The Subsim Vegetarian Thread

[NeonSamurai]

Well, some members thought this would be a good idea where people could talk about it and share recipes. So I figured I would get the ball rolling.

Some opening rules. This is not a place to preach or try to convert in either direction. Nor is this the place for insulting others because of their dietary choices. Lets try to keep it respectful and civil, k? Also as for recipes, try to keep them vegetarian (fish, seafood, and chicken are not vegetables).


Anyhow I'll get things started. I am a vegetarian, I have been for most of my life (roughly 35 years in total) and was raised one. I am also a trained chef though that is not my current career. My choice to be one is not so much for health reasons, but ethical/moral issues I have with the food industry.

[NeonSamurai]

Here are a couple of my favorites. If anyone doesn't understand terms like sauté or al dente, let me know


Bean Tacos
10-12 piece taco kit (tacos, salsa & seasoning)
2 medium tins red kidney beans or similar (try to get low sodium ones)
1/2c olive oil
1/2c water
taco toppings (lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, salsa, etc)

Partly drain the kidney beans (don’t rinse and leave a little of the liquid). Put the beans, water, oil and seasoning pouch into a large fry pan, add some chili powder if desired. DO NOT ADD ANY SALT. Heat the beans till the liquid boils and let it reduce a bit, stirring so it doesn’t scorch. After 10-20 minutes when the liquid is thick enough, roughly mash the beans using a potato masher or fork (you want some semi whole pieces) and mix thoroughly. Serve as you would normally serve tacos. Makes 10-12 tacos (2 medium tins of kidney beans will fill 12 tacos to about 1/3rd)



Greek Pasta Salad
2c vinaigrette recipe above using lemon
2c feta, crumbled or cubed
1 900g pkg macaroni, radiator, or similar pasta
1c firm kalamata olives
2 green pepper, diced
1 english cucumber, diced
4 small tomatoes, diced
1 medium red onion finely chopped

Cook the pasta till al dente, drain, rinse with cold water until pasta is cold, drain and let sit. Make the dressing, chop the veggies and in a large bowl mix everything together. Let refrigerate overnight. Serves 6 for a meal, 12-20 for a side dish.
Don’t forget to warn people about the olives having pits if you used unpitted olives.



Eggplant Spaghetti Sauce
2 medium eggplant
4 large green pepper
1 large jar capers (roughly 1 cup or so)
3 cups black or kalamata olives, pitted & halved
2 large tins tomato paste
2 tins diced tomatoes
8 cloves garlic
1 c olive oil
2-3 tbl basil (dry or fresh)
1 tbl tabasco
2c red wine
1 tbl hot red pepper flakes
salt & pepper

grated parmesan, Reggiano or Grana Padano
1-2 pkg spaghetti (preferably a good thick and hearty kind)

Cut the eggplant into 1/2-3/4” cubes, same with the green pepper. Crush and chop the garlic cloves, add salt to the garlic to help absorb the oil. Scrape off the garlic on the cutting board into a very large pot with 1/2c of olive oil and sauté for 1 minute, then add the vegetables and mix around and sauté for another minute, then add the capers (with the juice they were packed in) and the wine. Bring the wine to a boil and cook off the alcohol, then add the tomato paste, diced tomatoes, olives, garlic, basil, salt and pepper, cook slowly on medium low heat (not boiling) until all the vegetables are cooked and the sauce is thick enough (stir often). Add the remaining olive oil and serve on top of a good brand of spaghetti (preferably thick kind like No. 4), grated parmesan cheese, and red pepper flakes on the side.



Simple Ratatouille
1 yellow onion
1 tsp hot red pepper flakes
1 smallish eggplant
6 tbs. olive oil
3 medium zucchini
water
2 small tin tomato paste
2-3 cloves garlic crushed
1 tin tomatoes (diced)
2 tbs vinegar
1 tbl dried basil
salt & pepper

Cube all the eggplant and zucchini, chop the onion, Sauté the onion in 4 tbs oil a minute or two, then add the vegetables and sauté another minute or two. Add the tin of tomatoes, and enough water to cover the vegetables, then add the tomato paste, vinegar and red pepper flakes. Cook gently for about an hour, add the basil in half an hour and the salt and pepper to taste. When cooked mix in the remaining oil. Serve over rice with grated parmesan cheese.

[FIREWALL]

All I have to say is.... WHERE'S THE BEEF. :haha:

To each their own tho. :salute:

[CCIP]

Oh, I'm all in favour of delicious vegetables. And I may well have to try that spaghetti sauce :)

I'm not really a vegetarian, but on a day-to-day basis I eat so little meat that I might as well be. Meat as such is almost never on my grocery list, although that doesn't prevent me from enjoying a burger or steak every now and then. It's purely gone to "special occasion food" for me though. I just can't stand it as a constant or primary part of my diet - give me my veggies any day.

[FIREWALL]

I like vegs too. But I eat a balanced diet.

[tater]

I'm gonna make those first two for sure (I'm not a huge eggplant fan).

I have some nice side dishes with no meat, it's the entrees that are hard.

ObRecipe (sorry, it's a side, but I love it):

Carrot Salad with Cumin and Garlic (moroccan dish from Arabesque by Claudia Roden). This cookbook is great (lots of meatless stuff, too, actually, least for salads, etc). Buy it.

Serves 4-6

5 large carrots (~1.25 lbs)
4 T EVOO
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 t ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1.2 lemon

Peel, wash, or scrape the carrots, and trim off the tops and tails. Cut them into quarters lengthwise, the cut those in half to make sticks. Boil in slated water for 10-15 minutes, until tender but not too soft, then drain.

