Vegetarian Recipes
Vegetarian recipes collected by Grassroots’ daredevil foodie Kait Fowlie (@kaitfowlie). Kait is a freelance writer, vegetarian, and craft enthusiast who writes mostly about issues around urban sustainability. She is always on the lookout for fun eco-happenings in Toronto. Kait enjoys diners, dive bars, and picnics in Trinity Bellwoods. You can read her articles at shedoesthecity.com, bunchf
Vegetarian Recipe – Walnut Mushroom Pate
From Isa Chandra of PPK
There’s something about pate that makes us think of fancy cocktail parties where everyone looks like Don Draper. Want to make pate truly classy? Substitute foie gras for ‘shrooms! Isa Chandra, the Brooklyn based punk chef shows how to impress your martini-swilling friends on the cheap. Added bonus: Mushrooms are one of the few natural sources of vitamin D because they’re adept at soaking up sunlight, it’s thought. Bright idea!
Makes 2 ½ cups (about enough for a bangin’ cocktail party)
- 3 T oil
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 t each thyme and tarragon
- ¾ t each salt and pepper
- 1 pound cremini mushrooms, chopped
- 1 cup toasted walnuts
- ¾ c cannellini beans (soaking beans is always the way to go, we reckon, but check out Treehugger’s round-up of companies you can trust to use BPA-free cans)
- 1 t balsamic vinegar
- Up to ¼ cup veggie broth
Heat half the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, sauté 3 – 5 mins. Add the garlic, salt and pepper, herbs and cook for another minute. Then add the mushrooms and cook 7 – 10 mins till soft. While the ‘shrooms are getting where they need to go, throw the nuts in a food processor and blend them up till fine. Add the cooked mushrooms to the nuts in the food processor, and add the balsamic vinegar and remaining tablespoon of oil. Process till smooth, adding broth till the mixture resembles a smooth, thick paste. Chill for at least an hour so the dip can get max flavourful.
Vegetarian Recipe - Sweet Potato Leek Casserole
From Kim Barnouin: the official bad-ass of vegetable cookery.
Casseroles have been terrifying children since the dawn of the slow cooker. Since this one incorporates neither soggy vegetables, instant rice, or fried onions, you can rest assured that it will keep children (and you) happily at the table.
Makes 4 servings
- 1 T olive oil
- 2 T. Grapeseed oil
- 3 medium leeks
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 T chopped rosemary
- Salt and pepper
- 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced pretty thin
- ½ c breadcrumbs
- 1/3 c veggie broth
Heat the oven to 400, coat a medium casserole dish with olive oil. Heat a skillet with the grapeseed oil over medium heat. Cut the dark green tops off the leeks and compost. Chop up the bottom parts and sauté with the garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper till soft. Now, arrange one third of the sweet pots across the bottom of the casserole dish. It’s ok if they overlap. Spread one third of the leek mixture on top of the potatoes. Repeat, ending with a layer of potatoes. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on the top, pour the veggie broth all over the casserole. Cover and bake 30 minutes.
Vegetarian Recipe - Chunky Creole Carrot Soup
from Nava Atlas
Nava Atlas excels at making root vegetables radical. In this flavour packed recipe, she blends the natural sweetness of carrots with their well loved cousin turnips and brings it all together with some awesome herbs and spices. Carrots are more than just good for your lookin’ balls – they’re a great source of vitamins A, K, and fiber. This soup is a party in a pot.
Makes 6 – 8 servings
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium turnips, peeled and diced
- 2 medium celery stalks, diced
- 2 cups diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 cups milk or milk substitute
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
Heat half the oil in your biggest soup pot. Saute the onions till golden, then add garlic, turnips and celery, tomatoes and about two thirds of the carrots. Stir in 2 cups of water and the seasonings and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer till veggies are tender, about half an hour. Remove from the heat. With a slotted spoon, transfer the veggies to a food processor. Process in batches till smooth. Stir in enough milk or milk substitute till it has a nice thick consistency. Return to low heat. Then, in the skillet, heat the oil and the rest of the carrots and stir them into the soup. Add the parsley and lemon juice.
