The Mediterranean Vegan

This eggplant/aubergine based dish has different varieties throughout Italy, most popular in the regions of Sicily, Naples, and Genoa. This recipe is for the vegan-friendly Sicilian Caponata. It can be served as an appetizer on top of bread, on pasta, or as a main dish. Serves 3-4 What you need: 4 tbsp olive oil 2 eggplants/aubergines, chopped 1 large onion, diced 1 green bell pepper, deseeded and diced 6-8 plum tomatoes, diced 1 carrot, diced (optional) 2 tsp fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil 1/2 cup green olives, chopped 1-2 tbsp capers 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp salt 1 tsp sugar raisins (optional) In a large pan, heat the olive oil. Add everything to the pot and simmer on medium heat for about an hour. Serve!

Broccoli Affogati comes from the island of Siciliy in Italy. It means "drowned broccoli" because the broccoli is cooked in red wine. It can be served as a side dish or on top of pasta. Serves 3-4 What you need: 3 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, sliced 3 cups broccoli, florets 1/3 cup black olives, sliced (optional) 1 cup water 1 cup red wine 1 tsp salt In a pot on medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and add in the sliced onion. Cook until the onions are soft and add the broccoli. Stir for a few minutes and add the one cup water and salt. Cook, stirring the broccoli until the water evaporates and then add the wine. Stir for another 15 or until the broccoli reaches desired texture.

Pasta alla norma is a traditional Sicilian dish, most popular in the city of Catania, Italy. There are various theories as to its name, meaning "standard or normal pasta" in English. One revolves around playwright Nino Catania Martoglio, who when referring to the quality of the dish and its ingredients, stated "è una norma!". I must give credit to my Italian friend Francesco for creating this recipe, though he refuses to claim it without the essential ingredient of ricotta cheese that is normally present in the dish. Serves 5 What you need: 1/2 onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tbsp olive oil 2 eggplants/aubergines, sliced 10 tomatoes, diced 2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper fresh basil 1 box tubular pasta Prepare the eggplants by slicing them and rubbing them with salt. Lay the slices flat between two cutting boards or plates and let sit for 20-30 minutes. Press down on the cutting board, squeezing any excess liquid out of the eggplants, and rinse. After rinsing, dice...

Risi e bisi is a pea risotto from the Venetian region of Italy. The dish is traditionally prepared on April 25th, the feast day of Venice's patron saint, St. Mark. Serves 4 What you need: 1 onion, diced 4 tbsp margarine 1 tbsp parsley 1.5 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 2 cups fresh or frozen peas 1/2 cup white wine 2 cups short grain rice, dry 7 cups vegetable broth, hot In a large pan on medium heat, melt 3 tbsp margarine and add the diced onion. Sauté for around 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Add the salt, pepper, spices, and peas and sauté for another 5 minutes. Pour the wine into the pan and stir for around 3 minutes. Add the dry rice and stir until it has soaked up all of the liquid. Add the broth, cup by cup, while continuously stirring for 20-25 minutes or until the rice is cooked. Add 1 tbsp of margarine after removing the risotto from heat and serve immediately.

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.

I needed something to do with my leftover pumpkin from "thanksgiving," so I made traditional risotto alla zucca . Risotto is a popular dish in Northern Italy, and there are several different ways to make it. You can also use butternut squash or another winter squash if you don't want to get a pumpkin. Serves 2-3 What you need: 2.5 tbsp margarine 1 onion, diced 1/2 cup white wine 2 cups cooked pumpkin, chopped (boiled or baked) 2 cups short-grain white rice 5 cups vegetable broth 1 tsp salt pinch of nutmeg In a deep pan, melt 1.5 tbsp margarine and add in diced onions. Sauté onions until clear and add dry rice to pan. Mix the rice in until the butter is absorbed into the grain. Now add the 1/2 cup white wine to the pan and stir until completely absorbed by the rice. Mix in the 2 cups pumpkin and 2 cups vegetable broth. Set a timer for 17 minutes. Stir until the broth has soaked into the rice. Keep adding vegetable broth, cup by cup, waiting for the broth to absorb and then...

This is a recipe for authentic Italian lasagne alla bolognese that uses tvp instead of meat for the tomato sauce. Most Italians will tell you the key ingredient to lasagne is béchamel, and the soy version of the creamy sauce is just as good! Serves 4 What you need: for the bolognese sauce: 4 tbsp olive oil 1 large yellow onion, diced 3 carrots, peeled and finely diced 4 stalks celery, finely diced 2 cups texturized vegetable protein (tvp), optional 1 cup white wine 3 cups vegetable stock 800g canned crushed tomatoes salt and pepper for the béchamel sauce: 3 1/4 cups plain soy milk 6 tbsp margarine 1/4 cup flour 1.5 tsp salt pinch of nutmeg for the noodles: around 15 dry lasagne noodles (for a med. casserole dish) In a large pan, fry the onions, celery, and carrots in the 4 tbsp olive oil for 20 minutes. Mix in the two cups dry tvp and stir for another few minutes. Add the wine, stirring the vegetables until it has evaporated. Do the same with the vegetable broth, adding cup by cup unti...