Good Vegetarian Dinners

Kjbartolotta

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So, my diet is getting pretty bad these days. Tacos and Morningstar Farms, increasingly little else. Time for a change. Anyone got any veggie dinner recipes they like or are willing to suggest? I'm a reasonably good cook and like anything spicy, quick it better but as long as it doesn't take over an hour I'm fine.
 

Justobuddies

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How do you feel about slow cooker type things? I'm a huge fan of them for throwing things in it in the morning and easy dinner at night. In my office they line the insides with those cooking bags for turkeys, then just throw the bags out after everyone's had our weekly potluck lunch, easy clean after an easy meal.

Thinking something like lentils, veggies, margarine, tomato paste, water and curry spices for an curry dinner after you get home.
 

benbenberi

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Do you like Indian food? Because that's one of the motherlode of fantastic vegetarian cooking. Look up dal, saag paneer, malai kofta, or baingan bharta for a ton of yum, and keep exploring from there! (Also to note, Indian home cooks are crazy about the Instant Pot -- they've been big on pressure cookers for a long time, it seems. There are several Instant Pot books of Indian recipes that are huge sellers there and available on Amazon.)
 

Justobuddies

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Do you like Indian food? Because that's one of the motherlode of fantastic vegetarian cooking. Look up dal, saag paneer, malai kofta, or baingan bharta for a ton of yum, and keep exploring from there! (Also to note, Indian home cooks are crazy about the Instant Pot -- they've been big on pressure cookers for a long time, it seems. There are several Instant Pot books of Indian recipes that are huge sellers there and available on Amazon.)

^ This, and many of those can be easily made vegan through subbing out the ghee and dairy for coconut oil/milk.
 

Kjbartolotta

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I loooooooove Indian food. Also, live right down the street from Little Bangladesh (yes, there's a Little Bangladesh).
 

Justobuddies

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Some other Go-To's for quick meals:

For lunches is whip up a somewhat large batch of tabouli and hummus, buy a package of pita bread. And pack it off to my work fridge and I've got quick lunch or snak-y things that are healthy-ish. Coriander potatoes are a good addition if you want something served warm, or to make it seem more filling. I'm also one of those people that can eat the exact same thing for lunch everyday, as long as dinner has some variety.

Have also done a fried bread and beans, I usually used canned butter beans to make it go quicker. Then it's 5 ingredient bread dough (flour, water, yeast, salt, and sugar) and after it rises a bit pull pieces of the dough apart and fry it in a bit of vegetable oil. Beans get scooped right on top.

Veggie stir fry, using savory baked tofu as protein. Also make Pad-Thai with savory baked tofu. (if you want a more meat-like texture give it a deep fry after you slice it for a few minutes)

Banana, Kale, and soy milk smoothies (I know, sounds dreadful, but give it a try it's really tasty)

Veggie pizza, using one of those pre-made crusts. Pick out sliced veggies you like. I usually make an olive oil and garlic glaze to go under the veggies and sprinkle fake Parmesan over the top. It's more like a pesto dish, but it's good.


ETA: Spaghetti Squash Marinara - exactly what it sounds like. Takes about 20 minutes if you use store-bought marinara and microwave the squash.
 
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Tazlima

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This is a recipe I just recently learned and am absolutely in love with, a simple and devastatingly yummy mushroom dish we've made six times in the past few weeks, because it's just that good.

Start with some mushrooms. You really can't have too many. Slice and lightly salt. Sautee in a small amount (maybe 1 tbsp) of butter, and THIS IS IMPORTANT, continue sauteeing until the liquid has all evaporated and you're getting worried they'll burn.

Add a goodly amount of red wine. Repeat cooking down until all liquid is evaporated/absorbed.

Add some cream and season to taste with Montreal steak seasoning. Cook down one last time leaving a different amount of cream depending on your final goal:

For Pasta Sauce - Cook off off approx. 1/2 liquid (you can always add more cream if necessary). If you're going for extra-healthy, use spaghetti squash instead of pasta.

For a steakhouse-quality side of sauteed mushrooms: Cook off approx.3/4 of the liquid.

It's absolutely delicious, only uses one pot, and you don't have to fiddle with the temp - just leave it at medium to medium-low the whole time.
 

cornflake

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Oooh I have things!

