Vegan Recipes for Everyone

I'm not a vegan and I probably never will be, but I did experiment with being vegan before 6pm (Mark Bittman's part-time vegan eating plan). And I do believe that a plant-based diet is better for our health and the earth. A steak-loving friend of mine recently began dating a vegan, and it reminded me how intimidating it can be to find vegan recipes that feel like a real meal to non-vegans. I thought I'd share three recipes for vegan meals that I have tried and liked--they're hearty enough that you won't miss the meat, and they're all fairly easy to make:

Roasted and Charred Broccoli with Peanuts (above) from a recent of Bon Appetit felt new to me, and was pretty easy to make (though nutritional yeast can be hard to find). If you have a cast-iron pan, use it for this dish, as the recipe suggests. I served this with some black rice with diced, sautéed onions and bell peppers mixed into the rice.

Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas with Mustard and Parsley (above right) from It’s All Good by Gwyneth Paltrow (yes, I am recommending a recipe from Gwyneth) is a surprisingly delicious dish for such a simple list of ingredients and a quick prep time. Serve it with a nice big green salad for a rounded meal.

Mark Bittman's own recipe for black bean tacos (above) is another dish that transforms humdrum ingredients into something really yummy. I deviated slightly from Bittman's original recipe, which you can find on Outside magazine's website, using red cabbage instead of green, and letting the cabbage macerate a bit. You can also just skip the tortillas and turn this into a dinner salad: throw the black beans into the cabbage mixture.

Black Bean Tacos
Servings: 4


Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups cooked or canned black beans, drained
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
Black pepper to taste
4 cups shredded green cabbage
1 chopped red bell pepper
1 fresh hot green chile (like jalapeño or serrano), minced
1/4 cup chopped scallions
Juice of two limes
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with one tablespoon of the oil. Stack the tortillas and wrap them in aluminum foil. Combine the beans, garlic, chili powder, cumin, half the salt, and some pepper in a bowl. Mash the mixture with a fork or potato masher; it should still be chunky.

2. Spread the bean mixture out on the prepared pan, drizzle with another tablespoon of oil, and roast, stirring a few times, until the beans are crumbly and crisp in places, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the tortillas to the oven with the beans for their last five minutes of cooking.

3. Meanwhile, put the cabbage, bell pepper, chile, scallions, lime juice, cilantro, remaining oil and salt, and some pepper in a large bowl and toss to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Divide the beans among the warm tortillas; top with the cabbage mixture and serve.

Last but not least, Heidi Swanson's White Beans and Cabbage recipe has been in constant rotation at my house since I first cooked it three years ago. You can leave out the Parmesan for a vegan friend, but it does add a richness to the dish that I miss when I subtract the cheese.

Recipes for Broccoli Stems

I'm the kind of cook who hates to waste anything edible. Whether it's the last wedge of lemon, a heel of bread, or some leftover potatoes, I always try to find a way to use everything up. In the spirit of making use of every last bit, I want to share some recipes for broccoli stems.

Many people cut the crowns off their broccoli, cook the florets and toss the stems. However, the stems are perfectly edible. The simplest way to use them is to sauté or roast them right alongside the florets, but I was also intrigued by these dishes that use only the stalks. To prepare stems, I cut off the end and any protruding bits, and peel them with a sharp vegetable peeler (sometimes you need to peel more than one layer to remove the woody exterior). I hope these recipes inspire you to cook every bit of broccoli that you bring home from the store.

I made this Broccoli Stem Salad recipe from Quinciple's blog The Sift, and it was pretty darn good. I added some slivered kalamata olives for an extra kick of flavor. The trick here is to let the stems marinate in the vinaigrette.

Pan-Fried Broccoli Stems from the New York Times sound delicious (and easy to make!).

Bon Appetit offers Sautéed Broccoli with Floret Vinaigrette, a dish from Oxheart restaurant in Houston, TX. This recipe uses the whole broccoli, so isn't really a stem-only recipe, but I bet you could use the technique with a basic vinaigrette and get delicious results.

Also: This recipe from The First Mess for "green goddess" pizza is intriguing--broccoli stem pesto!

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Quinoa and Pistachios

I made this Stuffed Acorn Squash with Quinoa and Pistachios recipe from Whole Living on Monday night. We ate it as a main dish, so I ended up making half the stuffing recipe and filling only two acorn squash halves with it, instead of the four it should have filled. All in all it's a simple, tasty and healthy recipe that I would make again. One note: Don't be shy about salting and peppering the squash halves before they go in the oven -- they can use a very liberal seasoning.

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Quinoa and Pistachios
From Whole Living
Serves 2

- 1 acorn squash, halved and seeds removed
- 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1/4 cup feta, crumbled
- 1/4 cup roasted, salted, pistachios, chopped
- 1 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- pinch red pepper flakes

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Brush squash with 2 teaspoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast cut-side down on two baking sheets until tender and caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, bring quinoa and 1 cups water to a boil in a small pot. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until tender and water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Let cool, then fluff with a fork. In a large bowl combine quinoa, parsley, feta, pistachios, remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and vinegar. Season with salt and red pepper flakes to taste. Divide filling among squash.


Photo: Whole Living