Vegetarian Recipe: Vegetarian Goulash

A vegetarian version of the traditional Hungarian dish made with stewing meat and sausages, vegetarian goulash is made with red beans, cremini mushrooms, and nokedli or knöpfle spätzle, a type of Eastern European egg noodle or dumpling that is similar to the Italian gnocchi. You can get nokedli or knöpfle spätzle in European specialty stores or groceries. If you can’t find it you can use potato gnocchi instead. Other ingredients used in this vegetable soup recipe include onions, garlic, sesame oil, parsnip, white turnip, potato, tamari sauce, paprika, celery seed, dried red pepper, stewed diced tomatoes, water, and red wine.

This soup is best enjoyed during the winter months, from December to March. Serve this with crusty bread or rolls and a side of salad for a light and comforting healthy meals. Also can make great vegetarian easy appetizers for lunch or dinner. Vegetarian goulash pairs well with a bottle of Shiraz. You can make this in a large soup pot or a slow cooker. You practically throw in the vegetables and seasonings in a pot together and allow them to simmer. The noodles or pasta is added at the last five or six minutes of cooking depending on how long it cooks as indicated in the package instructions.

Ingredients: 1 yellow onion, diced, 3-4 cloves garlic, minced, 2 tbsp sesame oil, 1 large parsnip, diced, 1 mid-sized, white turnip, diced, 1 large potato, diced (about 2C), 2 C cooked red kidney beans (tinned is fine), 15 cremini mushrooms, washed and sliced OR diced, 1 tbsp tamari sauce, 1 tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp celery seed, 6 slices of dried red pepper, chopped (use scissors, it’s easier), 3 C stewed diced tomatoes (tinned is fine), 8 C water, 1 C red wine, 1 C nokedli OR knöpfle spätzle (available at European grocery stores, if unavailable, potato gnocchi may be substituted)

Preparation Instructions: 

In a very large soup pot, saute the onion and garlic in the sesame oil. Add vegetables, water, red wine and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30-40 minutes. Add nokedli and allow to boil until pasta is cooked (about 5-6 minutes). Serve hot, with crusty rolls, and enjoy.

Make sure that all the vegetables are prepared, peeled, washed and sliced before moving on to cook the dish. The red kidney beans need to be precooked if you are using dried beans. You can also use canned kidney beans, which have been cooked already and soaked in a liquid solution. Drain the beans from the liquid and place in a colander. Ideally, the tomatoes should be stewed. You can also use canned stewed tomatoes for a richer flavor and for more convenience. While this recipe uses cremini mushrooms, you can also use other kinds of mushrooms such as chanterelles, porcini or Portobello, or whatever is available in your area.

Source: www.gourmandia.com

Vegetarian Recipe: Vegan Cream of Zucchini Soup

Zucchini is combined with onions, garlic, soymilk, vegetable stock, chives, and black pepper to make a creamy and healthy vegetable soup recipe. This is a quick and easy soup to prepare for busy weekdays. You can serve it as easy appetizers or light healthy meals with crusty bread and a side of salad. Zucchini soup goes well with a wide array of dishes. It is a refreshing soup that will invigorate the senses. This soup is perfect when fresh zucchini is in season or you have zucchini growing in your garden. It is low in calories and contains no dairy or fat and can be made a regular part of a healthy and nutritious diet.

When pureed in a blender, the soup becomes thick and luscious. The zucchini softens when it is cooked and its flesh becomes soft and creamy. The onions give the soup a tangy bite and the garlic makes it extra tasty. With just a few simple ingredients, you can make an elegant soup that makes a wonderful presentation when garnished with fresh chives. You can also garnish the dish with other fresh herbs for more flavor and aroma. Herbs like parsley, sweet basil, or cilantro go well with zucchini. If you want a bit of spice in your soup, add a dash of chili powder or cayenne pepper during cooking or as a seasoning after it is cooked and pureed.

 

 

Ingredients: 5 C zucchini OR golden zucchini, peeled diced, 4-6 bunching onions, diced, 6 garlic scapes OR 2 cloves garlic, minced, 3 C soy milk, 3 C vegetable stock, ground black pepper and fresh chives, to taste

Preparation Instructions: 

Combine all ingredients in a large soup pot. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow simmering, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and blend, in batches, in a blender until creamy smooth. Transfer batches of blended soup to a large bowl during this process. Return blended soup to pot and heat through. Serve hot, garnished with black pepper and chives.

Before cooking the zucchini, peel it first and then dice them into small pieces. While the skin is edible, peeling it will yield a creamier soup. If you keep the skin on, the soup will have more fiber but will be texture and less creamy. It can also add bitterness to the soup. Peel the skin as thinly as possible using a vegetable peeler since a lot of the nutrients in the vegetable lie just under the skin.

