BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: GUEST,Stim
Date: 07 Jan 14 - 06:38 PM

Sounds very good, tho with both rice and sweet potatoes, and no meat course, a bit starchy. As to the maple syrup, sadly, I've long ago given it up. It now costs between $11-15 a pint for the real stuff. I fix sweet potatoes and yellow squash with brown sugar and butter now, and it works out well.

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: Bert
Date: 07 Jan 14 - 01:40 PM

So is Poteen. ;-)

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 07 Jan 14 - 01:19 PM

Tonight we had the meal I was planning for a couple of days ago:

cajun style black-eyed peas and rice,
Brazilian style garlic greens, and
maple mashed sweet potatoes

It was very good indeed! Though a bit of a mess in the kitchen afterwards, especially the encrusted rice pan - though that was made up for by learning a new way to slowly steam fluffy rice in broth! Yum.

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Jan 14 - 08:04 PM

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: brashley46
Date: 06 Jan 14 - 07:22 PM

Poutine? Vegan includes beef gravy and cheese curds? ::files under "interesting"...::

I take it back; it does exist.

Pas de moi, merci.

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: SINSULL
Date: 06 Jan 14 - 03:37 PM

Potine is vegan.

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: brashley46
Date: 05 Jan 14 - 10:35 PM

And then there is sofkee ... thin, sour cornmeal mush (or thick drink) kept simmering over the campfire all the time, if you are Seminole (and no, I'm not). Lots of variations all over the Southeast, and the rest of us Southerners have appropriated it as grits (eaten a lot thicker.)

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: Padre
Date: 05 Jan 14 - 10:20 PM

Cheese grits made with sharp cheddar cheese

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: brashley46
Date: 05 Jan 14 - 10:16 PM

Getting back to bean and rice dishes ... I grew up in Florida, where traditional food at New Year's is Hoppin' John. There are innumerable variations, but the one my mother cooked is: white beans (Great Northerns, or field peas, or cow peas) cooked until soft, and served on a bed of white rice, with coarsely chopped raw Vidalia/Bermuda onion sprinkled liberally on top. Traditional side dish is greens (spinach, or collards, or mustard, or - yecch - turnip tops) dressed with white vinegar in which a green chili pepper has been steeped for weeks.

It is usual to cook the beans with a slab or two of fatback in the pot, but it can be omitted.

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 05 Jan 14 - 04:04 AM

Haha! Thanks for that Stim, the UK's modern food history probably wouldn't look much different. Especially post WW2 when changes in our cooking and eating habits really sped up.

We're on the same page here, where local and seasonal produce is being promoted a lot and heritage varieties too, though I'm not sure exactly who eats that way apart from London based middle-class foodies and the slightly more adventurous allotment growers! I actually like the principle of local and seasonal for sustainable environmental reasons, though it's not always sustainable for all budgets unfortunately. Whatever the TV chefs like to say, farmers markets are NOT cheap. I grew a few veg last year - including some heritage - and will certainly do more of that this year so I can get funny shaped tomatoes and multi-coloured potatoes at a genuinely affordable price!

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: GUEST,Stim
Date: 04 Jan 14 - 09:25 PM

Once, it was all Crisco, meatloaf and Jello molds, then it was all macaroni and spaghetti, somewhere in there we had quiche, and then sprouts and whole grain everything,   then everything got turned into some kind of salad, then the spaghetti and macaroni became "pasta" and we stopped eating red meat. Then we started eating out a lot.

Then they started throwing black beans, limes, and lots of greens on everything and calling it "Southwest". Then they brought back everything we'd stopped eating and called it "Diner Food". Somewhere in there we became wine experts, and when that didn't work out, we all became beer experts.

Now it's all "local foods" and they give us multicolored potatoes, "heritage" tomatoes that are funny shapes and colors, but taste just like the old "new" tomatoes, and expensive handmade local cheeses that aren't as good as Imported cheeses, but everyone makes a big fuss about because they are made by someone or other's brother-in-law who used to be an investment banker.

