Ways to store your bulk stuff at home:
• Show it off in wide-mouth screw-top glass jars on your shelves or in your pantry. What’s prettier than a shelf full of dry beans?
• Stack it in plasticware.
• Pick up bigger bins at the dollar store.
No matter what container you choose, it should have a lid that you can close tightly (to prevent moths) and the material should be gnaw-proof (to deter mice). See here for how to cook some of your bulk-bin finds.
How to Cook Dried Beans
So you’ve saved a ton of money buying stuff from the bulk bins…but now how do you cook it? Don’t worry—you’ll be a pro in no time, whipping up delicious and nutritious meals with ease.
When cooking dried beans, you’ll need to plan ahead. Dried beans must be soaked before cooking, so it’s smart to prep a big batch once and plan for leftovers.
Step 1: Soaking
Some folks swear by an overnight soak, and others find a quick soak more convenient and equally tasty.
Overnight soak: Measure beans, put them in a bowl with enough cold, clean water to cover them by 2 inches, and soak them overnight (or for at least 8 hours). Larger beans need to soak longer than smaller ones.
Quick hot soak: Measure beans, put them in a pot with three times more water than beans, and bring to a boil. Then turn off the heat, cover, and let soak for 1 to 2 hours.
Step 2: Cooking
Rinse the beans, discarding the soaking liquid, and put them in a pot with at least three times more water than beans. Do not add salt or anything acidic at this point (it will toughen the beans’ skin) but you can add spices, herbs, onion, garlic, ginger, and/or a strip of kombu seaweed (look for this online or in health-food stores) to make the beans more tender and flavorful.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and partially cover. Simmer until the beans are tender. The cook times here are typical, but start checking 15 minutes before the stated time. And know that older beans that have been sitting in your pantry for a year or two will take longer to cook.
TYPICAL COOKING TIMES AFTER SOAKING
Adzuki beans 1 hour
Black-eyed peas 1 hour
Cannellini beans 1½ hours
Cranberry beans 1½–2 hours
Chickpeas 2–3 hours
Great northern beans 1½–2 hours
Kidney beans 1½ hours
Lentils 20–30 minutes
Lima beans 1½ hours
Mung beans 45–60 minutes
Navy beans 1½ hours
Pinto beans 1½ hours
Split peas 1 hour
How to Cook Grains
Here’s a method that works for most whole grains (for how to cook bulgur and couscous, see here): Measure grains and clean cold water according to “Grain Cooking Times”, place both in a heavy-bottomed pot with a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to barely simmering and give the grains a stir. Start a timer and cover the pot tightly. Don’t remove the lid until the cooking time is up! The steam generated by the simmer helps cook the grains.
For a tasty variation, try cooking grains in vegetable broth or carrot juice instead of water. Or add dried herbs and spices to the pot.
Grain Cooking Times
GRAIN RATIO OF GRAIN TO WATER COOKING TIME
Amaranth 1 part grain to 3 parts water 25–30 minutes
Pearled barley 1 part grain to 2.5 parts water 45–60 minutes
Buckwheat 1 part grain to 2 parts water 15–20 minutes
Millet 1 part grain to 2.5 cups water 30 minutes
Quinoa 1 part grain to 1.75 parts water 12–15 minutes
Red/Bhutanese rice 1 part rice to 1.5 parts water 20 minutes
Brown rice 1 part rice to 2 parts water 45–50 minutes
Black “forbidden” rice 1 part rice to 1.75 parts water 30 minutes
White sushi rice 1 part rice to 1.75 parts water 15 minutes
White regular rice 1 part rice to 1.5 parts water 15–20 minutes
Wild rice 1 part rice to 3 parts water 40–45 minutes
Wheat berries 1 part grain to 2 parts water 60–90 minutes
A Note on Cooking Bulgur and Couscous
Unlike other grains, bulgur (used in tabbouleh and other salads) and couscous (often served as a starchy complement to North African foods) have already undergone processing. Bulgur has been parboiled, dried, and cracked, and couscous is basically a tiny pasta. Both cook up quickly, so they’re a great base for quick weeknight meals.