Source: www.gourmandia.com

Vegetarian Recipe: Vegan Borscht

A tangy, hearty, and richly aromatic vegetable soup recipe that can be served hot or cold, borscht is a popular soup in Eastern and Central Europe especially in Russia, Ukraine, and Poland. The main ingredient used to make this dish is beetroot, which gives the soup its characteristic deep reddish color. In some healthy recipes and regions, tomato is used as the main ingredient while beetroot is the secondary ingredient. Other varieties also exist including green borscht, made with sorrel, and tomato paste orange borscht. Beef or pork broth is commonly used as a base for the soup but in this vegan recipe, red wine is used for flavoring the broth.

In this recipe, yellow beets, red beets, potatoes, celeriac, fennel, garlic, onion, red wine, tamari sauce, celery seed, allspice, balsamic vinegar, beet greens, fresh dill, capers, vegan sour cream and other garnishes are used to make the vegan borscht easy appetizers. This makes an excellent soup for the late autumn and early winter.

The ingredients are basically sautéed then simmered until the beets are tender. The soup can be garnished with fresh dill, capers, and sour cream and other sorts of garnish such as lemon juice, parsley, and chopped hard-boiled eggs. Leftovers can easily be stored and placed in the freezer for later serving. Borsch can be enjoyed as a cold soup during hot days and as a hot soup during winter.

Ingredients: 1 onion, diced, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 2 tbsp cooking oil, 3 large yellow beets, diced, 3 large red beets, diced, 2 large potatoes, roughly chopped, 1 C celeriac (celery root), roughly chopped, 1/2 C fennel bulb, roughly chopped, 10 C water, 2 C red wine, 1 tbsp tamari sauce, 2 tsp each: celery seed, allspice, 1/4 C balsamic vinegar, 1 bunch beet greens, washed and chopped into ribbons, 1 bunch fresh dill OR 2-4 tbsp dried dill, Fresh dill, capers, vegan sour cream, or other garnishes

Preparation Instructions: 

In a very large soup pot, sauté onions and garlic in cooking oil. Add beets, potatoes, celeriac, fennel, water, wine, tamari, celery seed and allspice to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer, covered, for half an hour, or until beets are easily pierced with a fork. Add vinegar, beet greens, and dill and simmer for a further five minutes, until greens are bright in the pot. Serve as is, or garnish with fresh dill, capers, and/or vegan sour cream, and enjoy.

Other ingredients that can be added to make the vegan borscht are peppers, carrots, and cabbage. If serving the soup cold, you can garnish the dish with yogurt, kefir, soured milk, and raw chopped vegetables like cucumbers and radishes. Vegan borscht can be served as a light and nutritious meal on its own and also makes a sumptuous appetizer served with rye bread. Borscht is best paired with a rich red wine like Pinot Noir.

Source: www.gourmandia.com

Vegetarian Recipe: Ginger Carrot Soup

Carrot soup is made more delectable with dry white wine, curry powder, and ginger in this recipe adapted from The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook by Julee Rosso & Sheila Alukins. In this vegetable soup recipe, onions, ginger, and garlic are sautéed in butter. Chicken stock, dry white wine, and carrots are added and simmered until the carrots are tender and flavored with fresh lemon juice, curry powder, salt, and ground pepper. The soup is pureed until smooth and can be served either hot or cold. This is especially delicious with crusty bread or a side of salad. This delicious soup is also quite therapeutic and can help alleviate cold or flu.

Ginger carrot soup can be served as refreshing easy appetizers or a light meal with salad and bread. If you want a vegetarian version, you can use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. The curry powder and ginger adds a subtle spice to the dish and a tingling sensation in the palate. The wonderful aroma of the soup also adds to the eating experience and the beautiful color of the dish enlivens any dinner table.

Use an immersion blender, regular blender, or food processor for pureeing the soup. If you are using a regular blender, puree the soup in batches and reheat them before serving (or chill in the fridge and serve cold). There are many ways you can garnish this dish. For a healthy option, garnish the dish with yogurt and herbs like parsley, celery, basil, thyme, or coriander.

Ingredients: 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 large yellow onion, diced, ¼ cup freshly grated ginger root, 3 garlic cloves, minced, 7 cups chicken stock, 1 cup dry white wine, 1 ½ lbs. carrots, peeled and sliced into ½ in. pieces, 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, Curry powder, Sea salt, Freshly ground pepper

Preparation Instructions: 

In a stock pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic, sautéing for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the stock, wine, and carrots. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes, or until carrots are tender. Using an immersion blender, traditional blender, or food processor, puree the soup, working in batches. Add the juice, a pinch of curry powder, and salt and pepper.

