Who says you need beefy loaded nachos and buffalo wings to throw a crowd-wowing Super Bowl party? You can easily make meatless versions of game-day classics that carnivores and vegetarians alike will love. Here are a few of our favorite party-worthy eats.
Eating vegan or vegetarian doesn't have to cost a bundle. Here are a few tried-and-true ways (and recipes!) to help you save at the supermarket while still loading up on plenty of nutritious, organic meatless foods.
Got rough, drab winter skin? When ground into a fine powder, grains such as rice, oats, quinoa, and millet make for gentle cleansers that leave skin supremely smooth. Here's why and where to find them (plus a recipe for a DIY scrub!).
On their own, collard greens have a mild, smoky taste, but they also take on other flavors beautifully. Here's what to do with them while they're in season.
Preserved lemons add a fragrant, slightly bitter layer to a variety of dishes, are easy to whip up at home, and can be stored in the fridge for several months. Here's how to make and use them.
Spread tomato sauce on pita, sprinkle with cheese, toast till bubbly, and presto: flat-bread pizza! Starting with this simple formula, you can play around with different flat-bread bases and tasty toppings to whip up all kinds of inventive combinations. Here are 10 ideas to get you started.
Got a Dutch oven as a holiday gift? Sweet! Heavy-bottomed and ovenproof with a tight-fitting lid, this thick metal pot heats evenly and holds heat well, so veggies sear and sizzle, soups simmer slowly, frying oil stays hot, and puddings don't stick. Here are a few handy things to know before you get cooking.
Nuts and nutty desserts may be available year-round, but come holiday time, the crunchy halves, pieces, slivers, and bits take a starring role in sweets. Here are a few easy methods for adding roasty, toasty flavor using nuts.
Orange season is now in full swing! There's no better time to make the most of the sunny, sweet citrus. Here's a quick guide to choosing the best varieties.
Look for these juicy, sweet-tasting fruits in festive shades of red and green. Here are our tips for using them while they're in season.
’Tis the season for supporting the work of charities that improve the lives of companion animals. Here are four of the best.
Serving fromage at an upcoming party? Brian Ralph, cavemaster at Murray's Cheese Shop in New York City, suggests picking three to five kinds. "Any more than that and you'll overwhelm your guests," he says. Here are some of our animal-rennet-free favorites.
Want a waste-conscious gift wrap that’s way simpler than fussing with paper and ribbon? Take a cue from an age-old Japanese custom called furoshiki, and transform scraps of fabric into wrapping that’s both green and gorgeous. Here's how to do it.
The five essentials for making classic, crisp-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside latkes
Even the most accomplished cooks have experienced gravy failure at one time or another (probably more than once). Fear not! Here are 5 easy steps to get perfect results for your Thanksgiving feast.
Baking pumpkin halves, then scooping out the flesh is an easy, reliable way to make pumpkin purée because it guarantees a consistent, not-too-watery texture. Here's how to do it—plus recipes!
Making bread pudding for Thanksgiving—or, even better, tonight? You don't need a recipe to whip up this comfort-food classic. Just follow these simple steps for the sweet or savory bread pudding of your dreams.
Trying to get your loved ones to eat veg more often? It's easier than you might think. Just focus on simple, filling, familiar meals. Here are a few of our tried-and-true favorites.
Boo! Many store-bought sweets are neither vegan nor vegetarian. Keep these tips in mind when buying Halloween treats this year.
Curious about this cruciferous veggie? The mildly peppery rutabaga bears a family resemblance to the turnip, which has a sharper bite. Here's how to pick, prep, and cook with it right now.
Just ditched meat but still tempted by certain foods? Don't give up. Here’s a helpful list to get you through the transition.
Around this time of year, I love roasting veggies—it makes them so much sweeter, and I end up eating loads of them—but I hate cleaning up. The solution? Parchment paper!
Didn't make it to the world's first vegan Oktoberfest in Santa Monica last weekend? No worries. It's easy to throw together your own German-inspired feast at home!
