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Recipes
Going veg is easy! To help you get started, PETA staff have compiled some of their favourite quick-and-easy recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Most of the recipes call for ingredients easily found in your local grocery store. You may have to go to a health food shop for a few items.
Breakfast
Eating breakfast out? Have a bowl of cereal, hash browns with mushrooms and beans, a bagel, toast with jam, or fresh fruit. Take along your own dairy-free margarine or cream cheese substitute and soya milk. For breakfast at home, try these ideas:
Tofu Scramble1 packet firm tofu, drained and crumbled
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
125g green pepper, chopped
125g onion, chopped
75g fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ tsp. turmeric
75 to 125ml barbecue sauce (optional)
50g Bac-o-Bits (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Sauté the crumbled tofu in oil until dry. Add the remaining ingredients and continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes.
Makes 4 servings.
Lunch or Dinner
Dining out for lunch or dinner is a snap. Most restaurants serve at least one vegetarian meal, and many will adapt an entrée for you. Look for salads, baked potatoes, rice or pasta dishes with vegetables or a meat-free tomato sauce, Thai and Indian curries, bean burritos, falafel and pizza with lots of vegetables but no cheese. Many pubs, restaurants and cafés now have a separate vegetarian menu - just ask!Vegetable Fried Rice
1 tbsp. margarine
150g cooked brown rice
Soya sauce, to taste
50g chopped onion
50g chopped celery
50g chopped green pepper
50g shredded carrot
50g chopped squash
In a nonstick frying pan, melt the margarine, then add the cooked rice and sprinkle with soya sauce. Add the remaining ingredients and continue to cook on medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes. Other vegetables (like broccoli) can be added as desired.
Makes 2 servings.
Fettuccini Alfonso
(from The Uncheese Cookbook by Joanne Stepaniak)
A typical serving of Fettuccini Alfredo has as much saturated fat as three pints of ice cream! Not so Fettuccini Alfonso, which has a sinfully rich taste that is deceptively low in fat.
225g frozen sweetcorn kernels
375ml low-fat or regular soya milk
2 tbsp. tahini (optional)
1 tbsp. onion granules
1 tsp. salt
450g egg-free fettuccini
White pepper (optional)
Thaw the sweetcorn kernels. Place the sweetcorn, soya milk, tahini and seasonings in a blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth. (It may take several minutes to completely pulverise the sweetcorn.) Pour the blended mixture into a medium saucepan and warm over medium-low heat, stirring often.
While the sauce is heating, cook the fettuccini in a large pot of boiling water until al dente. Drain well and return to the pot. Add the hot sauce and toss until the pasta is evenly coated. Serve immediately, topping each portion with pepper, if desired.
Makes 6 servings.
Cajun GumboCajun cuisine goes 'green' in this veggie version of the Louisiana classic.
600g uncooked white rice
1.7lt vegetable stock
450g firm tofu, cut into chunks
350g cooked black-eyed beans
350g sweetcorn
225g chopped spring greens
125g okra
115g diced green pepper
3 tbsp. vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
1 3.5-oz. can tomato paste
2 large onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1 tbsp. black pepper
2 to 3 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. salt
15g minced fresh parsley
1-2 tsp. hot pepper sauce
Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C/ Gas Mark 6.
Place the rice in a large roasting pan or casserole and pour the stock over.
Combine the remaining ingredients and place over the rice in the roasting pan. Cover and cook for 1 hour. Uncover and stir. Replace cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes. Stir and check if the rice is done. If necessary, cook for another 30 minutes or until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.
Makes 8 servings.
Roasted Veggie Pizzas1 small aubergine, sliced
1 medium courgette, sliced
1 red onion, cut into small wedges
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
½ tsp. thyme
¼ tsp. black pepper
4 individual pizza bases or
pitta breads
150ml tomato sauce
Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C/ Gas Mark 7.
Combine the vegetables, oil, vinegar, thyme and pepper in a large baking dish and toss to mix well. Bake, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Set aside.
Place the pizza shells or cut flatbread on baking sheets. Spread about 2 tbsp. of the tomato sauce on each base or piece of pitta, then top with the roasted vegetables. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
Makes 4 servings.
Spinach Lasagne225g egg-free lasagne noodles
2 10-oz. packets frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
450g soft tofu
450g firm tofu
1 tbsp. sugar
75ml soya milk
½ tsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. lemon juice
3 tsp. minced fresh basil
2 tsp. salt
1.2lt tomato sauce (passata)
Cook the lasagne noodles according to the packet directions. Drain.
Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/ Gas Mark 4.
Squeeze the spinach as dry as possible and set aside.
Place the tofu, sugar, soy milk, garlic powder, lemon juice, basil and salt in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Stir in the spinach.
Cover the bottom of a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish with a thin layer of tomato sauce, then a layer of noodles (use about one-third of the noodles). Follow with half of the tofu filling.
