Thursday, September 4, 2008

The Vegetarian Hundred

I'm interrupting our Labor Day recap because I just can't resist this list. Barbara at Tigers & Strawberries came up with a list of 100 items that vegetarians should try at least once. Her post is here. (She also did an omnivore one here). I'm (Dana) going to respond to each of these but I'll add comments here and there about Kay. Mostly though, if I haven't tried it then she obviously hasn't either!

The Vegetarian Hundred
1. Real macaroni and cheese, made from scratch and baked - I have many many MANY recipes for mac and cheese!! Kay has never had the kind from a box.

2. Tabbouleh - tried several recipes and now have developed my own favorite version of it.
3. Freshly baked bread, straight from the oven (preferably with homemade strawberry jam) - I've made both and posted the jam on our blog.

4. Fresh figs - blecht, nope haven't tried them, don't plan to. I realize fresh figs are probably completely different than fig newtons but in my mind they are the same and fig newtons are so disgusting it is a crime to call them cookies!

5. Fresh pomegranate - Would like to try it.

6. Indian dal of any sort - Tried it, liked it

7. Imam bayildi - Don't know what this is. Need to research

8. Pressed spiced Chinese tofu - I've had lots of tofu but I don't think I've had this particular kind. I don't usually like flavored tofu but I'd try it.

9. Freshly made hummus - Make it on a regular basis.

10. Tahini - Eat it often

11. Kimchi - Eat it almost daily

12. Miso - Eat it somewhat often

13. Falafel - Love it!

14. Potato and pea filled samosas - Don't like peas but I'd try it.

15. Homemade yogurt - I had planned to make homemade yogurt before discovering dairy was causing all my problems. Still considering making it for Kay.

16. Muhammara - never had it, would try it.

17. Brie en croute - never had it, never will due to dairy issue

18. Spanikopita - I've never had it but I have a lot of recipes for it. This is one of those things I always plan to make but never get around to.

19. Fresh, vine-ripened heirloom tomatoes - Just had them last week!

20. Insalata caprese - I've had it before and now make a version without any cheese.

21. Stir-fried greens (gai lan, bok choi, pea shoots, kale, chard or collards) - I've had lots of these!

22. Freshly made salsa - Yep, posted on blog a couple days ago!

23. Freshly made guacamole - Eat it almost every day

24. Creme brulee - Never had it, now never will due to dairy and egg issue

25. Fava beans - I haven't had fava beans but I sure have tried. I have tons of recipes listing fava beans but I can't find them to save my life.

26. Chinese cold sesame peanut noodles - Had it, liked it.

27. Fattoush - Had it. Not too thrilled but it was fine.

28. New potatoes - Had them, like them.

29. Coleslaw - Had many versions, don't like any of them.

30. Ratatouille - Posted my version on blog

31. Baba ganoush - Had it, wanted to like it, didn't!

32. Winter squash - Eat it often.

33. Roasted beets - Had it, liked it. Beets are so messy though.

34. Baked sweet potatoes - Had it. Prefer sweet potato baked fries.

35. Plantains - Never had them but would try them.

36. Chocolate truffles - Yum!!! I made these one year for Christmas and they went over so well, Kay named her hamster after them!!

37. Garlic mashed potatoes - Bill and I always put garlic in our mashed potatoes.

38. Fresh water chestnuts - Never had fresh ones that I know of. Maybe in a restaurant stir fry.

39. Steel cut oats - Had them. Overrated. Won't spend the money again.

40. Quinoa - Eat it often. One of Kay's favorites.

41. Grilled portabello mushrooms - Used to eat them a lot. Now we can't afford them.

42. Chipotle en adobo - Always in my fridge. I throw them into anything I can!

43. Stone ground whole grain cornmeal - Another thing I won't waste my money on again.

44. Freshly made corn or wheat tortillas - In a restaurant. I've never made my own but I have thought about it.

45. Frittata - I made an awesome frittata a couple years ago from Just Hungry with tofu, cheddar and spinach. I don't have the exact link but it is worth looking for. Another thing that I can't have anymore due to eggs and dairy.

