The one place where Vegetarian Crock Pot Recipes is always at your fingertips
The one place where Vegetarian Crock Pot Recipes is always at your fingertips
Vegetarian Crock Pot Recipes information at a glance
Vegetarian Sushi Basics: Getting Started with Making Sushi
By Lee Rowley
Vegetarian sushi? Many people are perplexed by this idea. After all, most Westerners think that sushi means “raw fish” (confusing it with sashimi), so it’s little surprise that vegetarian sushi seems like an anomaly.
But vegetarian sushi is not only possible, it’s downright delicious! With a little creativity (and a little help from The Veggie Guy), you can create all sorts of variations of vegetarian sushi that will satisfy your palette and impress your friends.
In this post, though, we’ll start with the basics. The idea of rolling your own sushi might seem daunting (ok, downright terrifying), but with the right tools, a little patience, and a generous supply of sake, it’s really not that difficult.
This post will cover nori rolled sushi, which most Westerners are familiar with. Down the road, I’ll get into some of the other types of sushis. When I think you’re ready, that is.
(Okay, when I can do it myself without creating a huge mess. How’s that for transparency?)
Now, fair warning: Although making sushi is not terribly labor intensive, it takes a long time. There’s a lot of “do this, then set it aside for an hour and go take a jog” steps. So it danged sure doesn’t make the coveted “under 30 minutes” category. No way.
But it’s worth it.
So lets start with the supplies you’ll need, and how to make a basic sushi roll.
What you’ll need:
A bamboo rolling mat, or makisu
A bowl of water with a bit of rice vinegar
Roasted nori seaweed (comes in square or rectangular sheets)
2 cups sushi rice or other short grain white rice
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp sea salt
Preparing the sushi rice:
Rinse the rice in a medium bowl. Drain and set aside for 1 hour. This is very important, because the rice will be downright unruly later if you omit this step. (I’m serious. I tried to skip this step once and ended up inventing a few new expletives before all was said and done. Just don’t do it.)
Cook rice in a rice cooker according to package directions. I pour 2 1/2 cups of water into the rice bowl, and 2 cups of water into the steamer.
Stir vinegar, salt, and sugar together in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in microwave until the mixture begins to boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
When rice have finished cooking, let sit for 5 minutes. Transfer to a large glass or wooden bowl. Mix gently with a wooden spoon to separate the grains.
Pour vinegar mixture over the rice and stir until all grains are coated. Use a newspaper or fan to cool the rice as you mix it. Let set for at least 1 hour at room temperature (don’t refrigerate. Your rice will harden and your sushi will be awful.)
What to do:
Lay the makisu flat on the counter.
Place a nori sheet shiny side down on the makisu.
Wet hands in water/vinegar. Spread a thin, even layer of rice over the nori sheet, leaving 1/4 inch along the edges uncovered.
Arrange vegetables we’ll talk about this later) in the center of the rice layer.
Use the mat as a guide to roll the nori, rice, and vegetables into a tight roll. (Tip from the Veggie Guy - make sure the edge of the mat doesn’t get rolled up in the sushi roll. It doesn’t work out so well.)
I wet the nori on the far side of the roll so it will stick. Other people think this is weird. But it keeps my sushi from falling apart. That’s just how I roll. (Get it? Roll… sushi… bwaha..ha ha.. *sigh* Eh.)
Press lightly onthe roll to compress the ingredients. Remove roll from bamboo mat.
Cut crosswise into 8 pieces.
Lee Rowley has been making creative vegetarian and vegan dishes for over a decade. For lots more vegetarian recipes, tips, and ideas, visit The Veggie Guy.
Seven Delicious Vegetarian Soup Recipes
By Jimmy Cox
The following recipes for soup are given, because soup has become a staple part of the ordinary diet. Any harmful effects of the soup taking habit may be partially overcome by taking it slowly with some very hard cracker that requires thorough mastication.
The following recipes are given as the best selection of soups which can be made.
UNCOOKED SOUPS
CEREAL SOUP
Use half pound of flaked grain, preferably oat-flakes. Cover with warm water and soak several hours, or over night, then put through a sieve, which will make a thick cream for the body, adding milk and a little cream to bring to the consistency desired, and flavor with the juice of fresh tomatoes, a little pulp of tender corn, scraped from the cob, or puree of peas; add a pinch of salt and a piece of butter; warm before serving.
NOTE: The above recipe can be used to form the body or cream of any kind of soup, using any flavor desired.
CREAM OF CORN
Mash a can of sweet corn through a strainer. Add sufficient cream and a little milk to bring to the consistency desired; add salt to taste.
Place in a double boiler on back of the stove to warm before serving. Cream of pea can be made as per recipe above, substituting canned peas for canned corn. If a cooked soup is desired, use the same recipes by allowing to come to a boil before serving, using sufficient milk and cream to bring to the consistency desired.
COOKED SOUPS
It is my purpose to give the housewife some instructions in regard to producing the most wholesome and nutritious combinations that can be made in this class of edibles.
