With Thanksgiving a week away, it is time to plan your holiday meal. What are your favorite food selections on "Turkey Day?" I recently tried the above Tofurky roast with gravy, which cost about $10, and serves five. It was good, though a bit salty for my taste. I would buy it again. Do you prefer to go the route of having a replacement, vegan selection that is similar to a turkey? Or do you like to just have a variety of vegetable-based offerings? Share your holiday ideas and recipes with our readers!   

Vegetarian Pumpkin Butternut Soup
You will need:
1 can, 15 oz. pumpkin
1 box organic vegetable stock
1 large onion, diced
olive oil
20 oz. pre-peeled butternut squash, cut in squares
1 tbsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 cups water
1 garlic clove
dash nutmeg

**************

Boil squash cubes until tender. Drain and set aside. In a pan, saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until tender. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir in the water, vegetable broth, drained squash and canned pumpkin. Boil mixture. Reduce heat and simmer. Process half of the soup in a blender, and return it to the soup. Sprinkle each bowl of soup with nutmeg before serving.

Hello dear readers!

I've encountered a mini vegan crisis. I've been kindly invited to my cousin's house for a Passover seder on Monday evening. While they've been so generous to provide some vegan options for me, I was really hoping to contribute a vegan main course to the meal (partly in an effort to be a good guest, and partly so I don't go hungry).

Here's the problem: the majority of the staples I've relied on in my vegan cooking are not Kosher for Passover, particularly those that provide protein. According to my source of Jewish wisdom (my mother), the following are not Kosher for Passover:

all beans, including soy
rice
wheat
peanuts
corn
peas
lentils
mustard
sesame and poppy seeds

I'd appreciate any recipe recommendations you can provide!
By the way, does anyone know where I can find egg-free (ie. vegan) matzoh?
Thanks in advance,
Lauren

Turns out Facebook is the place for vegetarians too.

There are a number of groups that allow veggies and vegans to gather and chat and share cooking lore. One has almost 10,000 members.

I am now a fan of one group in which I met I "met" Rich Heiser.

Rich makes it happen.

He has a Web site and a Facebook page devoted to the vegetarian lifestyle and both contain not only recipes, but interviews and other useful information. It's no wonder he calls them both Not-Just-Recipes.

His Not=Just=Recipes Web site is "Your source for great vegetarian recipes. Simple vegetarian recipes - vegetarian dinner ideas, vegetarian lunch ideas - from breakfast to dessert. You'll find tips on cooking that promote a healthful, compassionate lifestyle," it says.

But, "You'll find more than just vegetarian recipes; there are vegan recipes as well as cooking videos and articles and information that will inform you and help you choose a healthier lifestyle."

Choosing a more healthful lifestyle is something everyone should strive for and for vegetarians staying informed is a key to making the right choices.

The Web site, amid a number of features, also offers a place for folks to share their stories and experiences, which I think is a great idea.

Thanks Rich for all you do.

The site is here: Not-Just-Recipes

The Facebook page can be found at the link I pasted here. The caveat, of course, is that to see that site, you have to join Facebook. If you are already a member, or do join, please friend me and let me know Vegging Out sent you!

P.S. For the Twitter family out there, I tweeted this story two. That seems like a full circle. See me @newsgirlct

I tried a new dish today and was pleased with the results. It's an African Sweet Potato Stew with Red Beans. The recipe comes from Cooking Light.

A note: The recipe calls for you to cook most of the ingredients for 8 hours, something I didn't notice until around 6pm when I started cooking. After worrying over this for awhile, I read further in the recipe (I have a real problem with reading directions thoroughly) and realized the cooking was supposed to be done in a slow cooker, which I don't have. So I took a chance and made it instead in a pot on the stove over low heat, at a simmer, stirring occasionally and tasting to see when the vegetables were tender. It took about an hour, I'd say. I'm not sure if it would have turned out better had I used the slow cooker.

