides until just cooked through, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from grill and cut in half.
Bring 8 cups of salted water to a boil. Add quinoa and cook until soft. Drain and rinse with cold water and drain again. Place the quinoa in a medium bowl and add red wine vinegar, olive oil, parsley and 1/4 cup of olive vinaigrette. Stir to combine. Place on plate and top with goat cheese, asparagus, whole nicoise olives, sliced tomato and parsley sprigs.

Black Olive Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup aged sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon chile de arbol
1/2 cup pitted nicoise olives
1/2 cup olive oil

Combine vinegar, mustard, chile powder, olives and olive oil in a blender and blend until smooth.

MissToodles

01-03-2006, 03:16 PM

I was just at Fairway and saw something delicious and very veggie: roasted eggplant stuffed with pinenuts and mint.

there's also vegweb.com

Cynthia

01-03-2006, 04:53 PM

I'm not much of a cook, but the two resources linked below are great for people who want to consider semi-vegetarianism or a slow transition to the real thing. For ideas and helpful cooking mixes, go to ethnic grocery stores -- especially Indian ones.

In your neck of the woods, I recall once going to a fabulously quirky little downtown Lexington import gift shop with an attached cafe that served vegetarian-style Eastern European dishes. Can't recall the name of the place (started with a "b"?), and the couple may very well have closed the business since 2003 or so. It's worth seeking out if you want to explore new tastes.

The Veggie Table: Becoming a Vegetarian
http://veggietable.allinfo-about.com/articles/becomingveggie.html

The Vegetarian Resource Group
http://www.vrg.org

TaciturnBadger

01-03-2006, 05:01 PM

My mother and I stumbled upon this concept one night while scrounging for something to eat for supper. It's great and very versatile (you can substitute almost any veggie, and add all sorts of stuff to it). And, for those with an Asian affinity, I *know* it's not actually lo mein, since it's made with ramen, but I didn't write the name on the recipe card. Honest. :D

P.S. Sorry about some of the measurements being iffy; I almost always eyeball things!

Broccoli Lo Mein

Ingredients

2 3oz. packages of ramen noodles; at least one of Oriental flavor. (I prefer Maruchan ramen to Top Ramen, personally)

About 8oz. of frozen broccoli florets, or cut pieces

1 Oriental-flavor seasoning packet from the ramen

Handful of walnuts, lightly toasted

1 block of extra-firm tofu, cut into 1/4" cubes

3-4 Tbsp. of Dark Soy Sauce (regular works in a pinch)

1-2 Tbsp. of your choice Cooking Oil

1/8 tsp. Sesame Oil

2-3 cloves garlic, minced (I'm a garlic fiend, sorry)

Pinch of minced ginger, if fresh, or 1/8 tsp. if granulated

Pinch of Five Spice Powder (optional, but good)

McCormick Szechuan Pepper Mix to taste (optional, but I love the stuff)

Preparation

1.) If you have a toaster-oven, toast the walnuts on the lightest setting (unless you have a really weak one). If you don't have a toaster oven, just let them toast in a small non-stick skillet on low heat until warmed through.

2.) Prepare the ramen noodles according to package directions only up until the point where the noodles are cooked. Drain off the liquid. Sometimes, if I'm feeling fancy, I'll include some old chicken stock as part of the boiling water to add flavor. Place the noodles in reserve; depending on how quickly you cook, you may wish to toss the noodles with a tiny amount of cooking oil to prevent them from sticking.

3.) While the noodles are cooking, in a small bowl, combine the dark soy sauce, seasoning packet, sesame oil, five-spice powder, and Szechuan pepper flakes (if being used).

4.) I cheat and microwave the frozen broccoli in a bowl with just a little bit of water (or, sometimes, chicken stock) until they're heated through. Hey, I'm lazy, sue me.

5.) In the pot you cooked the noodles in (hey, less dishes to wash!) heat up the cooking oil. Add the garlic and the ginger, let them sizzle around for a minute or so until the place starts smelling good. Add the sauce ingredients, stir it around until heated through and incorporated.

6.) Add tofu and stir until heated through, then add the broccoli, ramen noodles, and walnuts. Toss until evenly coated and mixed together.

7.) Chow down!

Boteroesque Babe

01-03-2006, 05:36 PM

Do you like leeks, Jamie? Absolute best thing I make (though no one else will eat it) is leek pie. Damn tasty.

Relax, boys. I make it with Gruyere and cream.

TaciturnBadger

01-03-2006, 05:46 PM

Do you like leeks, Jamie? Absolute best thing I make (though no one else will eat it) is leek pie. Damn tasty.

