Yesterday, my fridge was in dire need of a cleaning out -- not with disinfectant and a sponge, but with a hungry stomach willing to devour a whole ton of almost-bad veggies. At first, I was thinking about a veggie casserole. Then I remembered that I had dried some homemade egg pasta into fettucini and lasagna noodles. Ding, ding!
Picking up some fennel and cheese at the store, I decided to make a Pernod/Anise-flavored kitchen-sink lasagna. It was oh-so-good (even if I had to wait until 10 PM for it to be done), and shows just how versatile the classic dish is.
Instead of spinach in my ricotta, I sauteed some bok choy with a sprinkle of anise seeds to mix in. And then I set about preparing my lasagna's two layers. One consisted of the fennel, misc. peppers, and onion, with some anise seed sprinkled in as it sauteed, and the other consisted of quickly fried petit pan squash slices. Meanwhile, I reduced a quick sauce of a can of chopped tomatoes, some spices, and some Pernod.
All layered and baked, there was a nice freshness from the vegetables, with the Pernod adding a good zap of flavor to make up for the missing meat. Anise flavor in Italian food is just magic, so if you have any good recipes, please share them below.
I've learned over the years that one of the vital rules when cooking for both meat-eaters and vegetarians is that you have to do everything you can not to contaminate your vegetarian cooking vessels and tools with anything meaty. I first awoke to this mandate when I found myself in charge of grilling for both camps of eaters at various potlucks and picnics. I would bring two sets of spatulas and tongs, so as to ensure that I didn't render food inedible for vegetarians.
Gallery: Bizarre objects found in food
However, it seems that KFC in Canada has not learned that same no-contamination lesson that I assimilated during college. They recently announced that they would carry a "non-chicken" sandwich in order to have a menu option available to vegetarians and vegans. However, according to Ecorazzi, they cook this meat-free patty in the same fryers in which they cook their meat-based meals, which renders it unappealing to the vast majority of the no-meat crowd.
I realize that it might be naive of us to think that KFC would have thoroughly thought out their vegetarian plan, but it seems to me that in order to keep offering these sandwiches, they're going to have to declare at least one fryer per store a no-meat zone.
I am far from a vegan, and I'm inclined to agree with anyone who says that French Onion Soup isn't French Onion Soup without the rich, tasty meat flavor. That being said, I'm immensely intrigued by a new foodie video that's popped up over on YouTube, which you can see above.
Unlike many FOS recipes that use Brandy, this variety uses rum, and then a collection of ingredients that sound like they could make for a tasty, albeit different experience. Granted, there's no way I'd not add cheese to the mix (and some good, crusty bread), but this sounds like it could be quite tasty -- and something I'll try in the near future.
I also like the style of the video. The soup is very simple, so the entire prep is shown on fast-forward, with overlayed text. Enjoy!
Veggie burgers are a large part of my diet. Whether homemade or of the Morningstar/Amy's/Dr.Praeger's variety, I eat 'em plain, pile on sauteed veggies, or cut them up and throw them in a salad. They never get old.
As one would expect, I also tend to order them when I'm out to dinner (often, they're one of only a few vegetarian options available). Sometimes they're amazing - in fact, I find that, not surprisingly, tiny, out-of-the-way cafes and family-run kitchens have the best, crispiest, most satisfying veggie burgers. This includes a crispy outer shell, just the right amount of spices, a good protein-to-vegetable ratio, an egg or two to bind the mix together, and a non-mushy middle.
Lately, though, I've found an unsettling trend among larger restaurant veggie burgers: The outer layer is crisped to perfection, but the middles are completely underdone! (If you're furrowing your brow, think of it as ordering a steak weIl done and it showing up rare).
Mushrooms -- they add depth to many a recipe, but like many super-fresh foods, they have a short lifespan before they start turning and that smooth, creamy white finish (or brown for that matter), becomes something else entirely.
Since I only entered the fungal fold a few years ago, I don't have too many quickie mushroom recipes to use up the ailing caps, save a good fry in some spices and oil, until the mushrooms are small, brown, and super tasty. But then I found another quick mushroom trick, courtesy of BCmushrooms.
You can check out the exact recipe there, but basically, all you do is fry up some garlic, add in sliced mushrooms, let them cook for a few minutes. Then add wine and balsamic vinegar, which you let reduce into a tasty side that's great right away, or saved for future use on sandwiches, with eggs, or anything else that strikes your fancy. If you want a different flavor, try a different vinegar and oil combination. Next up, I'm going to try the uber-garlic route with garlic oil and garlic vinegar. What's your best quick-cook for old mushrooms?
