Need help with non-dairy vegetarian cooking

Calling all cooks...I know there is loads of food knowhow on TE, maybe you can help me out.

I'm trying to eat less meat. Not cut it out completely, just eat less, for environmental and ethical reasons. But we're not really avid cooks, so I need some easy, everyday quick vegetarian recipes. I've got a pretty good cookbook, but it uses quite a lot of dairy products, which my dh is allergic to (milk protein, not lactose intolerant). It also is written by people who like to spend time in the kitchen mixing together rather elaborate stuff... Anyone have any favourite non-dairy recipes to share? Preferably general type recipes where you can substitute according to what you have in the fridge :-)

I also need help figuring out how to put together a filling vegetarian dinner. It seems like I end up feeling hungry again a lot faster if I don't eat meat or fish, I guess it's too little protein. Will enough beans/peas/legumes do the trick, and how much is "enough"?

And - what's the consensus on tofu? Worth buying, or not?

Welp ... my experience as someone who's trying to eat a lot less grain ... you're going to wind up spending a lot of time in the kitchen unless you eat either a lot of grain or a lot of meat. Getting most of your calories from vegetables translates into a lot of prep time. But idea-wise, you don't need to get weird. Basically any vegetable dish will stand on its own without meat. Big plate of roasted root vegetables, this time of year ... sauté or purée of greens or sweet potatoes ... gratins (which does not require dairy, just that it's a casserole with a crusty topping) ...

My experience with beans is that they still spike my blood sugar, though YMMV. Nuts are a good source of protein and fat that help stabilize my blood sugar. You might look at raw food recipes - even if you don't want to go all the way raw, they're very filling and delicious, leave your body feeling GREAT, and most of the calories are from nuts.

Tofu is one of those things that really needs to be fresh, but at this point in history a lot of people have only ever had half-spoiled tofu and think that's the way it's supposed to taste. Yuk. If you have a local source, great (if you have an East Asian market you probably do; if you have a good health food store you might). If you want to make it yourself, it's not hard, but it is kind of involved, so there's that whole time in the kitchen thing. ;) If you have a big commercial source within a couple hundred miles, check the expiration date and the appearance of the curd and the water ... other than that, I wouldn't bother with it.

If you don't mind a lot of grain ... a standby recipe for a lot of people is pasta-with-whatever's-in-the-fridge. Sauté the vegies in plenty of olive oil, top with toasted pignoli or walnuts, and voilà, dinner.

You can use non-grain noodles like 100% buckwheat soba, bean thread noodles, either kind of shirataki, or spaghetti squash, if you like the texture - stronger flavored noodles like soba and spaghetti squash need a little more attention to what you use for toppings than very neutral ones.

Lorna Sass's cookbooks don't use much dairy, always have a non-dairy option, and tend to be pretty simple and quick.

Some time ago we talked here about Mark Bittman's cookbook, which I still haven't seen personally, but came highly recommended by some TE'rs, and I do love his column.


Another option since you're just reducing meat, not eliminating it, is soups and stews. The liquid makes them extra filling, if you use non-vegetarian stock you get protein from that, you can add beans too for more protein and fiber, you can get several meals out of the same amount of meat that would be just one meal if it were the centerpiece, and you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand. Scotch Broth recipe here, https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/02/d...tml?ref=dining - Japanese style noodle bowls would be another flavor option.

One of my constant easy fillers is lentils: cheap, filling, mega nutritional. I dump a bag in the crockpot with the correct quantity of water and a seasoning or two of my whim that week,(low for about 3 hours)- can be used for wraps, tacos, with rice etc....My kids use them for nachos. Tofu is excellent for stir fry and soups, stew etc....if you have not eaten it before try the extra firm .....

Try http://www.theppk.com/ . You don't have to go all the way to vegan to enjoy the site. And, I hear the forum is pretty good, with a lot of simple recipes. I'm not vegan, but we don't keep eggs and dairy (except for a some parmesean cheese) in the house. I'm surprised at how even baked goods just don't need it.

