[QUESTION] What are your favorite vegetarian meals?
What are some vegetarian meals or dishes you think people should know about?
I'm pretty guilty of using meat as a crutch in most of my cooking. I'd love to hear about some good meals for inspiration. Ideally things that aren't made to imitate/replace meat but exist well on their own.
A good Dahl over some rice is heaven itself. Add on a side of Chana/Aloo chatt and we're talking some serious food satisfaction.
Lentil curry (daal) is one of my staples. Indian vegetarian food in general is just fantastic.
I've long said that if a doctor told me my next bite of meat would kill me, Indian and Thai food would be the only things keeping me alive
I've got a few delicious veggie dishes that make the rounds on my house, check them out and give one or two a try:
Creamy Cherry Tomato and Squash pasta
French Lasagna (sorry for the FB link)
Pennoni with Caramelized Pear and Cavolo Nero
Portobello Risotto
Grilled Nectarine Caprese Salad (great for summer)
Black Bean and Corn Salad (hella versatile, I like to make this with Dijon vinaigrette)
Shakshuka
Sweet and Spicy Stewed Chickpeas
Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping
Vegan Chickpea Picatta Sauce pasta
West African Peanut Soup
psst, that peanut soup isn't vegetarian, but it does look good
Ah, should have clarified, you can make it with or without the chicken (which I usually do) and it'll still be great.
My go-to are couscous salad with sun-dried tomato and feta because it's really quick and you can make a lot, and peanut sauce noodle salad.
Summer time, this is one of my faves: bibim guksu (spicy Korean noodles)
Recently I've been going hard on the lentils, beans, and pulses. Curry soup with chickpeas and potatoes (I add lentils) Any curry, really. Chickpeas and lentils.
Winter is coming. I love this creamy vegetable soup because it is super low Calories and loaded with veg and no lactose if you prefer not. Still so creamy. It's great when you need to clear out the dying veg in the fridge.
Don't think I've ever had a cold noodle salad. Will try, thanks!
I love a good black bean burger. It has such a nice flavor profile that's clearly not trying to be a beef substitute. Load it up with lettuce, tomato, pickles, cheese, hot sauce, any condiments or toppings you like on a sandwich.
Grilled cheese and tomato soup is always a winner during the colder months.
Can't go wrong with a big tray of roasted veggies. Chop up some potatoes, broccoli, brussel sprouts, carrots, etc. Drizzle of olive oil, lightly salt and pepper, throw it in the oven, bon appétit.
A PB&J or a PB & Banana is a solid go-to.
A basic quiche is mainly eggs, spinach, and cheese.
Ramen and other pasta dishes that don't require meat. Some pasta, tomato sauce, cheese, and seasonings can go a long way. Fettuccine alfredo is another good one.
Ramen almost always uses fish in the stock.
You can make a good ramen stock with vegetable broth, miso paste, soy sauce, and seaweed. Its takes like 5 mins to make too, just heat and mix.
Lentil dahl. It's... perfect.
Chana masala
Garlic Sriracha Noodles with Broccolini is the best thing ever
A good unsweetened peanut butter definitely gets that satisfying fatty savoriness you normally get with meat.
Mutar paneer is one of my favorite dishes.
I usually use this recipe and then add a lot of peas near the end. I make my own paneer, usually every other week.
The recipe can be made vegan by replacing the paneer with extra firm tofu, the cream with coconut milk, and the butter with vegan butter.
::: spoiler recipe Shahi Paneer
Indian
Ingredients:
400 grams Paneer (Cottage cheese) cut into cubes (see paneer prep note below) 2 tablespoons Oil
2 medium Onions finely chopped
15-20 Almonds
24 oz 5 medium Tomatoes finely chopped
1 teaspoon Red chilli powder
1 tablespoon Coriander powder
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons Butter
1/2 cup Cream + for garnishing
1 teaspoon Kasoori methi powder
1 teaspoon Garam masala powder
1/4 teaspoon Green cardamom powder
Directions: Heat oil in a non stick kadai. Add onions and cashewnuts and sauté lightly. Add tomatoes and cook for 10-12 minutes or tomatoes are pulpy. Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt and sauté. Transfer this mixture into a mixer jar, cool and grind to a paste with a little water. Transfer the mixture into the same kadai. Add butter, cover and cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Add cream and mix well. Add paneer, kasoori methi powder, garam masala powder, green cardamom powder and mix well. Transfer into a serving bowl, garnish with some cream and serve hot. :::
My family prefers the paneer to be cooked before added to the dish. For that I use this:
::: spoiler paneer prep In a large bowl, whisk together 1 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt and 3 tablespoons oil. Gently, drop in the cubes of paneer and gently toss, taking care not to break the cubes if you're using the homemade kind. Let the cubes marinate while you get the rest of your ingredients together and prepped.
