Tag: vegetarian

Indian Spiced Zucchini Fritters in Tomato Sauce

If I ever write a book, it just might be titled “101 Ways to Prepare Zucchini”. If you do a search for zucchini —–> there are a startling number of entries. But I haven’t yet combined my fondness for Indian food with my zucchini obsession. I am pretty sure this is not an authentic Indian dish, but it worked for me. I started with this recipe for Indian meatballs, and then made it my own.

Normally, you’d expect an item named “fritter” to be deep fried. But you probably already guessed that I baked these. If you really want that crispy coating, go ahead and fry them, I am sure they’d be great. The batter is very delicate though, so just be careful and handle them gently no matter which method you use.

There’s no doubt about it, the fritters are spicy! They would be fantastic tucked into a fresh piece of naan, and the bread could be used to scoop up the tomato based sauce as well. Since I didn’t have any naan, I packed these fritters into lunches on a bed of brown rice, with some plain yogurt on the side to help tame the heat. It’s a great dish, packed with vegetables and spice, and just one more way to use up that zucchini.

Indian Spiced Zucchini Fritters in Tomato Sauce

3 medium or 2 large zucchini, shredded
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
2 large onions, minced and divided
1/2 t ground ginger
1/3 c. whole wheat flour
2 T olive oil, divided
1/4 t turmeric
Dash cayenne pepper
1 t ground cumin
2 t ground coriander
1 (14 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes
1/2 t garam masala
Salt to taste

1. Place shredded zucchini in a strainer over a bowl and press with a fork. Allow to sit for 30 minutes, occasionally tossing with a fork. Be sure to reserve liquid for a later step.

2. Mix drained zucchini with jalapeno pepper, 1/4 c. minced onion, ground ginger, and whole wheat flour. Form into 12-15 balls. Pour 1 T olive oil on a baking sheet. Gently roll zucchini balls in oil, and bake at 350F for 30 minutes, turning once.

3. Heat remaining 1 T olive oil in a large frying pan, and add remaining minced onion to pan. Cook on medium high heat for 15-20 minutes until onions are well browned. Add turmeric, cayenne, cumin, and coriander and mix well. Add tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Add 1 c. reserved liquid from zucchini, adding water if you do not have a full cup. Cover pan, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove cover and add garam masala and salt to taste.

4. Add zucchini fritters to the pan gently, and cover the pan. Heat on low for 5-10 minutes.

-Adapted from Madhur Jaffrey “World of the East Vegetarian Cookbook”

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Manchego Cheese

You didn’t think I would just make Bacon Cheese Inside Out Turkey Burgers for a BBQ meal, right? Of course not. Every good BBQ needs a vegetarian option, and portobello mushrooms are one of my favorites. This Bobby Flay recipe is fairly simple, yet so elegant.

You start by drizzling portobello mushrooms with olive oil, and grilling them for 4-5 minutes on each side. Right at the end, you place thinly sliced manchego cheese on the mushrooms, allowing the cheese to melt. Each mushroom is then plated, and topped with chopped fresh spinach leaves and a balsamic viniagrette. The mushrooms can be served as an appetizer or side dish, or you can make a stack of 2 or 3 mushrooms to serve as an entree. Either way, these portobello mushrooms will be the highlight of the meal.

A quick word about cost. Portobello mushrooms can be expensive – one grocery store in my area charges $3.99 for a package of 2 caps. I found the best deal at a local produce market which sells portobello mushrooms for $3.98/lb., and I ended up paying just about $1.00 per mushroom. That still adds up quickly if you’re cooking for a crowd, but is more reasonable. If you’re going to splurge on food, fruits and vegetables are the best choice! I happen to believe that good cheese is also worth every penny and really enjoyed the Manchego, but you could easily substitute a less expensive sharp cheddar.

Potato, Lentil, and Swiss Chard Curry

Some people find it easier to prepare meals during the summer months. Fresh produce is abundant and the days are longer. The snow that used to cover the grill is a distant memory. Many summer recipes are designed to be quick and easy, and some don’t need to be cooked at all.

But while I love cooking with summer ingredients, I am actually finding meal preparation more challenging in the summer. My schedule is erratic and I am spending more time away from home. I always seem to be missing one key ingredient for a recipe. And it’s unbearable to think about turning the oven on when it’s already 95F in my kitchen.

Really, I miss my Sunday kitchen sessions. Of course, I’d rather be hanging at the beach than in my kitchen, but when Monday comes and I am less than prepared, chaos ensues. My skin has had enough sun for this week, so I spent some time putting together a recipe that felt just a little like fall – Smitten Kitchen’s Curried Lentils and Sweet Potatoes. Since it is July and not November, I used small red potatoes instead of sweet potatoes.

I was worried this would be too spicy, but it’s actually fairly mild, even with a whole (deseeded) jalapeno in the mix. Of course I used the Swiss chard stems as well, adding the chopped stems into the pan with the onion. The potatoes, lentils, and chard each have a different texture but work well together. My craving for a substantial Indian dish was satisfied with this meal, and I can now rest easy because I have curry packed for lunches this week.

Zucchini Black Bean Enchiladas

We’ll take a little break from the sweets today to talk about a new dinner recipe. These enchiladas are so good that I’ve made them three times over the past month. Really! The first time I forgot to take pictures. The second time I added a few ingredients and liked the result, but the pictures came out horribly. The third time I made a few more changes to the recipe and liked the enchiladas even more. The pictures aren’t great but you really need this recipe now, so that you’re ready when local zucchini is abundant.

