Favorite vegetarian dishes

[Théière]

With the hefty price of meat these days, what are your favorite veggie dishes?

Mushroom stroganoff all of the taste but without the meat

[Patf]

I make a casserole with lentils and summer veg;

Also a savoury pudding based on baked breadcrumbs, soaked in milk plus eggs. Then add other things such as cheese, sweetcorn, tuna etc.

Another good idea is a savoury crumble: any veg cooked  lightly, some flavoured béchamel, then a crunchy topping of breadcrumbs, nuts and olive oil;

We hardly ever have meat.

[mint]

I can attest to Pat's lentil bake being stunning and filling.

You could try mash potatoes, broken up nuts (I use walnuts from our trees), herbs, make into cake shapes, then dipped in flour, then a beaten egg, then homemade breadcrumbs (made from leftover bread), and fried until crisp.

Serve with pickles, chutney, tomato sauce or a salsa in the summer with chips if you like them (why not?) and a nice green salad.

I'm about to make chestnut cakes for lunch as I have just found a large tin of chestnuts in the cupboard.

[Gardian]

Ratatouille Tart with Poached Egg & Sauce Hollandaise

You need to buy a pack of those little pastry 'rounds' (Croustipate Tartes Fines - 6 in a pack). Blind bake.

Make up your own version of a ratatouille - I use shallot, red pepper, mushroom, and sometimes some lardons (obviously omit if you're veggie!), & anything else you happen to have around. Not much needed & keep the mixture fairly dry.

Spoon a good helping in to the tarts & bake for a further 5-10 mins. Top with a poached egg. Spoon over some warmed Hollandaise & garnish. Serve with a salad. 

 

[Gardengirl]

Does fish count? It's not so cheap, but we enjoy a recipe I think I got from this forum.It's very quick and easy - prep about 10 mins, cooking about the same. If we have people in for supper I stick some peeled angoustines in for the lastminute, just to warm through.

Fry diced onion in olive oil until soft, add tin of tomatoes and cook for a few minutes with chopped garlic and a glug or two of wine (I cheat and sometimes use garlic from a tube!). Add fish cut into chunks. Cook for 5 mins or so. Serve with rice and sprinkle chopped parsley over.

I think originally the recipe suggested serving with mayo (juice and zest of lemon, handful of chopped up fresh basil, few drops of tabasco  and 3-4 tbsp mayo, but I haven't done that yet.

I regularly thank the unknown donor of the recipe, as we use it often.  [:D]

[NickP]

In my world there is no such thing as "a favourite veggie meal" some of them are very good, some are OK, but thats about all. Having said that I love all vegetables, cabbage; parsnips; swede etc. But nothing beats the taste of British beef or Normandy pork, of course with vegetables. I bet lots of those complaining about meat prices have two or three televisions dotted about the house, or a great big gas guzzler outside the door.

[Gardengirl]

Another recipe I might have got from this forum: Tomato and Courgette tart.

Feuilletee pastry, Dijon mustard, sliced ripe tomatoes and courgettes, half a red onion, finely chopped, basil or hanful mixed green herbs, slug of good olive oil, handful grated parmesan or  goats cheese.

Fit pastry into flan case; I no longer trim or pre-bake.Spread mustard over pastry base. Cover with spirals of alternate slices of tomatoes and courgettes. Season with S & P.

Sprinkle with chopped red onion and herbs, then with olive oil. Sprinkle with parmesan or finely sliced goats cheese. Bake in a medium oven until pastry is bowned and vegs cooked. I sometimes put 2 or 3 beaten eggs on top for a change - so it's more of a quiche, but the spirals don't look as impressive.

Serve with crispy bread and a green salad.

I'm typing this while waiting for it to cook for lunch! [:D]

[Gardengirl]

Nick, no TV here, no gas guzzler! Meat prices here are pretty high, fish not a huge amount cheaper. I love vegs, beans and lentils etc.

I've been semi-veggie for many years; I used to be mocked for my ''healthy eating'' 30 or so years ago! I also love good meat, but I like to know where it's from if possible. That's very possible where we live in UK and at a few places near us here in France.

[Théière]

Some great ideas there, I think I will certainly be trying some this week, veggie crumble used to cook that as a student forgotten all about that.

NickP, hoping this thread doesn't follow the usual carni/veggie battle certainly this early, lets get the first page done! [:D]

[NickP]

[quote user="Théière"]

Some great ideas there, I think I will certainly be trying some this week, veggie crumble used to cook that as a student forgotten all about that.

NickP, hoping this thread doesn't follow the usual carni/veggie battle certainly this early, lets get the first page done! [:D]

[/quote]

If you read my comment? you will note that I like both vegetables and meat, I just said that I do not have a favourite "veggie dish" [8-)]

[Théière]

Yep read that loud and clear, just asking for everyone to be really nice to each other when the highly emotive subject comes up [;-)]

[Doodle]

A very large vegetable pasty! good for picnics as well.

Fry finely chopped leeks, courgettes. carotts and potatoes put into a bowl, melt a veggie stock cube in a little hot water and pour over the veg, mix in grated cheese and leave for a couple of hours or overnight in the fridge then using ready made pastry (I like the double epaisse) fill one half of the pastry, fold the other half over and seal the edges pasty style, put a couple of knife slits in the top for the steam to escape and cook for around 25 mins. Delicious with a good blob of HP.

[mint]

Knee Gel, yes, that sounds brill for a picnic and we have been having a lot of those lately on account of house-hunting trips.  Thanks for that.

[Patf]

Here's the recipe for lentil casserole, though I'm not good at giving quantities, so just guessing:

For 2 people:

Take a medium red pepper, a courgette, an onion and a small aubergine, slice them and brown off in oil in a frying pan.

