Vegetarian Cuisine for The Masses
By John Sarkis
Easy to Cook Veggie Foods
1. I use generic spices which are common and known to most people, however, you can replace my spice suggestions with your very own. (e.g., replace salt with Creole seasonings or other type of spices which you prefer...) All said , most chefs will agree that garlic is always needed---even if only in small quantities.
2. These three main courses can be served with white rice, mac and cheese (if you're vegetarian), or spaghetti/tomato sauce of some sort (if you're vegan and do not consume any animal product....)
Vegetarian cuisine for the masses - many people are shunned away when they hear the word “vegetarian or vegan,” in part because they think of food that’s going to be bland, not taste very good, or not be very exciting for that matter... Well, truth be known, there are many vegetarian foods that taste much better than many foods which contain animal products (beef, pork, chicken and fish). ---Poignant point: foods do not taste good because they contain an animal product, but rather, because, they contain the proper seasonings. All said though, it’s hard to beat the taste of pork---really---some restaurants will cook using pork lard because it intensifies the taste of the product you’re (---you their customer) about to consume (e.g., even cooking eggs in bacon fat for example, will make the eggs taste really good, but pork is not typically good for your health....)
The days when your grandmother would chop up vegetables and slave in the kitchen for hours are over... Nowadays, you can just go to your nearest supermarket and buy all kinds of spices known to man/womankind in powder form, so there’s no excuse not to cook anymore. Sure, it’s always better to buy fresh vegetables and seasonings and chop them up yourself, if you have the time, but since most of us do not, powder seasonings work just as well; supermarkets now sell onions, garlic, bell peppers and parsley---in powder form along with other spices---you name it, they have it, so you don’t have to worry about getting your fingers dirty anymore (which anyone who has chopped up garlic before knows exactly what I’m talking about---it’s very difficult to remove the smell of garlic from your fingers and nails---fish as well!)
Eggplant is one of the best tasting veggie foods I know of. The Chinese are experts when it comes to cooking eggplant and other vegetarian foods, in part because, they have to cater to a large Buddhist and other veggie communities in their country , some of whom do not consume animals of any kind....
Here’s one way to cook eggplant:
1. Peel a nice size eggplant
2. Cut up the eggplant in about 3-4 large pieces
3. Place the eggplant pieces in a medium size skillet
4. Pour half a cup of cooking oil, squeeze half of a lemon, 1 tablespoon of garlic powder (or the real think---up to you), half a cup of tomato sauce (Prego or Ragu will do as well...), 1 cup of cooking wine, 1 tablespoon of onion powder---pour everything into the skillet. Then turn the burner on at the lowest possible heat, cover the skillet, and you’ll see that in about 20 minutes or so it’ll start to boil---boil at very low heat---Let it boil at low heat for about 1 ½ hours or so---be sure to cover the skillet while you're cooking or the tomato sauce will splatter all over the place (turn the eggplant pieces twice/three times throughout the cooking....)
Here’s another way to cook eggplant:
1. peel eggplant and cut up in small round shapes---around half inch thick or so
2. season the eggplant with salt and garlic powder ( do not use real garlic cloves)
3. beat a couple of eggs in bowl
4. empty about two cups of flour in bowl
5. dip the eggplant in eggs and then flour and deep fry ( not as healthy for you as the first alternative, but it tastes good)
Stir fry Portobello Mushrooms and onions:
This is a stir fry, so it doesn’t require as much time to cook as the first recipe in this article does.
1. cut the large mushrooms in 2 pieces or so
2. cut a few onions (you should use real onions instead of powder onions, but either will do)
3. take large skillet and spatula
4. season the mushrooms and onions with salt and garlic powder
5. introduce oil into skillet at high heat and stir fry. This is quick, but you need to use the spatula often so the onions and mushrooms do not stick to the pan while you’re stir frying....
Comments
Hi Cammiebar, I love meat, especially beef and pork, but vegetarian foods are excellent tasting as well.
Thanks for being the first to stop by and God Bless
John
Sounds really good. Onion, garlic and mushroom make everything good, doesn't it! I ate just a fried mushroom sandwich today. lol Good.
Fried mushroom, never had had before...LOL
Thanks for stopping by and God Bless
John
John Sarkis, All three recipes are appetite-stimulating and hunger-inducing. But I admit to partiality to the first because of its healthy scrumptiousness and to the third because of its including yum-yum good mushrooms. Additionally, you do a great job of situating your recipes within the context of what eaters like and get as well as of summarizing the role of seasoning in foods.
Thank you for sharing, and with best 2012 wishes,
Derdriu
Thanks Derdriu for you kind words and best to you as well....
Yes, veggie food gets a bad rap all of the time and it shouldn't be that way....