Pesto is one of those spreads that's a must-make when you have a food processor. For some minimal effort that includes throwing a collection of ingredients in and hitting pulse, you get a delicious spread that's cheaper than the store variety, and all the tastier.
However, it's not so friendly to the vegan population, with its healthy dose of parmesan cheese in the mix. Luckily, there's a no-cheese, wonderfully vegan variety that can elicit oohs and ahhs as well. (Courtesy of the Fresh cookbook!) But wait -- don't curl up your nose, anti-veganites -- no-cheese pesto serves another function: it allows you to make a tasty pesto that's cheaper, and perfect for those times when you've run out of parmesan.
In fact, the recipe after the jump is so versatile that it tasted pretty darned good even without the fresh spinach (which I didn't have). I just substituted extra basil from my rapidly growing herb garden. Dig in!
If you were around in the 70s and early 80s, the words 'nutritional yeast' might bring up some uncomfortable food memories: brick-like multi-grain loaves, sprouted salads that looked ready to crawl off the plate, the dastardly carob. But please, give yeast a chance.
These marigold-colored flakes, often sold in bulk in health food stores, are inactive yeast grown on molasses then pasteurized and dried. Nutritional yeast's nutty, savory taste makes it popular among vegans, who sometimes use it to make faux cheeses. It also adds an umami flavor to soups, stews and gravies and is sometimes used as a popcorn topping.
Having read so much about nutritional yeast's cheesy flavor on vegan blogs, I became determined to try it out for myself. I picked up a small baggie from the bulk bin at Whole Foods, which cost less than a quarter. That night I made popcorn, drizzled it with lavish amounts of butter, then added salt and a good handful of the yeast. It was delicious - cheesy, rich, sort of earthy. Totally addictive. I'm going to try it in some vegetable soup next time.
While grocery shopping the other day, I scoured the gourmet dip section. After grumbling about the mass amount of fat and calories in dips like artichoke and asiago or spinach, my eyes rested upon something new: low-fat raita. Unlike the other options, which would weigh you down with hundred of calories per 2 tbsp, this one has 20. Yes, just 20 calories per two tablespoons. I picked it up, all giddy and hoping that it would taste good, and be worthy of my beloved carrot sticks.
Oh, yes. Raita is basically a spicy tzatziki. (Slashfood last mentioned it in 2006.) It's yogurt mixed with vegetables, herbs, and spices -- usually, it's yogurt (curd) mixed with cucumber or onions, and seasoned with cilantro, cumin, mint, cayenne pepper, and more. The one I purchased (Fresh 2 Go) was cilantro raita -- made with the usual ingredients, plus sour cream.
The dip or sauce is often used to cut spicy Indian dishes, but it is excellent and spicy on its own. It's got the freshness of tzatziki with the bite of cilantro, which makes it a great and healthy addition to veggies, and offers much more flavor than its Greek counterpart. With summer just around the corner, this is an excellent and healthy addition to the chips and dip table. I'm still finishing off my container, so I haven't made any myself, but the recipes look simple enough (you can find some here and here). Anyone else out there love raita?
Summer's nearly here, and you know what that means: Potlucks.
Everyone needs at least one dish they can nail at a moment's notice. A dish everyone will love, from vegans to carnivores. Something that's cheap, easy, quick, yet delicious. Something that dresses to impress. Something that even bad home cooks can manage.
These fine specimins above are called calçots, a type of scallion grown in the Tarragona province of Catalonia in northeastern Spain. In spring, locals eat calçots at community feats called calçotadas - essentially barbecues, but with onions instead of cheeseburgers. Calçots are roasted on a grate over coals, leaving them charred on the outside but creamy on the inside. They're served on a terracotta roof tile or wrapped in newspaper to keep them warm, then peeled at the table and eaten dipped in pungent red romesco sauce, made with tomatoes, garlic, ground almonds and peppers. The local version is called salbitxada - see a recipe for it here. If you're not living in calçot country use it on leeks or roasted sweet onions.
Spring has finally* burst forth with a bounty of fresh, delicious, and unusual vegetables, and we couldn't help but snap some pictures. Take AOL Food's quiz and see if you can suss lamb's quarters from miner's lettuce, tell chive types apart, and put your mouth where your mullein is. Don't forget to come on back to share your score and help folks who are foraging for clues.
For many carnivores, vegetarian cuisine is seen as a partial meal -- one filled with slimy tofu and strange ingredients that don't come close to filling you up. I agreed with this assumption for a while, having visited vegetarian restaurants with friends and picked my way through bland and disappointing meals that I could have done better myself. Then I went to Fresh in Toronto -- a restaurant full of tasty vegetarian/vegan fare that is rich in flavor and quite filling. As soon as I saw that they had a cookbook full of recipes for their popular dishes, written by Ruth Tal Brown and Jennifer Houston, I picked it up immediately.
