Vegetarian Cooking/Recipes

Tw4win

I'm not vegetarian but tonight I'm cooking for my date who is. Can someone suggest some easy yet impressive recipes? The only restriction is that she doesn't like mushrooms.

Djeet

This one, from Plenty, is really good. It's also really spicy, and obviously no good if she doesn't like tofu. Lot of good veg recipes in that book.

IMO most impressive dishes are going to require a fair a mount of prep/cook work, unless you manage to get the best ingredients and have already developed good cooking technique.

Sheep

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/vegetable-curry-recipe/index.html


Use real veggies though, please.

Librarian

You can subsitute meat in just about every curry dish I tried with tofu, the trick is just to get the tofu right, because on it's own it has almost no taste at all.
I usually put it into a bowl with a mix of soy sauce, vegetable broth and whatever spice I want on it and keep it in there for a couple of hours.

tinwhiskers

I'd avoid tofu: 1) its nasty. 2) in order to make it not nasty you need to have some experience cooking with it. 3) Trying to fake a food using tofu is much harder than making the original dish because you are starting with flavorless cubes of white blah.

What you should try to make is a vegetarian dish that is a dish normally not made with meat, rather than a meat dish with tofu as a replacement.

I know you said easy, but I'll just list:

ratatouille, egg plant parmigiana, veg curries, a grilled veg panini might work if you can get fresh veggies(zucchini/tomatoes/peppers) and bread/good cheese(something with some flavor not just mozzarella), fried rice and spring rolls, squash ravioli, gnocchi.


Are eggs vegetarian(I know this seems stupid to ask, but there are so many varities now I forget), because I'm not sure how you get good breading without an egg wash. Or good pasta for that matter.

Djeet

tinwhiskers wrote:

Are eggs vegetarian(I know this seems stupid to ask, but there are so many varities now I forget), because I'm not sure how you get good breading without an egg wash. Or good pasta for that matter.

Depends on the type of veg/vegan you are. PETA has some suggestions on egg subs (http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/egg-replacements.aspx). You can get a very light breading just dusting with flour/starch, which is what I do when I make picatta. Also I use buttermilk as my wet dredge for fried chicken (though if eggs are out for her then milk products probably are too).

EggyToast

What kind of vegetarian is she? My girlfriend is a vegetarian, so we eat lots of seafood...

radroadkill

EggyToast wrote:

What kind of vegetarian is she? My girlfriend is a vegetarian, so we eat lots of seafood...

I would avoid seafood. Most vegetarians do not eat seafood. Pescatarians do. If the date hasn't said she eats seafood I wouldn't go that route since it can be quite ebarassing.

I'm seconding the idea of vegetable curries or Italian dishes... they pair well with wine and you can do a lot without going into the tofu realm.

Portobello mushrooms lend themselves to dishes pretty well. You can do a mushroom parmigiana, grill them, oven roast them, you can put them in to bulk up dishes, use them on sandwiches, stuff them, top salads with them... and they take most seasonings very well.

bsjezz

don't use tofu in a curry! use paneer!

EggyToast

radroadkill wrote:

EggyToast wrote:

What kind of vegetarian is she? My girlfriend is a vegetarian, so we eat lots of seafood...

I would avoid seafood. Most vegetarians do not eat seafood. Pescatarians do. If the date hasn't said she eats seafood I wouldn't go that route since it can be quite ebarassing.

Yes, and this is why you ask the date to clarify. It's not a job interview, and arguably if things go well they will be seeing each other again.

Djeet

Sorry if it's OT, but what's with the tofu hate? I get that it has phytoestrogens, and it has no flavor so it needs to be doctored. But breaded tofu (not soft/silken) is awesome if you know not to fiddle with it too much, though it'll need a marinade or a strongly flavored breading; same with grilled. Soft tofu has its uses, though I've mainly used it for its properties.


I'm all for non-tofu (and other meat substitutes) recipes, but it seems rather versatile, and it's high in protein, and complete protein at that which is sometimes a concern for vegs who don't eat fish, eggs, or dairy.

For your more interesting recipes I've found you should also use the parts of the plants that are often discarded: greens for root veggies and fronds, tips, leaves and skin.

Quid

Portabellos make for an excellent protein main.

KillerBeeGees

Tw4win wrote:

The only restriction is that she doesn't like mushrooms.

Edit: Among the easiest and tastiest meals my vegetarian friends and I have is our best attempt at Vietnamese food. Here's a slightly classed up version of what we've done: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/tofu-banh-mi-10000001918524/

You can also use the marinated tofu uncooked and wrap it up with some/all of these ingredients in some spring roll papers. You just swish them around in hot water and roll them up like a burrito. A little peanut sauce (anyone have a recipe? haven't tried this one, but it looks alright: http://vegweb.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=77034d52abafb394b1be00239835d9f1&topic=30641.0) to go with that, and you're in really good shape IMHO.

Plus, Sriracha. C'mon.

Double Edit: I wonder if the date has already occurred. I hope it went well, if so.