Preparation Tips & Recipes

 

When you go meatless and dairy-free, what on earth do you eat? The answer is: Some of the best food you've ever tasted!

It would seem that dropping entire food categories from your menus would leave your diet restrictive. But most vegetarians find that their food horizons expand. They explore new types of food that add considerable interest to their diet–crusty barbecued Indonesian tempeh, sweet, frothy almond milk, crispy falafel croquettes, and tangy sesame butter sauce. Dining at a vegetarian table is anything but dull!

But what if exotic fare isn't your thing? What if you have neither the patience nor time to follow a recipe? That's okay. You can build healthful and appealing vegetarian meals around convenience foods and easily prepared fare–old standbys that have been a part of your diet all of your life, like spaghetti and marinara sauce.

You can be a happy, healthy vegetarian without ever cracking open a cookbook. After all, it doesn't take much instruction to bake a potato, flavor beans with onions and salsa, and round out the meal with steamed spinach. Much of the cooking that people do–whether or not they are vegetarian–is this type of casual unstructured preparation.

Here are just a few of meals that any non-cook can toss together with minimal cooking skills:

  • Baked potato, canned baked beans, frozen spinach sautéed in olive oil.
  • Veggie burger on a roll, salad with prepared salad dressing
  • Pilaf mix (in rice and beans section of grocery store) with chopped cooked vegetables and sunflower seeds
  • Burritos using canned refried beans or bean flakes
  • Pasta with sauce from a jar (add some sautéed veggies or veggie sausage if you like)
  • Bean chili with added veggie burger crumbles; use a prepared bean chili–like S&W black bean chili.
  • Canned lentil soup and salad

You can also take meaty recipes that your family loves and substitute vegetarian meats. Here are just a few of the excellent meat substitutes that are available:

  • Use veggie burgers on a bun, or defrost them and crumble into stews, spaghetti sauce or chili.
  • Try burger crumbles–similar to veggie burgers but crumbled or "ground" to resemble cooked ground beef–in any recipe that calls for ground beef.
  • Veggie sausage will allow you to enjoy an old-fashioned "farm" breakfast, or you can slice these into casseroles or spaghetti sauce.
  • With veggie bacon you can still enjoy a BLT.
  • Slice vegetarian hotdogs into baked beans or enjoy them for a holiday cook-out.
  • Tuno made by Worthington Foods comes in a can just like regular tuna fish, so it is easy to keep some on hand to make tuna salad substitute.
  • A variety of soy-based sandwich slices such as ham, salami, or turkey-style, make it easy to enjoy sandwiches.
  • Soy pepperoni tastes very much like the real thing when sliced on pizza.
  • Seitan is a different type of meat substitute since it's made from wheat. (Most of the others mentioned here are made from soy protein.) Seitan has a wonderful chewy texture and can be cooked in broth to create a chicken-like substitute. My favorite brand, made by White Wave, actually comes packaged in a savory broth.

Vegetarian Entertaining

I like to keep things simple for guests, and tend towards two types of entertaining.

If I'm having a few close friends for dinner, I am likely to serve a soup, salad, fresh bread from the bakery, good wine, and a baked dessert. This is a dinner that is simple and delicious and allows plenty of time to set a pretty table (and even clean up the house a bit).

For festive occasions, when I'm expecting a crowd, I prepare a buffet of breads, crackers, chips, raw veggies, dips and spreads, along with dessert of cake or cookies. A side table will hold wine, beer, maybe a party punch, sparkling cider and other soft drinks, coffee, and tea. Here is what I put on the buffet table:

  • Raw veggies: Carrots, celery, jicama, sweet potato (yes–it's great raw!), cauliflower, broccoli
  • An assortment of whole grain crackers, sliced French bread, tortilla chips, and pita wedges.
  • One hot dish: maybe a pasta dish or something elegant like a vegan mushroom strudel.
  • Hummus
  • Black bean dip
  • Guacamole
  • Sun dried tomato spread
  • Brownies and cookies

It's a feast–and an easy one!

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My Top 10 Favorite Vegetarian Products

I can generally pull together a pretty nice tasty dinner in well under 30 minutes, because I keep a good supply of wonderful vegetarian convenience products on hand. I have lots of favorite products: These are my current "Top Ten."

  1. Morningstar Farms Grillers Recipe Crumbles: Found in the frozen food section of most super markets, this precooked product mimics ground beef. Fantastic to use for chili, spaghetti sauce, or to sauté with taco seasonings. Unlike their burgers, the crumbles don't contain eggs.
  2. Tofurky sausages: In the refrigerator section–often next to the produce section. These are yummy to cook up on the grill or slice into soups.
  3. Prepared hummus: Any brand will do for a fast snack or lunch, and it saves the day if unexpected guests stop by.
  4. Vegenaise brand mayonnaise: Usually found in the refrigerated "natural foods" section of grocery stores. This is the best mayonnaise I've ever tasted–and it is egg-free!
  5. Mixed Southern Greens: A mix of collards, kale, and spinach, washed and torn into bite-sized pieces and ready to cook. A great fast product that I've been able to find only at Trader Joe's.
  6. Black Bean Soup or Sauce Mix: Just add water and heat. Mix in salsa or any favorite flavorings. Fantastic Foods brand is a good one to try.
  7. Pasta sauce in a jar: Any brand or vegetarian flavor is fine, but I love the spicy red pepper sauces. I pour this over a couple cups of chick peas in a casserole dish and bake until it makes a savory stew. The easiest dinner in the world!
  8. Veggie Broth Powder: Look for this in bulk in natural foods markets. It's wonderful to add to grains are they are cooking or to use in making fast soups.
  9. Garlic-infused olive oil: When you just don't have time to peel, chop and sauté garlic, this gives a wonderful–and fast!–garlicky taste to dishes.
  10. Bottled marinades: I try different ones all the time. Wonderful for baking or roasting veggies or tofu and to add to all kinds of bean and grain dishes. Instant interesting flavor!

For More Information

There are plenty of vegetarian resources available on the internet. But rather than reading widely about vegetarian nutrition, I'd suggest that you read wisely–by sticking to sources that are known and respected by experts as the best information on vegetarian diets. The organizations below both employ dietitians to develop nutrition materials and are known for providing current and reliable information. They are great places to start if you are looking for more in-depth information about vegetarian diets.

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