Bulgur: Use 2 parts water to 1 part grain. Place water in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, and then remove from heat. Add the bulgur and a pinch of salt, stir, and cover immediately. Let stand for 20 minutes, and then remove the lid. Ta-da! The bulgur will have absorbed all the hot water. Fluff with a fork and serve.
Couscous: Couscous is totally idiot-proof, so it’s a great place to start if you’re nervous in the kitchen. Use 1 part water to 1 part grain (keeping in mind that 1 cup dry couscous yields 4 cups cooked). Measure the dry stuff before the wet stuff so the couscous doesn’t stick to your measuring cup. Place the water in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, and then remove from heat. Add the couscous and a pinch of salt, stir, and cover immediately. Let stand for 10 minutes, then remove the lid and fluff with a fork before serving.
A Trick for Cooking White Rice
Can’t get the proportions right with white rice? If yours always ends up watery, or it dries out and burns, sticking to the bottom of the pot, you’ll love this method. Trust me: you can make white rice the same way you cook pasta.
When you want to get fancy, try fussing with whether the rice is starchy or washed out. But for good general-purpose rice, this is a nice starting point:
1. Bring a 4-quart pot of water to a boil. Set a colander in your sink while you’re waiting.
2. Add 1 cup of white rice, stir so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot, and bring back to a lively boil. When the water starts boiling again, set a timer for 11 minutes.
3. When the timer sounds, drain the rice into the colander. Give the colander a good shake to get rid of excess water.
4. Empty the drained rice back into the pot, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. The rice will finish cooking in its own steam.
Where to Save and Where to Splurge
Being vegetarian doesn’t have to be pricey. The key is knowing when to keep the coins in your wallet and when shelling out a little more can make mealtimes extra delicious.
Always save on:
• Grains
• Beans
• Bulk foods
• Tofu
• Hard vegetables like carrots, potatoes, and butternut squash
• Apples and pears (in season)
• Peanut butter: Skip the jarred stuff and make your own! Buy roasted unsalted peanuts from the bulk bins and blend in a food processor for 5 to 10 minutes, until smooth.
With the money you save, I recommend always splurging on:
• Fresh fruits and vegetables. Learn how to pick them out (see here) and your favorite ways to cook and serve them. If you have a community-supported agriculture (CSA) share or farmers market in your area, take advantage of it.
• Good-quality soy sauce and your preferred condiments. A little goes a long way!
• Miso
• Good drizzling oils, like olive oil and toasted sesame oil
For special occasions, sometimes it makes sense to splurge on:
• Fresh herbs. A few leaves of fresh basil can transform a dish in a way that dried never will.
• Spices that you use in small quantities. You can get these for cheap at a natural foods store in bulk, at a south Asian grocer, or online from Penzeys. Find a few spices that you really love, and invest in the best quality you can afford.
How to Read Recipes
You’ve nailed your grocery store trip. You’ve assembled your meat-free ingredients. But how do you cook the dang th
ings? An online search will turn up lots of recipes for the same thing, and your local bookstore is likely full of cookbooks, so here’s how to tell which ones to trust.
Online Recipes
• If you already have a few favorite cookbook authors, see where they’re featured online.
• Websites associated with culinary magazines, or websites with a list of editorial staff, will have better quality control than personal blogs or general recipe-compendium-style sites.
• Look for a recipe’s precision. Does it specify the size of the cuts, the level of heat to use, what the dish should smell and look like when it’s done? Does the recipe say when to add salt? These details, plus positive reviews, are often indicators of a recipe that is worth a try.
• If you’re perusing a food blog, check the comments on each post. This is the rare occasion when reading the comments is worth your time.
Cookbooks
• Check online reviews. Even if you prefer to buy in your local bookshop, seeing if something has (a) a lot of reviews, meaning it is heavily used, and (b) a lot of positive reviews will separate the good from the mediocre.
• Check reputable awards lists. The James Beard Awards have given the nod, or at least the nomination, to quite a few veg-friendly cookbooks over the years!
• As with online searches, check for precisely written recipes with specific, detailed instructions.