Without a protein in the meal, I do find the hunger kick in. As have been mentioned, nuts (throw some walnuts in the spaghetti sauce), beans (soups and stews), tofu, seitan, TVP. I tend to stay away from pasta and potato (fast sugars), but if I use them, they are just a small portion with more sauce/toppings.

Tofu takes on the flavor of the sauce. When you cook without meat, I believe, you need more herbs and spices. Try some Indian recipes. Sometimes use the tofu as-is, just heating it in the sauce; other times, oven fry it (sprinkle with oil and bake until brown) to give a different texture. Seitan gives a chewy texture to meals -- use where you might have used chicken in a stew. Lightly mash chickpeas and mix with veggies and salad dressing and herbs for a chicken salad substitute.

We just had a filling dinner last night that was non-dairy, non-meat:

Roasted butternut and red pepper soup. Chop up the squash, some red pepper, garlic and small onion, put into roasting glass dish, etc. Then veggies are cooked in a veggie broth. Pureed and voila: a filling soup. Actually dearie makes these types of nutritious, filling pureed veggie soups. A whole batch can be made and frozen too. :)

99% of my cooking does not use any butter, milk or cheese...for the past few decades. This is true for traditional Asian dishes (Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese) or dishes that are influenced by this type of cuisine. But like salads, Asian dishes require some time to chop veggies. But stir frying is fast-- less than 15 min. for 2 people. He makes the salads, I just don't tend to do it.

I do drink milk, have cereal daily and eat cheese outside of my cooked dishes. Sometimes I add a dollop yogurt to cereal, certain pureed soups. Yogurt influence is from dearie.

I cook with tofu several times per month or none at all. I do eat meat...about 3-4 times per month. But I haven't prepared any chicken nor pork in the past few years. Just lazy and alot of the meat in our area is packaged in such large amounts that it's impractical for us. I use egg whites when I make scrambled eggs, etc.

We actually rarely use any beans in any of our cooking. However I don't mind it when I order it in a restaurant, etc. Just haven't gotten into using beans in my cooking.

No doubt, lph you will ease into cooking changes over time.

forgot to mention hummus and other bean dips- used instead of dairy based spreads/dips......protein and delicious (:

Some of the way to save time in cooking is to make your herb mixes in big batches and freeze them. I do this with garam marsla (stereotypical Indian herb mix). When I make curry, it takes me less than 30 minutes of "work" and another 30-45 minutes of simmering.

Dairy free cuisine tends to be, like shooting star says, Asian.
Also check into Ethiopian, Morrocan dishes and other middle eastern dishes. Not all of them are goat and sheep.

Something simple from middle east would be falafal. You can bake instead of deep frying. We do this often.

Non-meat/dairy dishes tend to be heavy on spices and often uses a common spice mix. So again mix in batches and freeze.

Some of the spice mix I make in bulk:
Garam marsla, herb de provence, chai, dried version of bouquet garni. None of these have one set recipe! They all have some variation so if you were to look it up on internet, you will find several different variation. I have my favorites so that is what I make.

We also make spicy hot chutney out of mango. Stores really well in fridge and great on vegetarian dish. Check into lot of Indian dishes. Many of the recipe uses ghee (clarified butter) but you can substitute with canola, sunflower or other oil. Olive oil not recommended because of low smoke point.

A variation on Indian Samosa is pretty good. outer wrapping can be substituted with puff pastry you can buy at a grocery store. Filling is easy to make and its vegetarian, potato, lentil, onion, garam marsla for seasoning and almost any other veggies you can think of. Spread some chutney on top and it makes a very filling meal. And no need to deep fry, just bake

oooo puff pastry uses lots of butter, if he isn't okay then you will have to mix the pastry shell out of more traditional recipe. Just flour, bit of salt, oil and water.

enjoy your less meat diet. We do this to save on money!!

another thing we do:

I make chicken stock in big batches and freeze them in ice cube trays so I have frozen cubes of stock. I also make fish fume for seafood soup. Save the fish head and the bone to make fume. Fume should not be cooked no more than 30 minutes. Different than a fish stock. Again freeze into ice cubes.