For a more savory soup, you can garnish with bacon bits, caramelized onions, fried garlic, sautéed mushrooms, croutons, sour cream, diced hard-boiled egg. You can also garnish the soup with diced and blanched carrots, sautéed asparagus, diced zucchini, cucumber, broccoli, or grilled eggplant. Ginger carrot soup is also delicious with Indian flatbreads like roti or chapatti.

Source: www.gourmandia.com

Vegetarian Recipe: French Onion Soup with a Twist

Healthy recipes for onion soup uses vegetable stock instead of beef stock and is seasoned with teriyaki sauce for a different twist. The sweet teriyaki sauce pairs well with the caramelized onions and create quite a tasty dish. Also called soupe à l’oignon in French, onion vegetable soup recipe is traditionally made with beef stock or beef broth. The soup is garnished with croutons and cheese and served as easy appetizers in French meals.

Originally a soup associated with poor peasants, onion soup is now a popular soup enjoyed around the world and has been around since the Roman times. During those times, onions were abundant and easy to grow and to this day remain inexpensive and easy to make. This is perfect for busy weekdays and can be whipped up any time of the week.

In this recipe, cheddar cheese is used to garnish the dish together with the croutons. The garnished soup is placed in the oven and broiled for a few minutes until the cheese melts and the croutons brown a bit on top. Use a ramekin or tureen for placing the soup in before placing them in the broiler or oven. Regular soup bowls are not appropriate if they are not made for heating in the oven. Commonly, gruyere cheese is used to garnish the onion soup, although it is more expensive than cheddar. Some like to enhance the soup with cognac or sherry.

Ingredients: 6 yellow onions, sliced or diced, 3 cloves garlic, minced, 1/4 C prepared teriyaki sauce (your choice), 2 tbsp sesame oil, 8 C vegetable stock, crutons, 3 C old cheddar cheese, grated

Preparation Instructions: 

In a large soup pot, briefly sauté the onions and garlic in the sesame oil and teriyaki sauce. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Cook for 12 minutes on high heat, stirring slowly. Pour soup into oven-safe bowls or designated onion soup tureens. Top with croutons and grated cheese. Broil in the oven for five minutes, or until cheese is melted and beginning to brown. Serve hot and enjoy.

Most of the flavor of the soup should come from the caramelized onions, which should be thoroughly sweated and nicely browned to bring out their sweetness and concentrate their flavors. The onions should be cooked slowly on low heat to prevent them from burning and becoming bitter. When caramelized, the onions will shrink in size to about half its original volume. This process also draws out the liquid from the onions and creates a rich and flavorful soup.

Source: www.gourmandia.com

Vegetarian Soup

Throughout the world, countries have their own versions of these dishes from French onion soup, Hungary’s goulash, and Japan’s sukiyaki to various versions of consommés, noodle soups and bisques from Asia, the Americas, Europe, Africa and Australia.

Nothing beats a cup (or bowl if you’re extra hungry) of hot steaming soup on a cold winter or rainy day.  There’s videos for cooking recipes something about the aroma, whether it’s an easy cooking recipes simple vegetable broth or hearty chunky chowder, which comforts and reminds one of a home-cooked meal from mom’s kitchen.

Vegetarian soup from Mirriam Venes

Usually served as a starter course after an appetiser, soups can also serve as a main course if it has lots of texture and substantial components, usually meat and chunky vegetables, and served with bread.  They range in texture from light broths, usually with vegetables and noodles, to thick almost stew-like dishes brimming with various ingredients.  Soups are also popular as a light meal or snack especially when one is under the weather.

 

Vegetarian are spoilt for choice with the abundance of ingredients that can be used to make soup–from deep green spinach, broccoli leaves and flowers to bright yellow-orange pumpkin, corn and peppers to purple beet root, cabbage and eggplant.  The colors in it are indicative of the abundant phytonutrients present.  Should you still want the texture and mouth feel of meat, mushrooms, firm tofu and vegemeat (texturised vegetable protein) may be used.

 

Soups together with salads are among the easiest dishes to prepare without the addition of meat.  Recipes here use highlight fresh vegetables.  Feel free to substitute vegetables with what’s in season.  Not only are you assured of a fresher product, but ingredients are cheaper too.  Squashes, gourds can take the place of zucchini.  Rapini, a vegetable similar to broccoli widely used in Italy can be replaced with leafy greens such as kale.  Vegan options do not contain any milk, cream or butter.

 

Vegetarian goulash takes out the meat component and uses potato and a variety of vegetables made more flavorful with spices and red wine.  It is served hot and chunky and is a great meal in itself with complete protein from beans and carbohydrates from the starchy vegetables and gnocchi, a unique soft dumpling made from potatoes.

 

Herbs and spices can also be played around with to create different flavour profiles yielding a totally different dish.