Vegetarian "noms".. suggest please?

[LuminousMom]

As a teen I was a vegetarian.. long story short, I grew up on a farm. We had goats, chickens, cows... but they were PETS, not for slaughtering. We had our last cow, Clarissa (named ofter a great early 90's teen sitcom, lol) and she was my baby.. followed me like a dog. Call her... free range cow. Well, one day Clarissa "went to live on a bigger farm" and the next day our freezer was mysteriously full of half a cow. HMMM! So 6 years I was a vegetarian.

Now, as a mom and a wife who cooks 3 meals a day.. I am trying to cut some meat out of our diet. Meat costs too much. Simple as that. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good (I mean GOOD free range black angus no growth hormone) steak now and then.. but I am NOT paying 12.99 a pound at the store for it! So I don't buy it. I refuse to buy ground beef; haven't in over 2 years. I don't like seafood all that much, and living in Utah the only kind I trust is frozen.. which isn't as healthy or as good of an option as say, wild salmon I used to get in Washington. We don't eat pork... so that leaves us with chicken.. I'm a chicken freak, I love it.. we buy it frozen or whole because its honestly all I can afford on our food budget, and I grill, bake, and roast the heck out of it. That wont change.. but we don't want to have it every night. It gets REALLY old when you eat it too much!

So here is where you, my lovely cafemom companions can come in handy... I'm looking for some great vegetarian/vegan recipes... and I'll share some of mine! I need meals that I can make for my whole family (luckily my kids are great and eat anything) and perhaps use again for lunch the next day. Websites and favorite cookbooks would be great too! I make a mean lentil stew, potato soup, and veggie burger but everyone's getting kinda sick of the same thing over and over again, so I need to change it up. We're still going to have our chicken a few times a week (although I'm going to start looking for organic/free range because I heard some disturbing figures about how chicken is 30% fattier now than in 1970 because of the feed they use) and we (the kids and hubby) still drink milk and eat cheese.

Salads, soups, stews, casseroles... share share! I'm also going to be keeping track of our food budget and see how this changes it.. wish me luck and share a recipe if you can! thanks!

recipes I'm going to post below in a second... my carrot tofu scramble... roasted potato leek soup... veggie burger patties... lentil stew... vegetarian mushroom caps... and balsamic vinn. veggie pasta

 

[LuminousMom]

Jul. 9, 2009 at 9:16 PM

OK... Carrot Tofu Scramble (makes a TON, perfect for lunch the next day!)

1 container of "firm" tofu, drained and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tbsp sesame oil (I like dark but light works fine)
2 cups shredded carrots (you can buy the shoestring kind in bags, if you want)
2 cups cooked, and cooled, brown rice (works with white but brown is better!)
2 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium kind is best!)
Sesame seeds for garnish

Plop your tofu into a hot wok (or frying pan) after tossing it with sesame oil and soy sauce. Cook for a few minutes until warmed through and gets a bit browned. Take out of pan, add in rice and cook until warmed through and dried out a bit, add carrots and warm through, add tofu back in and stir it all together. Serve hot, sprinkle on some sesame seeds and add more soy sauce if you wish. Really yummy with some peas added in, or better yet- edamame! Sometimes we add zucchini and onions.

My kids LOVE this and even my mom who swears up and down she wont eat tofu, readily eats this. Its basically like fried rice but healthier and vegan. You could add anything you want in, or take anything out.

 

Roasted Potato Leek Soup (makes a whole pot full)
6-8 large russet potatoes, scrubbed clean but skin left on
1 leak, split down the middle and the bulb (white part) cut into half rings
4-5 garlic cloves, skinned and whole
1 cup imitation sour cream (Vegan) or half and half (Non-Vegan)
1 container (32oz) veggie broth

Chop your potatoes into 1" squares and toss them with your olive oil Toss in leeks and garlic. Place them in a baking sheet and roast at 350* for about 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Pop all of it into your stockpot and add in veggie broth. Simmer on low/medium for 20-30 minutes until potatoes start to break up a bit and either using a hand mixer, blend.. or blend in small batches in your blender. You can also use a potato masher or rice masher to gently break it up in the pot and have a chunkier texture. Right before serving, mix in half and half or sour cream.
My husband eats his with cheddar and bacon bits, lol... I eat mine with a bit more sour cream and some croutons. Its got a great potato flavor so it works as a base for "baked potato soup".
OPTION: use lima beans instead of potatoes.. about 2 cups. Tastes WONDERFUL and really healthy.

 

...more to come...

(Original Poster)

[LuminousMom]

Jul. 9, 2009 at 9:32 PM

Lentil Stew

32 oz veggie broth
1 bag lentil beans, washed clean
1 large can (I think its 32 oz?!) chopped tomatoes
1 medium sized onion, chopped
3-4 stalks of celery, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
6 cloves garlic, chopped small
optional: 2-3 tbsp tomato paste, if you really want a more intense flavor. Sometimes we will add in some cubed potatoes, mushrooms, or broccoli/cauliflower too.

In your stock pot, sweat your garlic, celery, and onions. Add in your tomatoes, stock, and lentils. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer on low until your lentils are cooked through... takes between 30-45 minutes. They are done when they smash if you pinch them between your fingers.

 

Veggie Burger Patties (makes 4.. I make huge batches and then freeze them)

1 cup lentils
1/4 cup pearl barley
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped mushroom (optional)
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 cup (cooked) brown rice
1 egg

in a saucepan, set your lentils and barley to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. In a bowl, combine your rice, egg, red pepper, salt, and pepper. saute your garlic and onion until opaque, add those in. When barley and lentils are soft, drain and add those in too. Stir your mixture well, then remove 1 cup of the mixture and blend this cup in the blender. Return it to the mixture, and using your hands form patties.

One note: I dont grill them because they fall apart too easily.. they arent like the manufactured ones.. so rather I will fry them in a tiny bit of olive oil or bake them on a baking sheet.

(Original Poster)

[LuminousMom]

Jul. 9, 2009 at 9:42 PM

Mushroom Caps..

12 mushroom caps (we do 4 per person.. you can use more or less!)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 cup shredded white cheddar

Wash and set your mushrooms to dry. Pop stems out, cut off ends, and then shred or chop these very small.
saute your onion, pepper, and garlic in a bit of butter or oil.
Throw mushroom into frying pan with onion, pepper, and garlic, mix well. Add in cheese, it should form a solid mass. Put a spoonfull into each cap, bake at 350* for 8-12 minutes until caps are a bit softened but not soggy.

 

 

(Original Poster)