Healthy, Compassionate and Delicious Recipes

lLocal recipes, plus links to recipe sites!  We want to put your recipes on line -- collect your favorites, and email them to ETVS!

Hot and Sour Soup

This recipe comes from Louise Stewart, artist, seamstress and gourmet cook.

Cut various kinds of •mushrooms into strips. If using dried ones, soak them first and save the liquid. Combine •5 T rice vinegar, •3 T soy sauce, •1 T cornstarch, •chopped garlic or garlic powder, •hot sauce, •1 pkg. firm tofu, cubed. In a big pot, heat vegetable broth and any liquid from mushrooms. Add mushrooms, •sliced scallions, •anything else you want. Sometimes I put in •bamboo shoots. It calls for tiger lily buds, but I never have those. Add tofu and marinade. Taste to adjust hotness. Add more vinegar and hot sauce or hot oil if needed. Beat an egg and stir in. Top with a little sesame oil.
Don't worry about the measurements. Mainly you get it as hot as you want.

Editor's Note: My sister cooks or eats raw every part of the tiger lily: buds, blossoms, greens and roots. Mighty tasty and kinda purty, too.

Red and Yellow Tomato Salsa

Courtesy of the Sunspot Restaurant

• 1/2 bunch chopped green onions
• 1 diced yellow onion
• 1 Tablespoon garlic finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 oz. chopped fresh basil
• 5 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 medium red tomatoes diced
• 2 medium yellow tomatoes diced

Mix all the ingredients together.  Serve with black bean cakes.

Spinach Pie

This recipe comes to us from last month's cooking demonstrator

• 1 "good-sized" onion, chopped
• 2 T good olive oil
• 2 t kosher salt
• 1 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
• 10 oz. fresh spinach
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 t nutmeg
• 4 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 T plain dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 lb good feta cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/2 cup pignoli (pine nuts)
• 1/4 lb unsalted butter, melted
• 12 sheets phyllo

Preheat oven to 395°. Sauté onions medium heat, until translucent, slightly browned, 10-15 min., Add salt, pepper, cool slightly. Put Spinach into bowl and then gently mix in onions, eggs, nutmeg Parmesan cheese, breaadcrumbs. Feta, & pignoli.

Butter an ovenproof 8 oz saute pan or pie pan and line it with 6 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each w/melted butter. Let edges hang over pan. Pour spinach mixture into the middle of the phyllo dough and neatly fold the edges over the top to seal in the filling. Use extra phyllo dough if needed. Brush top w/melted butter. Bake for one hour, until top is golden brown and filling is set. Remove from oven and allow to cool copletely. Serve at room temperature.

This recipe comes to us courtesy of the Sunspot Restaurant and was recently featured at the February ETVS cooking demonstration.

• 2 cans black beans
• 1/2 diced red onion
• 1/2 bunch chopped green onions
• 1/2 diced red pepper
• 1/2 diced yellow onion
• 2 Tablespoons garlic
• 1 Tablespoon cumin
• 1 Tablespoon red pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
• 1 chopped Jalapeno pepper
• 1/2 bunch chopped cilantro
• 1 cup ground corn bread stuffing crumbs

Spreads

Tofu Spread

{From the VSET Cookbook)

1 lb Tofu, pressed                                         Garlic powder - dash
2-3 t tamari                                                    Cayenne - dash
-3 T nutritional yeast                                     3/4 cup mayonaise
1-2 T chives                                                  1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1-2 T dill weed                                              Sunflower seeds
Lemon juice to taste                                       Sesame seeds
                                                                       Parsley
Cut tofu into quaters and mash with fork. Add and mix ingredients individually. Store in tight container in refrigerator. Good as dip on crackers or raw veggies, or as sandwich spread with mustard and leettuce.

