gina_w, I made your poached salmon with chimichurri for supper tonight -- right down to the garnish. My husband and I both LOVED it! It is a definite contender for the party. Do you think that it would be good at room temperature? I don't want to be cooking during the appetizers or the soup course, but I am afraid if I keep it warm in the oven it will dry out, and even a reheat in the microwave might overcook it. Here is how I did the chimichurri and poached the fish (I'm sure you know how to do both, but just in case some other reader wants to know): I took a big handful of flat leaf parsley, 4 cloves garlic, and a bit of onion and minced them in the food processor. Then I added about 1/3 c of arbequetta olive oil, a little red wine vinegar, a little lemon juice, about 1/2 t of dried oregano, and S&P. That's it -- and it was really terrific. I poached the salmon by putting it in a deepish pan with water to cover, added some mirin, some peppercorns, and a bay leaf, as you suggested. I brought it to a boil, and then immediately took it off the heat, covered the pan, and let it sit about 10 minutes. eandhl, here is my recipe for stir-fried tofu. It was my first stir-fry. Many years ago, when I was about 22, my aunt gave me a wok. It just sat there until one day in the newspaper's food section, in the "kids in the kitchen" column, I found this recipe for stir-fried tofu and vegetables (I've rewritten it to leave out all the super-basic instructions like "peel the onion and put it on a plate"). I figured if kids could do it, I could, too! Now I love to cook all kinds of Chinese dishes, but this is the one that got me started. My kids always loved it. I make all kinds of modifications now, depending on what vegetables I have on hand, and I use sherry, dark soy, hot oil, etc. This is the basic; you modify it the way you want (use more or different vegetables; include water chestnuts and bamboo shoots; add or substitute chicken or beef for the tofu; etc.). Enjoy! Stir-fried Tofu and vegetables ¼ pound mushrooms 1 large carrot 1 small onion 1 small green pepper 1 - 2 pkg tofu (firm works best) 1 clove garlic 2 T water (I like sherry or mirin instead) 1 t cornstarch 2 T oil (I like to use peanut) 3 T soy sauce 2 t honey Prepare vegetables. Mix water and cornstarch in one bowl, soy and honey in the other. Stir fry vegetables 1 minute, add soy/honey mixture, cover and cook one minute. Stir in water and cornstarch and tofu, stir gently until heated, about 1 minute.

I've finally had some time to check into this thread. I'm a 30 year vegetarian. Veggie good/healthy and veggie quick are often not very compatible. When I was younger, I had a lot of time to cook. I guess I did't have much of a life and was happy to spend my weekends and evenings cooking. Even back then I didn't like "veggie burgers" very much. They are a pain to make, and they just don't taste all that great to me, plus for me, my dislike for homeade veggie burgers is a texture thing. They are usually made with beans or tofu, already quite mushy, then with eggs and some type of starch as a binder. Then fried, and they end up greasy and mushy, IMHO. I've seen recipes using different techniques to try and counter the greasy, mushy factor, but to heck with it, now I just buy the packaged veggie burgers which are very quick, and sooooo much better that what I could make from scratch. The commercial veggie burgers are made from either wheat gluten, or textured vegetable protein from soy, which gives them the "meat like" texture. You can mess with wheat gluten and seitan and soy flour at home, but these products are not common things that you can pick up in any grocery store. Adventists do a lot with fake meat, but all their products have MSG in them so I don't like them. I am allergic to MSG. So if you buy commercial "fake meat" products, watch out for MSG as an ingredient if you are allergic. Some people are sensitive to any type of gluten. I too do not like the taste of red meat. It is too rich and heavy for me, and the decaying blood taste which is what so many people like, is just a big yuck for me. I also am not a fan of the "grilled" smoke taste. The reason I go into this, is there are some brands of veggie burgers that go out of their way to include grilled and fleshy tastes in their "burgers" and since I don't like those tastes in the first place, I don't like those brands of veggie burgers. My favorite brand is Morningstar Farms. As Haus Proud says, they have a lot of tasteful varieties. I like the garden burger and the roasted vegetable ones, and the italian style ones. I don't like anything that has "grill" in the