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 04 Jan 14 - 10:01 AM

Roasted egg plant and chickpeas
This is not a U.S. classic and it has Greek overtones but I'll pass it along anyway because it's so good. I add a bit more feta than is called for but otherwise follow the recipe pretty closely.

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: sciencegeek
Date: 04 Jan 14 - 06:02 AM

Joe, let us know how it turns out... :)

one of the mysteries of the pantry for me as a child was the different kinds of flour... how could there be so many? Then I learned about different varieties of corn and wheat, as well as the different types of potato... the geek was hooked. lol   and it all comes down to biology... voila!

So food is biology and cooking is chemistry... what more can a geek ask for? I always like Alton Brown best when he would get into the chemistry... not so much the goofy costumes. lol

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 04 Jan 14 - 04:26 AM

Gee, all this is making me hungry. Off to the kitchen, I guess. The dogs and I will split a banana.
Thanks for the bean recipe Sciencegeek. I'm going to try it.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 03 Jan 14 - 05:31 PM

I suppose some of the more interesting foods that come from nations composed of a mixture of different immigrant groups - or indeed where regions meet and cultures meld - are the fusion foods, which will indeed be unique to that particular place.

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Jan 14 - 04:16 PM

Hummus, pizza, kielbasa, lasagna, quiche, and many more listed above traveled to the US and have been widely adopted. The dishes that started here are fewer, though many of the ingredients from here in the New World have returned home in these dishes (potatoes, corn, tomatoes, and more).

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 03 Jan 14 - 03:24 PM

Tomorrow I'm going to make cajun dirty rice, served with maple mashed sweet potatoes and south american style garlic greens - bit of a mash up but should be good!

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: Bert
Date: 03 Jan 14 - 11:08 AM

Hommos is becoming more American every day.

1 can of Garbanzos
1/2 cup of tahini (or more)
3 cloves of garlic
a couple of tablespoons of Olive oil.
salt, sugar and lime juice to taste.

put the lot in the blender and blend until smooth.

For pita bread we just use plain old white bread dough, roll into balls, flatten into rounds with a rolling pin and cook in a dry hot skillet.

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: Gibb Sahib
Date: 03 Jan 14 - 02:02 AM

List of "typical" American foods/dishes to eat at home, from a narrow perspective of one American:

clam chowder
cranberry sauce
casseroles
shephard's pie (made with beef!)
hamburgers (not necessarily on buns)
snappy hot dogs (with natural casings)
beans and rice
peanut butter AND JELLY sandwich (don't forget this humble yet very American item - with jam but we call it jelly!)
kielbasa
sausage and peppers
grinder/submarine sandwich (= Italian cold cuts, sharp provolone cheese, lettuce tomato and olive oil on Italian bread)
pasta with meat sauce (Bolognese, but we call it meat sauce) or meatballs
quiche
shredded potatoes baked in pan (in turns grey, and it's only ok with ketchup on it)
stuffed (green bell) pepper
stuffed cabbage AKA 'gawumpkies'
kluski noodle ( = egg noodles and breakfast sausage and wilted cabbage and oiliness)
chicken and rice soup
chili
pancakes
tacos
pizza made on bread
cinnamon toast
spinach pie
pea soup
potato salad
macaroni/pasta salad - preferably made with olive oil, not mayonnaise
baked yam
red potatoes, boiled
corn on the cob
pierogies
lame stir fry mostly seasoned with soy sauce
rice krispy treats
chocolate chip and walnut cookies
cream of wheat. grits.
berries or bananas on top of stuff, like cold cereal... or even just blueberries in a bowl of milk
liverwurst or salami or tuna fish sandwich or BLT
sardines and crackers
deviled eggs
lasagne
corned beef hash
home fries (potatoes)
big omelets stuff with a lot of junk
pigs in blankets (New Year's Eve)
guacamole
fried rice
pork chops with goo poured on them, like some gooey cream of mushroom glop
olive oil olive oil olive oil
hot sauce on anything, black pepper on anything

Some of it I like, some not so much. Those were the (homemade) things I was most often asked to eat (i.e. at home, at a guest's, at a picnic, at school cafeteria) when growing up. Today I eat much different things - Szechuan is my favorite general style of cuisine - but I'm just thinking back to the common stuff.