CREAM OF TOMATO
To one quart can of tomatoes, add an equal amount of water. Boil until the whole is reduced to the original amount (one quart). Mash thoroughly through a fine sieve. Place the strained tomato on the fire until it again comes to a boil, adding a scant teaspoon of baking soda, stirring vigorously, then add half teaspoon of sugar, a little pepper and about two tablespoons of thoroughly dissolved cornstarch, stirring constantly.
Put one quart of unskimmed milk in double boiler, allow to come to a boil, add this to the tomato mixture, while both are at the boiling point. Bring to a boil again, stirring constantly. Butter the size of a walnut and salt to taste, serve.
This is one of the most delicious of all cream soups, if properly made, but much care should be exercised in mixing and seasoning.
CREAM OF CORN AND TOMATO
This delicious combination can be made by thoroughly cooking a can of corn, putting through a sieve and adding to the cream of tomato as above recipe.
CREAM OF CORN
Cook until tender, one can of sweet corn. Mash thoroughly through a sieve. Add about three cups of milk and a piece of butter size of a walnut. Allow to boil, and stir in one teaspoon of thoroughly dissolved cornstarch. Just before serving, salt and pepper to taste.
CREAM OF CELERY
Clean thoroughly the outer pieces and tops of celery. Cut in bits, cover with water and boil until tender. Put through a sieve, add amount of milk desired (but not enough to reduce the flavor too much), thicken with cornstarch to the consistency desired.
Just before serving, season with butter, pepper, salt and a dash of celery salt.
CREAM OF ASPARAGUS, BEAN, PEA OR LENTIL
Cream of asparagus, bean, pea or lentil can be made according to recipe for cream of celery (omitting celery salt).
The above soups will be a welcome addition to any table, and will be of benefit to the health of the family. Enjoy!
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How to Make Samosa Wraps: Delicious Indian Taste without All the Fat
By Lee Rowley
Do you love Indian cuisine? If you’re like me, the smell of Indian spices is one of life’s most wonderful experiences. But many Indian dishes, such as samosas, are loaded with fat from deep frying.
Here is a way to experience the exquisite flavor of samosas without the need to drag out your deep fryer. You’ll love these wraps as much as samosas you get from the local Indian restaurant… only they’re far healthier.
This recipe makes 8 samosa wraps, but you can adjust the measurements to make more or less, depending on the number of people who will be enjoying your culinary creation. I’ve taken dozens of these to parties and family gatherings, and they’ve always been a big hit - even among people who have never tried Indian food.
What you’ll need:
8 low fat flour tortillas (I use burrito sized tortillas. You can use taco sized tortillas for smaller samosa wraps.)
4 medium white potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch squares
1 can early peas
1 white or yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp hot curry powder (use mild curry powder if you like milder Indian food.)
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp chili paste
Aluminum foil
How to prepare samosa wraps:
1) Pre heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2) Wrap the stack of tortillas in foil. Make sure that the foil completely covers the tortillas - that is, that no part of the tortillas are exposed.
3) Boil potatoes in a large pot for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
4) While potatoes are boiling, heat olive oil in a medium skillet. Add diced onions and garlic. Fry onions and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes or until onions begin to caramelize (turn soft and brown around the edges).
5) Add peas to onions and garlic, heat for one additional minute.
6) Place boiled, drained potatoes in a large bowl. Add garam masala, curry powder, and chili paste to potatoes.
7) Mash potatoes in a large bowl with a fork or a hand held mixer. If desired, add 1/4 cup of coconut milk or soy milk for a smoother consistency.
Place tortilla stack in oven for 3 to 4 minutes or until tortillas are soft.
9) Mix peas, onions, and garlic into potato and spice mixture.
10) Spoon filling into center of warm tortillas, and fold sides and bottoms of tortillas to form wraps.
That’s it! No fooling with samosa wrappers, no messy deep frying, and best of all, no guilt after eating these tasty snacks.
Here is how this recipe stacks up:
Preparation time: 20 to 25 minutes
Cooking time: 10 to 12 minutes
Calories: 190 per samosa wrap
Calories from fat: 45 per samosa wrap
Grams of fat: 4 per samosa wrap
Weight Watchers Points: 3 per samosa wrap
Some final thoughts:
Garam masala is a mixture of spices commonly used in Indian cuisine. It is pretty tough to find at your local Kroger or Winn Dixie, but you can find it in health food stores that cater to vegetarians, or in Indian grocery stores. If you don’t have access to either, you can easily order it online. It will typically stay good for about 6 months if kept in a dark, dry area.
If you can’t find chili paste, you can mix 1/4 tsp ground chili (not chili powder) and 1/4 tsp olive oil. I’ve also used Korean style chili paste with good success, although it seems to me to be a little sweeter than the Indian variety.
Enjoy!
For more low calorie and vegetarian recipes, visit http://veggieguy.blogspot.com. I look forward to hearing from you!
