Vegan Versions of Familiar Favorites
By Katherine Ludwig Moses
Now that some of your relatives or old friends are eyeing your vegan diet with interest rather than alarm, you may actually be able to entice them over to your home for a meal. Wouldn't it be delightful to satisfy their hunger and curiosity with meatless versions of familiar favorites? Wouldn't you like them to enjoy your delicious vegan dining experience so much that they'd be eager to encounter their local health food store and start cookin' up their own simple masterpieces? When my over-seventy-years-young parents finally ventured into New York City to visit my husband and me, we wanted to be sure that once they reached our dining table, it not only offered them delicious nourishment, but a feeling of comfort and serenity as well. They had been expressing interest in our diet, and had already begun to use soymilk and taper off their meat consumption. They were off to a good start, so we certainly didn't want to scare them away with food combinations or creations that were either too unusual or, conversely, unappealingly bland.
Using love as my basic ingredient, and with scrumptiousness in mind, I prepared some of our favorite meals, which resemble the type of suppers my parents are accustomed to. They're not complicated or time-consuming, even with most of the ingredients starting out fresh and unadulterated. After all, you don't want your guests languishing in the living room thinking that you're toiling over a hot stove for them, do you? I've given brand names for the prepared ingredients so that you can ask your health food store to order them if they are not already in stock.
CRUNCHY "CHICKEN" NUGGETS
(1 pound, serves 2)
Mmm, great little bite-sized protein treats that hold center stage when served with mashed potatoes and gravy and collard greens. For best coating results, prepare each pound of tofu with new ingredients. You could use leftover coating on toast or sprinkled over salad or vegetables.
1 pound firm tofu
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut the tofu into bite-sized pieces — about 54 per pound. In a plastic or paper bag, combine remaining ingredients. Place 4 or 5 tofu pieces at a time into bag and shake, placing on baking pan when coated. When all the tofu is coated, bake for 30 minutes.
| Total calories per serving: 298 | Fat: 14 grams |
| Carbohydrates: 18 grams | Protein: 31 grams |
| Sodium: 1150 milligrams | Fiber: <1 gram |
High in calcium and iron.
COUNTRY SMASHED POTATOES
(Serves 4)
This is not your fluffy, stuffy, whipped or lightweight potato dish. This is chunky, hearty, and rib-stickin'!
6 medium potatoes, scrubbed
Water to cover
1/4 cup vanilla soymilk
1 teaspoon ground celery seed
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cut out any discolorations and eyes before cutting potatoes into about 8 pieces each. Cover with water in a large pot and boil for about 15 minutes, until they are soft. Drain potatoes over a large bowl in the sink, saving the potato water. Place potatoes back in boiling pot, add 3/4 cup of the potato water, the soymilk, the celery seed, and the salt. Mash until just a little lumpy. Stir with fork, scraping the sides. That's it!
| Total calories per serving: 339 | Fat: 1 gram |
| Carbohydrates: 78 grams | Protein: 7 grams |
| Sodium: 316 milligrams | Fiber: 8 grams |
High in iron.
GOOD GRAVY
(Makes 1-1/2 cups, 6 servings)
Use this in place of brown gravy on anything. It sure beats those instant gravies loaded with MSG.
1-1/2 cups of potato water (from Smashed Potatoes recipe)
1 Tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 large garlic clove, crushed (optional)
3 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon flour
4 Tablespoons cold water
Put potato water, soy sauce, canola oil, and crushed garlic clove in small pot. Put heat on low. In a small bowl, combine flour and cold water until smooth (no lumps!). Slowly add to potato water mixture (which should still be cool), raise heat to medium, stirring frequently. When mixture boils, stir constantly for about two minutes, or until gravy is thick. Serve warm.
| Total calories per 1/4 cup serving: 30 | Fat: 2 grams |
| Carbohydrates: 4 grams | Protein: 1 gram |
| Sodium: 100 milligrams | Fiber: <1 gram |
COLLARD GREENS
(Serves 4)
Okay, collards are not exactly a food my parents (or anyone else I know) grew up on, but they love 'em now! My mom is thrilled that something so delicious and easy to prepare is so high in calcium.
