Vegetarian Food in Meat Country

Potato and Chickpea Curry

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• Two 15-ounce cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
• One 14 1/2-ounce can fire-roasted or stewed tomatoes with chiles. If you can’t find the tomatoes with chiles, you can add about 2 oz of diced anaheim chiles.
• 5 baby (new) Yukon Gold potatoes (about 12 ounces) chopped into eighths
• 1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger
• 1-2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 In a large pot, combine the broth, chickpeas, tomatoes, potatoes, onion, butter, ginger, 1 teaspoon of salt, cumin, coriander, and cayenne. Stir to mix and nestle the potatoes into the liquid.

2 Set the pot, uncovered, over medium heat. Simmer vigorously for about 35 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Add more salt to taste. Serve the curry in bowls over Jasmine rice.

Red Velvet Pancakes with Cherry Butter Sauce (A Valentine’s Day Surprise)

3/4 cup dried cherries (about 5 ounces),
3 Tbsp brandy (or cognac)
3 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 of an 18.25 oz box Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Red Velvet cake mix (about 2 cups lightly filled)
2 large eggs, beaten (see Cook’s Note)
2 Tbsp oil
1/2 cup water
3 Tbsp butter

Pancakes:

Combine the cake mix, eggs, oil and water in a mixing bowl until just thoroughly blended (don’t overmix). If batter seems too thick, add another tablespoon of water. Cook the pancakes in a non-stick pan over medium heat. You want to cook these a little slower than regular pancakes because you don’t want them to brown too much.

Cherry Butter Sauce:

Coarsely chop about 1/4 cup of the cherries and set aside. In a small saucepan, simmer the brandy for a minute to evaporate the alcohol. Then add the water and sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar, add the whole and chopped cherries, and cook for a few minutes until the cherries soften and plump up a bit. Whisk in the 3 tablespoons of butter. Spoon the cherry butter over the pancakes and shave or grate some dark chocolate over the top. Decorate with whipped cream or powdered sugar, if desired.

Makes about 8 pancakes (about 5 inches across)

Navy Beans, Carrots and Spinach in Garlic Herb Sauce

*I used canned vegetables in this case. If using fresh vegetables and dry beans, addition cooking is required.

1 cup navy beans

1/3 cup sliced carrots

1 ½ cups spinach

½ stick butter

1/3 c. flour

1 c. milk

1 pkg. herb and garlic mix (Good Seasonings)

½ c. sour cream

Melt butter in large skillet; add flour (medium heat) until it bubbles. Add milk and let thicken. Add dressing mix. Add sour cream to sauce (low heat, do not boil). Add beans, carrots and spinach and stir in with sauce until warmed. Remove from heat and serve! YUM!

Yum Yum Greek Restaurant (Richardson)

Of course when I found a restaurant called “Yum Yum” I had to go, and I was hoping it could live up to its name. This place has really delicious food, good service and it also has a lot of vegetarian options. Most other Greek restaurants I have looked at have a lot of meat, but here they have sandwiches, soups, appetizers and whole meals that are vegetarian, but you can bring your meat-eating friends as well and they will be perfectly happy.

I got the veggie dinner

Honestly, I don’t remember what everything was called, but it was all super delicious, the hummus especially. The Greek salad that comes at the beginnging, albeit yummy, didn’t taste like any Greek salad I had had before. It was more like a salad with bottled Italian dressing and some feta cheese, but all of it (tomatoes, peppers, lettuce) was really fresh, and honestly, I like bottled Italian dressing, so I had no complaints. The boyfriend got the Gyro Dinner which he also enjoyed so don’t worry meat-eaters, their meat dishes are good too.

This place is run by a family, and they are really nice so the service you get is great and everyone is really friendly. So if you’re looking for a place that actually offers a vegetarian option for Greek food, or just some good food in general, you should definitely at least try this place.

http://www.yumyumgreek.com/home.nxg (the menu they have on the website is a little difficult to read and doesn’t include everything that is on the actual menu)

Vegetarian Chicken Salad

• 4 Quorn naked cutlets (recipe follows)
• 1 stalk celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced or 1/4 cup sweet onion cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon or fresh dill
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
• 1 cup prepared or homemade mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons strained freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

In a mixing bowl, toss together the chicken, celery, scallions and herbs. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Add to the chicken and mix gently until combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Chicken:

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of onion flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon of herbs de provence
• 1/4 cup of white wine
• 4 Quorn naked cutlets

Heat olive oil, wine, and herbs in a pan over medium heat. Add Quorn naked cutlets (probably two at a time depending on size of pan). Cook thoroughly (about 5 minutes each side). Should be lightly browned on each side. Finely chop into small pieces when cooked.