Two recipes, and these are two of my favorites for nearly zero fat meatless meals. Both are from Dean Ornish's book "Eat more, weigh less". My adaptions noted.

Mushroom stroganoff:

The cookbook is creased on this recipe. I like a good beef stroganoff and this is a very decent dish.

1 Cup vegetable stock
2 cups sliced onions
4 Cups sliced mushrooms (recipe suggests mixing types, I can live fine on all small brown mushrooms)
1 Tablespoon GOOD Paprika - flavorless stuff in a 5 year old jar isnt what you need...get some good spanish paprika that has flavor...there are a dozen great recipes that use can use it with...chicken paprikash is one
Big pinch of cayenne or other hot pepper flake/powder - heat to suit your taste
1 Teaspoon grated lemon zest...use a box grater or potato peeler...take as much yellow and as little of the bitter white pith as you can, or substitute a tablespoon of lemon juice at the last minute during preparation
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt or fat free sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or parsley...substitute any green fresh herb from your garden if you dont have these, to your taste.

Heat 1/2 cup of the stock in a saute pan, add the onions, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add mushrooms and simmer 5 minutes more. If while cooking the onions or mushrooms you run out of liquid, add more stock. Add everything else (including the other half cup stock) except the yogurt and dill/parsley, uncover and simmer until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. Let stand for about 5 minutes to slightly cool and stir in the yogurt and herbs...if you put the yogurt in while its too hot the yogurt will curdle and clump...not good.

Serve on egg noodles, rice, or polenta. You can make polenta by heating 4 cups water, milk, or stock of any kind (chicken is traditional), add a cup of corn meal, stirring gently, until combined. Keep simmering and stirring until you have a thick consistency. If it gets TOO thick, add some water or stock until you have a thin mashed potato type consistency. Salt and pepper to taste. Add shredded cheese (parmesan/romano is typical), chopped sun dried tomato's, and/or mushrooms if you want something special for a side dish...for this I usually use plain polenta or egg noodles. A big side of the polenta with some chopped sun dried tomatoes and mushrooms with a chicken breast, with a good slathering of jarred spaghetti sauce overall, is a very nice meal...so make twice as much polenta and use the leftovers for your next meal.

Once you do this once, it goes together very quickly. The paprika, lemon zest (or juice) and hot pepper brings up the spice level to offset the lack of beef, and little brown mushrooms (which are simply baby portobello's) give good texture.


Sweet potato stew:

2 cups veg stock
2 cups sweet potatoes cut into 1/2" cubes
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup quartered small mushroom
1/2 cup turnip in 1/2" cube
1/2 cup parsnip in 1/2" cube
1/2 cup slice carrots
1/2 cup soy sauce...a word about soy sauce...if the ingredients include hydrolyzed vegetable protein, keep looking...if the primary ingredient is wheat, pass it by...if the primary ingredient is soy beans, and maybe a little wheat as a secondary, buy it. I use Pearl River Bridge, which has more flavor in a teaspoon than crap like Kikkoman has in the whole bottle.
1/2 cup mirin, sake, or light white wine
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1/2 cup each yellow and green squash, 1/4 inch slices
3-4 green onions, chopped
12 oz of protein...chicken or extra firm tofu is good, cubed into 1" or less chunks (optional)
A slice or two of old bread (optional)

In a large saucepan, combine everything except the yellow and green squash, and the protein, and simmer for 25 minutes. Add the squash and simmer 5 minutes. Add chicken or tofu and simmer 5 more minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If its thinner than you'd like, rub the slice or two of bread between your palms to crumb it, directly over the pot. An old french trick to use yesterdays bread crumbs to thicken a soup.

When I make this, I double the amount of stock and sweet potatoes, and use two slices of 9 grain bread for thickening.

The first time I made this (meatless) with guests, my dad ( a devout meat and potatoes guy) got halfway through the bowl before (between slurps) he asked "is there any meat in this...?". When I told him "no", he went back to chowing and said "This is good". I usually double up this recipe overall (with my extra stock and sweets) and freeze half for a couple of weeks later.

There are perhaps a gram or two of fat per hefty serving in both of these recipes.