Faux Fish

Posted by itsme on the Famous Veggie Chat Board (see link on our front page)

Fancy Fillets

Serve these tasty cutlets with a dollop of tofu tartar sauce (see recipe) or hot sauce or use them to make extraordinary sandwiches.
1 lb. firm tofu
Egg replacer equivalent to 1 egg
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. dried basil
Dash dried thyme
Oil for frying
Cut the tofu into 1/4-inch thick slices. Wrap the slices in thick paper towels and pat to remove excess moisture.
Beat the egg replacer and soy sauce together in a small bowl. Combine the wheat germ, cornmeal, paprika, basil, and thyme on a plate.
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Dip each slice of tofu into the egg replacer mixture, then coat both sides in the wheat germ mixture. Fry the slices until golden brown on both sides. Serve with tofu tartar sauce (see recipe).
Makes 4 servings.

Tasty Tartar Sauce

This tangy sauce enhances any fake fish dish.
1/2 lb. soft or medium-firm tofu
1/4 cup safflower oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon (1 to 1 1/2 Tbsp.)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. prepared mustard
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
Blend together the tofu, oil, lemon juice, salt, and mustard in a food processor until smooth. Stir in the pickle relish and serve.
Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Veggie Tuna

For a great kids' lunch, pack this off to school or play.
5 lbs. carrots
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 small red onion, diced
Green or red bell pepper (optional)
Tomato (optional)
1/2 cup eggless mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. salt
2 tsp. kelp powderJuice the carrots in an electric juicer. Save the pulp for veggie tuna and enjoy the juice as an energizing beverage. Combine the celery, onion, and, if desired, finely chopped bell pepper and tomato. Stir in the carrot pulp. Mix in the mayonnaise, soy sauce, salt, and kelp powder. Use as you would canned tuna. 

Almondaise

1/2 C. blanched almonds
2 cloves garlic
2 to 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
combination olive, flax, sunflower oils (or such oil[s] as preferred)
1/2 C. waater
1/2 to 1 Herbamare1/2 tsp. tarragon

Allow all ingredients to reach room temperature. To blanch almonds place in pan, add H2O to cover, cook on high heat until water boils. Drain and skin. Place blanched almonds in blender with 1/2 C. cold water, mix on high until creamy. Add lemon juice, garlic and seasoning (you can substitute other herbs like curry, onion powder, cayenne pepper, dill, etc.). Blend again. Then, with blender cap off at highest speed, drizzle in oil until bubbles form on top. Stop blender and mix with spatula. Adjust seasoning to taste. Blend again till consistency is like sour cream. Pour into glass jar, refrigerate. Allow to thicken overnight. Use on sandwiches, thin for salad dressing, mix with chopped, cooked spinach for dip.   Fay Campbell for VSET Cookbook (free with membership)

Laura's Apricot Crumble

[Wherein Laura Broderick describes how she altered an Apple Crisp recipe; the switch to Apricots was deliberate; the switch from Crisp to Crumble less so. Can be made vegan]

original apple crisp recipe (don't know from where...)
3 medium apples
3/4 C brown sugar
1/2 C flour
3/4 C quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 C butter or margarine
- grease 8 inch pan with butter
- peel & core apples; thinly slice into pan
- in a bowl mix oats, flour & sugar
- mix in butter into bowl with fingers - it will be crumbly
- spread on top of apples
~ 35 min at 350 °
crisp will be very wet when you take it from oven - do not try to bake until it is hard- it hardens as it cools
people have loved this! it is sweet, crunchy, and moist with apples.

Mine is the apricot almond butter crumble>>
Sorry about the approx amounts, I was rushing some...
- I used 6 small apricots (I still see them in Kroger's & Food Lion I think, small! box you gotta look for...) - I should have used more apricots
- I used whole wheat flour, a scant cup I think
- I put in about that many oats
- I put in creamy, lightly salted almond butter - much of an 11 oz jar (not all)
- a little bit of vanilla in the crumble
- the whole thing looked so dry I melted some butter or margarine & poured it on top of the cooking crumble

Tofu Pumpkin Pie

1 can pumpkin 29 ox.
1 1/2 C sugar
1 tsp C salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 C butter or margarine
1 lb firm tofu
2 9" pie shells

Blend pumpkin, salt, sugar and spice. Process tofu until smooth. Stir into mixture and pour into shells. Bake in 425° oven for 15 minutes, reduce temperature to 375° and bake for additional 45 minutes, or until inserted knife blade comes out clean.

