Vegan
3054 recipes found
Coconut Saag
Saag paneer is a classic North Indian dish — but it’s also endlessly riffable. Swap out the paneer for feta or halloumi, the mustard greens for kale or spinach, and so on. This is a particularly stellar riff, in which coconut milk enriches an already aromatic and verdant sauce that can be paired with either the traditional paneer, or extra-firm tofu. The final hit of coconut oil infused with smoky cumin seeds and red chile powder adds loads of depth, making this dish quite possibly the most luxurious way to eat a pound of greens.
Tomato Pie
The Italian American tomato pie is an elemental dish that lets its simple components — a flatbread covered in tomato sauce — really sing. It comes in different forms in different cities. In Philadelphia, tomato pie is an institution unto itself, typically sold from old-school Italian bakeries. Joe Beddia of Pizzeria Beddia is among a younger generation of chefs in the city who are making their own version of tomato pie. His 24-hour fermented dough produces a focaccialike flatbread with a springy interior and a crunchy, golden-brown crust. He covers it with a thin spread of rich tomato sauce, and finishes it with a generous drizzle of fruity olive oil and restrained sprinkle of Sicilian oregano. Eat it at room temperature as they do in Philadelphia — it makes for an ideal, make-ahead buffet addition, especially on Eagles game days.
Air-Fryer Baked Potatoes
Cooking baked potatoes in an air fryer is an excellent option when it’s too hot to turn on the oven, or when you’re cooking for a smaller group. The machine’s circulating heat evenly crisps potato skins to perfection. Though simply delicious with a pat of butter and a sprinkle of chopped chives or scallions, these spuds also make perfect vessels for leftovers; add chopped, roasted broccoli, crispy crumbled bacon or a mound of chili for a heartier meal.
Easy Couscous
Because the couscous in American grocery stores is already steamed and dried, it just requires hydrating in hot liquid for about 5 minutes to transform the North African semolina pasta into fluffy beads. This recipe makes 4 cups of cooked couscous, but you can follow a one-to-one ratio of couscous to liquid to make any quantity you like. Couscous is the ultimate blank canvas: Eat with tagine or grilled meat, or toss into a salad.
Pasta With Corn, Mint and Red Onions
Practically a no-cook recipe, this celebration of corn, tomatoes and plenty of herbs is about as easy as summer pasta gets. A dollop or two of ricotta adds milky softness, enriching the tangy, garlicky tomatoes and plump kernels of corn, but you can leave it out if you prefer. Although this dish is best with seasonal tomatoes and freshly shucked corn, it’s also excellent made with frozen corn and year-round grape tomatoes, cut into cubes. You can serve this versatile salad warm, at room temperature or even cold as a pasta salad. And leftovers make a terrific lunch the next day.
Chilled Soba in Dashi With Tomatoes and Corn
This chilled noodle dish is extremely refreshing on a hot summer’s day. Corn, shiitake mushrooms and tomatoes simmer with water to make a vegan take on dashi that is packed with umami. The buckwheat noodles have a lovely nutty flavor, adding depth to the dish, but feel free to try with different noodles, such as thin wheat noodles (somen) or rice noodles. The dashi is extremely light and clean, while the toppings add bursts of flavor. The balance between sweet, salty and sour is very delicate, so be sure to be somewhat pedantic when measuring for seasoning. You can get ahead by making the dashi a day in advance and chilling it overnight.
Zaalouk (Eggplant and Tomato Salad)
Zaalouk is a Moroccan cooked salad, similar to baba ghanouj and moutabal, that highlights eggplant in all its glory. Just a few ingredients come together to create a lightly aromatic, herby and melt-in-your mouth dip. There are many ways to prepare zaalouk; what varies is the way in which the eggplant is cooked. It can be steamed, boiled, chargrilled, baked or, as in this recipe, simply cooked on the stovetop with the rest of the ingredients. Zaalouk is commonly served as a starter, however, feel free to enjoy it as a side or as a spread in a tasty sandwich with grilled meat or vegetables.
Vegan Green Goddess Dressing
Green goddess dressing was served for the first time, in the 1920s, at the Palace Hotel, in San Francisco, at a banquet in honor of George Arliss, who starred in the play “The Green Goddess.” Herbaceous, creamy and tangy, the original recipe used mayonnaise, scallions, chives, tarragon, parsley, anchovies and vinegar. This vegan rendition mostly sticks to tradition, but employs tahini for body, basil for sweetness and soy sauce for a flavor that’s similar to anchovy. Keep the dressing thick for a dip, or thin it to coat sturdy salad leaves like romaine, iceberg, escarole or radicchio.