Recipes for Family Literacy Day
Some of our most vivid memories of food come from books we’ve read in our childhood: from Miss. Trunchbull’s devastating, blood-sweat-and-tear injected chocolate cake in Roald Dahl’s Matilda to the enchanted chocolate shoppe in Joanne Harris’s Chocolat. These recipes, inspired by classic children’s books, are a sure-fire way to bring your family together this Friday the 27th for family literacy day. (Blood, sweat, and tear free!)
Vegetarian Recipe - The Giant Jam Sandwich by Janet Burroughway and John Vernon Lord
This tall tale relays the story of “one hot summer in Itching Down, when four million wasps flew into town”. The population of Itchind Down deals with the problem in the practical manner of building a giant jam sandwich with the help of crane bolsters and other comical tools. Tension builds as the entire town waits for just the right moment to slap the huge bread slices shut and do away with the pests. This is one of those enduring reads that has kept kids riveted on elementary school carpets for years. Keep your kids riveted even longer with this killer jam swirl loaf.
- 1 ¾ c flour
- 2 T soy flour
- 1 T baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 8 T margarine, at room temp
- 1 c. sugar
- 1 t vanilla
- 1 t orange or lemon zest
- ½ c soy milk
- ½ c raspberry jam
- 2 T sugar
Preheat the oven to 375, and grease a loaf pan. In a large bowl, soft together flours, baking powder and salt. In a different bowl, cream the margarine and sugar. Add vanilla, lemon zest, and soy milk till smooth. Add to dry ingredients, ½ cup at a time, and mix till blended. Here’s the fun part: add half the batter to the loaf pan, then add half the jam on top. Swirl around to make funky swirly designs. Then add the rest of the batter and repeat with on top with the rest of the jam. Bake 50 – 55 minutes.
Vegetarian Recipe - More spaghetti, I say! By Mort Gerberg
This story’s protagonist, Minnie the monkey, is bananas for spaghetti. His carnivalesque affection for the stuff makes for some pretty fun illustrations, and ultimately, teaches the importance of being a good playmate and the dangers of overindulgence. (My only qualms with this book was that spaghetti has never tasted as good as it looked in this book – similar to the way I felt about Ninja Turtles pizza.) At any rate, is there a better kid-pleasing recipe than spaghetti? Don’t forget to let them throw the pasta on the ceiling to make sure it’s ready. This is the best part.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 garlic glove, crushed
- 1 small zucchini, sliced
- 1 medium carrot, sliced
- 1 handful of mushrooms, sliced
- 1 14-oz. can of tomato sauce
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tsp dried (or 2-3 sprigs fresh) basil
- pinch of dried oregano
- pinch of salt
In a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, saute the garlic and onion until soft. Add the carrots, zucchini and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar and spices. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until all the vegetables are soft. Blend until smooth, or leave chunky if you want.
Vegetarian Recipe - The Runaway Tortilla by Eric Kimmel
- (7- to 8-inch) corn or flour tortillas
- 1 Tbs. vegetable oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
- 1 small fresh poblano chili, finely diced
- A pinch of salt
- 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 small ripe avocado, halved, pitted and peeled
- 2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
Preheat oven to 300 F. Wrap tortilas in foil and bake until soft, about 10 minutes. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add corn, chili and1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until vegetables are crisp, about 4 minutes. Add black beans and mash coarsely with potato masher. Remove from heat. Spread 1/2 of each tortilla with about 1/4 cup bean mixture and f old each tortilla in half, pressing lightly to seal. Set aside. In a medium bowl mash together avocado, lime juice and a pinch of salt. Set aside. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray, and heat over medium heat. Add 4 quesadillas and cook until golden brown, turning once, about 3 minutes per side. Repeat with more cooking spray and remaining quesadillas. Top each quesadilla with spoonful of avocado mixture.