description. So now my ideas diverge. There's good veggie "patties" but I rarely eat them because they are not fast food for me. Fast for me, btw, means I can get it on the table about 15 min. after I get home late, late from work. For me that means cooking on the weekends and reheating or thawing during the week. Fried veggie patties are just OK reheated. So one way to go with this is "fast, healthy vegetarian" and the other way is "good vegetarian pattie kinds of things." Not the same, IMHO. Good vegetarain pattie kinds of things--falafel, beanburgers, tofu sloppy joes. I buy Fantastic brand falafel mix or some special mixes I get in the middle eastern market. Fast vegetarian sandwiches--tofu salads (I make tuno salad, hamless salad, and eggless salad with tofu). Hummus and other bean spreads make good sandwiches. I also like fake lunch meat. It doesn't taste all that much different from the real, which has loads of chemicals and fillers in it already. I buy Yves brand fake ham, which looks and tastes like bologna. I make fake ham and swiss cheese on rye. I think they even make fake pastrami, but since I don't like real pastrami I don't get it. If she eats fish, then tuna salad is good. I used to make homeade hummus, but now I buy it premade. Other grab and go: emapanadas, pocket pies made with eggs, cheese or fake meat. I buy these but you can make them. Pasties, calzone, even egg rolls are all variations on this theme. I'm dough challenged so don't make them very often, but I like eating them. If you wanted to be a real great mom, make your daughter some calzones and put a bunch in the freezer for her to heat up. Something else I buy frozen are little pot pies, Amy's brand. I love those! I also get lots of veggie frozen dinners. They are not that cheap but most are very good. I hardly ever get them because I can't afford them, so that would be another way to treat your daughter. Here's my recipe for beanburgers. I made it years ago when I was young and had time on my hands. I think the original recipe came out of "Seventeen" magazine, so I think I made these back when I was just about that age. Beanburgers 1 cup dried lentils 1/2 cup bread crumbs 1/4 cup finely chopped onion 3 TBLSP wheat germ 1 TBLSP vinegar 1 TBLSP mustard (I don't know if this is dried or prepared. I would use dijon unless I was prepared to loose a batch and try dried) 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. garlic powder 1 egg beaten (these days I'd use two egg whites to cut fat) 3 TBLSP butter or margarine (or olive oil probably) 6 sliced american cheese 6 whole wheat rolls Rinse lentils. Cook with 5 cups cold water until soft. (about 50 min.) Drain. (And down goes all the nutrients. I'd rather use less water, like two cups. And soak the lentils in water overnight to make them cook faster. Drain the soaking water, which does drain away some nutrients, but makes the beans less likely to cause gas.) Combine the lentils with the next 8 ingredients. Divide mixture into 6 equal parts. Form into patties. Fry in the butter or oil for 3 min. on each side. Place cheese on patties, cover skillet, cook until cheese melts. Serve on toasted buns with whatever condiments you like. Note: I suspect these may be on the mushy side, but such is the nature of a bean burger. PUt some crunchy things on the burger, like iceberg lettuce and pickles. Tomato is good too, but only if in season. This is an interesting recipe out of "Moosewood REstaurant Lowfat FAvories" that I have been wanting to try. I've not made it though. Middle Eastern CAnnellini patties 2 tsp. olive oil 2 cups minced onion 2 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed 1 tsp. salt 1 cup minced bell peppers 2 tsp. ground cumin 4 cups cooked cannellini or other white beans (Two 20 oz. cans, drained) 1 cup minced fresh parsley. 2 cups cooked brown rice 1 TBLSP fresh lemon juice ground pepper to taste (I'd use white pepper) Add the olive oil to a nonstick pan. Saute the onions until soft. Add the garlic, peppers and cumin and saute a little longer, until the peppers are soft. (ABout 5 more min, stir frequently). REmove from heat and set aside. Thoroughly mash the beans in a large bowl. Add the brown rice, parsley, lemon and pepper. Combine the sauteed onion mixture with this mixture. Add the pepper to taste. Shape the mixture into 18 small patties, about 2.5 inches across. Prepare a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray. Heat the skillet to med. and cook the patties until they are golden brown on one side (about 5-10 min.) Turn over and cook on the other side, about 5 min. longer. Serve hot or at room temp.