While being a vegetarian for many years, I developed a taste for a mac 'n' cheese that was vegan - no cheese, but rather "nutritional yeast" (looks like yellow flaky powder) was used in copious amounts, and vinegar-based hot sauce (e.g. Tapatio) was used to bind it. I don't actually like typical 'real' mac n cheese (it reminds me of baby foods!) but I still get cravings for the fake stuff. I also learned to love tempeh, which I'll even eat raw these days. Tofu goes without saying; it is one of the delicious foods of the world, no apologies needed. But these were things I had to "learn" to like because the surrounding society had old generation prejudices against anything that seemed to be substituting for meats and dairy...

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: Janie
Date: 02 Jan 14 - 11:26 PM

Don't know how classic, and certainly not meat free, but cheeseburgers and french fries are certainly ubiquitous.

More along classic lines, but among people who come from more than two generations of prosperity, might be dried beans, cornbread and either cole slaw or a cooked green from the cole family of plants.

In the south, that would most likely be pinto beans and southern cornbread - made with white cornmeal, higher proportion of cornmeal to flour, little or no sweetening in the batter, and poured into a sizzling-hot cast-iron skillet then baked in the oven. Although the beans traditionally would be simmered with salt pork or fatback, pintos are very amenable to savory vegetarian recipes using onion, garlic, oregano, basil, summer savory, marjoram, bay leaf, tarragon, cumin, chili powder and tamari soy sauce. If I do say so myself, I make a mean pot of vegetarian pintos, but I don't measure the herbs so can't offer a recipe. I go for savory. Can of course be made vegetarian spicy also with more chili or much hotter peppers. About all I can say, regardless of spicy or savory, chop strong white onions and garlic into the soaking water, add a little chili powder, and do not drain before cooking. Add water and other seasonings, including more onion before cooking.


Salt added too soon to dried beans of any ilk toughen them.

I associate white beans, such as navies, with northeastern cooking, and darker dried beans such as pinto, kidney and black beans with southern and southwest, Central American and Caribbean cuisine. Wondering if the historic difference is related to which of these bean varieties grown for dried beans grow best in the different climates involved?

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: sciencegeek
Date: 02 Jan 14 - 08:57 PM

Joe, this link looks to meet your request

http://thelemonbowl.com/2013/07/slow-cooker-vegetarian-boston-baked-beans.html

about the beans... be sure that they aren't too old, the longer they sit in the pantry the harder they are to reconstitute. Also, adding a splash of vinegar to the cooking water helps.

and don't forget the brown bread... lol

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 02 Jan 14 - 04:42 PM

almost nothing better than spoonbread..mixture of corn mush, eggs, milk...mg

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 02 Jan 14 - 04:16 PM

Anybody have a good, easy (and meatless) recipe for Boston Baked Beans that have never seen a can? I've sometimes wondered whether fresh, dried, and canned beans are all equal in food value. Anybody know?

-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: GUEST,sciencegeek
Date: 02 Jan 14 - 01:49 PM

yum... wilted lettuce... but the secret is using bacon fat with crumbled bacon bits, vinegar & sugar added to form a hot dressing that is then poured over tender leaf lettuce or spinach. A dressing close to what is used for German potato salad. You can adapt it, just don't get quite the same zing.

Just thought of cranberries & wild rice... native foods that give such a nice touch to stuffing, pilaf or desserts.

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: Bert
Date: 02 Jan 14 - 01:18 PM

Lou used to make a Southern dish. It was just tomatoes and rice.

As for Mac and Cheese, I much prefer cauliflower cheese and it is less fattening.

Another Southern dish that Lou used to make was wilted lettuce.

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: Jack the Sailor
Date: 02 Jan 14 - 12:33 PM

We've lived in the deep south, GA, AL, NC for more than 11 years. Here are some dishes our African American neighbors make around the holidays.


Candied Yams
Potato salad
Sweet potato pie

All of these the below boil with ham hocks or smoked ham. Carol has found in cooking and experiments that burnt sesame oil and to taste, possibly liquid smoke can replace the ham.

