Vegetarian Recipes Using Tahini

[tarheelmjfan]

We're trying to eat vegetarian again & I need help! I asked for vegetarian recipes previously, but we ended up going back to eating meat, chicken, seafood, etc. for no other reason than I was raised eating those & can cook a wide variety of meals that way. We abandoned the vegetarian idea, because we're adventurous eaters that quickly got tired of eating the same things all the time. We're going to try vegetarian again for health reasons, but need to expand our options substantially, if we're going to be able to stick to it. We will eat any type of cuisine. There are no limitations.

I remember @AnnaFloridaLover posting a lot of vegetarian suggestions that sounded great with the use of tahini, so I decided to start there. Unfortunately, I've looked for those posts, but can't seem to find them. I have purchased tahini in hopes of finding some good recipes.

Any other easy(ish) vegetarian recipes that are more than making a meal of plain vegetables would be very much appreciated. I have health problems & can no longer spend an hour at the stove preparing dinner. However, I can sit to cut up ingredients, if the cooking time is manageable.

 

[dotfurio]

We're not vegetarian, but this is one of our favorite meals. It's topped with a tahini sauce:
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/258091/vegan-buddha-bowl/

We also usually make tacos/burritos/taco salad with ground tofu.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Thanks.

I've never seen ground tofu. I've seen ground, vegetarian "fake" meat. Is that the same thing? If not, where would we find ground tofu? I've only seen tofu blocks, slices & cubes.

 

[barkley]

the apple a day cookbooks are a great resource. i also reccommend the morningstar and loma linda brands of vegetarian products-very tasty, very good quality. a good resource for a variety of cookbooks is on-line at the adventist book center website.

 

[dotfurio]

Probably the same thing. Looks like ground beef. Some comes seasoned like taco meat, but we always add a little of our own seasoning.
This is one we've bought. Most grocery stores have them, usually in a refrigerated section of the produce. We've bought at Albertsons and Sprouts. Stores that cater to special diets like Lassens will have more variety.

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

Here is a simple but very flavourful and healthy tahini dressing. Mind you I don't measure anything so you might want to play around with the measurements. 1/4 cup of tahini mixed with at least 1/8 a cup of water or more to desired thinest. Juice of one lemon. One crushed garlic clove and if you have it a good pinch of cumin. Stir together. At first it will be thick and lumpy. Just keep stirring and it will thin out. Add more lemon or water to taste. I keep it in a tightly covered jar in the fridge for about 5 days max.

Next throw quinoa in the rice cooker, or pot, with a teaspoon of vegetable powder.

Roast cauliflower and broccoli florets at 425 F on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper (for crispness). I add zero oil. The cauliflower usually takes a bit longer than the broccoli so I throw the cauliflower in first.

In a bowl add roasted veggies on top of the quinoa and drizzle tahini dressing. You can add any other veggies you like. My favourites are cherry tomatoes and shredded raw beets. Tofu marinated in soy sauce, a garlic clove, grated ginger and rice wine vinegar then cubed is delicious for added protein. I also sprinkle hemp seeds over the top.

Be aware that tahini by itself is unpalatable. It needs to be mixed with water and lemon at least.

Look up the this site for excellent and easy vegan healthy recipes:https://minimalistbaker.com/recipe-index/

 

[dotfurio]

Oh just thought of another product we love - Trader Joes vegetable masala burger patties. We eat them on pitas with hummus and cucumber. I'm pretty sure they have other vegetarian products, too. Might be worth looking into if you have one nearby.

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

Probably the same thing. Looks like ground beef. Some comes seasoned like taco meat, but we always add a little of our own seasoning.
This is one we've bought. Most grocery stores have them, usually in a refrigerated section of the produce. We've bought at Albertsons and Sprouts. Stores that cater to special diets like Lassens will have more variety.

Have you tried Lightlife bacon?? It's addicting and probably not healthy but yum.

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

This is the best vegan burger on the market. Nothing else compares:

https://beyondmeat.com/products/view/beyond-burger

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

Every recipe I've ever made from this site has been excellent: https://blog.fatfreevegan.com/

Her vegan ribz are a staple in this house for the guys.

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

double post

 

[Owlpost23]

Every recipe I've ever made from this site has been excellent: https://blog.fatfreevegan.com/

Her vegan ribz are a staple in this house for the guys.

That looks like a great site!

 

[jrmasm]

Oh just thought of another product we love - Trader Joes vegetable masala burger patties. We eat them on pitas with hummus and cucumber. I'm pretty sure they have other vegetarian products, too. Might be worth looking into if you have one nearby.

My daughter much prefers Trader Joe's veg options to Morningstar.

That burger is her favorite. She adds sweet chili sauce.

