Easy non-soy vegetarian recipes.

[LavenderMae]

With all I have been reading about soy I am wanting to cut way down on my families consumption of it. I have been relying on many soy "fast" foods for quick meals. So I would love if everyone would share their non-soy, quick veggie meals with me. Veggie burger recipes and such would be great!! Oh and please post cheap ones we are on a very tight budget.
I'll really appreciate it!!

[guestmama9924]

I use mushrooms...lots! I have cut way back on soy fast foods, and buy tofu, tempeh and mushrooms as our 'meaty' staples.

Portabellos cut into strips, sauteed with veggies and some cheese, for fajitas, tacos and wraps, add a scoop of yellow rice...YUM!

Portabello and spinach lasagne

Portabello mushroom caps, dowsed in olive oil and seasonings, lightly baked in the oven and covered in all your fav topings as a 'burger' on yummy buns.

I also like tempeh, not just a soy product- mostly rice and grain. Cut into strips, dipped in paremessan cheese, seasonings and egg whites and pan 'fried', then dip in marinara.

I also love hummus with taboule in a wrap

Falafel in pitas

[LavenderMae]

Thank you and I too love portabello mushrooms!! My kids don't though. Although I bet they'd like them in lasagna, good idea!!Tempeh is considered healthy right, since it's fermented. I like it too.

[guestmama9924]

Originally posted by Yammer

Indian food is easy and good.

OK now you got me wanting to experiment with Indian cuisine! That rice sounds so warm and yummy right about now....where do you pick up that sauce? I will have to check WIld Oats...

[maddysmommy]

In the winter I love curried lentils with sweet potatos and brown rice. I just saute onions and garlic (I dont' skimp on the olive oil!) then add spices (a good curry powder is perfect, or garam masala or the like) and stir those til fragrant, then a big can of chopped or ground tomatoes (I like a bit of chunk) and lentils and water and chopped sweet potatos. This simmers til lentils and potatos are tender. By then the rice is done. Great with plain yogurt.

A variation of this is to cook brown rice and lentils (I like red or yellow for this) together with a bit of spice and bake a squash and serve them all together - this is even easier and bit less adventurous.

What about split pea soup - one of my favorite things! Just peas, water, onion, garlic, bay leaves, salt and pepper - add some carrots when the peas are nearly tender. Great with crusty bread and some parmesan.

Oh it must be dinner time...

[guestmama9924]

maddysmommy- I made your idea today!I used organic russetts instead of sweet potatos though and also threw in a hand full of fresh mushrooms. I used half water and half vegetable broth for added flavor. LOVE CURRY! YUM! The kids loved it too, thanks.

[LavenderMae]

Thanks for all the yummy recipes. I love curries too.
Yammer, I would love to know where I could find the Patak's sauces, they sound really good!!

[Quirky]

I love sweet potatoes; I have two favorite recipes that are similar but not quite the same. One involves sauteeing chopped onions, garlic, chili powder, add cooked sweet potatoes and black beans, mash to a chunky texture, spoon into whole wheat tortillas, roll up, bake 30 minutes to warm through, serve with salsa.

The other involves sauteeing chopped onions, garlic, chili powder, and shredded raw sweet potatoes until sp's are tender, then put into whole wheat tortillas with shredded cheddar or jack cheese, fold tortilla in half and nuke or warm in oven until cheese melts, voila quesadillas. Again serve with salsa.

Vegetarian pasta sauce is always yummy - saute onions, garlic, mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, what have you and add canned tomatoes and herbs, simmer a long time. Serve with whole wheat pasta - yum!

Or how about baked potatoes stuffed with steamed broccoli and some cheese for flavor?

Or how about polenta with sauteed portabellas and some steamed spinach on the side?

Or how about a veggie chili with red, yellow, and green bell peppers and several varieties of beans (kidney, black, etc.) served with cornbread on the side?

OK now I'm hungry - time for dinner!

[mocha]

soy

Not to start a debate, but here's a link of a lucid, thoughtful analysis of the soy scare. Personally I think the proponents of the soy scare aren't credible. I understand its a personal decision though and I respect everyone's right to choose for themselves.

http://www.foodrevolution.org/what_about_soy.htm

[tessamami]

Nothing "scary" about soy - until it comes powdered and pounded like plastic into different shapes and is consumed in great quantities. It is then that the estrogenic affects are not personally appreciated by me. BTW did you know that plastic is made out of soy?

I have to say I LOVE soy in the form of miso, a little bit of tofu with greens but soy processed foods are just that: processed foods.

I would suggest that foods like soy that have a rich history of tradition continue to be enjoyed but that I see no need to subsist on a diet of Boca burgers and the like when there are so many wonderful foods out there to enjoy.

Here's a link about the not so good side of soy: "How Safe is Soy?" by Susun Weed -

http://www.susunweed.com/Weed_letter...1.htm#surprise

[guestmama9924]

T
Don't know if I agree with Susun Weed's article or not, but SHE is hillarious! I attended an herbal intensive course of hers and she HATES vegetarians....we bug her....she said " I didn't claw my way to the top of the food chain to eat lettuce".....

[Lucky Charm]

Yammer...thanks for posting the website for the indian sauces. i cant wait to try them.

Maddysmommy....the lentils and sweet poatatoes sound awesome (i printed your recipe!)..but can i change the lentils to another "bean"? personally, me and the kids love lentils, but hubby doesnt, no matter how i make them or how openminded he tries to be! any suggestions? anyhow, i will make the recipe and eat it for lunch a few days, and the kids can eat it as a snack when they came homw from school.

thanks to all of you...the recipes sound great.

oh, and another portabella recipes....use nice sized caps, and pour a balsamic vinegarette on the caps...gill part up. grill or broil till the dressing bubbles.

you can eat as is, or put some mozzarella and fresh basil on them along with sliced beef staek tomatoes.

[maddysmommy]

Try cooked chick peas! Also maybe yellow or red lentils would be better received? They don't have the sort of skin that green and brown do.

I also remembered that I love lentils in pasta sauce!

[tessamami]

Cynthia Lair's "Feeding the Whole Family"

Cynthia Lair's "Feeding the Whole Family" has a terrific veggie burger recipe. I usually add an egg and very important: chill first. Egg or no, it's a great recipe and there is no soy in it. PM me if you want the recipe, or I'll post my version, soon.

[LavenderMae]

I'm finding hard to know what to believe when it comes to soy. I am cutting down on the processed burgers and such. We were eating way too much of it. I don't think the ones selling soy are all that credible and certaintly someone who has something against vegetarians isn't quite credible. I would love any unbiased info on soy not from anyone one who is making money off soy or off meat and dairy. Not anyone who thinks vegetarians are stupid. You get the point, if anyone has any such info please share it with me.
I would love the veggie burger recipe!! Do you make ahead and freeze them, if so can you tell the best way to freeze and store them and all. Thankyou all for the recipes!!!

[guestmama9924]

Sheacoby, I am with you. I just feel that any cutting back of over processed foods, even 'natural' ones is best. I try to consume soy in its original tofu and tempeh forms and really limit the other processed forms. But hey, cutting back on processed foods is good no matter if it is meat or not!

[tessamami]

Important to remember here:

One man's food is another man's poison.

[Mneek]

Sheacoby, the link posted by Mocha is an excellent explanation of the soy discussion. Its author wrote "Diet for a New America" and is a strong proponent of vegetarianism.

[LavenderMae]

I did read it and I thought is was good!!

[Millie Ivy]

nak
lentils, spinich, brown rice, chopped sauted leek, and sea salt in a pot! even my meat and potatoes dad came in after trying some and raved over it!
shell