The Mediterranean Vegan

Miroloto is a mix between Italian polenta and old-fashioned skillet corn bread. This moist Turkish bread can be paired with vegetables or beans or eaten as a snack. Serves 6-8 What you need: 4 cups corn flour 1/2 cup margarine or 1/4 cup oil 1 tsp salt 3 tsp baking powder 2 cups chopped greens (chard, spinach, cabbage) 1 onion, diced 2 1/2 - 3 cups water 2 tbsp olive oil In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the margarine or oil and mix well. Add the water, onion, and greens and mix until a thick dough has formed. In a large pan or skillet, heat the 2 tbsp olive oil. Press the dough into the form of the pan and cover. Cook on low-medium heat for 30 minutes. Remove cover and cook for another 10 minutes.

Zeytinyagli Mantarli Kuskonmaz is a Turkish salad consisting of asparagus and mushrooms. In this recipe, I added some leftover wild rice that I had. This works as a hot dish or a cold summer salad. Enjoy! Serves 2-3 What you need: 3 tbsp olive oil 10-12 mushrooms, sliced 1 bundle of asparagus, chopped 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 3 tsp lemon zest or lemon juice 2 cups cooked rice (optional) In a large pan, heat the 3 tbsp olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the chopped mushrooms, asparagus, salt, pepper, and lemon zest and sauté for 10 minutes. If you are using rice, add the cooked rice and mix for another 3 minutes. Serve hot or cold.

A common street food in Turkey, this chickpea pilaf is incredibly easy to make and only has three main ingredients! Serves 4 What you need: 2 tbsp margarine 1 onion, diced 2 cups long-grain rice 4.5 cups vegetable broth, hot 2.5 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans) 1.5 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper In a large pan on high heat, melt the 2 tbsp margarine. Add the diced onion and sauté for five minutes. Add the uncooked rice and stir for a little over a minute so that it is well coated with margarine. Pour the vegetable broth into the pan along with the salt and pepper and reduce to medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Add the cooked chickpeas to the rice and cook for another 5 minutes or until all of the broth has been absorbed by the rice. You may need to raise the heat at the end if there is still liquid left in the rice. Serve immediately.

Patlicanli Pilav is a common dish in Turkey and is cooked similar to the Spanish food paella . Serves 3 What you need: 1 large eggplant 2 medium tomatoes 1/2 yellow onion 2 tbsp olive oil 1 cup dry basmati rice 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth 1 tsp parsley 1/2 tsp fresh mint salt pepper Cut the eggplant into bite size cubes and sprinkle them with salt to remove the bitter taste. Let the eggplant sit in a colander for 15 minutes to drain out. While waiting for the eggplant, dice the onion and tomatoes. In a large skillet on medium heat, sauté the eggplant in 1 tbsp of olive oil for around 10-15 minutes (or until brown and soft). Remove from skillet and set aside. In the same skillet, sauté the onion in 1 tbsp of olive oil until golden. Add the diced tomatoes and sauté for another five minutes. Add the eggplant back into the pan. Sprinkle in the 1 tsp of parsley, 1/2 teaspoon mint, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. After stirring in the spices, add the 1 cup of uncooked basmati rice to the mix...