Vegans... what is?!
Answers: What is your favorite meal? And if you prepare it.. how do you make it? Just trying to find more ideas for food. Getting tired of the same 'ol stuff :)
My favorite is couscous with baked tofu & peas. I make the Marakesh Express sundried tomato couscous, & throw in cubed baked tofu (I forget the brand) and add organic snap or snow peas. Delicious! Ugh, I know what you mean about eating the same old stuff but this is one thing I NEVER get tired of.
I have loads of recipes but I would have to say I have three favourites. The first is a soup basically roast some vegies - any will do carrots, turnips, parsnips, onions, pumpkin, tomatoes - anything really and some garlic - whole pealed garlic. THen put the roasted vegies in a crockpot with some chicken stock cubes (Massel vegetarian chicken stock cubes) add 1/2 cup of barley and about 2 litres of water and leave on low the results are a very robust tasting soup.
Chickpea and lentil patties4 out of 5
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Ingredients (serves 4)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 brown onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon ground cumin
400g can chickpeas, rinsed, drained
400g can lentils, rinsed, drained
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup coriander leaves
1 cup plain flour
vegetable oil, for frying
40g butter, chopped
2 red onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup brown sugar
extra coriander and hot chips, to serve
Method
Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft. Add garlic, turmeric and cumin and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until soft.
Process chickpeas, lentils, sunflower seeds, coriander, onion mixture in a food processor until almost smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Add 2/3 cup flour. Stir until well combined.
Place remaining flour on a plate. Form chickpea mixture into 8 patties. Coat in flour.
Preheat oven to 180?oC. Cover base of a frying pan with oil. Heat over medium heat. Cook patties, in batches, for 3 minutes each side or until golden. Place on a baking tray. Cover with foil. Keep warm in oven.
Melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add red onion and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. Add sugar and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until onions are caramelised.
Place patties on plates. Serve with coriander, caramelised onions and hot chips.
Yigandes Plaki: Baked Beans & Tomato Casserole
In Greek: γ?γαντε? πλακ?, pronounced YEE-ghahn-dess plah-KEE
Try to find original yigandes (gigantes, gigandes) beans at a Greek or ethnic market for this dish, otherwise use the biggest lima beans you can find. This dish is as popular in my home as pasta dishes... maybe more, and it is a favorite dish especially during Lent.
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound of yigandes (or big lima beans), soaked for 12 hours, drained
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 pound of ripe tomatoes, peeled, finely chopped (or 16oz. of canned chopped plum tomatoes)
2 small cubes of vegetable bouillon
sea salt (optional)
freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped
2 cups of water (1 1/2 cups if using canned tomatoes)
PREPARATION:
Add the beans to a pot with enough cold water to cover well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook at a slow boil for 1 hour. Drain and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 325F (160C).
Using a wooden spoon, sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil until soft.
Add tomatoes (if using canned, add all liquid as well), bouillon cubes, salt, pepper, parsley, and water, and allow to boil gently for 10-30 minutes, until it begins to thicken.
Place the beans in an oven-proof pan, add tomato mixture, stir and spread mixture out evenly. Bake 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until beans are soft. (Check the dish during cooking and if needed, add a small amount of boiling water.) The dish will look crispy on top.
Remove from the oven, cover, and allow to cool.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Yield: serves 4
Serving note: Restaurants serve this as a meze (in small portions), but because of the quantity in which it's fixed, unless you're planning a selection of mezether for a large gathering, it works better as a main dish.
Reheating: When using after refrigerating, allow it to come to room temperature, or heat briefly in the microwave. This dish is not served hot.
Many of the recipes on the International Vegetarian Union site are very good and all vegan despite the name.
I would invest in a good vegan cookbook if I were you. I make a new recipe every other day or so...so I rarely run out of new things to try and eat.
falafel, in a pita, with hoummus and tahini, and a side salad of tomato and cucumber- so good and the falafel mixes, like fantastic foods, are quite good, enjoy!
Vegan burgers with salad in a bun and tomato sauce.
Then there's marinated tofu baked for 30 minutes served with vegetables.
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=8396.0 is really good for ideas.
Get yourself a couple of good cookbooks for inspiration. "Vegan with a Vengeance" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and "Veganomicon" by Isa and Terry Hope Romero are both excellent. Some of my favorites that I've tried recently have been a green tomatillo chili with potato, white beans and apples; a curry with spinach and chickpeas; and potato-kale enchiladas with roasted pepper sauce.