Family Vegetarian Recipes

SHEPARD'S PIE

If you have not tried Smart Ground by Lightlife, you don't know what

you are missing. It's precooked soy isolate protein with added spices.

If you sometimes miss the old hamburger, this will cure your craving.

It has the consistency, taste, and texture of real ground beef without

all the negatives.

1 package Smart Ground`

1/2 to 3/4 bag of frozen corn`

4-5 medium potatoes, peeled`

3 tablespoons butter`

soymilk to desired consistency (for the mashed potatoes)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mashed potatoes: Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover them with

water. Bring water to a boil and cook the potatoes until they are

soft. Once potatoes are cooked, drain the water, add butter and

soymilk, and mix well.

Heat up Smart Ground by directions on package. After heated, place in

the bottom of a medium casserole dish. Add frozen corn on top of Smart

Ground and cover with the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle paprika on top and

bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.

This dish is fast, nutritious, and tasty. Enjoy!

Here's a recipe that proves it's not hard to be a vegetarian. This

dish can be made in less than 10 minutes and taste is not sacrificed.

20 ounces (2 packages) of frozen whole-leaf spinach (thawed and

drained)

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

Using a large skillet, heat the sesame oil. Add the spinach and

stir-fry for 2 minutes. Avoid letting the spinach reduce too much.

Right before you remove from heat, add the toasted sesame seeds, and

then salt and pepper to taste.

If you want to add some protein to this recipe, try throwing in a few

pieces of tofu before you add the spinach.

1 pound broccoli, washed

2 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup celery, chopped finely

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Dash salt and pepper

Boil the broccoli in 2 quarts of water for approximately 20 minutes.

Drain the broccoli, then combine with the remaining ingredients and

heat for 4 to 6 minutes.

You can use any pasta you like, but my preference is linguini.

1-1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced

1-1/2 cups shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup tamari

1/4 cup parsley, minced

1/4 cup pineapple juice

1-1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 pound asparagus spears

4 cups cooked pasta of your choice

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add ginger, pepper, and garlic.

Cook for 1 minute. Add mushrooms, cook 2 minutes. Add the vinegar,

tamari, parsley, pineapple juice, and sugar. Cook for 5 minutes and

remove from heat.

Soak the asparagus in mushroom-vinegar for 5 to 10 minutes. Grill

(broiling is fine) the asparagus for 3 minutes or until lightly

browned. Place the asparagus on the pasta and top off with the

mushroom-vinegar.

Hmm, what else can you do with mushrooms? Forget the portobello--it

isn't the only mushroom that can be served on its own. Show your

mushroom sophistication with this recipe. It's spicy and quite tasty.

1 lemon, juiced (we want the juice)

1/2 teaspoon rosemary

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon savory

1/2 teaspoon lavender

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

3 pounds large mushrooms (remove stems)

In a medium covered bowl, preferably some form of Tupperware, combine

the lemon juice with the rosemary, thyme, savory, lavender, hot pepper

sauce, salt, and pepper. Stir in the olive oil. When well mixed, add

the mushrooms and toss until the mushrooms are well coated. Since we

will be baking these, try to let the mushrooms soak up as much of this

sauce as time will permit.

Spread the mushrooms out on a large baking sheet, stemmed sides up.

Bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. Turn them over and continue baking

for about 15 minutes longer or until tender.

Take the mushrooms out of the oven and let them cool completely before

serving.

Looking to start a family tradition? How about having the kids help

you roast pumpkin seeds the night before Thanksgiving?

1 pumpkin (you can use the pumpkin to make pumpkin bread, pumpkin

soup, pumpkin pie, etc.)

3 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Scoop out the insides of the pumpkin and rinse the seeds. Dry them and

then fry them in a frying pan for 15 minutes. Make sure you stir them

a little. Dry the oil with a towel. You can add salt if you wish.

This makes an excellent snack, nutritious and delicious. Try it

instead of potato chips.

2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained well

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

This couldn't be simpler to make, especially if you use the canned

peas. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix the peas with the

seasonings and spread them out evenly on a nonstick baking sheet. Bake

for 45 minutes or until the peas are browned and crispy.

Forget chips and salsa. A better combination for snacking is a pile of

heated pita bread and some fresh hummus. If you are dying for salsa,

you can add it to this plate. As a matter of fact, I would recommend

it. Remember that chickpeas are an excellent source of protein and are

low in fat, so you can feel good about your snack.

2 cups chickpeas (1 cup if not cooked)

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup tahini

juice of one lemon

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped

2 tablespoons scallions, finely chopped

In a bowl, mix the garlic, salt, and tahini with a large spoon. As the

mixture begins to blend, begin alternating between adding the lemon

juice and the water. Be careful and do this slowly. When you are out

of the liquids, keep on stirring the mixture until it lightens in

color and begins to whip up into a nice light paste.

In a food processor, grind the chickpeas into a fine paste. Add them

to the tahini mixture, stirring well. Next, add the parsley and

scallions, stirring the mixture until it becomes nice and fluffy. If

you are having trouble making it fluffy, carefully add some more water

and stir between each addition.

One can of hominy (white or yellow), drained

Two stalks of celery cut into small chunks

1/2 small onion, cut fine

Place in frying pan with about a tablespoon olive oil and saute. When

just about done, add about two teaspoons of soy sauce (low salt).

Saute for a couple of minutes, then serve on a plate with sliced

oranges and toast.

Mashed potatoes and...? Yes, the meat eaters often hit us with

questions like, "How can you eat mashed potatoes without gravy?" Well,

here is your answer to that question. This gravy is much more

delicious than those made from a bird or cow, and trust me--it's

better for you.

1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms

3/4 pounds white mushrooms, sliced 1/4 inch thick (save the stems)

4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced 1/4 inch thick (save the stems)

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

3 shallots, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1 garlic clove, well chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, soak the porcini in 1 1/2 cups hot water until they

are soft. Remove them and slice them into thin pieces. Set mushrooms

and liquid aside.

In a saucepan, combine the white and shiitake mushroom stems with 1

1/2 cups of water. Boil for 10 minutes. Strain, discard the stems, and

save the liquid.

In a medium bowl, toss the white mushrooms with 2 teaspoons of the

lemon juice. Allow the mushrooms to soak up the juice for 5 minutes.

In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil until nearly

smoking. Add the white mushrooms. Place them flat on the pan, salt and

pepper them, and cook without stirring. Allow them to brown on the

bottom (nearly 8 minutes). Once brown, begin to stir them and cook

until browned all over. Set aside. Repeat with the shiitake mushrooms.

When the shiitake are browned all over, add them to the white

mushrooms.

In a skillet, melt 1/2 tablespoon of butter and add the shallots and

thyme. Cook over a low heat until softened. Add the garlic and cook

for approximately 2 minutes. Stir in the white and shiitake mushrooms.

Add the mushroom liquid and the porcini soaking liquid.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter with

the flour to make a paste. Whisk the paste into the mushroom mixture

over high heat and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook (keep

whisking) until the gravy is thickened. Remove from the heat and stir

in the mustard. Season with the salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

I like the idea of mixing

in the almond taste--makes for a nice contrast.

1-1/2 lb green beans, trimmed

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons toasted almonds, slivered

In a frying pan, cook beans in the oil for 12 minutes. Make sure you

stir the beans every 2 minutes. Mix in the salt and almonds, and cook

for another 5 minutes. This makes enough for six people as a side

dish.