In a large skillet, heat the oil and put in carrots, garlic, cumin, and some salt and pepper. Sauté on a medium high heat, stirring and turning the carrots over, until the garlic just begins to color.

Sprinkle with lemon juice, and serve cold.

I make this a lot when I do moroccan dinners. Everyone likes it.

[STEED]

America is the land of the carnivore, big beef eaters.

Veggies in America...WOW!

Hey I don't mind trying something different from the usual run of the mill. :up:

[nikimcbee]

Something is wrong, there is no bacon in this thread:hmmm:.

Okay Martha Stewart, I'll leave the thread now. I smell bacon in the other thread.

[nikimcbee]

America is the land of the carnivore, big beef eaters.

Veggies in America...WOW!

:up:

See Kanada:haha:

[tater]

My veggie friends won't be offended by meat on the table, but I want something nice for them to eat too.

BTW, neon, when you do eggplant and squash do you salt it and let it sit for a while then rinse and dry it before cooking? I tried that and it made a HUGE difference in texture. Squash was crispy, not squishy.

PS—on the egg[plant spaghetti, 1 large JAR of capers? my daughter loves capers, and my large jar is maybe 16 ounces :)

Or do you mean a tiny jar of the large capers?

PPS—read the damn OP. Whine about meat elsewhere. Ask a question, or post a recipe. Back before I was married, every 3d chick or so was a veggie, knowing how to cook them a tasty meal can't hurt your chances. Besides, when you have people over, it's only polite to have something they can eat on the table. That said I won't go as far as vegan crap. You get too persnickety and you're on your own, but a "I don't eat meat" guest deserves to enjoy dinner. (I do most cooking at our house, and I have a few buddies who used to be prep or line cooks. My friend scott can look you in the eye while talking to you making tiny dices for pico de gallo (FAST) and still have all his fingers. Blows my mind.

[Skybird]

CHINESE FRIED SPINACH

Many people do not like spinach. But chances are that they will like it if prepared this way (telling by experience). It's one of my favourite recipes - since 25 years. Occassionaly I kill for it. :)

Prepare a hugh quantity if it should be the full meal, smaller quantity if it is just part of something bigger. Serve on unsalted Basmati rice.

Use froozen spinach, it is easier to handle than fresh one, and does not make a difference.

Use a Wok or an iron pan (uncoated), heat it up to the maximum you stove can handle. KEEP IT there during all cooking.


400 gr froozen spinach (full leaves, non-cut!), thawed out
2 onions, cut up
2 cloves of garlic, thin sliced and small cut, or smashed
3-4 slices of fresh ginger, or 1/2 - 1 teaspoons of ginger powder
4-6 table spoons of oil
2 table spoons of Chinese dark soya sauce (no Japanese or Indonesian!)
4-6 table spoons chicken broth
1-2 table spoons Sherry, medium dry

Put oil into the heated pan or Wok. Add ginger, garlic and onions. Constantly stir, else...! Once onions start to show brown edges after 2 minutes, add spinach. CONSTANTLY STIR!!! 2 Minutes (precise timing!). Add soya sauce, chicken broth, stir another 1 - 1.5 minutes. Add Sherry, stir 30 seconds, immediately serve/eat with rice. When taking it out of the pan, there should not be much loose liquid left (else you took too much sauce or too little spinach, or the pan was not hot enough).

The process is quick, like often is the case with Chinese cuisine, but it is important to keep the heat up and to constantly stir, else the mass burns into the iron immediately. :) The spinach should not become dry and black, but covered with oil and the green should have become of a clearly darker colour. Take the time precisely, do not do it longer, else it becomes greasy. In case of doubt or the spinach turning dark earlier, skip the rest of the time, but not much. From the moment you put the onions into the pan, the whole cooking process until you serve it should not last longer than 4.5-5 minutes maximum. Beside that, it is very easy and quick to prepare.

Watch out for the soya sauce. Japanese, Chinese and Indonesian are all very different in taste. For dedicated recipes demanding it, Chinese is best (but only if hesating it up very much, cold I do not like it), for all other purposes, I prefer Indonesian, which I consume in large quantities. For Japanese soya sauce - well, I do not like it neither hot nor cold. And no, I also do not like Sushi. :lol:

[TLAM Strike]

All I have to say is.... WHERE'S THE BEEF. :haha:

http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/6110/0101010101.jpg (http://img831.imageshack.us/i/0101010101.jpg/)

[Penguin]

Great, something useful derived from the muslim bacon thread! :up:
I do have major lack of words in terms of cooking – seriously, is there a good website with cooking vocabulary? I hope y'all understand it anyway:
As we are mostly men on this site, I will provide some easy recipes ;).


quick to make: Spaghetti with letil sauce


2 big cans of lentils (400 grams each) or 200 grams fresh letils soaked in water for at least 45 mins - I prefer the brown ones but green or red are also fine, keep some of the water



2 onions, cut in sclices
1 or 2 garlic cloves, hacked
100 grams of carrots, in slices or dices
2 tablespoons (tbs) tomato puree/paste
2 tbs fresh and hacked parsley
oil, salt, pepper

fry the onion slices in 2 tblsps of oil for 5 min till they become slightly brown, then add garlic and carrots
put a lid on the pan and keep it on low heat untill the veggies are soft (about 15 mins)
stir in lentils, tomato paste, parsley. Add salt'n'peppa as you like it. You may want to add some lentil water to keep it liquid, however the sauce should remain thick, let it cook for some more minutes
Cook spaghetti (you all know how to do this)
add sauce to pasta, top it with some parmesan or another hard cheese & eat!


fake texmex dish: Tortilla chip casserole:


2 onions, hacked
6 fresh tomatos, hacked or corresponding amount of tomato pulp



2 cloves of garlic, hacked
1 pepper (red > green), hacked
375 gram corn from a tin
125 gr tortilla chips (Uk: crisps :03:), any flavour you like, natural taste works fine
150 gr cheddar, grated (as a cheese nazi I put in more)
250 gr sour cream
1 tbs vinegar (red> white)
1 tbs sugar
½ tbs chili powder
2 tbs oil
casserole dish (obviously)

heat oil in a pan, add onions and garlic, stir fry at medium heat for about 3 mins (till the onions are „glasy“ → add tomatos, pepper, vinegar, sugar, chili powder
cook without lid for 6-7 minutes untill the liquid boils away
add corn, let cook for 3 more minutes
now stack chips, sauce and cheese in layers in the casserole, the last layer should be cheese
coat it with sour cream
preheat oven to 160° C – or if you calculate in ancient measurements 325° F, insert casserole and bake it for about 15 minutes
add some hacked chives before serving
eat and enjoy – goes great with cold beer


a party classic, good before drinking: cheese-leek-soup

as this is an each-to-his-own dish the amounts of the ingredients can be varied very widely


1 spanish onion or 2 normal onios
2 or 3 leek (if you don't know what this is, watch this: http://www.leekspin.com (http://www.leekspin.com/))
about a pound soft cheese, (cream & herb flavour work best)
2 cans of white mushrooms, or the corresponding amount of fresh ones
1.5 litres (1/3 of am. gallon) of vegetable stock
(some people like chopped meat in this, so you may want to add a
pound of ground beef to it – or ground meat surrogate – I think it's fine without)
nutmeg, salt, pepper

commit a chopping massacre on the onions, leek and mushrooms. Fry the onion first. If you like add the ground (soy-) meat at this point. Add the leek and fill 'er up with the stock. Let it cook untill the leek is soft, then add the cheese and the mushrooms. Stir well so the cheese won't stick to your (cooking-) pot. Add nutmeg, salt, pepper till it tastes good.
Eat!


Enjoy them, as I am typing this I prepare the chili from hell for me to kill my cold with heat. :o

[TheBrauerHour]

I only get 30 minutes for lunch at my job, and on the days that I don't feel like a heavy meat-laden TV-dinner, I usually fix a bowl of this excellent Lentil soup.

Amy's Organic Lentil Soup
http://www.amys.com/products/product_view.php?id=502

I have found this particular lentil soup to be VERY good.

[Schroeder]

Since I'm pretty disgusted with our food industry I've decided to give the vegetarian way of life a try. Let's see for how long I'll be able to stay on it....I hate most vegetables....:-?

[papa_smurf]

Something is wrong, there is no bacon in this thread:hmmm:.

Here we go:D
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR62BNId9Vq4MWI6nnG7eWpj7K3gtggm 15an-yeqdRGxn7Pc7Q&t=1&usg=__na0vDaS5IWqg2ybkFs_OujBhF7U=

[Penguin]

Since I'm pretty disgusted with our food industry I've decided to give the vegetarian way of life a try. Let's see for how long I'll be able to stay on it....I hate most vegetables....:-?

Good Luck with it, my try lasts 19 years now!
Actually you have the best requirements - my favoutite answer why I don't eat meat is: " I am not a vegetarian because I love animals, but because I hate plants!" (quote is not by me, origin unknown)

[Betonov]

so, are there only vegeterian as vegetable based recipees here or are they vegeterian as no meat recipees, which include pastry and sweets ??

[tater]

so, are there only vegeterian as vegetable based recipees here or are they vegeterian as no meat recipees, which include pastry and sweets ??

These are vegetarian, meaning no dead animals. Milk, etc is fine. Note that if you'd NOT a vegetarian (I'm not) then you can serve most of these next to a ribeye that is 2+ inches thick as a side dish :) . At a dinner party that's what I'd do, make 2 veggie "sides" (usually a salad in addition) but make one that is more "substantial" so the vegetarians can eat that as an entree.

I asked for this thread since we have a few friends who don't eat meat, and it's a major PITA for a non-vegetarian to come up with GOOD recipes that don't have meat for a dinner party with a crowd of people. For the non-vegetarian veggie thread (should there ever be one) I can post stuff like roasted baby carrots and parsnips with bacon and maple syrup, or the Les Halles mushroom soup (chicken stock is in it) that I make all the time. Super awesome, but not vegetarian.

It's cool because since there are some vegetarians here at SS, they have stuff that they have made more than once that they know is good. Sorting out good from bad is the tough bit, any of us can google veggie recipes, I want someone else to be the guinea pig (which is supposed to be tasty, BTW ;) )

[Skybird]

Since I'm pretty disgusted with our food industry I've decided to give the vegetarian way of life a try. Let's see for how long I'll be able to stay on it....I hate most vegetables....:-?
I did not eat meat and fish for a period of ten years, but after that found that occasionally I simply like the taste of a nice beef steak or Gulasch, the occasional chicken curry madras or the Fischfilet Müllerin Art. I have these things, but rarely only. What I avoid (except the occasional Currywurst with plenty of good Sharwood curry powder and sweet Ketchup :D ), is pork, I easily get pimples from it, I also do not favour the taste and smell.

Try to learn recipes using plenty of corns, also exotic or forgotten ones like Quinoa or millet (Hirse, a shame that in europe we have almost forgotten about millet, and do not produce it anymore - its one of the best corns there is, and tastes good). There are many different Tofu-products that help to replace meat, too. Forget things like green salad - it'S just a waste of money and time, the nutritional value tenmds to go towards zero. That there is plenty of vitamines in fresh salads, is a modern myth at least as long as you do not plug it on the field and eat it immedately. Frozen vegetables can be better than "fresh" vegetavbles poyu buy in the supermakret, because with a good supplier, vitamine-preservation (by shock-frosting it) starts earlier than it takes to transport the goods through the regular supply net and then sell it on a market or in supermarkets as "fresh" food.

