The Mediterranean Vegan

Trinxat, meaning "chopped and shredded" in Catalan, is a potato pancake fried in olive oil. This dish comes from the Pyrenees, where Catalans prepared it for cold winters. Serves 3-4 What you need: 2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped 1/2 head of green cabbage, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 tbsp olive oil 1.5 tsp salt In a large pot, boil the chopped potatoes and cabbage for 30 minutes. In a small pan, fry the minced garlic in 1 tbsp olive oil until lightly browned. Strain the potatoes and cabbage in a colander and place them in a large bowl. Mash the potatoes and cabbage with the garlic until smooth. Form the mashed potatoes into patties and fry in a non-stick pan in olive oil until browned on both sides.

This casserole dish originates from Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine and is similar to a shepard's pie. Its name translates to "tray of potatoes." This dish traditionally contains meat, which I substituted here for lentils. Enjoy. Serves 4-6 What you need: 1 cup breadcrumbs 2 tbsp parsley 2 tbsp margarine or olive oil for the potato layer 3 large potatoes, peeled and chopped 2 cups plain soy milk 3 tbsp margarine or olive oil 1 tsp salt for the rice layer 4 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, diced 1.5 cups dry lentils 1.5 cups dry white rice 6 cups vegetable broth 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1.5 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1/2 cup pine nuts Preheat the oven to 200 C (400 F). Lightly grease a large casserole dish. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of bread crumbs at the bottom of the casserole dish. In a large pot, bring water to a boil and add the potatoes. Boil for 20 minutes on medium heat and drain with a colander. While the potatoes are boiling, start making the rice. Place the pine nuts in the ove...

These "wrinkly potatoes" are from the Canary Islands, where they were originally cooked in sea water. They are served with both a cilantro green sauce and a spicy chili pepper sauce called mojo. Serves 2 What you need: for the potatoes 20 baby new potatoes 1/2 cup salt for the red mojo 10 cloves garlic 1/4 cup wine vinegar 3 dried red chili peppers 1 cup olive oil 1/2 tsp cumin 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp salt for the green mojo 10 cloves garlic 1/4 cup wine vinegar 1 cup olive oil 1/2 tsp cumin 1 tsp salt 1 cup fresh cilantro In a large pot, bring water and 1/2 cup salt to a boil. Add the baby potatoes and simmer for 15-20 minutes. If the potatoes are not floating, add more salt to the water. Drain the potatoes, leaving about 1/4 cup of salt water in the pot. Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and shake around until the salt hardens on the potatoes. Turn off the heat, cover the potatoes with a kitchen towel and let sit for 5-7 minutes. For the red and green mojo sauces, add all of the ...

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...

This vegan casserole dish comes from the island of Mallorca, Spain. It is served in almost every restaurant, so if you are ever in the area you have a vegan staple available to you. The recipe calls for a lot of frying, so get make sure you have a lot of oil available before you begin to chop. Serves 4-6 What you need: 1 large eggplant(aubergine), sliced 1/2 inch thick widthwise 1 green bell pepper, chopped into 2-4 large chunks 1 red bell pepper, chopped into 2-4 large chunks 2 medium size potatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thick widthwise 1 medium size zucchini, sliced 1/2 inch thick lengthwise and then halved 1.5 cup tomato sauce (you can try this simple tomato sauce ) 1 tsp salt 1 tsp parsley 5 cups olive oil for frying Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Fill a large pan with the five cups of olive oil and bring to high heat on a stove. Chop and slice all of your vegetables before frying. To decrease bitterness of the eggplant, salt lightly after slicing and strain in a colander for 30 minu...

Here is a recipe for the Valencian classic arròs al forn, which means "oven rice." Typically this is made with a variety of sausages and other meats, so this recipe leaves out the meat and substitutes the beef stock for vegetable broth. Serves 3-4 What you need: 3.5 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, chopped down the middle once and with skin 2 tomatoes, 1 sliced and 1 grated 2 cups cooked chickpeas 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp salt 2 1/2 cups short-grain rice, uncooked 1 pinch saffron 5 1/2 cups vegetable broth, hot 1 potato, sliced 1/4 inch thick (.5 cm) Preheat the oven to 200 C (400 F). Typically you would use a ceramic dish for this. You'll need a pan that can go on the stove-top as well as the oven. If you don't have one, first follow the instructions for the stove-top and then move the ingredients to an oven-safe pan. In a large pan on medium-high heat, sauté the onion and garlic in 2 tbsp olive oil for 7 minutes. Add the grated tomato and chickpeas and saut...

This recipe comes from Madrid, but patatas bravas can be found throughout Spain. They serve these fried potatoes with spicy tomato sauce at every bar and restaurant, and most vegetarians depend on this dish when there aren't any other veg options. Serves 2-3 What you need: for the brava sauce 1/2 onion, finely diced 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tbsp olive oil 2 dried cayenne peppers 1 tsp paprika pinch of saffron 2 cups crushed tomatoes, canned 1 tsp sugar 1 tbsp flour 1 tbsp water 1 tsp vinegar salt for the allioli 8 cloves garlic 1 cup olive oil salt for the potatoes 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped olive oil salt Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Peel and chop potatoes and add to boiling water for around 7 minutes. This tenderizes the potatoes before frying them. In a saucepan on medium heat, fry the garlic and onion in 1 tbsp of olive oil until the onions are translucent. Stir in the crushed cayenne pepper, paprika, and saffron. Add the 2 cups crushed tomatoes and 1 tsp of ...

This hearty soup from France's Provence region is made of summer vegetables, beans, potatoes, and pasta. It is topped off with the French pistou sauce, similiar to the Italian pesto but without the pine nuts. Though it is a summer food in France, I find it to be a perfect meal on a cold winter night. What you need: 4 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, chopped 2 carrots, peeled and chopped 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped 2 leeks, chopped 2 cups green beans, chopped 1 zucchini, chopped 2 cups white beans, cooked or canned (without juice) 4 tomatoes, chopped 7 cups water 4 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper for the pistou sauce 1 cup packed fresh basil 4 cloves garlic 1/2 tsp salt 4 tbsp olive oil In a large pot, sauté the onions, leeks, carrots, and potatoes in olive oil for 10 minutes or until slightly soft (but not brown). Add the green beans and zucchini and sauté for another 7 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, and water and cook until the broth begins to boil. Add the white beans and tomatoes and cook for ...