Pan fry the paneer before adding to the final dish. This also works with tofu. :::
Not sure I can get paneer, but this sounds interesting.
Make it yourself.
Bring a gallon of milk almost to a boil slowly. Add 1/2 or so acid (white vinegar, or lemon juice work well), the milk solids will separate from the whey. Let it sit off heat for 5-10 minutes. Then scoop out the solids into a strainer lined with a piece of cheese cloth.
Carefully wring out as much whey as possible, being careful the solids may still be very hot.
Place the solids while in the cheese cloth between two cutting boards or similar flat objects. Place them in a baking sheet to capture whey run off. Place the pot with the whey in it on top of the top cutting board. You may need to stand there to balance it.
I have been making paneer for almost 15 years now. I starting making it like this and have graduated to various cheese presses. I find mine preferable to store bought now too.
Sounds like something to do this weekend.
Air fry some tofu seasoned with garlic powder and soy sauce, add cornstarch at 400 for something like 15 minutes, use that in a noodle stir fry (teriyaki is easy enough)
I'm also a sucker for eggplant Parm
I've been trying to get tofu worth the effort for years with no luck. Mapo tofu being the best so far.
I haven't tried air frying it yet, though. So I'm definitely trying that one.
My husband who's a resolute meat eater loves my air fried tofu and actually asks for it. I use homemade teriyaki sauce.
Technically I got the idea from here: https://www.kulaskitchen.com/all-recipes/crispy-honey-garlic-tofu-coconut-rice but to make it for any stir fry I've simplified it down to garlic powder and soy sauce
Not a full meal per se, but my mother would sometimes saute spinach and mushrooms in butter and red wine (plus probably garlic), if I remember correctly. It was pretty fucking good.
That sounds like great late night food.
Crispy potato tacos.
Could you elaborate a bit?
I will boil cubed potatoes, deep fry them until crispy, dust with some taco seasoning, use that as the taco filling with whatever else you want.
Exactly this.
This reminds me of Taco John's. Though i think they used something closer to Lawry's on their potato oles. But they had like this breakfast burrito with oles and eggs and whatever else (probably meat but also I think peppers and onions). It was pretty good.
The potato oles nachos were bussin(salsa, guac, sour cream, cheese (queso style), hot sauce). And that 6 pack (of hard or soft shell) and a pound (oles) was great...
I second the elobration.
as much as I love meat, if I had to have a meal without it I'd opt for a portabello mushroom burger.
no specific recipes I use, but I do soak/marinate the mushroom in whatever flavor sauce or vinegrette I feel like before grilling.
I am basic and a lot of people probably already know about it, but I think my absolute favorite is chana masala. I also like things like Thai peanut noodles, and a noodle recipe I don't know the name of.
That recipe uses wheat noodles, soy sauce, fish sauce, gochujang hot pepper paste, ginger, MSG, sesame oil, and green onion. I forgot the exact amount of everything, so I use whatever feels right for each ingredient, but you fix your noodles and while they're going, grate your ginger and chop green onions. Then mix everything but the noodles. After the noodles are done, mix them in and enjoy.
I would say tofu stuff, but my diet prevents me from having it often for health reasons. I don't recommend being on blood thinners if you like tofu.
Edit:
Looks like the fish sauce I use uses anchovy, so you'd need an alternative to Squid Brand.
Sadly I got this idea from chipotle: I like to make a bowl of black beans, rice, caramelized onions and peppers and sprinkle on some shredded cheese. Adding a bit of guacamole is a nice touch too.
Why sadly?
Fast food is based on real dishes. If you can make it yourself with better ingredients, then that's a great thing to do.
If I put a soft tortilla around a hard tortilla and make a taco, I can't deny that it's an idea from Taco Bell. But it'll taste a lot better and be healthier.
A lot of South Asian food is naturally vegetarian or vegan. I make chana masala and lentil dahl a fair amount. Lots of flavour from the spices—there's no need for meat.
I also like scrambled tofu, which you can season any way you like. I tend to put curry seasoning on it.
Avocado toast too, but that's infrequent because avocados are expensive.
If you've never made creamy harissa butter beans I highly recommend it. One of the nicest vegan recipes I've made. If you're not keen on spice, make sure to get mild harissa, as the spicy harissa gets quite spicy, speaking as someone who enjoys spice.