[Okay, I've acknowledged that I'm no cook but, in fact the original Lazy Vegetarian™, but I did try my hand at cooking for a recent potluck and… Guess what?! I can cook! The following turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself.]

Orange Meringue Pie

1 cup orange juice
1 cup orange sections
2 tablespoons orange zest
1 cup sugar
5 tablespoons cornstarch or flour
___________________________________________
3 beaten egg yolks
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
baked pie shell: regular or ginger snap
3 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
few drops grand marnier liqueur

Cook first five ingredients on low until mixture is clear. Add yolks and cook five more minutes. Add lemon juice and butter. Spoon into baked pie shell.

Beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry; slowly add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Add liqueur. Spoon over filling in pie and bake at 350 degrees until light brown, about 10 minutes.

EZ

Ice Box Pumpkin Pie

1/2 cup canned pumpkin                                              1 pkg vanilla pudding and pie filling (4 srvng)
1 ½ cups half & half                                                   3 ½ C ready whipped cream
1 C chopped pecans                                                     1 C broken ginger snaps
1 1/2 T pumpkin spice                                                  Frozen Graham cracker pie crust

Pour half of half & half into large bowl, add filling mix and whisk. Let stand 5 min.
Fold in whipped topping and other ingredients. Pour into crust. Freeze 5-6 hrs.
Remove from freezer. Defrost about 5 minutes ere serving.

Vegan Recipes.com-- A wonderful selection of vegan recipes.

Vegan Cooking also has a wonderful selection of vegan recipes.

Abbys Vegetarian Recipes -- has wonderful vegetarian recipes.

PETA provides a list of alternatives to animal products.

Famousveggie.com has a wide selection of vegetarian & vegan recipes.

The Vegan Kitchen -- vegan recipes from soups to chocolate bars, all available on printer friendly pages.

Compassion Over Killing -- a veritable bouillabaisse of veggie recipes, + accounts of COK's campaign vs. KFC

It seems, judging from the wonderful food at our regular potlucks, that most vegetarians are great cooks. Certainly, considering how meat-oriented our culture remains, despite some progress, there is a strong incentive for vegetarians to learn to fend for themselves in the kitchen. Some of us, however, have resisted that pressure and remain culinarily clueless. For others like myself, I offer good news: vegetarianism is easy. Forget complementary proteins and trips to the greengrocers for arugula; the frozen food aisle is all we (dare I say "bachelors?") need. In this section I propose to feature really, really easy recipes and tips for those of us too harried or too lazy to cook.

Now, a mea culpa. In the past I have recommended, and, myself, relied upon, lots and lots of TV dinners and canned goods. Then I started noticing how much salt they contained. Maybe my medical studies played a part as I became aware of the role of salt - and sugar - in drawing water into your vascular system and jacking up your blood pressure. So, back off on them. My new friend Liev Aleo Black - whom I’ve never actually met but regard as a friend anyhow - has sent me some great pointers on preparing my own food, without relying on food vendors who are all too willing to pander to our most self-destructive food preferences. Her great advice to me, and one of her quick and easy rescipes, is at the end of this column.

