The operative word is EASY. I vow to cook more in 2007, but the catch is that I'm not very good at it.

Send me recipes with the least ingredients and prep to start...and maybe in 6 months, i'll be asking for the advanced versions.

please just one stipulation: Vegetarian or easily made w/o the meat. Help this takeout girl learn to be a bake-off girl.

Thanks!

Are you the bacon type of vegetarian, or the non-bacon type of vegetarian?

If there's not a dead animal involved, is it worth cooking? Well I guess there's some stuff My wife is an awesome cook, I'll ask her to pull some easy Veggie stuff. Eggplant based meals are my fav. non-meat dishes!

Crock pot, easiest way to make look like you lkilled yourself cooking all day and taste great. Here's one i've made a few times:


Crockpot Pasta and Vegetables
INGREDIENTS:
· 2 tablespoons butter
· 1 medium zucchini, sliced in 1/4-inch rounds
· 1 medium yellow summer squash, sliced in 1/4-inch rounds
· 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
· 8 ounces fresh sliced mushrooms
· 1 1/2 cup frozen broccoli
· 4 to 6 green onions, sliced
· 3 cloves garlic, minced
· 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil
· 1/4 teaspoon salt
· 1/2 teaspoon pepper
· 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
· 12 ounces fettuccine or linguini
· 1 cup cream
· 2 egg yolks
· 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
PREPARATION:
Grease crockpot bottom and walls with the 2 tablespoons butter. Combine zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, onions, garlic, seasonings and parmesan in the Crock Pot. Cover; cook on HIGH 2 to 3 hours, or until vegetables are just tender.
Cook fettuccine or linguini according to package directions; drain well.

Lightly whisk cream with egg yolks. Add cooked fettucine, mozzarella, and egg mixture to the crockpot. Stir to blend well.
Cook for 30 minutes longer on HIGH. For serving turn to Low for up to 30 minutes.
serves 6

I just made this... and struggled on a few steps. if its any indication of my level of expertise. but it is pretty good if you want to try it.

(the wording is my friend heather's not mine)



Ok so this in not an exact science.


Preheat oven to 350

Grab a couple of jawns of broccoli. I think about 3-4 fresh bunches or so. Enough to fill a largest baking pan: 9x12” or something like that. You could also use a few big bags of frozen broccoli.

Steam the broccoli until it is brightish green. Tender but not totally cooked.

Spread the broccoli in the baking pan

Open a can of cream of mushroom soup, dump in a bowl and add a can full of water. Mix around. (You can use whatever “cream of” soup that you want, i.e. celery etc)

Dump this mixture on top of the broccoli. The broccoli should not be floating in the soup but there should be enough to coat the broccoli and settle on the bottom of the pan.


Grate some chesse. Like a block or so of jack or cheddar.

Sprinkle the cheese on top of your broccoli.

Crush some ritz crackers. Like a pack or so.

Sprinkle your crackers atop of your cheese. Should have good coverage here.

Melt like a half a stick of butter in the microwave. Drizzle the melted butter on top of your crackers.


Cook in the oven for like 30-40 minutes. The broccoli should be soft and the cheese melted and gooey.


This tastes even better as leftovers.

in one pot put on some brown or basmati rice to cook (the rice takes the longsest). even better...go out and buy a rice cooker...easiest cooking ever...it beeps when the rice is done (every vegitarian must get a rice cooker). in a second pan or wok if you have one. heat some peanut oil and cube up a slab of xtra firm tofu. after cubed...cook the tofu until it starts to brown on the outside. add some soy or your favorite asain sauce to the tofu with a quarter cup of water. next comes the veggies. add what you like and know you'll eat. i recommend brocolli, carrots (sliced in strips not circular chunks), peas (with pods if you can find them), celery (cut same as carrots) and some greens (spinach or kale). just cook a few minutes to heat the veggies but don't cook too long of they will get limp. last step...stir in a couple good spoons of peanut butter and let it melt and mix in with the veggies. scoop this stuff up and put it on the rice...magic...BOOM!

Damn I'm hungry.

+1 on the rice cooker, everyone should own one

Lentil Soup


2 cups small red lentils
2 cans vegetable broth, plus water to equal 6 cups

1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 small onion, chopped
2 large stalks celery, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 jalapeno pepper; seeded, chopped
10-12 mushrooms, chopped
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ tsp Tabasco or other hot sauce
juice of ½ lemon

2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. curry powder
1 ½ tsp chili powder
1 tsp. oregano, crushed
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp basil, crushed
1 bay leaf

Briefly saute garlic in 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium low heat. Add (sauteing briefly after each addition): onion, carrot, celery, jalapeno, and mushrooms. Cook until soft.

Add lentils and mix.

Add dry spices and cook 1 minute.

Add broth, water, hot sauce, and cilantro. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until lentils fall apart (15-20 minutes?), stirring frequently and adding more water if needed to keep from burning.

When lentils are mushy, remove from heat. Remove bay leaf and puree until smooth, using hand mixer or food processor.

Return to pan, add lemon juice and salt to taste.

3 meats and 2 cheeses...aww yeah.....enjoy in moderation.