• Shop for cookbooks in bookstores where you trust the bookseller to know about food, or in trustworthy cookware stores that also stock cookbooks, such as Williams-Sonoma. Avoid the bargain bins. These are books you’ll use every week, if not every day. Invest in something decent.
• Mainstream cookbook reviewing sites like the New York Times cookbook review column or the cookbook reviews on the Kitchn now regularly feature books with veg options.
• Know someone who’s a good cook? Ask what cookbooks and authors they swear by.
How to Make Recipes Vegetarian
Eating vegetarian doesn’t have to mean throwing away all your omnivorous cookbooks. To this day, some of my favorite cookbook authors—from Fuchsia Dunlop to Irma Rombauer Becker to Marcella Hazan—have never written a veg cookbook. Fortunately, it’s easy to substitute for nonvegetarian ingredients. Of course, you can always use some of the cookbooks recommended at the end of this book to find a delicious vegetarian recipe (see Resources). But if you like a particular nonvegetarian recipe, don’t be afraid to try it using meat substitutions (see here).
• Is the meat blended in or used as a topping? Substitute seasoned TVP (textured vegetable protein), store-bought faux beef crumbles, or even lentils seasoned with savory herbs and a dash of tamari to mimic the texture of ground beef.
• Is the meat marinated or in a casserole? The flavor interest is in the marinade or the casserole ingredients. Swap in frozen and thawed tofu (this is great for “chicken” cacciatore), simmer tempeh in the marinade, or soak seitan in it overnight. You’re good to go.
• Is it a sandwich filling? You’ve got a fighting chance. Half the fun of a sandwich is in the condiments, anyway. Replace cold cuts and bacon with store-bought mock meat deli slices and veggie bacon. Instead of chicken salad, try fork-mashed chickpeas or tempeh that’s been steamed for 10 minutes and then crumbled into chunks.
• Is the meat in a broth? Substitute veggie broth for beef, chicken, or pork broth in most instances, or buy vegetarian “chicken” and “beef” bouillon granules at health food stores. Or make your own chicken broth seasoning using equal amounts of dried onions, celery salt, white pepper, garlic powder, and mixed herbs like rosemary, parsley, or thyme. For a quick “beef” broth, boil 1 teaspoon of Chinese dried fermented black beans (not dried bulk-bin beans) in 2 quarts of water for 10 minutes, then strain out the solids before using.
• If it’s meat and almost nothing but, like rump roast or steak, you might have to pass this one by, especially if the texture is essential to the dish. But if the meat serves more as a vehicle for the seasoning, you have a chance. Meat seasoned with a glaze, like beef bulgogi or teriyaki chicken breast, can be replaced with large chunks of seitan (for beef) or chewy frozen and thawed tofu (for chicken).
• If it’s a fish dish, that’s a bit harder. In larger cities, grocers that cater to an Asian Buddhist community often sell frozen vegetarian mock fish. Does the recipe call for fish broth? Adding a sea vegetable like wakame or kelp could help. But like meat-centric dishes, if the fish is largely unadorned, look for another recipe.
• Is it a turducken? Yeah, you can even work with that. Stuff tempeh in tofu and wrap it in seitan slices. Never give up! Happy Thanks-Living, and cheers to your veg ingenuity.
How to Substitute Ingredients
To start, think about the function of an animal ingredient in a recipe. Is it adding flavor, texture, nutritional content, or even visual impact? For example, the beef in boeuf bourguignon provides a meaty texture, as well as a heavy dose of protein and plenty of fat to keep you full. In a burger, beef is a crumbly, high-protein, slightly smoky blank canvas for toppings. In a pho broth, it adds richness. Same ingredient, three different functions. That means you’ll replace beef differently in a burger than in a pho broth.
Here’s a practical example: a low-protein, low-fat grilled mushroom “burger” is going to leave you hungry 20 minutes after eating it, but simmering the same mushrooms with star anise and fermented dried black beans might be just the thing to flavor your pho broth. Conversely, simmering a lentil croquette in water and straining it out will give you total garbage for pho broth, but a lentil patty done just right makes a tasty and filling burger. You may need to substitute multiple things for a single nonvegetarian ingredient in order to land on a variation that really delivers the satisfaction you deserve.
