Recipes for Life

It’s easy once you know how. Here are recipes, tips, and ideas to get you started.

Going vegetarian is fun! To help you get started, PETA staffers have compiled some of their favorite recipes.

Lunch

Dining out for lunch or dinner is a snap. Most restaurants serve at least one vegetarian meal, and many will adapt an entrée for you. Look for salads, baked potatoes, rice or pasta dishes with vegetables or a meat-free tomato sauce, Thai and Indian curries, bean burritos, falafel, and pizza with lots of vegetables but no cheese. You may even find a veggie burger on the menu!

Crunchy Vegetable Wraps

4 Tbsp. nondairy cream cheese (try Tofutti brand)
4 10-inch flour tortillas
1 cup shredded spinach
1/4 cup alfalfa sprouts
1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
1/2 cup sliced avocado
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup diced cucumbers
2 Tbsp. finely diced red onion
Salt and pepper, to taste

Spread 1 tablespoon of cream cheese over each tortilla. Sprinkle an even amount of the remaining ingredients on each wrap and roll up.

Makes 4 servings.

Fried “Chicken”

1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 cups unbleached white flour
4 Tbsp. nutritional yeast (optional)
3 Tbsp. yellow mustard
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp. baking powder
1 lb. mock chicken (try Worthington Chic-Ketts or White Wave wheat meat)
3 1/2 cups vegetable oil

Mix together the salt, onion powder, pepper, garlic powder, flour, and nutritional yeast in a deep bowl. In a separate bowl, dilute the mustard with 1/2 cup water. Add 1/3 cup of the flour mixture to the mustard mixture and stir. Add the baking powder to the dry flour mixture and mix.

Dip chunks of the mock chicken into the mustard batter, then drop each chunk into the flour mixture and coat with the desired amount of “crust.” Fry the chunks in hot oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet or deep fryer until crispy and golden brown, turning as needed.

Makes 4 servings.

Baked Potato Soup

2 large baking potatoes
3 Tbsp. margarine
1 large white onion, finely diced
2 Tbsp. flour
4 cups vegetable or vegetarian chicken-flavored stock
2 cups water
4 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 cups instant mashed potatoes
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. basil
1/8 tsp. thyme
1 cup liquid nondairy creamer or plain soy or rice milk
Fake bacon bits, shredded soy cheese, and chopped green onions

Bake the potatoes at 400° F for 1 hour. Allow to cool.

Melt the margarine in a large saucepan and sauté the onion until translucent. Add the flour and stir to make a roux. Add the stock, water, cornstarch, instant mashed potatoes, and spices and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Cut the cooled potatoes in half and scoop out the contents. Discard the skins. Chop the potatoes into bitesize chunks and add them, along with the soy or rice milk or nondairy creamer, to the saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, until thickened. Spoon the soup into bowls and garnish with fake bacon bits, soy cheese, and green onions, if desired.

Makes 6 servings.

Creamy Potato Salad

6 medium potatoes
1/2 cup eggless mayonnaise (try Nayonaise or Veganaise)
4 Tbsp. yellow mustard
2 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
Salt and pepper, to taste
Paprika (optional)

Cut the potatoes into cubes and cook in boiling water for 20 minutes. Drain and let cool completely. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes with the remaining ingredients. Sprinkle paprika on top, if desired.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Appetizers

Appetizers can be as simple as chips and dip or as elegant as a vegetarian pâté. Here are some ideas for quick and easy hors d’oeuvres.

• Whip up a seven-layer Mexican dip using refried beans, black olives, salsa, shredded soy cheese, Tofutti sour cream, sliced green onions, and jalapeños.
• Veganize that old standby, pigs in a blanket, using tofu hot dogs wrapped in puff pastry.
• Shake ’n Bake bite-size pieces of mock chicken or tofu and serve with toothpicks.
• For a fancy delicacy, serve fish-free vegan caviar. Looks just like the real thing! (Order from PETAMall.com.)

Photos: Steve Lee. Home Economist: Siân Davies