Filed under: Easy vegetarian recipes, healthy cooking, recipes, vegetarian, vegetarian cooking | Tags: easy vegetarian meals, Mediterranean, vegetarian dishes, veggie wraps, wraps
It’s been a crazy couple of days. One of my books, How to Sell Your Art, Handmade Crafts, Photographs, and Music Online went to final layout, so it’s been a flurry of activity around here… tweaking my bio, trying to get a good headshot for the book, answering emails from the publisher, and so on. Anyway, my eating habits haven’t been as…, well, thoughtful as I would have liked. A take out felafel here, a veggie burger there… kind of the vegetarian’s version of living on junk food.
Anyway, tonight, I finally had a little bit of time to unwind and be a person again, so I decided to treat my body to something a bit lighter than the questionable fare I’ve been asking it to live off of lately. I made these delicious Mediterranean veggie wraps with some roasted red pepper hummus. It feels good to be human again.
2 large tortillas
1 medium eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch thick rounds
sea salt (or table salt)
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 large cucumber, diced
1 Roma tomato, diced
Sun dried tomato pesto
2 oz crumbled feta cheese (optional)
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Salt the eggplant slices on both sides and let sit for 5 minutes. Pat dry on both sides (the salting takes out the excess moisture and bitterness). Brush with olive oil on one side. Place directly on oven rack, oiled side down, and bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. Oil tops of eggplant slices, turn over, let bake for an additional 8 minutes.
Between oiling and turning the eggplant slices, start assembling the wraps. Spread 1 tsp of the pesto on each tortilla; add diced tomato, cucumber, and red pepper. Place one ounce of the feta cheese on top of the vegetables on each tortilla.
When the eggplant slices are done, place them on a cutting board and cut into 1/2 inch squares. Place eggplant squares on top of the veggies and cheese. Sprinkle balsamic vinegar on top and roll the tortillas into wraps.
I imagine there are quite a few variations of this you could make – these just happened to be items I already had on hand.
These wraps are pretty easy to make – I think if I had planned it a little better (and if my five-year-old daughter wasn’t trying to help me with the dicing), I could have probably done these in 20 minutes. As it were, I probably put closer to a half hour into them.
Enjoy!
Filed under: Easy vegetarian recipes, Side dishes, easy vegan recipes, healthy cooking, low fat, recipes, vegan, vegetarian cooking, vegetarian recipes | Tags: lemon pepper, low fat and vegetarian recipe, rice dish, side dish, vegan recipe, vegetarian recipe
Every now and again, I get the temptation to step away from my rice cooker and make a rice dish the old fashioned way. Now, truth be known, this is usually because my rice cooking bowl is in the dishwasher, but it makes for a better story if I sound ambitious about the whole thing.
Anyway, tonight was just such a night. Not wanting to wait for the dishwasher to complete its cycle, I pulled out a pot and, with a really determined look on my face, set out to create a tasty rice dish that I wouldn’t try in my rice cooker.
The lemon pepper rice that resulted from my, um… impatience had a few cool things going for it. First, it allowed me to make a dish from scratch ingredients I already had on hand in one pot… so less mess for me to clean up later. Second, it was downright yummy, enough so that even my five-year-old was willing to try it. Third, it was pretty healthy, weighing in with only 0.2 grams of fat and about 120 caleries per serving. Not bad.
So here you go. This rice made a nice side dish for my portabello burgers, and I imagine it would work quite well with aked tofu or steamed vegetables as well.
1 cup long grain rice (I had basmati rice on hand, but white rice would work just as well, and probably better.)
2 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup chopped scallions
Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
Black pepper to taste
Garlic salt to taste or 2 cloves minced garlic (I opted for the garlic salt tonight. Chalk it up to a long day.)
Add all ingredients to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes or until rice is tender, stirring occasionally.
That’s it. Very little knife action, and the dish does most of the work on its own. I can certainly appreciate a side dish that doesn’t require my constant attention, and this lemon pepper rice certainly makes the list.
Enjoy!
Lee (The Veggie Guy)
Filed under: fellow bloggers
While searching for inspiration (and avoiding work), I happened across this blog:
http://3rdydays.wordpress.com/
Mike has decided to try something new for each month of 2008. It just so happens that for February, he has decided to go vegetarian.
I’m always impressed with people who are willing to try new things – it takes a lot of courage to commit to trying something new for a month… let alone filling your year with new experiences.
I encourage you to check out his blog. I certainly look forward to hearing about his experiences!