Generally I like any tofu dish. Tofu is often meant to accompany meats (traditionally at least) but I find that a lot of tofu dishes that traditionally have meat, work very well without the meat. My go-to lazy lunch is boiling some water with stock cubes and chucking in noodles, medium-firm tofu, a vegetable of my choice, and chilli crisp.
Another with the Dahl. Guess I can't avoid trying it, then.
I think, this would technically classify as a burrito, but like a lazy version of it.
Basically, I get in the shops:
Chuck the beans with a bit of salt into the microwave. Cut the bell pepper into squares.
Put the vegetable spread onto the tortilla. Throw bell pepper and beans on top. Shove into mouth. Done.
Only difficulty is that the individual ingredients need to be good. There is quite a quality range for tortillas, pre-cooked beans and vegetable spreads...
I make a mean vegetarian lasagna by replacing the meat with sautéed mushrooms and spinach.
Good choice. The cafe at my work uses pumpkin and it tastes like the realisation that your mother never loved you.
Report them to The Hague
Risotto it's pretty good, it can be prepared with mushrooms, pumpkin, radicchio, and a lot of other things (just pick a seasonal ingredient and look up a recipe). if it's ok butter and/or cheese can also be added for taste
Kenji lopez-alt has a relatively easy recipe that skips a lot of the constant stirring. I've also recently found that mixing in finely chopped or even just squished soft tofu replicates some of the creaminess of cream, while really bumping up the protein and making it vegan
Grilled Halloumi cheese burger.
Just a brick of cheese on a bun?
Grilled halloumi is phenomenal, grilling it changes the proteins in a similar way as cooking meat does, and it's imo the best vegetarian (non-vegan) substitute for meat in a grilling context for that reason. I've also found a lot of meat eaters enjoy it as its own thing too.
Do you poop within the next 3 days?
Dairy doesn't affect me in that way. I suppose the lactose intolerant should beware. But the most voracious cheese eaters I know are mostly lactose intolerant, so they probably won't.
I don’t eat vegetarians.
My favourite dish of all time technically happens to be vegetarian :3 unless you're one of those vegetarians that only eat dairy or eggs rather than both :3
Anywho, the dish is šaltibarščiai recipe. I was gonna type out the recipe because it's the easiest thing ever, but I figured I'd link it :3. My one note on the linked recipe would be that I personally prefer dicing the eggs and adding them with the rest of the ingredients rather than at the end, so they absorb all the flavours :3
I probably won't like this but it's so unlike anything I've ever had that I'm probably going to make it.
Thanks for linking the recipe.
EDIT: The photo from that article is insane.
When I make it, it doesn't look anywhere as fancy as that lol :3. The photo is pretty accurate to how it's served in restaurants tho
Still looks insane. lol
Mujadara. It's a Lebanese rice, lentil and onion dish.
Not sure I can get groats, but would like to try this.
EDIT: I found wheat and barley groats!
Lentil dahl. Nutritious and tastyyyy. All Beyond meat products. Dont buy Redefine Meat and Gourmet Garden, they're Israeli.
Tabbouleh and Ful with some hummus, pita and za'atar
Not sure I want to try something called "foul" but all this sounds worth trying.
Fried shiitake mushrooms with garlic, a splash of soy sauce, and lemon juice. I usually use garlic powder for convenience.
If you're ok with lacto-ovo vegetarian dishes, it goes good with a fried egg and rice as a quick and tasty meal. Sometimes I'll have some kimchi with it too if I'm in the mood and have some on hand. (Note: a lot of kimchi is not vegetarian -- it often includes fish/seafood ingredients. The store near me sells both a vegetarian and a non-vegetarian version though and despite not being a vegetarian I prefer the taste of the vegetarian one slightly more, so I usually get that if they have it. Check the ingredients/labels if you're unsure.)
The mushrooms are also a fantastic accompaniment to steak when you're doing non-vegetarian cooking. Fry them in the same pan after making a steak on the stove and you can get something that can, frankly, eclipse the steak...
Another vegetarian dish I make sometimes (particularly in the summer) is basically just a chickpea salad. I usually use canned chickpeas for that with raw sliced vegetables like tomato, cucumber, red bell pepper, etc. I add salt, lemon juice, and olive oil and eat it with some toasted pita bread. Sometimes I will add avocado, chopped shallots, chunks of cheese, and/or a hard boiled egg if I have them handy and am in the mood -- but it's pretty good even without any of those extras. With canned chickpeas, I've found that I don't like the version with firming agents added (usually calcium chloride, IIRC), so I always check the labels at the store and get ones without it.