Relax, boys. I make it with Gruyere and cream.

Hmm... I wonder.. if the pie is leaking, doesn't it make a mess in the oven? :D

--B.

Traci

01-03-2006, 06:15 PM

even though I still eat turkey, chicken, and fish, I love preparing and eating veggie meals and intend to increase this throughout the coming year.

I highly recommend checking out the following websites for recipes:

vegweb.com

ivu.org (By far the largest and the best)

ashycook.topcities.com (An Aussie vegetarian who is a little militant in his views but has great recipes)

recipezaar.com

indiarecipe.com

Have fun! There are all sorts of tasty, fattening veggie recipes out there...There are also some great books to go through:

The Meat and Potatoes Vegetarian Cookbook

The Passionate Vegetarian

The Vegetarian Epicure Book One (The standard and still one of the best. The author has a "Four Cheese Baked Macaroni and Cheese" and "Chocolate Custard" to die for!)

The Vegetarian Epicure Book Two

1000 Vegetarian Recipes

tofurky.com

gardenburger.com

greensingles.com (They have a section for green grocering and there are many features on veggie items one can order from the Net)

Any of the vegetarian cookbooks by Madhur Jaffrey (Indian cook and writer)

AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE: PETA.ORG
WHY: Although they have quite a number of great vegetarian recipes, they are very militant, aggressive, and you will never be able to get rid of them unless you become very rude. I do not like the shock tactics that they use to "switch" people to vegetarianism. It should be a personal choice, not a tent revival.

HAPPY EATING!

fatlane

01-03-2006, 06:40 PM

Glad to hear you like Indian. Like I said, get a good Gujarati cookbook and you'll be in great taste.

There's also a tomato coconut soup from the south of India that's absolutely out of this world. I think there's a pound of clarified butter in it...

jamie

01-03-2006, 07:11 PM

Yay.. thank you all so much for the links and the suggestions. I am getting a little excited about a new culinary endeavor! Thanks, thanks.

jamie

01-03-2006, 07:13 PM

In your neck of the woods, I recall once going to a fabulously quirky little downtown Lexington import gift shop with an attached cafe that served vegetarian-style Eastern European dishes. Can't recall the name of the place (started with a "b"?), and the couple may very well have closed the business since 2003 or so. It's worth seeking out if you want to explore new tastes.

Natasha's cafe - great place, I love when they have dancing and concerts on Saturday night now. (Btw, love the new pic).

jamie

01-03-2006, 07:15 PM

Do you like leeks, Jamie? Absolute best thing I make (though no one else will eat it) is leek pie. Damn tasty.

Relax, boys. I make it with Gruyere and cream.

Hmms.. never had one, but I just tried fennell this year too.

fatlane

01-03-2006, 07:42 PM

Try this for fun: www.bbc.co.uk/poshnosh

Hehehe!

Cynthia

01-04-2006, 06:12 PM

Natasha's cafe - great place, I love when they have dancing and concerts on Saturday night now. (Btw, love the new pic).

Yep, Jamie, that's it. The owners fed me delightful food and said that I seemed strange like them, so I then bound and gagged my inner smart consumer and bought an obscene amount of Kutchi tribal jewelry because they were so darned nice.

And, Fatlane, here's an all-time favorite Indian menu from Planet Bombay in Atlanta's hippie haunt -- Little Five Points. Consider it literotica for foodies.

http://www.planetbombay.com/menud.php

fatlane

01-05-2006, 08:07 PM

Looks like YUM!

Venus de Mpls

01-08-2006, 03:02 PM

The best veggie cookbook I own is The Passionate Vegetarian (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0761128255/qid=1136760326/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-0739962-2071848?n=507846&s=books&v=glance)
by, get this, Crescent Dragonwagon,
I like her James Beardesque approach where one recipe can be used for many dishes.

Here are a couple sites I like, too: http://www.vegsource.com/recipe/

http://www.christinacooks.com/recipes/recipes.html I linked to the recipes page to help you avoid the damnable music on the home page. It makes me queasy hearing that schmaltzy tune.

The only reason I watch The Victory Garden is for the recipes: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/victorygarden/recipes/

The Leek pie sounds fabulous. Yum. Maybe we should have a pie-off and I’ll make Tomato Pie. Sara Moulton bless that sprite showed me how to do it. Of course it’s the wrong time of year for it but in the summer it’s fabu.

My favorite easy to make dishes are Broccoli Stir-fry and dolled up Fantastic Foods Chili. Follow the directions for the chili but only add one can of beans, a small onion and a clove or two of garlic. Oh, and as much salsa as you want should go in too.

