Vegetarian Hungarian Goulash

A recipe from Hungary!

* 1 cup potatoes, peeled & sliced
* 1 cup onions, chopped
* 2 pressed garlic cloves
* 1 1/4 tsp paprika
* 1/2 tsp caraway seeds
* 1 vegetable bullion cube
* 2 tbsp water
* 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
* 1/2 tsp black pepper
* 2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes
* 3 1/2 tsp marjoram
* 1/4 cup safflower oil
* 3 cups cooked eggless noodles


1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large sauce pan, except the noodles. Cook over medium heat, covered for 30 to 40 minutes, then serve over hot noodles.

Tum'tumo (Lentils in a Savory Sauce)

A dish from Eritrea!

Servings: about 4-6

* 2 cups lentils
* 6-1/2 cups water
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 3 tsp olive oil
* 1 tsp salt
* 1/2 tsp hot sauce
* 1 can chopped tomatoes
* 1 can tomato paste
* 2 cloves garlic, chopped

1. Bring lentils to boil in 6 cups of water. Simmer for 20 minutes.

2. Saute onion in oil until browned. Add salt, hot sauce, tomato paste, & 1/2 cup water. Simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Add garlic & lentils. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve.

Senegalese Stew with Millet

Time: about 1 hour
Servings: 4

* 2 tbsp vegetable oil
* 2 cups chopped cabbage
* 1 cup chopped onion
* 2 cloves garlic
* 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
* 1/2 tsp curry powder
* 1/4 tps thyme
* 14.5 oz canned tomatoes
* 1 cup vegetable stock
* 2 tbsp peanut butter
* 2 cups cubed sweet potato
* 1-1/2 cups cubed rutabega
* 1 cup sliced carrots
* 1 cup cooked chickpeas
* 2 cups cooked millet

1. In a 3 quart sauce pan heat the oil over medium-high heat.

2. Add the cabbage, onion & garlic. Cook, stirring until the cabbage is softened.

3. Stir in the red pepper, curry powder, & thyme. Stir in the tomatoes, breaking them up with the spoon.

4. Add the broth & peanut butter. Stir until completely smooth.

5. Add the potato, rutabega, carrot, & chickpeas.

6. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 35 minutes.

7. Serve over millet.

Heart of Palm Salad from Costa Rica

A Costa Rican recipe!

servings: about 4

* 1 14-oz can of hearts of palm
* leafy lettuce
* fresh squeezed juice from 1 lime
* salt
* fresh ground black pepper
* 1 chopped red bell pepper
* 1 chopped vine ripened tomato

1. Lay down some lettuce in the bowls. Arrange the bite-sized pieces of heart of palm over the lettuce. Add the tomato & bell pepper.

2. Pour some lime juice over the salad and sprinkle salt & pepper, to taste.

Complete Jollof Rice from Benin

This recipe is from the country of Benin.

Serves: 8 people

* 1 cup dry black-eyed peas
*2 medium-sized eggplants
*1 1/2 tbs oil
*3 tbs ginger root, grated or minced
*2 peppers of your choice (I used Anaheims), roasted with the seeds removed, chopped
*8 tomatoes
*2 tsp cayenne
*2 tps curry powder
*Tabasco sauce to taste
*12 cups of water
*1 tsp salt
*2 large onions, chopped
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*1 green bell pepper, chopped
*1 1/2 tbs tomato paste
*1 lb carrots
*1/2 lb green beans
* 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice

1. In a large pot, soak the black-eyed peas overnight in 4 cups of water.

2. Drain & replace with 8 cups of fresh water, & simmer peas for 5 minutes. Drain, reserving water for cooking.

3. Meanwhile, roast the peppers, as mentioned above. I cooked mine in the oven.

4. Slice the eggplant into rounds about 1/2 inch thick and place in a colander. Salt and let them drain for 5 minutes.

5. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add eggplant, 1 tbs chopped onion, 1 tbs grated ginger, 1 chopped pepper, 1 clove garlic, & the bell pepper. Cook, stirring until the eggplant is browned, for about 5 minutes. Remove eggplant & set aside.

6. Add remaining onion, ginger, pepper, garlic, reserved water, tomatoes, tomato paste, cayenne, & curry, stirring them all together. Add hot sauce to taste. Simmer 10 minutes, uncovered.

7. Add black-eyed peas, carrots, & rice. Simmer another 5 minutes.

8. Add green beans & eggplant & simmer 15 minutes more, still uncovered.

9. Finally, cover & simmer another 20 minutes.

Ailazan from Armenia

This is a traditional Armenian dish. It is a thick vegetable stew.