__________________
Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. Just another form of "buy low, sell high" for those who have trouble with things. This rule is not universal. Do not buy a 1973 Pinto because everyone else is afraid of it.

Keep up the recipe posting, TH, this stuff sounds great. I tried the Thai soup recipe but changed all the ingredients to what I had in the house. It was still excellent.

Too busy to research this stuff on my own right now, my job consumes me. Thanks for the help.

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Skylark<br />Time flies like an arrow.<br />https://cruisenews.net/independence<br /><br />Poverty is not the absence of goods, but rather the overabundance of desire. <br />- Plato<br />

Thanks, I'll keep it up. I'm only going to put up meals that I've made and been told by the eaters to keep making 'em. Its little effort, if its useful, keep the feedback coming.

__________________
Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. Just another form of "buy low, sell high" for those who have trouble with things. This rule is not universal. Do not buy a 1973 Pinto because everyone else is afraid of it.

TH,

Glad to see you posting the vegetarian recipes.
You mentioned in one of your posts that you use one of TJ's vegetarian broth/stocks.

Do you really like it?

We mostly use the better than bouillon vegetarian base - but it's kind of expensive. TJ's carries the brand but not the flavor.

I tried one of the Trader Joe's veggie broths and I didn't really like it. Also since they come in the carton - I'm always thinking that what doesn't get used will get wasted.

Which one are you using?

Thanks.
Vic

This reminds me of something that happened back when
I was still hunting, mainly because I can not stand to work through a recipe with more than 3 ingredients.
Anyway, a friend and I went duck hunting and shot a
duck. He offered to prepare the duck and have me over
for dinner. It was excellent. He gave me his recipe.
When I finally read it, I knew at once that I would never
take the time required to replicate it. After that, I would just breast out the ducks, slap on some barbeque sauce and grill the
breasts. Outstanding and simple! It's kind of a
metaphor for my "no stocks" portfolio. Owning no stocks
keeps it simple. Never using a recipe keeps it simple.
Sometimes, a flop. I once made pancakes using pickle
juice (long story). It was a flop, but it was quick and easy.

John Galt

Vic -

I use the trader joes roasted vegetable stock in the paper carton. I use it so often I dont worry about not using it up. If I have some leftover and its been a couple of days since I opened it, I add it to some rice or beans or I'll make up a quick simple soup with the broth and whatever leftovers I've got in the fridge and we have that as an appetizer.

I had been using the same better than boullion, and I had found it at costco really cheap. Dont know if they still have it because I dont live close to costco anymore...but I do have a sams club right up the street from me.

Alternatively, here are two recipes for stock...if you want to make either stock more assertive, lay some or all of the vegetables out in a baking dish and bake at 350 until browned, then simmer them in the water. Its a pain to do but if you get a bunch of 1-2 cup containers and you have room in your freezer, you can go through the trouble once a month. I dont mind the carton stuff though.

Summer stock:
1 medium-sized potato
2 medium-sized carrots
1 cup chopped leek trimmings, the roots and the firm, inner green leaves
1 onion
2 celery stalks plus a handful of celery leaves
3 ripe tomatoes
3 medium-sized summer squash (zucchini or yellow squash)
3 ounces green beans
Approximately 1 cup diced eggplant
6 leaves of chard or spinach
8 whole stalks of parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil or several large fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon dried marjoram or several branches fresh marjoram
2 bay leaves
Pinch thyme
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
9 cups water

Winter stock:
1 cup chopped leek trimmings, the roots and the firm, inner green leaves
1 onion
2 medium carrots
3 celery stalks plus a handful of celery leaves
1 cup cubed winter squash, or the squash seeds and skins
2 medium-sized potatoes
1/2 small celery root or the parings of 1 whole root
1/4 cup lentils
Several chard stems
Several chard leaves (or lettuce)
10 whole stalks parsley
5 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage, or 4 to 5 sage leaves
2 bay leaves
1 to 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast

__________________
Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. Just another form of "buy low, sell high" for those who have trouble with things. This rule is not universal. Do not buy a 1973 Pinto because everyone else is afraid of it.