First, since someone mentioned Indian, this is a vaguely bastardized curry sauce I love. I make the sauce a day ahead (or in the am), and store in a quart container in the fridge, as it's better once it has a chance to sit and let the flavours blend. Then I take whatever veg are handy, steam them, and toss in a saucepan with some spoons of the sauce for a bit and serve over rice.

1 med onion
oil
two tbsp crushed fresh ginger
tbsp crushed fresh garlic
3 tbsp curry powder (I know; not authentic -- I like Whole Foods packets of curry or Trader Joe's blend in a pinch)
1 container plain Greek yogurt (like 6 oz.)
1 can coconut cream
1 box vegetable broth (you need like 3 cups)
3 tbsp. tomato paste
3 tbsp flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
optional: raisins/spoon of honey

Dice the onion and saute in a good amount of oil over medium heat until soft and just browned. Add the ginger and garlic and sautee another minute. Add a bit more oil and the dry spices and flour and sautee another minute. Add the tomato paste and sautee all together. Add the yogurt and mix. If you like raisins for a slightly sweet component (I do), I usually toss them in here. Add, slowly, the vegetable broth, stirring after each addition -- start with like a half cup and stir to incorporate and let come back to heat, then add a bit more, etc.

After all the broth is incorporated, and the mixture is back up to heat, stir in the coconut cream. Bring back to heat. Take off heat, pour into a quart container, let cool in fridge at least 8-10 hours. Keeps 5-7 days in the fridge, also freezes fine in a ziplock. It tastes harsh at first, really does need time to mellow and blend.

As I said, I normally steam veg day of and then combine. You can also do with veg and dump the leftovers on a baked potato, that's good, or other stuff...

I also like Mexican, and it's so easy.

Quesadillas are a super simple, versatile go-to. Whatever you like -- I do beans, wilted spinach, mushroom, spinach and mushroom, wilted kale and spinach, tomato, tomato with some of the above, grilled asparagus, etc. Mix 'em up, one bean and tomato, one spinach, yada.

Take a tortilla, sprinkle cheese, throw on some chopped jalapeno. Throw on some of the above (if you do beans you can either do like whole black beans, say with some diced tomato, or refried, in which case, do a thin layer), little more cheese, top with another tortilla, put on a baking sheet in a 375 oven for like 15 minutes, take out, let sit a minute, cut in wedges, serve with sour cream or greek yogurt and salsa.

Also enchiladas, same deal, just take the tortillas and put some cheese, hot sauce or jalapenos and refried beans or whole beans and some grilled or sauteeed veg down the center, roll up, place in a baking dish, top with some enchilada sauce, bake 20 minutes.

I make a nice one-pot spring pasta -- put water up to boil and chop some broccoli into florets and chop up some asparagus. Once the water comes to a boil, add whichever takes longer to cook, the pasta (if you're using like, dried spaghetti, add it first, fresh, add the veg first), then the other, giving the veg like 2 minutes to cook. Once the veg and pasta are done, put in a strainer, take the empty pot, back on high heat, add a bunch of olive oil, some chopped garlic, sautee a minute, throw in a bunch of fresh spinach to wilt, then toss the pasta and veg back in. Toss, drizzle more oil, add salt, pepper, some chiffonaded basil leaves (or a couple spoons of pesto), squeeze half a lemon toss. Take off the heat. Throw in a couple good handfuls of grated parmesan. Serve;.

I also have plenty more, some more elaborate -- I make a mean blanco lasagna, potato spinach gratin, red sauce lasagna rollatini...lots. Baked ziti...
 
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Kjbartolotta

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YAAAAAAAAS!

Maybe my GF will even let me cook some of these for her. I should mention, I have almost no cooking supplies except a sharp knife. Looking into the instant pot, and it might be time to check out the 99 Cent stores for more supplied (new poor America ain't all bad). Don't have a microwave, might be a tinfoil hat thing for me.
 

cornflake

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For quesadillas you need (er, besides the food, heh) tinfoil and an oven (you can just use doubled foil on a rack -- a baking sheet is sturdier but not necessary). Ok, and a pan of some sort if you want to use wilted veg.

If you have no saucepan or saute pan, yeah, I'd look into them, You can find a decent one of each under $20 -- go for like a 3 qt. saucepan at least, as heavy as you can find, not nonstick, and a saute/fry pan as large and heavy as you can find, nonstick if you prefer but check for decent brands, like T-fal.