With that in mind, shop for premade mock chik’n strips, fake bacon, beefless crumbles, premade veggie burgers, coconut coffee creamer, powdered egg substitute, etc., but don’t be afraid to make your own. Homemade swaps cost less, aren’t made in a factory, and sometimes don’t even require extra time.
These “magic ingredients” will help you create flavorful meatless meals. Improvise away, or see here for inspiration.
• Ackee: Eggy texture.
• Avocados: Creaminess. Great in smoothies, tacos, pan-seared as a foie gras stand-in, and—believe it or not—as an ingredient in chocolate mousse.
• Banana puree: Offers a little bit of moisture and binding in baked goods.
• Beans and bean purees: High in protein. Blending beans gives a starchy/creamy feel that can thicken dishes; lightly mashing them with a fork gives a texture similar to that of ground meat.
• Chickpea flour: Custardy texture, self-binding like eggs, high in protein. Just be sure to cook it enough to rid it of the raw flavor.
• Chickpea water: Also called aquafaba, this is the liquid that chickpeas are cooked or canned in. Whip with an electric whisk; it foams like egg whites. It can take only very gentle heat. Look online for tips on making vegan meringues, cheeses, or mayo with it.
• Chinese fermented tofu: Give dishes some of the tang and funk associated with gorgonzola or blue cheese. Find it in Asian grocery shops.
• Cocoa powder: Slight bitterness, charred edge, and deep, rich, earthy flavor. Try a pinch in a chili or hearty bean stew.
• Coconut oil: Offers satiety, creamy/fatty mouthfeel. The unrefined kind tastes like coconut; refined has a neutral flavor.
• Dried mushrooms: Meaty flavor, umami, depth and complexity of aroma, earthiness; great in a broth. If reconstituted and chopped, very assertive texture.
• Earth Balance: A common brand of butter substitute with a high fat content (think satiety!).
• Fresh mushrooms: Melting tenderness, depth and complexity of aroma. This is a low-protein and low-fat ingredient, meaning you’ll need something else to provide long-burning fuel for your body.
; • Frozen and thawed firm tofu: A knockout chicken substitute in stir-fries, soups, and casseroles. Freezing tofu makes it both firmer and more porous. It absorbs flavor beautifully and has an assertive texture. See here for more on this technique.
• Jackfruit: Meaty texture.
• Lentils: Crumbly texture that still holds together; high in protein.
• Liquid smoke: This is literally liquefied hickory smoke. It’s great for adding smoky and savory qualities.
• Miso paste: Imparts saltiness (like cured meats), umami savoriness, and richness of flavor.
• Seaweed/nori/wakame: Gives flavors of the sea. Wrap frozen and thawed tofu in it to make a “skin” around a mock fish dish, or grind some and add it to a mixture of rice vinegar, Chinese fermented tofu, and soy sauce to make a complex condiment that will stand in for Southeast Asian fish sauces.
• Seitan: High protein, toothsome meaty texture, absorbs flavorful broths well.
• Smoked paprika: Sweeter than liquid smoke and gently spicy. Stands in for the savoriness of cured meats.
• Soft tofu: High protein, binds baked goods, can be scrambled like eggs.
• Soy sauce: Umami, saltiness.
• Sun-dried tomatoes: Umami, brightness, acidity.
• Walnuts: Fatty, high in protein. When toasted, slightly smoky.
7 Basic Flavor Combos
It’s helpful to have a few go-to flavor combinations inspired by your favorite cuisines that you can use as starting points for improvisations. Add the following spices to marinades, sprinkle them on top of grain, bean, or tofu dishes, or play with them while brainstorming menus.
1. Mexican: chilis, cilantro, coriander, cumin, oregano, onion, chili powder, garlic
2. Middle Eastern: lemon, coriander, sesame, thyme, sumac, parsley, garlic, mint
3. North African: paprika, cayenne, cumin, ginger, coriander, turmeric, white pepper
Stuff Every Vegetarian Should Know Page 3