Recently Filed in Recipes

I buy for veggie, so these may not suit all diets, though most cuisines outside Europe are great for avoiding wheat and other foods. And I still substitute as I like, either for meat ingredients or just 'cause I feel like it.

A few of these are out of print, but you can usually find a copy, or another winner in the "Also bought" links.

Everyone seems to have some sort of diet issue these days. Whether you're avoiding gluten, nuts, dairy, or anything else, here's what I've learned from over 20 years as a vegetarian (2 of them vegan).

Sometimes scrounging from the pantry produces something really yummy (and sometimes...not). I was thinking of pongal when I came up with this recipe, though this is a very liberal interpretation. In any case, the result is a richly flavored, fairly healthy, stick-to-your-ribs dish.

Vegetarian / Vegan
Source: Ann Ray

My dad calls these "artery strengthening" and they've become a Thanksgiving essential. Since this recipe is about letting a handful of flavors shine, I highly recommend going organic/premium for your ingredients.

This makes a large recipe, so you'll need either one enormous pan (5-1/2 quart) or a couple smaller ones—deep/lasagna style is best. Or you can halve it (never done so myself). You'll also really appreciate a food processor.

Vegetarian
Source: Ann Ray

Decadent goodness perfect for the holidays! This is an egg-less no-bake style cheesecake. While it calls for dairy, it's probably adaptable to vegan substitutes—if you give it a whirl, please post a comment to let us know how it turns out.

Note the recipe also needs a batch of candied nuts for the topping.

Vegetarian
Source: Ann Ray

Before I post a recipe, it has to be tasty—the fact that it's vegan or veggie is a bonus on top of that. This version has the moist texture of a pound cake, nothing on the bad list, and is absurdly easy to make. I've baked it in both a standard bundt pan and tray of mini bundts.

While I made this with cognac, I'm sure any nog-compatible booze will do. One of my pantry staples is a mini bottle of Courvoisier which contains about 3 1/2 tablespoons, perfect for recipes.

Vegan
Prep time 10 minutes | Cooking time 20-35 minutes
Source: Ann Ray

These are a fabulous snack—€”if you're a carbaholic like me it's hard to stop eating them. The recipe doubles well and freezes well; it takes just a quick nuke and they're ready to eat (you can also re-steam to thaw). Most of the prep time is waiting for the dough to rise, and most of the cooking time is putting batches in your steamer. The filling can be prepared a day in advance.

Vegan
Prep time 2 1/4 hours | Cooking time 30 minutes
Source: Ann Ray

I couldn't find a recipe that had the ingredients I wanted, so I melded five. While this tastes like a "rich" soup, it's very healthy and close to fat free. If you have tofu haters in your household, the soup stands without it. You'll also find it very quick to make, with most of the prep time for soaking the dried ingredients. Within the ingredients, the only one that is going to require a trip to your Asian market is the lily buds (stringy mystery vegetable matter in your restaurant bowl), which are dried for easy storage. For photos of the mushrooms, see the Cook's Thesaurus.

Vegan
Prep time 25 minutes | Cooking time 30 minutes
Source: Ann Ray

This is a fabulous ice cream or fudgesicle recipe, and unbelievably quick to mix. The texture is a hair less creamy than a premium ice cream, but that's due to a lower fat and sugar content. Don't worry, you won't miss it on the decadent taste!

Vegan
Prep time 10 minutes | Cooling 2+ hours | Freezing in machine/freezer
Source: Ann Ray

This is a quick goodie which I've used both as a candy and as a topping to tortes and other desserts. Depending on the purpose, I'll either use whole nuts or cut them into pieces. For the nuts, I often use a mix of hazelnuts and pecans for the dessert topping, but you can pick anything you like.

Vegetarian / Vegan
Prep time 0-10 minutes | Cooking time 10 minutes
Source: Ann Ray

Once these cool they have a great crunchy texture--even my personal trainer binged on the container I gave her. Since this recipe is egg-free, the raw dough is always safe for "testing" (by the tablespoon). The dry ingredients and extra add-ins are available in the bulk bins of stores like Whole Foods.

Vegetarian / Vegan
Prep time 15 minutes | Cooking time 30 minutes
Source: Variation of Joy of Cooking Quick Oatmeal Cookies

Mom would make a batch of this soup, put it in pitchers in the fridge, and we'd all just cruise by a couple times a day and fill up a pint glass (the slurpable aspect makes it great for picnics and BBQs). This is a casual and easy version of gazpacho, though it dresses up well for dinner parties with some croutons and diced cucumber as garnish. The soup can be prepared a day in advance, and is best with at least a couple hours to let the flavors blend before serving. It's also monstrously healthy, as it's 100% vegetables, fat free and low sodium. Serves 8+ as a soup course.

Vegan
Prep time 15 minutes | Cooking time 0 minutes
Source: Janet Ray

I grew up calling these "Snow Mounds," a much more descriptive name for these easy, crumbly sugar coated goodies.

Vegetarian / Vegan
Prep time 15 minutes | Cooking time 30 minutes
Source: Ann Rainey