It's back-to-school season! Looking for meals you can toss together with your eyes closed? I hear you. Even though I don't have any little mouths to feed at home, I love veggie grain bowls. No matter how tired I am, I can always manage to whip up some variation of this simple, healthy stuff (which makes great next-day leftovers too). Here are five keys to building a super bowl.
People often ask us why we use Parmesan in our recipes. Isn't it off-limits to vegetarians? Actually, not always. Here are three handy tips for finding a veg-friendly variety (or cheesy substitute!) to sprinkle on all your eggplant Parmesan and Italian chickpea soup.
Tips for staying on the good-eating track at work.
If you want some allergy relief this season, start by taking a good look at your plate. Is it full of fruits and veggies at every meal? It really should be, because the best remedy for seasonal allergies might be in these plant-based foods. Fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and grains contain an enormous variety of nutrients that work together to keep you healthy even during the onslaught of seasonal allergies. Drink lots of water (preferably with fresh lemon), make sure you eat a balanced plant-based diet full of the foods below, and expect a happier allergy season.
VT recently received a copy of Leon: Fast Vegetarian by Jane Baxter and Henry Dimbleby. It’s a beautiful book that puts the vegetables first, which is something I'd like to do at home. My first pick: Cauliflower Cheese.
I recently heard a farmers’ market grower on the radio refer to spring as the “leafy vegetable season,” citing spinach—not kale, chard, or another trendier green—as one of the best veggies to buy right now. I’m not talking about baby spinach, which is common as grass these days.
On a recent excursion to the grocery store, I snapped up several beautiful basil bouquets. Stuffing the fragrant green bunches into my recycled shopping bag, I imagined all the wonderful things I’d be making over the next week: pesto, Italian salads, basil lemonade.
For many of us, the biggest evolutionary step we’ll take as home chefs is investing in quality cookware. That might mean springing for a really great non-stick pan, splurging on a top-of-the-line blender, or—as was the case for me—getting spoiled with the gift of an entire Le Creuset set.
A colorful plate isn’t just pleasing to the eye—vivid veggies and fruits also provide a bevy of important nutrients. Here’s how to maximize every meal.
Make the switch from stove to slow cooker with these tasty dishes
I was first introduced to jackfruit in southern India, where the edible orbs dangle from trees like prickly green footballs. In hot and steamy South Asia, they’re eaten fresh, cooked, and dried, in both sweet and savory preparations.
Before The Kale Project came along and changed the edible landscape of Paris' outdoor markets, there wasn’t anything particularly kale-ish to be found beyond the usual cabbage and occasional bundle of collard greens. Then I discovered gai lan.
Throughout the winter months, I definitely crave soups and casseroles and other warm, cozy dishes. Yet even when it’s snowing outside, I still can’t kick my salad habit.
When I was growing up in Virginia, kale was kale. It was different from collards, mustards, and turnip salad (what my family calls turnip greens). There was only one variety of curly-leafed kale, which you boiled for a long, long time.
A few years ago, I interviewed professional chefs and cookbook authors and asked them to share their favorite finds from ethnic food markets. Was I surprised to discover that nearly every one of them included chipotle peppers in adobo sauce on their must-buy list? Not even remotely!
Wintertime can feel like a desert, culinarily speaking. Gone are the vivid stone fruits of summer and bright spring greens, replaced by root vegetables in varying shades of beige. Yet, the cold weather does bring its own colorful, edible bounty.
Do not underestimate the healing powers of the simple apple! Studies have shown that the more apples we consume, the greater protection we have against breast and prostate cancers.
I used to do it without even thinking: Reach for the salt shaker before tasting my food and sprinkle with reckless abandon.
I haven’t received an official diagnosis yet, but there’s just no question that I’m OOD: Olive Oil Dependent. I’m ready for a change in my cooking routine, and I’ve decided to begin with an oil overhaul.
To paraphrase a popular weekly: Food editors! They’re just like us! And contrary to what you might think we (well, I) haven’t eaten everywhere, tasted everything, or cooked out of every cookbook on the market. Case in point: Romanesco broccoli.
The idea for this installment of Copy Cat in the Kitchen was to have a healthful starter ready to go to take the edge off before dinner.