Don'T become a fetishist. If occasionally you feel appetite for a Currywurst or a steak or fish, it'S fine to get it then. The thing to remember is, like always: avoid extremes (both in consummation and rejection).

My mother is extremely good in preparing corns in a way that they can pass as faked "Braten", and othe meat products. I c annot do that myself and I do not wish to invest the time (it costs more time to prepare this kind of cuisine), but at least I know that much better corn-food are possibvle than what you usally get to buy in the Bio-Supermarket. It must not taste like especially healthy food that you do not like right for this special taste of it.

A good supply with corns is probably more healthy than a regular consummation of meat. In Rome, there even where occasional revolts in the legions when for longer times they only got meat and fruits, but no corns, they were physically weakned if the diat was meat only, but no corns.

I use to mix 1/3 corns, especially Quinoa, millet, and sometimes oat, with 2/3 rice. Millet is delicious all alone, too.

[CCIP]

Millet really is nice - and definitely not forgotten among Eastern Europeans. I enjoy it quite regularly. :yep:

[TarJak]

Is beer vegetarian or vegan?:D

[tater]

It's not an entree, but the way I frequently prepare vegetables is to roast them.

Line a large, shallow pan with aluminum foil.

Place pan on lowest rack of oven, and preheat to 500° F (260°C). Meaning preheat the PAN at the same time.

Cut broccoli, brussels sprouts, or other veggie into bit sized pieces (all the same, or a mix)—cut so one side is FLAT. I quarter large brussels sprouts, half small ones. I cut broccoli florets in half to make em flat, ditto cauliflower, etc.

Toss in a bowl with olive oil, a little salt (and pepper if you like, or minced garlic, etc). Sprinkle a small amount of fine sugar on top, too. Just a pinch (helps them caramelize).

Open the oven once it and the pan are at temp, and dump the veggies on the piping hot pan. Arrange with the flat sides down if possible.

Cook for ~10 minutes. Watch them. They will get very brown in places. this is not bad. I've had brussels sprout leaves look like black chips, and they are stiill yummy.

Remove and serve. I sometimes toss with a little fresh lemon juice, or juice and zest.

[Skybird]

Millet really is nice - and definitely not forgotten among Eastern Europeans. I enjoy it quite regularly. :yep:
Yes, but is no longer farmed in the West, I think. And this although it has been maybe the most important food for many people in past times. There are so very many references to it in literature, historic reports, arts. Even in fairy tales. We now need to import it here in Germany- from China. :dead: Instead we waste precious farming ground for maize (the "terrorist" of all corns there are :) )..., and bio-fuels. The maize for meat production, or human consummatiuon, although it is anything but healthy. And the soil emaciates much, much faster by planting maize. Maize really should be forbidden, for the most. It does an incredible ammount of damage. And to reduce famring grounds in the third world for planting bio fuels so that in the first world cars can drive while mroe and more people in the third world lack the soil to plant their own food - that is almost a perversion. People starving so that you can drive you damn car...???

Oh, vegetarian thread, I forgot. No teeth, no claws. Could you hand me the wine gum, please? :DL

[Schroeder]

@Skybird
Are you sure you didn't mean grains instead of corns...one of those false friends again.:D

I don't intend to become extreme in my food choice, but after seeing how our food is "produced" I'm just not willing to support that any more. It's outright disgusting. There are plans to build a chicken breeding plant near where I live for example that will also include a slaughterhouse. They want to slaughter 27000 animals there....per hour. With an 8 hour day, 20 days a months that equals 4,320,000 animals per months. I think that's just sick. I mean humans are not meant to be vegetarians and I don't say that everybody should become one (I'm not sure whether I will become a full time vegetarian myself) but the magnitude in which we produce and consume meat has become crazy. Besides the way the animals are treated in facilities like that is something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. I don't want to sound like a tree hugging preacher but there should be at least some basic respect for life, even animal life and that is definitely missing in those "mass production facilities".:-?

[Skybird]

@Skybird
Are you sure you didn't mean grains instead of corns...one of those false friends again.:D


Grain, crop, corn - I decided for what was marked as the British term here: http://www.dict.cc/?s=Getreide

:DL

Beyond that, I understand your disgust. Meat has become the mass-produced cheap food for the social underclass, studies from Britain and Germany suggest, easy to prepare, no great cooking knowledge is needed, and saves time, it meets the time management needs of the modern job world perfectly. The higher the social and educational class, the less meat is being eaten. How times are changing! Just a hundred years ago, it was exactly the other way around, and the low class was that could not afford to have meat often.

However, the environmental conseqeunces of mass-production of meat are cataclysmic, nothing else but that, and fact remains that as long as people want to eat fish and meat, there are simply way too many hungry mouths to be stuffed. One must not go back to methane debates in order to attack concentrated meat production. Just look at what cattle farming does to the envrtionment and the gorund water, plus indirect environmental costs. We think we could prodicue meat cheap and in masses. That is a great self-deception. It is the most expensive way to produce mass food, both financially/ecxonomically id caluclating all hidden follow-up costs, and environmentally.

I buy my occasionaly beef at a local farmer who also runs a small bio shop on his farm, it is his cattle and slaughtering is done on his farm, in small scale. It costs muc h more, but I do not buy it often. I admit that I am guilty of sometimes buying cheap chicken in the supermakret, though. Sometimes I am as guilty of wanting comfort as anyone else is.