Chickpea Curry
2 & ½ medium onions, thinly sliced
4 tbsp. margarine
225g can tomato sauce (passata)
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. allspice
1 & ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. ginger
4 cans of chickpeas, drained
1-2 green peppers, cut into
small pieces
Salt, to taste
100ml water
Sauté the onions in the margarine. When golden brown, add the tomato sauce, garlic and the spices and sauté for a few minutes. Add the chickpeas and the green peppers and sauté over fairly high heat until everything is browned, about 15 minutes. Add the salt and water, turn down the heat and cover. Simmer for about 1 hour, stirring frequently. Serve over rice.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Quick and Easy Snacks
- Microwave tortillas and fill with canned refried beans, salsa, guacamole and corn for easy burritos.
- For noodles with Thai peanut sauce, just cook noodles in a hot pot or wok, drain and cover in bottled Thai peanut sauce.
- Heat sliced veggie hot dogs and tinned baked beans in the microwave for fast 'franks and beans'.
- Make an easy pasta salad by boiling water and cooking spiral pasta. Drain and add chopped broccoli, carrots, green pepper, sweetcorn and red onion. Stir in your favourite salad dressing and chill.
- Don't have time or space to chop up vegetables for stir-fry? Buy a bag of frozen mixed veggies and throw 'em in the wok with some soya sauce, ginger and garlic.
Pasta Salad
225g packet of tri-coloured pasta, cooked
3 ears of cooked sweetcorn, with the kernels cut from the cob
1 bunch broccoli florets, cut small and steamed
15 large black olives, sliced
15 green olives with pimento, sliced
400g can artichoke hearts, halved
1 red pepper, diced
225g can water chestnuts
425g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
50ml Italian dressing or more, to taste
Combine all the ingredients, mix well and refrigerate. Serve cold.
Makes 6 servings.
Appetisers
Appetisers can be as simple as crisps and dip or as elegant as a vegetarian pâté. Here are some ideas for quick and easy hors d'oeuvres that will get you out of the kitchen in time to enjoy the party.- Whip up a seven-layer Mexican dip using refried beans, black olives, salsa, tortilla chips, Tofutti sour cream, sliced green onions and jalapenos.
- Veganise that old standby, sausage rolls: Roll out a packet of puff pastry dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut it into rectangles and spread each one with Dijon mustard. Wrap the rectangles around tofu hot dogs and bake them in the oven at 425°F/220°C/Gas Mark 7 for 10 minutes, then cut each into several pieces.
- Marinate bite-sized pieces of tempeh or tofu in your favourite sauce (try barbecue, sweet and sour or spicy peanut) and chill for several hours. Place in a shallow baking pan, cover with the sauce and bake at 350°F/180°C/Gas Mark 4 for several minutes. Spear each piece with a party pick to serve. Always a hit!
- Combine your favourite spiced nuts with raisins, dried apricots, pretzels, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds for a marvellous munchie.
Sandwiches
Move over, cheese and tomato! Sandwich fillings can be just about anything you have on hand:- Stuff a sandwich roll with lettuce, tomato, veggie deli slices, like Redwood's Cheatin' 'Ham', 'Chicken' or 'Garlic Sausage', and a sliver of non-dairy cheese."
- Dress up a bagel with tofu cream cheese, all-fruit preserves and nut butters.
- Try this quick veggie wrap: Stuff tortillas with your choice of bean sprouts, lettuce, spring onions, tomatoes, avocado, grated courgette, grated carrot, olives and soya cheese. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil and roll up.
- Salsa, horseradish, mustard, barbecue sauce, salad dressings, guacamole and other creative condiments give any sandwich a kick.
- Melt soya cheese over whatever veggies you have in the refrigerator.
- Perk up peanut butter by mashing with bananas, berries or applesauce.
- Hold everything together with bagels, tortillas, pittas or chapatis.
"Meaty" Mushrooms Sandwiches
2 & ½ -3 tsp. balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 large clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
50ml olive oil, plus more for brushing the vegetables
2 large portobello mushrooms
1 red onion, cut into chunks
1 tomato, cut into quarters
8 slices crusty Italian bread
Fresh basil leaves
Put the vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper and 50ml olive oil in a small jar and shake well. Set aside.
Clean the mushrooms and remove their stems. Brush all the vegetables with olive oil. Grill the mushrooms for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Place the onion and tomato chunks on skewers and grill, turning often, until lightly charred. Cut each mushroom in half and cut the onion and tomato chunks into thin slices.
Spread a little of the vinegar mixture on each slice of bread, then top with the mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and basil leaves.
Makes 4 servings.
Dessert
Dark Chocolate Mousse(from PETA's The Compassionate Cook)
Mousse in minutes? You only need 10 to prepare this delectable dessert.
450g soft tofu
50g cocoa powder
25g carob powder
6 tbsp. sugar
50ml soya milk
Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and purée until creamy. Pour the mousse into six individual dessert bowls and chill.
Makes 6 servings.
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