2 teaspoons olive oil
1-1/2 cups chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato (about 1-1/2 pounds)
1-1/2 cup cooked small red beans
1-1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained (I couldn't find these in the supermarket so I substituted hot sauce)
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons dry-roasted peanuts
6 lime wedges

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender
Place onion mixture in a 5-quart electric slow cooker. Add sweet potato and next 10 ingredients (through chiles). Cover and cook on low 8 hours or until vegetables are tender.
Spoon 1 cup cooking liquid into a small bowl. Add peanut butter, stir well with a whisk. Stir peanut butter mixture into stew. Top with peanuts; swerve with lime wedges.

Yields: 6 servings
calories: 308, fat 8.8 g

I finally chose a cookbook! It's called Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmon.
I tried two good recipes from it over the weekend which Helen requested I share here on the blog.

The first is called All-American Pot Pie. It's basically chicken pot pie without the chicken.

1 tablespoon butter
8 cups any combination of the following vegetables: corn kernels, 1/2-inch cubes of carrot, chopped red bell pepper, chopped zucchini, spinach leaves (firmly packed), sliced onions and 1/2-inch cubes of potato (I also put broccoli in, which was good)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1-1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons unbleached white flour
2 cups warmed milk
1 pinch fresh or dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
4 to 5 tablespoons ice water

1. Make the filling: In a 12 or 14 inch, preferably non-stick skillet, heat the 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add all of the vegetables and saute them for 5 minutes stirring often. Add the garlic and saute for 5 minutes more stirring. Sprinkle the 3 tablespoons flour over the vegetables and stir the mixture over the heat for 2 minutes. Add the warmed milk slowly, stirring all the while to avoid lumps. Stir in thyme. Bring the sauce toa simmer, and cook the mixture, stirring, until the sauce thickens. Continue to cook the vegetables until they become tender (especially the carrot and potato) adding a bit more milk if the sauce becomes too thick. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and plenty of fresh pepper. Transfer the mixture to a 9 or 10 inch casserole or deep pie dish. (At this point you can cover the dish and chill it for up to 2 days, if you'd like to bake it later)

2. To make the dough in a food processor fitted with a steel blade, put the 1-1/2 cups flour and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt into the processor. Add the cold butter. Run the machine in spurts until the butter is in bits no bigger than pea-size. Add 4 tablespoons ice water and run the machine in spurts again, just enough to bring the dough together. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead the dough, adding a bit of flour or water if necessary until the dough is soft, moist and somewhat smooth. Do this fast, handling the dough as little as possible. Form the dough into a flattened ball.
To make the dough by hand, combine the 1-1/2 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and cold butter into a large bowl. With a pastry cutter or fork, cut the butter into the flour until the pieces of butter are no larger than peas. Add 4 tablespoons ice water and stir briefly, just enough to incorporate the water. Add a touch more water or flour if necessary to make a soft and moist dough. Turn the dough onto a clean work surface and with the palm of your hand, smear the dough away from you about a handful at a time. Scrape up the enough and form it into a flattened ball. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll the dough into a circle slightly large in diameter than the casserole or pie dish. Place the circle of dough over the casserole and pinch the dough along the rim so that it clings to the rim of the dish. Cut four 1-inch long slits in the dough and place the pie in the oven. Bake it for about 20 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the crust golden.

Serves 4


Thai Tofu with Red Curry Sauce over Coconut-Scallion Rice
(I'm not sure why they call the sauce "red" since it was really green)

10 dried kaffir lime leaves (available in Asian markets) or 1-1/2 teaspoons grated lime rind
1-1/4 cups (10 ounces) coconut milk
2-3/4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups jasmine, basmati or regular long grain white rice
1 bunch cilantro, coarsley chopped (you'll need 2/3 cups for the sauce and 2 tablespoons for garnish)
2 large garlic cloves, cut in half
1/4 cup dry-roasted unsalted peanuts
1 tablespoon Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce or 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup canola or corn oil
3 tablespoons hot chile sauce or 2 tablespoons chile paste
1 16-ounce package firm tofu, patted dry and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 bunch broccoli, cut into small pieces (about 4 cups)
1 cup minced scallions, both green and white parts