The point is that I have reduced meat consummation to a minimum. If all would do like I do, and have meat only 2 or 3 times a month or so, we already would have gained much.

Regarding fish, reality will force us to reduce our fish consummation soon. Because there are no sufficient stocks left in the ocean to maintain the current, even growing demand. You can do fish famring as much as you want - that again comes at the price of immense environmental costs.

7+ billion people, and havign fish and meat as often as we use to have in the first world - both simply is ways too much.

Back to local farming, grains/corns, local vegetable production, depending on season. We must not have tomatoes from Almeria 12 months in a year. Seasonal changes in availability of food also would make people learn about food preparation again. Many can't even cook the simpliest things. It's hilarious.
:DL

[tater]

Corn=maize in the US.

I like fresh corn, and corn meal (corn bread, masa, tortillas, etc). It has uses, but we don't eat all that much.

[Skybird]

Corn=maize in the US.

I like fresh corn, and corn meal (corn bread, masa, tortillas, etc). It has uses, but we don't eat all that much.
For a grain, it'S carbonhydrates have an extremely disadvantegous glycamic index value, in other words: it causes an intense insuline reaction, which means that carbonhydrates get stored in fat reserves very easily. Also, the level of minerals is low, compared to other grains. Quinoa and mellit rate very high in these.

For people wanting to reduce their weight, maize is forbidden. Hypoglycaemic carbonhydratesa are needed for kjeeping weight or reducing it, these can be eaten as much as you want. Hyperglycaemic carbonhadrates must be avoided.

But I admit that maize tastes nice with butter, salt and black pepper. Unfortunately! :DL

[Skybird]

While we are at it, and just asking for curiosity: is anyone baking his bread himself, too? I do, including grinding the grain. However, I use a bread baker by Panasonic. Its better, full-grain bread that I get, it tastes better, and is much cheaper than a comparable bread of lesser taste from the baker. When calculating all ingredients and electricity, I pay only 1/4 to 1/3 of the price a baker would take from me. Preparing the machine to get a 900 gr bread, costs me less than 5 minutes time. After 4-5 hopurs, I just take out the ready bread. The best kitchen machine there is!

I do wheat and sometimes rye breads. I use water or beer, and like to have anise, fennel and/or coreander seeds in it like they use to use in Southern Germany.

The Panasonic bread baker machiens imo are the best there are. We know them since they were the first to bring such a machine on thge market in Germany, back in the 80s. Sturdy, working reliably (we have early versions that have worked for over 18 years), not noisy, and the baking results are the best of all machines, the heat distribution inside the capsule seems to be better than in other machines. They cost more, but it really is worth it.

I love fresh bread, even without anything at all, even no butter. The taste of fresh warm bread is a delicatesse, the scent is a declaration of love to the nose. What you usually get sold at the baker's store - is an offence. No industrial ready-mixture for me, please.

[CCIP]

Bread-baking is great. Right now I don't really do it since it's a bit of a hassle in my very, very limited kitchen and living space, but I'll get it going again when I have a chance. It's amazing how much you can customize bread or even just experiment with it. Never a day of boring bread with that thing :D

[Platapus]

NeonS.

Thanks for starting this thread. I am sure the tolls will tire soon.

I was a vegetarian (ovo lacto) for about 8 years and really enjoyed it. I fell off the wagon while in the military. It is hard to be a vegetarian in the military. About 5 years ago I started re-looking at my eating and made some decisions.

First of all, I eliminated all beef from my diet. My doctor loved it. My "bad" cholesterol dropped from the low 220's to 64 according to my last test in about a year and a half. :yeah::yeah:

Then as I became more involved in my animal work, my moral concerns re-emerged. Doing some research on the animal industry made me think "do I really want to be a part of this industry?" Well no. Well I have no desire to control others, but I can control my spending. I thought long and hard about what my eating habits should be.

Going back to ovo-lacto seemed attractive but with my lifestyle ensuring a balanced diet on ovo-lacto would be difficult. Besides, was my moral concerns about killing and eating animals?

Upon meditation, I became aware that my real concern is eating mammals. I did not like eating sapient beings. A good compromise is my current diet of polo-pescitarianism. I am down over 30 pounds and my blood work seems to keep my doctor smiling.

Like almost every other aspect to my life, this is a personal decision on my part. Frankly I don't give a crap with other people eat nor do I care if other people agree or disagree with my moral decisions. I have no desire to "convert" anyone nor would I ever want to make anyone feel uncomfortable with my moral decisions.

As for recipes, I am always interested in learning more about legumes. Currently, I am experimenting with doing unnatural things with squash and most of my experiments have actually been edible. :arrgh!:

So any recipes you can share about legumes and squashes I would be very grateful. Starting last year I am trying to match up my cooking with the seasonal crops from my Farmer's Market. Any help or advice you can share about that would be appreciated also.

Thanks again for starting this thread. I look forward to learning a lot. :88)

[Platapus]

concerning the baking bread issue, I have an almost amusing story about that.

There I was no sh.... uh, this really happened to me.

When I was living in Omaha, I started baking my own bread. I used existing flours (grinding your own is hard core!). And if I can brag a little, I was doing pretty good. Many of my co-workers enjoyed my breads. Life was good.

Then I started thinking (cue autonomous music). I wanted to bake some Banana bread (yum)

I know how to bake bread and I have bananas so what's the problem.

Well first of all, it was not my fault. It is society's fault. There is no such thing as Banana Bread. What we have is Banana Cake. What's the difference? :har::har::har::har:

Well, bread is made with yeast and evidently when you mix bananas and yeast and then let it rise, the yeast converts the sugars in the bananas into a rather rancid alcohol. This is something you won't find out until the tasting.

