Category Archives: Vegetarian

Eggplant Bruschetta

Eggplant Bruschetta

Eggplant BruschettaMy boyfriend’s mother, Sanatani, LOVES eggplant with a passion (but it’s got to be well cooked)! I’ve known her since my childhood, and i grew up with her and her whole family, so she is my other dear mama and mentor!  She is a great cook and i have definitely learned a great deal from her. So the other day i was at her house and i decided to treat her a dinner with a juicy eggplant bruschetta. This was an experiment that actually turned out delightful and i was happy to see her content and smiling. Mother’s are the best! And it’s awesome when you have more than one!

3 long asian eggplants
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 diced onion
6 diced sweet mini bell peppers; yellow, red & orange
2 minced celery sticks
2 grated carrots
2 TB of vegetable oil
1/2 cup of cilantro
1/2 cup of mint leaves
3 tomatoes; diced
1 tsp of sugar
greek feta cheese for topping

Halve the eggplant lengthwise and then split in half. In a saucepan at a high flame, put 1 TB of oil and add the garlic, onions, carrots, celery, bell peppers, 1/2 mint, and 1/2 of the cilantro. Stir for about 2 minutes until they are a bit golden and wilted and add the eggplant, stirring for another minute. Add water enough to cover the eggplant and boil till the water is almost evaporated. Remove the eggplant and in the remaining water add the 3 diced tomatoes and cook till it has reduced into a chunky sauce and simmer. Meanwhile in a nonstick pan at a medium flame, add 1 Tb of oil and spread all over the pan, add the eggplant facing the sliced part down and cover for about 10 minutes, remove the lid and if you can prick the eggplant with a fork it is nicely cooked. Turn the eggplants so they can cook on the bottom, sprinkle the sugar evenly and cover for 5 minutes. Turn facing down on a medium high flame for a couple of minutes to caramelize the sliced top.  Check to see if they have a golden color to them, and are soft but not mushy. Turn off the eggplant and check the tomato sauce, add the remaining cilantro and mint and turn off. Place a couple of eggplants, facing the sliced part up, and add the sauce carefully on top, sprinkle with feta and fresh cilantro and serve immediately!

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Arepas Stuffed with Reina Pepiada

Vegan Arepas Recipe
Arepas are a common breakfast and brunch from South America in both Venezuela and Colombia. Which country originally created it? ….who knows…(although i bet my venezuelan friend, Vrinda would highly object that they are Colombian), either way Arepas are just simply delicious. This recipe is for a popular dish called Reina Pepiada. It is a filling usually made with chicken, avocado and mayo, stuffed in a precooked cornmeal bread that formed like a patty. Arepas can be grilled, pan fried, baked or deep fried. They are pretty similar to the mexican gorditas and can be stuffed with countless fillings. If you looove avocado like I do, this dish will simply overwhelm your taste buds with pure bliss.
Arepas de Reina Pepiada
Serves 4-6

Arepas
4 cups warm water
1 tsp salt
3 cups of Venezuelan harina P.A.N.

Filling
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 package of chicken-less strips from Trader Joe’s or any other fake chicken meat (for gluten free; tofu strips, pre grilled, pan or deep fried)
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp of lemon juice
1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and chopped
1/2 cup cilantro (aka coriander), finely chopped
4 tbsp of Veganaise or Trader Joe’s eggless mayonnaise
2 tsp of yellow mustard

  1. Finely shred and chop the chicken-less. Then in a medium heat, saute 1/2 of the minced onions in a pan for 1 minute, add the fake chicken or tofu and quickly stir for 5 minutes on a high flame, add salt, lemon juice and empty into a container, cover and cool in the fridge.
  2. In a large bowl mix together the water and salt, and slowly add the harina P.A.N. as you mix it together with your fingers. Mix and knead until it forms a soft and fluffy dough. When you can pick up all of the dough in a mass without it sticking to your hands, it’s ready to form the arepas.
  3. Make a ball with your hands, then gently flatten and form into a patty. You can wet your hands with a little water if the dough is a bit sticky. Heat 4 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-low heat for 2 minutes. Cook the arepas until they release from the pan and are able to be moved. Cook for about 4 minute 30 seconds (or until they are golden on the side) and then flip and cook the other side for another 4 minute 30 seconds.
  4. Arepas are cooked when you tap them and they sound like a drum. Repeat with the remaining masa until you fill up the pan. When they are all ready, split the arepas in half, then scrape out and discard a bit of the middle.
  5. Add the remaining chopped onion, avocado, cilantro, Veganaise, and mustard to the chilled fake chicken or tofu. Mix well and check if it needs more salt or lemon. Stuff the arepas with the mixture and enjoy immediately.