Ziplocks are your friends. Buy in bulk; they're not expensive, and many stores have their own knockoffs that work just as well.

Life with vegetables is way easier if you prep at once, on both ends.

If you shop and buy like, a head of cauliflower, a head of broccoli, couple pounds of mushrooms, carrots, etc., you will be much happier if you spend a half hour before you sit down, right as you bring stuff in, cutting it up and bagging, and/or cooking. Like, if you know you use sautreed mushrooms (in quesadillas, thrown in pasta, in omletes, whatever), buy mushrooms and as you unpack groceries, take them out first, slice them, toss them in a pan with a spoon of oil, and let them start to cook while you're putting stuff away.

Don't let like, cauliflower into the fridge whole. Cut it into florets and bag them, same as broccoli. If you like carrots, peel and whatever, make sticks to munch and bag them with a little water to keep fresh. Toss some salt and pepper and garlic on the mushrooms as you go and when they're done, into a ziplock and in the fridge they go.

You won't believe me until you do it, heh, but the difference between thinking 'oh, roast veg sounds good... I need to cut up a squash, and there's a zucchini I could slice, and some carrots...' and 'oh, roast veg sounds good,' and getting a bowl and just reaching into the bags that hold the already-cut cauliflower, squash, carrots, and zucchini, tossing handfuls into the bowl, drizzling oil on, tossing onto a sheet pan, sprinkling salt and pepper, putting in the oven and walking away, is HUGE if you've just got home.

Prep stuff before it hits the fridge. You'll thank me later. Take the half hour to cut everything up, saute stuff, and it'll all be ready to go for a whole bunch of things.
 

Siri Kirpal

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Seconding using a slow cooker. You can make all kinds of dishes, spicy or otherwise, from one basic recipe.

Largish can of beans or lentils or split peas.
Cup of rice or quarter cup of barley, if desired.
Baby carrots.
Chopped celery. (Great for added flavor.)
A green vegetable: chopped broccoli, kale, spinach, chard, etc. (Frozen spinach is fine, but broccoli turns to mush in a slow cooker.)
Onions and garlic. (Which I can no longer use...but...)
Whatever herbs and spices you like.
Two quarts of broth or water.
Salsa for a Latino flavor.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal
 

Kjbartolotta

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This is all got me thinking, I live in a Central American/Bangladeshi/Armenian/Korean/Etc neighborhood. It's pretty easy to find spices and bags of fun things w/o going too far. Anyone wanna keep suggesting seasonings they like?

Coriander potatoes are a good addition

Go on...

I've never thought you could coriander a potato. Also, curious about the Pad Thai, I've been thinking about doing that lately.

This is a recipe I just recently learned and am absolutely in love with, a simple and devastatingly yummy mushroom dish we've made six times in the past few weeks, because it's just that good.

Hmm. Add fries and some wine for an unpretentious but totally awesome date night.


Everything Cornflake just said

Thanks, Cornie! *Bro Hug* I did not realize this was one of your many wheelhouses. The curry recipe is something worth trying this weekend, I suspect I can get all the ingredients w/o having to take a bus anywhere. I'll probably try the spring pasta as well, that sounds like something I can remember at the grocery store when it 7:30 and I'm in a mad rush to get home. I would be more than curious about these lasagna recipes; like Garfield, I believe that the measure of a man is his ability to make lasagna. I make a pesto lasagna recipe that I *thought* I invented, but is actually pretty basic engineering.

Steaming veggies, I'm going to have to get used to that. Goals as an adult: learn to steam veggies. J/K, I know how to do that just fine! *stares off into abyss, full of shame and self-loathing*

Seconding using a slow cooker. You can make all kinds of dishes, spicy or otherwise, from one basic recipe.

So many possibilities here. The slow cooker is happening.
 

cornflake

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Heh, I mostly steam in the microwave, because a. easy, b. holds in nutrients, but there are metal steamer inserts you can buy for pots that are really cheap (they look like flowers, they sorta unfold), OR, if you own a pot, a colander or sieve that fits in the pot or clings to the edge, and a pot lid or dinner plate, voila, steamer. Couple inches of water in the pot, boiling, put the veg in the colander or strainer (if it's one that clings to the edge of the pot, awesome. If it's a colander with feet that doesn't hold the veg out of the water, just turn a small bowl upside down in the pot and rest the colander on it), put the lid on or cover the pot with a dinner plate. Wait like 8 minutes.