It just so happened that there was this lady at work who was "mentoring" me in matters baking (just my luck that was all she was willing to mentor me in :damn::damn:)

I was so proud of my "Banana Bread" that I did not even taste it but wrapped it up for my mentor. All it took was one bite for her to realize my mistake. Education soon followed.

Moral to the story: Always follow a recipe!

Why do they call it Banana Bread when in fact is Banana Cake!!!!

:D

[Task Force]

Since I'm pretty disgusted with our food industry I've decided to give the vegetarian way of life a try. Let's see for how long I'll be able to stay on it....I hate most vegetables....:-?

I concur! Never been a vegetable fan...

Hmm, Yea, I probably dont want to think of whats really "in the meat"

[Castout]

Here we go:D
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR62BNId9Vq4MWI6nnG7eWpj7K3gtggm 15an-yeqdRGxn7Pc7Q&t=1&usg=__na0vDaS5IWqg2ybkFs_OujBhF7U=


:damn: I'm on self imposed diet...that really hurts damn it need to shove about 3 more pounds.

[Schroeder]

:damn: I'm on self imposed diet...that really hurts damn it need to shove about 3 more pounds.
I lost about 12 pounds by just switching from drinking juice and apple spritzer (is that really the name for it in English????:doh:) to drinking tea. It's astonishing how much sugar is hidden in fruit juices.:o

[NeonSamurai]

My veggie friends won't be offended by meat on the table, but I want something nice for them to eat too.

BTW, neon, when you do eggplant and squash do you salt it and let it sit for a while then rinse and dry it before cooking? I tried that and it made a HUGE difference in texture. Squash was crispy, not squishy.

I sometimes salt it, though with eggplant I often don't unless it is bitter as the salt can be hard to get off. Squashes I often roast for soups and the like but great idea all the same :yeah:

PS—on the egg[plant spaghetti, 1 large JAR of capers? my daughter loves capers, and my large jar is maybe 16 ounces :)

Or do you mean a tiny jar of the large capers?Here we can't easily get massive jars of capers, I mean about 1 cup or so. Small ones are generally considered the best ones. I'll correct that though. PS that recipe I have found is very popular, even with those who don't care very much for eggplant (but that is usually because when they tried it, the person prepared it wrong.
I don't intend to become extreme in my food choice, but after seeing how our food is "produced" I'm just not willing to support that any more. It's outright disgusting. There are plans to build a chicken breeding plant near where I live for example that will also include a slaughterhouse. They want to slaughter 27000 animals there....per hour. With an 8 hour day, 20 days a months that equals 4,320,000 animals per months. I think that's just sick. I mean humans are not meant to be vegetarians and I don't say that everybody should become one (I'm not sure whether I will become a full time vegetarian myself) but the magnitude in which we produce and consume meat has become crazy. Besides the way the animals are treated in facilities like that is something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. I don't want to sound like a tree hugging preacher but there should be at least some basic respect for life, even animal life and that is definitely missing in those "mass production facilities".:-?

This is pretty much the problem I have, that and some of the destructive fishing practices (like drag nets). So I won't touch fish due to plummeting fish stocks around the world (not to mention the increases in toxic material in them), and the factory farms are a nightmare beyond anything I can think of. I don't believe that our status as a species gives us the right to do what ever we please to the other life forms we share this world with.



Anyhow I appreciate all the input from you all. As for trolls if it becomes a problem I shall just prune out their posts. Even if you are not vegetarian, and have no plans to become one, you may find some good food here to make. Don't have to have meat every meal for every day of the week 365 days a year. :DL As for entrees, I got piles of them (I have my own personal cookbook to draw from).

[tater]

This is slightly OT (sorry), but the thread got me thinking. When I have a dinner party, I'll always make sure the vegetarians are taken care of. When I've been to a dinner at a vegetarian's place however... I cannot recall a roast on the table for those that prefer meat :)

It's interesting. I realize that non-vegetarians are not carnivores, but rather omnivores, so they do have food they can eat, but really it's just a preference IMO (like not liking Stilton or something).

I've heard some people comment on this regarding vegetarians, which might be why they can be considered "difficult." They require special care entertaining, but are not likely to reciprocate.

Feel free to delete if this OTs the thread.

[NeonSamurai]

Spanakopita
2 lb fresh spinach
1 lb filo
7 eggs
1/2 lb Feta cheese
1 onion
olive oil
salt & pepper
oregano
butter

Filling: wash spinach and put leaves into large bowl. Sprinkle heavily with salt and then rub it into the leaves with your hands as you tear them into small pieces. After a few minutes, spinach will be reduced to quarter its former bulk. Rinse salt off thoroughly and drain.

Beat eggs, crumble Feta and mix. Add to spinach. Chop onion, sauté in some olive oil until it begins to brown and add that to spinach also. Season with lots of fresh-ground black pepper and a little oregano.

Butter an oblong casserole or baking dish (about 9” x 13”). Melt about 3-4 tbl of butter in little pot and stack pound of filo on flat surface. Brush top sheet with melted butter and fit into baking pan, with edges hanging over sides. Continue brushing butter and fitting each sheet into pan on top of others. Turn each slightly so corners fan out around pan. Do this until you only have 2-3 sheets left. Now pour filling in and then fold over the ends of the sheets to cover it, brushing with butter. Butter remaining sheets and place on top and folding them down to size of pan. With sharp knife cut through top layers to filling in about 3 places. Brush top with butter and bake at 375 for 50 min. Cut into squares and serve very hot



Fettuccini Alfredo
2c whipping cream (35%)
1/4c unsalted butter
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 pounds fresh egg fettuccini (or 1 pkg dry noodles)
2 c grated parmesan, Reggiano or Grana Padano

This recipe requires true parmesan cheese, which cannot be substituted for.