46. Basil pesto - Make my own at the end of every summer.

47. Roasted garlic - Love it!! This is something that I always thought was too much of a bother until I tried it. Totally worth the effort.

48. Raita of any type - Never had it.

49. Mango lassi - Never had it. Love mangoes though.

50. Jasmine rice (white or brown) - Cook it almost every day.

51. Thai vegetarian coconut milk curry - Yum. Love it.

52. Pumpkin in any form other than pie - Not a big fan of pumpkin but I've made pumpkin pancakes before.

53. Fresh apple pear or plum gallette - Had apple gallette. I don't like pears and plums.

54. Quince in any form - Never had it. I'd probably try it (but I don't think I'd like it!)

55. Escarole, endive or arugula - I've had endive and arugula for sure. Not sure about escarole.

56. Sprouts other than mung bean - I used to eat tons of sprouts.

57. Naturally brewed soy sauce - Never had it. Sounds expensive!

58. Dried shiitake mushrooms - Shockingly I've never had these. I keep meaning to get some though.

59. Unusually colored vegetables (purple cauliflower, blue potatoes, chocolate bell peppers…) - Chocolate bell peppers!?!!! I've had blue potatoes and that green cauliflower which I think is mixed with broccoli. I've had purple peppers before.

60. Fresh peach ice cream - Maybe?? Not sure but I'd eat it if it wasn't dairy.

61. Chevre - Nope. Cheese problem again.

62. Medjool dates - Yes. I got these for some kind of dessert. It was good.

63. Kheer - I don't know what this is. More research.

64. Flourless chocolate cake - Yes. Never as good as I think it will be though.

65. Grilled corn on the cob - Of course - we live in Indiana!! I still prefer it boiled though.

66. Black bean (or any other bean) vegetarian chili - I have almost as many chili recipes as I do mac and cheese!! Kay hates chili.

67. Tempeh - Have some in my fridge now. Kay and I prefer tofu but I thought we should give it another chance. Now I can't find the recipe I had in mind!

68. Seitan or wheat gluten - Nope. Can't find it in the stores and I haven't been interested enough to make my own yet.

69. Gorgonzola or any other blue veined cheese - I tried blue cheese once. Yuck! Kay would probably like it though. She likes really stinky cheeses.

70. Sweet potato fries - Love them. See above comment under baked sweet potatoes.

71. Homemade au gratin potatoes - Kay loves these. I can't have them due to the cheese (again!) but I still make them for her and Bill.

72. Cream of asparagus soup - Yum. I haven't had this in a long time.

73. Artichoke-Parmesan dip - I have a fantastic recipe for this. I've tried to veganize it but it just isn't the same.

74. Mushroom risotto - I don't like risotto so I probably wouldn't even try this.

75. Fermented black beans - I don't think I've had them.

76. Garlic scapes - Never had them.

77. Fresh new baby peas - I've had them but I don't like peas.

78. Kalamata olives - I've had them. I love olives.

79. Preserved lemons - Never had them. I'd try them though.

80. Fried green tomatoes - Never had them. Not big on fried foods.

81. Chinese scallion pancakes - Never had them but would try them.

82. Cheese souffle - One of Kay's favorites. Pain to make though.

83. Fried apples - Had them. Not my favorite way to have apples but ok.

84. Homemade frijoles refritos - I've made them. In a can is much easier!

85. Pasta fagiole - Isn't this one of the first vegetarian meals people have?! Maybe just me. I've had this a million times.

86. Macadamia nuts in any form - I just made macadamia bars for Labor Day. They were delicious.

87. Paw paw in any form - Never had it but would try it.

88. Grilled cheese sandwich of any kind - Of course!! Kay could make these on her own since she was about 6. (Yes I let her use the stove at 6 - not when I wasn't in the house though). They are really good if you melt the butter with some garlic before spreading it on the bread.

89. Paneer cheese - Never had it.

90. Ma Po Tofu (vegetarian style–no pork!) - I don't think I've had it. I'm really bad at remembering the Asian name of foods I've eaten though. I usually call them names like "that noodle thing with the green things", etc!!