Arepas Reina de Pepiada

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Flautas (taquitos) with potatoes

Flautas (Taquitos) with potatoes

Taquitos-Flautas

Taquitos were a staple growing up  in our weekly lunch or dinners, they are so crispy and delicious and the best thing is that they are so easy and quick to make! I owed my niece some taquitos for her birthday so i gave her a monthly coupon for “taquitos anytime Hayden’s hungry” and so here is the recipe for my taquitos. 🙂

Serves 4

Flautas
12 Corn tortillas
2 peeled, cubed & boiled potatoes
12 long strips of white cheese (mozzarella, monterey jack, etc..)
2 Tb of sour cream
1 tsp salt
2 Tb vegetable oil

Toppings
1/2  cabbage; shredded
2 chopped tomatoes
1 chopped avocado
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
sour cream
mexican cheese like cotija or fresco

In a bowl, add the boiled potatoes and mash them with the salt and sour cream. In order to roll tortillas without breaking, they need to be heated, which you can do by warming them in a pan or microwaving them for about 1 minute until you can bend them without breaking them. When they have been warmed, immediately add the filing. Start at the end of the tortilla and with a spoon add the potatoes and a piece of cheese. Pick the end of the tortilla and roll the tortilla around the filling tightly. Place the end of the wrap face down on a non-stick pan. Continue until you fill the pan with taquitos, making sure you place them firmly next to each other. Once you have your pan filled up, drizzle the oil over them and shake the pan a little bit to allow the oil to go underneath the taquitos. Turn the flame to a medium high and allow them to cook for 2 or 3 minutes or until golden brown. Then turn over to brown on the other side. When your taquitos are golden, remove them from the pan, blot with paper towel,  salt them lightly and place on a plate.

You can put any toppings you want like, shredded cabbage, chopped tomatoes, avocado chunks, sour cream, queso fresco or queso cotija chopped cilantro and salsa.There are so many vegetables and cheese’s you can fill taquitos with, so you can experiment with your favorite ingredients and prepare this dish completely vegan or vegetarian! It is gluten free 🙂 too!

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Sweet Sesame Chicken Sandwich

Sweet Sesame Chicken Sandwich

sweet sesame chicken sandwich

This is my first post for The Vegetarian Blog and this sandwich is the guinea pig. My little brother (Neela) happened to be hungry while I was in the middle of setting up the vegetarian blog. He said he was hungry so I seized the opportunity to make a sandwich and use this for my first post! I have no experience with blogging but I’m ready to start this experience and share my passion for cooking with all of you!

2 slices of sourdough
1 tsp of sesame oil
1 tsp of sesame seeds
3 soy chicken drumsticks; chopped
Tsp of sugar
1/4 sliced onion
drizzle of hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons of sweet chili sauce
a small bunch of chopped cilantro
salt n peppa!
shredded lettuce
a drizzle of spicy dijon mustard
big ol’ spoon of vegenaise
a slice of mozzarella cheese

In a small pan heat up a tsp of oil on a medium flame, when hot, add the sesame seeds, onions and the drumsticks. Stir fry together for two minutes and add sugar, hoisin sauce,and the sweet chilli. Meanwhile place your slices of bread on the toaster and re-stir the soy chicken. Turn off the flame and place a slice of cheese on top and cover with a lid so it melts. Meanwhile add mustard and vegenaise on your bread and pick up the stir fry chicken carefully with a spatula so that the cheese remains on top, place over the bread and add lettuce and cilantro. Cover your sandwich with remaining slice. Enjoy!

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