50 Hearty Vegetarian Recipes (That Even Omnivores Will Love)
Thursday, October 1 is World Vegetarian Day. Sharing a vegetarian meal in honor of World Vegetarian Day (or any day) helps reduce our carbon footprint, improve our health, and improve the environment.
If you need a little help getting your friends and family to choose more vegetarian meals, here are 50 of the best dishes that even omnivores will love.
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Tofu
It’s true, not everyone loves tofu, but these awesome recipes featuring the famous bean curd just might do the trick of letting omnivores know just how delicious tofu can be. Tofu is infinitely versatile, and it’s a great low-calorie source of protein and calcium.
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1 - Thai Coconut Tofu
Dress up your tofu with this delicious mix of red curry, lime juice and coconut milk. For a spicier dish, increase the amount of red curry. Enjoy!
½ onion, sliced
½ teaspoon black pepper
⅛ teaspoons pepper
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
½ teaspoon lime zest
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons oil
1 cup coconut milk
½ cup green peas
2 medium fresh tomatoes, sliced
14 ounces extra firm tofu
Marinade:
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil
¼ cup coconut sugar, or sugar of choice
Total cooking time: 1 hour
Serves: 4
2 - Cajun Spiced Tofu
PlantBasedonaBudget.com, November 19, 2013, Source
Recipe: Cajun Spiced Tofu From: Marji Beach at Plant Based on a Budget
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Spicy hot is a favorite flavor of mine and this dish serves it up and then some. History lesson, go back to the 1700s! The mix of flavors blended together to create cajun seasoning came from French immigrants who settled in eastern Canada, then called Acadia. They lived there for more than a hundred years before British colonialists forcefully deported them. Many settled in Louisiana, arriving impoverished and without means. They brought with them a culture rich in creative ways of cooking food (granted, most of that food was comprised of dead animals).
This recipe is spicy! Also, the pictures depict a level of clove action unseen in the modern world. Don’t do it. Just don’t. I used 8 tsp of cloves and that was the silliest thing ever. Mainly because my tongue went numb. The recipe I put up here is modified so that your tongue will not go numb either…in theory.
Because I am awesome, I am going to give you TWO WAYS to cook this tofu!
If you don’t have all these spices, only go out and buy them if you plan on using them frequently. Spices are notoriously expensive. Use what you got.
If you make this recipe and have suggestions on improving it, I’m game!
Mix all those spices together! Admire!
Prep your tofu! Make sure as much moisture is pressed out of it as possible (stick it between napkins under a dictionary for an hour or so or get yourself a TofuXpress). Water is the #1 enemy of fried tofu lovers everywhere.
Brush olive oil (or any good cooking oil) on all sides of the tofu. Dip into the spice mixture and coat on all sides.
Option 1: Pre-heat oven to 425 and bake the tofu slices for 10-12 minutes or until browned. Option 2: Heat wok or pan to medium heat. Do not oil the pan. Cook the spiced tofu for 5-7 minutes on each side, until tofu is slightly browned.
To make the mango topping, mix together the mango, cilantro, and agave. Plop it on the heated tofu and eat it with a smile.
3 - Baked Ginger-Soy Tofu Squares
Eve Fox, November 11, 2011, Source
When I saw this baked tofu recipe pop up on The Kitchn’s Facebook feed last week, I ran downstairs to put tofu on my grocery list. I’d recently made a divine coconut peanut sauce inspired by a simple recipe I found on the Thai cooking blog, SheSimmers, and was looking for things to show it off on. And baked tofu squares certainly fit the bill…
I started by unwrapping the tofu and placing it under pressure (in this case, a cutting board topped with a small dutch oven to provide some serious heft) to drain.
While the tofu drained, I whipped up a simple marinade – soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame seeds, sesame oil and a little bit of organic apricot jam for sweetness.
Twenty minutes later, my tofu had shed some water weight and was ready for cubing. I used firm tofu which is very easy to cut (soft tofu is more prone to crumbling or tearing.)
I placed the squares in the marinade and left them to soak up the sesame soy goodness for about half an hour. Then I dropped the marinated squares onto a heavy baking sheet and popped them into the oven.
Thirty-five minutes later, a tray full of delightfully chewy, flavorful tofu squares was giving me a “come hither” look I found myself powerless to resist.
I served them with the coconut peanut sauce, brown rice and baked yams and ’twas mighty tasty.
Next: the recipe
Baked Soy Ginger Tofu Squares
Serves 4 as part of a meal
Ingredients
* 1 (16-ounce) block extra firm tofu
* 1/2 cup soy sauce
* 2 tsps sesame oil
* 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
* 1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced or grated
* 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
* 1 Tbsp apricot preserves
* Peanut oil for greasing
Directions
1. Drain and rinse the block of tofu. Set it on a rimmed dinner plate. Place another plate on top and weight it down with something heavy, like a handy can of tomatoes or a heavy skillet, to press out some of the excess liquid. Let sit 15 – 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make the marinade. Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, jam and sesame seeds (feel free to adjust amounts and add or delete ingredients to suit your taste) and stir well to make sure the jam is dissolved. Set aside.