A third vegetarian dish I like is a variant on spaghetti puttanesca. While I boil pasta, I prepare a sauce in a pan using canned tomatoes, olive oil, capers, kalamata-style black olives, salt, a pinch of msg, and cayenne pepper. Finish the pasta in the sauce. One of the things I really like about this dish is that all the ingredients are shelf-stable so you can keep them on hand and just make it whenever. (My version notably leaves out the anchovies from more common variants of the dish.)
Couple favorites from my wife and I - paneer curries (especially paneer makhani), bean and cheese enchiladas, tofu tacos (shallow fry small cubes of tofu to get some texture), and a salad topped with fried chickpeas/tomato/avocado along with anything else that sounds yummy. Sometimes just a huge bowl of pasta hits too, with some simple veg added.
Cheese. Other ingredients optional.
If you are doing a meatless version of another dish, try to consider what roles the meat is doing in the dish, and if they're necessary. My partner is veggie, and cooking for us isn't any harder than just cooking for me.
Often one role is texture. You don't need to go looking for an exact replacement of the fibrous texture of meat, but you do want something that contrasts nicely. If you're using cauliflower or similar, make sure to not overcook it otherwise you'll lose the bite.
In terms of flavor, look for a mix of umami-rich and complexity. Consider using things like soy sauce, marmite, MSG, olives, onions, garlic, mustard, miso paste, tomato paste, hard cheese, fish sauce, anchovies, anchovy paste, or complex layers of spices (like in curry or chili). You may have to use some combination of these.
Simply reducing the meat you use can also be a route to eating less meat. Just replace the weight of meat with an equivalent weight of veggie. For example: 2 lbs chicken = 1 lb chicken + 1 lb cauliflower, or 2 lbs ground beef = 1lb ground beef + 1 lb red lentils. If going this route, go for fattier cuts and definitely don't drain the fat.
Apricot tofu {instead of apricot chicken}.
Daal.
Porridge.
Baked tofu w/roast veggies and spicy peanut sauce.
Chilli.
Website recommendation: Cookie and Kate. Generally pretty easy recipes and I haven't been disappointed yet. The Vegan Lasagna is a lot of work but 100% worth it.
Book recs: Moosewood Simple Suppers and Weeknight One-Pot Vegan Cooking. I checked the latter out from the library and liked so many of the recipes that I immediately bought a copy. And I actually made one of ny faves out of the Moosewood book last night: Lemony Couscous with Chickpeas. I like to cut the couscous down to one cup and throw an extra can of chickpeas in, but it's good as-written too.
If vegan lasagna isn't important, a veggie lasagna is about as much work as meat.
You just replace the meat sauce with basically any veggie. There are two things you need to watch out for. The first is moisture content, items like frozen spinach should have as much water squeezed out as possible or it may be soggy. The other is salt, you'd salt the meat sauce so don't omit it for the veggies.
I'm perfectly happy to eat meat in most contexts, but lasagna is definitely worse with it. The meat hogs center stage.
I don't have one for flavor as this depends mostly on spicing and such yourself but whenever someone asks for a cheap easy meal I mention you can cook lentils with your rice in the rice cooker without any pre work outside of washing/rinsing both rice and beans. its just amazing how easy it is. Along with this is that almost anything will cook in a rice cooker if you cut it small enough.
I like the Budget Bytes black bean burger.
A little R&B goes with lots of things (rice and beans)
Like what?
Vegetarian lasagna. Using zucchini and/or squash for the noodles. A mandolin can be really useful here, or just do your best with a knife. Cheese is acceptable, yes?
Though, if you want to use a ragu, that also works.
I also like layers of cottage cheese along with other cheeses.
Make sure to use some fresh herbs. Like basil, Rosemary, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper, etc.
https://minimalistbaker.com/1-pot-golden-curry-lentil-soup/#wprm-recipe-container-37902
No oil needed. Easy to make and tastes amazing.
https://cookieandkate.com/peanut-soba-noodle-slaw-recipe/#tasty-recipes-23512-jump-target
I throw some edamame in and give it a good squeeze of fresh lime to garnish.
Good vegetarian/vegan protein sources to substitute in your favorite recipes:
Seitan - pretty easy to make, use in place of chicken or steak. Great in fajitas, gyros, stir fry, etc.
TVP - super cheap and healthy substitute for ground beef. Use in pasta sauces, sloppy joes, chili, etc. Toss it in with some extra water in place of meat.
Tofu - recommended you freeze then thaw the tofu, dry it out good and pan fry until crispy. Excellent in stir fry, curry, noodles, etc.
Mujadara in Lebanese or Syrian style is my go-to