* 1 lb eggplant
* 1 lb potato (we used small red potatoes)
* 1 onion
* 100 g oil (I think that came to about 1/2 cup of oil when we used our kitchen scale)
* 3 vine ripened tomatoes
* 1 cup green beans
* 1 red bell pepper
* 1 cup of fresh spices (basil, thyme, cilantro, parsley)
* a bit of chopped garlic
* ground black pepper
* ground red pepper
* salt
* 1/2 cup water

1. Slice the eggplant finely, put a little bit of salt over each piece, then leave it to sit for 15 minutes. Squeeze out the extra juice. (We pressed them with paper towels.)
2. Slice the other vegetables finely & mince the spices.
3. Put the vegetables in a deep pot in layers, beginning with the eggplant on the bottom. Sprinkle every layer with spices including some salt.
4. Pour the oil & the water over top of the vegetables. Cover. Cook on low heat until done. (We cooked the stew on "2" for 1 hour & 45 minutes-- it turned out perfectly.)

Note: A lot of water will cook out of the vegetables, so dont worry that it doesn't seem like enough water at first.

Veggie Black Bean Soup

Prep time: 30 min
Servings: 4

*1/2 small onion, chopped
*1/2 cup chopped carrots
*1/2 cup chopped celery
*1 clove garlic, minced
*1/8 black pepper (freshly ground if you're fancy, regular black pepper if you're like me)
*2 cups vegetable broth
*2 cups fresh baby spinach
*14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
*1/3 cup chickpeas (out of a can), rinsed and drained
*1/3 cup low-salt black beans (out of a can), rinsed and drained
*oil or cooking spray

1. Heat a little bit of cooking spray or oil in a large pot. Saute the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, & pepper for 5-7 minutes or until the veggies are tender.
2. Add broth, spinach, tomatoes, chickpeas, & black beans. Bring to a boil.
3. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Calories: 95

Note: Of course, you can adjust the ingredients to your own liking. I usually forgo the onion and celery and put in zucchini and green bell pepper instead. I've tried it with corn, too.

Okra Creole

A recipe from Barbados!

Serves 8

Ingredients:

* 1 large onion, sliced
* 1 green bell pepper, chopped
* 3 tbsp peanut oil
* 20 okra pods, topped, tailed, sliced (or 1 bag frozen okra works fine, too!)
* 2 tomatoes, chopped
* 1 cup fresh corn kernels
* salt & pepper to taste

1. In a heavy skillet, saute the onion & bell pepper in the oil.

2. Add the okra & cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.

3. Add tomatoes & corn, lower the heat, & cook for 15 minutes (or until okra is done).

4. Season with salt & pepper.

Eggah from Tunisia

Makes about 6 servings

Ingredients :
* 1 tbsp olive oil
* 1 onion, thinly sliced
* 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
* 1 green bell pepper, seeded & thinly sliced
* 1 red bell pepper, seeded & thinly sliced
* 2 zucchini, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
* 1 lb ripe tomatoes (4 to 5), peeled & cut into wedges
* 1/8 tsp to 1/4tsp cayenne pepper, to taste
* 3/4 tsp ground cumin
* 1/2 tsp ground coriander
* 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
* sea salt & freshly ground pepper
* 3 eggs
* 6 egg whites
* 4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley


1. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed lidded frying pan or casserole & add the onion & garlic. Saute until the onion begins to soften.

2. Add the green & red peppers. Continue to saute 5 minutes, stirring.

3. Add the zucchini. Continue to saute 5 minutes.

4. Stir in the tomatoes, spices, sea salt & pepper to taste.

5. Stir together, cover, & reduce heat. Simmer gently for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked through & fragrant. If they begin to stick to the bottom of the pan, add a little water. Correct seasonings and remove from the heat.

6. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees & oil a baking dish large enough to accommodate the vegetables and eggs.

7. Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add the parsley.

8. Stir in the vegetable mixture, correct seasonings again, & turn into the prepared baking dish. Cover and bake 30 minutes.

9. Remove the cover and bake another 10 minutes or until the top is nicely browned & the eggs set. Serve at once, or allow it to cool and serve, cut into squares, as an appetizer. The eggah will keep a day or two in the refrigerator.

Cous Cous Soup

~special thanks to Candi for this recipe!~

Prep time: 15 min!
Servings: 8

* 8 cups broth (the orignal recipe calls for chicken broth, I used vegetable broth)
* 1 cup cous cous
* 1 1/2 cups diced fresh tomato
* 1-2 thinly sliced, seeded jalapeno peppers
* 1 tbsp lemon juice

1. Bring broth to a boil.

2. Stir in cous cous & cook for 5 minutes. (Meanwhile, dice the tomato & jalapeno.)

3. Add the tomato & jalapeno. Cook for about 8 more minutes.

4. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice, & serve.

