Help me broaden my cooking horizons!

[rivenwanderer]

My housemate and I work together to make dinner for the whole house (6 people) once a week. We have a farm share at my house, so on Monday (the day before we cook), we look in the fridge and see what veggies are around, and decide what to make.

So far, we've come up with a few basic staples. These are:
-quiche
-lasagna
-pasta with sautéed vegetables and cheese
-stir-fry with tofu and noodles
-soup
-quesadillas with sautéed vegetables

Since we only cook once a week, it's not too bad to have a limited range of things, and we're getting pretty efficient with them (which is good, since it means I don't have to leave work as early). But I'd like a little more variety, so: what are some other good dishes that can be adapted for whatever vegetables one happens to have around?

Oh, also--this is a vegetarian kitchen, so no meat!

Comments

[nummulite]

Vegetarian chilli, with beans, whatever vegetables you have around and tofu/meat substitute of your choice (the trick to a great chilli is to put in at least half a bottle/can of guinness or other porter/stout, and some dark chocolate).

Vegetable soups with green lentils, bread and butter! Mmmm.

[undoing]

Curry, if you mind the heat. But the spice can be adjusted and served with a variety of things to reduce the heat like yogurt, sour cream, and bread.

[killing_rose]

Vegetable pizza with homemade crust?
Stuffed veggies? (Zucchini, eggplant, pepper, tomatoes work best for this.)
Cabbage rolls?
Rice pilaf?

[libitina]

I'm guessing you eat eggs because of the quiche, so okonomiyaki is also a good way to you bits and scraps of tasty things. As is bi bim bap.

As for making tasty bits from your CSA

• pickled mustard greens (fastest version) (also good made from chard and other greens) - I make a quick soup of vegetable stock, pickled greens, and soba noodles (and, in my kitchen, cubes of leftover roasted pork, but I've made it without, too) topped with toasted slices of garlic and hot peppers


• quick pickle - slice or julienne cucumber and/or carrot and/or onion (either a sweet white or a purple); mix together; put in a container (able to be tightly sealed) where they just fit; pout in just enough rice vinegar to be just under 1cm deep; add a teaspoon of sugar (more if there's a bitter taste); add thinly sliced or whole hot peppers if that's your joy; shake and refrigerate.

Imam Bayildi, if you are still getting eggplants, freezes and reheats well.

[robynbender]

in hot weather: Cold pasta salad! Make a vineagrette, or a thai-style lime dressing. Lightly saute anything that needs softening (like squash or green beans). Lightly steam things like asparagus, peapods, or broccoli that don't need much. Cut up any tomato-like veg (including tomatillo), and some onion-y thing such as shallots, green onions, or chives. Throw in a few capers, olives, artichoke hearts, pickled onions, marinated dried tomatoes, or anything savory if you fancy. Throw in any protein like edamame, bits of tofu, faux crab. Toss with spiral or wheel-y pasta, let sit in fridge for at least a few hours. YUM. We find it almost infinitely adjustable to what's fresh, and the crunchy-plus-cold-plus-pasta is very pleasant in high summer.

[theora]

How about enchiladas? I made these kale and potato enchiladas a while ago and they were very yummy.

Also this time of year we make lots of trays of roasted vegetables. Cut up veg, toss with olive oil, salt, and herbs if you want, and roast at 375F until done (usually 30-60 mins depending on the veg). For protein we often serve them with scrambled eggs since they're quick and easy.

[amadi]

Very simple: roast veggies served over couscous or basmati rice.

[redsnake05]

I like to make a big roasting dish with potatoes, kumara, pumpkin and other root vegetables, along with halved tomatoes, and some variety of quartered onions, leeks and garlic cloves. I splash the whole lot with olive oil and wine (red or white, it's a great way to use up a bottle that has been overlooked and is going a little vinegary. Balsamic works too, if you're stuck) and mix it up, then bake for about an hour. Serve with a salad.

[rainbow]

frittata
omelette (plain, topped, or stuffed with cheese and/or grilled/baked/stirfried veg)
stew (i <3 new world stew wtih hominy, beans, pumpkin, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and peppers, but stews are really endless in variety)
vegetarian shepherd's pie (there's probably a better name for it, i know)
taco/enchilada pie
chili

[amalnahurriyeh]

So I pretty much make rice and beans twice a week, and then probably eat microwaved leftovers for lunch another two days a week. My MO is pretty simple but variable: cumin, garlic, chili powder in olive oil, then add cooked beans, then add frozen green beans, salt if the beans aren't salted, then add cooked rice, then eat. Lots of possible variations: tomatoes in with the seasonings at the beginning, kale or any other green in there, another veg for the green beans (they are my wife's favorite so we always have them in the house), etc, etc. And you can vary up the spicing as you like--I also make a version with celery seed and thyme and sage instead, and it is delicious also.