Broccoli in Garlic Sauce

All amounts are approximate as I rarely follow recipes, (which is why I buy all my baked goods).

Peanut oil
Minced garlic – I start with two large cloves but have used as many as 4 large cloves
Garlic/chili paste – anywhere from a ½ tsp to 2 Tbs
1 - 2 Tbs minced ginger
2 carrots sliced thinly
1 stalk celery
1 small onion cubed
½ green or red pepper
¼ cup vegetable stock or water
2 Tbs low sodium Tamari
2 tsp orange marmalade OR ¼ cup orange juice + 1 tsp sugar
1 – 2 Tbs rice wine vinegar (optional)
2 small or one large broccoli stalk cut into smallish florets
½ tin water chestnuts
½ cup snap peas

Coat the bottom of a nonstick frying pan or wok with the peanut oil and toss in:
Ginger
Garlic
Garlic/chili paste

Before you stop coughing from the fumes of the chili paste invading your nostrils, add:
Carrots
Celery

Cook for a minute. Add:
Onions
Green or red pepper

Cook for a minute. Add:
Veggie stock
Orange marmalade OR ¼ cup orange juice + 1 tsp sugar
Tamari
Rice wine vinegar (if using)

Wait for mixture to come to a boil. Add:
Water chestnuts
Broccoli

Stir fry mixture for a couple minutes. Add:
Snap peas

Stir fry for another couple minutes.

Take off heat to preserve the color of the veggies.

Serve topped with cashews and peanuts (and Tamari on the side).

I am pretty sure that’s how I do it. Another variation, when I find myself ginger-less is to substitute ginger preserves for any sweetener.

Boteroesque Babe

01-09-2006, 11:00 AM

The Leek pie sounds fabulous. Yum. Maybe we should have a pie-off and I’ll make Tomato Pie.
You got it, Girly. I make tomato pie, too, but it's a radically hit-or-miss proposition, even with Mom's homegrowns.

The leek pie, however, is always b'jiggedy. 'Cept the time it was full of sand. (I'd gotten cavalier in my leek cleaning skills. Never again.)

Here's Pie A, Exhibit A (no pics of Pie B):

Venus de Mpls

01-09-2006, 12:51 PM

You got it, Girly. I make tomato pie, too, but it's a radically hit-or-miss proposition, even with Mom's homegrowns.

The leek pie, however, is always b'jiggedy. 'Cept the time it was full of sand. (I'd gotten cavalier in my leek cleaning skills. Never again.)

Here's Pie A, Exhibit A (no pics of Pie B):http://www.council-of-elrond.com/forums/images/smilies/drool.gif

Jes

01-11-2006, 11:05 AM

I mentioned this last week. I recommend the sauce, whether or not you serve it the way what's her face...Molly, suggests:

Penne with Creamy Walnut Sauce

10 ounces fresh spinach
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup loosely packed chopped fresh basil
Ground black pepper to taste
1 to 1 1/2 pounds penne (tubular pasta)
1 head broccoli

*Toast walnuts in a single layer on an unoiled baking tray in a conventional or toaster oven forabout 10 minutes until fragrant and golden brown.

Bring a large covered pot of water to a rapid boil. While the water heats, wash the spinach andtransfer it to a separate large pot. The water clinging to the leaves should provide enoughmoisture to steam it. Cover and cook the spinach on medium-high heat for about 4 minutes, untilwilted but still bright green. Drain. In a food processor or blender, combine the spinach, walnuts,cottage cheese, garlic, Parmesan, basil and puree until smooth, working in batches if necessary.Add pepper to taste and set aside.When the water boils, stir in the pasta, cover, and return to a boil. Then uncover the pot and cookuntil the pasta is al dente, about 7 minutes. While the pasta cooks, cut the broccoli in to spearsand steam until it is just tender, about 5 minutes, and set aside. Drain the pasta and serveimmediately, topped with spinach-walnut sauce and several steamed broccoli spears. Sprinklewith grated Parmesan, if you wish.Serves 6.

I usually make it with pasta, but I'm thinking on chicken, it'd be good, on pasta and chicken, etc. Once, I even ate it on boiled potatoes (snow day) and it was good.

Jes

01-11-2006, 11:09 AM

ps, I thin k i've used dry basil -- I KNOW I KNOW, don't judge me!

SoVerySoft

01-11-2006, 04:15 PM

I mentioned this last week. I recommend the sauce, whether or not you serve it the way what's her face...Molly, suggests:
Penne with Creamy Walnut Sauce

Damnnnnnnnnnn! I am saving this one! A food processor is in my very near future and when I get it...this is going to be one of my first dishes!

