bethany725 Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Hi everyone Seeing as how this Food, Cooking & Recipes thread has a ton of info, I wanted to ask a question in case anyone may could help. I'm without an oven in our home, but do have a stove and microwave.. oh, and a sandwich maker! I've had an oven my whole life, so trying to cook without one is quite a challenge -- especially when I'm pretty lousy in the kitchen to start with. I also don't eat meat (except for shrimp/prawns), dairy (cheese/milk/butter), or much refined sugar. I WILL use sunflower oil for cooking, so recipes that call for oil are absolutely fine. We have access to just about any kind of fresh vegetables, and any kind of herbs/spices. I know it's a toughie, but just wanted to see if any of you know of some simple recipes that don't require the use of a BBQ grill or oven, and don't include meat, dairy, or refined sugar. If anyone has any experience with Indian cooking, that's helpful too, as we're in India and have access to all of the typical Indian foods. I'm trying my best here but it's so difficult without the oven! And as my husband is a huge meat-eater and loves grilling out, he's sort of at a loss as well! Any help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 You can use a frying pan on the stove-top for anything you would ordinarily barbeque or grill. Just use a little bit of oil so it doesn't stick. Casseroles can be done by stewing slowly on the stove in a pot (hope I'm not stating the obvious ) What sort of meals are you usually cooking in the oven and microwave? One thing I love (if you can get the veges in India) is frying together sliced courgettes, onion, tomatoes, mushrooms and capsicum (think you call them bell peppers) Just brown the courgettes and onions a bit then add the rest and gently cook till the tomato is cooked. There's probably heaps of other veges you could add as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethany725 Posted January 12, 2009 Author Share Posted January 12, 2009 Thanks for the reply, Poppy! And yes, they actually call them capsicum here... Coming from America, I'd only heard of them as bell peppers, so I spent 3 weeks here wondering what a "capsicum" was before realizing it was the same thing as a pepper. Your idea sounds good.. And I can easily get my hands on most of those vegetables. The only thing I'm not sure of -- what is a courgette? Never heard of this one. Usually, we have mushrooms and peas, or potatoes and mushrooms, or green beans and potatoes and mushrooms, etc. It's usually given to us with rice and/or roti. Those are the norms, but it gets a bit boring after a while! The guy that helps us here is fantastic, but I'd like to be able to vary it up a bit and even cook some of my own things... that way I can give them a different slant rather than only Indian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Awww sorry Bethany ....would you know them as zucchinis? You could try rice risotto type things, or fried rice ...that's nice with veges and if you eat eggs you can quickly mix it together with a fork, fry it like a thin omelette, slice it and add to the rice and veges (a bit of soy sauce adds flavour) I'm sure you'll get heaps of other suggestions when more people read your post ...there's some really good cooks on here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethany725 Posted January 12, 2009 Author Share Posted January 12, 2009 Ah ha!! Zucchini!! Know it and like it Thanks for the clarification. Forgot to say explicitly that I don't eat eggs either.. but we did used to fix fried rice a bit in our last location, and we always left out the eggs and it was great! I bet I could track down some soy sauce easily here and try that. Thanks again for the suggestions! Sometimes an outside perspective helps so much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 How about some stews or home made ratatouille - both are easy to make and make a brilliant topping for rice or pasta. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethany725 Posted January 12, 2009 Author Share Posted January 12, 2009 How about some stews or home made ratatouille - both are easy to make and make a brilliant topping for rice or pasta. My American background strikes out again... What is ratatouille?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 It's a french dish - basically tomatoes with various other vegetables all mixed in - courgettes, peppers, onion, and loads of garlic. It is very easy to make - and cheap. My other suggestion would be spaghetti bolognaise - again cheap and easy to make, with soya or quorn mince. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimera Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 It's a french dish - basically tomatoes with various other vegetables all mixed in - courgettes, peppers, onion, and loads of garlic. It is very easy to make - and cheap. Yep and very good when well made! I think the real recipe is actually quite complicated but everyone simplifies it now... So long as nobody mixes it up with the stuff shown in the 'Ratatouille' film... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 (edited) How about veg chilli with rice? Fry onions in oil, add any veg you like, mushrooms, celery, capsicums, zucchinni (whatever) add some chopped fresh or dried chilli, a pinch of toasted cumin seeds, tin of chopped tomatoes, some cooked kidney beans or haricot beans (or any beans you like) simmer for 20 - 30 mins, season with salt and pepper and finish with a handful of chopped coriander leaves. Serve with rice. All in one pot if you swap the rice for bread! ETA I forgot to say, add some garlic in with the onions if you like Edited January 13, 2009 by ~Andrea~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethany725 Posted January 13, 2009 Author Share Posted January 13, 2009 Ooooh ratatouille and veg chili both sound easy and yummy! AND I can get all of those ingredients really easily here.. think I'll try these out soon and see how I do! Thanks, guys!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Yep and very good when well made! I think the real recipe is actually quite complicated but everyone simplifies it now...So long as nobody mixes it up with the stuff shown in the 'Ratatouille' film... My recipe is very simple - you need a medium onion (red ones work well), a small courgette, a small carrot, one pepper (any colour, whichever you prefer). Chop them all up nice and small and fry in olive oil until tender. Open a can of tomatoes, stir in the vegetables, add some tomato puree, a glove of crushed garlic, stir through and serve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethany725 Posted January 13, 2009 Author Share Posted January 13, 2009 I can definitely do these recipes, even with my poor level of skills in the kitchen! Yey for some upcoming variety!