 

[mjkacmom]

Hummus and cold sesame noodles are all I’ve used tahini in.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Roasted broccoli and tahini
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015248-roasted-broccoli-with-tahini-garlic-sauce

https://www.seriouseats.com/2012/06/8-ways-to-use-tahini.html

I like to grate a peeled cuke into tahini, add some plain yogurt and a little lemon to make a dip at times.

You can use tahini to make spicy noodles...think Ina has a recipe over at the Food Network.

 

[tzolkin]

I always have tahini in the fridge, but really the only thing I use it for is to make hummus (usually once a week or so).

That's something that takes less than 5 minutes if you have a food processor and you can change up the spices and flavors each time. (Our normal/"plain" hummus flavor is pesto, but we have done more buffalo or curry style or added vegetables like roasted red peppers, etc.) We eat it mostly as a snack, but my daughter will often take it to school for a lunch.

We enjoy falafel, but that's a bit labor intensive standing at the stove.


Completely non-tahini related, but since you mentioned any type of cuisine, Eggplant Parm is a favorite in my house. I know Sam's used to sell the frozen breaded eggplant slices, but I haven't been in years so I'm not sure if they still do. If so, that would make this a 5 minute prep time meal.

I prepare up a ton of eggplant at once (I salt/sweat the eggplant first, but I'm sure most people don't. It removes any bitterness.) and cook the breaded slices in the oven instead of frying (so no standing at the stove). So you could do all the prep work sitting down and then just pop the trays in the oven. Once they slices are cooked, I let them cool and bag them up in large freezer bags. When you want to make eggplant parm for dinner, you can just grab a bag from the freezer and layer them in a baking pan with sauce and cheese before cooking in the oven. Very easy and even the kids can throw this meal together themselves.

 

[mjkacmom]

I always have tahini in the fridge, but really the only thing I use it for is to make hummus (usually once a week or so).

That's something that takes less than 5 minutes if you have a food processor and you can change up the spices and flavors each time. (Our normal/"plain" hummus flavor is pesto, but we have done more buffalo or curry style or added vegetables like roasted red peppers, etc.) We eat it mostly as a snack, but my daughter will often take it to school for a lunch.

We enjoy falafel, but that's a bit labor intensive standing at the stove.


Completely non-tahini related, but since you mentioned any type of cuisine, Eggplant Parm is a favorite in my house. I know Sam's used to sell the frozen breaded eggplant slices, but I haven't been in years so I'm not sure if they still do. If so, that would make this a 5 minute prep time meal.

I prepare up a ton of eggplant at once (I salt/sweat the eggplant first, but I'm sure most people don't. It removes any bitterness.) and cook the breaded slices in the oven instead of frying (so no standing at the stove). So you could do all the prep work sitting down and then just pop the trays in the oven. Once they slices are cooked, I let them cool and bag them up in large freezer bags. When you want to make eggplant parm for dinner, you can just grab a bag from the freezer and layer them in a baking pan with sauce and cheese before cooking in the oven. Very easy and even the kids can throw this meal together themselves.

You don’t have to salt very small eggplant, but I thought everyone salted most eggplant. My oldest just asked me to make eggplant lasagna without the pasta (low carb).

 

[dotfurio]

Have you tried Lightlife bacon?? It's addicting and probably not healthy but yum.

No- I've been a little afraid to try meatless bacon, but maybe I'll give it a try now.

 

[barkley]

Oh just thought of another product we love - Trader Joes vegetable masala burger patties. We eat them on pitas with hummus and cucumber. I'm pretty sure they have other vegetarian products, too. Might be worth looking into if you have one nearby.

My daughter much prefers Trader Joe's veg options to Morningstar.

That burger is her favorite. She adds sweet chili sauce.

these masala patties are REALLY good. i agree that tj's has some great vegan options. i like morning star for some of it's items though b/c they work tremendously well as traditional meat substitutes (similar to identical taste/texture). i used to have to make a vegetarian lunch for 30 or so picky eaters once a month (elementary aged kids not all of whom were vegetarian but the school was). i took traditional pasta, chili, soups and other comfort type food recipes and substituted morning star's crumbles for ground meat-the meat eaters thought i had broken the rules.

 

[jrmasm]

these masala patties are REALLY good. i agree that tj's has some great vegan options. i like morning star for some of it's items though b/c they work tremendously well as traditional meat substitutes (similar to identical taste/texture). i used to have to make a vegetarian lunch for 30 or so picky eaters once a month (elementary aged kids not all of whom were vegetarian but the school was). i took traditional pasta, chili, soups and other comfort type food recipes and substituted morning star's crumbles for ground meat-the meat eaters thought i had broken the rules.

If you have TJ's near you, give their beefless ground beef (crumbles). I used to buy Morningstar until I found these. Again, DD much prefers them.