Take a large saucepan or wide fry pan and melt butter, add pepper and nutmeg and sauté on moderate heat for 2 minutes. Add cream and bring to a boil (warning cream when boiling can rise very high, do not leave unattended at any time. If it threatens to boil over, lift the pan off the heat for a moment). Reduce the cream by 1/3 (boil until its 2/3 of its original volume). Keep the cream hot but not boiling while you cook the pasta (don’t overcook, the pasta should have some bite to it). When the pasta is almost ready, sprinkle 1 c grated parmesan over the cream and gently stir until the cheese melts. Drain the pasta and mix in the pan or in a bowl if there isn’t room in the pan. Serve hot with the remaining cheese sprinkled on top. The fat and calorie content in this recipe is very high so don’t serve it too often. Serves 4.



(forgot to put this one with the greek pasta salad in the first page)

Basic Vinaigrette Dressing
1/2 volume lemon juice or vinegar
1/2 volume olive oil
some red onion, finely minced
some Dijon mustard
Basil Salt & Pepper

Put everything into a shaker bottle (small mason jar or whatever) and shake. Recipe should be about 1 to 1 ratio of acid to oil, with a bit extra oil. Dijon about a spoonful per cup of dressing. Adjust based on taste and use



Greek Bruchetta
5 greek style pitas (thick pocketless)
5 small tomatoes, diced
1/2 red onion, minced
1/2c parsley leaves
2c feta, grated
fresh or dried basil
olive oil
pepper

Chop the parsley and basil, mix the herbs, tomatoes, and red onion in a bowl, and drizzle some olive oil on top, then grate pepper on top and a bit of salt. Let sit a few minutes. Toast the pockets lightly either on a bbq, in the oven, or on a fry pan (toaster oven works too) so they become soft on the inside and slightly crisp on the outside. Arrange the pita on a baking tray (or place directly on the top grill of the oven) spoon the tomato mixture on top and sprinkle the feta over that. Set the oven to 550F and bake/broil until the cheese starts to color (it won’t melt). Slice into quarters and serve hot



Vegetable Soup
2 large carrots
1 large yellow onion
1 tin of tomatoes
1 tin red kidney beans
3 large potato
1/2 head lettuce
4 stalks celery
1 tbl vinegar
2 tbl olive oil or butter
1 tbl dried basil
water or vegetable stock
salt & pepper

Slice carrots and celery into “rounds” no more then 1/4” thick (celery can be up to 1/2" thick), cube onion and potato. Add olive oil or butter to a large soup pot, melt and sauté onion and carrots in the oil for a couple of minutes until onions are translucent, add the potatoes and kidney beans (with juice, and enough water to easily cover all the vegetables. Add the tin of tomatoes, vinegar, basil, and salt and pepper to taste, bring to just before boiling then turn down the heat and simmer until carrots and potatoes are cooked (an hour or 2). Add the celery and let it simmer for another 10 minutes, then chop and add the lettuce, and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Note: If you do not like crunchy celery then add the celery with the rest of the vegetables.



Stuffed Green Peppers
4 very large green peppers
1 large loaf sliced sandwich bread
1 yellow onion
2c shredded cheddar cheese (old)
4 tbl olive oil
1 tbl dried basil
1 tsp Tabasco
salt & pepper
1 large (2 small) tin tomato paste
1/2c white or red wine
2 eggs

Cut the top off the pepper leaving as much of the pepper as you can. Chop the top, and the onion and sauté in a large pot with 1 tbl of oil until onion is translucent. In a large pot, bring a lot of water to a boil (enough to cover the peppers entirely), then dip each pepper into to the pot one or 2 at a time for 2-4 minutes (until the pepper has softened a bit but still holds its shape). Take the loaf of bread and turn it into coarse breadcrumbs (food processor helps) about 1/4” cubed roughly. Split the bread crumbs in half, put one half in the oven at 400 degrees on a baking sheet until they turn golden, the other half sprinkle the remaining oil over and quickly toss with your hands to distribute the oil. Add the oil covered breadcrumbs to the pot with the onion and fry at medium heat (the crumbs will stick so scrape the bottom frequently) until the bread crumbs are crispy. Turn off the heat add the crumbs from the oven, and quickly stir in the 2 eggs. Next, add the Tabasco and seasonings and let cool to warm to the touch, then mix in the cheese. Take the stuffing and stuff the peppers evenly with all the stuffing. Put the peppers in a glass or ceramic dish that will keep them standing upright and add a bit of water to the bottom of the dish. Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for about 25 minutes or until the peppers are fully cooked and the exposed stuffing has turned dark golden brown. The sauce is made by bringing the wine to a boil and boiling off the alcohol, then adding the tomato paste and cooking for about 10 minutes. Serve hot with the tomato wine sauce on the side.



(I include this one as its a variation that I found very popular with guests, that is different from the usual way of serving it)

Garlic Bread
good french or italian bread
1 stick soft unsalted butter (1/2c)
2 cloves garlic
pinch of salt

Crush the garlic into the butter, add the salt and mix until smooth. Cut the french bread in half horizontally so that you have a top and a bottom, put on a baking tray cut side up and spread with the garlic butter. Bake/Broil at 400c until the butter is bubbling and the top starts to turn golden. Cut into slices and serve hot.
Optional: Sprinkle some Parmesan (Reggiano or Grana Padano) on top before baking.

