I simply just mix Mexican turnip, tomatoes, apple and mayonnaise. of course they are to be sliced. Its alright to take out any of it except the turnip, I like eating it with little salt. Its enough for the night.
I love to eat grilled or steamed vegetables over rice. It's really easy! I cook the rice using vegetable broth - and I season the vegetables with a lot of spices. If you are looking for a lot of vegetarian-friendly recipes, I would check on sites like FoodNetwork or CookingChannel. A lot of magazines and lifestyle companies are incorporating "Meatless Mondays," where they post ideas and recipes on how you can enjoy your Mondays without meat. You should check them out!
Often times I find that vegetarian/vegan dishes don't get me "full". The exception to this would generally be pizza or pasta. Pasta Primavera would be a good one I suppose, just choose a colorful selection of your favorite veggies, chop them up and saute them a bit with some fresh garlic and olive oil, pour in some cream and italian herbs, and bring it to a bubble, then turn off the heat and throw in a generous handful of grated Parmesan and mix it until it all blends together. Then toss it with your favorite pasta. I normally make this with a mixture of cream and chicken stock, but it should be fine with omitting the stock. I don't usually add salt to it since the cheese is already salty, but some fresh ground black pepper in it is good too. Another one I enjoy making is a dead simple recipe for making pasta sauce by Marcella Hazan. You take a large can of San Marzano tomatoes (must use a good brand of tomatoes, otherwise this comes out really bland. San Marzano tomatoes have a sweetness to them that most other brands don't), and half of a peeled onion (not chopped), and half a stick of butter unsalted butter, throw it all in a pot and let it simmer for about an hour. That's it. It's also important to let it simmer for the full hour, don't just heat it up to melt the butter. While I love the simplicity of the recipe and try to avoid making any changes to it, if I have fresh basil on hand I will often throw it in at the very end. And I always throw a generous amount of fresh grated Romano over it.
I discovered this lentil and white rice dish with caramelized onions that is so delicious. I could eat it three to four times per week. I add a little garlic powder to it. I don't add yogurt or sour cream. The caramelized onions sounds strange, but gives this dish a little something-something. This is the link to the recipe:Log In
My best vegetarian dish is the best because of taste and how little time it takes to make. I call it My Mixed Vegetable Surprise. I saute onions and then pieces of fresh garlic in a large frying pan. While they are cooking, I cut carrots, spinach, green beans, and potatoes into small (about bite-sized) pieces. This makes cooking them easier and faster. I throw in the carrots into the frying pan first and then the potatoes a couple of minutes after. I let them cook for a few minutes. When they start turning brown, I throw in the green beans and spinach. I prefer crisp green beans, so i leave the beans for last. I end it with some salt and pepper. It's a Mixed Vegetable Surprise because there's no telling what I'll be sauteing. I put whatever is in my fridge, even tomatoes. If I'm cooking with curry, I sometimes add raisins and/or coconut milk. Yummy! If I don't have potatoes, but have couscous or penne pasta. I boil the carbs while the veggies are sauteing. And once the pasta is cooked, I add it to the frying pan, making sure to mix the medley well. And then i let it cook for another 1-3 minutes so that the flavors blend together.
I am about as far from being a vegetarian as one can get, but I do have a vegetarian dish that is one of my favorites. Since I started studying and learning about cooking a few years ago, pizza has become one of my true loves. I'm usually a "meat, meat, and more meat please!" kind of guy, but I'm adventurous. I make a veggie pizza that is somewhat as follows (please add to or subtract from for your tastes): I make my own pizza dough (Google it - there are tons of recipes, and they are all basically the same - it's the little touches that count. In addition to the basic ingredients, I add a personal blend of Italian herbs and spices, and I ALWAYS use the highest quality olive oil I can find. I mix it, proof it, punch it down, proof it again, punch it down, and proof it again. I have found this produces that cracker-type crunchy thin crust that most people are looking for. I also bake it on a 500+ degree stone, so there's a little char on the bottom. I love color and flavor in my food, so my veggie pizza consists of roasted red, yellow, and orange bell peppers, roasted garlic, caramelized onions, fresh basil, fresh baby portabella mushrooms (also called Cremini), a generous sprinkling of capers, and a few fresh slices of hot peppers (I like Jalapenos or red Thai chiles). I buy the best-looking whole milk mozzarella cheese I can find, and I like to use a light base layer of simple marinara sauce. Assemble this baby, put in a 500 degree oven on a well-heated pizza stone, and bake until the cheese is bubbly and just beginning to brown. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!
Falafel and Humus I love to get some garbanzo beans and mash them up in the blender (don't have a food processor) then I fry it to make falafel. I wrap that up in a pita bread and add some veggies in it. I eat that with a little homemade or store bought humus and I am in heaven!
Chocolate Brownies made from black beans. These are delicious. You don't even taste the black beans. I promise! I discovered this recipe years ago while doing the South Beach diet. I wasn't even thinking about going vegetarian back then, but this recipe is quick and delicious. 1-can of black beans rinsed and drained 3 eggs (or egg substitute) 3-tablespoons of vegetable oil 1/4-cup cocoa powder 1-pinch of salt 1-teaspoon of vanilla extract 3/4 cup of sugar 1/2 cup of chocolate chips I add a teaspoon of instant coffee to the recipe. Coffee brings out the chocolate. It's completely optional Preheat over 350 degrees. Lightly grease 8 x 8 pan Combine all ingredients except the chocolate chips in a blender. Blend well, until smooth. Make sure all the black beans are pulverized. The sprinkle chocolate chips into the mixture. Bake until 30 minutes or until the top is dry and a toothpick comes out clean.
I've made brownies using mashed banana's in place of oil, but I have never in my life heard of making them with black beans, lol. I'm going to have to try this now, on one of these days that I'm feeling adventurous.
My kids just requested this for lunch. Preheat oven to 350 Cut zuchini up in strips or slices and dip them in an egg wash. Put them in a ziplock bag with seasoned bread crumbs and finely shreaded cheese if desired. Shake it until its all coated. (I also mush it on to it if I can) Lay out the zuchini on a baking sheet and cook until the zuchini is the desired texture. (I also pile on the extra breading on the top.) Its hard to say how long to cook it because it depends on how thick you cut it and how much you like it cooked. I just test it with a fork. We serve it with maranara, ranch or what ever else my kids find in the fridge they feel like dipping it in.
I have never heard of using mashed bananas in place of oil. I have used applesauce which can work, but not always. These black bean brownies are delicious, I swear! They don't taste like black beans at all, but you have to make sure you rinse them well and really pulverize them. There's a similar recipe with Northern beans to make a vanilla cake or cupcakes. I haven't tried that yet. Once, the weather cools off here, I'm going to try the Northern beans cupcakes.
