Easy as 1-2-3 - simple vegetarian recipes to make for dinner with sauces, beans, rice, potatoes, and vegetables

Vegetarian Times, Feb, 1999 by Nava Atlas

Simplify your life with these tasty three-ingredient recipes that take no more than 15 minutes to prepare

Ask any time-crunched cook what she wants most in a recipe, and the words fast and easy always come up. I'd like to add one of my own: simple. It's a concept that goes beyond ease. After all, a soup can have 25 ingredients that need only to be simmered and still be considered easy. Simplicity means paring down the elements and getting to the essential flavors.

Just a handful of well-combined ingredients can yield a dish with amazing depth and taste. The following eight recipes will show you how you can capture intense flavors by selecting quality components and using time-saving techniques. From a spicy Thai stir-fry and a hearty rice pilaf to tangy barbecued kebabs, these delicious entrees will turn dinner prep at your house into a tranquil activity.

Simplicity's Little Helpers

Ready-to-use natural sauces offer great flavor and are terrific shortcuts to creating a simple meal.

* Barbecue sauce: Available in many varieties (including honey teriyaki and natural smoke-flavored), barbecue sauce is an excellent flavoring for broiled or grilled tofu, tempeh and seitan, baked bean dishes and grilled vegetables.

* Salsa: More than just a dip for chips, salsa is a wonderful way to season grain and bean pilafs, wraps of all sorts and pasta dishes. Experiment with different types of salsa of varying heat levels; also delicious are chunky salsas containing black beans or corn.

* Salsa verde (tomatillo salsa): Mellow, green-hued salsa verde is made of tomatillos, members of the berry family that are reminiscent of small green tomatoes. Use as you would tomato-based salsas.

* Thai peanut sauce: With its tasty mix of Asian flavors (including ground peanuts, tamari, ginger and garlic), this sauce is delicious with rice, noodles, tofu, or tender-crisp vegetables.

* Marinara sauce: Both natural foods stores and supermarkets carry a wide array of wonderful meatless marinara sauces. Look for chunky vegetable, spicy pepper, wild mushroom, basil-flavored and other tasty blends. Use these sauces for pasta, pizza or even baked potatoes.

* Black bean soup (or black bean chili): Yes, each is as is, but bean soups and chilis also make superb, bold-tasting sauces. Try them as a topping over grains, baked white and sweet potatoes and sauteed polenta.

* Stir-fry sauce: A little of these soysauce-based brews goes a long way toward flavoring stir-fried vegetables, noodles, tofu and tempeh. Look for a natural brand without additives or MSG.

You can also opt for a simple main dish when you're not in a rush, which will leave you the time and energy to devote to another part of the menu. Creating a special salad, preparing several different kinds of vegetables for your family to sample or even whipping up a homemade dessert becomes more feasible when the entree is a cinch to make.

So when you crave more simplicity along with culinary excitement, try our fabulous three-ingredient dishes--each one is tangible proof that less can absolutely be more.

Barbecued Potato Kebabs

4 SERVINGS DAIRY-FREE (30)

Served with corn-on-the-cob and coleslaw (made from pre-grated cabbage, if you prefer), this meal recalls outdoor summer barbecues--a surefire cure for winter doldrums.

16 tiny red-skin potatoes, scrubbed,
  microwaved until tender but
  still firm
1 lb. seitan, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
1/2 cup natural barbecue sauce

Preheat broiler. Starting with a potato, alternate potato and seitan chunks on metal Skewers. (There should be enough for 8 average-length skewers.) Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and brush kebabs generously with barbecue sauce.

Broil 4 minutes, then turn carefully, and broil for another 4 minutes. Remove from oven and serve right away.

Per serving: 247 cal.; 33G prot.; 1g total fat (0 sat. fat); 27g card.; 0 chol.; 642mg sod.; 3g fiber

Rice and Bean Pilaf

4 SERVINGS DAIRY-FREE (30)

Rely on this flexible recipe when you want a simple but nourishing main dish. Serve with sauteed green and/or yellow squash or baked winter squash. Round out the meal with a green salad.

4 cups cooked brown rice
16- to 20-oz. can beans (black,
  or pink beans, black-eyed peas or
  other), drained and rinsed
1 cup prepared salsa or more to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In large saucepan, combine all ingredients and heat over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Serve warm.

Per serving: 376 cal.; 16G prot.; 2g total fat (0 sat. fat); 74g card.; 0 chol.; 244mg sod.; 14g fiber

Hearty Pasta and Beans

6 SERVINGS LACTO (30)

Use pasta from the frozen foods section for this filling dish. All you need to complete this meal is a bountiful tossed salad and some fresh bread.

16-oz. bag frozen cheese tortellini,
  ravioli, ricotta cavatelli
  or gnocchi
2 (16-oz.) cans pink beans, rinsed and
  drained
28-oz. jar good-quality chunky marinara
  sauce, warmed

Bring large pot of water to a boil. When water boils, add frozen pasta, stirring to prevent sticking. Cook according to package directions.