Pesach is much harder for me. Then again, my cooking during the nine days is no different than my cooking during the rest of the year, so I guess I’m biased. (My mom and brother aren’t vegetarian, but while I’m living at home, we keep an entirely vegetarian household.)
I love allrecipes.com and use it all the time. You can find so many different recipes there and they are all submitted by regular people. Members of the website rate and review recipes once they have tried them. It’s very helpful to read through the reviews before making the recipe so you know what modifications to make to it. I’ve had an account for about five years, and I also get the e-mail newsletter. It’s extremely helpful with meal planning. One little gadget they have is the Recipe Finder, where you can type in ingredients you want and ingredients you don’t want and a list of recipes meeting your criteria will come up on the screen.
I also subscribe to Vegetarian Times magazine. I’m not at home right now, so I don’t have access to my collection, but here are a few recipes from the issue in my bag. (You can also find thousands of recipes on the VT website.)
Orange Israeli Couscous with Carrots and Raisins
1 1/3 cups Israeli couscous
1 cup plus 1 Tbs. no-pulp orange juice
3 medium carrots, grated (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup raisins
1 tsp. ground cumin (I use chili powder instead)
Coat medium saucepan with cooking spray, and heat over medium heat. Add couscous, and toast 4 minutes, or until pale brown, stirring frequently. Add 1 cup orange juice and 1 cup water; season with salt and pepper, if desired; and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 12 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, and steam, covered, 5 minutes. Stir in remaining orange juice, carrots, raisins, and cumin. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Braised Seitan Cutlets in Mushroom and Red Wine Sauce (Nine Days Version!)
1 8-oz. pkg. seitan, drained and halved into 2 thin cutlets (the brand I use comes pre-cut into smaller pieces, which works just as well)
1 Tbs. unbleached flour
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
1/2 cup red wine (you can actually use apple cider instead, unless you’re making it for Shabbos, in which case definitely use the wine)
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. thyme (I tend to use Italian seasoning, which contains thyme)
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
1/4 cup chopped parsley (dried parsley flakes work well if you don’t have fresh parsley on hand)
Coat seitan pieces in flour. Heat oil in large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add seitan, and cook 1 to 2 minutes on each side, pressing pieces down to brown evenly. Remove seitan from skillet, and keep warm.
Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic to skillet. Saute 7 to 10 minutes, or until softened and lightly browned. Whisk together red wine, mustard, and thyme in measuring cup (I like to add an egg yolk too). Add to mushroom mixture; season with salt and pepper, if desired; and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Whisk together cornstarch and vegetable broth in same measuring cup, then add to mushroom mixture. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes, or until thickened, stirring constantly. Place seitan cutlets on plates, top with mushroom sauce, and sprinkle with parsley.