1. Soak the kaffir lime leaves in 1 quart very hot water for 30 minutes
2. While the leaves soak, bring the coconut milk, 2-1/4 cups of the water and the 1 tablespoon salt to a boil, then add the rice. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Let the rice cook, covered for 25 minutes.
3. Drain the lime leaves and with a very sharp knife, chop them into pea-sized pieces. In a food processor or blender, combine the lime leaves (or lime rind), 2/3 cup chopped cilantro, the garlic cloves, and the peanuts. Run the machine in spurts until the lime leaves are pulverized, pushing them down with a rubber spatula if necessary. Slowly, with the machine running, add the fish sauce (or 1/2 teaspoon salt) and 3 tablespoons of the oil, then add the chile sauce or paste. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl.
4. Into a wok or non-stick skillet, over high heat, pour the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add the tofu and cook until the pieces form a golden crust on the bottom. Then turn them with a spatula, and let the tofu form more golden crust on the other side. Transfer the tofu to a plate.
5. Into the same wok or skillet, put the broccoli and the remaining 1/2 cup water. Cover and steam the broccoli for 2 minutes. Stir in the lime peanut paste and cook, stirring, for one minute more. Add the tofu and toss.
6. Stir the scallions into the rice. Mound the rice on plates and spoon the tofu and sauce around it. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro and serve.

Serves 4

I had a very delicious soup for dinner tonight, courtesy of my parents. They served it with a French bread and salad and I came home wanting to try to make it myself tomorrow.

Potato Cheese Soup

4 tablespoons sweet butter
2 cups finely chopped yellow onions
2 cups peeled and chopped carrots
6 parsley sprigs
5 cups vegetable broth
2 large potatoes, about 1-1/2 pounds, peeled and cubed (3 to 4 cups)
1 cup chopped fresh dill
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 to 3 cups grated Cheddar cheese

1. Melt the butter in a soup pot. Add onions and carrots and cook over low heat, covered, until vegetables are tender and lightly colored, about 25 minutes.
2. Add parsley, stock and potatoes, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until potatoes are very tender, about 30 minutes.
3. Add dill, remove soup from the heat, and let it stand, covered, for about 5 minutes.
4. Pour soup through a strainer and transfer the solids to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a medium blade. Add 1 cup of the cooking liquid and process until smooth.
5. Return pureed soup to the pot and add additional cooking liquid, about 3 to 4 cups, until the soup reaches the desired consistency.
6. Set over low heat, add salt and pepper to taste and gradually stir in the grated cheese. When all the cheese is incorporated and the soup is hot (not boiling), serve immediately.
Makes about 6 portions

Recipe rave:
Bravo Lauren! After receiving a very gracefully presented spoonful of Lauren's potato cheese soup, I offer her applause. It is surprisingly light, neither the potato nor the cheese overwhelm the other, the seasoning is light and tasteful. I give this recipe four Bronzed Blueberries, which on the Vegging Out scale of yummy means it is somewhere between my stir fry,which I would give a three, and Ann Dallas brownies, which would garner the rare and highly sought score of five. (To learn more about this rating scale, stay tuned. Most food is good, rutabaga, however, would get no Bronzed Blueberries. Anything George Mihalikos makes gets a five.)

I'm pleased to report that, with some significant help from my dad, I was able to make a delicious dish last night with perfectly cooked risotto. As you may remember, my last try at risotto ended tragically, so I was sure to observe my dad carefully as he prepared the risotto and take good notes.

I began the night following a recipe by Claire, of Claire's Corner Copia restaurant in New Haven. Unfortunately, the recipe left several questions unanswered and called for an absurd amount of arborio rice (6 cups) to stuff only 4 acorn squash. We decided to make only 1-1/2 cups of the rice, which proved to be more than enough, and changed many other aspects of the recipe (including leaving out several ingredients... by accident). I think it's fair to say that the end product was really our design, not Claire's.

