Vegetarian recipes are energizing, original and often less expensive than their carnivorous cousin, and that is the reason why a lot of people eat vegetarian or vegan today.
But you know, even if you’re not vegan, you can still enjoy a lot of vegetarian recipes as they help you eat and live healthy.
We have provided a list of 7 easy vegetarian recipes for dinner you and your family will love.
Our bodies benefit from vegetables a lot more than from meat. They contain lots of vitamins and minerals that can repair our body’s functions and eliminate the feeling of being “stressed” and “tired” from doing daily activities.
A high-meat diet might not be able to provide you with everything your body needs and that is why it is best to keep a balanced diet. We hope that our easy vegetarian recipes would be helpful for your future menus.
This is a vegetarian recipe stew of pure vegetables in heavenly peanut butter sauce. It’s very fulfilling too. The vegetables work together to flavor the stew and the peanut butter makes a slightly sweet and creamy sauce.
1 block of tofu, cut in medium-sized dices
1 whole Banana bud – the banana blossoms sliced
1 cup string beans cut into equal lengths (about 1/2 inch to 1 inch)
1/2 cup ground peanuts
1 cup eggplants, sliced
1 cup squash diced
1 stalk of chinese white cabbage, sliced lengthwise (root-end removed)
1/2 cup onions, sliced or minced
2 to 3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 1/2 cups of organic peanut butter
3 tbsp fish sauce
2-3 cups of Water
Gluten is one of the most protein rich vegetarian and vegan foods you can eat. Most people buy seitan or wheat gluten, but it’s easy to make them if you know how.
Seitan is a great vegetarian and vegan meat substitute. It has the consistency of meat, and with the right flavorings or sauces, people are often fooled and unaware they are eating gluten and not real meat.
I’ll provide a simple instruction on how to make it or you can buy gluten from an Asian grocery near you.
If you don’t have the time or desire to make them, you can buy seitan in many forms at your local grocery store or health food store, in the refrigerator section.
See recipe below on how to make seitan (wheat gluten).
1 pack of gluten(seitan) – cut in small slices or 1/2 inch slices
1 large onion, chopped
Olive oil
5 cups water
1 stalk chopped celery
1/2 cup tomato juice
1 cup gravy
Water spinach is a very healthy green vegetable and lady finger is a sweet and crisp vegetable. When they are put together in vegetarian recipes, it is a lovely treat especially for those who love to eat less meat. I hope you will enjoy making this recipe.
2 regular bundles of water spinach (washed and sorted)
6 to 8 pcs of lady fingers
3 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp sugar and pepper
1 tbsp lemon or lime juice (cane vinegar can also be used)
1 clove of garlic
1/4 cup of water
TIP: When you serve it on a plate, you can add dried sesame seeds or peanuts. And for the lady fingers, you can put a little of the sauce into it and add some red peppers if you love spicy flavors.
Chicken drumsticks are good but vegetable drumsticks are even better! The crispy sound when crunching lovely vegetables would be nice every once in a while.
Since dinner is not supposed to be too heavy or too light, this can be a perfect new way to enjoy your evening meals without the guilt.
1 1/2 cups of cooked carrots, mashed
3 tbsp melted butter
3 cups soft bread crumbs
1 cup fine dry bread crumbs
Salt to taste
1 egg, well beaten
1 1/2 tbsp onions, minced
1 1/2 tbsp pimiento (red sweet peppers), chopped
TIP: You can use hot sauce or ketchup if you don’t have barbecue sauce. You can also use popsicle sticks or young corn if you don’t have the usual skewer sticks.
Who does not enjoy a delicious pot pie? – No one. Even a vegetarian or vegan version of it still tastes so yummy that you would want to come back for more.
It’s another recipe that is quick and easy to do. You just need small cups and enough dough for the crust and all those frozen mixed vegetables taste rich and creamy in a way.
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold butter or vegan butter
1/4 – 1/2 cup ice water
1 Block of tofu, diced into bite sizes
1/2 cup breading mix
2 onions, finely chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste
Pie crust dough
1/2 cup milk
4-5 cups of frozen mixed vegetables
1 can mushrooms
4 tbsp flour
This is a classic sweet and sour recipe with a meatless twist!
The sweet and sour tofu balls are not only vegetarian, they are great tasting and are packed with healthy ingredients that your family will want from time to time.
With the improvements in food science, ingredients like tofu and seitan are giving red meat a run for it’s money, by often having the same taste and texture as their red meat cousin, and without the calories and fat that meat has.
2 cups of tofu, mashed/ 1 brick of mashed tofu
1 tsp garlic, crushed
2 tbsp onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp green onion, finely cut
2 tbsp celery, finely chopped
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp salt
4 tbsp flour
2 cups of cooking oil
2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tsp water
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp chili pepper flakes (you can skip this if you’re not fond of spicy flavors)
1/3 cups rice vinegar or regular vinegar
1/2 cups water
1/2 cups maple syrup or brown sugar
2 tbsp tomato catsup (you can use tomato paste for a thicker sauce)
2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup rice flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup club soda water
Mushrooms are also a good substitute for meat and they are also easy to cook.
Any type of mushroom can be cooked in vegetarian recipes by sauteing or stir frying with cooking oil and some spices for added flavor.
I prefer cooking with olive oil, for a healthy option.
1/2 kg fresh mushrooms (any type but preferably button mushrooms)
2 tbsp butter or margarine – you can use a low fat version
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped green onion
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 – 2 tbsp sliced sweet pepper
Salt to taste
It’s easy to make gluten, it just takes time if you do. That is why a lot of people buy it from the grocery instead of making it at home, but it’s sometimes better to prepare it yourself so you could make sure that it has no chemical additives or extra preservatives.
Here are the ingredients and the instructions on how you can make it at home.
7 – 8 cups of wheat flour or bread flour
2 tbsp of yeast
2 1/2 cups of water (for the dough)
4 cups of water (for the soup stock)
1 cup of soy sauce or tamari (1/2 for the dough and 1/2 for the soup stock)
1 – 2 cubes of soup stock
Author Bio:
EL Mehdi Zefzoufi is the founder of Desired Cuisine, a community geared towards sharing insights and interests regarding kitchen and dining ideas around the world.
Our goal is to make the world a better place through sharing our ideas on how to start and maintain a healthy vegetarian or vegan lifestyle by offering helpful tips and recipes and also by giving a list of products that are safe and are of good quality.