Cold Sesame Noodles With Cucumber, Corn and Basil
For a summertime update on a beloved Chinese dish, cold sesame noodles are freshened up with crisp cucumbers, raw corn and aromatic basil. The minimalism of the three-ingredient sesame dressing belies its complex flavor. It brings together three flavor-dense condiments: chile crisp, sesame oil and sesame paste. Available from Asian grocery stores (or online), Chinese or Japanese sesame paste is similar to tahini. It is made from toasted sesame seeds, so the finish is darker, nuttier and stronger. If you can’t get a hold of sesame paste, substitute with smooth peanut butter or tahini. The noodle choice here is flexible to make space for those with dietary restrictions; use any type of thick rice or wheat noodle.
Roasted Potatoes
These basic roasted potatoes are a versatile and easy side dish that can be made with just olive oil, salt and pepper, or dressed up with fresh herbs or garlic powder. This recipe aims for the sweet spot where creamy, tender interior meets golden, crispy exterior, but for extra-crispy potatoes, roast them for an extra 5 or 10 minutes. The longer the potatoes roast, the crispier they will be on the outside, though they will become slightly drier on the inside, so don’t overdo it. Baby yellow or red potatoes are called for here, but larger potatoes work, too; just chop them into 1-inch pieces before roasting.
Chilled Zucchini Soup With Lemon and Basil
During the warmest days, there is no more welcome promise than a no-cook meal. A blender or food processor makes quick work of this peak summer zucchini soup, which requires no cooking and is best served chilled. Cashews thicken the soup while adding a creamy silkiness and a gentle sweetness. Since taste buds don't register the flavors of cold foods as well as warm ones, chilled soups require generous seasonings. Here, the mellow raw zucchini is bolstered by the hefty use of garlic, miso, lemon juice and basil. The soup can be prepared ahead and chilled in the fridge for up to 24 hours or it can be served right away, chilled with ice cubes.
Corn and Miso Pasta Salad
The interplay between the crunch of the celery, the chew of the pasta and the pop of the corn kernels makes this (potentially vegan) pasta salad a textural pleasure to eat. Pasta salads that you can easily eat with a spoon reign supreme, and ditalini’s petite shape — which mimics the size of fresh corn kernels — makes it the perfect pasta candidate. Miso adds savory notes and deep umami flavor to the mayonnaise dressing. This recipe calls for Calabrian chile, but the miso-mayo mix is versatile: You can substitute anything from chopped chipotles in adobo to a spoonful of gochujang for a hit of heat.
Breakfast Potatoes
Prepare a batch of oven-roasted breakfast potatoes, and you’ll reap the rewards over the next few days. Eat them right out of the oven as a snack, or as a side to scrambled eggs or roast chicken, then tuck leftovers into a breakfast burrito or pile on top of a salad. The recipe is simple and mostly hands off; the potatoes just need to be tossed every so often for even crisping. While russets can be used, Yukon Gold potatoes are soft and creamy, and the longer they roast, the crispier the outsides will become. (Just don’t overdo it, or they’ll dry out.)
Medieval Hummus
The roots of this recipe, an ancestor of modern hummus, date back at least as far as the 13th century, as the Iraqi food historian Nawal Nasrallah writes on her blog, My Iraqi Kitchen. As adapted by Lucien Zayan, a Frenchman of Egyptian and Syrian descent who runs the Invisible Dog Art Center in Brooklyn, you boil chickpeas until their skins loosen and they reveal themselves, tender little hulks with souls of butter. Then you mash them in a swirl of tahini, olive oil, vinegar, spices and herbs, and fold in a crush of nuts, seeds and preserved lemon, sour-bright and tasting of aged sun. Notably absent from the recipe is garlic. Here, instead, the nuts — Mr. Zayan uses hazelnuts, for more butteriness, and pistachios, with their hint of camphor — fortify the chickpeas in their earthy heft, so close to the richness of meat.
Classic Baguettes
Producing a classic baguette with a thin, shattering crust and tender, slightly sweet interior at home requires both practice and a few pieces of special equipment (see Tip) — using a scale is highly recommended — but it’s an incredibly rewarding process. For the greatest flexibility, start the recipe in the morning the day before you want to bake and refrigerate the dough overnight. You can bake the loaves at any point the next day.
Melon Salad With Pistachio Dukkah and Basil
Forget the beach, summer melons are the biggest reason to look forward to hotter temperatures. Run by husband and wife team Zaid and Haifa Kurdieh, Norwich Meadows Farms in upstate New York grows some of the best local produce using traditional techniques from Egypt. Their melons burst with sweet, floral nectar that plays off the basil perfectly, and the dukkah is a nod to the Egyptian farmers that work on their farm. But don’t worry if you can’t get a Norwich melon, this dukkah can exalt any supermarket fruit. A crunchy, nutty spice blend typically made with a widely varying variety of pounded nuts, seeds and spices, dukkah can be found throughout Egypt, sold in tightly wrapped newspaper cones as a quick snack. Be sure to hold onto any leftover dukkah; it’s great with crudités or mixed with olive oil to make a quick dip for warm bread.
