The Veggie
“My mom is a very picky eater.” “I’m stumped for future dinners.” “I’ve recently discovered that I’m gluten-intolerant.” Let’s go.
More recipe recommendations, personalized to Veggie readers’ hyper-specific needs? That’s the gift that keeps on giving. This is Recipe Matchmaker, Part II. (If you missed last week’s on Thanksgiving Day, give it a read here.)
The everyday
My daughter seems to only want carbs and cheese, never tofu. I’m vegetarian. My husband eats everything but tomatoes. My son is still a toddler, so he rejects anything spicy or too vegetable-forward. We do taco night, pasta night and … yeah, that’s kind of it. — Jessica R.
How about Priya Krishna’s coconut saag or Kay Chun’s saag paneer? In either, you can use tofu for yourself and your husband, and seared cubes of cheese for your daughter. Mustard greens or spinach are cooked down into a vibrant sauce, undetectable to the discerning eye of a toddler and free of tomatoes for your spouse. The spice level is easy to modify.
A vegetarian friend is having knee surgery. She’s requested friends bring her meals as she recuperates. I want to bring her a warm meal. She can’t eat any onions or shallots, and prefers very little sweetener in her food. — Karen F.
How about a soup, the official sponsor of recuperation since time immemorial? Free of onion, Ali Slagle’s tomato-lentil soup with goat cheese can be prepared nearly all the way through; bring over the soup separate from the herb-lemon topping and a small log of goat cheese, and she can add fresh toppings after she reheats it.
And if soup fails? Melissa Clark’s five-star cauliflower Parmesan using her simple tomato sauce, which has garlic, but no onion. (You’ll just want to find a Parm that uses nonanimal rennet; more on that here.)
I want to have a few friends over for a casual dinner, but one person is vegetarian, one person is vegan, two people are gluten-free (one of those people eats everything else, the other is also dairy-free and egg-free), and the rest of the group loves all meats. I’ve made a black bean soup where everyone can choose their own toppings, but I’m stumped for future dinners. — Christina W.
It’s Lettuce Wrap Night, baby! Make a big batch of Hetty Lui McKinnon’s tofu larb filling or Yewande Komolafe’s mushroom larb filling, which are 1) vegan, 2) free of gluten, dairy and eggs, and 3) hearty enough for everyone. Serve it in a heap on a pretty platter alongside an artful assortment of lettuces, store-bought crispy fried shallots, lime wedges and piles of mint, Thai basil, cilantro and scallions.
Another entertaining favorite of mine and my dinner partycule is Baked Potato Night. Bake ’em once, bake ’em twice, hell, microwave ’em. Then set them out with a variety of crowd pleasers: nutritional yeast, nondairy butter, salsa, minced shallot, black beans, chives and cilantro are just a few tasty vegan options.
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