Steamed mussels in butter sauce is yummy but again its butter. Belgian national dish I think... EASY!!

And practice Mise-en-place!! (everything in its place aka prep first dice chop slice and get the seasoning ready before you turn on the stove!!)

Our staple quick meals are Indian curries with chickpeas and whatever vegetables are on hand, Thai curries with coconut milk, stir fries with tofu and peanut sauce, chili or bean stews, and roasted vegetables with baguette and olive oil to dip)

The Indian curries are not authentic at all but are tasty. I saute an onion and carrot in some oil (coconut or canola), add some curry spices (I like garam masala and tandoori spices instead of 'curry' powder), then add whatever other veggies I have, usually cauliflower, kale, and sweet potato, and a can of diced tomatoes. Let it simmer for 20 minutes until cooked.

Thai curries are even easier. Saute onion, carrot, and winter squash (snow peas, broccoli, bell pepper, and baked tofu are also good additions). Add curry paste and coconut milk, simmer until squash is cooked and finish with basil.

Stir fry is my favorite meal. Ours if full of broccoli, onions, bell pepper, and tofu. I make a peanut sauce with peanut butter, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, rice vinegar, and fermented tofu if available. All of it covered with sriracha.

Our meals always have a plant protein like beans, tofu, or nuts that help keep things filling. We eat rice with a lot of things (I prefer brown, he prefers white so it depends who cooks which one it is). All of these recipes depend on what vegetables we have in the fridge and can be full of different veggies or only have three different ones.

I also recommend theppk.com - both the recipes and the forum for more information

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Originally Posted by smilingcat

oooo puff pastry uses lots of butter, if he isn't okay then you will have to mix the pastry shell out of more traditional recipe. Just flour, bit of salt, oil and water.

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The vegan boards claim Pepperidge Farm's puff pastry sheets are vegan. Of course, that might not help you in Norway...

Cool! Lots of good ideas here. I like and often make Indian or Asian type meals (stir fry, or curries using coconut milk, fresh ginger, chilis), but I've had trouble making them completely meat-free without feeling hungry soon after. I think I've been too stingy on the beans, and can certainly use more nuts than we do now. And I haven't tried tofu at all yet. Will check out our "Turkish-shop", as the local kids call it. I have no trouble eating a lot of grains, as long as it's not heavily processed. And I don't mind a certain amount of food prep, it's just that the two recipes from my new cookbook I tried were both for vegetarian burgers, and it took maybe an HOUR to get everything into subatomic particles just so I could shape them into something vaguely burgershaped...

I've never eaten great amounts of meat, so I'm surprised at how difficult it's been to cut it completely out of meals. We'd use maybe 200 g of minced beef in a spaghetti sauce for three people, which is about the size of one large hamburger, I think. And I loved chicken, until I read about the conditions they're raised, and die under. Appalling. I buy free-range every now and then, but it costs a small fortune so chicken is no longer a regular part of our everyday meals, unfortunately. For us, not the chickens ;-)

Thanks again for all of the great ideas!

Oh, and I forgot to say - I ADORE samosas. The thought never struck me that I could make my own. Oooh. :)

I grew up having to take a long-distance bus to and from anywhere, but right next to the main bus stop in town there was a small stand where an Indian guy sold amazing samosas. We'd always buy one if we had the time, he'd always ask if we wanted "hot or mild" sauce, we always asked for the hot one, and it always made our eyes bug out :p

Oh, and strange as it may sound, you can substitute tofu for the meat in Indian recipes, particularly if they call for paneer (tofu is just soy cheese) or mild fish. The substitution for fish came when I was watching a local cooking show and the cook was making a very interesting (and simple) tomato tamarind sauce. It sounded really great and then she threw in fish. But she said something about a "mild fish so that it picks up the flavors of the sauce"..hmmm...tofu. We tried it with tofu and it has become a staple meal with a side of brown rice and veggies.