3. Cut the tofu into pieces. You can do cubes for croutons, sticks for dipping, flat squares to layer on sandwiches, or any other shape you feel like. Thinner pieces will get harder and chewier than thicker ones.
4. Put the cut tofu in a shallow dish, cover with marinade, and let sit for 15 – 30 minutes. Flip the tofu a few times so the marinade is absorbed evenly. The longer you let the tofu sit, the deeper the flavor will be.
5. While the squares are soaking, pre-heat your oven to 350-degrees. Place the squares on a greased baking sheet (I used peanut oil) and cook for 10 minutes and then flip them over. Continue cooking and flipping every 10 minutes until the tofu is as baked as you like it, 20 – 45 minutes total.
4 - Healthy, Vegan ‘Tofuevos Rancheros’
If you’re a runner like me — or any type of athlete — you know that after a hard workout, you need to refuel. This past fall I ran the beautiful Big Sur Half Marathon, and after the race I made what has become my traditional post-race meal: “Tofuevos Rancheros.”
These measurements aren’t set in stone, so you can adjust to your liking.
Tofuevos Rancheros:
2 Tbsp olive or canola oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
5 crimini or button mushrooms (optional), chopped
1 package firm, water-packed tofu, crumbled with hands
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
pinch cayenne
1/2 tsp turmeric
dash of salt
dash of pepper
about 1/4 cup Daiya brand vegan cheddar cheese
pico de gallo
guacamole
small corn tortillas
refried beans or soyrizo
Heat oil on medium-high in a large pan. After about a minute, toss in the onions and cook until the become soft and transparent, stirring often. Then put in the red pepper and mushrooms, and cook until these become soft (keep stirring occasionally).
When the peppers and mushrooms are tender, add the crumbled tofu. Make sure to get firm but water-packed, not vacuum-sealed, tofu. This helps achieve the egg-y texture. Once the tofu is in, stir and add the coriander, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, salt and pepper. I said a “pinch” of cayenne but you can add more, depending on your spice-tolerance. Stir all of these in, just until the tofu is heated.
Remove the pan from heat and mix in the Daiya cheese — quickly, while the tofu is still hot. You want to melt the cheese in, but not burn it and make it tough.
To prepare the tortillas, I recommend wrapping them in a wet paper towel and microwaving for about one minute. To cook the beans, just stick them in a small pot and heat. For soyrizo, cook in a shallow pan with 1-2 Tbsp of oil and stir until hot.
That’s it! Assemble however you prefer — I like to put the tofu and beans/soyrizo on a warm tortilla, then top with a dollop of guacamole and some salsa. This is a quick, yummy meal with lots of protein and vitamins: a perfect post-race (or post-workout, or post…-sleeping) brunch.
5 - 6 Meatless BBQ Recipes
a Care2 favorite by Jake Richardson, Sources
Frankie’s Vegan Spare Ribs
This recipe sounds tasty, and not too complicated. The meat substitute is seitan. It does call for a food processor, and about an hour of total baking time, which is not too bad. There is a BBQ sauce recipe that goes with the ribs.
Carolina-style Barbeque Sandwiches
From Vegetarian Times, this one I would like to try, but it calls for a lot of cider vinegar. In fact, in the comments section, most said it was too much and they reduced it, “I just made this recipe and after reading the above posting I reduced the apple vinegar to around 1/4 C.” The sauce is supposed to be tangy, and mustardy. The sandwich uses seitan as the protein source. (If you want the sweeter Kansas City BBQ sauce, here is a recipe for Big Al’s K.C. sauce.)
Sweet and Spicy Barbeque Tofu
A simple but appealing recipe for comes from About.com. The only issue I see is the call for 3/4 cup brown sugar. That seems like too much, and could be reduced to maybe 1/4. Also it mentions using 3/4 cup orange juice concentrate, which could be enough sweetness by itself. Marinating takes 2 hours, but everything else is quick.
Eggplant BBQ with Fresh Chive Vinaigrette
This recipe sounds the most original. It also doesn’t require much time. When can you say you last barbequed an eggplant?
Brazilian Beach Skewers
For people who do eat cheese, there is an intriguing recipe using Halloumi, which is a middle eastern cheese usually only made from goat and sheep milk. You can probably get it at a middle eastern grocery store, and some supermarkets might carry it. (A simple recipe once you have acquired the Halloumi.)
BBQ Seitan Ribs
SusanV of the FatFree Vegan Kitchen blog has a recipe for ribs that sounds good, though it is not entirely fat free. This one requires you have your own sauce. She says it is easy to make, but the recipe requires something called liquid smoke.
6 - Tempeh
Tempeh is a fermented soybean cake, but don’t tell any omnivores or newbie tempeh friends that. All they need to know is that tempeh is an awesome fermented food that’s great in many meatless recipes. You can usually find tempeh in the refrigerator of your local natural foods store, but if you don’t have a local tempeh maker, it may be hiding in the freezer. Tempeh does best with a marinade, and it tends to dry out faster than tofu, so keep that in mind when working with this great food.
