The Mediterranean Vegan

I tried this salad a few nights ago at the Casa Palestina here in Barcelona for a friend's birthday. It's incredibly easy to make and delicious! It is eaten in Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria and was created to make use of stale pita bread by frying it and combining it with seasonal vegetables. Serves 3-4 What you need: for the fattoush 2 cucumbers, peeled and sliced 1/2 onion, diced 1/2 red pepper, diced 2 tomatoes, diced 10 black olives, sliced 2 cups lettuce or spinach 1 tsp mint 2 tbsp parsley 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1 tbsp lemon juice 2 pita breads for the hummus 2 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas/garbanzo beans 1.5 tbsp tahini 2 cloves garlic, peeled 1 cup water 1.5 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp lemon juice 1 tsp salt For the salad, you can choose to fry or toast the pita bread (I recommend frying). Cut or tear the pita bread into pieces and fry in olive oil for around 1-2 minutes or until crispy. Strain the pita pieces in a colander or on a paper towel to remove excess...

These French potatoes, meaning "potatoes of the baker's wife," get their name from their historic method of preparation where the dish was assembled and then taken to the local bakery to be cooked in the baker's oven. Serves 4-6 What you need: 6 tbsp margarine 7 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced 2 onions, chopped 1 tsp thyme 1.5 tsp rosemary 2 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper 1/2 cup vegetable broth 1/2 cup soy creamer or plain soy milk Preheat the oven to 150 C (300 F). In a casserole dish, spread 3 tbsp of margarine across the bottom of the pan. Place one layer of potatoes on top of the margarine, followed by a layer of onion slices, and a sprinkle of salt, pepper, rosemary, and thyme. Repeat this process, layering the potatoes, onions, and spices until the top layer is just potatoes. Mix the vegetable broth and cream together and pour over the potatoes. Spread the last 3 tbsp of margarine on top of the last layer of potatoes. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes and s...

I was inspired to make this after trying a very terrible version at a local vegan restaurant with my friend Ines. Unfortunately it was my first time trying this delicacy, so I didn't have much to compare it to. After making this recipe, I now know what real arroz con leche should taste like...and its amazing! Serves 4 What you need: 1/2 cup white rice 4 cups soy milk 1 tsp cinnamon or 1 cinnamon stick 2 slices orange peel 1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract In a small pot, add the soy milk, rice, cinnamon, and orange peel and bring to a boil. When it starts boiling, reduce to low-heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for around 45 minutes. Add the sugar and vanilla and simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Top with more cinnamon and serve hot!

This spaghetti dish, meaning "whore's spaghetti" in Italian, consists of a salty, spicy tomato sauce that proves a nice variation from the traditional marinara. It is usually made with anchovies, but I omitted them for this recipe. Buon appetito! Sauce serves 2 What you need: 3 tbsp olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 onion, diced 1-2 chili peppers, minced 1 tbsp capers 3-4 tbsp black olives, sliced 5 tomatoes, grated 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp sugar 1/4 tsp black pepper 1 tsp fresh parsley spaghetti noodles In a saucepan on medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil for 10 minutes or until the garlic had just reached golden. Add the salt, pepper, sugar, diced chili peppers, olives, capers, and grated tomatoes and keep on medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Serve on spaghetti noodles and sprinkle fresh parsley on top.

These breakfast beans are part of the Egyptian Coptic Diet, which is primarily vegan. The name means "buried fava beans" and refers to its ancient method of cooking that involved burying a pot of water and beans under hot coals. Serves 2-3 What you need: 3 tbsp olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 3 cups cooked brown fava beans 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tbsp lemon juice 2 tbsp fresh parsley 1 tomato, chopped In a pan on medium heat, fry the garlic in the olive oil until the garlic becomes golden. Add the cooked fava beans and begin mashing them with a large wooden spoon while cooking for 10 minutes. Add the salt, lemon juice, and parsley and cook for another minute or so. Top with more fresh parsley and chopped tomato and serve with bread.

A version of this recipe is made in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, though it usually includes lamb or chicken. This is a vegetarian, simplified way of making this normally time-consuming meal. I made it with instant couscous, which may not be traditional but sure is faster! Serves 3-4 What you need: 2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 tsp ginger 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/4 tsp pepper 1/4 tsp turmeric 1/4 tsp cardamom 1/4 tsp cloves 1/4 tsp anise 1/2 tsp mint 1 tsp salt 2 carrots, peeled and chopped 1 large zucchini, chopped 1 parsnip, peeled and chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 1 cup crushed tomatoes 1 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas/garbanzo beans 4 1/2 cups water for the couscous 1 1/4 cups instant couscous 2 1/2 cups water 1 tsp salt 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1.5 tbsp margarine In a large pan, sauté the onion, garlic, and spices in the 2 tbsp olive oil for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add the chopped vegetables and sauté for another 10 minutes. Add the crushed tomat...