By Margaux Laskey, The New York Times
My 13-year-old daughter has been toying with the idea of becoming a vegetarian since she was about 3, which is when she asked me where the hamburger on her plate came from. (You don’t think about how weird that conversation is until you have to have it.)
I was born in the meat-and-potatoes Midwest and raised in the meat-and-three South. But I have happily supported her experimentation with vegetarianism, not only because I am a Very Cool Mom but also because it is hard to deny the research that points to a mostly vegetarian diet as better for us and the Earth.
That said, it can be difficult to make my teen see beyond salad, pasta and plain cheese, but I continue to try. And so, I present to you a handful of exciting vegetarian recipes that your kid (or your inner kid) just might love.
Crispy halloumi with tomatoes and white beans. In this recipe from Nargisse Benkabbou, halloumi used to top off a saucy jumble of cherry tomatoes and white beans that begs for good bread. Food styled by Judy Kim. (Linda Xiao/The New York Times)1. Crispy Halloumi With Tomatoes and White Beans
This vibrant vegetarian dish combines savory broiled halloumi, juicy cherry tomatoes and creamy white beans for a satisfying one-pan meal. When broiled, the halloumi becomes golden and crispy on the outside while staying soft and chewy on the inside, adding a deliciously hearty texture to each bite. Highly adaptable, this recipe allows for any canned, creamy white bean that you have on hand, like butter beans or navy beans, and thyme can be used in place of oregano. With a drizzle of olive oil, a touch of honey and fresh herbs, this recipe is perfect for a quick, meatless weeknight dinner that feels special.
By Nargisse Benkabbou
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
Olive oil, as needed 1 pound cherry or grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley, plus more for serving 1 teaspoon honey, plus more for serving 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or thyme Salt and black pepper 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, butter beans or navy beans, drained 1 (8-ounce) block halloumi, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices 1/2 lemon Crusty bread (optional), for servingPreparation:
1. Set broiler to high heat, with a rack positioned in the upper third of the oven, 3 to 4 inches from the heat source.
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3. Stir in the beans and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Turn off the heat.
4. Arrange the halloumi slices on top of the tomato-bean mixture in the pan. Transfer the pan to the oven. Broil until the halloumi is golden and crispy on top, about 5 minutes, depending on the oven’s broiler strength.
5. Drizzle generously with olive oil, squeeze the lemon half over the pan and add a light drizzle of honey. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately, with bread if desired.
Sheet-pan bibimbap. This reader-favorite sheet-pan version of bibimbap from Eric Kim has cucumber salad on the side. Food styled by Judy Kim. (Linda Xiao/The New York Times)2. Sheet-Pan Bibimbap
Bibimbap, the Korean mixed rice dish, is a kaleidoscope of flavors and textures. The popular dish has multiple origin stories and, like banchan and kimchi, many variations. Cooks who ordinarily keep namul (seasoned vegetable) banchan in the fridge may add them to a bowl with leftover rice and seasonings like spicy-sweet gochujang and nutty sesame oil, for example. Or, if starting their bibimbap from scratch, some may prep each component separately. But here’s a fun way to accomplish everything at once: Roast a melange of bits and bobs on one sheet pan as rice heats and eggs oven-fry on another. The caramelized sweet potato and salty kale in this formula come highly recommended, but you can use any vegetables on hand, reducing cook times for delicate options such as spinach, scallions or asparagus.
By Eric Kim
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
6 ounces oyster mushrooms, torn into bite-size pieces 1 medium sweet potato (about 6 ounces), scrubbed and thinly sliced into half-moons 1 small red onion (about 6 ounces), thinly sliced crosswise into half-moons 3 packed cups coarsely chopped Tuscan or curly kale (from 1 small bunch) 6 tablespoons olive oil Kosher salt and black pepper 4 cups cooked medium-grain white rice, preferably cold leftovers 4 large eggs 4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, plus more to taste, for serving 4 teaspoons gochujang, plus more to taste, for serving Kimchi, for serving (optional)Preparation:
1. Position racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and heat oven to 450 degrees.
2. On a large sheet pan, arrange the mushrooms, sweet potato, red onion and kale into four separate quadrants. Drizzle the vegetables with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat, keeping the types of vegetables separate. Try to not crowd the vegetables; you want them to brown, not steam. Roast on the top rack until the sweet potato is fork-tender, the onion and mushrooms are slightly caramelized and the kale is crispy but not burnt, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place another large sheet pan on the bottom rack to heat. When the vegetables are almost done cooking, in the last 5 minutes or so, remove the heated pan from the oven and evenly drizzle the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil on it. Spread the rice over half of the pan. Crack the eggs onto the other half and carefully transfer to the oven. Bake until the whites are just set and the yolks are still runny, 3 to 6 minutes (this time may vary depending on your oven, so watch it carefully).
4. To serve, divide the rice evenly among four bowls. Now divide the vegetables evenly as well, placing them in four neat piles over each portion of rice. Use a spatula to slide the eggs over the vegetables. Drizzle each bowl with 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and dollop with 1 teaspoon of gochujang, adding more if desired. Mix everything together with a spoon or chopsticks before diving in, and serve kimchi alongside, if you prefer.
Sticky, spicy tempeh. The tempeh is first crumbled and crisped on the stovetop and then doused in a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and chile sauce. Food styled by Simon Andrews. (Armando Rafael/The New York Times)3. Sticky, Spicy Tempeh
Crispy tempeh glazed in a spicy-and-sweet soy sauce can anchor many a dinner, whether served over rice and vegetables, rice noodles, lettuce wraps or soup. Tempeh is a fermented vegan protein with a nutty flavor and firm texture that can stand up to assertive seasonings. That could be the fresh sambal in tempe penyet, a famous street food in Indonesia, where tempeh was first made — or this easily memorizable ratio of two parts soy sauce to one part each rice vinegar, brown sugar and chile sauce. Crumbling the tempeh into small, irregular pieces so that it resembles ground meat creates a variety of textures in each bite. To make it a complete meal, stir in spinach, peas or another quick-cooking vegetable with the sauce — or accompany with crispy raw vegetables like thinly sliced cucumbers or radishes on top of rice.