Filed under: Chinese recipes, Easy vegetarian recipes, easy vegan recipes, vegetarian, vegetarian cooking, vegetarian recipes | Tags: Chinese recipes, rice dishes, stir fry, vegan recipes, vegetarian recipes, winter vegetarian recipes
I had some of the vegan hot and sour soup frozen from last week, and it was freezing when I came home tonight, so I decided to thaw out the soup for tonight’s dinner. But, lazy bastid that I am, I hadn’t been to the grocery yet. So what to make with the hot and sour soup?
As I was wandering through the grocery, a fat purple eggplant sang its evil siren song to me from the produce section. “Come to me, young(ish) lad. Marvel at my smooth skin. You know you want me…”
Now, eggplant and I have had a rocky sort of relationship. Occasionally, it is kind; mostly, it is a dastardly substance that defies all laws of cooking. It has defied me on more occasions than I care to recall, and I resisted its sultry call.
Then, I gave in.
Eggplant, thou art a cold master.
Ahem.
Anyway, since the eggplant had already claimed me as its bitch, I figured it was a good time to try out a stir fry with the wily stuff.
I’m happy to say that it turned out wonderfully… probably about as authentically Chinese as Taco Bell is authentically Mexican, but still excellent stuff.
So if you are ready to tango with the eggplant, I invite you to try my eggplant stirfry recipe. May the gods of nightshades smile as kindly upon you as they have smiled upon me this icy evening.
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1 large eggplant
-
1 tsp olive oil or hot chili oil
-
8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced (I used the white ones, because shiitakes were just too danged expensive today)
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1 6 oz can sliced bamboo shoots
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1 bunch scallions
-
tamari or soy sauce
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2 cloves garlic, minced
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1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
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1 bottle Iron Chef Sesame Garlic Sauce
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1 cup white rice
Prepare white rice in a rice cooker or medium pot (if you don’t have a rice cooker, my sympathies. I ruined many a rice based dish before I got my hands on one of these).
Slice eggplant in about 1″ x 1/2″ wedges. I cut the eggplant in half lengthwise, then cut each half crossways in 1 inch sections (so I had about 10 half-moon shaped pieces an inch thick). I then cut each half moon into about four wedge shaped pieces. Heck, cut it however you want.
Place the eggplant pieces in a large skillet with the oil, and sprinkle liberally with tamari or soy sauce (tamari is better, but significantly more expensive). Let fry for about 6 minutes on medium heat.
Chop white parts of scallions, add with ginger and garlic to eggplant. Chop green parts of scallions and set aside. Let cook for about another 2 minutes, and then add sliced mushrooms and bamboo shoots.
After another 5 minutes, turn down the heat to low, and add the Iron Chef Sesame Garlic Sauce and the chopped green scallions. Simmer on low for 2 minutes, then serve over cooked rice.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
VeggieGuy Rating:
Ease: 4.2 (out of 5)
Time: 4 (out of 5)
Yum Factor: 4.7 (out of 5)
Total Score: 4.23
Filed under: Easy vegetarian recipes, easy vegan recipes, vegetarian, vegetarian cooking, vegetarian recipes
Long before a digitally animated rat stirred up the imaginations of youngsters everywhere, this vegetarian dish warmed the hearts and souls of many a French worker bee. This easy to prepare dish is a welcome treat on a cold winter night, or any time you want a light, hearty meal without a lot of fuss. So, with grudging apologies to Pixar (grumble, grumble), I give you… Ratatouille!
Notes:
- I have used white cooking wine in this recipe to reduce the amount of oil necessary to saute the vegetables. This significantly reduces the fat and calories in this dish, making this an excellent low fat, low calorie and vegetarian recipe that will make your whole family happy.
- Herbes de provincal is a mixture of aromatic herbs common in Southern France. This mixture is pretty tough to find in the States. If you can’t find it, don’t worry. I’ve found that 1/2 tsp basil, 1/2 tsp sage, 1/4 tsp rosemary, and 1/2 tsp oregano will work just fine.
- Traditionally, ratatouille is sauteed and then finished in a casserole dish. I have lots of things to do every day, like playing with my five year old, doing laundry, and blogging for my wonderful audience (yes, both of you), so expediency is my friend. May it be yours as well.
So without further nonsense, here we go:
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 chopped tomatoes or 2 cans stwed, diced tomatoes
1 large eggplant (aubergine), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch squares
2 yellow or green zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp herbes de provencal
2 tbsp white cooking wine
Saute the onion and garlic for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and eggplant, simmer for 15 min. Add remainder of ingredients, saute for an additional 10 minutes.