91. Fresh pasta in any form - Probably in a restaurant. I have a pasta maker that I've never used.

92. Grilled leeks, scallions or ramps - I've had grilled leeks.

93. Green papaya salad - Kay and I tried papaya last year. We didn't like it at all so we tried to get the hamster to eat it. It was deemed disgusting by all!

94. Baked grain and vegetable stuffed tomatoes - I don't like stuffed tomatoes but we do baked grain and vegetable stuffed peppers.

95. Pickled ginger - I love ginger but I've never had it pickled.

96. Methi greens - Never had it.

97. Aloo paratha - Don't know what this is.

98. Kedgeree - Never had it.

99. Okra - Had it often. Kay's first favorite vegetable.

100. Roasted brussels sprouts - Love roasted brussel sprouts.

Overall, I'm shocked at how many of these I've had!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have just stumbled across your blog... love all the recipes (especially the cinnamon muffins!) but I would just like to point out (pedant that I am) that Kedgeree contains smoked haddock, therefore it can't be vegetarian. So in all honesty, it is a list of 99!

Champsleeve said...

Hi Suzi!

Several people have pointed that out on Barbara's blog. I guess there is an adapted recipe for kedgeree which has fish in it but Barbara was thinking of the original dish which is vegetarian (from India maybe? I can't remember). I wasn't familiar with it in any form so it didn't affect my results!!

On a somewhat related topic, I often wonder if Kay is going to be in for some shocks when she grows up and tries food outside of our home. For example, the only version of shepherd's pie she's ever seen is my vegetarian version. It would be quite a surprise for her to be served something full of meat called shepherd's pie!

-Dana

Champsleeve said...

I would like to try Creme Brulee. It sounds good.

-Kay

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't worry about it too much ... in my days of eating meat (a very long time ago) I had it, and it was disgusting! And you wouldn't like it anyway, as it has eggs, so basically, it is a no-no all round!

I wouldn't worry about how Kay will find it later on in life. I went to boarding school with a girl (poor thing, her parents named her Harvest) who was vegetarian from birth, although she fell of the wagon at school! You are doing the right thing by teaching her how to cook. My mum didn't do that with me, and when I chose to go vegetarian at the age of 9, told me I had to cook for myself. It was a very steep learning curve!

Creme Brulee is gorgeous. Although you can buy it over here (in England) in the shops, home made is sooooooooo much nicer!

Thanks for the recipes ... am going to go home in the morning and make them (although would they work with potato flour, I wonder!!!!)

Have a great weekend!

Suzi

Anonymous said...

Dammit ... I meant to say cinnamon muffins, but thanks for the recipes as well!

S

Champsleeve said...

Although I wasn't 9 when I started cooking, I did have a similar situation. My mom hates to cook so didn't want to be bothered in the kitchen. The first time I went to the grocery store I had no idea what vegetables looked like before they were cut up! I spent a lot of time reading signs in the produce section!!

I won't bother researching kedgeree then. Doesn't sound like my kind of thing.

Those cinnamon muffins are really good. I love to experiment with different flours. I'd say give it a try with potato flour.

-Dana

Veggie said...

I agree with you on the fig newtons they are truly horrible. I think I've tried most everything on your list.

Ms Mac said...

I grew up on home-made macaroni cheese. I didn't know you could buy it in a box until a few years ago in Melbourne one day. I bought it for the boys to try and they thought it was revolting!

Just did the homemade bread thing. Was very pleased with myself. Didn't use a bread-maker or anything!

Used to eat fresh pomegranate all summer long....

Actually, I should do this on my blog.....

;-)

Champsleeve said...

Veggie - my mom used to eat fig newtons and they always looked good so I'd get tempted and try one and then immediately regret it. Yuck!!!

Ms. Mac - I saw your bread recipe and now I've been craving challah bread ever since!!

I'll tell Kay about your kids not liking the box mac and cheese. She always looks at it in the store and I offered to buy it for her to try once but she thought it was too expensive (I've trained her well!!).

-Dana