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Chipotle Tempeh
Chipotle Tempeh and Garden Vegetable Pizza
This bold and spicy tempeh dish is rich with tomato and chipotle flavors. This Mexican-inspired dish will warm your stomach and your soul! It is also good served with brown rice.
8 oz. Tempeh, cut in 1“ cubes
Marinade:
1 tablespoon chipotle paste
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon granulated onion
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups water
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons agave or sweetener of choice
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon olive oil
½ medium onion, cubed
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
cilantro, minced for garnish
Serves: 4
Cooking time: 45 minutes
7 - Tempeh Fakin’ Bacon
Selections from Networx, October 10, 2010, Source
I am one of those people who doesn’t eat much meat. It’s not an ideological thing, nor because I am a sissy. It’s mostly out of economic necessity that I don’t eat it — meat is expensive. Years of working as a writer and editor (a great job — but sometimes I wish I went into investment banking) have trained me to economize. I’d like to bestow upon you a foolproof recipe that will revolutionize your Sunday mornings: Tempeh Bacon. It’s easy to make, costs about $3.50 for 4 servings, and you can use it in recipes that call for bacon. I learned it from Jessica Porter, a macrobiotic cooking teacher who battled with junk food for years until she learned how to make healthy food that tastes like junk food. This recipe is great if you’re trying to lose weight but still want to eat “like a man.”
Tempeh is an under-appreciated superfood. If more regular Americans knew about how good and meaty it is, it would become an American staple. Now don’t stop reading when I say this…just bear with me and try it: Tempeh is a fermented soybean cake. It is nothing like tofu, its much-maligned cousin. It’s dense and meaty with a sort of chicken flavor. Tempeh is cheap, and available in the refrigerator section of your local produce aisle or “health food” section (Stop and Shop, Safeway, Kroger, and other major supermarket chains carry it). There are many health benefits of eating tempeh, but I won’t go into those. I’m giving you this recipe because it is deeee-licious.
I might sound like one of those drug dealers in 1980′s “Just Say No” commercials when I say this, but I’ll run that risk: Try it. You’ll like it.
1 package of plain tempeh, sliced into strips
1 cup tamari or shoyu soy sauce
1 cup water
4 Tbsp. dark sesame oil
1. Put the tempeh, soy sauce, and water into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, and then simmer covered for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the tempeh from the liquid with a slotted spoon and put it on a plate.
2. Coat a frying pan with the dark sesame oil. Heat up the oil. Fry the tempeh in the oil until it is dark brown and crispy.
3. Drain on paper towels.
8 - Southwest Tempeh Chili Recip
Earth Day is the perfect day to commit to doing what you can to help preserve and protect our environment. Many do not realize that making changes to your diet is perhaps the most effective way to lighten our footprint on our fragile planet. Those accustomed to eating meat may shy away from some of the facts surrounding the environmental impact of an animal-based diet. The statistics are staggering and challenging to ignore.
A UN report entitled “Livestock’s Long Shadow” indicates that livestock production contributes to more greenhouse gasses than the entire world’s transportation industry combined. That’s a lot of gas! In addition to the global warming angle, there is a convincing case for switching to plant-based foods when you consider the following:
The environmental impact of a vegan diet is a fraction of that of a meat-based one. According to Conservation International, the average carbon emissions from an animal product based diet are 11 tons per year per person. The average emissions on a plant-based diet are six tons per year. Another interesting tidbit of information is that it takes approximately three acres of land and 2500 gallons of water a day to support an animal product based diet. A plant-based diet utilizes only 1/6 of an acre of land and 300 gallons of water a day. According to the USDA, one acre of land can produce 20,000 pounds of vegetables. This same amount of land can only produce 165 pounds of meat.
While all of this information may be persuasive on an intellectual level, when it comes to our food choices we are dealing with a primal instinct that is not so easy to change. At Vegan Fusion we specialize in helping people who want to include more vegan foods in their diet do so in a gentle and delicious manner. Many of our recipes are designed to replicate the tastes and textures of dishes that contain animal products, so there is never a feeling of deprivation. Here is one of our favorites, from the cookbook, Vegan Fusion World Cuisine:
Southwest Tempeh Chili
35 min prep / 25 min cooking / 5-6 servings
3/4 C Onion, chopped
1/2 Celery, chopped
1 Tbl minced Garlic
1 tsp Jalapeno pepper, roasted, seeded & minced
8-12 oz. Tempeh, cut into 1/8″ cubes
4 C Filtered water or vegetable stock
14.5 oz. Fire-roasted, crushed tomatoes
1 large Ancho chili, soaked in water until soft, seeded & minced
2 Tbl Tomato paste
1 Tbl Barley malt syrup, optional
1 ½ C cooked & drained kidney or black beans or one 15-ounce can
1 ½ C Corn, fresh or frozen
½ C Cashews, roasted, no salt, chopped
6 Tbl soy sauce, or to taste
1 Tbl Lime juice, fresh squeezed
1 Tbl Chili powder
1 tsp Cumin powder, toasted
Pinch Cayenne pepper, or to taste
Black pepper, ground to taste
Sea salt, to taste
3-4 drops Liquid smoke (optional)
1 ½ Tbl Cilantro, minced
1. Place onion, celery, garlic, jalapeno, tempeh and water or stock in a 3 qt pot and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add tomatoes, barley malt syrup, and tomato paste and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans and corn and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining ingredients, remove from heat, mix well and enjoy. Flavor improves over time.