My go-to lunch at the moment is lentils with "what's in the fridge," wherein I sautee vegetables in olive oil, most importantly onion or another allium, until carmelized, and then dump in cooked lentils, and then deglaze the hot pan with balsamic vinegar, and maybe add some cheese if I have it. I'm certain there's a way to regularize that into something for a family meal; cool it and serve it over salad greens, maybe?

[highlander_ii]

You have 'soup' (generic) on your list, but even that you can change up with spices and herbs as well as veggies. I made a Moroccan-style soup a couple weeks ago that uses butternut squash, carrots, tomatoes, onion, zucchini and potatoes - I'm sure you could use any other veggies that go well with cinnamon, chili powder, cumin, allspice, etc.

[josy]

Dal is tasty: fry an onion in a little vegetable oil with curry powder; when it is translucent, add a veg stock cube and half a cup of red lentils and a cup of water per person, bring to the boil and then leave to simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes. Curry paste can be substituted for the powder; add it at the same time as the lentils.

[talia_et_alia]

Lots of folks already made good suggestions, yay! Here's a list of stuff that comes to mind, b/c we cook it all the time or b/c we did it recently:
- white or brown rice with beans+tomatos+carrots+/peppers, assembled by each diner into a tortilla with cheese and/or salsa
- greens fried with garlic. Simple, always tasty. Ditto mashed potatoes, stir fry, fried rice, and pasta+sauce.
- rice/grain pilaf. Fry vegetables and spices in oil until half-cooked, add rice, then water after the rice has fried a bit. Simmer until done.
- couscous+stuff, stuff often = nuts+dried fruits, for an extra protein kick.
- potato-cauliflower curry, and its cousin, kitchuri, which has dal added. Fry standard curry spices (inc. turmeric), onion, and then chopped cauliflower, ideally until the cauliflower is browned in some spots. Add the potatoes, add some water, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until everything is cooked through. Try not to add too much water to start, so it ends up with the potatoes soft and crumbly at the edges and turning into a nice mushy sauce, but otherwise pretty dry. Options: add tamarind with the water; add wet yellow dal (masoor?), cardamom, and frozen peas, top with butter, and serve with rice or bread for an awesome winter meal.
- blended soups, based on potatoes+zucchini and rosemary, or recently roasted squash. (stick blender = awesome) We did also make a pretty tasty curried squash + barley soup, non-blended, last week. Lentil soup is also a pretty good 'anything-goes-in' dish, and I adore any soup with rehydrated mushrooms in.
- Recent awesome discovery: Thai-style caramel sauce. Caramelize some sugar, then add soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, and other spices as needed. Goes amazingly well on seitan, and I will try it on tofu this week.

Two things I make with cabbage, preferably red:
- Fry it with caraway and apples, and maybe an onion.
- Colcannon, basically mashed potatoes with fried greens mixed in at the end. (Note: I claim no authenticity here.) Obviously you can use any greens, and recently we experimented with adding sesame oil, paprika, and ginger to the cabbage while frying, b/c we were out of garlic.

If you're ever in the mood for deep frying, fried tofu is great for dipping in ketchup and feeling like you're 10yo again. Mostly we cover it in spices and bake or fry it, though.

I can probably write down sketchy recipes for all of these if you want, or talk about other procedural things. Or you can come over and I will cook you things :) Also I am forgetting major things we cook often, so I will ask D and come back.

Thai curry

[shadowspar]

Along with stirfry, Thai curry is a staple here for this kind of thing. Start by frying your curry paste in a bit of oil to help bring out the flavour, then add vegetables and sauté. Add coconut milk, brown sugar, and vegetable bouillon cubes; reduce. The ratio we use is 1x14oz can coconut milk : 1-2tbsp curry paste : 1-2tbsp brown sugar : 1 bouillon cube. Serve with rice.

[geeksdoitbetter]

my fav veggie meals (that weren't already on your very tasty list!)

spanikopita

yakisoba - check the spice packet, might contain fish

risotto