John
I'll have to try these eggplant recipes. They both sound really good.
Thanks for stopping by 'Millionaire Tips', I really appreciated...
Take care
John
John this is great and useful :) thanks for the share
Thank you Frank for stopping by and commenting.
Take care
John
Great recipes and information. I especially love the Eggplant recipes. I lived in Greece when I was a girl and our whole family discovered the wonders of eggplant.
My mother would hollow out two medium size eggplants amd two large bell peppers cut in half. Chop and saute two onions, two ripe tomatoes, add garlic, pepper, oregano, basil, any other seasoning that you like and simmer for five minutes.
Combine with two cups cooked rice and then stuff and bake the vegetables. Add half an inch of water to bottom of the pan and cook for 1 hour on 325. Absoluteley wonderful.
Thanks phdast17
Yes, I love eggplant even if I'm not a vegetarian per se. Some vegetarian foods tase better than ones with meat in them, so I'm not a believer in that old myth that foods needs to have some type of animal product for it to taste good. ---Truth be known, I do love pork, beef and seafood, but I do like to expirement from time to time.
Thanks and God Bless
John
This sounds like a good recipe with eggplant. Bookmarked for later experiment.
I had a friend at college who was a vegetarian and she could cook up a storm.
I couldn't go the full veggie way as I love bacon. A day without bacon is a day without sunshine lol
I'm happy to have found these recipes, not because I am vegetarian or vegan, but because I am adapting my eating style to that of the Mediterranean diet and always looking for more ways to add vegetables to my food choices.
Voted up and SHARED.
I really appreciate you stopping by molometer.
Yes, there a commercial in the USA that recently came out and it says bacon is so good it doesn't need a recipe book. I love pork, too much to mention in this article. Being of Cuban extraction, pork is a big deal in my culture. That said, I do enjoy veggie foods from time to time.
Take care
John
Hi L.L. Woodard and thank you so much for stopping by and commenting.
I'm not vegetarian myself, much less veggan. However, I've found that many veggie foods actually taste much better than ones with animal products in them. Don't know if you've heard of Paneras or not? They are well known in the USA. They use to have a veggie sandwich with portobello mushrooms, onions and cheese that was absolutely to die for - loved it. It's been removed from their menu though, that's a shame.
Take care
John
Hi John,
I love eggplant, and I plan to print out these recipes as soon as I get my lazy self to Staples to buy more ink! My son has been a vegetarian since he was 10, odd, since neither I nor his Dad is. But it's funny, in the past year or so, I find myself eating much less meat. People tell me they eat less as they get older, which I think is probably right if they use or need less calories. But different foods and spices are appealing to me much more now. I love portobello mushrooms too. I make a side dish with just those cut up small, garlic, parsley, a tiny pinch of salt and a bit more pepper. Saute it in olive oil. As the water starts to ooze out of the mushrooms, just add about 1/4 C bread crumbs, and you wouldn't believe how tasty! I recall that Paneras sandwich too. We Cancers know our food! Take care.
Hey my buddy, how is it going? Great hearing from you!
Yes, when it comes to most food its like the saying goes "low and slow." Eggplant is great, just peal it, cut it up in about 2 pieces or so and cook it at low heat.
Us Cancers rock in the kitchen, no doubt about that.
Take care of yourself and God Bless
John
Hi John, thanks for sharing these vegetarian recipes. I hope to eat more vegetarian food in the future, but can't imagine being full fledged vegetarian and especially vegan right now. Thanks for sharing!
I love beef, pork and seafood too much to ever be a vegetarian; however, I love veggie dishes and think they are underated by many people.
Take care and thanks for stopping by and commenting
John
John, sure thing. I am the same way, and want to be healthier by cutting out more red meat, for instance. Its not healthy, and I know that now almost more than ever, you can get some great vegetarian dishes. They seem to keep on being perfected over time. I want to incorporate more into my family over time.
Sure thing. I'll probably do something on tofu next. Be it the only tofu I like is "extra firm" as I don't care much for the soft tofu, because, they don't hold up very well when they are cooked.
Take care and see you around
John
I have never tried egg-plant before, never really actually thought about it. These recipes sound delicious and quick and easy to make. Thanks for the hub!
Thanks KoraleeP
Yes, eggplant and tofu are two of the best tasting veggie foods around. Sometimes, I'll substitute meat for veggie foods, because, they taste really good.
Take care of yourself
John
Cammiebar 4 months ago
These are great vegetarian dishes!
I was vegetarian for a while, but had to begin consuming meat again. But I still eat some of my favorite vegetarian dishes. But I never really knew what to do with eggplant besides making a type of eggplant parmesan.
Good hub!