I loved this Israeli breakfast recipe when we tasted it at VT HQ last year. And I was pretty confident my better half would like it. It’s a colorful recipe, so no way our picky toddler would clean her plate...
As a food-conscious parent, the blessing is that this recipe is mostly vegetables. That’s also the curse. Would the kids eat it?
Keeping your knives ready for slicing and dicing (and chiffonading and julienning) is easy-peasy using these tools and tips.
Once in a while there’s a bout of spring cleaning here at VT HQ, and things staffers squirreled away in their cubicles come back in circulation. Such was an advanced reading copy of Sarah Kramer’s Vegan a Go-Go! A Cookbook & Survival Manual for Vegans on the Road.
Watching the documentary GMO OMG reminded me of a rallying cry heard in the late '60s and early '70s, “The personal is political.” Yes, filmmaker Jeremy Seifert takes the condescension of the biotech industry personally, but that’s kind of the point.
Nuts and nut butters are fantastic for our health. In the battle between almond, peanut, and cashew butter, which one is the best?
Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.
Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.
Have you ever found yourself at the supermarket staring at a can or bag or bundle of something that looked intriguing, but intimidating at the same time? I have—more times than I can count. But I’m always up for a challenge, which is why I finally worked up the nerve to take home a can of foul moudammas, from the Middle Eastern section. The name, to its own detriment, doesn’t encourage impulse buys, but there was always something about those plump, brown beans that I found tempting. Today, I’m a foul fan, and I always have a can or two in my pantry.
I’m a copy editor, not a chef. And I’m a mediocre home cook at best. I’m trying to amass a stable of veg recipes in my family’s diet. I’ll use some of the product samples we get here at VT HQ (Vegetarian Times Headquarters) and make recipes from some of the books in our cookbook library (don’t expect the most current releases). I’ll share the non-scientific results from my four-person-family panel. If something doesn’t impress, I’ll let you know, even if my novice kitchen skills are to blame.
Light, bright, and bursting with fresh flavors, sorbet is the ultimate warm-weather treat
Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.
Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.
Going on a camping trip? No need to lug your hefty Dutch oven to cook a feast in the woods. With a little planning, you can whip up loads of good eats and drinks on an easy-to-carry camp stove.
Vitamin D is essential for bone health because it regulates calcium in the blood. Studies also suggest that it may help prevent cancer.
Harness the power of nuts, seeds, and grains by activating them for even more nutrition.
Set your oven to BROIL for fast, fuss-free, richly flavored dishes
Café Blossom on Carmine Street in New York City is the sort of restaurant that anyone who cares about health, animal welfare, and the environment would go for a delicious meal that's in line with their values.
Congratulations! You made it to DAY 7 of our crash course—but don't toss your tassels into the air just yet—our final lesson is an essential one. Today’s topic: shelf life recommendations for bulk ingredients.
Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.
Attention savvy shoppers: Can you believe we're already more than half way through our 7-Day Bulking Buying 101 Crash Course? Now that you're comfortable navigating the bulk food aisles and storing bulk ingredients at home, it’s time to get creative in the kitchen. In today's video, Spork Foods sisters Heather Goldberg and Jenny Engel show you how to make their bulk-friendly recipe Creamy Vegan Pistachio Pesto over Brown Rice. The dish is vegan comfort food at its best, plus it's quick and easy to make.
In Bulk Buying 101, we warned you not to toss the plastic produce bags you may have used to transport your bulk buys home. As promised, we’ve got five wise ways to reuse ‘em.
Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.
The bulk bins are a treasure trove of intriguing ingredients that will inspire you to get creative in the kitchen. Since you can buy as much or as little of an ingredient as you need, it's easy and relatively risk-free to get to know new foods and experiment with simple swaps such as red lentils for green or quinoa for couscous.
Check out Vegetarian Times Editors's author page.
Great Sage's executive chef Adam Pierce is passionate about using local, organic, in-season ingredients whenever possible to create his spectacular plant-based dishes. Anyone who has eaten at this Clarksville, Maryland vegan hot spot can attest to the delicious results of his philosophy.
Preserve your summer garden bounty of herbs with this quick technique.
Tofu is a versatile staple in any plant-strong diet. It’s also a mystery to many people.