A Few Hot-weather Cooking Tips for Vegetarians

The basic protein for most vegetarians comes from combinations of beans, whole grains and cheese. And we know that cooking a few cups of dried beans does not need to be difficult. This writer likes to begin by washing those beans in a colander, putting them into a deep pot with plenty of water to cover and bringing them to a boil. She turns the heat off as soon as the water begins to bubble and stirs a heaping spoonful of baking soda into them. Then she lets the beans soak for four or five hours, rinses them out in a colander, and washes the pot. Again she puts them into the pot with water to cover and lets them cook for about an hour. Garlic, sage, rosemary, curry spices, any seasonings you want may be added while they are cooking, except salt. When beans do not get tender, it is generally because the salt was added too soon.

Easy as this method is, some days are simply too hot for cooking beans. Tempeh is a good staple for warm weather, and can be found in most grocery stores in the fresh vegetables aisle. Cut it into cubes and put it into a steamer pot with water on the bottom, and let it steam for twenty minutes, or until it doubles in bulk. Cooking it this way gets rid of much of the bitter flavor, and the soybeans in the tempeh are more easily digested. Once you have steamed the tempeh, you can season it with spices and herbs to taste, and gently saute it in olive oil till your cubes are just golden brown. These cubes can then be tossed into greens salads, served on soups as croutons, or added to brown rice and vegetable dishes. The possibilities are endless.

Nuts are another good warm weather protein. This writer likes to use nut butters, including almond butter, cashew butter, tahini and peanut butter among others. She began experimenting with nut butters when she came across some recipes for peanut soup. The Congo Cookbook, http://www.congocookbook.com/soup_and_stew_recipes/peanut_soup.html - suggests simmering onions, green peppers, garlic, carrots or yams. Cayenne pepper and tomatoes in a good stock or chicken broth, and once the vegetables are tender adding a cup of prepared peanut butter to the soup, to make it creamy. Other nut butters can be used this way, or simply mixed in with sautéed vegetables to add flavor.

Happy summertime eating!

By: Genevieve Fosa

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