College Vegetarian Cooking_ Feed Yourself and Your Friends - Megan Carle [39]
Serve pieces of the casserole with the rice alongside.
Food Trivia:
Chiles rellenos is a traditional Mexican dish of poblano or Anaheim peppers stuffed with meat, vegetable, or cheese filling (or a combination). Sometimes they’re deep-fried, sometimes they’re baked, and sometimes they’re served “en nogada”—with creamy walnut sauce.
Chili
This version of vegetarian chili uses textured vegetable protein as a substitute for the ground beef. Although it looks a little like granola in its dry form, it absorbs the flavor of whatever you put in the dish, so in the end even meat eaters don’t realize it’s not really beef. –M
Serves 10
1 large onion
3 stalks celery
1 red bell pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
¼ cup chili powder
2 (15-ounce) cans kidney beans
3 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
3 cups textured vegetable protein
4 cups water
Salt and pepper
Peel the onion and cut into ½-inch pieces. Trim and discard the ends of the celery and cut into ½-inch pieces. Cut the bell pepper in half, remove the seeds and membranes, and cut into ⅜-inch pieces.
Place the oil in a large sauce pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the chili powder, kidney beans with their liquid, tomatoes with their liquid, textured vegetable protein, and water and stir well. Cook for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
Food For Thought:
Textured vegetable protein (made from soybeans) is very high in protein, with each ounce containing 15 grams of protein but only ⅓ gram of fat. Because it is has little flavor of its own, it’s best in very flavorful dishes, such as this chili. You can find it in the bulk section of most produce or natural food stores.
Tofu Pad Thai
Tofu Pad Thai
I have loved pad Thai ever since high school when my friends and I found this great Thai restaurant that we went to every chance we got. I have found that making it at home is a more than satisfactory substitute (and, of course, way cheaper). I like to make it spicier and add a little soy sauce, so start out with the recipe here, and then add your own personal touch—that’s what cooking is all about anyway! You’ll see that the recipe calls for vegetarian fish sauce, which may seem like a funny concept, but you can find it online or at some Asian markets (where you can also pick up the rice noodles). –M
Serves 10
2 (12-ounce) packages extra-firm tofu
6 cloves garlic
1 bunch green onions
¾ cup vegetarian fish sauce
2 cups water
⅓ cup lime juice
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
⅓ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
24 ounces rice noodles
4 eggs
3 tablespoons canola oil
4 cups bean sprouts
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 cup chopped salted peanuts
Drain the tofu and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices. Place the pieces between several paper towels, top with a heavy pan, and let stand for 15 minutes to press out any excess water.
Peel and finely chop the garlic or pass it through a garlic press. Trim the green onions, discarding the ends, and cut the white and about 1 inch of the green part into thin slices.
Combine the fish sauce, water, lime juice, rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and crushed red pepper in a bowl, stir well, and set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the rice noodles. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes, or until al dente. Drain in a colander.
Meanwhile, lightly beat the eggs. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat, add the tofu and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan, then add the eggs and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the eggs are completely cooked. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the noodles,