Serving suggestion: Garnish with a small scoop of Vegan Sour Cream (try tofutti brand), additional minced cilantro, and a sprinkle of toasted pumpkin seeds.
9 - Tempeh Stroganoff
Fancy Meals: Tempeh Stroganoff Recipe
When I was a kid my mom cooked us dinner every night, no small feat considering she had a full time job and two very picky kids. One of her classic dishes was Beef Stroganoff, a recipe she got from that tome of classic cooking, The Joy of Cooking. The creamy mushroom gravy with egg noodles was pretty damn good, and it wasn’t until I was in my late 20s that I had anything similar. And then last year I created my own recipe, based on the one found in Vegan World Fusion Cuisine by Mark Reinfeld.
This version is meat-free, but has all the smoky, creamy awesomeness that a wintertime meal requires. Serve with traditional egg noodles, or choose the gluten-free rice noodles pictured here. I’ve used tempeh, a fermented soy product, but you could also use tofu or premade seitan. This recipe makes a huge meal, but makes damn good leftovers too.
Vegan Tempeh Stroganoff
2 (8-oz) blocks tempeh, cubed
3 tablespoons olive oil + 2 Tablespoons extra
2 cups thinly sliced onions
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cremini or button mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 Portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 cups vegetable broth
¼ cup mirin (Japanese rice cooking wine), use regular wine if you have
⅓ cup nutritional yeast flakes
2 Tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons potato starch
1 Tablespoon fresh minced thyme
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1-2 teaspoons salt
½ cup unsweetened plant-based milk (more to taste)
1 cup frozen peas
1 (16-ounce) package noodles, cooked according to directions
Cashew cheese, sour cream or Greek Yogurt for garnish
Minced fresh parsley for garnish
so much fungi to enjoy!
10 - Tempeh Bolognaise Pasta Sauce
Tempeh is a fermented soy product that is a great source of vegan protein, with a nutty flavor and chewy texture. It can sometimes be intimidating to cook because it needs a bit of work to make it taste awesome; tempeh has a natural, slightly bitter flavor and most people like a marinade or a good sauce to keep their palettes happy. But this pasta is perhaps the best way to add tempeh into your meatless meal rotation.
Tempeh Bolognese Pasta is a great weeknight dinner for the whole family, featuring fresh vegetables, good vegan protein, and the ease of a pasta meal.
tempeh bolognese with brown rice pasta
¼ cup olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced bell pepper
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (8 ounce) block tempeh, crumbled
1 (24-25 ounce) jar marinara sauce of choice
1 Tablespoon Italian herb mixture (thyme, basil, oregano, etc.)
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
½ cup water (more to taste)
1 (16-ounce) package pasta
Yield: Four generous servings
sometimes black spots appear on the tempeh, but don’t worry about whether your tempeh is blond or mottled- natural variations in the culturing process produces different colors.
a filling and awesome meal.
Seitan
Seitan is a faux meat made from wheat gluten (sorry, gluten-free friends), and it’s pretty amazing. It’s dense, chewy, and when done well can be oddly similar to meat. It works great baked, fried, or tossed together with a stir-fry. These great recipes below will get you started with the heartiest option to feed your omnivore friends.
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11 - Better-than-Beef Meatless Meat
(learn how to make your own seitan!)
Seitan/Wheat-Meat (made from wheat gluten flour) is one of the best meat substitutes for flavor absorption as well as texture. High in protein and low in fat, seitan (when properly prepared) will win over the meat-oholics in your life, from kids to grown-ups.
Once cooked, it can be used fresh or frozen until needed. When it’s defrosted, you can simply slice it into strips and serve with different sauces or ground in a food processor for tacos, lasagna, chili, or any other recipe where one would usually use ground beef.
Wheat gluten is the natural protein portion of wheat that is extracted when wheat is milled into flour. In its processed form, wheat gluten is a fine, tan-colored flour consisting of about 75-80 percent protein. You may be familiar with it as an additive to home-made bread, because the extra gluten helps the bread to stick together and therefore rise better without collapsing.
As many people know, gluten can cause allergic reactions or sensitivities in some people, which means that seitan is not a food to serve to your friends with wheat allergies! But for those who don’t react badly to gluten, seitan is a good source of protein and can be a big help for those transitioning to veganism.
Because of its amazing ability to imitate meat, seitan is a great food to serve at educational events or meals with non-vegan friends and family. When you add it to sauteed veggies and season it up with your favorite flavors or sauces, it is bound to surprise people who are not expecting the meal to contain any meat.