Sustainable Superbowl Eats
Reckon you can’t do the Superbowl without hacking a brick of Valveeta? Well, put on your game face because these vegetarian recipes will really get the party started. No need to worry about going hungry, these eats are hearty enough to carry you well into a night of beer drinking, can-crushing, and fist pumping with a sponge finger. GO TEAM VEG!
Vegetarian Recipe – Texas Caviar by Rachael Ray
I get it – the superbowl is NOT the time for salad. But on some tortilla chips, the veggies in this Texas Caviar are the bomb.
- 4 cups cooked black-eyed peas, drained and cooled
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 cup diced red onion
- 1 green or red bell pepper, diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Vegetarian Recipe - Spinach Phyllo Cigars with Walnuts and Figs by Party Vegan by Robin Robertson
This is a great crunchy appetizer that looks fancy, but you can pretty much make it with both eyes glued to the screen. If figs aren’t your thing, substitute them for cashews or pine nuts.
- 2 T olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ cup each chopped walnuts and chopped figs
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- 1 cup cooked white beans
- 2 T chopped fresh parsley
- 2 t lemon zest
- Salt and pepper
- 4 sheets phyllo pastry, thawed.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook till fragrant. Add the walnuts, figs, spinach and cook, stirring, till spinach is wilted. Stir in beans, parlsey, zest and salt and pepper. Trasfer mixture to a bowl.
Place a sheet of phyllo dough on your counter. Brush with oil, then cut the sheet into 4 strips. Spoon about 2 T of the filling along the bottom edge of 1 strip, then tightly roll it up to enclose the filling, tucking in the ends. Transfer to a platter. Repeat with remaining sheets. Refrigerate at least 30 mins.
Preheat the oven to 425, then transfer the cigars to a cookie sheet and bake for about 15 mins. Serve hot.
Vegetarian Recipe - Super Easy Vegan Chilli Supreme by Huffington Post
Top this mean dish with a blob of quacamole and serve with cornbread, or eat it with a trowel. Either way, it’s so delicious there will be tears in your eyes.
- 2 cups kidney beans, soaked overnight, then drained
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 of 10-ounce package organic frozen corn (or fresh!)
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley for garnish
Put beans in a soup pot with enough fresh spring or filtered water to cover. Bring to a boil on high heat, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. After an hour, check beans for tenderness. If not, cook another 15 minutes or more as needed. If tender, add sea salt and cook for 10 more minutes.
While the beans are cooking, sauté the onion in oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until translucent. Add the corn and stir until heated. Add spices if desired and cook for 3-4 minutes while stirring.
When the beans are done, add the onion mixture to the beans, along with salsa, and soy sauce. Cook 5-10 more minutes. Add parsley to garnish.
Vegetarian Recipe - Colossal Chocolate Chip Cookies from Party Vegan by Robin Robertson
What’s better than a chocolate chip cookie? A colossal chocolate chip cookie.
- ¾ c. vegan margarine
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ granulated sugar
- ¼ vanilla soymilk
- 3 T pure maple syrup
- 1 t vanilla
- 1 ¼ c all purpose flour
- 1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 t baking soda
- ½ t baking powder
- ½ t salt
- 1 c. semisweet chocolate chips
- ¾ c. chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. In large bowl, cream together the margarine and both sugars until light and fluffy. Stir in the soymilk, maple syrup and vanilla mix till smooth. In a separate large bowl, combine both flours, baking soda, powder, and salt and mix well. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Fold in the choco-chips and walnuts.
Drop the dough by heaping tablespoons onto baking sheets. Bake until slightly browned around the edges, 15-16 mins. Don’t burn your face off – cool a few minutes before mowing down.
Photos by triple tri, aurora michelle, 3liz4, (cup)cake_
