The Veggie Thread

[kleph]

alright all you veggie lovers. i need a few recipes i can steal. the vegetable section (http://www.kleph.com/cook/2006/01/vegetables.html) of my recipe site (http://www.kleph.com/cook/) is mighty thin and i am looking for nifty dishes to prepare and add to it.

the real motivation here is the sage advice of my running guru (http://www.bigjogger.com/blog/), benwah. i am currently trying to get in shape enough to run a marathon (http://www.kleph.com/run/). my training has reached the point i can't just wing it any more. i gotta be giving my body what it needs to perform the way i am asking it to.

while i got lots of cooking options to providing muscle-building protien and energy packing carbohydrates i am sorely lacking elsewhere. multivitamins and a bannana in the morning just aint gonna cut it given my running regimen.

so if you smell vaguely of bo and patchoulli the odds are i could use your help. what are some relatively simple dishes i can prepare for myself that provide the nutritious veggie goodness i am needing?

[kleph]

ok. to get started i am trying to make a veggie stock today. the produce lady at the surquillo market was so happy. i spent half an hour buying everything i needed and getting a ton of practice on my spanish. you think you can speak this language, go one-on-one with the veggie lady.

already this is turning out to be a bit trickier than i expected so i am tossing up the recipe i completely stole from somewhere i should have paid for and adding my notes in italics


2 medium onions, peeled and chopped coarse
10 - 12 cloves garlic , from 1 head, each clove peeled and smashed (smash-em baby, no press or chopping to it)
8 large shallots, sliced thin (these are those tiny onions)
1 rib celery, chopped coarse (save the leaves and toss them in later)
Vegetable cooking spray (screw it, go with olive oil)
1small carrot, peeled and chopped coarse
1 cup white wine
4 large leeks, white and light green parts only, cleaned and chopped coarse i (only bought two so thats gonna have to do. i took the green parts and put them in the freezer in a ziplock for use with my next chicken stock)
stems fresh parsley leaves (from 1 bunch)
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorns , coarsely cracked
1 pound collard greens , washed, dried, and sliced crosswise into 2-inch strips (i had to give up on figuring out how to say this in spanish and went with some chinese spinach.)
1 small head cauliflower, chopped fine (about 4 cups)
8 - 10 sprigs fresh thyme leaves (another one that the language kept me from)
1 stalk lemon grass, trimmed to bottom 6 inches and bruised with back of chef's knife (um, not this time)
4 medium scallions, white and light green parts, cut into 2-inch lengths (these are what are also known as green onions)
2 teaspoons rice vinegar (you're getting regular vinegar and you'll like it)


1. Combine onions, garlic, shallots, celery, and carrot in heavy-bottomed, 8-quart stockpot or Dutch oven; spray vegetables lightly with vegetable cooking spray and toss to coat.

Cover and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until pan bottom shows light brown glaze, 20 to 30 minutes. (I gave up at the 40 minute mark and went to the next step. The onions were starting to cook onto the bottom of the pan instead of "glazing") Add the white wine and cook until the alcohol burns off, about two minutes.

Add leeks and increase heat to medium; cook, covered, until leeks soften, about 10 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups hot water and cook, partially covered, until water has evaporated to a glaze and vegetables are very soft, 25 to 35 minutes.

2. Add parsley stems, bay leaves, salt, peppercorns, and 7 cups hot water. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to simmer; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently, covered, to blend flavors, about 15 minutes.

3. Add collard greens, cauliflower, thyme, lemon grass, and scallions. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to simmer; reduce heat to low and simmer gently, covered, to blend flavors, about 15 minutes longer.

Strain stock through large strainer into 2-quart bowl or container, allowing stock to drip through to drain thoroughly (do not press on solids). Stir vinegar into stock.

Stock can be covered and refrigerated up to 4 days or frozen up to 2 months.

[Canalien]

Not personally a vegetarian (I maintain these Canines and Incisors are here for a reason), however my sister is, as is my girlfriend's sister, so I've done a little bit of vego cooking...

Get this up ya... Vegetable Ratatouille

6 Capsicums, seeded and quartered (that'd be a Bell Pepper to you yankees, use as many different colours as you like)
2 eggplants, cut into wedges (this is usually a stretch for me, I HATE eggplant)
4 cloves of garlic, cliced
3 zucchinis, quartered
6 tomatoes, chopped (use Italian Roma tomatoes if you can manage it)
1 spanish (red) onion, cut into wedges
2 tsp fresh Oregano
1 tsp fresh Rosemary
1 tsp fresh Thyme
1/4 cup fresh Basil


Put under a hot oven grill until the skins are blackened, seal them in a plastic bag until cool and then peel away the skin.
preheat your oven to 180C (350F)
Brush the eggplant with olive oil and cook in a pan over medium-high heat for about 2 mins each side. they should be nice and golden.

Put all the ingredients except the basil leaves into a baking dish. Splash over some more olive oil and season the whole thing with salt and pepper. Sprinkle on some cayenne if that's your thing. Cover it all (use aluminium foil if your dish has no lid) and bake it for about 40 mins. Toss through the basil before you serve it.

That's easily enough for a few people, or 1 very hungry marathon runner.