Note: if the soup becomes too thick, add water.

Note: add Tabasco sauce for a Mexican flavor or fresh basil for an Italian flavor!

Garbanzo Bean Stew

~ suggested by my friend Taryn! ~

Prep Time: depends... at least 1 hour

Note: Taryn says, "I use dried beans because I think that they taste better, but canned is fine."

* 1/2 cup dried garbanzo beans (if using a can, just use the whole can)
* 2 onions, chopped
* 1 head garlic, smashed & chopped
* 1/8 cup olive oil
* water
* 1 potato, chopped
* 1 can of whole tomatoes (Taryn says: We used canned roasted tomatoes. You may need more spices with plain ones.)
* salt & pepper

1. Soak the beans for 24 hours.

2. Fry onion & garlic in oil until translucent.

3. Add beans & enough water to cover. (Taryn says: The less water you cook beans in, the quicker they cook.)

4. Turn the heat down & cover. Check the beans after an hour, but expect them to take up to 4 hours to cook.

5. Add the potato & tomatoes, including juice.

6. When the potato is done, add salt & pepper to taste.

Tortilla Soup

~ suggested by my friend Jen! ~

Prep Time: about 45 min
Servings: about 8

* 1 onion, chopped
* 1 cup corn kernels (frozen/canned), rinsed
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 cup white hominy, rinsed
* 1 tbsp olive oil
* 4 oz can chopped green chile peppers
* 2 tsp chili powder
* 1 can black beans, rinsed, drained
* 1 tsp dried cumin
* ½ cup chopped cilantro
* 2 cans veggie broth
* 28 oz crushed/diced tomatoes

Optional ingredients (Jen says: I use about 2 tsp lime, a lot of cayenne):
* Lime juice
* Cayenne pepper or tobasco to heat it up
* Sugar- if it gets too sour from all the acid

Garnish options:
* Tortilla chips
* Sliced avocado (Jen says: my favorite)
* Monterey Jack cheese
* Chopped green onions

1. In a medium to large pot, heat olive oil over medium. Saute onion & garlic. Stir in chili powder, cumin, tomatoes, broth. Bring to boil & simmer 10 minutes.

2. Stir in corn, hominy, green chiles, black beans, cilantro. Simmer 10 minutes.

3. Serve with any of the garnishes above.

Barley and Lentil Soup

(picture by Jen)

~ Suggested by my friend Jen! ~

Time: about 1 hour
Servings: 8-10

* 1 cup chopped onion
* 6 cups vegetable broth
* 1 cup chopped celery
* 2 tsp dried rosemary
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 2 tsp dried oregano
* 28oz can diced tomatoes
* 1/2 tsp black pepper
* ¾ cup rinsed lentils (uncooked)
* 2 cups carrots
* 3/4 cup rinsed pearl barley (uncooked)

1. In large soup pot, cook onions, celery & garlic in hot olive oil until tender.

2. Add vegetable broth, tomatoes, lentils, barley, rosemary, oregano, pepper, & carrots.

3. Cook for 40 minutes, or until barley, lentils and carrots tender.

Note: Jen says, "I like to eat this with cheese and crackers on the side."

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Time: 30 mins
Servings: 4-6

* 32 oz vegetable broth
* 1 chopped green bell pepper
* 1 chopped red or yellow bell pepper
* 1 small onion, diced
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 14. 5 oz can diced tomatoes, pureed in a blender
* about 10 oz meatless crumbles (or for you beef-eating carnivores, you could probably use cooked hamburger meat, but I'm not going to vouch for how the soup turns out)
* 3/4 cup brown minute rice
* a bit of oil for sauteing

1. Prepare all of the vegetables.

2. Saute the onion & garlic in the oil until they are soft.

3. Add the peppers & cook until they are tender.

4. Add pureed tomatoes, meatless crumbles, & broth. Bring to a slow boil.

5. Once boiling, add the rice. Cover & cook until rice is tender (about 10 minutes).

Panzanella Soup

Time: 25 min
Servings: 4

* 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
* 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
* 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
* 1/3 cup minced fresh basil or 2 tbsp dried
* 2 tbsp minced fresh oregano or 2 tsp dried
* 1 cup fresh tomatoes, peeled & chopped or 1 cup canned tomatoes,
drained, peeled & chopped
* 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
* 4 cups cubed bread, crust removed
* 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Heat olive oil in a wide saucepan over medium heat, & saute the garlic, onion, basil, & oregano until the onions are soft (about 8 min).

2. Add the tomatoes, broth, & bread. Stir until the mixture is heated throughout & you have a coarse porridge.

3. Spoon into serving bowls & sprinkle Parmesan cheese evenly over each.