Place in a casserole, add about 6oz red lentils, pour over about 1 pint stock, made from a veg. stock cube and a tbsp tomato paste. Or substitute red wine for some of the water.

Bake in a medium oven for 30 to 45 mins. Until all stock is absorbed and the lentils are fluffy;

[Gardengirl]

I like Knee Gel's pasty and also Patf's lentil bake. They're now on my recipe file for trying after a short visit to UK later this week.

However, by then I won't be using the oven again much until the autumn, as it gets too hot in my French kitchen even without the oven on. So it will be a task for the early morning or I'll have to try them in my Remoska. I love that thing - one of the best things I've bought in years! I haven't tried pastry in it yet, so I'll try that when we get back. I'm also thinking of buying a Remoska for UK; now, what about a barbecue and Remoska summer?!  [:D]

[mint]

I do use my oven as we aren't as hot here as where you are, GG.  But I hardly cook meat in the summer (only on the BBQ) because I now only like meat when it's cooked in my wood stove and that, of course, is not lit in the summer.

The meat just tastes completely different cooked in the bois-charbon oven and I have not been able to cook it to the same tastiness or tenderness in my electric ovens. 

Chancer, meat isn't too expensive, if you only use a small amount.  For example, when I cook a chicken (and I do pay for the best free-range ones), I might roast it, use the carcass for making soup, use some of the breast meat for a stir fry of rice or noodles, use any dark and other leftover meat for a chicken pie into which I also put carrots, peas, etc and a white sauce and, of course, I might make a chicken sandwich for a filling snack. 

If you are only cooking for yourself, I reckon the a chicken would do for 4 or 5 meals so no dearer than many non-meat dishes.

If you do only eat veg based meals, you have to think more about the protein element and use pulses, nuts, seeds, etc.  My favourite nuts for cooking are pine nuts; they are also quite expensive but then I only use it for sprinkling on for flavour so that also works out as a non expensive meal.

You do need to look after yourself, Chancer....cut the costs of meals by all means but do not leave yourself short of the necessary nutrition for good health and wellbeing.  Sorry, didn't mean to sound like I was lecturing! Au contraire, I am only thinking of your health.  And I am sure you aren't one of these male types who are useless in the kitchen! 

[Chancer]

[quote user="sweet 17"]

Chancer, meat isn't too expensive, if you only use a small amount.  For example, when I cook a chicken (and I do pay for the best free-range ones), I might roast it, use the carcass for making soup, use some of the breast meat for a stir fry of rice or noodles, use any dark and other leftover meat for a chicken pie into which I also put carrots, peas, etc and a white sauce and, of course, I might make a chicken sandwich for a filling snack. 

If you are only cooking for yourself, I reckon the a chicken would do for 4 or 5 meals so no dearer than many non-meat dishes.

If you do only eat veg based meals, you have to think more about the protein element and use pulses, nuts, seeds, etc.  My favourite nuts for cooking are pine nuts; they are also quite expensive but then I only use it for sprinkling on for flavour so that also works out as a non expensive meal.

You do need to look after yourself, Chancer....cut the costs of meals by all means but do not leave yourself short of the necessary nutrition for good health and wellbeing.  Sorry, didn't mean to sound like I was lecturing! Au contraire, I am only thinking of your health.  And I am sure you aren't one of these male types who are useless in the kitchen! 

[/quote]

Thak you for your comments Sweet17 which I have taken on board, I am touched by your concern especially as I havnt posted on this subject [;-)] but its nice to know someone is looking out for me!

P.S. I am very good in the kitchen [:D]

[woolybanana]

Keep these recipes coming please, I am very interested[6]

[mint]

This evening I made some burgers made up of:  mashed up chestnuts from a tin, some fried onions, concentrated tomato sauce from a tin, a beaten egg and some herbes de Provence and then dipped in homemade breadcrumbs and fried.

With these we had some boiled potatoes, some carrots tossed in butter and a spoonful of honey and some lightly boiled cauliflower.

The burgers were VERY filling so, to save money and lighten the burgers at the same time, I think I might either use half and half chestnuts and lentils or perhaps add some grated cheese and grated carrots to the mixture.

Of course, I could have also added some sesame seeds to the breadcrumbs and thereby enhanced the taste as well as protein content.

Hope that helps with making up different types of burgers for you, Wooly.  You could do extra and have some the next day with a salad or to take in the CC when you take the dogs out for the day.

[LEO]

Chip butties

[Dog]

Sweet those patties sound fine. I spent the last five days kite fighting and gave the French and German fliers tinned Patra which they all enjoyed it is very cheap in UK. The only Indian from Mumbai a Muslim refused this Gujerati feast as I don't think he knew what it was.

I love fresh Patra but it ranks with tinned tomatoes and baked beans as the best food from a can!

PS - The Indian guy woke me up in my tent yesterday - I just heard "Get up boy it is break" I was still half asleep - it is the first time I have been called a boy for many years!

I had an amazing weekend staying in Normandy the hosts house was beautiful and lady of the house is an artist and each room is a master piece of design and installation.

 

 

[mint]

I don't know what Patra is either, Dog.

Your weekend sounds wonderful and I bet Normandy itself is at its most enchanting.  It always is in the spring, I think, though it could be chilly in early May.

Mind you, it's none too warm here either.  Have had the woodburner on all day.

In Wales, you are a "boy" whatever your age!

Rejoice, Dog, see all these people are interested in eating vegetarian food!  You are, of course, a man ahead of your time![:D]

[Théière]

So are you saying rolled up leaves with tamarind and out of a tin is your favorite food?

 

[Frenchie]

Théière, are you turning veggie ? [:)]

[Théière]

Well I have to eat more veg so looking for interesting ideas and so far the arch veggie "Dog" has failed to impress, open a tin!!!!! Yuk[+o(]