You can serve this dish by itself or over white rice, pasta, or orzo. Crusty french bread with pesto is an excellent compliment to ratatouille.
Enjoy!
Filed under: Easy vegetarian recipes, easy vegan recipes, hummus, raw food, vegetarian recipes
If you’re new to raw foods, all of the sprouting and dehydrating can be a little overwhelming. Here’s a good recipe that will help you get into the swing of creating raw foods without running out and buying a $200 dehydrator. It’ll also help you develop a little patience, because this recipe takes about 3 days from start to finish (although you’ll only put in about 15 minutes of actual work).
Sprouted chickpeas (garbanzo beans) are packed with protein and vitamins to support a healthy immune system – very important during these icky winter months.
1 cup dried chickpeas
1 1/2 cup water
4 tbsp tahini
1 tsp cumin
Juice from 1/2 lemon
2 cloves garlic, whole
Soak dried chickpeas in water for 1 day. Drain. Let sit for 2 days, rinsing and draining once or twice per day. Chickpeas are ready when the sprouts are about 1/2 inch long.
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Remove water from heat and let sit for 1 minute. Place sprouted chickpeas in the hot water for one minute; drain. (This step is very important. If you skip this, the hummus will be completely awful. Believe me – I’ve tried it.)
Place chickpeas, garlic, cumin, 1 1/2 cups water, tahini, lemon juice in a blender. Blend on high for at least one minute. If hummus is still not smooth, add a bit more water and blend again until smooth.
Serve with cut fresh vegetables like carrot sticks, celery stalks and sliced cucumbers.
Filed under: Chinese recipes, Easy vegetarian recipes, easy vegan recipes, vegan soups, vegetarian recipes, vegetarian soups
Now, here’s one of my favorites before I became a vegetarian – there’s something about Chinese hot and sour soup that is just plain comforting, especially when it’s downright freezing outside (like today – it’s about 2 degrees Farenheit right now).
Unfortunately, most hot and sour soups you find in Chinese restaurants are made with chicken stock, and many contain either pork or chicken. You can find vegetarian hot and sour soup in some health food stores (and occasionally in supermarkets), but to be honest, it’s pretty awful stuff.
So I did some experimenting to come up with a vegan hot and sour soup that had the same wonderful smell and taste as the commercially available version, without all of the animal products. It took a few tries, but I finally tweaked a couple of meat-centered recipes, and came up with a hot and sour soup that hits the spot!
If you can find mixed mushrooms at your supermarket, this hot and sour soup is pretty easy to make. If you can’t find packaged mixed mushrooms, any of the types I’ve listed below will work fine.
Here’s what you’ll need:
8 oz. sliced mushrooms (white button mushrooms, cremini, portobella, straw mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms)
1 package (16 oz) extra firm tofu, drained and sliced into 1/4 ” x 1/2″ strips
1 bunch scallions
4 oz chopped kale
1 carrot, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 oz. ginger, grated
4 cans vegetable broth
2 cups water
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp chili sauce
Pour water, vegetable broth, rice vinegar, white vinegar in a stock pot or large soup pot on medium high heat. Stir frequently until liquid starts to boil.
Chop scallions, add to liquid, saving some of the green part for garnish. Add remainder of ingredients and cover.
Heat for 15 minutes or until kale is tender. Ladle into serving bowls and garnish with remaining scallions.
Variations:
- For those of you that want a more meatlike texture, you can either freeze and thaw the tofu before preparing the soup, or substitute seitan. You might even be able to use those Morningstar Farms Chik’n strips, but I haven’t tried it.
- You can also add egg whites for a non-vegan version. Slowly stir 6 egg whites into the liquid when if comes to a boil, and before you add the other ingredients.
Prep time: 10 min.
Cooking time: 15 min.
Total time: 25 min.
Note: This hot and sour soup can be easily frozen and saved for later. I typically make a double batch and freeze half of it.
Filed under: easy vegan recipes, raw food, vegetarian cooking, vegetarian recipes
After a (very) long absence, I’m back!
I’ve spent the year lerning new things about vegetarian and vegan cooking. I’ve even bought a dehydrator, and started experimenting with raw food recipes.
If anyone tells you that eating raw is easy, please just look at them weird. It’s not easy… it takes a lot of patience (which is not one of my most prevalent traits), and it takes the ability to completely mess up a meal here and there.
Anyway, I won’t claim to be a raw food expert, but I will share the insights I have gained over the last year.
