Vegetarian Cooking

Anybody have any good vegetarian recipes that you love? I love cooking, but I'm fresh out of ideas for what to make for dinner. I'm game for anything, but the more cheese the better.

Following. I recently became a vegetarian and am finding it a little difficult to get variety and interesting dishes into my diet now. I know there are lots of options for vegetarian food out there... I just haven't really figured out what they are yet. I'm stuck on my old standbys and just trying to make them vegetarian... which isn't the best (you know, tacos, shepherd's pie, etc.). I've been saved by the fact that I still eat seafood.

I'm not vegetarian but we do occasionally eat vegetarian dishes:

Enchiladas with beans instead of meat
Veggie stir fry or crispy tofu with coconut rice
Frittata - usually eggplant, zucchini, spinach, peppers, mushrooms and basil with mozzarella on top
Homemade pizza
One pot pasta dish with tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, etc
Quinoa salad with corn, black beans, mushrooms, loads of hot sauce

Some of my favorites:

Double Tomato Bruschetta

6 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
½ cup sun dried tomatoes (or sun-dried tomato pesto)
3 cloves minced garlic
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
¼ cup fresh basil (dried works too in a pinch)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 or 2 french baguettes
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

PREHEAT OVEN ON BROILER SETTING

1. IN A LARGE BOWL, COMBIME THE TOMATOES, SUN DREID TOMATOES, GARLIC, OLIVE OIL, VINEGAR, BASIL, SALT, AND PEPPER. ALLOW THE MIXTURE TO SIT FOR TEN MINUTES
2. CUT THE BAGUETTE INTO ¾ INCH SLICES. ON A BAKING SHEET, ARRANGE THE BAGUETTE SLICES IN A SINGLE LAYER. BAKE FOR 1-2 MINUTES UNTIL SLIGHTLY BROWN.
3. DIVIDE TOMATO MIXTURE EVENLY OVER BAGUETTE SLICES. TOP WITH SHREDDED CHEESE.
4. BROIL FOR 5 MINUTES OR UNTIL CHEESE IS MELTED

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Orzo Salad

4 cups chicken broth
1.5 cups orzo
1.5 cups grape or plum tomatoes (or just chopped regular tomatoes)
¾ cup finely chopped red onion
½ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
¼ cup chopped fresh mint leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Red Wine Vinagrette:
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1/8 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1. POUR BROTH INTO SAUCEPAN. BRING TO A BOIL (COVERED). ADD ORZO. STIR REGULARLY.
2. COOK ORZO ABOUT 7 MINUTES, UNTIL TENDER BUT STILL FIRM TO THE BITE
3. ADD OTHER INGREDIENTS, INCLUDING VINAGRETTE TO THE ORZO.

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Sushi

3 cups sushi rice
5 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Vegetables/other fillings (cucumbers, crab, egg, pickled radish work well)
Nori (dry seaweed sheets)

1) COOK RICE (1:1.1 RATIO OF RICE:WATER)
2) PUT RICE IN A WOODEN BOWL AND CUT THROUGH IT WITH A WOODEN SPOON TO MIX (DON’T JUST STIR)
3) COMBINE RICE VINEGAR, SALT, AND SUGAR IN A BOWL.
4) ADD VINEGAR MIXTURE TO COOKED RICE. MIX IN USING “CUTTING†TECHNIQUE
5) LET COOL
6) PLACE NORI SHEET ON ROLLING PAD
7) PUT A TENNIS BALL SIZED BLOB OF RICE ON THE NORI
8) SPREAD RICE ABOUT ½ cm THICK ON NORI.
9) LINE VEGGIES ON RICE HORIZONTALLY ALL ON TOP OF ONE ANOTHER
10) ROLL SUSHI
11) COOL AND THEN CUT THE ROLL INTO SUSHI PIECES
12) TOP WITH GINGER OR WASABI AS DESIRED BEFORE EATING

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Easy Lasagna

Chopped onions, chopped peppers, fresh spinach, and/or grated carrots
1.5 jars tomato sauce (not just plain sauce, it can be whatever you like best)
1 10oz container of ricotta cheese
1 package of chopped frozen spinach (thawed)
1 egg
Ready-bake lasagna noodles
Mozzarella cheese (1 bag will do)

1) PREHEAT OVEN TO 375º F
2) MIX TOGETHER TOMATO SAUCE AND WHATEVER VEGGIES YOU WISH (SEE FIRST INGREDIENT ON LIST FOR POSSIBILITIES)
3) MIX TOGETHER RICOTTA CHEESE, THAWED SPINACH, AND EGG
4) SPREAD 1/3 TOMATO SAUCE MIXTURE ON BOTTOM OF CASSEROLE DISH
5) LINE UP LASAGNA NOODLES ON TOP OF TOMATO SAUCE SPREAD
6) SPREAD ½ CHEESE MIXTURE ON TOP OF NOODLES
7) SPREAD 1/3 TOMATO MIXTURE ON TOP OF CHEESE
8) LAYER MORE NOODLES
9) SPREAD ½ CHEESE MIXTURE ON TOP OF NOODLES
10) SPREAD 1/3 TOMATO MIXTURE ON TOP OF CHEESE
11) SPRINKLE MOZZARELLA CHEESE ON TOP TO FORM FINAL LAYER
12) BAKE FOR ~40 MINUTES

