Introduction

 

With a passion for nature-made foods, and gardening, I’ve always been the one to bring ‘those interesting vegetarian dishes’ to potlucks, family gatherings and parties.  There is a strong misconception within both the meat-eating and vegetarian community, that vegetarian eating is boring and limited. Or, on the flip-side, that cooking vegetarian meals is complicated, and you’re required to obtain all these hard-to-find ingredients that are not available at most supermarkets.  Well, neither misconception holds true, and that is why I decided to embark on writing a series of vegetarian cookbooks, that are user friendly for long-time vegetarians, some-times vegetarians and those who are looking to incorporate more nutritious dishes into their family’s meal plans.

 

The ‘100 – 5 Ingredients or Less, Easy and Delicious Vegetarian Recipes’ cookbook, marks the first book in my vegetarian cookbook series, and, I chose to go this particular route, because of the hectic lifestyle that our society leads today.  Whether you’re a busy mom, working professional, or time-restricted college student, the vegetarian recipes in this cookbook all require only easy to find ingredients, and easy to follow directions.  The recipes are quick, easy, and, there are definitely no ‘bark and berries’ dishes in this cookbook.  Inside, you’ll find a very diverse selection of recipes, all categorized by their highlighted ingredient.  This makes navigating to your favorite section and recipe, a breeze.

 

Along with proving that vegetarian cooking is neither boring nor complicated, the ‘100 – 5 Ingredients or Less, Easy and Delicious Recipes’ cookbook, is also very easy on your budget.  You won’t need to buy any expensive, exotic, or hard-to-find ingredients.  And, you also won’t need to purchase any special cookware or kitchen gadgets.  If you’ve been frustrated before with attempts at preparing vegetarian dishes, it is my desire that this cookbook changes your opinion of vegetarian cooking from one of frustration, to that of being fun, easy, and of course, fabulously delicious!

 

These vegetarian recipes call for a 70/30 mix of fresh ingredients, and packaged ingredients, making this vegetarian cookbook easy to follow for those who do not cook often, or, who might not acclimated to using a lot of fresh vegetarian ingredients. For the more acclimated vegetarian, any of the called-for prepared ingredients, can be easily substituted with their fresh equivalent. Many of these recipes include dairy products, so while not vegan, these ingredients can easily be swapped out with a vegan ingredient substitution

 

And, lastly, most recipes are not written ‘in stone’. So, feel free to play around with some of the called-for ingredients, varying one or more of the vegetables, herbs or spices, or, just make them an addition to the recipe.  Vegetarian cooking should not only be healthy, it should also be delicious and fun!  That’s coming from someone who views her kitchen, in the same way an artist of any kind, would view their art studio or office, as a place, and space, where wonderful creations, are imagined, and brought to delicious life.

 

Bon Veggie Appetit!

 

Gina ‘The Veggie Goddess’ Matthews

Chapter 1 - 5 Ingredients or Less Potato Recipes

Russet Potato Recipes

 

Baked Seasoned French Fries

(Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet)

 

Ingredients:

3 russet potatoes (cut into ¼ inch strips or wedges)

¼ cup grated Parmesan or Parmesan-Romano cheese

1 teaspoon fresh or dried basil

olive oil to drizzle

 

Arrange sliced potato strips in a single layer onto greased baking sheet, skin sides down.  Drizzle lightly and evenly with olive oil, and then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and basil.  Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown.  Remove from oven, and immediately season with sea salt to taste, while fries are piping hot, and serve. Yields 2-4 servings.

 

Creamy Baked Scalloped Potatoes

(Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and grease a 2 quart casserole dish)

 

Ingredients:

6 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes (the smaller, the better)

1 can cream of mushroom soup (10.75 ounces)

1-1/4 cups milk (regular or non-dairy)

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

 

Layer chopped potatoes and onions into casserole dish.  In a bowl, stir together soup, milk and pepper, until well blended, and pour over potatoes and onions.  Soup mixture should almost completely cover the potatoes and onions.  If it does not, add some extra milk.  Cover casserole dish with glass cover, or aluminum foil, and bake for 30 minutes.  Take casserole out of oven, stir once, and return to oven to bake for an additional 30 minutes.  Total cooking time is 60 minutes.  Remove from oven, and allow casserole to stand for 5 minutes before serving.  Yields 6-8 servings.