Sunday, January 26, 2014

Beyond Garden Veggie Patties: Vegetarian Cooking Ideas

By Marissa Velazquez


If you and your family have recently made the switch to vegetarian eating, you may be having trouble coming up with a variety of recipes. Despite the health benefits of a meat-free diet, it can get boring eating the same old garden veggie patties every day. Here are a few ideas for recipes that will break up the monotony and help you get in needed protein.

Beans and Rice With Cheese is fast and easy to cook. The ingredients are cheap, and you can stretch them so they will feed multiple people or last for multiple meals.

When cooking beans and rice, you have several choices. You can choose between white rice and brown rice, and canned beans or dry beans. You also have the choice of what kind of beans to use. Some of my personal favorites are black beans, small red beans, and blackeye peas. You should start your rice first. Then, in another pot, combine an onion, a few minced garlic cloves, and some diced carrots. Saute those ingredients together, and then add your beans. Bring the mixture to a boil, and cook on low until the carrots are as soft as you want them and the flavors have combined. Serve the beans over the rice, and add shredded cheese, which will melt on top.

Tofu With Ginger Marinade can be prepared in a few simple steps. Also, you won't be left with a sink full of dishes when you're finished cooking.

The most important factor in cooking tofu is seasoning, as it can be bland of it is not seasoned properly. One idea is to combine soy sauce, minced fresh ginger and garlic, water, and sesame oil. Place slices of extra firm tofu in this mixture, and let it sit for 30 minutes or more. In the meanwhile, set the oven to 425 degrees to preheat. Place the marinated tofu on a lightly greased baking sheet, and when the oven is hot, bake the tofu for 30 minutes. Then, rotate the cookie sheet and bake for fifteen additional minutes.

Dressing Up Your Garden Veggie Patties is one way to get kids excited about them. Another idea is to add a fun side dish, like veggies and dip or baked potatoes.

Just like regular hamburgers, veggie patties are not very exciting when they are served with only ketchup and mustard or lettuce and tomato. However, there are manny ways to spice them up. One way is to try new flavors, like spicy bean burgers, mushroom burgers, or even more exotic flavors like masala. Adding different toppings is fun too. Try spicy pickles, grilled onions, or a cabbage slaw. You could even make a vegetarian "bacon cheeseburger, " using veggie bacon and, if you are vegan, dairy-free cheese.

These recipe ideas are just the tip of the iceberg. There are countless vegetarian recipes and meal ideas available; vegetarian cooking goes way beyond garden veggie patties. Have some fun looking for new ideas. Build your own recipe collection from things you find in cookbooks or on the internet. The people you cook for will appreciate the new ideas as much as you will. Make vegetarian cooking an adventure!




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