Tomato Topping:
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1/4 cup sugar or substitute
2 teaspoons white vinegar or water
2 pounds ground chuck or meat loaf mix with ground pork
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup red onion, diced small
1/4 cup roasted or fresh red bell peppers, diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 pound prosciutto, or any type of ham, thinly sliced
1/4 pound provolone cheese, sliced


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, mix together the tomato topping ingredients. Set aside. Add a few drops of water to thin to a ketchup consistency.

In a large bowl, mix together the beef, eggs, Parmesan, vegetables, herbs, and seasonings.

Working on a waxed paper lined sheet pan or counter, form meatloaf mix into a 10 by 8-inch flat rectangle on the waxed paper. Place a layer of prosciutto slices on top, followed by a layer of provolone slices. Roll up the stuffed meatloaf mix like a burrito and seal the edges all around by pinching the meat.

Place the roll, seam side down, into a 5 by 9-inch loaf pan. Spread a heavy coat of the tomato topping to completely cover the top of the meatloaf. Place in oven and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the temperature on a meat thermometer registers 165 degrees F. Drain fat and let rest at least 10 minutes before slicing.

wha? everyone doesn't own a rice cooker? that's the reason why it's foggy in daly city!

missy, I am a trained chef! It's funny as I was gonna ask if anyone cooked and wanted any help ! will get to work and post one a day (too much? maybe one a week?)
I have loads of ten minute ideas you can use.....

I think you missed the only rule:

u can really add TVP to anything. HEHEEE!

oh we do

TVP Sloppy Joes - hell yeah!

D'oh...sorry Missy! I'm normally a smartass, but this was purely unintentional! Apparently, my reading skills aren't what I though they were...

Here's a really easy one (although, it's cheating a bit by using mashed potato...still good though)

Mashed-Potato Pancakes

2 cups mashed potatoes
1 large egg, beaten lightly
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
11/2 tablespoons grated onion
2 tablespoons chives
Salt and pepper
Vegetable oil, for frying

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
In a bowl combine well the potatoes and the egg, stir in the flour thoroughly, and stir in the onion, chives, and salt and pepper, to taste.
In a large heavy skillet, heat 1/8-inch of the oil over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking. Fry heaping tablespoons of the potato mixture, flattening them slightly with the back of the spoon, for 1 minute on each side, or until they are golden brown. Transfer the pancakes as they are cooked to paper towels to drain and if desired, keep them warm on a rack set on a baking sheet in a preheated 250 degree F oven.

If you're ok with dairy, some sour cream with a little garlic powder and dill mixed in tops these nicely.

I am sure you've heard this before but definitely invest in a nice big veggie cookbook for inspiration and tips about stocking your cabinets & freezer. Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking For All is totally great but lacks basic nutritional information. The Vegetarian Times Cookbook has all the caloric/fat/protein info you need as well as a nice collection of lazy recipes as well as omgwtf fancy recipes.

As far a recipes go, I am really really into this side dish adapted from the The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen by Donna Klein. (Help! I have a cookbook addiction!)

String Beans for Two
1/2 lb String Beans
1 tsbp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Garlic Granules (2 tbsp is preferred for garlic lovers)
2 tbsp Pine Nuts, whole
4-5 Sundried Tomatoes, chopped
1/4 c Water
1 tsbp Red Wine

Prep:
Chop off the ends of the string beans and de-oil the sundried tomatoes with warm water & paper towels. Roughly chop the sundried tomatoes and set aside.

Prepare:
Warm the oil in saute pan set to Medium Hot. After a minute or so, toss in the string beans. Saute without water about 2 minutes. Make sure to keep the beans moving with a wooden spoon/spatula to ensure even cooking. Toss in the 1/4 cup of water. Let them cook for approximately 6 minutes, redistributing the string beans every minute or so.

Once the water evaporates and the string beans are at a nice crisp consistency throw in the red wine, garlic granules and pine nuts. Saute another 2 minutes until the pine nuts start to brown (don't let them burn!) and serve.

Oh wait, easy, huh?

Ingredients
1 Box Veat Chick'n Free
1 tbsp Canola Oil
1 tbsp Tamari (Soy Sauce)

Microwave the veat on high for a minute while you preheat the oil in a small saute pan on Medium High heat. Add veat and 1/2 of the tamari to the pan and saute for 1-2 minutes. Flip over each piece, add the rest of the tamari and saute for another 1-2 minutes. Remove and enjoy! Btw, this goes super well with the String Beans.

I could send you the missus to cook for you

haha
you bloody northener !!!

watch it!

tasty lentil subs

Warm up a frying pan with a bit of margarine with some thinly sliced onion bits, pressed garlic and ground sage mixed in. Once the margarine is melted and the onion is transparent, drop in a can of drained lentils and warm them up. Once they've totally been heated and cooked (about 5 minutes), take a potato masher and squssh the hell out it. Season with salt and pepper and maybe a bit more sage to taste.

take a warm baguette and slice it open and generously smear the lentil stuff onto it. Top with some cilantro and pickled eggplant and artichoke. grind a pepper mill over it and eat.