I started with this recipe posted by Gina from Skinny Taste, who had the fabulous idea to use shredded zucchini to make a vegetarian enchilada. I added some red onion and black beans, for just a little more flavor and protein. Gina also inspired me to make my own enchilada sauce, which is actually really easy! Everyone who tasted this recipe has been surprised by just how much they like it. And equally important, the enchiladas are just as good for lunch the next day.

Enchiladas:

2 t canola oil

1 t minced garlic

1 large red onion, peeled and diced

4 scallions, white and light green parts only, chopped

3 large zucchini, shredded

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

8 oz. Cabot 50% Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese, shredded and divided

6 Joesph’s brand Flax, Oat Bran, and Whole Wheat tortillas

Enchilada Sauce:

Cooking Spray

1 t minced garlic

1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 T chili powder

1 t cumin

1/8 t cayenne pepper

1 c. Knorr vegetable broth

Heat oil in a large frying pan, and saute garlic, onion, and scallions for 5-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Add shredded zucchini, and saute for 15-20 minutes, or until most of the liquid is evaporated. Stir in beans and 1/2 c. shredded cheese.

To make the sauce, coat a small pot with cooking spray, and saute the minced garlic. Add the tomato sauce, spices, and broth, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15-20 minutes and then remove from heat.

Coat an 11″x7″ or a 13″x9″ baking dish with cooking spray. Fill each tortilla with 1/6 of zucchini- bean mixture, and place seam side down in the baking dish. Reserving 1 cup of the enchilada sauce for serving, pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Top with remaining shredded cheese. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes.

Serve with remaining enchilada sauce and additional chopped scallions.

Mediterranean Chopped Salad

One of my favorite meals this weekend was Mediterranean Chopped Salad, which I made by loosely following a recipe from Oprah. I love that we served it salad bar style, and everyone could pick and choose their own salad ingredients. The choices included chopped Romaine, grilled zucchini, eggplant, and red onion, roasted red peppers, grape tomatoes, olives, and feta cheese. Everything looked so pretty on an antique tablecloth from my grandmother.

The salad bar was great, but the basil dressing stole the show. I used a smoothie maker to blend everything together, and the result was incredible. I was a bad blogger and didn’t document the exact measurements, but the dressing roughly contained:

1 chopped shallot

1 spoonful of minced garlic

1 spoonful of mustard

1 spoonful of sugar

1 cup basil leaves

1/2 c. red wine vinegar

1 c. olive oil

1/4 c. water

Here is a shot of my Dad’s (first) bowl, ready to be enjoyed with a glass of wine on the deck. We may have to make the Mediterranean salad bar a Fourth of July tradition!

Vegetarian Pad Thai

Yes, we did some traditional grilling on Memorial Day weekend, but I also like to take the time on long weekends with my family to make dishes which require more effort. Remember the last time I tried Pad Thai? It’s so much easier to tackle a complex dish when there are extra sets of hands around. When I first suggested Pad Thai, only my sister was actually familiar with the dish but she liked it and figured the others would too.

My starting point was this Vegetarian Pad Thai recipe, which I chose because it used baby bok choy to bulk up the dish with vegetables. When cooking for a group, there’s always a trade off between keeping a dish authentic and trying to make sure everyone gets a satisfying dinner. I chose a vegetarian recipe since the fish sauce used in many traditional recipes can be somewhat strong. Taking into account other individual preferences, I traded in the cilantro for basil, skipped the bean sprouts, and increased the amount of baby bok choy. I also swapped out a portion of the oil for vegetable stock.

After garnishing the noodles with ground peanuts, chopped basil, sliced scallions, and grilled marinated shrimp (this will make the dish non-vegetarian obviously), it was ready to enjoy. This was much nicer than anything I’ve eaten out of a foil take-out box! The chilies added more heat than I expected, but it wasn’t too hot. The noodles were cooked perfectly this time and the bok choy added plenty of color. In the end, the dish was a complete success, and my family has decided they like Pad Thai.

16 oz. rice noodles
4 eggs, beaten
2 T minced garlic
2 shallots, sliced thinly
10 heads baby bok choy, roughly chopped
4 scallions, sliced
1/2 c. chopped basil
1/2 c. ground peanuts
1 1/2 T tamarind paste
1/2 c. hot water
1/2 c. low sodium soy sauce
2 red chilies, minced
6 T brown sugar
2 T canola oil
1/2 c. vegetable stock
4 limes, quartered

First, make the sauce. Dissolve the tamarind paste in hot water. Add the soy sauce, minced chilies, and brown sugar, and mix well. Set aside.

Then, assemble the garnish ingredients on a plate including the scallions, basil, peanuts, and limes and set aside.

Bring a pot of water to boil, then remove from the heat and soak the rice noodles for 6-7 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.

Once you have all the ingredients chopped and ready, heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add garlic and shallot, and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the bok choy and the vegetable stock, and stir fry for 3-5 minutes. Make a well in the center of the pan, and add the beaten eggs. Cook eggs until scrambled and then distribute the eggs throughout the pan. Add the drained noodles and the prepared sauce, and stir fry everything together for 3-5 minutes.

Note: The recipe as posted is an excellent vegetarian dish. If you choose to top it with grilled shrimp, it is no longer vegetarian. I chose to include this option which may be appealing to some readers. Sorry for any confusion.