For Breakfast: Oatmeal  What?! Every day?! Sure, why not. Not every meal has to be a culinary masterpiece, does it? If it did, fast food restaurants wouldn't exist. Oatmeal's not so bad; it'll make you harken back to your childhood, to those times your ma wouldn't let you buy the Captain Cornsyup cereal with the Captain Cornsyrup Siren Ring you could blow to signal a medical emergency. And oatmeal's actually good for you; it really, truly will lower your cholesterol. Add a little oat bran to make it even more effective; some authorities say that oat bran is actually as effective as expensive and dangerous cholesterol-lowering statin drugs. Skip the sugar, which largely defeats the purpose of eating a healthy cereal; just add some raisins or other fruit after you cook it. You'll get used to it. My recipe: ignore the box and all that measuring. Pour about a double fistful right from the carton and add enough water to swish it all around a little. I like the old-fashioned kind like the pioneers ate; they had to microwave it a full five minutes, but I think it has a more robust texture. Take out the spoon before you microwave it, or the oatmeal will grow right up the handle like a mineral garden. If you also forget and let it sit for a few minutes you will have Oatmeal on a Stick. Which can actually be pretty handy for busy bachelor vegetarians on the go.

Meat Analogs  Most of us were raised with meals comprised of a meat and two side dishes. Meat analogs make it possible to become vegetarian without too great a change in our eating habits. Stick a couple of frozen veggies and a faux meat course in the microwave, go watch about five rounds of the fights, and throw everything on a plate before the sixth starts. Obviously, if you're reading this - or if you're watching the fights - you are a bachelor, so you'll have leftovers. Take another dish, preferably one that's already soiled anyhow, and turn it upside down over your other plate and stick it in the fridge. Veggies don't spoil as fast as meat, but it's best not to leave your leftovers on the table more than a day or two all the same. Once you've finished the leftovers the gravy from the fake meat will encourage your dog to prewash your dish for you.

The Miracle of Canned Food  There was a time when homemakers who "cooked out of a can" were held in contempt by the Martha Stewarts of the day. That was before most families had to have two working adults to scrape by. Now no one has time to add a can of water, so condensed soups are gradually being replaced by fully constituted soups, and the can opener will soon be found in kitchens only as a curiosity to be placed near the wooden churn, made unnecessary by pop-top cans. If you're a non-cook like me you've probably picked up the occasional can of succotash or asparagus and then tucked them away. Well, if you're tired of veggie frozen dinners composed mostly of pastas or rice, dust off those canned goods. A mock kielbasa sausage from the Knoxville Food Co-op, a half can of red cabbage and half a can German potato salad makes a hearty meal, and you can mix and match other canned goods to your heart's content. And we have the advantage over working moms of yore in that the microwave can have the whole thing ready in far less time than the old stovetop and in about half the time of frozen dinners.  Fun fact: Did you know that tin cans aren't made of tin at all, but of steel. They're just coated with tin, which does not rust. Oh. You did know?

Michael Angelo's Eggplant Parmesan, Vegetable Lasagna.  Ingles and Kroger's have added a new line of Italian frozen foods. The Egglplant Parmesan is mighty tasty, but as so often seems to be the case, that comes at the cost of serious health risk: more than 60% of the Eggplant Parmesan calories come from fat. You might as well be eating eggs as eggplant. Those who have chosen vegetarianism for health reasons may want to save this dish for the occasional spree. Paradoxically, the pasta dish is far healthier, with only 26% of its calories derived from fat. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 30% of your calories should come from fat, Atkins notwithstanding, but they privately acknowledge that you have to drop down around 20% to really make a difference; they just didn't think Americans would ever go for that (no joke). Oh, one more thing: you need to read these labels pretty closely. This one, like many others, figures you aim to make two meals out of each of these 12 ounce entrees; if you eat the whole thing you're getting double what's listed. These two items are quite tasty; you'll have to decide if they're big enough to share.

NEW!  Dr. McDougall's Right Foods is co-founded by Dr. John McDougall, an internist and leading authority on nutrition, to create top-quality convenient meals and vegetarian foods. The product line consists of more than 20 flavors of healthy and nutritious instant meal cups and family-sized meal products. And if you order through the link here, VSET gets 5%! What a deal!

You absolutely do! But like most men, you probably focus on your work at the expense of your body. Which is probably a big part of why men die so much younger than women, who have at least asthetic motivations for eating salads, etc.