Collard greens
field peas
black eyed peas
boiled cabbage
green beans

We also make Jiggs dinner with burnt sesame oil substituting for corned beef.

cheers!

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: GUEST,sciencegeek
Date: 02 Jan 14 - 11:38 AM

collard greens are a loose leaf form of cabbage that is heat tolerant so easier to grow in the south. The leaves are a bit thicker and tougher than kale or chard, so they need a long simmering time. In the south it is usually done along with smoked hocks or hambone. I prefer them chopped & added to soups.

As for squash, the variety of winter squash is wild. Steam or simmer the flesh for mashing - season with maple syrup or brown sugar with lots of butter. Cut smaller ones in half without peeling and bake face down in a pan with a little water then turn upright to be stuffed and rebaked. Or cut up the flesh & coat with a little oil and then roast in a shallow pan.

Scrape out the inner membranes & separate the seeds to roast or toast. Ground up roasted pumpkin seeds can be used to make a paste like mole for seasoning other dishes. Small varieties of thin fleshed squash are known as gourds that could be used to make rattles, utensils or bird houses once they were dried.

Pumpkin pie is just one type of squash pie and sweet potatoes have as many uses. In New England they dice up white potatoes along with sweet potatoes & onions and then saute them to make "home fries" to go along with breakfast eggs.

Shredded potatoes are also formed into patties and then pan or deep fried to make "hash browns"... cover them with country gravy (essentially just a white sauce with plenty of black pepper) or sausage gravy and you have a real stick to ribs kind of breakfast.

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: GUEST,sciencegeek
Date: 02 Jan 14 - 10:50 AM

that was me above

some other interesting links:

http://www.vegkitchen.com/recipes/three-sisters-stew/

http://www.iroquoismuseum.org/three_sisters.htm

North & South America aka the "New World" has been inhabited by people for thousands of years & the wide variety of cultures over the years along with indigenous food crops gave rise to a wide variety of foods that then mixed with later European crops & livestock and cooking styles. European traders then spread some of the foods around the world, influencing Eastern foods. It's been a wild ride! LOL

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 02 Jan 14 - 10:45 AM

Thanks Guest - talking of squash I'm surprised more suggestions for it haven't come up! I have lots of pumpkin and butternut in the cupboard from growing them this Summer. They are cluttering the place up so I really need to cook them!

As for maple syrup, isn't that used to make 'maple mashed sweet potatoes'? I seem to have heard of that - a thanksgiving side dish if I'm not mistaken.

And what you call "collards" (what we call 'spring greens') are also a popular side dish I think? Anyone got preferences on you like to prepare them?

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Jan 14 - 10:25 AM

here is a link to an Iroquois soup:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/three-sisters-soup/

three sisters are beans, squash & corn grown together in the garden surrounded by turberous sunflowers and are dominant in the diet along with wild game and berries. Maple syrup from the native sugar maple trees was also used for flavoring as well as wild greens & onions.

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 02 Jan 14 - 06:14 AM

That cabbage pudding looks a bit like cheesy bread puddings I've seen in 'thrifty' recipes for leftovers, super frugal - will be sure to give it a try.

I've seen quesadillas but never tried one. Sort of a Mexican take on a cheese toasty! Didn't realise you cook them in a pan, I assumed they were made in a press like paninis so easier to do than i thought.

Thanks for the recipe for refried beans Stim, I'll have to give them a go too, looks like there are a lot of ways to use them.

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: GUEST,Stim
Date: 01 Jan 14 - 07:18 PM

Refried Beans are pretty basic to the American diet anymore. I grew up in the Midwest, and we had them. Now they are as common as, say, meatloaf or spaghetti. It would be a rare Superbowl party indeed that didn't have bean dip, nachos, and salsa;-)

In case you don't have your own way to do it, here is a basic recipe.
People change the spices a bit, and will disagree on some of the other points, but it is a good starting place. You can use red or black beans, too. It shouldn't be grey under any circumstances--

Ingredients:

    2 cups dried pinto beans
    1 bay leaf
    ½ cup of lard,bacon dripping-for veggies, olive oil or some such
    1 cup finely chopped onions
    8 cloves of garlic minced
    4 teaspoons of ground cumin
    4 teaspoons of red chili powder
    ½ teaspoon of salt
    1 teaspoon turmeric
    ½ cup of crumbled queso blanco or shredded Monterrey jack cheese
    ¼ cup chopped cilantro for garnish

Preparation:

A lot of people begin the night before by covering the beans with 2" of water in a pan, and soaking them over night. Others find that it works just as well to bring the water to a boil, and then let them soak for an hour or so.