Jes

01-11-2006, 06:13 PM

I do this with my blender, and it works fine. Nothing 'hard' b/c everything is soft or cooked, so if you have a blender, try it. Oh--the orig. recipe calls for 1/2 tea of salt, I think (or to taste). I found this cut and pasted version online and it was adapted. The only thing I can tell is missing is the salt.

If you're ever in Ithaca NY, definitely go to Moosewood. Mmmm.

jamie

01-11-2006, 06:33 PM

Thanks so much for the recipes Venus and Jes. That walnut sauce looks positively mouth watering. Thanks.

Jes

01-21-2006, 08:42 PM

I made a great spinach pie tonight for a late dinner when I got home. Very simple compared to most of those delicious but phyllo-dough-difficult ones. Mmmm. I LOVE FETA.

rainyday

01-25-2006, 04:02 AM

Jamie, I may have given you this link before, but this site has a ton or mostly vegetarian recipes. They're especially great if you want to be adventurous and try new kinds of grains, but there are ones with basic ingredients too.

http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipe/

One of my favorite quick veggie meals is tofu, bok choy and garlic stir-fried in sesame oil and served over brown rice. Toss on a little soy sauce at the end to taste. It's also great with chicken if you're feeling like a meat night.

rainyday

01-25-2006, 04:04 AM

Palaak Paneer is easy to make and the paneer is really easy to make too. It's my favorite indian dish so i have to make it regularly and you wouldnt belive how cheap it is to cook indian.

Would you mind sharing your recipe? I love palaak paneer.

I also like adding spinach to Trader Joe's masala simmer sauce when using that for chicken (chick peas would probably work too).

rainyday

01-25-2006, 04:26 AM

Here's Pie A, Exhibit A (no pics of Pie B):

Recipe? Recipe? Please?

Btw, since you like cheesy/veggie pies, you might like this. It's "Onion Pie with Jarlsberg and Thyme" from a Scandinavian cookbook called "Kitchen of Light." You carmelize red onions til they're sweet and fabulously tender, then bake them with thyme and Jarlsberg (or Swiss) in puff pastry. Served with a salad, it makes a great cold-night dinner.

I've misplaced my copy of it, but I just Googled and found it posted online here:

http://www.tine.no/intjarlmain/16425/

saucywench

01-25-2006, 05:55 AM

The best veggie cookbook I own is The Passionate Vegetarian (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0761128255/qid=1136760326/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-0739962-2071848?n=507846&s=books&v=glance)
by, get this, Crescent Dragonwagon...

A little Crescent Dragonwagon history, off the top of my head--I'm sure Googling her would turn up lots more factual information.

I think her real name is Cynthia something, she had it legally changed to Crescent Dragonwagon. She has written many children's books, and I guess she thought such a catchy name would draw a bigger audience from that demographic. I seem to recall that she is originally from the northeast, but I could be wrong there. Nonetheless, she moved to Arkansas ages ago. She was in Little Rock for a while until she met and married her husband, Ned something, and they then moved to Eureka Springs (http://www.eurekasprings.org/), a quaint/funky little tourist town ("Little Switzerland of the Ozarks"), where they started a B&B, Dairy Hollow House. DHH eventually became a writer's colony until, I think, the untimely death of her husband while riding his bicycle. Last I recall, it had been transformed into some kind of...hard to describe...they had made it a combo test kitchen/writer's colony for authors of cookbooks. Anyway, a fascinating and creative woman, who has since left the state to seek her destiny elsewhere.

saucywench

01-25-2006, 06:03 AM

OK, that's what I get for not fact-checking first. Her real first name is Ellen. Here's info about how she got her name (http://www.dragonwagon.com/13what's_my_name.htm). I had forgotten the story behind her name, which I had read about ages ago. And her (second) husband's last name was Shank.

HottiMegan

01-28-2006, 07:07 PM

Would you mind sharing your recipe? I love palaak paneer.

I also like adding spinach to Trader Joe's masala simmer sauce when using that for chicken (chick peas would probably work too).

The cheese part is REALLY easy to make:

I bring 1 gallon of Whole milk to boil (i have been told less than whole is a big no no when making cheese)

I stir frequently when bringing it to boil and then once its starting to boil i put the juice of lemons in until this magical process occurs.. the cheese forms in clumps. Then you want to pour the mixture into a cheesecloth or porous cloth lined caulender. Keep the cheese in there and add a plate on top and put a pitcher full of water on top of the plate to press it into cheese. The longer you let it sit in the sing pressing, the better.