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I just printed out a really good recipe the other day for Cous Cous Cakes from Giada De Laurentiis's show, Bethany, and I think it would work for you... except for the egg. Maybe you could substitute it with another binding of some sort or use egg substitute? Anyway, I haven't tried to make them yet but the recipe looked easy and super yummy! Here you go: Ingredients: 2 cups cooked couscous, prepared according to package instructions and cooled, 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, 1 egg, 1 egg yolk, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1 lemon, zested, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/3 cup mild mango chutney. Directions: In a medium bowl, mix together the couscous, cilantro, egg, egg yolk, coriander, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture. Mix until combined. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Form 1/4 cupfuls of the mixture into 8 patties. Add 4 of the patties to the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes each side until golden. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining couscous mixture. Serve the couscous cakes with mango chutney. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethany725 Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 It sounds REALLY good, Peacefield! I bet I could find an egg substitute fairly easily.. Mmm it sounds all zesty and flavorful! Thanks for letting me know about this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Another of my favourites (which would also work for you, as it can be vegan) is mushroom stroganoff. This is my own variation of one of Gillian McKeith's recipes. She doesn't use the wine, and substitutes rice milk for soya cream. I much prefer my version ! For 2 people you will need: one carton of chestnut mushrooms, a couple of white mushrooms, one medium onion, olive oil, half a glass of white wine, soya cream, half a mug of vegetable stock and chopped dill. Chop the mushrooms and onion and fry in a little olive oil, add the wine and vegetable stock, mix in the soya cream (adjust the amount according to taste - I use about a third of a carton), after about 5 minutes added chopped dill. Simmer while stirring continuously until the sauce is nice and thick (usually about 10 -15 minutes). Serve with rice and vegetables of your choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethany725 Posted January 15, 2009 Author Share Posted January 15, 2009 This sounds DELICIOUS, Talisman!! I love saucy things, so this is totally up my alley. Do you think I could substitute soy milk for the soya cream / rice milk ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Bethany, have you had Tabouli? Maybe you see it over there a little more often, but I thought of you when I made it the other day. Really good salad with parsley, cracked wheat (aka bulgar), green onions, tomatoes, lemon juice, oil and salt and pepper. Tasty stuff!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 This sounds DELICIOUS, Talisman!! I love saucy things, so this is totally up my alley.Do you think I could substitute soy milk for the soya cream / rice milk ? You can do, but it won't be as nice - it's the cream that seems to bring out the mushroom flavours. In the autumn I often make this with wild mushrooms - parasols being my favourite. You can do a wheat free version of tabule using rice instead of bulgar wheat, which I sometimes do. Very easy to make, and great with salad for a light lunch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethany725 Posted January 27, 2009 Author Share Posted January 27, 2009 Bethany, have you had Tabouli? Maybe you see it over there a little more often, but I thought of you when I made it the other day. Really good salad with parsley, cracked wheat (aka bulgar), green onions, tomatoes, lemon juice, oil and salt and pepper. Tasty stuff!! You can do a wheat free version of tabule using rice instead of bulgar wheat, which I sometimes do. Very easy to make, and great with salad for a light lunch. I've had tabouli, but never made it.. We get quite a bit of it here. Do you just toss all of the ingredients in cold (except for rice, of course, if I chose that route) and let that be that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 Bethany- our family tradition has always been to toss it all together cold and keep it cold. We tend to be heavy on the cracked wheat rather than the parsley. Sometimes if I have it out in a restaurant I notice a lot more parsley, and while I do love parsley, I like a little more of the wheat. Sometimes my mom will also toss mint in too. Do you see a lot of babaghanoush and hummus there? If I could live on that stuff I would. That with lots of crusty bread is all I need! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethany725 Posted January 27, 2009 Author Share Posted January 27, 2009 Do you see a lot of babaghanoush and hummus there? If I could live on that stuff I would. That with lots of crusty bread is all I need! Not sure what this "b" word is.. but yes on the hummus! I LOVE it! I developed a love of hummus quickly here, and sent my mom & dad a list of items to pick me up from the grocery store prior to my visit in America this past November. Hummus was on the list.. poor Dad had no idea what it was. He called my brother, who's a cook, and asked "What is 'who-muss' and where do I find it??" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Not sure what this "b" word is.. but yes on the hummus! I LOVE it! I developed a love of hummus quickly here, and sent my mom & dad a list of items to pick me up from the grocery store prior to my visit in America this past November. Hummus was on the list.. poor Dad had no idea what it was. He called my brother, who's a cook, and asked "What is 'who-muss' and where do I find it??" LOL That's hilarious, Bethany! I have a really good and easy recipe for hummus if you ever want to try making it on your own. I make it all the time now to have on hand since it's so good with bread and raw veggies. Babaghanoush is very similar to hummus, but instead of using chick-peas as a base you use eggplant. I've tried without success to make it at home so I buy it from the local Lebanese deli here and it is so good! The guy who makes it there uses a TON of garlic and I love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethany725 Posted January 30, 2009 Author Share Posted January 30, 2009 Oooh can you PLEASE give me your easy recipe for hummus??? I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to try this and be able to have it around each and every day here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Here you go, Bethany - I hope you like it! Hummus 2 15oz. cans garbanzo beans (aka chick peas) drained but retain 1/2 cup of the liquid 1/3 cup tahini (aka sesame seed paste) 1/3 cup lemon juice 1 teaspoon salt 2-4 cloves garlic, halved 1/4 teaspoon cumin In a food processor, blend all ingredients until smooth. Garnish with olive oil and paprika. The liquid from the garbanzo beans helps to thin the mixture a little. Also, I tend to add more garlic than normal because I love it so, but you can use it at your discretion. It's very simple and you can definitely change it up to your liking. I know people who also add red pepper to make it more spicey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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