[BtrFly]

Borscht (for A LOT of servings) rustic styles
3-4 med-large bulbs beetroot (2cm cube rough chop)
3-4 med potatoes (2cm cube rough chop)
2 med-large onions(rough chop)
1 parsnip(2cm cube rough chop)
3 carrots (2cm cube rough chop)
2-3 tblsp dill
3 cloves garlic chopped
salt to taste
peppercorns whole - to taste, about a dessert spoon though
3-4 tblsp vinegar - whatever takes your fancy
1/4 head white cabbage - rough chop

chuck all ingredients into a pot (very LARGE pot of course), cover and then some with water, and boil til the vegies are all cooked through. you can serve as is, or with sour cream when in the bowl. keeps for ages, and its even better the day after.

truly drool worthy.... :)

[dwarfthrower]

My Wok Tossed Greens:
* A quarter of a cabbage (Standard) or half a Chinese Cabbage - finely sliced
* 1 bunch spinach - roughly chopped
* 15 - 20 asparagus spears, sliced into 2 inch lengths
* 1 bunch bok choy (or 2 bunches baby bok choy) - roughly chopped
* 2 - 3 handfuls green beans - chopped into 2 inch lengths
* 4 - 5 cloves garlic - finely chopped
* 1 tbsp sesame oil
* 2 - 3 tbsp olive oil

Heat oil in wok, soften garlic in oil. Throw in vegies. Stir fry until veges are cooked. Serve.

[ms edeity]

These are yummo as a side or as a meal and really simple...but they can contain traces of meat. I've seen alot of different recipes for these but here's my fave:

Stuffed mushrooms.
crumble fetta cheese into a bowl.
add sliced marinated capsicum and sliced, shaved prociutto.
get your hands in and mix it up - the oil from the marinade will make it slightly wet but firm.
bake large field mushrooms cups on a flat tray in a preheated oven at 180 for 10 to 15 minutes (depending on their size).
spoon mixtre into cups and return to oven for another 15 - 20 mins.
done.

Add chilli, parsey, pine nuts (anything you like) really to the mix if you want to play with it.

[Benwah]

I eat a lot of veg, but it's mostly prepared pretty standardly

-Brussel sprouts are really good if you boil them in salty water and then toss in olive oil and basil pesto
-There are a million ways to stuff mushrooms
-Baking Spuds, Carrots, Onions, Sweet Potatoes is always a winner
-Don't forget Raw veg is even BETTER for you than cooked so Carrot and Greens (yes, Salad)
-Onion, Chilli, Garlic, Ginger and Curry powder, fry in olive oil (yeah I know should use Olive Oil but who gives!) then add a bunch of Veg (Carrots, Spuds whatever) stir it round a bit, add some chopped Tofu and coconut milk, boil until Veg is tender

[Canalien]

handy spanish herb names

thyme = tomillo
rosemary = romero
basil = albahaca
oregano = oregano, oddly enough

[dwarfthrower]

Thinly sliced turnips drizzled with balsamic vinegar are a good side to almost anything.

[kleph]

handy spanish herb names

thyme = tomillo
rosemary = romero
basil = albahaca
oregano = oregano, oddly enough

well, the biggest hurdle is that veggies and herbs often have different names that are regularly used making it tough to figure out exactly. like in english, when a recipe calls for scallions you best grab for the green onions and when you read corriander the cilantro best be handy. the same thing happens in spanish.

[kleph]

GAZPACHO! The most feared unit of the German army!

* 3 medium tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
* 2 medium bell peppers (one green, one red), roasted cut into 1/4-inch cubes
* 2 small cucumbers, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch cubes (one peeled and the other with skin on)
* 1/2 red onion, chopped fine
* 4 medium cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press
* 2 teaspoons table salt
* 1/3 cup sherry vinegar
* ground black pepper
* 5 cups tomato juice
* 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (optional)
* 8 ice cubes
* extra-virgin olive oil for serving

Combine the tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, onions, garlic, salt, vinegar, and pepper in a large (at least 4-quart) nonreactive bowl. Let stand until the vegetables just begin to release their juices, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato juice, hot pepper sauce, if using, and ice cubes. Cover tightly and refrigerate to blend flavors, at least 4 hours and up to 2 days.

Serve garnished with some extra vegetables set aside when preparing the ingredients for the Gazpacho itself. Also feel free to add croutons, olives, sliced hard-boiled eggs, and finely diced avocados.

[kleph]

Get this up ya... Vegetable Ratatouille
Put under a hot oven grill until the skins are blackened, seal them in a plastic bag until cool and then peel away the skin.
preheat your oven to 180C (350F)
Brush the eggplant with olive oil and cook in a pan over medium-high heat for about 2 mins each side. they should be nice and golden.


i'm no fan of eggplant either, but i have learned to appreciate them as a key building block for a lot of dishes. one trick you can try with this is to prep the eggplants a little differently. peel them and cut them into cube. lay the cubes. lay the eggplant cubes on some paper towels or wire rack and sprinkle with salt and let them sit for about half an hour. pat them dry with paper towels and then proceed with the recipe. this is helpful two ways, it will drain them of their juice which hold a lot of the bitterness and it will empty the large cells allowing them to fill with the taste of the sauce when you cook them.

[Zan]

I've been travelling through Bulgaria recently and I've fallen in love with the Shopska salad.

For 2 (or as a main dish)

- 2-3 tomatoes
- 1 large cucumber
- 1 capsicum (red/green pepper, here in Bulgaria they're usually shaped like a chilli, not traditional Australian capsicum/bell pepper)
- 1/2 small onion
- 200g White cheese (Bulgarian type is Sirene, similar to Feta but saltier)

1. Depending on time, either de-seed and roast the capsicum or very finely chop it.

2. Roughly dice the cucumber and tomatoes and finely chop the onion. Combine the cucumber with the onion and capsicum (if not roasting) and place this in a bowl, topped with the tomatoes.

3. Cover tomatoes with capsicum (or remainder) and grate cheese over the top.

Optional: serve with a terrible, terrible olive.

Suprisingly tasty because of the cheese and can stave off hunger while you look for something to kill and burn.. with fire.