Welcome!

Welcome to Romeo's Food Lady! This blog contains recipes for delicious vegetarian food. Most of these are not recipes authored by me. Rather, this is just a compilation of great veggie food I've found from all over the place, usually tweaked just a little. It's intended to be a reference FOR ME so I don't lose great food I've found nor the changes I've made to suit my tastes, but I'm happy for you to use it, too. After more than 25 years of being a vegetarian, I know what tastes good.
Romeo's Food Lady is named after my friend and cat, Romeo. Romeo is not a vegetarian, but his Food Lady is!

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Indian Green Tomato Pakoras

These fritters are SERIOUSLY GOOD.  A big thank-you to Country Living magazine for the recipe!
 

Ingredients:
1 c. chickpea flour (a.k.a. garbanzo bean flour)
1/2 c. rice flour
1 t. cumin seeds
1 t. chili powder
1 t. turmeric powder
salt
1 lb. green tomatoes, chopped into matchsticks
3 shallots or 1 onion, thinly sliced
3 c. vegetable oil, for frying
 
Method:
In a large bowl, combine the chickpea flour, rice flour, cumin seeds, chili powder, turmeric powder, and 2 t. salt.  Stir with a fork to combine.  Add the tomatoes and shallots/onions to the mixture.  Divide the mixture into 16 patties, using your palm to gently flatten.
 
(NOTE:  I used green Roma tomatoes, and I had trouble getting the batter to hold together into patties.  I assume this is due to the fact that Romas have less juice and more meat.  I suggest using green slicers instead of Roma or paste tomatoes to make patties.  I made a few patties, but I ultimately just tossed in the coated vegetable pieces into the oil without forming patties.  It was still very good, mind you!  Just not what I expected.)
 
In a heavy 2-quart pot fitted with a deep-fry thermometer, heat the oil over medium-high heat to 350 degrees F.  Working in batches of 4, fry the fritters until golden, 3 - 4 minutes.  Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.  Serve hot.
 
The magazine provided this analysis per 2-fritter serving:  4g protein, 15g fat, 19g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 603mg sodium, 0mg cholesterol, 220 calories.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Vegan Breakfast Smoothie

Here's my new breakfast smoothie "formula", and it's perfect light fare for hot summer mornings:

1/3 can whole coconut milk (or use the plant-based milk of your choice)
1 piece of fresh fruit (usually either a banana or a mango, peeled and de-pitted of course!)
1 T. aloe vera juice (optional)
frozen fruit, to taste (usually for me this will be either some type of berries or peaches)

Put the coconut milk (or plant-based milk), fresh fruit, and aloe vera juice (if using) in the jar of a blender. Blend until smooth. Add the frozen fruit, about 1/4 cup at a time, blending until smooth after each addition.

Pour the blended smoothie into a glass and drink up! (This also goes perfectly with a piece of toast if you want something solid with it.)

Monday, August 5, 2013

Potato Salad With Green Beans

I don't really like "creamy" or mayonaise-y potato salads.  But I love potatoes in pretty much any form, so I jumped at the chance to try this non-creamy potato salad published in a recent Food Network Magazine.  I changed it just a little, but not enough to make a wave.  AND I got to use lots of stuff from my own garden:  potatoes, garlic, oregano, and dried red pepper.  Woot!
 
 
Ingredients:
2 lbs. new potatoes, scrubbed clean
2 cloves garlic, peeled
salt
1/4 to 1/3 c. sherry vinegar
1/4 to 1/3 c. plus 1 T. extra-virgin olive oil, separated
1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 lb. green beans, washed, trimmed, and cut into 1.5-inch pieces
1/2 c. pitted and slivered kalamata olives
4 large stems fresh oregano, leaves washed, dried with a paper towel, and chopped
3 scallions, thinly sliced on the bias
red pepper flakes, to taste
 
Method:
 
Put the potatoes and garlic in a pot and cover with well-salted water.  Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 20 minutes.  Drain.  When the potatoes are cool enough to handle but still hot, carefully cut the potatoes into large bite-sized chunks (try not to pull off the skins) and transfer to a large bowl.  Finely chop the garlic and add it to the potatoes along with 2 T. each vinegar and olive oil.  Season generously with salt.  (NOTE:  It is important to do this while the potatoes are still warm so they absorb the vinegar and oil and are seasoned all the way through.)
 
Meanwhile, heat 1 T. olive oil over medium-high heat in a skillet large enough to hold the green beans.  Add the onion, green beans, and salt, to taste.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the green beans are wilted and browning and the onions are transluscent.  Remove from heat.
 
Add the green beans, olives, oregano, scallions, and red pepper flakes to the bowl with the potatoes.  Stir to combine.  Taste and adjust the salt.  Add the remaining oil and vinegar, to taste.  Allow the salad to sit one hour at room temperature for the flavors to marry.  Serves 6 - 8.