Editors of Adams Media - The 50 best vegetarian recipes: tasty, fresh, and easy to make!

The 50 Best
Vegetarian Recipes

Tasty, fresh, and easy to make!

Adams Media, a division of F+W Media, Inc.

Avon, Massachusetts

Contents

Introduction

Embracing the vegetarian lifestyle can be very straightforward: Just omit all meats, meat products, and seafood from your diet, and then carefully select menus filled with vegetables, fruit, legumes, dairy products, and whole grains. Together, these should meet your dietary needs. Sounds simple, and it is. After all, generations of folks here and around the world have made that choice and lived the life and thrived and prospered.

Whether youve decided to become a vegetarian or just want to incorporate a few meatless meals into your weekly rotation, youll find that selecting vegetarian options and preparing all-veg meals have become easier than ever before. Not only can you find good vegetarian restaurants in almost every city, but also most restaurant menus offer at least one vegetarian entre. Most supermarkets stock a plethora of vegetarian ingredients, from soymilks and soy-based products to whole grains, greens, and fruits. The growth of farmers markets across the American landscape provides a valuable resource for people looking for a healthful, natural way to stock their pantries and refrigerators.

The best part for home cooks is this: vegetarian recipes have merged into the mainstream, shedding the image that vegetarians eat only tasteless grains-and-greens combos with a dollop of bland tofu for protein. Here youll find recipes for every meal, from Hearty Breakfast Burritos to Tuscan White Bean Ragout. These meal ideas are great for light snacks (Goat Cheese Pizza Bites), warming cold-weather lunches (Smoky Pumpkin Soup), or sophisticated, ready-for-company dinners (Pasta with Peppers and Marinated Mozzarella). Use these fifty recipes to introduce yourself and your family to the many benefits of vegetarian living.

Fried Green Tomato Bruschetta

Green tomatoes are merely under ripe fruit. The familiar fried version became popular in the South where tomatoes grow in such abundance they need to pick them early or risk the plants falling with the weight of the harvest.

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 medium green tomatoes, sliced -inch thick

Flour, eggs, and bread crumbs for dredging

Oil for frying (preferably olive oil)

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

cup chopped fresh basil leaves (plus a few whole leaves for garnish)

12 green olives with pimento, halved lengthwise

cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 loaf crusty country bread, sliced 1-inch thick

1. Dredge tomato slices in flour, egg, and bread crumbs, shaking off excess after each dip, and fry them at low heat (about 325 F) until golden and mostly tender (a little underdone is good). Place the still-hot tomatoes flat on a cutting board and dice them into -inch pieces.

2. In a large mixing bowl, gently toss the diced tomatoes with the vinegar, basil, and olives. Set aside.

3. Brush the bread slices with extra-virgin oil, and grill or oven-toast (400 F) them until lightly browned. This can also be done under the broiler. Top each of 6 slices with tomato mixture, cut each in half, and serve garnished with a small basil sprig.

Goat Cheese Pizza Bites

Choose flavored goat cheese to add another dimension to this easy, but impressive, appetizer.

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 package frozen puff pastry dough (17 ounces 2 sheets), thawed

cup marinara sauce

1 package (4 ounces) fresh goat cheese

1 tablespoon fresh thyme or parsley, chopped

1. Heat oven to 400 F. Using a 1-inch diameter cookie cutter, or the top of a small bottle, cut 24 disks of puff pastry; line onto an ungreased baking sheet. Stack another, matching pan atop the disks, and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. The second pan will keep the disks from rising too high.

2. Make a slight indentation on each disk with the tip of a small knife. Spoon in a bit of marinara sauce, crumble on a pinch of goat cheese, and sprinkle with chopped thyme. To serve, warm again in the oven for 1 minute, until the goat cheese attains a slight shimmer; serve hot.

Crumbling Goat Cheese

Fresh cheese made from goats milk, or chvre, has a tangy flavor and smooth, creamy texture, even though its lower in fat than most other cheeses. Cold from the refrigerator, its easy to crumble between the fingers. Or you can flake it with the tines of a fork into attractive snowy-white nuggets.

Zesty White Bean Dip

This delectable dip can be made up to a day in advance, making it a perfect addition to any party menu.

Serves 12

Ingredients

2 cans (15 ounces each) white navy beans, drained and rinsed

cup sour cream

1 tablespoon orange juice concentrate

1 teaspoon chipotle pure (from a can of chipotle peppers) or hot pepper sauce

1 teaspoon lime juice

Zest of 1 orange, grated

teaspoon salt

cup diced white onions

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Pure the beans, sour cream, orange juice concentrate, chipotle, lime juice, orange zest, and salt in a food processor until smooth. Add onions and cilantro; mix with a rubber spatula until combined.

Banana-Oat Bran Waffles

Never toss borderline too-ripe bananas; instead just put them in the freezer so you can pop them out, defrost them, and use them to create something delicious like these nutty breakfast waffles.

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

2 very ripe bananas

4 tablespoons melted butter plus extra for serving

1 cup all-purpose flour

cup oat bran

2 teaspoons baking powder

teaspoon salt

cup crushed pecans

Maple syrup or other fruit syrup for serving

1. Preheat the waffle iron. Spray both surfaces with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Beat together the eggs, buttermilk, bananas, and butter until well blended and smooth. Fold in the flour, oat bran, baking powder, and salt, stirring until just combined and moistened; the batter should be stiff, not runny. Fold in the pecans.

3. Bake waffles according to the manufacturers directions. Serve hot with extra butter and maple syrup.

Whats Oat Bran?

Because it is so high in fiber, oat bran has become one of the darlings of the health food world and is often touted as one of the soluble fiber foods that help lower cholesterol levels in the blood. Its also a welcome ingredient in the kitchen for its cookability in cereals, baked goods, soups, and stews, adding some texture and a delicate nutty taste.

Pineapple Breakfast Smoothie

For a thinner smoothie, you can easily replace the powdered skim milk with the liquid version. No pineapple? Try frozen berries. For different flavors, experiment with different fruit.

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt

cup powdered skim milk

2 tablespoons flax seed powder

2 tablespoons vanilla-flavored soy protein powder