The spinach part:

You'll need to packs of frozen chopped spinach (i use frozen cuz if i dont make it right away, it's still good)
Garam Masala
Curry
Garlic
Jalapeno (the amount of pepper is up to you)
2 onions
1 c cream or milk or half and half

saute the chopped onions until really soft and tender just shy of caramelization. Throw the onions in the food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add the spinach and pepper to the onions and add the milk/cream to smooth out.

Put about a teaspoon of each spice into the pan you'll cook the spinace in.. cook it over medium heat for a couple of minutes, careful not to burn it. Then add the spinach/onion mixture to the hot spices and stir it up and let it cook down for a half hour over a medium low heat. Add milk as needed/desired.

The cheese can be cut up into cubes of your preference and you want to sautee them up while cooking the spinach.. add the cubes in the last 10 minutes.

I usually also cook jasmine rice with a couple of bay leaves to go with it and a potato dish either aloo gobi (cauliflower and potatoes) or some concoction from stuff i have in the house.

rainyday

01-31-2006, 12:45 PM

Thanks, Megan! I'm so excited to try this. Never even occured to me before that the cheese could be easily made at home.

HottiMegan

02-01-2006, 02:00 PM

Thanks, Megan! I'm so excited to try this. Never even occured to me before that the cheese could be easily made at home.

I was really surprised how easy it was to make too. Its almost like magic once you get enough lemon juice in there it all separates into white clumps and a yellowish clear liquid.. i love that cheese!! :D

Venus de Mpls

02-02-2006, 10:52 AM

Thanks for the info on Ms. Dragonwagon. I really do love The Passionate Vegetarian.

My other favorite cookbook is out of print, The Essential Vegetarian (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/155110752X/qid=1138905299/sr=2-2/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_2/103-2648447-0624626?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) which can be a little confusing with unit measurements in metric and imperial, and the temperatures in centegrade, fahrenheit and British gas number. Still, some great recipes.

I like the Moosewood books, too. In the 70's they were some of the few veggie cookbooks out there and I scooped up new ones as soon as they were published.

For Christmas I gifted myself with the Vegetarian Joy of Cooking. Since I have a copy that was my grandmother's, a copy that is almost as dog-eared that was my mother's, and a copy Mom gave me years ago, I thought I should keep the lineage as complete as I could. It's not great, but there are a couple good recipes contained within.

Thanks for the link to her site. Very fun to read the thought process on choosing Dragonwagon as a last name.

strollingtroll

08-11-2006, 09:32 PM

Check out this site. It has a great vegetarian recipe section and tons of hot pepper sites i.e. habanero, poblano, chipotle, jalapeno, bell peppers and serrano stuff........

http://recipehomepage.blogspot.com

Brandi

08-12-2006, 03:31 PM

Jamie, are you looking to become a full fledge vegetarian, or will you eat fish?

I just adore stuffing a fish with veggies and grilling!

jamie

08-12-2006, 08:51 PM

Jamie, are you looking to become a full fledge vegetarian, or will you eat fish?

I just adore stuffing a fish with veggies and grilling!

We were only cutting down on our meat. Actually now we eat chicken and fish and that is about it. No red meat. I have come to love a lot of meat alternatives and in fact, this week...the big adventure is Vegan Loaf. Woohoo.

Tracyarts

08-13-2006, 09:58 AM

We ate vegetarian at a restaurant last night, and had a Tex-Mex plate. Veggie tamales, brown rice with Tex-Mex seasonings and mixed veggies chopped up in it, refried beans made veggie style.

It was awfully good.

You can do Southwestern/Tex-Mex with veggies instead of meat fairly easily. Veggie tacos, veggie tamales, veggie enchiladas. Chilies Rellanos, etc...

Tracy

Brandi

08-13-2006, 06:03 PM

Stuffed zucchini

Cut zucchini (s) lengthwise...take the seeds out. Place aside.

Cook brown rice (better to cook the rice the night before, I generally use my leftover rice)
If you have leftover veggies from the night before cut it up small, toss it with the rice, mix some fresh minced garlic.
Stuff the zucchini(s) and then top with your favourite cheese.
Bake in the oven at 350 until the cheese is melted.

I'm really bad with measurements, as I usually do it by the way it looks and/or tastes.

Now what I have done in the past is cut the tips of the zucchini and take the seeds out that way and stuff it that way (just added the cheese to the mixture), so it looks like a log and put it in tin foil and put it on the grill....let it cool..and cut it into wheels...looks really nice for presentation..especially if you use colorful veggies in the rice mixture.