Grated Tomato Pasta
It’s tough to highlight peak summer tomatoes in pasta. To make the most out of their bright flavor, summer tomatoes should be minimally cooked. This recipe gently warms the fruit, so they keep their acidity and succulence. Since the tomato hasn’t had the liquid cooked out, it doesn’t cling to the spaghetti the way a cooked pomodoro would, but this keeps the dish light and bright, and makes it perfect for a hot summer day. Be sure to serve with plenty of bread to sop up the cheesy sauce that is left behind at the bottom of the bowl. If juicy, ripe tomatoes aren’t around, swap out for cherry tomatoes and blend them instead of grating to get a similar effect.
Cashew Celery
This vegan cashew and celery stir-fry, which is adapted from “Tenderheart” by Hetty Lui McKinnon (Alfred A. Knopf, 2023), offers a lovely jumble of textures that form a dish that is uncomplicated but elegant. Celery is an ingredient that performs well in stir-fries, as it perfumes the entire dish and delivers a gratifying, crisp-tender crunch. You can use any leafy greens in this dish, but if they have thick stems (like gai lan), make sure you cut them in half lengthwise, which will help them cook quickly and evenly. Cashews add a creamy nuttiness, and tofu provides substance — but you could opt for shiitake mushrooms in its stead.
Fruit Salad
A bit of sugar and lime makes a standout fruit salad: The duo accentuates fruit’s flavors and sweetness while creating a syrup to gloss the fruit. Massage lime zest into the sugar so its oils release, then stir mixed fruit with the lime sugar and some lime juice. Taste and tweak until the result is electric. You could also add chopped mint or basil, ground cinnamon or coriander, vanilla bean seeds, chile flakes or grated fresh ginger.
Zucchini Pasta With Crispy Capers and Pistachios
This pasta dish celebrates zucchini, cooking it two ways. Half the zucchini is thinly sliced into rounds, fried then steeped in red wine vinegar for a sweet and sour kick. The remaining zucchini is cut into large chunks and braised until it’s so silky that it seems to melt into the pasta sauce. Cooking the pasta directly in its sauce takes a little more attention than usual, especially toward the end of cooking when the liquid reduces to a sauce, so be sure to stir frequently to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot. This one-pot cooking approach allows all the starch released from the pasta to be captured in the sauce, creating a rich, glossy coating without the addition of dairy. The fried topping adds bursts of flavor and texture, turning this into a show-stopping dish. This pasta works just as well cold, so can be made in advance.
Chana Masala
Variations of chana masala, which means spiced chickpeas, are found across South Asia. This version, particularly common in Punjab, calls for a simple spiced onion and tomato mixture, which serves as the foundation for the humble chickpea. The nutty and buttery legume benefits from both dried chile powder and fresh chiles, coriander and the spice blend garam masala. Thinly sliced ginger and cilantro, added upon serving, add freshness. Both canned and dried chickpeas work for this dish, and in the case of the former, the resulting bowl of comfort feels nothing short of a miracle in under 30 minutes.
Frijoles de Olla (Homestyle Black Beans)
This beloved dish often starts with unsoaked dried beans, which are traditionally cooked in an olla, earthenware pot, or other types of clay pots, such as a cazuela de barro. Any pot works and the seasonings are generally simple — usually onion, garlic, herbs and sometimes lard or pork — but the resulting flavor is rich and complex. A staple throughout Mexico, this dish varies from region to region in the types of beans used and include pinto beans, black beans and Mayocoba beans. Eaten as is as a side or a main dish, frijoles de olla also can be puréed, smashed or refried and used as a sauce or a filling for dishes like tetelas.
Tortillas de Maíz
Any reservations you might have had about making corn tortillas from scratch will disappear the moment you taste them: warm, soft and chewy, they actually taste like corn. Freshly made masa purchased from a Mexican market or tortilleria will give you the most soulful flavor and texture, but masa harina is a close second that turns out tortillas that are still miles ahead of packaged ones. When mixed with water and salt, masa presses easily into rounds if it’s properly hydrated according to the tips below. A staple of the Mexican table, homemade tortillas are served with most meals the way bread is in other countries. And while outside Mexico, tacos may be their most well-known use, they can be toasted to make tostadas; stuffed, rolled and fried to make taquitos or flautas; or bathed in a chile, bean, tomato or mole sauce to make enchiladas, enfrijoladas, entomatadas and enmoladas.
Gorditas de Maíz
Gorditas are thicker and heartier than their flat tortilla cousins and are even easier to make. They don’t require a tortilla press and can be shaped simply by patting masa dough flat. Once cooked, they are often split in the center like a pita and filled with stewed meats and vegetables. Their extra thickness helps to absorb guisos, braises, and to hold their structure and shape when they are stuffed with saucier fillings like pork pulled off the bone from encacahuatado de costillas de cerdo. Gorditas also can be served uncut and used like a thick tortilla for swiping through mole negro.