My experience doesn't match msazadi's. I know vegetarians who are foodies. One is in my kitchen at the moment making cornbread. Two nights ago he made ravioli with a citrus sauce. For Thanksgiving, the meat eaters amongst us went to my DIL's sisters house for turkey lunch. In the evening we hosted a vegetarian Thanksgiving meal. My DS invited an fellow grad student and her room mate (both Indian and vegetarian). We wanted to make something they would like without doing Indian food. This Tunisian Chickpea Soup from Olive Trees and Honey went over well. Spicy enough to be familiar to them without attempting to be Indian. 1/4 c olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 3 carrots, chopped 1 small (~10 oz) celery root, peeled and chopped or 2 stalks celery chopped 2-4 cloves garlic minced ~ 10 c water 1 lb (2 1/3 c) dried soaked chick peas 2 bay leaves 1 tbsp cumin seeds or 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1 to 2 tbsp harissa or 1 tsp cayenne 1 tsp salt or 2 tsp kosher salt ground black pepper 1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro, mint or parsley 2 to 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice or 1 c plain yogurt 3 to 4 c french bread cubes or pita bread (optional) (I didn't) 3 to 4 c French bread cubes or pita bread In large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic and saute until softened, ~ 10 min Add water, chick peas and bay leaves. Boil, cover and reduce heat and simmer until tender, ~ 1 1/2 hours Toast cumin seeds (if using) in a dry skillet until lightly browned - shake or stir - don't burn them. Grind. Add cumin, harissa or cayenne, salt and pepper to soup. Cover and simmer 15 min. Discard bay leaves. Coarsely mash the chick pease a bit with a wood spoon, potato masher or stick blender. Can be stored in fridge and reheated for serving. Add the cilantro and lemon juice and heat through before serving. If desired, add 1/2 cup bread pieces to each bowl and ladle soup over. Drizzle with olive oil. (We were having falafal and pita bread after plus I made cranberry walnut whole wheat bread so we didn't do bread in the soup bowls. I didn't drizzle the oil and it was fine.) Moroccan variation in case you have non-spicy types - omit cumin and harissa. After mashing the chick peas, add 2 lb stemmed chopped spinach or chard or frozen spinach thawed and squeezed dry and the lemon juice, cover and simmer 2 to 4 min. Home made pita and falafel were great but not low effort. About half the falafel recipes used soaked and ground chick peas. The other half used soaked, cooked and mashed chick peas. I did a half batch each way - the ones using soaked and ground but not pre-cooked chick peas came out much better - very good flavor and texture. Sephardic Leek and Cheese Casserole also from Olive Trees and Honey - a very good book if you want to expand your vegetarian repertoire - is good and pretty easy. It reheats well so you could make it ahead. Too late for Jessy I'm afraid. 1/4 c olive oil 3 lb leeks ( 1 1/2 lb if you do the zucchini varient), white and light green parts only cut into thin lengthwise slices and washed 1 large onion chopped (optional - I've always used it) 1 c water 2 cups (~1 lb) grated zucchini 2 tsp salt or 4 tsp kosher salt 1 cup (5 oz) crumbled feta or 1 c (8 oz) farmer or pot or 1 c grated kefalotyri or Parmesan cheese or a combination (I've always done the feta) 1 c shreded kashkaval, Goueda, Muenster or Cheddar (did this the first time and thought it didn't add much - other times I've done just the feta) 5 large eggs, lightly beaten 2 tbsp olive oil ground black pepper to taste or 1/2 tsp cayenne 1/4 c chopped fresh dill or 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg (optional) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and oil a 9 " square or 8 by 11 inch baking dish or two 9-inch pie plates. In a large sauce pan (she must have really large sauce pans - I use a small soup pot), heat oil over medium heat. Saute leeks and onion until softened. Add water, zucchini if using, 1 1/2 tsp salt or 3 tsp kosher salt, cover and simmer until leeks are tender (about 15 min). Drain Combine cheeses, eggs, remaining salt, pepper and dill or nutmeg. Add leek mixture. Put in baking dish. Bake until set and golden brown, about 50 minutes. Variant - you can leave out the cheese msazadi and cook 2 lb peeled, diced russet potatoes with the leeks. Kind of mash it after the draining step. I usually still put in the feta or you can put in 1/2 c Parmesan cheese. Really fancy and a good side dish for the meat eaters would be a nice Biryani. I have made one with cashews and pistachios in the top layer of rice but it was more work. There are some simpler ones on line.

