9 Chapter 9 – Vegetarian Dishes

Ratatouille

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Masoor Dal-Indian Red Lentils

     Here is my recipe for Masoor Dal- Indian red Lentils. I have been making this dish a lot these days for my family who is at home because of COVID 19. This recipe is very nutritious, easy to make and requires less ingredients. Its perfect for cold grey days and instantly provides warmth to your soul with its simple flavorful flavors. It can be made in bulk and eaten for a couple of days. I got all the ingredients from Trader Joes in Evanston.It can be eaten with plain rice, naan or can be had even as a soup. My daughter who is a picky eater likes to eat it with naan or pita bread. I hope you can enjoy this recipe with your family.

 

1. In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the oil, add the onions and sauté until softened.  Add the minced ginger and garlic; stir, and reduce the heat to low.
2. Add the lentils, cumin and turmeric to the pan. Stir until the lentils are well coated with oil. Add 4 cups water.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat until the mixture is at a fast simmer. Cook uncovered until lentils are soft, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes.
4. Season to taste with salt, and continue to simmer until the mixture has thickened, about 10 minutes. If the dal is too soupy, increase the heat and cook for a little longer.
5. Add the chopped cilantro and lime juice. Stir well and switch off the heat.
6.  Serve hot with rice, naan or pita. You can also enjoy it as a soup.

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Beets ‘N’ Sweets

From Pat Dicke

     We used to make this whenever family came to visit when we lived in Erie PA. It was always a big hit!

Ingredients

• 6 medium beets, peeled and cut into chunks, OR 1 can of whole beets
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped (optional)
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. each of salt and pepper
• ½ tsp. sugar
• ½ Tb. olive oil (for fresh beets)
• 2 Tb. olive oil (for the seasoning mixture)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400º.

For fresh beets

1. Toss the beets with ½ tablespoon olive oil to coat. Then spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, mix 2 tablespoons olive oil with the seasonings.
3. Coat the potatoes and onions with the seasoning mixture, add to the cooked beets and mix.
4. Bake another 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

For canned beets 

1. Mix 2 tablespoons olive oil with the seasonings.
2. Coat the potatoes, onions, and beets with the seasoning mixture.
3. Spread the vegetables in single layer on a baking sheet.
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

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Great Tomato Pie

Trish Barr

     As soon as the fresh ripe tomatoes arrive at the Evanston Farmers’ Market, I buy enough to bake this pie. It’s so tasty and reminds me of growing up in Wisconsin. We always had a large garden and LOTS of tomato plants.

Ingredients

• a 9-inch pie shell, baked
• 2 Tb. Dijon mustard
• 4 large tomatoes, peeled and sliced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 oz. white cheddar cheese, grated
• 4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• ½ c. mayonnaise
• ½ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350º.
2. Spread the baked pie crust with the Dijon mustard.
3. Layer the sliced tomatoes onto the mustard.
4. Add salt and pepper.
5. Add the white and sharp cheddar cheeses.
6. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise and the grated Parmesan cheese.
7. Spread this mixture on top of the pie.
8. Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly.
9. Let cool. Best served at room temperature.

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Meatless Meatballs

Jennifer Shreve

     In 1993, I graduated from college and moved to Evanston.  It was my first apartment, first kitchen, and my first time cooking for myself and my boyfriend.  He was vegetarian when we met, and this is one of the first recipes I started cooking for him.  Over 25 years later, we’re married, living again in Evanston after many years away, still vegetarian (mostly), and this recipe is our son’s favorite meal.

Ingredients

• 3 c. cracker crumbs from Ritz or Town House style crackers
• 3/4 c. finely chopped walnuts
• 3/4 c. finely chopped pecans
• 1 ½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese
• 4 eggs
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tsp. sage
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
• 1 tsp. salt
• 4 c. (one 36 oz. jar) of your favorite pasta sauce
• olive oil or canola oil for frying

Preparation

1. Simmer the pasta sauce in a large saucepan on the stove top.
2. Crumble the crackers to create crumbs and chop the nuts.  Both the cracker crumbs and nuts can be chopped either in a food processor or by hand.
3. Mix together all of the ingredients except the pasta sauce and the oil. The mixture should stick together but not be too loose. Use an additional egg if the mixture is too dry, or more cracker crumbs if it is too wet.
4. Shape the mixture into balls and place them on a plate, ready for the frying pan.
5. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Place the meatballs in the pan and fry, turning to cook all sides evenly.  Alternatively, flatten the balls before you put them in the pan, so that they cook evenly on both sides.  Cook in batches if they don’t all fit into the pan at one time.
6. When all the sides are brown and crispy, take the meatballs out of the frying pan and place directly into the pasta sauce, so that they can sit and absorb the flavor of the sauce.  This is one of those meals that tastes better the longer the flavors meld, so it’s even better as leftovers.

Makes roughly 15 meatballs; each serving is 2-4 meatballs.

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Baked Sweet Potatoes with Cottage Cheese or Garlic Yogurt

Patricia Vaughan Tremmel

     This is such a simple recipe that gives me great joy. The nutrients in sweet potatoes are so plentiful,  and the the cottage cheese or yogurt on the side provide nice protein.

Ingredients

• sweet potatoes
• cottage cheese OR yogurt and garlic

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 425º.
• Wash the sweet potatoes and pierce with a fork
• Place the potatoes in a pan lined with tin foil (the yummy caramelization of the potatoes can really muck up a pan).
• Bake the potatoes for around an hour and a half (cooking time will vary depending on your oven and on how soft you like your sweet potatoes).
• When the potatoes are ready, just put a big scoop of cottage cheese on the side of the plate with the sweet potato. I like to take a forkful of cottage cheese with each bite of the potato. Or you can make garlic yogurt by mincing several cloves of garlic and mixing them with a small container of plain yogurt to make a sauce.

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White Beans, Tomato and Cheese Casserole (adapted from NYT Cooking)

Makes 4 burgers

Ingredients

• 3 c. cooked wild rice (still warm)
• ½ c. cooked white beans
• ½ c. finely chopped cooked mushrooms
• 1 small head of roasted garlic, pureed
• Sea salt

Preparation

1. Put the cooked wild rice in the bowl of a food processor while it is still warm.  Process it until it forms a ball and is starchy.
2. Remove the rice from the processor and combine it with the beans, the mushrooms, the garlic and a pinch of sea salt.
3. Mix well and form into 4 evenly divided patties. Press the patties so they are firm.
4. You can sauté the burgers in olive oil or put them in a hot oven and allow them to get crispy on the outside.

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