To make an easy, delicious dish for vegan educational events or pot-lucks, you can simply sauté up some onions and garlic with thinly sliced cabbage or dark garden greens. Mix this together with some sliced seitan that has been marinating in a pre-made vegan barbecue sauce, and then bake it in a casserole dish for 30-40 minutes. We served this recently at a vegan booth at a local fair, and people went wild over it. One diner commented that it was the best food she had ever eaten. You can’t get much better than that!
Seitan (basic recipe)
yields five 3″ x 3″ pieces
18-20 cups water (for boiling)
1/2 tsp. sea salt
4 1/2 cups gluten flour
1/2 cup nutritional yeast (optional)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. sea salt
1 Tbsp. herb salt (such as Herbamare)
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. oregano (optional)
3 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup tamari or substitute
1. In a large pot, add sea salt to the water and bring to a boil.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, yeast & spices). Stir well.
3. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, mix together the remaining liquids.
4. Add liquid to the dry and mix thoroughly until dough is consistent (solid and firm, yet not dry).
5. Pour onto tray and knead dough until all air is removed. Form a rectangular loaf on the tray and cut into even pieces (approximately 3″ x 3&Prime
.
6. Place the cut dough into boiling water. Boil for 45-50 minutes.
7. Remove a piece and cut it to see if it is done. (It should be firm all the way through).
8. Take out and cool on a tray. If not for immediate use, leave in large pieces and freeze. Keeps well in the freezer. When removing from freezer, defrost then prepare as directed in recipe.
12 - Seitan Barbecue
serves 4-5
4-5 cups seitan, sliced
2-3 Tbsp. oil
2-3 Tbsp. tamari or substitute
2-3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast (optional)
Sauce
2 cups water
1/4 cup sorghum
2/3 cup tomato paste
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/4 Tbsp. garlic powder
1/2 Tbsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. vegan hickory smoke flavor
1 Tbsp. molasses
1/2 Tbsp. tamari or substitute
1 Tbsp. arrowroot powder
2 Tbsp. liquid vegetable bouillon
1. Pan-fry the sliced seitan in the oil and season with tamari. Add yeast and brown on both sides. Shut off flame.
2. In a blender, blend the Sauce ingredients and pour into a saucepan. Simmer and stir for about 25 minutes, never bringing sauce to a boil.
3. For a quick and easy barbecue, simply add some of the sauce to the seitan and pan fry. A second option is to add the sauce to the seitan slices and bake in the oven, allowing the seitan to absorb the flavors.
13 - Seitan Kebobs
How to Survive Being the Only Vegan at Your Labor Day Party – Plus A Recipe!
Labor day is here! Instead of mourning the dog days of summer, it’s time to enjoy the day off with friends and family and—in traditional American style—a whole bunch of food. If you’re vegan, then you know going to a barbecue at someone else’s place can sometimes be awkward. No one likes to turn down their host’s bacon-wrapped pineapple bites, again. Below are a few tips for surviving your upcoming labor day bash, plus a recipe to bring and impress all your omnivorous buds.
Bring a dish, or four. Well, of course you’re likely to bring a dish to a food-related event. However, you could possibly be the only non-meat eater at the party. This means you might want to bring more than one dish to avoid your entire meal consisting of that quinoa salad. Don’t want to bring a full-on feast? Then perhaps consider…
Offering to help cook. Show up early to help your host cook and prep. Not only will you look like the nicest friend ever, but you can veganize some dishes on the sly. Set the cheese on the side of that salad, opt for olive oil instead of butter in the pasta and make sure those grilled veggies aren’t accidentally slathered in burger juice.
Let the food talk. Often when you’re eating different than the rest of the party goers, someone (or everyone) will bring it up. Don’t tell your omnivorous family and friends how tasty vegan eats can be. Show them! The following grill-friendly recipe is delicious and satisfying, with a mouth-feel that will keep plant-eaters and meat-eaters happy.
Seitan Kebabs with Sangria Tomato Salad
Prep time: 25 minutes | Cook time: 25 minutes | Serves 2 to 4
You will need 6 to 8 wooden or metal skewers for this recipe. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for about 20 minutes before using.
(From The Lusty Vegan © 2014 by Ayinde Howell and Zoe Eisenberg. Used with permission from Vegan Heritage Press.)
SALAD
2 cups sliced cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup julienned red onion
1/2 cup diced English cucumber
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup dry white wine
MARINADE
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 tablespoon dried parsley
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
KEBABS
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into large pieces
1 green bell pepper, cut into large pieces
1 red onion, cut into large pieces
6 to 8 button mushrooms (optional)
1 pound seitan, cut into chunks
1. Salad: Mix all salad ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside for 15 to 20 minutes while making the kebabs.
2. Marinade: Mix all marinade ingredients together in a shallow baking dish large enough to hold the skewers. Set aside.
3. Kebabs: Slide a piece of onion, pepper, mushroom (if using), and seitan onto each skewer, repeating until the skewers are full, leaving 1/2 inch free at either end. Place the skewers in the marinade and set aside for 25 to 30 minutes, turning occasionally.
4. Preheat a lightly-oiled stovetop griddle. Arrange the skewers on the hot griddle and grill until the vegetables are tender and browned all over, 5 to 7 minutes. Serve hot with the salad on the side.