So here goes:







Acorn Squash with Rice and Vegetable Stuffing (derived from Claire's recipe)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped broccoli florets
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 tomato, finely chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 cup arborio rice
vegetable Herbox cubes to make broth
4 acorn squash, cut in half, seeded

Preheat oven to 450.
Heat olive oil and butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, broccoli, carrot, and tomato. Sautee for five minutes.
Add rice, sautee 2 minutes.
Boil water, prepare 3 cups of vegetable broth using Herbox cubes.
Add one cup of broth. Stir rice mixture, allow to simmer, let rice absorb broth.
Keep adding broth, always leaving some liquid in rice mixture (don't let it dry out).
Taste to make sure rice is soft. If not, add more broth.
Add in pine nuts.
Divide stuffing among squash halves. Fill a large baking pan with two cups water and arrange the squash halves in it.
Cover pan tightly with foil, tenting foil as needed.
Bake for about 1-1/4 hours, until the squash is fork tender.
Rejoice in your success at making risotto!

Serves four with some leftovers.

This has become one of my new favorites, a vegetarian chili recipe from Cooking Light magazine. It's healthy and full of fiber, and has a nice consistency and good flavor, though you may want to add some hot sauce because it's not spicy when you follow the directions.
I like to make the full recipe and eat it throughout the week for lunches. It goes well when mixed with brown rice, too.

Just a note: I leave out the brown sugar and some of the beans, since it seems too heavy on the beans as is. Feel free to mess with the ingredients or proportions, this recipe is not exact chemistry.

Chunky Vegetarian Chili

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 (16 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes, undrained
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell peppers and garlic; saute 5 minutes or until tender. Add all other ingredients, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes or until it's a consistency desirable to you.

Nutritional facts (for 1 cup serving): 257 calories; 2.7 g fat (0.3 g sat, 0.5 g mono, 1.2 g poly); 12.8 g protein; 0 mg cholesterol; 150 mg calcium; 876 mg sodium; 14.2 g fiber; 4.5 mg iron; 48.8 g carbohydrates.

With Christmas just around the corner (and Chanukah a fading memory), I thought I'd share with you some of my tried and true recipes. I've been making both of these for probably seven years or so and they always come out tasty. I think both would be nice things to bring to a holiday party (a hint to those in my office).

The first recipe is for chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, my favorite kind of cookie. The copy I have is hand-written so unfortunately, I'm not sure where I got it from.

(Here's a picture of the cookies I made this weekend. Yum!)

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (that means oatmeal)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I tend to use less)

Preheat oven to 350.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and oats.
In another bowl, with an electric mixer cream butter and sugar.
Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in vanilla.
Beat in flour mixture and stir in chocolate chips.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoons two inches apart onto buttered baking sheets.
Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden.



The second recipe is from Cooking Light magazine.

Mom's Banana Bread (Not my mom's, though)

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup light butter (I use regular butter)
1-2/3 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
1/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
2 large egg whites
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350. Combine sugar and butter in a bowl; beat at medium speed with a mixer until well-blended. Add banana, milk, sour cream and egg whites; beat well and set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; stir well. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture, beating until blended.

Spoon batter into a pan coated with cooking spray. Bake for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool.

Help! I need a good vegan cake recipe.
I have a family function to attend this weekend and the guest of honor is my beautiful niece, Daisy, 8, who is a vegetarian. Her dad, however, my brother Colin, is a vegan. By special request from Daisy, who told my mother that Auntie Helen makes "beautiful cakes," I have been happily tasked with making the cake for the happy event. As those who know me would know (and you know who you are) this cake must also have frosting. This is a plea to all you vegans out there for assistance with this important task. I would not mind a recipe or two for festive vegan fare I could bring to the party so Colin has options too. If no one answers my call, I will let everyone know how I muddled through somehow.