I like to freeze each portion individually. In this manner if I want something and Jan or a guest wants something else, we can each get what we want without having any leftover waste. When I first began this process I did not have a Seal-a-Meal so I used Saran Wrap and forsome items like the twice baked potatoes I still use Saran Wrap because my Seal-a-Mael has a small vacuum pump that pulls the air out of the package. The problem here is that it also sucks the packaging down and flattens the appearance to much. Just make sure you cut the Saran Wrap large enough that you can wrap two layers. Rice & Pasta is simple. Just measure out a portion, drop it in a freezer bag, let it cool to room temp and pop in the freezer. You can then heat it in the microwave in seconds, open the pack and dump it on the plate. When making spaghetti you can put a portion of pasta in one bag and a portion of sauce in another. Heat them both in the microwave, dump the pasta on a plate, open the sauce pack, dump that on top and serve. Make a little side salad with a vinegarette, put a container of breadsticks on the table and perhaps a glass of wine, and dinner is served. Meatloaf is super easy. First make the meatloaf, then let it rest & cool. Even overnite in the fridge is fine. Once its cool and firm you can cut 1/2" thick slices, then put one or two slices in a bag & freeze. Later reheat in the bag to retain moisture, then dump it on a plate. Careful here. At my house the meatloaf seems to dissapear. I think its the midnight fairies robbing the freezer to make sandwiches.....LOL. Now before I give you my recipee for stuffed/baked chicken breast I have one small bone to pick with most ladies. Over the years I have had opportunity to cook in many ladies kitchens and invariably I find three essential items missing; a good meat tenderizing hammer, Commercial Salt Free Soup Base and corn starch. Notice, I said a "good" meat tenderizing hammer. A good meat tenderizing hammer has two pointed waffle faces. A course face on one end and a finer face on the opposite end, but what is even more important, it should have a smooth surface on the sides. The weights vary from about 2oz to nearly 10oz, but I find that a 3 to 4oz head works best. STUFFED BAKED CHICKEN BREAST- I buy my chicken breasts in bulk packs when they are on sale, and when I cook them I usually make about 12 to 18 portions at the same time. (I usually buy skinless & boneless, but if I find a good deal on breasts with bone & skin I can easily remove the skin and debone them). Lay a skinless/ boneless chicken breast on your cutting board with the skin side down, cover with a layer of Saran Wrap, then beginning in the middle of the breast and working outward around the breast, pound lightly with the smooth side of your meat tenderizing hammer. The idea is to pound it down to about 1/4" thick and spread out to about an 8" diameter. Make up a small pot of Stove Top stuffing and put a scoop of the stuffing in the center of the flattened chicken breast. Now fold all the sides up and place in a shallow 10x18 baking dish with the open sides down, and continue making the breasts until you have the dish full. Fill the dish about 1/2 full of chicken broth then sprinkle the smooth round tops of the breasts with a bit of Paparika & parsley flakes to add color, cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake in a moderate oven (350degF) for about 30min then remove the foil and back a bit more until you get a light browning on the top of the breasts. Allow the breasts to cool to room temp then lift out and individually wrap for the freezer. And now a word about "Soup Base". Soup base is a product that appears like boulian but I find boulian way too salty for my taste. Soup base is made in Chicken, Beef, Pork & Ham flavoring and is primarily used as the base to make cooking stock or gravy. To make the chicken broth make a small pan of boiling water and add the soup base until you get the desired strenght of broth. (I just do it by eye, but I would guess its about 3tablespoons per pint of water.) To make a quick gravy, begin by making the soup base, then mix a couple tablespoons of cornstarch in 4 to 5oz of cold water (NOTE-cornstarch does not blend well in hot water, it will instantly form nasty lumps) With the broth still at a low simmer slowly add some of the corn starch water and wish briskly. The broth will begin to thichen into a gravy. Continue adding the cornstarch and wisking until you get the desired thickness in your gravy. When I serve the chicken breasts I serve with a baked potatoe and drizzle a bit of the chicken gravy over both the breast and the potatoe. I will tell you ahead of time, it is becoming very difficult to find the soup base. You may find it in some of the high end grocery stores, and on rare occassions they may have it at a walmart super store, but don't count on that. One good place to look for it is in a meat market that has retail sales and also supplies meats to local restaruants. The last time I bought it I had the chef at a local motel/conention center get it for me from his commercial purveyor. The soup base comes in a small glass or plastic jar about 3" in diameter and about 3-4" high.