14 - Seitan Peppersteak
yields 1 large skillet
4-5 cups seitan slices (see step 1)
2-3 Tbsp. oil, 2-3 cloves garlic and a dash of tamari
nutritional yeast, tamari, seasonings, to taste
Peppersteak Sauce (yields 4 cups)
4-5 cloves garlic, diced
2 onions, sliced like half moons
2 bell peppers, thinly sliced (1 red)
8 mushrooms, sliced
3 cups water
3 Tbsp. liquid vegetable bouillon
1 1/2 Tbsp. dried basil
1 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp. arrowroot powder
1 tsp. herb salt (such as Herbamare)
1 cup tomato paste, or thick tomato sauce
1/2 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
3 Tbsp. sorghum or molasses
1 1/2 Tbsp. tamari
1. Slice seitan into wide, quarter-inch thick slices then cut each in half.
2. In a blender, blend garlic with oil and tamari. Pour this oil into a cast-iron skillet and sauté the seitan pieces in it. Add nutritional yeast, tamari and seasonings, to taste. (To use less oil, skip this step, and go straight to step three.)
3. In a saucepan, using a dash of oil (or water), sauté the garlic, then the onions, peppers and mushrooms (in that order). Cover and allow to soften.
4. In a blender, blend the Peppersteak Sauce ingredients. Pour this blended sauce over the vegetables. Simmer over a low flame for 20-25 minutes, stirring often until sauce thickens. Do not boil.
5. Add most of the sauce to the seitan in the skillet and stir. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 275°. Add remaining sauce, warm and serve.
15 - Seitan Kebobs
6 Delicious Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes
All of those pretty leaves on the trees must mean that Thanksgiving is on its way! Even if you’re not having a totally vegan Thanksgiving feast, many of these dishes incorporate well into any Thanksgiving menu.
Cutting out (or cutting back) on the meat and dairy in your Thanksgiving menu is a great way to green up this holiday. Meat and dairy are very inefficient to produce compared to plant-based foods – they take many times more land and water to produce, both of which are ever-shrinking resources.
If you’re used to the typical “meat and three” type meal, it makes perfect sense that cutting out or reducing the meat might seem unappetizing. If you take the meat off that type of plate, you’re left with an iceberg salad, some overcooked veggies, and maybe a starch. No, thank you! The trick to cutting the meat is to re-imagine your plate.
This menu features two options for a main course, and you can make one or both of them. One is a meat alternative: a rich, savory seitan roast. The other says, “meat, schmeat!” and lets seasonal produce shine as the star of the Thanksgiving meal. Whether you cook up this whole menu or just replace some meat- or dairy-based dishes with one or two of these items, give yourself a high five for reducing your impact this Thanksgiving!
Let’s start with the sides! Check out my favorite easy way to cook up garlicky greens.
Fall is leafy greens season, so it makes sense to celebrate that bounty at the Thanksgiving table. These crock pot greens have a garlicky kick, and since you make them in the crock pot, you know they’re low-maintenance, too!
Garlic Crock Pot Greens
Heat up the crock post on high, and toss in the oil, garlic, and onions. Cover and let those cook while you prep everything else.
Meanwhile, chop the greens and parsley into bite-sized pieces, drain the beans, and prepare the miso broth (the last ingredient on the list above). When everything is prepped, add the rest of the ingredients to the crock pot, stir to combine, and cook for one hour. Then, reduce the heat to low and cook for about two more hours, or until your greens are tender.
The total cooking time will depend on how tough your greens were – collards will take longer than turnip greens, for example, so after that first hour, check your greens every 30 minutes to avoid overcooking.
This is another crock pot recipe, so you’ll need to either borrow a pot from a friend or make this sauce in advance. It keeps beautifully in the fridge for up to a week, so you can get this prepared long before guests arrive. You can pass it alongside the meal or serve it over coconut ice cream for dessert. Either way, you won’t be sorry!
Ginger Vanilla Pear Sauce
Place the pears, ginger, water, and scraped innards of your vanilla bean into your crock pot. Cook on high for 3 – 3 1/2 hours, until you get the desired consistency.
If you like your fruit sauces smoother, you can throw this into the blender or use an immersion blender to break down the chunky pieces of pear before serving.
Ready for the main dish? Let’s start with the seitan roast!
Seitan is a meat substitute made from vital wheat gluten. It’s basically a seasoned dough that cooks up to have a rich, somewhat meaty texture. Tanya Sitton from Eat Drink Better shares her crowd-pleasing seitan roast recipe. I’ve got the basic directions here, but I recommend checking out her recipe for detailed production notes and variations.
Seitan Roast
Broth Ingredients:
Roast Ingredients:
Vegetables:
Preheat oven to 325F. Oil a 10″ x 14″ casserole dish well, or line just the bottom (not the sides) of the pan with parchment paper.
Mix up the broth: combine water, bouillon, red wine, Bragg’s (or soy sauce), olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder in a large bowl or pitcher.
Prepare gluten mixture: in a large mixing bowl, combine gluten flour, all purpose flour, nutritional yeast, and black pepper, stirring well.
