150 Vegan Favorites (15 page)

Yield: 4 servings

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Stir in the pumpkin, curry powder, pepper, salt, and cloves and cook for 1 minute.

Add the water, rice, kale, and beans. Stir the grains and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until all of the liquid is absorbed, about 18 minutes. Remove from the heat, fluff the rice, and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Butternut squash and rice team up to form this incredibly easy (yet flavorful) side dish.

Yield: 4 servings

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes. Stir in the water, squash, rice, pepper, and salt and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir the grains, cover the pan, and cook over low heat until all of the liquid is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. (If using brown rice, add ¼ cup more water and cook for 30 to 35 minutes.)

Fluff the grains and stir in the parsley. Replace the cover, remove from the heat, and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Adding sweet potatoes to a pilaf is a clever and simple way to include carotene-rich vegetables into your meal.

Yield: 4 servings

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, mushrooms, and garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Stir in the water, sweet potato, rice, salt, pepper, and turmeric and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir the grains,
add the orzo, and cover the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until all of the liquid is absorbed, 30 to 35 minutes.

Remove from the heat and fluff the grains. Stir in the scallions and let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

Jasmine rice has a nutty, popcornlike flavor and soft texture. It makes a great filling for this vegetable and bean burrito.

Yield: 4 burritos

In a medium saucepan, combine the rice, water, turmeric, pepper, and salt and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir the rice, cover the pan, and cook over medium-low heat for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, fluff the grains, replace the cover, and let stand for 5 minutes.

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and zucchini and cook, stirring, for 6 minutes. Stir in the beans and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Fold in the cooked rice and cover. Remove from heat and set aside until the tortillas are warm.

Warm the tortillas over a hot burner or pan and place on large serving plates. Spoon the rice and bean mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll the tortillas around the filling. Spoon the salsa or guacamole over the top of the burritos and serve at once.

Avocados lend a creamy texture to this savory, well-filled burrito, and the turmeric gives it a yellow hue.

Yield: 4 burritos

In a medium saucepan, combine the rice, water, turmeric, pepper, and salt and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir the rice, cover the pan, and cook over medium-low heat for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, fluff the grains,
and fold in the beans, roasted peppers, avocado, and scallions. Replace the cover and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.

Warm the tortillas over a hot burner or pan and place on large serving plates. Spoon the rice mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll the tortillas around the filling. Spoon the salsa on the side of the burritos and serve at once.

Refritos loosely means “well cooked” in Spanish. In this recipe, the beans are fully cooked, pureed or mashed, and briefly cooked again. Using canned beans speeds up the process. Serve the beans as a side dish (or filling) for burritos or quesadillas.

Yield: 6 servings

Drain the canned beans, reserving ½ cup of the liquid.

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes over medium-high heat. Add the beans and liquid, optional jalapeños, oregano, pepper, and salt and cook over medium-low heat, stirring, for 8 minutes.

Transfer the bean mixture to a blender and process until smooth, about 5 seconds, stopping to stir the beans at least once. Return the mixture to the pan and cook over low heat, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Serve at once.

This delicious hot breakfast (or late-night snack) is reminiscent of oatmeal. Amaranth has a nutty flavor and creamy texture.

Yield: 3 to 4 servings

In a medium saucepan, combine the amaranth with water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the grains become thick and soft.

Spoon the amaranth into bowls and swirl in 1 tablespoonful the maple syrup into each bowl. Sprinkle the wheat germ over the top and serve at once.

P
otatoes, winter squash, and root vegetables can all be described in one word: versatile. This trio of hardy vegetables can be baked, boiled, roasted, mashed, steamed, and barbecued. Countless soups, stews, and one-pot dishes owe their soothing textures and stick-to-your-ribs substance to these humble pantry staples.

