Category: Vegan Main Dishes

by betsy

Vegan "BLT" (Vegan Bacon, Linguine and Grape Tomatoes)

Yield: (2 servings; but I didn’t have lunch, so I ate the whole recipe!)

You may have noticed that I’ve been posting a fair number of recipes calling for grape tomatoes lately. The reasons are simple: they, along with Romas, look better in the winter; my grocery store sells them in large containers; and my husband doesn’t care for them. So, in order to use these beauties before they spoil, I’ve concocted several new ways to enjoy them. Here’s the latest:

Coarse sea or kosher salt to taste
4 ounces whole wheat linguine
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-4 ounce package tempeh bacon, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons plain soy creamer
1 tablespoon maple syrup
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1 tablespoon dried or 3 tablespoons fresh minced parsley

In a medium put, bring a generous quantity of salted water to a boil. Add linguine, reduce heat to a simmer, stir, cover and cook for a few minutes or until al dente. Meanwhile in a cast iron skillet over medium-high, heat olive oil to shimmering. Add bacon and saute on both sides for a minute or two or until a light brown crust develops. Add two scant ladles of pasta water to the skillet, followed by soy creamer, maple syrup, nutritional yeast, and pepper. Stir gently to combine well. Stir in tomatoes and heat through, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta. Gently toss with sauce in skillet. Stir in parsley and serve in bowls with a fork and spoon.

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by betsy

Vegan Tempeh with Red Grapes, Grape Tomatoes and Nuts in White Wine Sauce

Yield: 2 servings

Here’s another of those high protein, not-too-terribly-caloric dinners that are part of my new nutritional plan. I almost have something to wear for this big (at least, to me) event that is responsible for the dietary modification, so more on it soon.

1-8 ounce package of tempeh
coarse sea or kosher salt to taste
a sprinkling of nutritional yeast + 1 teaspoon
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup white wine (I used Reisling)
1 tablespoon vegan pesto
1/4 cup plain soy creamer
pinch garlic salt
freshly ground black pepper
16 grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
12 red seedless grapes (if large, use six and halve them–mine were very small; green would also be good)
1/4-1/3 cup nuts (I used cashews because my pesto was made from basil, mint, cilantro and cashews)
1 tablespoon dried or 3 tablespoons fresh minced parsley

Preheat broiler. Liberally salt and sprinkle both sides of tempeh slab with nutritional yeast. Broil 3 minutes on each side. When tempeh has cooked, remove from oven and cut into 4 equal pieces. Meanwhile, in a large cast iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil to shimmering. Add the teaspoon of nutritional yeast and toast lightly. Add broth and wine and simmer until it reduces just a little and thickens slightly. Stir in vegan pesto and soy creamer and simmer until, again, sauce thickens slightly. Season with garlic powder and pepper. Add tomatoes and grapes and just heat through. Stir in nuts and parsley. To serve, spoon sauce over tempeh.

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by betsy

Vegan Sesame-Crusted Tofu with Crispy Kale

Serves: 4
I like to build meals around greens and this ultra-clean version is one inspired by seeing lots of recipes for “kale chips.” I call it “Crispy Kale” and serve it as a vegetable rather than as chips, though it is good enough to eat as a snack. Just watch the salt, as it takes a tiny amount when prepared this way; plus, miso is quite salty on its own. Isn’t the kale lovely paired with the white fluffy noodles (or rice) and golden sesame-crusted tofu?
1-2 tablespoons light miso (miso is very salty, but it has great body, so choose your proportion accordingly)

4 tablespoons vegetable stock

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar (unsalted/unseasoned)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

squirt of fresh lemon juice

optional: a pinch of Five Spice Powder (if you want a more Chinese flavor)

1-16 ounce box, extra firm tofu, pressed, drained, and sliced crosswise into 4 equal pieces

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil

white sesame seeds

For this recipe and some 170+ more,
I invite you to purchase my first cookbook:

The Blooming Platter:
A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes

Vegan Heritage Press
Spring 2011

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by betsy

Vegan Enchiladas with Vegan Fat-Free Spinach-Three Bean Filling and Vegan Queso con Carne Sauce