About 10 large collard leaves, washed
2 teaspoons canola oil
4 large garlic cloves
1/3 cup water
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Trim and discard tough end of the stems (about 1/2 inch). Cut the collards into big pieces, keeping separate the bottom part of the stems (where there are no leaves at-tached). Heat the oil and garlic until garlic just begins to turn golden. Add chopped stems and half the water, and cook with lid on for about 2 minutes. Add rest of collards and water (always be careful when adding water to hot oil! Stand back!). Cook on medium for about 5 minutes or until collards are tender. Take off lid and turn heat to high for about 2 minutes, stirring greens. Serve salted and peppered to taste, immediately.
| Total calories per serving: 43 | Fat: 2 grams |
| Carbohydrates: 5 grams | Protein: 1 gram |
| Sodium: 11 milligrams | Fiber: 1 gram |
FAUX FRIED RED CABBAGE
(Serves 4)
This dish is an integral part of the dinner I make for my German dad.
1 Tablespoon canola oil
2 Tablespoons caraway or dill seeds
8 cups red cabbage, shredded or cut thin
1/2 cup water
Heat canola oil and 1 tablespoon seeds. Add cabbage and water. Cook for 5 minutes with lid on, stirring occasionally. Add the rest of the seeds. Cook with lid on, stirring frequently, until cabbage is cooked but still a bit crisp, about 10 minutes total. If you prefer, cook longer for more tender, uniform bites. Salt and pepper to taste.
| Total calories per serving: 68 | Fat: 4 grams |
| Carbohydrates: 9 grams | Protein: 2 grams |
| Sodium: 15 milligrams | Fiber: 3 grams |
POTATOES PAPRIKAS
(Serves 4)
Bake Lightlife Lean Italian Links in the oven with this dish (or grill them) while preparing the Faux Fried Red Cabbage. Serve with rye garlic toast. The combination will please even those usually unwilling to try anything new.
6 medium or 8 small russet potatoes, scrubbed
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Vegetable oil
1 bulb garlic, peeled
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove potato imperfections and cut into slices no more than 1/4 inch thick (I cut them the long way). Combine paprika, salt, and pepper in empty spice container with shaker top. Shake mixture onto both sides of each potato slice and place slices onto oiled cookie sheet or baking pan. While baking for 15 minutes, slice large garlic cloves into two or three pieces. Leave small cloves whole. Turn potato slices over, place garlic on potatoes or directly onto pan. Bake for another 15 minutes.
| Total calories per serving: 339 | Fat: <1 gram |
| Carbohydrates: 78 grams | Protein: 7 grams |
| Sodium: 598 milligrams | Fiber: 8 grams |
"MEAT" SAUCE FOR PASTA
(Enough for 1 pound of pasta, 4 servings)
This sauce is truly one of the most fantastic of the fakes. While it works extremely well with the friendly elbow noodle if you're cooking for children, I like to serve adults this thick, hearty sauce steaming hot over fettuccine, penne, or ziti. With garlic bread and a green salad this meal will satisfy (and can fool!) anyone.
One 28-ounce can peeled ground tomatoes, crushed tomatoes or tomato purée (I always use Muir Glen because it's organic)
2 Tablespoons dried basil
2 Tablespoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein — available packaged or in bulk at health food stores)
1 cup water
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon canola oil
4 cloves garlic
Put tomatoes in pot with heat on low. Add ingredients in order, saving 1/2 cup of the water and adding only 2 cloves of garlic, sliced. Stir often. If necessary, add more water at any time (the purée will require more). Place lid on pot and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often. Add the remaining 2 cloves of garlic, crushed. Serve immediately or let sit a while and reheat to steaming hot just before serving.
| Total calories per serving: 210 | Fat: 11 grams |
| Carbohydrates: 25 grams | Protein: 10 grams |
| Sodium: 1199 milligrams | Fiber: 7 grams |
Katherine Ludwig Moses is a freelance writer from New York.