The chocolate granola I mentioned in the last post has really grown on me. It's got just the right amount of chocolate flavor, is not overpoweringly sweet and has a subtle cinnamon flavor I really like. It also seems like the type of thing that might be good to bring into the office for the holiday season, and is not as high in fat or calories as many typical treats.

Here's the recipe, courtesy of Cooking Light magazine.

Chocolate Crunch
This granola is satisfying on its own or sprinkled over yogurt, fresh fruit or ice cream. Store in an airtight container for up to one week or freeze for up to one month.

Cooking spray
3 cups regular oats
1 cup oven-toasted rice cereal (like Rice Crispies)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (60 to 70 percent cocoa), finely chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Cover a jelly-roll pan with parchment paper. Coat parchment paper with cooking spray. (Or, if you don't have any parchment paper and have no idea what a jelly roll pan is, simply coat a cookie sheet with cooking spray).

Combine oats, rice cereal, brown sugar, chopped pecans, salt and ground cinnamon in a large bowl.
Combine honey and canola oil in a small saucepan over low heat; cook two minutes or until warm. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and chocolate; stir with a whisk until smooth.
Pour chocolate mixture over oat mixture.
Lightly coat hands with cooking spray. Gently mix chocolate mixture and oat mixture until combined.
Spread the mixture onto the prepared pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes.
Cool completely on pan; stir in cranberries.
Yields about 8 cups.

For a 1/2 cup serving, there are 168 calories, 5.9 g fat, 2.6 g protein, 28.1 g carb, 2 g fiber, 0 mg cholesterol, 1.1 mg iron, 77 mg sodium, 14 mg calcium

Over the weekend, I spent hours paging through vegetarian cookbooks in the library looking for new recipes to try. I left with a thick handful of photocopied recipes and was all ready to cook the most ambitious of them... and then I chickened out. I couldn't find some of the ingredients in the grocery store (can you believe they were out of carrots??) so I scrapped my plans and instead decided to make an easy Rachael Ray recipe for which I already had all the ingredients. It was very easy to make and really delicious, in my opinion. It also seemed pretty kid-friendly to me—that is, if you can get your kids to eat broccoli.

By the way, I fudged all the proportions, skipped the nutmeg and parsley, and used penne instead of bow ties because I had it in the house already. So feel free to change it as you wish.

Here it is:

Broccoli and Bow Ties from Rachael Ray's Veggie Meals
1 cup water
1 pound broccoli florets or broccolini florets, coursely chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
3 pinches crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound bow-tie pasta, cooked until al dente
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (a couple handfuls)
A handful chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
course salt and black pepper, to taste

Bring a cup of water to boil and reduce heat to simmer. Add broccoli or broccolini florets, cover pot and steam 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Cook pasta.
Heat olive oil in a deep, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. When garlic begins to sizzle, add broccoli or broccolini and saute, 1 to 2 minutes. If your pan is not large enough to toss florets with pasta, transfer to a large bowl. Toss broccoli or broccolini with pasta, cheese, parsley, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving dish and serve with a green salad and crusty bread.

Yum.

Post your own favorite meatless holiday recipes to share with the veggie community.
Or, what's the non-vegetarian food at your family's Thanksgiving table that you most wish you could eat?
Happy Thanksgiving!

This is a recipe I JUST tested (it's still on my plate) in anticipation of Thanksgiving. It was easy to make (even by my standards) and pretty good. It uses apples and butternut squash, both of which are in season I think.
I ate it alongside a garlic flavored grain, which, oddly enough, was a good pairing.



Credit goes to Self Magazine for the recipe.


Roasted Butternut Squash with Apples

Ingredients
1 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 tsp canola oil
1-1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix squash with oil in a bowl. Add spice mix; toss. Spread squash on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until squash turns golden brown at edges. Mix vinegar and syrup in a bowl. Pour over squash and bake another 5 minutes. Combine apples, pecans and squash in a bowl.