The Mediterranean Vegan

This thick white bean soup is a staple in Albania. It is also eaten in Greece. A similar version is served in Morocco called loubia. The combination of mint and chili pepper give it a fresh, spicy taste. Serves 3-4 What you need: 2 cups dry white beans 3 cups vegetable broth 4 1/2 cups water 1 onion, diced 3 tbsp olive oil 3 tbsp tomato sauce 1/2 tbsp dried parsley 1/2 tbsp dried mint 1/2 tsp chili powder 1 tsp salt In a large pot, bring the vegetable broth to a boil and add the 2 cups dry white beans. Cover and boil on medium heat for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the onion. In a pan, sauté the onion in the olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and the spices and continue cooking for another 7-10 minutes. Add the onion mixture to the pot of beans along with 4 1/2 cups water. Cover and simmer on low heat for 2-2 1/2 hours. Sprinkle fresh parsley on top and serve.

This is a very easy recipe consisting of okra and tomatoes. It is part of what Greeks call "ladera," which is basically the name for any vegetable cooked in olive oil. If you don't like okra, you can make this recipe with green beans as well. Serves 3-4 What you need: 3 cups fresh okra, stems removed 5 tomatoes, diced 1 large onion, diced 1.5-2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1/2 cup olive oil In a large pan, sauté the onion in the olive oil for around 7 minutes on medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add the okra and the spices, cover, and simmer (stirring occasionally) on low-medium heat for around 40 minutes.

The Greek version of the Italian lasanga , pastitsio consists of a creamy béchamel sauce, pasta, and traditionally, lamb meat. You can be creative here with the substitutions. I used tvp, but I can see a variety of things working with this dish (lentils, soy, seitan, mushroom). Serves 4-6 What you need: for the filling 3 tbsp margarine or olive oil 1 yellow onion, diced 2 cups texturized vegetable protein (tvp), dry 4 tbsp tomato paste 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp pepper 1 tsp salt 2 cups vegetable broth 1/2 cup red wine 1/4 cup bread crumbs for the béchamel 3 tbsp margarine 4 tbsp flour 4 cups plain soy milk pinch of salt pinch of nutmeg for the pasta 3 cups dry tubular pasta 1 tbsp olive oil 1/2 cup bread crumbs Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C). Bring pot of water to a boil, add 1 tbsp of olive oil, and cook pasta until al dente . Strain and set aside. In a large pan, melt the 3 tbsp butter on medium-high heat and add the chopped onion. Sauté for 10 minutes or until the onion is tran...

This cake can be found throughout the Mediterranean. In Greece and Turkey it is called revani. Another common Arabic name for it is basbousa. The base of this cake is semolina flour; and its variants include adding coconut, walnut, almonds, or pistachios. It is soaked in a sugar syrup and often served with tea. Serves 4-6 What you need: 2 cups semolina flour 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup margarine 3/4 cup soy milk 1 tsp baking soda almonds, walnuts, or pistachios 2 cups sugar 2 tbsp lemon juice 1 cup water 1/3 cup coconut flakes or chopped nuts Preheat the oven to 200 C (400 F). Lightly grease a small cake pan. Make the sauce first so that it is cool and ready to drizzle onto the cake. In a medium saucepan, add the sugar, lemon juice and water and bring to a boil. Then reduce to medium heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until the sugar sauce has thickened. In a mixing bowl, mix the semolina, sugar, and margarine until well incorporated. You may need to use your hands for this. Add the baking so...

The Greek dish prassorizo is the same concept as spanakorizo but with leeks. Serves 3 What you need: 2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, diced 3 leeks, chopped 2 carrots, chopped 2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 2 cups short-grain rice 5 1/2 cups water In a large pan on medium-high heat, sauté the onion in the olive oil for five minutes. Add the leeks and carrots and sauté for another 15 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, and rice and stir for 1 minute. Add the water and let boil, stirring occasionally for around 18 minutes or until the rice is completely cooked with a creamy texture.

This recipe comes from Greece. The word yemista/gemista means stuffed in Greek, and there are various combinations of vegetables used for this oven-baked dish. Yemista is often stuffed with minced meat and rice, but the vegetarian version is just as common. Kalí óreksi! Serves 4-6 stuffed vegetables What you need: 2 1/2 bell peppers 2 tomatoes 1/2 cup olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 onion, diced 1 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced 1 1/2 cup spinach 1 tsp parsley 1 tsp oregano 2 tsp basil 1 cup water 2 cups short-grain rice 1 tsp salt Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Carefully remove the tops of two peppers and two tomatoes (or more depending on how many you make) using a sharp knife. Remove the seeds from the peppers and scoop out the insides of the tomatoes with a teaspoon. Put the tops of the vegetables and the insides of the tomatoes to the side. Chop up the other half of the bell pepper to use in the rice. In a medium frying pan, sauté the onion and garlic in the 1/2 cup olive oil u...

Spanakorizo is a Greek rice dish made with onions, spinach, olive oil, and lemon juice. In this version I added garlic, mushrooms, and dill. Serves 3 What you need: 1 yellow onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, diced 8-10 white mushrooms, sliced 5 cups fresh spinach 1/2 tsp dill 1/3 cup olive oil 1 1/2 cup basmati rice 6 cups water 2 tbsp lemon juice salt pepper In a deep pan, sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil until transparent (15-20 min). Add the mushrooms, spinach, and dill and sauté for another 7 minutes until the spinach is wilted. Add the rice along with the water. Stir occasionally on medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until rice is cooked. Add the lemon juice, salt, and pepper and stir. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.