Vegetarian Blog for the Lazy

Why am I a vegetarian?

Have you seen this NY Times Article:
Trail of E. Coli Shows Flaws in Inspection of Ground Beef – Oct 4, 2009

Watch the video. Scary Stuff.

• Flour Tortillas
• 1T  vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup Onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• 3T chunky peanut butter
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 cups yams, cooked
• 1 cup black beans, cooked and drained

toppings:

• salsa
• light sour cream
• 4 stalks of green onion, chopped
• a small bunch of cilantro, chopped
• crushed & salted peanuts (for texture)

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat, add garlic an onion until tender and translucent.

Stir in peanut butter, yams and black beans, mashing. Add spices and mix. Cook until all ingredients are cooked well, while stirring to prevent burn.

Serve in warmed tortillas and topped with salsa, lots of sour cream, green onions, crushed peanuts and lots of chopped cilantro.

This can easily be made vegan, as it was in the orginal recipe by Ryan Splint in the vegan cookbook, “Hot Damn and Hell Yeah“. Also this can be made into a patty, panko breaded & lightly fried and served as such.

• 2 (per taco) organic eggs
• 1 (per taco) corn tortillas
• olive oil
• small bunch of cilantro, chopped
• 1 small tomato, chopped
• low fat sour cream
• hot sauce (I like Melinda’s Original hot sauce)
• optional - LifeLight’s Gimme Lean Faux Sausage
• fresh grated parmesan cheese or cotija cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Fry the eggs in olive oil, so they are medium over – this means the yokes are still runny but the whites are well done. Then cut up small rings or patties of the Gimme Lean Sausage and fry in olive oil until it creates a crispy, brown skin. Heat tortillas over a medium heat in a lightly oiled pan. Now top with hot sauce, tomato, sour cream, cheese and cilantro or any other toppings that inspire you!

• 1 large, crisp apple, cut into bite-sized wedges
• 1 lemon, juice only
• a couple pinches of fine-grain sea salt
• a couple splashes of olive oil
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
• a scant tablespoon of maple syrup
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted and chopped
• 12 ounces (3/4 pound) fresh brussels sprouts, washed and cut into 1/8-inch wide ribbons
• optional- 4 ounces extra-firm wildwood brand tofu cut into tiny-inch cubes

Soak the apples in a bowl filled with water and the juice of one lemon, remove seeds.

Cook the tofu in large hot skillet with a bit of salt and a splash of oil. Saute until golden, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, wait a few seconds, now stir in the maple syrup, and cook another 30 seconds or so. Drain the apples, and add them to the skillet, cooking for another minute. Scrape the apple and tofu mixture out onto a plate and set aside while you cook the brussels sprouts.

In the same pan (no need to wash), add a touch more oil, another pinch of salt, and dial the heat up to medium-high. When the pan is nice and hot stir in the shredded brussels sprouts. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes, stirring a couple times (but not too often) until you get some golden bits, and the rest of the sprouts are bright and delicious.
Stir the apple mixture back into the skillet alongside the brussels sprouts 1/2 of the pine nuts – gently stir to combine. Remove from heat and enjoy immediately sprinkled with the remaining pine nuts. This isn’t a dish you want sitting around, the flavors change dramatically after ten minutes or so, and I think that is part of the reason brussels sprouts get a bad rap. Even I don’t like them after they’ve been sitting around.

Serves 2 – 3 as a main, 4 as a side

From 101 cookbooks.com

• 1 pound leeks, cleaned and dark green sections removed, approximately 4 to 5 medium
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Heavy pinch kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning
• 14 ounces, approximately 3 small, Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced small
• 1 quart (4 cups) vegetable broth ( I like the ‘Better Than Bouillon’ Vegetable broth)
• 1 cup half and half (or whole milk)
• 1 cup low fat buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 tablespoon snipped chives

Chop the leeks into small pieces.

In a 6-quart saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the leeks and a heavy pinch of salt and sweat for 5 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium-low and cook until the leeks are tender, approximately 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the potatoes and the vegetable broth, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and gently simmer until the potatoes are soft, approximately 45 minutes.

Turn off the heat and puree the mixture with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in the half and half, buttermilk, and white pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired. Sprinkle with chives and serve immediately, or chill and serve cold.

Serves 4

Adapted from Alton Brown, Good Eats

• 6 large red new potatoes, skin semi on
• 2 large turnips, peeled
• 1/2 cup half and half (or whole milk)
• 8 tablespoons butter, melted (1 stick)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup low fat sour cream (or to taste, I used much less)

Slice potatoes and turnips 1/4-inch thick. Cook in boiling water for 15-20 minutes or until fork-tender. Drain.

Whip cooked potatoes and turnips with electric mixer, mixing until moderately smooth (don’t overbeat them; a few lumps are nice).

Add hot cream, butter and sour cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Whip again until blended.

Adjust thickness by adding more cream, if desired.

serves 6 – 8 people

Adapted from a Paula Deen recipe, Food Network

• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained 
• 4 tbsp mayonnaise, divided 
• 1/3 cup of Panko
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  
• salt to taste 
• 1 small bunch finely chopped cilantro (or flat leaf parsley)
• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• 2 kaiser or french rolls 
• 1 tsp Sriracha

In a small bowl, smash half of the beans with the back of a fork along with 2 tbsp of the mayonnaise, the bread crumbs, cumin, salt and pepper until well-incorporated. Transfer to a bowl and stir in cilantro or parsley and remaining beans. Form mixture into 2 patties.

Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook burgers until outsides are crisp, about 3 minutes per side.

To make the Sriracha aioli, mix 1 tsp Sriracha with 2 tbsp mayonnaise. Stir well to incorporate.

To serve, split rolls in half and place burger on the bottom half. Top with a layer of the aioli and your favorite burger toppings (avocado, sliced cheese, sprouts, onions, tomato, etc).

This burger patty also works well as leftovers in the morning topped with fried eggs, salsa and tortillas (see Mission-style Breakfast Tacos post).

Serves 2