Either way, you need to drain the beans before they're ready to cook.

In a heavy 5-quart pot combine the beans and bay leaf with enough water to cover by 2 inches.(you can do this in a crock pot, too)

Bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer the mixture uncovered til the beans are very tender.(maybe 1 ½ to 2 hours, but could be longer, depending on the beans)

Drain the beans and mash with a potato masher

Heat the lard,bacon drippings, or oil in a large skillet

Add the onions and garlic and cook until onions are translucent

Add chili powder, cumin, salt, and turmeric and blend them together

Add the mashed beans

Cook on medium-low heat for 5 minutes. (Add a little more lard, bacon fat or oil if the beans start to stick to the skillet)

Some people will melt the cheese into the beans before they take it off the burner. Others just toss the cheese and cilantro on at some point before they eat it.(don't bother with the cilantro unless it is fresh and has some flavor to it)

Some people like to cook the beans in broth, and reserve some of it to add if the beans get too dry or too thick in the skillet.

After it's done, you do what you want, make burritos, tostadas, nachos, serve with rice, tortilla chips or whatever.

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: sciencegeek
Date: 01 Jan 14 - 06:41 PM

oh... how could I forget quesadillas???

corn or flour tortillas folded over a tasty filling and grilled on a hot skillet. fill with refried beans or cheese and goodies like olives or chiles.. anything you can think of... serve with salsa or guacamole.

use corn tortillas for gluten free, hold the cheese for lactose intolerant.. but still plenty of options available.

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: sciencegeek
Date: 01 Jan 14 - 03:34 PM

refried beans are usually cooked pinto or black beans that are then mashed as they are recooked in a shallow pan using cooking oil or grease.   You can add chopped onion or chili peppers as you "refry" the beans.

Refried beans are rolled in flour tortillas to make burritos, or served warm with cheese topping. You can use as a dip - like hummus... very versatile. rice was brought to the area & it is fine to use with hot spicy dishes.

rice needs a moist growing region, so it is most commonly found in the southeast US. Gumbo should be served with rice.

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: Allan C.
Date: 01 Jan 14 - 10:18 AM

What with the "melting pot" society of the USA coupled with our being so very transient it is sometimes difficult to nail down the origins of some of our foods. For instance, chicken-fried steak is said to be a Texas born spinoff of the German sauerbraten. (There were LOTS of German immigrants who wound up in Texas.)

That said, I can't say much about the origins of the following dish except that I learned it in Virginia from folks whose family came from Michigan.

CABBAGE PUDDING

Preheat oven at 350F
Shredded Cabbage
Bread
Milk
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Salt & Pepper
Butter

In a deep casserole dish that has been smeared with butter, put in a generous layer of the cabbage. By hand, tear bits of bread to create a layer covering the cabbage. Add a layer of the cheese. Sprinkle this with salt and pepper. Continue adding more layers in this order until no more will fit in the casserole, being sure to finish with the cheese layer. Now pour in milk until you can see it around the edges.

Leave dish uncovered and place in preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until cheese layer is starting to brown.

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 01 Jan 14 - 08:21 AM

Sciencegeek, I love Corn Chowder, but I've yet to do anything much with cornmeal (aka polenta). I should definitely make some cornbread muffins to go with chillie though as here in the UK we tend to do a very untraditional combination of boiled rice with chillie (I'm guessing due to to our Indian 'curry and rice' influences)

I haven't made refried beans, they look a bit grey and mooshy! But they probably taste good.

I also really like simple salsa at home (which I make with tinned chopped tomatoes for my sins) with tortilla chips.

