Vegan Meals and Main Courses

These vegan meals and main courses are fabulous and filling! Enjoy the recipes and be sure to check out the tips and shortcuts at the bottom of the page!

Veggie Polenta Ragout

Very filling and very delicious, I adapted this from a dish I saw on Martha Stewart. The actual prep time is less than 30 minutes but it takes a bit longer than that to cook.

Polenta
Combine 1 cup organic corn meal, 1 tsp salt, and 1 cup water in a bowl.
In a pot, bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil.
Slowly stir the cornmeal/water mixture into the boiling water - it should start to thicken.
Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In the meantime, start your Ragout:

Ragout
You'll need the following:
2 tbsp cold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil
3 stalks chopped celery
4 carrots sliced
1 onion - medium sized, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
2 cups portabello mushrooms chopped
2 tomatoes chopped finely

In a large skillet sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil for a few minutes until the onion starts to turn golden.
Add the carrots, celery, thyme, marjoram, basil and oregano and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and continue cooking another 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, 1/4 cup dry marsala wine and 1/2 cup vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, cover and simmer another 10 - 15 minutes.

In the meantime, your polenta will have thickened up nicely. Take a little more than half of it and spread it evenly on the bottom of an 8x4x3 loaf pan.
When the ragout is done, pour it into the loaf pan on top of the polenta and then spread the rest of the polenta on the top.
Broil for about 5 minutes, and then let stand for another 5 minutes.
When it is ready it should be thick enough to allow you to slice it as you would a loaf of bread.

This is one of the first vegan meals I ever made, and is still my favorite!. It is beautifully complimented by a Mandarin Almond Salad.

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Vegan Tacos - Black or Red Bean

These vegan tacos are really good, but a little messy - make sure you have a napkin! This recipe makes 4 tacos, but you can easily adjust for the number you need. This is one of the quickest and easiest vegan meals to make! (Check the tips and shortcuts section at the bottom of the page for the black bean recipe)

You'll need:
4 organic corn tortillas
2 cups cooked black or red beans (see tips and shortcuts below)
1 tsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 cup guacamole
2 tomotoes chopped coarsely
1 cup finely shredded lettuce
1 cup vegan cheddar cheese, grated

In a small pot, mix the cooked beans, cumin, chili powder, and lime juice over medium heat. Cover and cook about 10 minutes. In the meantime, chop your tomatoes, grate your cheese, and shred your lettuce.

To make one taco put 1/2 cup of beans on the bottom, sprinkle the cheese on next, followed by 1/4 cup guacamole. Add 1/4 cup of chopped tomotoes and 1/4 cup of shredded lettuce. Wrap the tortilla around the contents and serve.

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Vegan Hodge-Podge Sauté

Some vegan meals are complicated, but this one is definitely not. Geared to the time-challenged vegan,I have named this sauté based on the fact that you can throw in any veggies you have handy in a hodge-podge sort of way. This one is a favorite at the end of a busy day when you don't have much time or energy but want something delicious and nutritious!

You'll need:
1 cup each of your favorite veggies chopped - I usually use greenbeans, broccoli, red peppers and kale
2 cups cooked pinto or white beans
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1 clove garlic crushed
Splash white wine
1/2 cup water

In a large saucepan combine olive oil, oregano, basil, parsley, and garlic over medium heat. Sauté until garlic starts to sizzle. Add white wine and simmer another minute to reduce it. Add the veggies and sauté another three minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in beans and water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer another 1 minute or so until the veggies are steamed, but crisp. Add salt to taste.

You can serve this over brown rice, or a whole grain pasta to create a complete protein. With brown rice fusilli, it's one of my favorite vegan meals! Enjoy!

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Red Lentil Pilaf

This pilaf is one of those incredibly filling vegan meals, so be careful - A little goes a long way! The trick to getting this right is to add each vegetable at the right time so as not to over-cook any of them.

You'll need:
1 cup brown rice
2 1/4 cups filtered water
1 cup red lentils, rinsed and drained
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
2 2/4 cups filtered water
1/2 zucchini, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup diced red bell peppers
1/2 lb frozen peas

Cook the brown rice with the 2 1/4 cups of water for 45 min. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the garlic, ginger, mustard seeds, coriander, and cumin.

Saute on medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add the lentils, raise heat to medium-high and saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to slightly brown but not burn some of the lentils. Add the 2 3/4 cups of water and let it come to a boil. Lower the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the red bell peppers and frozen peas and bring mixture back to a boil. Reduce heat to low, re-cover and simmer for another 2 minutes. Add the zucchini, stir the bottom of the pot, re-cover, and boil on low for 2 more minutes. (If at any point the mixture looks too dry, add water and bring to a boil again.)

Let the mixture sit covered for a few minutes. Add salt to taste and mix with the brown rice. Serve with a salad or sliced avocados. This is one of those vegan meals where combining a grain and a bean gives you a complete protein!

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Tips and Shortcuts for Making Quick Vegan Meals:

Tip 1 - Make a vat of black or red beans on the weekend. It will last most of the week and you can use it in many vegan meals. They actually get better over time. To make them, take one package of black or red beans and soak them overnight (I usually do this before I go to bed on Saturday night and then I make the beans on Sunday). The next day, drain the beans. In the bottom of a large soup pot, sauté a chopped onion in 1 tbsp olive oil until the onion is transluscent. Add 2 cups vegetable stock and 2 cups water, the beans, and a bay leaf. Bring to a boil, cover, then simmer for 2-3 hours.

Tip 2 - Use hemp protein powder as often as you can in your cooking. It is a tremendous source of protein and omega 3. It has a very mild flavor. I've become so used to it that I don't even taste it anymore!

Tip 3 - Chopping veggies is usually a major part of preparing vegan meals and can often be time-consuming. So instead of washing lettuce or chopping vegetables every time you make a meal, you can spend half an hour or so every few days chopping large amounts of vegetables and storing them in vacuum-sealed containers. I recommend the Zepter VacSy primarily because it is reusable and therefore better for the planet. In a pinch though, you can put washed lettuce and chopped veggies in a plastic ziplock and press out all the air before sealing. That should keep things fresh for several days.

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