Mjohn1453:
How about your favorite meatless dish?
Thanks for the tip on the book as well.
My favorite meatless dish. That is really hard. I guess my favorite is a sort of an elaborate lasagna made with roasted red pepper and squash (among other things) that was an entry in a contest for professional chefs with the goal of a meatless meal to pair with California wines. Just wonderful. I make it for vegetarian special occasions.
On the less work end… Sliced homegrown tomatoes, basil chiffonade, sliced mozzarella, good bread, good olive oil, balsamic vinegar, hot day. Yum. I could make a meal on good cheese, good bread, and good olives and/or tomatoes, too.
I love to make black bean stews and chilis with brown rice on the side for parties with meat-eaters mixing with vegetarians. It’s easy to find vegan black bean recipes, so that covers everyone, and black beans make a nice side dish for lots of grilled meats. It lets you take care of everybody without singling anyone out.
On the cheap, beans win again. The variety is nearly endless, and black beans, kidney beans, and garbanzos are all just fine from the can if you’re in a hurry. (But cheaper to buy dry.) If you are truly vegetarian, you need to add rice to get a total protein, but those marry so well, that’s no problem. And while it is nice to dress them up with something fancy, a little garlic, some olive oil, and some herbs will take beans to heights.
With all those beans, skillet cornbread. Oh, so good.
I also love anything with roasted peppers, especially red peppers. Those aren’t so cheap, but if you roast them yourself and you’re not buying meat, it’s not that hard to swing. And, incidentally, they freeze like a dream once you roast them, so you can stock up in summer when they’re cheap.
If you like a little heat, a can of chipolte peppers in adobo sauce gives a lot of flavor. A little goes a long way, and they keep well in the refrigerator.