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: sciencegeek
Date: 01 Jan 14 - 06:54 AM

back when I was active in our local Grange and putting together the annual county fair exhibit, I decided to do one on common fruits and vegetables that originated in the Americas. The geek has been intrigued by the origins of agriculture around the world & you can check into "List of food origins" on wiki to see how far & wide some foods have traveled.

Corn, amaranth & quinoa were major grains; potatoes, jicama & sunchokes (tuberous sunflowers) provided another source of starch along with beans.

So.. from the various corn varieties we get corn meal, masa (ground hominy)and sweet corn. These become corn bread or muffins, hoe cakes, hush puppies, pozole, tortillas, grits, polenta, corn pudding, corn on the cob and succatash. I probably left some out... lol.. like corn chowder which uses either sweet corn or hominy (Iroquois style).

Beans can be used fresh as "green beans" or wait 'til the seeds mature and harvest fresh or wait 'til they dry and can be stored for use later. Refried beans are a staple for many Mexicans and when eaten with torillas - made from masa- provide a very complete protein source.

Salsa is a classic - salsa verde (green) made with tomatillos, onions & garlic or salsa caseras (red) made with ripe tomatoes, onions & garlic... perked up with lime juice or cilantro you can add black beans or blackeyed peas or sweet corn to get a wonderful side dish - be sure to plenty of tortilla chips to scope it up.

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 31 Dec 13 - 03:53 PM

PS I have the low fat Moosewood book around somewhere, must dig it out and delve in!

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 31 Dec 13 - 03:50 PM

Thanks Gillymor, yeah that would be my assumption about mainstream US food - mainly starch and meat based - I suspect that has something to do with the relative affluence of the US compared to many countries, whereby meat became more of a staple than it may have originally been for both the native peoples and the early immigrants. Perhaps some of the hybrid ethic cuisines that have a poorer indigenous or immigrant European 'peasant' base (for want of a better word) might make the best hunting ground for US vegetarian foods? I've seen some veggie 'tex mex' stuff online but I've not explored it. though I make a pretty good red bean and sweetcorn chillie (with a hot chocolate mole base) but need to try cornbread with it.

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 31 Dec 13 - 03:33 PM

CS, your OP got me to thinking about what classic american dishes can be made suitable for vegetarians. It seems like we're mostly a meat and potatoes society here, so consequently I find myself making dishes from other cultures where meat is not so predominant.

Oh well, here is a recipe for
mushroom gravy that even the carnivores I know beg me to make lots of around the holidays. It's also from Moosewood and is great on mashed potatoes, roasted veggies, stuffing or a piece of bread.
I use a roux made of flour and butter instead of cornstarch for a thickener and also use baby bella mushrooms.

Oh and I've been making that dirty rice dish for a long time but never with cajun spices. I'll give it a try.

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 31 Dec 13 - 01:32 PM

Thanks Gillymor I've pinned that to my 'low fat veg recipes' bookmark. Never put so many vegetables in macaroni cheese before, but it looks good, and an interesting addition of caraway and cabbage (both of which I love, especially together) too.

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 31 Dec 13 - 12:58 PM

Macaroni and cheese lite from the Moosewood Cookbook is one of my favorite recipes and is a whole meal for us when we make it (along with a green salad). I use 2 percent milkfat cheddar to make it even lite-er and always use portobellos otherwise I pretty much follow the recipe.

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 31 Dec 13 - 12:18 PM

Thanks for 'succotash' Sciencegeek, it looks really nice, simple and colourful too. I've taken a look to see how folks serve it and naturally a lot of stuff like salmon and steaks came up, though I did get an idea to serve it with 'blackened tofu' (I actually really like tofu before anyone comments!) and one other idea I thought was nice, to serve it as a stuffing for acorn squash.

I love split pea soup Stilly, though I don't make it as often as I could as it can be a slow process and when I make soup it's usually to eat pronto. Split pea soup's a great idea for this time of year in particlular though. And I like your idea of slowly caramelising the vegetables first for added flavour. In the UK liquid smoke has to be ordered online as no-one stocks it, though we can get smoked sea salt and smoked paprika which are both good for adding that 'bacony' flavour. The smoked paprika I cook with but smoked salt I would simply serve at the table for last minute seasoning.