Add broth 1/2 cup at a time to the flour mixture, kneading gently until all ingredients are wet and it forms a soft dough. It’s not like bread dough: just knead it enough to get everything combined, and then stop; don’t overdo it. If you end up adding more broth than the dough can absorb, just pour it back into the broth mixture.
Let the dough rest after initial mixing/light kneading, for about 5 minutes. Lightly re-knead dough, forming it into a long French bread loaf shape. Pour about 1/2 of the remaining broth into the pan, place roast dough into pan, then pour the rest of the broth over it.
Bake 30 minutes, loosen the bottom of the roast from the pan with a spatula, and bake for 30 more minutes. Using 2 spatulas, carefully turn roast over; bake 30 minutes, turn it again, and bake 30-45 more minutes.
While the roast is baking, toss potatoes, garlic, onions, and carrots with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
After 2 to 2-1/4 hours cooking time, remove roast pan from oven. Turn roast once more. Pour veggies all over and around roast, return to oven, and cook for another 45 minutes to 1 hour, for a total cooking time of 3 hours. Uncover veggies from roast, and sprinkle with fresh or dried parsley. Serve with vegan steak sauce or gravy, if desired, and good warm bread.
Winter squash makes a beautiful main course that’s comforting, filling, and very healthy. This recipe serves two people, so you can scale it up for however many folks are coming to your Thanksgiving table!
Stuffed Acorn Squash
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Toast the bread, cube and set aside.
Slice the squash and de-seed it. Drizzle on some olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 40 minutes. While the squash is roasting, melt the earth balance in a skillet and saute the onion until translucent. Add in a 1/4-1/3 a cup of the stock, the apple and the cranberries. Cook until soft, about 15 minutes.
In a casserole dish, mix together the bread cubes, spices and the onion/apple mixture. Add in the stock, pouring slowly over the dish. Cover with foil and set aside.
Once the squash has roasted for 50 minutes, add the stuffing mixture to the oven, and bake together for 25 minutes. At that time, remove the foil and continue to bake for approximately 10 more minutes.
Remove from the oven, and once cooled slightly, scoop portions of the stuffing into each half of the acorn squash.
No Thanksgiving meal is complete without dessert, and we’ve got a couple of dessert options for you. We’ll kick it off with a Thanksgiving classic: pumpkin pie!
Nothing says Thanksgiving like good ol’ pumpkin pie! This recipe is so tasty, you won’t miss the eggs or the milk!
Decadent Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie
Crust:
Mix all ingredients together in a food processor until marbled-looking. Then, roll out into a thin layer and place in a pie plate. Using a fork, make small perforations in the bottom of the dough to allow air to escape while baking. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
Filling:
Mix all filling ingredients together in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Pour into the piecrust and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Let cool. Refrigerate.
Recipe via Michelle Schoffro Cook
If you’re expecting a crowd, it doesn’t hurt to have a second dessert option. Check out this simple apple crisp recipe!
Apple crisp is another nice dish that takes advantage of fall’s bounty. Apple crisp used to be one of my Nani Dorothy’s specialties, so for me this is total comfort food and perfect for a day of gratitude.
Apple Crisp
Preheat your oven to 350F.
In a 9×13″ glass or ceramic baking pan, toss the apple slices with the sugar, flour, and cinnamon, tossing to coat them really well, then add the water.
In a small bowl, mix the oats, remaining flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and margarine or oil. As you stir, it will start to form a crumbly mixture. Sprinkle this evenly over your apples. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the crumble is brown on top.
Beans
Beans are good for our body, good for the planet, and just plain good to eat. Black beans, white beans, lentils and more are selected here as recipes that will impress even the most carnivorous of your friends.
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16 - Black Bean & Sweet Potato Enchiladas
Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas
We like to call these Halloween Enchiladas, because the filling is orange and black! And what an inspired idea it is to combine sweet potato and black beans: you get great nutrition without animal products.
This creative, zesty enchilada casserole is simply bursting with flavor: try making a batch for your own little ghoulies and ghosties! Using canned beans and store-bought salsa makes it a quick and easy supper to make.
INGREDIENTS
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 small chile, seeded and minced
One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
One 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 tablespoon chili powder
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cups salsa
8 large flour tortillas
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1. Preheat oven to 400F. Put the sweet potatoes on a lightly oiled baking sheet in a single layer and roast for 20 minutes, turning once, until they’re tender. Remove from oven and set aside.
2. Turn oven down to 350F. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and chile and cook about 30 seconds, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Add beans, tomatoes, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Add cooked sweet potatoes and simmer mixture 5 minutes. Set aside.
3. Spread a thin layer of salsa on the bottom of a lightly oiled 9 x 13-inch baking dish and set aside.
4. Place a tortilla on a flat work surface, spoon a portion of the sweet potato mixture down the center of it and roll it up. Place the filled enchilada in the baking dish with the seam side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas and sweet potato mixture. If there’s any filling left over, spoon it on top of the enchiladas, then top with remaining salsa and sprinkle with red onion.
5. Cover and bake until casserole is hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
Serves 8.