I have, however, become something of an expert on creating low calorie and vegetarian recipes, especially those that even dedicated carnivors find appealing. I’ll be sharing many of these new recipes over the coming weeks.
So look forward to more recipes, tips, techniques, and resources in 2008!
Filed under: Uncategorized
As a seasoned vegetarian, it never ceases to amaze me that when someone discovers my dietary preference, the first question they ask is, “Do you know you’re not getting enough protein?”
It also never ceases to amaze me how incredibly strong the filters in my brain are – the ones that keep me from responding with, “Do you know there’s undigested meat putrifying in your colon?” One of these days, one of those brain filters is going to blow….
So anyway, my standard response is, “So how much is ‘enough’?”
Since the answer I get is usually something along the lines of, “Well, more than you can get from [insert carrots/lettuce/twigs/other non-dietary-staple here],” I thought I’d do a bit of research and gain some insight from someone who knows what the hell they’re talking about.
As with most things nutritional, you ask 10 different “experts”, you get 10 different answers. But most tend to express daily need as a factor of a person’s body weight (grams of protein/day per lb. of body weight), and virtually all hover in the .35 – .45 range for a sedentary person, .40 – .60 for a moderately active person, and .60-.90 for an athlete or bodybuilder.
So… I am a 135 lb active adult. That means I should be getting somewhere between 54 and 81 grams of protein per day. Well, let’s look at my food intake yesterday (a not-particularly-health-conscious day, as I was on the go from 5 A.M to about 9:30 PM) and see what we come up with:
Breakfast
1 8 oz. glass soy milk – 7 grams
2 oz trail mix – 5 grams
Mid-Morning
1 Bagel – 9 grams
Lunch
Vegetarian Pad Thai – 11 grams
Spring Roll – 3 grams
Dinner
Lentil Soup – 18 grams
French bread – 5 grams
Evening
8 oz soy milk – 7 grams
Total = 65 grams
65 grams is well within range, and as I stated earlier, I wasn’t even being good yesterday.
Other foods I regularly consume that have moderate to high protein content, per the USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 18, 2005:
Seitan – 31 grams for 3 oz.
Black beans – 15 grams for 1 cup
Chickpeas (an Indian food staple) – 12 grams for 1 cup
Veggie burger (hey, I’m a busy guy) – 13 grams
Spinach – 5 grams for 1 cup
Spaghetti noodles – 8 grams for 1 cup
Broccoli – 4 grams for 1 cup
Tofu – 11 grams for 4 oz.
So I’m not too worried about running out of steam. And if you’re contemplating a meat-free diet, rest assured that it can be done in a very nutritionally sound way. The above foods are vegan, so even if you make that step, there’s nothing to worry about.
Disclaimer time:
Now, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that your best friend’s weird cousin Ingrid, who is a proud vegetarian but subsists on potato chips, veggie dogs, and beer, is doing just fine and gets enough protein in her diet. Just like omnivores, vegetarians and vegans have to use a modicum of common sense regarding what they eat. For every pale, skinny vegetarian, there’s a flabby, bloated “normal person” who eats at McDonalds every other meal and wonders why that flight of stairs is so hard to climb. That’s just the way it is.
Filed under: Uncategorized
This is an easy and healthy dish that can be prepared with absolutely no oil if you have a rice cooker/vegetable steamer. I steam the veggies beforehand, then add them to the fajita seasoning/water mix to stir-fry for a few minutes.
Burrito-sized flour or corn tortillas (check package to make sure they are vegan)
Broccoli florets (I usually use 1 crown)
1 tomato, cut into pieces
1 yellow squash, cut into rounds and then quartered
1 zucchini squash, cut into rounds and then quartered
8 oz white button mushrooms, sliced
1 poblano pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced into rounds and quartered
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 packet fajita or burrito seasoning
1) Steam veggies (except for oniona nd garlic)according to your steamer directions. Lacking that, you can put them in a microwave-safe bowl with a little water, and microwave them for 5-7 minutes (though I’ve done it, and it really isn’t quite the same). Lacking that, complete step 2 and then toss the veggies in a large skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil and stir-fry for 5-7 minutes.
2) Stir fry the onions and garlic with 2 tbsp of water in a large skillet for 1 minute.
3) Add water and seasoning to skillet per seasoning packet directions.
4) If you steamed the veggies first, add them to the skillet and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
5) Add mixture to burrito shells. Serve with chips and salsa or Mexican rice (or both).