[Herr-Berbunch]

I'm no veggie, bacon sees to that, but after a suspected heart attack a few years ago (it wasn't, it was just a strained chest muscle after moving heavy items) the doctors found I had very high blood pressure and cholesterol. My wife has the odd veggie tendancies so cut down my red meat intake. Two years later I joined another doctor's surgery and they tested me again and I have normal blood pressure and cholesterol - I do eat red meat, but in moderation :up:

I look forward to reading some more recipes on here, although without aubergine (eggplant) or courgette (zucchini) please - really not nice!

I'm still a fat :o:stare::doh::o:stare::doh: though! :har:

[Jimbuna]

I'm not a veggie but occasionally try the odd dish if it doesn't appear to contain one or two ingredients I loathe.

[tater]

Neon, what vegetable stock do you prefer of store-bought brands?

[NeonSamurai]

This is slightly OT (sorry), but the thread got me thinking. When I have a dinner party, I'll always make sure the vegetarians are taken care of. When I've been to a dinner at a vegetarian's place however... I cannot recall a roast on the table for those that prefer meat :)

It's interesting. I realize that non-vegetarians are not carnivores, but rather omnivores, so they do have food they can eat, but really it's just a preference IMO (like not liking Stilton or something).

I've heard some people comment on this regarding vegetarians, which might be why they can be considered "difficult." They require special care entertaining, but are not likely to reciprocate.

Feel free to delete if this OTs the thread.

I think that is on topic and a perfectly valid criticism. My own experience is that most people do not mind having one meal that is meat free, particularly if it is high quality and not too far off the normal fare (I do a lot of Italian dishes myself). I have entertained some very carnivorous people, and even they have liked what I served. But then I have found that most of the bad attitude towards vegetables is the fact that most people don't know how to cook them right. The recipes I use (and am posting) tend to be very flavorful and diverse in tastes.

As for entertaining vegetarians, most I know are very pleased and grateful when a host remembers that they are vegetarian and offers something beyond just simple side dishes. It can be very uncomfortable if they do not remember, as you do not want to offend your host, but you also do not want to eat what they made either because of the meat content (this is one of the rare times when I will sometimes eat it). I think they also would try to reciprocate as much as they are able, but some just cannot handle meat or cook with it as it makes them feel sick. For myself I generally do not cook with meat at home other then under special circumstances. But I've never had a guest not want to come back, as everything I make is of the highest quality possible using the best ingredients I can get my hands on, and almost entirely from scratch.

Frankly I think a lot of it is just lack of understanding and insecurity among the two groups. Vegetarian recipes are pretty simple to make (no more complex then any other equivalent meat dish), you just need some good recipes.

Neon, what vegetable stock do you prefer of store-bought brands?

I've used Campbell's vegetable broths in the tetra packs, but I often just make my own stock (or use water). Standard vegetable stock is garlic, onion, carrot, celery, parsley, and some tomato paste (tomato skins & seeds and peelings can also go in). You can also do a potato peal broth as well (or stick them in the stock).

My mother also likes to keep the juices from cooked vegetables, beans (not chick pea juice though), etc and uses that as stock. She also likes using the stock cubes. I am not a big fan of the cubes though.


I look forward to reading some more recipes on here, although without aubergine (eggplant) or courgette (zucchini) please - really not nice!

I shall try, though I do have a lot of recipes with those two in it (they are two of my favorites and I think they taste really good, but only if cooked right). What you won't see a lot of from me is tofu recipes. Though I like tofu, I think it is seriously overused (contrary to popular belief you don't need tones of protein, 4 oz a day is more than enough) in vegetarian recipes as a generic meat substitute.


Speaking of protein, one common myth is that as a vegetarian it is very hard to get the protein you need, and that you need to carefully mix and match them. This is total nonsense, as the body can make most of the amino acids used in proteins other than around 4, which are easily found in a balanced diet. The body can also recycle existing amino acids too.

[tater]

Regarding zucchini, I tend to really not like it—but it all about how it is prepared. if zucchini is cooked soft, I just cannot get around the texture.

As with many veggies (and meat, actually), dry heat is your friend. First, I I mentioned above, I salt zucchini (slice, put in a bowl and toss with salt), then let it rest like that for 10 minutes. Rinse with water to remove the salt, then spread out on towels ("tea towels" are what most people use, at my house they are operating room scrub towels (brought to the house sterile, not used ;) ) and pat dry.

Then prepare them and they stay crunchy. Nice roasted with olive oil, or even grilled.

We prepared portabello mushrooms are like eating steak, IMHO. Very yummy.

Fried tofu is pretty good (deep frying makes anything good). A buddy who was a cook said to freeze the tofu first, it changes the final texture. Have not tried it, the only time I ever cook with tofu is when I make miso.

[NeonSamurai]

Ya that works well. I've never found that my zucchini turns out mushy, but I saute it first and most importantly I don't over cook it (most common mistake with vegetables is to cook the living hell out of it).

As for fried tofu, ya its really nice (the way i prefer it) and I do that in stirfrys a lot. Personally use the ultra firm tofu, then press the living heck out of it by wrapping it in a thick white towel, then putting a big pot full of water on top (make sure of course to put stuff around the pot so that it doesn't fall off as tofu doesn't press evenly). I've never tried freezing it, but this link was interesting about that

http://vegetarian.lovetoknow.com/How_to_Freeze_Tofu

[JokerOfFate]

I'm hungry, everytime I come on here you guys make me hungry :DL


If you guys got anything high in calcium that would be great.

I tryed to go without meat not too long ago, but my girlfriend is a great cook, so that didn't last long :har:

[yubba]

Mmmmmmmmm zucchini bread mom makes the best, I invented zucchini hash browns shred it in food prossesor roll in flour and fry till brown, great with eggs. Also makes great salmon patties.