Who Needs Meat?
Our road to vegetarianism was a mildly smooth one. Aside from our love of Hebrew Nation hot dogs, our dad’s bar-b-que and a sandwich or burger here and there, our diets were never heavily meat based and withdrawal has been almost non-existent. But being an almost vegetarian is nothing like being a vegetarian, and we are learning that meal by meal. Living off-campus has actually helped this new lifestyle stay afloat. Having to rely on our cooking skills has made us quite savvy in the kitchen and experimenting with new vegetarian dishes has actually become a hobby. Here are a few of our favorites. So try them out on some of your friends – vegetarian or not, these dishes can be enjoyed by all!
Herbed Polenta:
Photo by Mariel and Katherine Tyler
Ingredients
12 cherry tomatoes
1 can of cannellini beans
2 cups of frozen spinach
1 cup of polenta
¼ cup of milk
3 cups of vegetable stock
8 cloves of garlic
Olive oil
Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 415 degrees. Cut tomatoes in half and place in an oven safe dish. Drizzle in olive oil, salt and pepper. Peel garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap in foil. Put tomatoes and garlic in oven for 40 minutes, or until skin of tomatoes begin to darken.
Melt butter in a pot with a palm full of Italian seasoning. Add polenta to the pot and mix. Warm the vegetable stock and add to the polenta mixture in three parts, mixing to ensure no clumps form. Once all stock is added, cook on stove for 30 minutes. Mix eggs and milk in a separate bowl. Stir the egg and milk mixture into the heated polenta for 2 to 3 minutes or until well mixed. Put polenta in an oiled dish and place in oven for 15 minutes or until firm.
Once tomatoes and garlic are done remove tomatoes and set aside. Sautee garlic in olive oil, and add the beans to the saucepan. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside. Sautee spinach with olive oil and set aside.
Remove polenta from oven and let cool. Melt butter in a pan, and pan fry the polenta. Cover in mozzarella or provolone cheese. Plate the polenta, and top with sautéed spinach, beans and tomatoes.
Serves 4-6 people
Photo by Mariel and Katherine Tyler
Traditional Latkes:
Ingredients:
2 medium sized potatoes
2 cups of grated potatoes or frozen hash browns
2 large eggs
1 medium onion
½ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons
¼ cup of vegetable oil
Directions
Set the oven for 350 degrees. Poke holes in peeled potatoes with a fork, wrap in foil and bake until soft. While potatoes are baking, lightly beat 3 eggs with salt and white pepper, and set aside. Once potatoes are done, mash and thoroughly combine them with the hash browns. Chop the onion and add to the potatoes until well mixed. Add the eggs and the flour and mix until well combined. In a pan, heat oil to 250-320 degrees (about medium heat). Form the mixture into palm sized patties. The patties need to cook for about 5 minutes on the first side and 2 on the second. If they brown too quickly your oil is too hot, but if the latkes don’t sizzle when you put them in the pan your oil isn’t hot enough. Once dark and golden, place the latkes on a plate with a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. These are best directly after frying. Serve with sour cream and applesauce.
Makes approximately 10 latkes.
Direct link: http://backdropmag.com/hype/who-needs-meat/