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Spring Rolls

Rice Wrappers
Cucumber strips
Thinly sliced carrots
Scallions
Lettuce
Chicken breast (optional)
Mangos (optional)

Peanut Dipping Sauce

½ can of coconut milk (5.5 oz)
½ cup peanut butter
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sriracha


1. BLEND ALL INGREDIENTS FOR PEANUT DIPPING SAUCE AND SERVE
2. CHOP/PREPARE ALL FRESH INGREDIENTS (CUT INTO THIN STRIPS, COOK CHICKEN IF NECESSARY, ETC.)
3. DIP RICE PAPER WRAPPER INTO HOT (NOT BOILING) WATER FOR 5 SECONDS AND THEN REMOVE AND LAY ON A PLATE
4. PLACE INGREDIENTS LINED UP IN THE WRAPPER AND WRAP UP
5. SERVE IMMEDIATELY (DIPPING SAUCE CAN BE USED TO DIP OR SPREAD INSIDE BEFORE WRAPPING)

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One Pot Pasta


1 13.25-ounce box whole wheat linguine
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (1 pint of grape tomatoes)
handful of basil, chopped
handful of parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes
5 cups water
parmesan cheese for serving

Directions:
1. Combine all the ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally to submerge the pasta as it softens.
2. Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring and tossing continually (tongs are great for this) for about 8 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and the pasta is cooked.
3. Serve immediately, topped with parmesan cheese.


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Sesame Noodles

1 (16 ounce) package linguine pasta
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons safflower oil (you can use veggie oil if need be)
6 tablespoons rice vinegar
6 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons chili sauce (use less for a mild version)
6 green onions, sliced
1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted

1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and transfer to a serving bowl.
2. Meanwhile, place a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in garlic, sugar, oil, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili sauce. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves. Pour sauce over linguine, and toss to coat. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.

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World’s Easiest Pizza Crust

3 cups flour
1 (.25 oz) package of active dry yeast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 cup warm water (~110 degrees)

1. PREHEAT OVEN TO 375º
2. MIX ALL DRY INGREDIENTS TOGETHER
3. ADD OIL AND WATER TO DRY INGREDIENTS
4. KNEAD ALL INGREDIENTS TOGETHER UNTIL A DOUGH IS FORMED
5. SPREAD DOUGH ON PIZZA PAN AND TOP
6. BAKE FOR 20-25 MINUTES AT 375º

**note – if the crust is going to be thick, this will make ~ 1 small pizza

Pizza Sauce

1 can whole tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1.5 tsp kosher salt
¼ cup olive oil

1) OPEN THE CAN OF TOMATOES AND DRAIN, DISCARDING THE JUICE. PUT THE TOMATOES IN A BLENDER AND BLEND UNTIL SMOOTH. ADD THE GARLIC, SALT, AND OLIVE OIL AND PROCESS UNTIL THE SAUCE IS NICELY BLENDED AND EMULSIFIED.
2) IF YOU ARE NOT USING IT RIGHT AWAY, IT CAN BE STORED IN AN AIRTIGHT CONTAINER IN THE FRIDGE FOR UP TO 1 WEEK

**note – this sauce is VERY garlic-tasting. Adding more tomato sauce can help make it less overwhelming… On pizza, though, it’s pretty good.

I really enjoy lentil soups and chickpea stews. Super easy, inexpensive, and healthy. They essentially have the same ingredients, but slightly different tastes.

I use:
- 1/2 of small onion
- 1/2 clove garlic (or more to taste)
- 1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp. cumin
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 can of diced tomatoes
- 1 can of chick peas (drained) AND/OR
- 1 cup lentils
- salt to taste


Steps:
- sautee onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent
- add curry powder, smoked paprika, salt and cumin. Cook 1 min
- Add bay leaf, tomatoes and chickpeas and simmer 20-30 mins

If using lentils:
- sautee onion and garlic
- add curry powder, paprika, salt and cumin
- add 2 cups water/stock of choice and 1 cup lentils
- when lentils are close to being ready, add tomatoes and chickpeas
- simmer 20 minutes

Veggie fajitas! So easy, and you can use almost any vegetable you like.

I used zucchini, carrots, peppers, a big onion and some portabella mushrooms. Slice veggies into thin strips. Sautee in olive oil and season to taste with chili powder, cumin, turmeric, salt + pepper and lime juice.

Heat some tortillas, roll up veggies into tortillas, add shredded cheese. I like these with pico de gallo or a hot chunky salsa, and sour cream.