Vegetarian Main Dishes

[jamie]

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.

[fatlane]

You really ought to not avoid sauces. There are some DIVINE Indian dishes, particularly Gujarati, that are wonderful vegetarian fare.

Palak paneer looks like green crap, but tastes WONDERFUL. Get over the appearance and you're in for a taste sensation. Paneer makhani is another goodie from the subcontinent... then there's the fried breaded vegetables - pakora... oh, I could go on and on...

[jamie]

Originally Posted by fatlane

Paneer makhani is another goodie from the subcontinent...

Indian is the only place I do eat saucy things. Friday night, we had chicken makhani and kofta something-or-other. Very good. We will probably switch to paneer makhani now. I am not as big a fan as the boy, he could eat it every day, I am a more a once every couple of months kind of girl. The sauces here are more significant than in other types of food. Palak paneer and mint chutney make me very happy!

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by jamie

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.

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.

[jamie]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

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. 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]

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]

I would check out this book: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/044...lance&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]

Originally Posted by jamie

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]

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]

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]

Originally Posted by Jes

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.

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

[jamie]

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]

Originally Posted by jamie

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]

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]

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]

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]

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...ingveggie.html

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

[TaciturnBadger]

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.

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]

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]

Originally Posted by Boteroesque Babe

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?

--B.

[Traci]

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]

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]

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]

Originally Posted by Cynthia

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]

Originally Posted by Boteroesque Babe

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.