Yield: Variable

Following the Super Bowl, if you have any leftovers of my Vegan Fat-Free Spinach-Three Bean Dip and my Vegan Queso con Carne Dip, here’s a really tasty and satisfying meal you can whip together in a flash. Note that while they look more like burritos, since they are “sauced,” I’m calling them enchiladas but I hope you’ll call them “dinner”:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and oil a baking dish. Spoon abut 1/4-1/3 cup of the Spinach-Bean Dip into an elongated mound in the center of a tortilla (I used spinach wraps), fold one side over, fold in the ends and roll up, placing seam side down in the baking dish. Continue until you’ve used up the dip or made the amount of enchiladas you need. Then smother them with the Queso con Carne Dip, making sure to cover the enchiladas completely. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until hot and slightly “set.” Serve with vegan sour cream and, if desired, fresh cilantro.

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by betsy

Vegan Chicken and Green Beans in Coconut Milk over Vegan Curried Couscous

Yield: 2 servings (easily doubles)

Tonight was cold and I was a little weary, so I craved a warming meal that didn’t require a trip to the grocery store. I decided to make dinner using only what I had on hand in the pantry, fridge and freezer. This desperation dinner turned out to be a meal that I’ll return to again and again. The white chicken strips, onion and coconut milk playing off the bright green beans and the golden-yellow couscous are lovely in their simplicity. Beautiful, fragrant, tasty and healthy, this dish is more than the sum of its parts.

Vegan Chicken and Green Beans in Coconut Milk:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 of a medium yellow onion, halved and slivered
4 ounces of Meal Starters chicken strips, thawed (you may substitute 4 ounces chicken-flavored seitan or tempeh, the latter recommended by a reader who felt the sweet coconut milk and natural bitterness of the tempeh were tasty complements to each other)
1 cup fresh or frozen green beans
3/4 cup coconut milk (I use lite)
juice of 1/2 of a lime
1 tablespoon raw or brown sugar
coarse sea or kosher salt
In a large cast iron skillet over medium-high, heat oil to shimmering. Saute onion, stirring frequently, just until it softens. Add vegan chicken, green beans and coconut milk. Cook, stirring frequently, just until ingredients are warmed through and green beans are bright green and crisp-tender. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer just a minute to to combine flavors. Serve warm over warm couscous (recipe follows).

Vegan Curried Couscous:
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup sliced scallions
1/2 cup couscous
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoon olive oil
coarse sea or kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon curry powder

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring broth and scallions to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in couscous and golden raisins. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork while stirring in olive oil, salt, pepper and curry powder.
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by betsy

Vegan Chicken, Mushrooms, Yellow Peppers and Broccoli in Creamy Tarragon-Scented Sauce with Lazy (Wo)man’s Vegan Palmiers

Yield: 4 servings with a side salad (includes two palmiers per serving)

This recipe was my answer to the desire for a warm, comforting meal that tasted decadent, but was actually quite healthy, and that would go together quickly on a frigid Sunday night. Though delicious on its own, the dish seemed to need something else. However, since it was ready to eat when I realized that I wanted something to take it “over the top,” and since I was hungry to boot, the “something else” couldn’t take very long to prepare.

I remembered that I had vegan puff pastry in the freezer and thought about some kind of “bread” sticks, but the dough takes 40 minutes to thaw. So, I wondered what would happen if I thawed it in the microwave. What happens is it sticks together. So, then, out of necessity, I simply left the sheet of dough double folded (like a business letter) as it comes out of the package, sliced it into inch-wide sections and baked them. To my delight, my method resulted in the cutest and world’s easiest palmiers that were ready in little more than 15 minutes! A sprinkling of paprika before baking made them extra-special. And they are the perfect accompaniment to the dish…and to my husband’s steak (ugh).

For this recipe and some 170+ more,
I invite you to purchase my first cookbook:

The Blooming Platter:
A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes

Vegan Heritage Press
Spring 2011

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by betsy

Vegan Vegetable-Coconut Milk Rice Pilaf with Vegan Five Spice and Lime Roasted Cashews or Peanuts

Yield: approximately 4 servings

After a beautiful family-style pan-Asian meal at China Grill–much of which I couldn’t eat– over New Year’s weekend in South Beach, I was craving foods inspired by their creations, especially something with their spiced cashews that I picked off of their version of a Caesar salad. Here’s what I came up with and I have found it so satisfying as leftovers all week. Measurements of vegetables are approximate. Use what you have and it will still be wonderful.