Strainers that cling to the pot.

Steamer inserty foldy thing.
 

cornflake

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Other spices -- Za'atar! take some bread, brush liberally with butter, zaatar, parmesan, hot oven for a few minutes... mmmm

There was also a za'atar roasted chickpea recipe in the NYT a bit ago, if you're also looking for snacks.
 

Kjbartolotta

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I just started reading about the history of Za'atar, and I feel like I'm going to get sucked in really deep here.
 

Siri Kirpal

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I discovered that ginger works well with most spicy dishes. Before I had to remove hot stuff from my diet, I put ginger in enchiladas and in all spicy slow cooked dishes. Fennel seed, a sweet spice, works well with turmeric, cumin seed and coriander in Indian style spiced dishes. You might try garam masala in Indian dishes also; it's a pre-made spice and varies widely according to who makes it. Nearly always contains cardamom.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal
 

benbenberi

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Za'atar is a wonderful thing! I'll note that "za'atar," being not an individual ingredient but a blend, comes in as many variations as "chili powder" or "curry powder" or "garam masala". Every supplier makes it differently, so it's worth sampling widely to find the versions you like best. (My fave, sadly, was a gift originally prepared in some tiny shop somewhere in Jerusalem, so I keep experimenting with different vendors trying to find one that comes close to that perfection.) It's a quest with many delicious rabbit holes to go down.
 

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One of my favorites, from Christina Cooks, with hardly any chopping:

Published on Christina Cooks (https://www.christinacooks.com)
Red Lentil-Corn Chowder

Makes 4–5 servings

Ingredient List:
avocado oil
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 red onion, diced (I use dice red pepper due to onion allergy)
Sea salt
1/2 teaspoon curry powder (we like Madras curry)
1 stalks celery, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
2 ripe tomatoes, diced, do not seed, or 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
cracked black pepper
1 cup red lentils, rinsed well
4 cups spring or filtered water
1/2 cup fresh or frozen organic corn
1 bay leaf

Step By Step Instructions:
Place a small amount of oil, garlic, and onion (red peppers) in a soup pot over medium heat. When the onions (peppers)peppers begin to sizzle, add a pinch of salt and curry powder. Sauté for 2–3 minutes, until the onions (peppers) are golden from the curry. Stir in celery and, a pinch of salt and sauté for 1 minute. Stir in carrot and, a pinch of salt and sauté for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and a pinch of pepper.
Stir in lentils, water, corn and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook until lentils are quite soft, about 25 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, remove bay leaf, and simmer for 5 minutes more.
 

Justobuddies

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Go on...

I've never thought you could coriander a potato. Also, curious about the Pad Thai, I've been thinking about doing that lately.
I'm really bad with recipes because I don't measure stuff, just eyeball and go by taste.

You'll need some potatoes, I usually use probably 2-3 pound worth, but cook for a big family and to have leftovers to take to the office.
an onion - diced or sliced thinly
a couple cloves of garlic - minced
Olive oil
Ground Coriander
Cumin
Turmeric
Cayenne
Chopped Cilantro

*Peel* and chop the potatoes into about inch sized 'cubes'. *(Peeling is not actually a necessary step, some people don't like the skins, though if you're not peeling wash the potatoes first)

Boil the cubes in saltwater for 8-10 minutes (until they start getting tender). Drain and set aside.

In a large pan heat the olive oil and add the onion and garlic, saute until soft.

Add Potatoes, then season with Coriander, Cumin, Turmeric, and Cayenne. (Probably start with a teaspoon each of Coriander, Cumin, and Turmeric then adjust for the flavor you like.)
Medium heat 10-15 minutes, until they get a bit crispy.

Garnish with cilantro and a squeeze of lemon juice.


For the Pad Thai I usually use a recipe similar to this but substitute the tofu with savory baked tofu (can be found in most Asian grocery stores in the refrigerated section) that has been fried. The frying process gives it a more meat-like texture.
 

Kjbartolotta

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OMG, then I have to figure out how to use a smartphone! (yes, that is *not* a joke)

Your mushroom dish is up first, Taz.
 

Justobuddies

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They still have regular cameras, scanners, and computers if you need to go old school. ;)

Or basic digital camera if you want to move into the early part of the century.