Lots of nice ideas thanks, keep them coming :)

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Dec 13 - 11:48 AM

Becca beat me to the mac and cheese.

I'll suggest split pea soup - I make it with a ham hock, but you might be able to use a liquid smoke flavor to give it the ham/smoke flavor it needs. And I would brown the onions, carrots, celery and garlic before adding the peas and water, to give them a caramelized flavor.

Carrots, celery, onion, garlic, split peas, water. I never measure. The bag of peas is a couple of cups and I usually add 3 carrots, 3 celery stalks (both cut up), an onion and a couple of cloves of garlic. Salt and pepper to taste. Enough water to simmer the whole batch to a slurry and then I puree it. We discussed this on facebook yesterday and there were a couple of suggestions to add some thyme.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 31 Dec 13 - 11:34 AM

I was chatting about how I became overweight the other night, and - along with a significantly reduced activity level - I think it's mainly down to making and eating lovely *big* dishes of stuff like macaroni cheese (you say "mac and cheese" we say "macaroni cheese") covered in extra cheese. We adore macaroni cheese in this house and once a dish of it is made, it doesn't survive long. Never had it with lobster (!) but I do often add extras like sauteed leek and wholegrain mustard. Or broccoli and blue cheese (what I've seen folks from the States call "Mac and Trees")

As I've eaten macaroni cheese since I was a little girl, it took my until very recently to discover that - much like the UK's beloved baked beans - macaroni cheese doesn't originate from the UK, and not from Italy either, but from the States! Wonderful invention, even if Italians would disown it..

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: GUEST,sciencegeek
Date: 31 Dec 13 - 11:28 AM

succatash is "classic" native American - sweet corn and baby lima beans... in south Jersey my grandmom simmered corn cut off the cob along with fresh shelled lima beans, bacon/salt pork and chopped fresh picked beefsteak tomatoes added at the end... imitation bacon bits might provide that smokey flavor or just go without.

Here in western NY they use creamed corn instead of fresh sweet corn with just the limas.

Summer without some form of corn isn't summer, though there is a winter version that uses dried homminey - lye processed corn- along with dried lima beans.

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: Becca72
Date: 31 Dec 13 - 11:05 AM

Homemade Mac and Cheese; 'round my part of the US we often add lobster (yummo!) but ymmv

the more cheese the better - though not for your heart!

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 31 Dec 13 - 10:18 AM

Good call with Boston baked beans Rap, my fella who loves them and I cook up a pot (slow baked in the oven) regularly. We serve them on baked potatoes with a side of crunchy coleslaw. I'm not sure how you folks in the US would eat them?

Bobad, that gumbo looks really good! I love spicy and I love greens. What's more theres no okra in it (the only vegetable I can't abide!)

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: bobad
Date: 31 Dec 13 - 10:07 AM

If you're exploring Cajun-Creole cooking of Louisiana they have a traditional lenten meat free gumbo made with greens called gumbo z'herbes. Lots of recipes on the web. This is one Gumbo Z'Herbes

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: Rapparee
Date: 31 Dec 13 - 10:06 AM

Boston baked beans -- just leave out the meat and be sure to use real molasses.

Subject: RE: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 31 Dec 13 - 10:01 AM

What I forgot to add, is I'm curious about regional styles of cooking especially. What are the key aspects of different regions, in terms of essential ingredients, flavourings and ways of preparing and cooking?

Subject: BS: Classic US Dishes (meat free please)
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 31 Dec 13 - 09:54 AM

Prompted by a chat with friend VTam about 'Dirty Rice' or black-eyed beans (aka peas) cooked with rice, I'm looking for some inspiration and would like to explore a bit of US food in the coming new year.

What are your favourite classic US dishes? What region of the US has the best tasting food? Feel free to discuss meat dishes too, but what I'm really after are meat-free dishes, or at least dishes that would be easy to omit the meat / fish / poultry from. Ideas for combining meat-free 'side dishes' are very welcome.

So to get things started, this cajun style rice and beans looks really good to me, and I imagine would work well with some sweet potatoes?

Cajun Dirty Rice - veggie style