Vegetable-Coconut Milk Rice Pilaf:
1 generous tablespoon vegetable oil (you may mix in a little sesame oil)
1 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup baby carrots, halved lengthwise
1/2 of a yellow or red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, thinly sliced
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (shitakes are especially good)
2 cups vegetable stock
1 can (about 1 1/2 cups) coconut milk (I used the “lite” variety)
1 cup Jasmine rice (I recommend not substitute because the fragrance can’t be duplicated)
1 cup of trimmed broccoli florets
optional: coarse kosher or sea salt
Garnish: chopped fresh cilantro and spiced cashews or peanuts (see recipe below)

In a wok or large saute pan over medium-high, heat oil to shimmering. Add green onions and stir fry for a minute to flavor oil. Add baby carrots and stir fry for another minute, followed by bell pepper and mushrooms, stir frying for a minute after each addition. Stir in vegetable stock, coconut milk and rice. Cover (use foil if you don’t have a lid to fit your wok) and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to insure that rice isn’t sticking. Lower heat if necessary. Stir in broccoli, cover, and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until rice is tender, most of moisture is absorbed and broccoli is tender but still bright green. Check for salt and add if necessary. Garnish with cilantro and spiced nuts. Serve warm.

Vegan Five Spice and Lime Roasted Cashews or Peanuts:
1 tablespoon olive oil
juice and zest of 1/2 of a lime
1-2 tablespoons brown sugar (start with smaller amount and add more if desired)
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea or kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon (or to taste) five spice powder
1/8 teaspoon (or to taste) cayenne pepper
12 ounces lightly salted cashew halves and pieces or peanuts (reserve can)

Line a baking sheet with a brown paper bag, waxed paper or parchment paper. In a wok or large saucepan over medium high, heat olive oil to shimmering. Meanwhile, combine all remaining ingredients except peanuts. Stir into hot oil, being careful not to splatter, followed immediately by peanuts. Roast and stir for about 7 minutes, lowering heat if necessary, or until exterior is caramelized and peanuts taste slightly roasted. Avoid scorching or you will have to throw out the whole batch. Pour immediately onto prepared baking sheet to cool completely. Store in the reserved peanut can.

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by betsy

Vegan Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Onion Pizza with the Very Best Vegan Pizza Crust

Yield: 2 small-medium pizzas or about 4 servings

If you’ve read my last few posts, you can tell I’m on a squash kick. It seems I want to use roasted or caramelized squash and onions in every dish I make…except desserts. And this pizza is one reason why. Green flecks of pine-scented fresh rosemary leaves are beautiful against the golden crust and topping of this earthy-sweet and mellow pie. It gets a little kick from optional red pepper flakes and extra creaminess from homemade vegan white “cheese.” And this crust does not just provide a vehicle for getting the other ingredients to your mouth, but contributes fully to the taste and texture of one heck of a nutritious and delicious pizza.






For this recipe and some 170+ more,
I invite you to purchase my first cookbook:

The Blooming Platter:
A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes

Vegan Heritage Press
Spring 2011

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by betsy

Vegan Caramlized Onion and Butternut Squash Fettuccine–A Nice Addition to the Thanksgiving Tradition

Yield: 4 servings

Though pasta may not be traditional Thanksgiving fare unless you are of Mediterranean decent, you’ll be happy to bunk tradition with the creamy golden goodness of this earthy dish. But you won’t want to save it only for holiday feasting. And if you don’t live in America and/or don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, enjoy this dish whenever butternut squash are at their prime.

I think pasta can be a bit heavy, so I use half the normal 2 ounce-per-person recommended serving which is just enough pasta to hold the dish together. Whole wheat pasta is highly recommended, as its inherent nuttiness contributes significantly to the distinctive flavor profile of this dish.






For this recipe and some 170+ more,
I invite you to purchase my first cookbook:

The Blooming Platter:
A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes

Vegan Heritage Press
Spring 2011

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