vegetarian meals

Carrot Cake Bars

/ Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

These are easy to make and about as nutritious as a cake like treat can be. I used regular flour but might try almond flour next time.

3 cups lightly packed shredded carrots

1 heaping cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1 Tb. grated ginger or more to taste

2/3 cup light brown sugar

1 tsp BP

1 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

2/3 cup avocado oil

1 cup unbleached flour

Grease an 8 inch square pan ( I used glass). Put the oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and spices in mixing bowl and combine. Add ginger, BP, and baking soda. Add carrots and walnuts. Stir to combine. Finally, add the flour and stir. Pour into the baking pan. Use spatula to level because mixture will be thick. Bake at 335 for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool before cutting into bars.

Vegetarian Plov with Greens

/ Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

Plov is a common dish throughout Central Asia and is the national dish of Uzbekistan. All plov contains rice and usually meat like lamb or beef. Here is a vegetarian version. I found a vegetarian recipe and modified it using the ingredients I already had. The original recipe used chickpeas but I had already cooked Peruano beans so used them.

1/2 large purple onion, coarsely chopped

1/2 fennel bulb, coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 cup kalamata olives, chopped

1 drop coriander essential oil

1 drop cumin essential oil

1 drop cilantro essential oil

Chili flakes (optional and amount to taste)

1 cup cooked Peruano beans

2 cups greens (I used spinach and arugula), coarsely chopped

1 heaping half cup of basmati rice, rinsed

butter or olive oil for sautéing

Heat the oil or butter in a heavy casserole dish. Add onions, garlic, and fennel. Saute until tender. Stir in the spices. Scatter the beans and olives on top of the onion mixture. Do not stir! Add about 1/4 to 1/3 cup water. Layer the greens on top of the beans and olives. Flatten the greens with a spoon. Do not stir! Let greens wilt then layer the drained rice on top. Pour in enough boiling water to just cover the rice. Cook on high heat until the liquid has boiled off. Poke holes in the rice to allow steam to escape. Cover pan with lid and turn off heat but leave pan on the burner. Let the rice steam for 20-30 minutes.

To serve, stir the contents and serve in large bowls. You can add extra fresh herbs and lemon if desired. I just served as is and found it delicious. You do not have to use essential oil but can use ground herbs or fresh. If using essential oil, use a safe brand for cooking. I used Edens Garden but have used others, e.g. Doterra.

Book 26 for 2025: “How the World Eats”, Julian Baggini

/ Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

Although the subtitle says “A Global Food Philosophy”, most of it is an analysis of actually how the world does eat, including some rather remote tribal people, rarities in this contemporary world. This how also includes an analysis of how food affects health in different parts of the world, noting that although contemporary recommendations push vegetables and the Mediterranean diet, some people have no access to vegetables and eat mainly meat and fat and remain healthy. In other cases, like the Masai, cattle provide everything in their diet. The reader gets a broad based view of the best and the worse of diets and food practices worldwide.

A substantial portion of this tome–it is nearly 400 pages long with notes and index of more than 50 pages, looks at industrialized nations and world food supply, including the monopoly large food producing corporations maintain over what is available at grocery stores. Food is big business. The different definitions of food processing is covered as well as the good and bad. He debunks some common beliefs about food and health and notes that while people go hungry in some parts of the world, there is a surplus of food in others.

After all the analyzing and discussions, the last chapter covers “A Global Food Philosophy”. This includes recommendations for what we can do to create a healthier and more equitable worldwide food system while also saving the environment. He lists seven principles one of which is that our food management should be compassionate toward animals if we are going to eat them.

Black Bean and Corn Chili

/ Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

Some probably would not call this a real chili. Nevertheless, it is healthy and vegan unless you garnish it with shredded cheese.

1 cup chopped purple onion

3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

Olive oil

2 cups black beans–either use canned or cook your own. I prefer to cook my own.

I can corn, drained

1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 cup canned salsa–I used one that was fine and medium heat. Add more depending on your preferred texture for chili.

1-2 Tablespoons berbere or chili powder. I used berbere.

Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil. Add bell peppers and saute until tender. Add the black beans and corn. Stir and add salsa and spices. Heat through and serve with condiments and shredded cheese of your choice.

Vegetarian (Vegan) Delight

/ Juliana Lightle / 2 Comments

This recipe is vegan if you do not sprinkle grated cheese on top. It serves two. I used it as a main dish but it would also make an excellent side dish.

1/2 large beet, cut in small cubes

1/2 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into cubes

1/2 sweet onion, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup pistachios

2 cups greens

Sauté onion and beets in olive oil until tender. Add sweet potatoes and cook until soft. Stir in pistachios and 2 cups mixed greens. Stir until greens wilt. Serve over rice. Due to the flavors in the ingredients, I did not add any spices, but you could use your favorite spices.