By Ali Slagle
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
1/4 cup soy sauce 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar 1 to 2 tablespoons chile sauce, such as sambal oelek or Sriracha 3 tablespoons neutral oil (such as grapeseed or sunflower), plus more as needed 2 (8-ounce) packages tempeh, crumbled into pieces no larger than 1/2 inch SaltPreparation:
1. In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and chile sauce until the sugar dissolves.
2. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the tempeh, season lightly with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mostly golden, 7 to 9 minutes. Add more oil as needed if the pan looks dry or the tempeh is burning.
3. Reduce the heat to low, give the sauce another stir, add the sauce to the skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened and glossing the tempeh, about 1 minute.
Gnocchi with hot and sweet peppers. Ali Slagle pairs the potato dumplings with bell peppers, tomatoes and canned chipotles for a spicy-sweet sauce. Food styled by Monica Pierini. (Christopher Testani/The New York Times)4. Gnocchi With Hot and Sweet Peppers
When fresh bell peppers, tomatoes and canned chipotles roast in plenty of olive oil, they become a sweet, smoky and spicy sauce. Use it to glaze gnocchi that have simultaneously crisped in their own pan, and dinner is ready without much attention from you. Consider this recipe just a starting point: Add red wine vinegar for a tangy peperonatalike version, blend for a smooth sauce or top with nuts or cheese for protein. (Walnuts, hazelnuts and pine nuts, or feta, ricotta and cheddar would all be good.) Or simply use the template for roasting vegetables with flavorings and oil to make any number of produce-heavy sauces for coating noodles, beans, grains or chicken.
By Ali Slagle
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
1 pound (about 2 medium) red, orange, or yellow bell peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped 1 pint (about 10 ounces) small tomatoes, like cherry or Sungold 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 to 2 chipotle chiles in adobo, coarsely chopped (depending on heat preference) Kosher salt 2 (12- to 18-ounce) packages shelf-stable potato gnocchiPreparation:
1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. In a 3-quart, oven-safe dish (like a 9-by-13-inch pan or a Dutch oven), combine the bell peppers, tomatoes, 1/4 cup oil, chipotle and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine, then place on the oven’s center rack.
2. On a sheet pan, break up the gnocchi and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil (no need to boil first). Season with salt and shake into an even layer. Transfer to the oven’s bottom rack. Roast both the vegetables and the gnocchi until the vegetables are softened and charred in spots and the gnocchi is crisp underneath and still squishy in the middle, 25 to 30 minutes (no need to stir partway through).
3. Transfer the gnocchi to the roasted peppers and stir until the gnocchi is glossy red.
Crispy tofu tacos. For optimal crunch and flavor, Alexa Weibel calls for grating blocks of tofu down to little nubbles, then seasoning and roasting until crisp. Food styled by Brett Regot. (Armando Rafael/The New York Times)5. Crispy Tofu Tacos
There are plenty of crispy tofu recipes, but few truly deliver on the promise, since tofu has a tendency to steam because of its high moisture content. But time can do the trick in the oven, creating brittle edges and a chewy texture with little effort. Squeeze out as much excess liquid as you can from your block of tofu, grate it coarsely, season it fearlessly, then roast it until sizzling. The key step is to drizzle the tofu with a combination of olive oil and tomato paste toward the end of cooking, which crisps the edges and lends a deep umami flavor, so much so that this tofu could almost be mistaken for seasoned ground beef. A swipe of avocado mayo, loosened with lime juice and electrified with zest, adds richness and tang, and quite literally holds the tacos together. Choose your mayonnaise and tortillas wisely, and the whole dish is vegan.
By Alexa Weibel
Yield: 8 to 10 tacos
Total time: 1 1/4 hours
Ingredients:
2 (14- to 16-ounce) blocks firm tofu 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided 2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne (the lower end is mild; the higher end tingly but not spicy) Salt and black pepper 1/4 cup tomato paste 2 ripe avocados 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (vegan, if desired) 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lime zest and 3 tablespoons juice 8 flour or 10 corn tortillas, warmed Minced red onion, thinly sliced radishes and chopped cilantro, for servingPreparation:
1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Prepare your tofu: Drain it, squeezing out any excess moisture over the sink (your tofu may break into chunks). Coarsely grate the drained tofu onto two large (11-by-17-inch), foil-lined sheet pans. (The tofu will crumble chaotically, and that is fine!) Drizzle the tofu in each pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon soy sauce. In a small bowl, mix the cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper; sprinkle half the seasonings over each pan and toss to coat. Spread the mixture in an even layer.
3. Roast the tofu, stirring halfway through and rotating the pans, until the tofu sizzles, darkens and crisps, 30 to 35 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, mix together the tomato paste with the remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Drizzle the mixture over the tofu, adding half to each pan, then toss to combine, spread into an even layer and roast again until the tofu audibly crackles and develops a slight crunch, 10 to 15 minutes.
5. While the tofu roasts, prepare the avocado cream: In a small food processor (or blender), blend the avocados, mayo, lime zest and juice until creamy; season generously with salt.
6. Swipe the warmed tortillas with the avocado cream, then top with tofu mixture, red onion, radishes and cilantro. Serve immediately.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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