Believe me. If I could be in school full-time, take care of two dogs in a cramped, upstairs apt., and have morning sickness and major food aversions, and still manage to cook several meals per week, you can do it, too. Don't feel you have to turn over your entire menu. Just start adding in some healthy meals. Skip your writing for an afternoon on a weekend or for an evening to tend to your body. Not even. (You have to go to the store, anyway.) Once you get a few 15-minute recipes down, which means missing just a few of your shorter sessions of surfing/writing/etc., you can have BOTH. And you will have so much more time, years more, as a result.

Liev Black’s Quick and Hearty Latin Dish

Here's something fantastic to start with, and the prep time is about 10 minutes. Less than making spaghetti.

1 or 2 avocados          1 sweet onion          frozen corn, preferably sweet          black beans
1 or 2 tomatoes          cayenne pepper or paprika or whatever           salt
rosemary powder, if you have it (throw it in the blender if it's the needles)
garlic powder          a little sugar or, preferably, brown sugar - optional but very good

Chop the veggies and add the spices. Stir and eat, with or without corn chips. YUM

And more good advice from Liev on fitting health into your life:

I wanted to talk about the eating thing, since you brought up a couple of issues that are getting in the way of cooking.

Cooking for one: that's ok. All that effort doesn't have to go into just one meal. And it doesn't have to be a lot of effort (see below). Double or triple the recipe, then refrigerate or freeze it for eating through the week.

Time considerations:

1. see above, plus:
2. spend an hour or two per weekend, or whenever you have a slower day, and prepare a few different meals for variety. Store as above, using Pyrex or Corninware bowls (not plastic!) so you have easy single servings to travel with you.
3. spending an hour here or there means saving years of your life because you'll be eating real foods and not microwaving stuff in plastic, etc.

Effort. You're already overworked in school! I had trouble with this esp. during my 2nd trimester. Here's what you do: taking a little time out over the next couple of weeks will set you up for years to come. Look around for some easy recipes online (I like http://www.vegan-food.net/ - you can even find a vegan Bailey's recipe - and http://vegweb.com/). Print out a couple to start with. Take one with you to the store the next time you're shopping, and get the stuff you need. Learn just one recipe a week. It's incredibly empowering. And once you know how to make it, and what ingredients you need, you're set! It's like making spaghetti. All you need is the knowledge.

Here's something fantastic to start with, and the prep time is about 10 minutes. Less than making spaghetti.

***

Here's another super-quick lunch/dinner idea:

1 vegetable, like a raw carrot munched or some broccoli (I love it stir-fried dry with olive or (unrefined!!) peanut oil and salt - takes just a minute or two to cook, and it's really good; Tom eats it like popcorn).
Extra-firm tofu cut into slabs, and baked for 15 minutes in teriyaki sauce or other favorite flavor.
Quinoa - whatever amount you want of the dry quinoa, double the amount of water. Throw them in a pot together with some salt, boullion, whatever. Bring to boil, then simmer 15 minutes, covered or not - experiment to see which texture you prefer. Healthy but quicker than brown rice.

***

Breakfast: have some fruit on hand, and eat that first, for the enzymes, and then make some oatmeal. It takes only a couple of minutes to cook up. Get the original, not the instant or quick kind (what's quicker than a couple of minutes?). It's healthier in the original form for some reason You can throw in some wheat germ, flax seed, raisins, etc. for extra healthfulness.

OR:

"milk" shake: soy or rice milk, frozen banana, and whatever else you want. Throw in some frozen wheat grass juice (they sell them in some health food stores), a little flax, some fruit, green powder from Trader Joe's, whatever. You can make a chocolate shake or add some peanut butter for fun. The frozen banana makes all the difference, here. It can taste like a real shake. I sprinkle in a little stevia for sweetness. The only thing with this recipe is, it doesn't last in the stomach very long. I feel hungry in an hour, even when I'm not pregnant! Might want to carry a snack with you for later.