Pasta With Beet Sauce

/ Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

1 medium sized beet cut into pieces and steamed until tender

4 gloves garlic, chopped

1/2 medium sized onion, chopped

2-3 drops basil essential oil or use 1/4 cup leaves

Milk or cream–use plant based milk to make vegan

Saute onion and garlic until tender in enough olive oil to cover bottom of pan. Drain the beets and put into blender, add the sautéed onions and garlic, add basil. Add enough cream or milk to make a thick sauce–put in a little at first, blend, and then adjust to make a thick sauce. Pour back into skillet, and add cooked pasta of your choice. I used gigli from Italy. Stir until well mixed or pour the sauce on top of the pasta when you serve it. I topped with grated asiago cheese.

Roasted Root Vegetables

/ Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

This is super easy and perfect for the colder weather. It is also good left over warmed up. You can adjust the amount for the number of people you plan to feed.

1 beet sliced about 1/8 inch thick

2 medium parsnips sliced same thickness

1 medium sized sweet potato, peeled and sliced same thickness

1/4 large sweet onion, coarsely chopped

Garlic powder

Olive oil

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Pour enough olive oil in a heavy oven appropriate pot to cover the bottom. Layer the vegetables with the chopped onion and a small amount of olive oil. Sprinkle garlic power over the top. Place lid on the pot. Bake until the vegetables are tender.

You can use any root vegetables. I used some of my favorites. I never bother to peel beets or parsnips. If you buy large parsnips, you may have to remove the core because it can sometimes be rather hard and bitter.

Easy Vegan Dishes for Summer

/ Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

It is too hot to do a lot of cooking in many parts of the US these days. Salads are a good alternative. However, if you get tired of just salads, here are two easy vegan dishes to enjoy that require little cooking time. If you are not vegan or vegetarian, you can add some cubed meat as you are sautéing the veggies.

Sauté coarsely chopped onion and garlic in olive oil. I have not specified amounts because amounts can be adjusted to your taste. Coarsely chop 1/2 medium sized beet and add to the onion and garlic. Cook this mixture until tender. Add 1/2 seeded and coarsely chopped red bell pepper. Add 2 Tablespoons of Thai red curry paste and mix well. Finally, add 1/2 cup coarsely chopped Thai basil and 2 cups arugula. Sauté until wilted stirring constantly. Serve over rice.

Sauté 1/3 coarsely chopped medium sized sweet onion, six small carrots cut into coins, and 5 coarsely chopped garlic cloves in olive oil. When nearly tender add five sliced mushrooms. When these are tender, add 1/3 coarsely chopped red bell pepper and sauté until tender. Finally, add 2 cups arugula and stir until the arugula is wilted. For spices add basil essential oil or World Market Greek Mediterranean Seasoning Blend. Serve over pasta of your choice. If you like cheese, grate fresh parmesan or asiago, my favorite, over the top.

Note: these recipes can be adapted by using your favorite vegetables, e.g. spinach in place of arugula.

Kale with Cannelloni Beans

/ Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

1/2 medium sized sweet yellow onion, coarsely chopped

1 jalapeño pepper, deseeded, cut in half lengthwise and cut in 1/2 inch pieces

2-3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

1/4 large, red, bell pepper, deseeded and coarsely chopped

3 cups lacinato kale–see directions below

1 cup cannelloni beans

Olive oil

Spices–for this recipe I used World Market Mediterranean Greek

Before measuring the kale, cut out the central stem, discard, and finely chop the remainder of the leaves. Sauté the onion and garlic in enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan or skillet until the onion is translucent. Add jalapeño and red bell pepper. Cook until tender but the color is still bright. Sprinkle spices over this mixture and stir–amount of spices to suit your taste. Add kale. Stir and cook until the kale it totally wilted. Add cannoli beans and serve over rice.

Note: Other spices I use include basil, thyme, and fennel essential oils. Be careful when using essential oils to cook. A little goes a long way.

Easy Vegetarian Chili Dinner

/ Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

I had some Soyrizo in the refrigerator–chorizo made from soybeans–and decided to try making chili with it. I sautéed one finely chopped onion in olive oil and added the Soyrizo after removing it from the casing and breaking it up into small pieces. After the onion was translucent, I added one deseeded and chopped red bell pepper and a deseeded and chopped poblano pepper. To this mixture I added one can undrained black beans and 1 small can chopped tomatoes. I let this mixture cook on low for several hours before serving. The Soyrizo makes it a little bit spicy, but if you want more spice add berbere, chili powder, etc. to your taste. I like thick chili but if you want it more like the consistency of soup, just add some broth or water.

The salad was made with a mixture of greens, chopped red bell peppers, dried bing cherries, and sliced leeks broken up so you can see the circles. These bowls have been in my family for decades. They were the everyday dishes my mom used when I was growing up.

Note: For those out there who question, and rightfully, some of the ingredients in meat substitutes, I do get it. However, once in a while I like to jazz up the food a bit.