 I grew up in a family where if there wasn’t meat served, it wasn’t a meal. As a kid, we ate Sunday dinner from church kitchens where everything had meat in it and the vegetables were just the back-up band. Today, when people don't eat meat for either ethical or health reasons, you still need to know how to whip up something for her/them if she/they accept your invitation to dinner. It's a dilemma for meat eaters: how do you cook for some one if they don't eat meat? I mean, why did we bother to fight our way to the top of the food chain only to eat roots and leaves? Who am I, Tai Shan? However, for all my complaining, my wife Jill is all but a vegetarian (except for her love of bacon – go figure). This has made for some creative meals at home and hungry visits (for her) when we go to visit my family. For example, the last couple of Christmases have been spent with my aunt in Richmond. VA; a grub-fest with 50 people stuffed in a two-level neo-Colonial meant for a family of 4. Three types of ribs, North Carolina-style BBQ, chicken and turkey (smoked, grilled, and deep-fried), chitterlings (if you don't know, don't ask), more pork and grease than any normal human should ever sit down to, which is fine with me since I don't indulge much the rest of the year. Jill can barely find any veggies that aren't cooked with a pig-knuckle or ox tail, so it requires creative consumption for her; in other words, lots of dessert. New England Jews aren't much for collared greens with fatback.
My family aside, vegetarian cooking is not only popular but a healthy alternative to animal protein-loaded meals. I've learned to make more than a plate of wild rice and sautéed mushrooms when it’s my turn to cook at home and have discovered some really tasty dishes. Most were variations on recipes I already knew, recipes that originally had chicken or beef (no, chicken isn’t vegetarian, you Neanderthal). Since it’s summertime, Be Better Guys is giving you a couple of light, tasty recipes to satisfy both you and your guest. We made sure it was something that you’d eat, too, because it just isn't right to grill a steak while all she gets are the sides.
Primavera with Spaghetti SquashThis uses a basic primavera recipe, substituting spaghetti squash for pasta. If squash as pasta sounds crazy, it’s not. Seriously. Spaghetti squash is a winter squash, but you can find it almost year round. When baked, the flesh comes away from the shell in angel hair-like threads. It comes out al dente, perfect for pasta, is high in vitamin C, B6, and dietary fiber and low in fat and cholesterol. The biggest thing is that you won’t feel hungry after eating this dish, yet it’s still light and very flavorful. It takes a bit longer to prepare than regular flour pasta, but you can do other things while the squash bakes, like prep the rest of the food or make another round of cocktails for you and your company.
1 ½ cups vegetable stock (you can use chicken or beef stock if everyone’s cool with it)
2 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
½ cup peeled and diced carrot
1 cup asparagus tips, about an inch long (you can use all the asparagus if you break off the lower stalk, about two thirds of the way down)
½ cup zucchini or yellow summer squash
½ cup shelled fresh or frozen peas
1 spaghetti squash
2 tbsp olive oil (butter tastes better, but olive oil is healthier)
1 ½ cups grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 400° F. While the oven warms up, use a turning fork or sharp knife to stab the skin of the squash in several places, like Freddy Kruger used to do. Place squash in a baking dish and place into the oven for about 1 hour, until the skin is tender. While the squash is cooking, prep the rest of the veggies.
Add 1 cup of stock to a skillet, add thyme and salt. Add the carrots and cook for 3 minutes. Add the asparagus and cook for 2 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook for 2 minutes. Add the peas and cook until all of the vegetables are just tender to the touch and the stock’s nearly evaporated. Turn off the heat.
Once the squash in done, remove from the oven and allow to cool. Cut the squash in half length-wise and remove the seeds. Using a fork, gently scrape the meat of the squash from the skin and into a bowl. The meat will come out in threads. It should be al dente.
After you finish with the squash, turn on heat under the skillet to medium and add olive oil. Cook for 1 minute and add the remaining stock. Cook another 3 minutes, until the veggies are very tender. Add the spaghetti squash to the cooked vegetables and broth. Add 1 cup of Parmesan cheese to thicken and pass the rest around the table when you’re ready to eat. Serves 4 and makes for great leftovers for lunch.
Grab a bottle of Pinot Grigio or Orvieto to accompany and have yourself a summer Italian party.
Vegetable Stir-fry with Rice NoodlesYou’ve been eating stir-fry for the last 10 years from your local Asian restaurant, but it’s so much better made at home. When you make it, the vegetables are fresh tasting and everything’s hot. Stir fry doesn’t travel well (as in, from the restaurant to your front door) because the veggies lose their crispness if they sit for a while after beign cooked. Ideally you should have a wok, but a regular skillet will do. If you wanted, you could add chicken or beef to this, but it’s damn tasty on its own...you know, for rabbit food.
I package of rice noodles (you can substitute cooked rice, if you choose)
½ head of Bok Choy (Chinese cabbage) or Napa cabbage, cut into ribbons– you can find one or the other in your grocer’s produce section
3 medium carrots, peeled, cut length-wise and sliced
3 sprigs of green onions, chopped (separate the white from the green parts – trust me on this)
1 cup of bean sprouts
1 small green pepper and/or 1 cup of broccoli or cauliflower florets (the head, not the stem)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp fish sauce (available at any international grocery store)
1 tbsp rice vinegar (white vinegar will do)
1 tsp of sugar
Juice of ½ lime
2 tbsp vegetable, sesame, or peanut oil (they burn hotter and faster than olive oil, which is a good thing for stir fry)
¼ cup chopped cilantro (it’s parsley’s Latino cousin)
As always, prep your food before starting, or else get ready for soggy, over-cooked veggies like your mother made. Except for the cilantro, this dish requires no herbs or spices since all the sauces and acids (vinegar and lime juice) are flavored.
Boil 2 quarts of water with a dash of salt. Once boiling, add the rice noodles and bring back to a boil for 3 minutes. Drain noodles into a colander and put aside.
Heat the skillet or wok over a maximum high flame and add oil. Once the oil’s hot, reduce heat to medium-high and add garlic, jalapeño, and the whites of the green onions. The white part is the most flavorful and we’re trying to flavor the oil without the extra solids. Cook until golden brown (2 minutes) , then discard all solids.
Add the carrots, then cabbage, then peppers/broccoli/cauliflower. Toss in the pan, getting all of the ingredients cooked, about 2 minutes. Disssolve sugar into vinegar, whisking with a fork. Add the noodles, soy and fish sauces, and vinegar and mix every thing for a minute. Add the bean sprouts, green onions and toss for another minute. Finally, finish with the lime juice and cilantro. Serve immediately in bowls with soy and enjoy with a cup of sake.
Both of these recipes will satisfy your appetite, provide you with a flavorful meal, and make those in your life who are vegetarians or people concerned about calories very happy with you. Again, you can always add meat to these, but they are hearty enough to stand on their own.
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