Fresh at Home is an excellent vegan/vegetarian cookbook, and it's perfect for veggie addicts, those who want to diversify their meals, and those plagued by dietary restrictions. It starts by laying out the main tools and pantry items needed to create great vegetarian meals, and then dives in to a diverse collection of food, separated into salads and dressings, rice bowls, noodles, sandwiches, sauces and mixes, spreads, coatings, and marinades, brunch, desserts, fresh juice recipes, energy elixirs, and pro athletic shakes. (The restaurant also has a juice bar inside, hence the large collection of drinks at the end.)
Fresh's dishes cover a variety of ethnic treats from all over the world, from the diverse selection of Asian-inspired noodle bowls, to tasty soups like Sicilian White Bean and Tomato and East African Pea. There are simple sandwiches like the insanely tasty Reality Bites (a basic sandwich with avocado instead of meat), and more in-depth recipes like the Shanghai Rice Bowl. But what's really great is that each of these uses other simple recipes that can be easily extended outside the dishes listed in the book. There are a number of recipes for mayo substitutes and sandwich spreads, along with tasty preparation guides for marinated tofu with a really tasty and crispy coating and marinated tempeh -- all of which can spice up even carnivorous dishes.
If you're dying for some tastier animal-free fare, or you're determined to spread the joys of veggie appreciation, this is the book to have -- and I say this as someone who adores meat just as much as veggies.
One of my favorite bloggers, Amber on My Aim is True, recently blogged about her "veganniversary." For a year now, she's been posting her unbelievable vegan recipes, and I've been lusting over them and drooling over my keyboard.
Obviously, her vegan Flickr photo montage was too good not to post. Girl tackles everything from banana bread to black bean burgers to chana, an Indian dish made with chickpeas.
A lot of Amber's recipes come from Vegan with a Vengeance, La Dolce Vegan, and Veganomicon, books that should definitely be in every veggie/vegan's arsenal. Oh, and while a play on the word "vegan" isn't a necessity for a book or blog title, it certainly helps...
Mom made you eat your veggies for years, so return the love with vegetarian-friendly gifts this Mother's Day. Whether her diet is strictly vegetarian or just veggie-inclined, check out these lovely presents that will surely brighten her kitchen and her day!
Subscription to Vegetarian Times magazine -- Great recipes and fun eating ideas from a magazine that your mom will love all year long.
Mother's Day petit fours from Figis -- Who am I kidding? These are for any mom -- vegetarian, meat-loving, herbivorous, sweet-toothed... Olive and Rosemary Topiary Trees from Stonewall Kitchen -- A beautiful way to present a practical gift. These will look great anywhere, and come in handy when cooking with fresh herbs.
Bamboo steamer from WokShop -- Great for veggies, and anything else.
Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian from Amazon -- My favorite cookbook. Soon to be your mom's. Bittman offers easy recipes and plenty of suggestions for a well-balanced vegetarian diet.
Soy candles from Welcome-home Candles -- These yummy candles come in great scents, and since they aren't made from beeswax, they'll please even the most conscious vegan. Vegan baking mixes from Goodbaker -- Chocolate cake, oatmeal cookies, fudge frosting, multi-grain muffins...
Anyone have more ideas for the vegetarian Mom? Feel free to share!
A jar of honey can become a sticky mess. Next time you're adding honey to another dish or a mug of tea, use a honey dipper to prevent a thick gooey layer from spreading.
If you were around in the 70s and early 80s, the words 'nutritional yeast' might bring up some uncomfortable food memories: brick-like multi-grain loaves, sprouted salads that looked ready to crawl off the plate, the dastardly carob. But please, give yeast a chance. 
Summer's nearly here, and you know what that means: Potlucks. 
For many carnivores, vegetarian cuisine is seen as a partial meal -- one filled with slimy tofu and strange ingredients that don't come close to filling you up. I agreed with this assumption for a while, having visited vegetarian restaurants with friends and picked my way through bland and disappointing meals that I could have done better myself. Then I went to Fresh in Toronto -- a restaurant full of tasty vegetarian/vegan fare that is rich in flavor and quite filling. As soon as I saw that they had a cookbook full of recipes for their popular dishes, written by Ruth Tal Brown and Jennifer Houston, I picked it up immediately.
Chocolate-stuffed bananas on the grill
Tyler Florence welcomes new daughter
Beware kids' menus!
