Do you rely on rice/pasta? Can you suggest any alternatives? - Page 2

[heatherr30]

Similar to quinoa and couscous is AMARANTH.  My kids both love it and it's so easy to cook.  5 min at a light boil then put the lid on the pan and leave it for another 10.

It's a whole grain but tastes sweet like white rice.  sometimes I add raisins or other dried fruit and coriander leaves.  Throw in some chopped nuts and you have a main dish.

[Comtessa]

Here are a few things we do around here: - falafel balls served with a tahini sauce for dipping, cucumber & tomato salad on the side - I second (third? fourth?) hearty vegetable curries with coconut milk. We do this a LOT. I often add red or green lentils, or beans, or peanut butter, to up the protein content. They stand alone fine, or you can eat with whole-grain flatbread, if you want to avoid eating with rice. - Baked tofu, or tofu scramble, over garlic-mashed potatoes with steamed veggies or salad - You could make eggplant roll-ups with tofu "ricotta" - veggie wraps with marinated mushrooms, beans, salsa, avocado... we like to serve with slices of fried banana or plantain - we love all kinds of savory pies, you can make the pie crust with WW flour and a bit of olive oil, then dump in a mix of mostly-cooked veggies and some vegan mushroom soup, top with crust and bake for a while. - we make tofu stirfries, too, but we tend to eat these over Chinese noodles or rice, so I guess that's not too helpful. - we do a fair amount of sandwiches. We're not strictly vegan, though, so in our house the dinner sandwiches are usually pretty heavy on the cheese and mayo. So, ok, also not helpful! - I've made a really interesting curried red-lentil bake with rhubarb and sweet potatoes that is delicious. It's about halfway down the page on this site: http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/stuff - sour Indian chickpeas, again with WW flatbread, slices of fresh marinated cucumber, and fresh mango for dessert - slices of polenta work great as a base for all sorts of things: we like to eat it with Caribbean black beans (from the Sundays at Moosewood cookbook) or with marinara sauce which we load with veggies, mushrooms, and beans or TVP.

[bellymoon]

In addition to the quinoa, I use barley (it cooks pretty quickly), millet and amaranth. I like to gently brown the millet on low while stirring before adding water and cooking it like rice. The amaranth makes a great porridge, or ground up in a spice grinder, it can be added as a flour to breads. There's also kamut, although I haven't tried it. Also, if you can find it, there's a red quinoa -- I prefer the taste. It's a bit nuttier, and much prettier.

[Maiasaura]

 

[MrsSlocombe]

Originally Posted by Maiasaura 
 

I would be interested in cabbage roll tips in general.  I typically suck at rolling things, and when I tried to make cabbage rolls recently, I kept ripping the leaves.  I eventually just made a cabbage casserole.  If you can find the recipe, that would be awesome, but even if you can't, could you share your secret for not ripping the leaves?

Oh, we say "veganizable" a lot, so you're doing well with the lingo!

[jaguarwaterlily]

As a vegan, I don't eat much pasta (I'm so picky) but I love rice so I'm always cooking it in different ways so I don't get bored. I also use many different types of rice. I think my favorite is Basmati. It's so tasty and easy to make. You can also have potatoes as a base, either baked potatoes, roasted potatoes or mashed potatoes. I know people who use sweet potatoes or cauliflower (mashed up) in place of regular potatoes. If you don't want to use any of those, well you can make chili with some homemade cornbread. That's a big hit here at home. You can have fajitas, tacos, shephard's pie, soup, casseroles... the list goes on. Check out some vegan cookbooks if you need ideas. You could also just make a sandwich or burger. Grains are important, just make sure they're whole grains so you can get the best nutrition possible. Good luck :)

[LeeLu]

No rice or pasta needed!

I'm not vegan, but have trouble with some glutens. I've been avoiding them as much as possible for years now.  I do sometimes have whole grains and have fewer problems.  So, I can offer some alternatives that I use.  I like to experiment and do not have specific recipes to offer. Here are a few online: http://www.wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/easy-ways-to-enjoy-whole-grains I like to keep the veggies as the biggest portion on my plate always.  I'll include the whole grains 101 page that I found helpful. http://www.wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101

Sweet potatoes (sweet or savory, s/s); quinoa (sometimes regular stores have it in pre-flavored packets); couscous (s/s); oatmeal (s/s); wild rices; barley; and corn.

Others that I will try in the future: kashi; amaranth; flax; buckwheat; millet; spelt; and more!

I have lost nearly 30 pounds and kept if off this way.  I hope that this helps you!  

[AnaB]

I'm not vegan... but how about quinoa, buckwheat, spelt, and coucous, we have those as sides a lot :)

[Maiasaura]

Originally Posted by MrsSlocombe I would be interested in cabbage roll tips in general.  I typically suck at rolling things, and when I tried to make cabbage rolls recently, I kept ripping the leaves.  I eventually just made a cabbage casserole.  If you can find the recipe, that would be awesome, but even if you can't, could you share your secret for not ripping the leaves?

Oh, we say "veganizable" a lot, so you're doing well with the lingo!

You have to steam the cabbage first, pretty well whole, which takes forever! Core it and steam it. Then when you go to roll, cut the ribs out of each leaf. They aren't ever perfect. Lots of them rip. But make sure you place them seam-side-down in the pan. That way they don't undo. I have a tendency to overstuff, too...you really only need like 1 or 2 TB of filling per each, if that. Place the filling at the end nearest you. Then roll a bit away from you, then fold over the sides towards the middle, then keep rolling. That's all!

Remind me to post the recipe tomorrow...I am so.bloody.tired right now

[Milk8shake]

Definitely post the recipe please :) Sounds good. 

Lots of great ideas here.  It is crazy how different some dietary is stuff is between here (Oz) and the States.  Some I have never heard of, and I actually wonder how easy it will be for me to get some of these things (like the grains) - but I will give it a go.  Perhaps I can order over the net from someplace. 

[Maiasaura]

OK, here ya go. This is from Vegetarian Times. I used to get the recipe cards in the mail. I don't think they have this on the website anymore. This is YUMMY!

BULGUR STUFFED CABBAGE

makes 8 servings (IMO makes a LOT more than 8!!)

1 small head green cabbage

1c finely chopped parsley

2 onions, chopped

4 celery stalks, chopped

1/4tsp Italian seasoning

1/2tsp minced garlic

1/2c margarine

2 15oz cans tomato sauce

4c water

2c dry bulgur

1 8oz can tomato sauce

1/2c water

1) Remove core from cabbage. Place cabbage head in steamer and steam until all leaves are soft, and separate easily.

2) Saute parsley, onions, celery, seasoning, and garlic in margarine until onions are soft.

3) Add 2 15oz cans of tomato sauce, 4c water, and bulgur. Cook about 1/2 hour, over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until bulgur is tender. Remove from heat.

4) To stuff cabbage leaves, place a spoonful of mixture in center of each leaf. Starting at one side, roll leaf up and fold ends under. Place in a deep baking pan.

5) Mix the 8oz can of tomato sauce with 1/2c water, and pour over stuffed cabbage leaves so they remain moist during baking.

6) Bake at 375* for about 30m until cabbage is hot.

**Leftover filling can be used to stuff green peppers.

My own notes, written on the recipe card, say this: ** Get 2 cabbages so can use outer leaves and save inner leaves for other use.

6 Weight Watcher points per serving.

This is a very easy recipe to play with. None of the amts are set in stone, IIRC. And it makes a metric ton-- use a BIG pan to make the filling!