The ever-expanding selection of potatoes includes long whites, reds, sweet potatoes (not really potatoes, but roots), Yukon golds, all-purpose, and exotic blue potatoes. Although most
potatoes are interchangeable, they are grouped by their starch content.
High-starch potatoes
, such as russets, have a “floury” flavor and fluffy texture and make the best baked potatoes.
Medium-starch potatoes
, such as all-purpose or boiling potatoes, hold up well in boiled water and can be baked, mashed, roasted, or added to soups or salads.
Low-starch potatoes
, such as Yukon gold and new potatoes, have a firm, waxy texture and are great for salads and barbecuing.

Always store potatoes in a cool, dark place. Direct sunshine or heat will hasten the demise of a good potato. Never refrigerate potatoes. The high-energy starches will turn to sugars. Never store potatoes in plastic bags (tubers need to breathe). Store potatoes in either a brown paper bag or loosely piled in a plastic bin. Discard any potatoes covered with a potentially toxic green hue. Also, remove any sprouts and blemishes before cooking.

Winter squash come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Despite their name, “winter” squash are available throughout most of the year (they are also called hard-shelled squash). Winter squash are healthful, easy to prepare, and interchangeable in most recipes. The sturdy gourds are good sources of beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. Winter squash are also low in calories, sodium, and fat.

There are a few tips to cooking with winter squash. First, when choosing a winter squash, look for hard, firm shells that are free of blemishes, soft spots, or broken skins. Pick up and hold the squash; it should feel heavy and dense. To roast a large squash, cut the gourd in half with a sharp knife and remove the seeds and stringy fiber. Place the squash in a baking pan filled with about ¼ inch of water and roast in an oven at
375 degrees F, until the pulp is easily pierced with a fork, 30 to 40 minutes.

Most winter squash are available in well-stocked supermarkets, natural food stores, and ethnic markets. If kept in a cool, dark place and away from sunlight, winter squash will keep for several months. Here is a broad overview of some popular varieties of the winter gourd family.

Acorn squash
are shaped like a large acorn with pleated ridges. The dark green gourds are naturally decorated with sporadic streaks of golden orange and yellow. Easy to roast, acorn’s flesh is mild and soft.

Blue hubbard
is so large that it is often sold in wedges. It has a pale bluish-gray skin and a surprisingly vibrant orange flesh. Blue hubbard tastes somewhat like a butternut squash or West Indian pumpkin.

Buttercup squash
are dark green gourds with portly, rotund shapes. The bronze-orange flesh is mildly sweet and buttery and can be roasted like acorn squash.

Butternut
are the most versatile winter squash and are widely available. The squash have long, tan necks and bell-shaped, bulbous ends where seeds are stored. The orange flesh has a sweetness similar to sweet potato and melds easily into soups, grain and rice dishes, risotto, and sauces.

Delicata
are sometimes called sweet potato squash. They have a sweet, yellowish-orange flesh and are treasured for their buttery flavors. The small, elongated squash have ribbed skins and green, white, or orange streaks. Roasted delicata usually make one serving.

Kabocha
are cherished in Japanese cuisine. The rotund, dark green gourds have a dense orange flesh and a sweet-and-savory taste. Kabocha can be roasted like acorn squash.

Pumpkin
refers to two main varieties: small sugar pie and large field pumpkins (jack-o’-lanterns). Sugar pie pumpkins have
a dense, rich flesh and are commonly used for cooking. Field pumpkins are mildly flavored and seedy and are often used as Halloween ornaments. For convenience, canned pumpkin is a good kitchen staple (and contains concentrated amounts of beta-carotene).

Red kuri squash
, also called golden hubbard, is a large, reddish-orange squash with a thin skin and delectable flesh. Similar in flavor to blue hubbard and West Indian pumpkin, red kuri is a farmers’ market staple and widely available in autumn.

Sugar loaf
and
sweet dumpling
are small, sweet-tasting squash similar to delicata in flavor. The squash are interchangeable with delicata and acorn squash and can be roasted and served as a single serving.