Get Cooking: 150 Simple Recipes to Get You Started in the Kitchen (21 page)

The Greening of Dinner

I’ve spent an entire career creating and writing vegetarian recipes, and my “off-duty” cooking is very heavily (and happily) skewed this way as well. I do eat bits of meat from time to time, but I pretty much always
think
like a vegetarian, and “plant cuisine” is my Forever culinary home base. This is the food that I love and that makes me feel best, not only in body and soul, but creatively, in the garden and kitchen. And because I want to share this kind of cooking with everyone, and not further the misperception (to people who might love their burgers as well as their broccoli) that vegetarian cuisine is some kind of exclusive club, I prefer to call it “garden-and-orchard-based eating,” and thus (hopefully) fling the door to this paradise wide open. “Garden-and-orchard-based eating” is a mouthful, I know, and it doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue (which is why it’s not the title of this chapter). But with high hopes that this approach to food will become a
literal
mouthful—and a positive factor in your lives—here are the recipes I have created just for you, to get you launched into the universe of green-leafy-delicious.

This chapter, therefore, is not just for you official “Big V” vegetarians. It’s also for meat lovers who might want some really tasty, easy options to try out a few nights a week as a break from burgers and chicken. I think you’ll discover that eating a little less meat, loving it when you do eat it, and doing good for the planet (since plant-based choices are far less damaging to the environment) is a win-win-win.

These recipes are designed to give you a basic repertoire of meatless entrées, based on favorite ideas from my decades of loving to cook this way. Along with some of the pastas in the pasta chapter (or the suggested meatless versions of them), you’ll have quite a few good options to choose from.

Most of these dishes are complete meals with the addition of a green salad or, in the case of the stir-fry and the curries, a bowl of rice to serve them over. And most of them are, or can be, vegan-friendly, with the exception of the quiche, cornbread, calzones, and Popover Pie. Where cheese is called for—other than in the recipes just mentioned—you can simply leave it out.

One of the things I like best about mostly-plant-based eating is that it defies all the old rules about what goes on a plate. Who says you can’t serve any of these vegetarian entrées with any of the recipes in the Sides chapter? As far as I’m concerned, the more garden food we all eat, the better. Mashed potatoes with quiche? Sounds like a plan!

acorn squash stuffed with apple-almond-cherry basmati pilaf

Makes 4 servings

A
corn squash is a natural edible bowl that was born to be stuffed. Here, it’s filled with a fragrant pilaf of basmati rice, sweet onions, garlic, almonds, apples, and dried cranberries. Use plain raw almonds (not roasted, salted, or otherwise processed), chopped with a sharp heavy knife on a cutting board, or buzzed very briefly in a food processor. They don’t need to be too fine—just coarsely chopped. Some people like the skin of cooked acorn squash. If that’s you, eat this with a fork and a sharp knife, such as a steak knife, to make cutting through the skin easier.

You can cook the rice and bake the squash at the same time. I’ve provided a simple rice method here. You could also use a rice cooker (follow the manufacturer’s instructions) or the slightly unconventional method on Chapter 7: Sides, but for this smallish amount, I recommend just doing it as described below.

1.
Combine the rice and water in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil. Then turn down the heat to the lowest possible setting (insert a waffle heat absorber under the pot, if you have one), cover the pot, and let the rice simmer undisturbed for 40 minutes.

2.
Meanwhile, adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking tray with foil, and pour 1 tablespoon of the olive oil on it. Use your fingers to distribute the oil so that it coats the area where you’ll put the squash. Place the squash, cut side down, on the olive oil. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until you can easily insert a fork or a sharp knife into the squash from the skin side.

3.
While the squash is roasting and the rice is cooking, place a small skillet over medium heat. After about a minute, add the remaining ½ tablespoon (that’s 1½ teaspoons) olive oil, and swirl to coat the pan. Add the butter and swirl until it melts into the oil. Add the onion, and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes, or until it becomes very soft and is beginning to turn golden. (If it appears to be browning too quickly, turn the heat to medium-low.) Add the almonds and cook them with the onions, stirring frequently, for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the almonds begin to toast and give off a lovely aroma. Stir in the garlic and salt, and cook for 5 minutes longer. Remove the pan from the heat.

4.
When the squash is done, remove the tray from the oven, and set it aside. Turn the oven down to 300°F.

5.
After 40 minutes of undisturbed cooking, you may now disturb the rice by fluffing it with a fork. Give it a taste. If it is a little too crunchy, add another 3 tablespoons water, and without fluffing or stirring it further, put the top back on and let it sit for another 10 minutes with the heat turned off. It will steam itself a little further and become more tender.

6.
When the rice is done to your liking, transfer it to a medium-large bowl. Add the onion-almond mixture (using a rubber spatula to scrape in all the delicious essence that might otherwise be left in the pan) and toss until well combined. Add the apple and cherries, and mix until thoroughly combined.

7.
Turn the squash halves over, so their cavities are facing up. Divide the rice mixture among the squash, using a soup spoon to fill the cavities; pack down the filling and then mound the top. (There will be a generous amount of filling. If it’s too much, you can snack on it or serve it as a side-dish-refill component of the meal. I assure you no one will complain.)

8.
Cover the filled squash loosely with a tent of foil, and return the tray to the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes, or just long enough to heat everything through. (If you like, you can skip this step and just serve the squash halves as soon as you stuff them.)

SPLITTING AND SEEDING ACORN SQUASH

Cutting an acorn squash, especially when you want to end up with two matching halves, is a process requiring both an appropriate knife and a few minutes of utter focus. Make sure the knife is very sharp (always, but especially here). Watch your squash-holding hand carefully as you steady the squash and insert the point of the knife about ½-inch deep into the side of the squash, directly into a groove between the ridges. After this initial cut, patiently rock the knife to coax the squash open, continuing to follow the groove. Keep at it, and at a certain moment the squash will split itself in half. Use scissors to loosen the stringy flesh holding the seeds, then scrape out the cavity with a spoon. (If you’d like to toast the seeds, see Chapter 1: Soups). The squash is now ready to roast.

vegetarian chili with homemade cornbread

Makes about 6 servings

T
his chili is very straightforward. There’s a bit of vegetable prep, and the rest is about as challenging as opening a few cans. But it tastes thoroughly, comfortingly homemade, especially if you serve it with scratch-baked cornbread. (Make the cornbread first, and then start the chili once the bread is in the oven.) As long as you stir it occasionally, you can’t really overcook this chili. It gets richer and deeper the longer it simmers, and it’s even better when you reheat it. So make a big batch, and refrigerate or freeze the extra in a tightly covered container. (Freezing it in individual serving-size containers or resealable freezer bags can be very convenient for future spontaneous dinners.)

1.
Place a soup pot or a Dutch oven over medium heat. After about a minute, add the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the onion, chili powder, cumin, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until the onion softens.

2.
Stir in the carrot, celery, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are very soft.

3.
Add the vinegar, garlic, and bell pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often. Meanwhile, set a colander in the sink and pour in the beans; give them a quick rinse and allow them to drain.