17 - Moroccan Black Bean Stew
Fresh vegetables and spices, sweetness from raisins and fiber from protein-packed black beans all combine to make an exotic dish filled with flavors and colors. Nourishing and healthful, this fragrant stew reminds us of sultry nights beside a warm sea: the ultimate in pleasure.
INGREDIENTS
4 cups cooked couscous
1/2 onion, diced
1 small yam, peeled and diced
1 small zucchini, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups cooked black beans
1/2 cup raisins
Salt to taste
1. In a large pot, saute the onion, yam, zucchini, and pepper in the oil until the vegetables are tender. Reduce heat to low.
2. Add flour, sugar, curry, and cinnamon. Saute for 1 minute.
3. Add vegetable broth, black beans, and raisins. Turn up the heat and cook stew until hot and thickened. Add salt to taste.
4. Serve on a bed of couscous.
Serves 6.
18 - Simple and Cozy Lentil Chili
Welcome in fall with this simple and cozy lentil chili. Most of the ingredients are likely already in your pantry, so it’s a good go-to recipe when you need something but don’t have time to run to the grocery store. Try it with a corn muffin or corn chips.
3 cups chopped onion
3 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon granulated onion
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
14 oz. can tomato sauce
½ cup ketchup
4 ½ cups lentils
12 cups water (more as needed)
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
Serves: 10
Total cooking time: 1 hour
19 - Curry Lentil Potato Stew
Curried Lentil & Sweet Potato Stew
This delectable stew is a little bit sweet, a little bit spicy, very hearty, and has a lovely, subtle creaminess from the coconut milk. Served over rice with whole milk yogurt and lots of fresh cilantro, it makes a perfect meal.
Lentils are one of the unsung heroes of the food world. They’re delicious, cheap, filling and remarkably nutritious — packed with calcium, potassium, zinc, niacin and vitamin K and even more protein, iron, folate and dietary fiber. But perhaps most importantly, THEY DO NOT REQUIRE SOAKING!!! This makes them a boon to lazy people like myself, as well as those who do not excel at planning ahead.
Thanks to the overwhelming success of this summer’s Great Sweet Potato Experiment, we have quite a lot of delicious, yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes. We do not have a root cellar (yet) so we’ve been storing them in paper grocery bags in our downstairs shower which we clearly never use. They’re holding up nicely so far – no signs of softening or rot. But I feel some pressure to use them while they’re still good. So I was intrigued when I saw a similar recipe by on Food52 last week. It inspired me to create a similar soup with some modifications to suit my tastes and to make use of what I had in the larder.
As we were about to leave for a week-long vacation, I was practically gleeful about the chance to use up the two red onions and three cloves of garlic sitting out on the counter and finally put the tiny, wizened knob of ginger in the fridge to use before it dried up completely. I also liked the idea of freeing up a little room in the freezer which has gotten so full that the drawers are practically groaning. I could use up two quarts of my homemade vegetable stock (this is so easy to make, by the way) and one of the bags of kale I froze from our garden this summer. Aaaand, it would make good airplane food, too!
I began by defrosting the vegetable stock and the frozen kale since I knew that would take a little time.
Meanwhile, I chopped up the onions, garlic and ginger and sauteed them in some oil in the soup pot.
Once they’d softened, I added the carrots and sweet potatoes and cooked them for a few minutes before tossing in a can of organic coconut milk, the rinsed and drained lentils, half the cilantro and the spices.
Then I added the defrosted vegetable stock and let it simmer for about 45 minutes until the vegetables and lentils were just cooked through but still had good texture. I stirred in a few spoonfuls of lemon juice then served it over basmati rice (short grain brown would also be good), topped with whole milk organic yogurt and lots of fresh cilantro. Bliss!
Curried Lentil & Sweet Potato Stew
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
* 2 medium or 1 large red onion, chopped
* 4 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
* 4 cups of cubed sweet potatoes or yams
* 3 carrots, sliced or chopped
* 2 cups of lentils, rinsed and drained
* 2 pints vegetable stock
* 2-3 tsps chopped or minced fresh ginger
* 1 bunch of fresh cilantro, leaves rinsed and chopped
* 1 bunch of kale or chard, ribs removed, leaves coarsely chopped
* Juice of 1 lime
* 1 can coconut milk
* Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
* 2 Tbsps curry powder or garam masala
* 2 Tsps cumin
* a pinch of red pepper flakes
* 2 Tbsps olive or coconut oil
Directions
1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large soup pot or Dutch oven and saute the onions, garlic and ginger for 10 or so minutes until translucent.
2. Add the cubed sweet potatoes, carrots, curry powder, cumin and red pepper flakes and saute for another 5 minutes or so before adding the lentils, coconut milk, kale or chard, vegetable stock and most of the cilantro (reserve a little to use as a garnish for the stew.)
3. Bring to a simmer then turn the heat down a bit and cook, covered, over medium-low heat for 40-45 minutes until the lentils and vegetables are just tender. Add the lime juice and stir well before seasoning to taste with the salt and pepper. You can also add a little sugar if you like. Serve hot over rice topped with whole milk yogurt and fresh cilantro.
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