Veggie Cooking for One??

[laughsandlaughs]

Circumstances have left my DH and I living on opposite coasts for the next four months, and I am not prepared!!! Usually when he's out of town I just kind of "make do" and eat something quick out of the freezer but I can't do this for 4 months. Veggie Corndogs cannot be my main meal, I know! So does anyone have any suggestions for vegetarian recipes, a book I should get out of the library, etc? I just need inspiration to cook just for myself. We're moving into a new house (yes I'm doing everything by myself) in two weeks, so I'm pretty busy, but still....and once we get into the house and my nice new kitchen I'm going to want to break it in!!

Thanks in advance.
Elizabeth

[cindyluwho]

Here are some of the recipes I make all the time. Some of them are for pretty large quantities, but you can freeze individual servings if you get tired of eating the same thing several days in a row.

Broccoli And Tofu In Spicy Almond Sauce
Source: Mollie Katzen's The Enchanted Broccoli Forest

* 1/2 c. hot water
* 1/2 c. almond/peanut butter
* 1/4 c. cider vinegar
* 2 T. tamari sauce
* 2 T. blackstrap molasses
* cayenne/chile to taste

* 1 lb. broccoli
* 2 tsp. ginger
* 4 cloves garlic
* 1 lb. tofu, cubed
* 2 c. onion, thinly sliced
* 2-3 T. tamari sauce
* 2 minced scallions

In small saucepan, whisk together almond butter and hot water until you have a uniform mixture. Whisk in remaining sauce ingredients and set aside.

Stir-fry half the ginger and half the garlic in 1 T. oil. Add tofu chunks, stir-fry for 5-8 minutes. Mix with sauce. Wipe wok clean, saute remaining ginger & garlic in 2 T. oil. Add onions and fresh pepper, saute for about 5 min. Add chopped broccoli, cashews and tamari; stir-fry until broccoli is bright green. Toss saute with sauce, mixing in the minced scallions as you toss. Serve over rice.


Cindy's Chana Masala

2 C dried chickpeas, soaked 4+ hours
1 t baking soda
salt

3 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T ginger, chopped
1 T turmeric
1 t red chili pepper
1 t amchur (mango) powder
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t cloves
2 T cumin
1 T coriander
1 large can chopped tomatoes

Boil chickpeas in water with salt and baking soda until tender. Saute onions, garlic, and ginger in oil, then add spices. Stir in chickpeas and tomatoes, cook for a few minutes, and serve over steamed brown rice.


Cindy’s “African” stew

1 large pkg extra firm tofu, cut into ~3/4 in cubes
6 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ~3/4 in cubes
vegetable oil spray

Olive oil
2 large onions
4 cloves garlic
6 red bell peppers, cut into ~3/4 in pieces
4 tomatoes, cut into ~3/4 in cubes
1 bunch collard greens, ribbed and chopped

1 C natural peanut butter
vegetable broth
2 Scotch bonnet peppers, seeds discarded and finely diced
salt and pepper to taste

Brown rice

Spray the tofu and sweet potatoes with oil and roast at 400 until sweet potatoes are tender and tofu is lightly browned (turn tofu cubes over once in the middle to brown additional side).

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil, then add bell peppers, tomatoes, and collard greens, cooking until softened.

Mix peanut butter and enough vegetable broth in a saucepan until about the consistency of pancake batter. Add hot pepper and cook for a few minutes.

Mix all of the above together, add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over steamed brown rice.


Cindy’s Vegetarian Enchiladas

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (~3/4 in)
3 red bell peppers, halved and seeded
olive oil spray
salt

1 T olive oil
2 red onions, sliced
1 large cans black beans, drained
1 large can whole peeled tomato, diced (reserved liquid)
1/2 lb spinach, wilted
2 T cocoa
cumin
red chili powder
salt

3 cups 2% milk
1/2 of reserved tomato liquid
red chili powder
salt
flour to thicken (~3 T)
1/2 C grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 pkg (~15?) corn tortillas

Spray sweet potatoes and red bell peppers with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and roast at 425 degrees until pepper peels are blackened.

Saute red onions in olive oil until softened, add cumin to taste. Add beans, tomato, cocoa, and spinach. Add chili powder and salt to taste.

Boil milk with tomato liquid, chili powder, and salt, adding flour to thicken. Add cheese and reduce by 1/2 until thickened.

Spoon bean mixture onto tortilla, add sweet potato and red bell pepper, wrap up and place in baking dish. Repeat for all tortillas and spoon sauce over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min.

[lorilei]

Have you contemplated making sauces, chili, fillings for burritos, veggie burgers etc., and then freezing them in individual portions?

I am not a big "freezer meal" person now. But, when I lived alone, I was in your same dilemma. I didn't want to end up eating JUNK -- so I had to come up with a plan. Finally, I decided that I could probably afford the time to cook on weekends. So, I made full recipes (4 servings, generally) of a given meal -- and froze whatever I didn't eat. I bought fresh produce each week to eat alongside the "main dishes" that I had in the freezer.

[Ohioan]

I cook for one all the time, and all I do is scale down recipes by simple division. ;) If a recipe "serves 4," just divide everything by four -- or by two, and then save a portion for another meal, if the problem is that you can't generate the energy to fuss in the kitchen every night for one person. At any rate, go ahead and make all the things you normally make for the two of you, but just make less.

Hey, you're worth it, right? :D

Cheers,
Phoebe

[sugaree]

One of my favorite tricks is to cook an entire package of pasta then freeze individual size portions in small plastic bags. At dinner time, I thaw the pasta in a strainer by running hot water over it, saute up some combo of vegetables, dump the pasta in the pan, and add fresh herbs/cheese/nuts or whatever. Quick, easy and tasty!

[sunberst]

i have the student's vegetarian cookbook (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0761511709/qid=1063326627/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/102-1864958-1749727?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) which has really simple, quick recipes. it is more of an "idea" cookbook. i usually open it and say oh yeah, then make my own version of whatever it is.

i also love the mediterranean vegan kitchen (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1557883599/qid=1063326987/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/102-1864958-1749727?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) for some really good food.

i also make things like the spicy black beans & tomatoes (http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=40902&highlight=black+beans+tomatoes) and freeze some for easy, quick meals.

[gaja]

A couple of books you may want to look at:

Nancy Berkoff's Vegan Meals for One or Two
Leah Leneman's Vegan Cooking for One

I do not own these books (yet! ;) ) but I have another one of Berkoff's book (Complete Vegan Cooking) and really like it.