These are all great ideas. I eat very little dairy, mostly cheese and a bit of Greek yogurt. But, I would find it hard to cut out meats and grains at the same time, so I have ended up cutting out most of the grains, except occasional quinoa, brown rice, kamut, or kasha (buckwheat). I have cooked with tofu for a long time; just buy the extra firm. I've also found some easier type recipes for "black bean burgers" that use low salt, canned beans instead of having to soak the hard ones. Generally, I eat 2 vegetarian meals a week, but it's a bit harder when I'm trying to do a semi-Paleo thing. I was vegetarian for about a year, before I met my DH, but at that time, it was more to lose weight, rather than any type of health issue or political statement.

I use tofu in some dishes, always the extra firm kind (unless I'm pureeing a soup, then I use silken soft) but I find if you want a sturdy texture, tempeh is the way to go. It stands up to cooking a lot better, you can crumble it, it takes on the flavors of the spices/sauces but also has a taste of it's own. You can get it in several different flavors if you want to use it for sandwiches. I use it anywhere one would use chicken or beef - burritos, chili, stir-fry, etc.

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Originally Posted by Thorn

Try http://www.theppk.com/ . You don't have to go all the way to vegan to enjoy the site. And, I hear the forum is pretty good, with a lot of simple recipes. I'm not vegan, but we don't keep eggs and dairy (except for a some parmesean cheese) in the house. I'm surprised at how even baked goods just don't need it.

Without a protein in the meal, I do find the hunger kick in. As have been mentioned, nuts (throw some walnuts in the spaghetti sauce), beans (soups and stews), tofu, seitan, TVP. I tend to stay away from pasta and potato (fast sugars), but if I use them, they are just a small portion with more sauce/toppings.

Tofu takes on the flavor of the sauce. When you cook without meat, I believe, you need more herbs and spices. Try some Indian recipes. Sometimes use the tofu as-is, just heating it in the sauce; other times, oven fry it (sprinkle with oil and bake until brown) to give a different texture. Seitan gives a chewy texture to meals -- use where you might have used chicken in a stew. Lightly mash chickpeas and mix with veggies and salad dressing and herbs for a chicken salad substitute.

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I checked out your above link. even if you arenot a full on veggie it still has some great recipes. The New years day recipe I am going to have to try! Thanks for sharing!

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Originally Posted by Brandi

I checked out your above link. even if you arenot a full on veggie it still has some great recipes. The New years day recipe I am going to have to try! Thanks for sharing!

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Agreed. I think I might try the Ancho lentil tacos this weekend!

On the curries- we eat meat- but not always- I have found if I add in sweet potato and eggplant, it helps to fill me up!

I do a lot with sweet potatos(roast in oven as fries, add to curries, stir fry, etc.etc.etc.)

I missed it until today - this week Martha Rose Shulman is doing strict vegetarian recipes with whatever's in the pantry. :)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/31/he...entil-dal.html

Brilliant. I love having lots of ideas to go back and look up when I need inspiration.

This tread is very helpful to me - my daughter has not eaten meat since high school and has had to remove dairy from her diet for health reasons and I am (and I am sure she is too) is getting tired of making salmon for her when she comes over for dinner. I bookmarked the PPK web site. Thanks!

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Originally Posted by indysteel

Agreed. I think I might try the Ancho lentil tacos this weekend!

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We just ate the ancho lentil tacos. They were very good and very easy. I added some red cabbage slaw dressed in a small amount of chipoltle mayo/sour cream dressing. If that doesn't appeal, just add some element of crunch to the lentil filling. Otherwise, it'll be too one note.

I had an aha-experience last night, when I made one of the really simple recipes from this cookbook. It was just broad pasta (tagliatelle), with sliced raw sugar snaps and roasted cherry tomatoes on top, with a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice and chopped walnuts poured over. I was sure I'd have the too-little-protein urge hit me later, but we all ate, and no-one went raiding the fridge later. The oil-mix had too much lemon juice so it was too sour, but there was a liberal amount of oil and I think there was just enough fat that we didn't get hungry again. I.e. - cut meat, add fat.