What are your favorite vegetarian/vegan recipes?

[getting there]

I'm phasing meat, poultry and dairy products out of my daughter and I's diet because of health, money and ethic issues. So I'm keen to see what your favorites recipes are.

[red]

vegetarian: pasta with roast pumpkin pine nuts and goats cheese but that has dairy in it... the only things we eat that are vegan are vegetable soups...
are you avoiding eggs as well?

[getting there]

I was thinking I could eat the eggs from my friends chickens as they have free run over their farm during the day and get to forage their own food.

I've replaced cow milk with rice milk (bonus is daughter drinks it, she never liked cow milk). Could I use rice milk to replace cow milk in various recipes?

[Stonehead]

Vegetable soup. Lots of diced root vegetables, a selection of fresh herbs tied together, some barley, rice or split peas, a spoon of vegemite, and cook slowly for a couple of hours. Eat with fresh bread. One of our winter/spring staples.

[Millymollymandy]

Another pumpkin one - though I serve this with basmati rice and use less veg stock because it is a bit too runny otherwise. It is even nicer with French beans and I garnish with holy basil as well as coriander.

PUMPKIN AND COCONUT CURRY

2 tbsp veg oil
2 onions chopped
600g pumpkin, peeled & chopped into small pieces
2 red chillies, deseeded & chopped finely
Grated zest of 2 limes
Juice of 1 lime
1 clove garlic crushed
2 stalks lemongrass shredded
2in piece ginger, peeled & grated
600ml veg stock
250g pack noodles
400ml can coconut milk
1 tsp fish sauce (optional)
Fresh chopped coriander to garnish.

Heat oil & gently fry onions.
Add pumpkin, chillies, lime zest, garlic, lemon grass & ginger & cook for 4 mins.
Add stock, bring to boil & simmer for 8 mins or until pumpkin is tender.
Meanwhile cook noodles.
Blend/puree half the curry & then return to the pan.
Stir in coconut milk & lime juice & fish sauce if using.
Divide noodles into bowls & spoon over curry sauce.
Garnish with coriander.

[ina]

Tuoni e lampo (thunder and lightning!) - an Italian dish, which combines pasta with chickpeas, olive oil, and garlic. Can be eaten with parmesan cheese, but doesn't need to (and there is some vegan parmesan substitute around). I would eat beans and pulses in combination with whole grains and potatoes wherever possible to make sure you get enough protein - especially important for a growing child! Lentil soup is a good staple, too.

Edited to add a few: a kind of vegetarian Scotch broth is great, too - has grains (pot barley) and pulses (lentils and/or split peas), with lots of veg.

Probably popular with kids would be potato mash with mushy peas - another good combination of various proteins. I love it with fried onions, and you should serve it with some colourful (and not mushy!) veg like carrots.

[Annpan]

Try mychick pea stew

I'd be wary of cutting out whole food groups, are you happy to eat organic dairy products? what about yogurt?... I don't mean to preach, just be carefull alot of vegans have to take supplements to ensure they have a balanced diet.

[ina]

I think it's particularly difficult for growing children; I have a friend who is vegan, but she feeds the kids meat and fish, and they drink lots of milk. If they decide later they want to follow in mum's footsteps, that's ok.

[eccentric_emma]

I've replaced cow milk with rice milk (bonus is daughter drinks it, she never liked cow milk). Could I use rice milk to replace cow milk in various recipes?

I use rice milk in recipes and it seems to work ok. Rice milk is gorgeous. You can buy nut milks too, or you can make your own nut milk by soaking a cupful of nuts (whichever ones you like) for a few hours then blending it with a cupful of water (basically a ratio of 1:1 nuts:water), then straining it through a cheesecloth or muslin (or you can leave the pulp in if you prefer). You can also add honey for flavour. And you could use the nut pulp to make nut burgers.

[getting there]

Thanks heaps everyone

I'm not going vegan or even totally vegetarian, just needed some recipe ideas to try as most of mine are pretty basic. We eat the eggs from my friends chickens and organic yogurt and meat (also from my friends) twice a week.

[mrsflibble]

if a recipe calls for cows milk cream, substitute with soya cream cheese. it's creamy and flavourless with much the same texture.
Baking works surprisingly well with rice milk, but don't try making up an angel delight with it 'cos you'll get a powdery milkshake.
always use unsweetened, but that kind of goes without saying really.
to make buttermilk for recipes like american pancakes, just add a teaspoon of lemon juice to any non dairy milk. it works the same as dairy in that respect.


and all other dairy-cutter-outers: if you are coeliac or gluten-free, CHECK YOUR RICE MILK LABELS. they are not all glueten free as many use barley in their processing. little bit o ricemilk trivia for you.