Comforting Winter Vegetarian dishes

Winter is a time for comfort food! Warm soups, creamy macaroni and cheese and steaming cups of gluehwein are all of great indulgences that go hand-in-hand with the cooler months. We’ve rounded up a list of fantastic vegetarian dishes for you to try this season:

Warm, roasted winter salad

Cold salads aren’t bowls of fun during the winter. Instead of a cold, summer salad, make a warm, roasted one in order to fill the spot. Ingredients are as follows:

1 cup uncooked rainbow or regular quinoa + 1.5 cups water
3/4 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, chopped into 1/2-inch chunks (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and chopped into 1-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
2 extra-large or 3 large garlic cloves (peel left on)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup stemmed and finely chopped kale
3 green onions, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons pepita seeds
Sliced avocado

Check out Oh She Glows cooking directions for the warm, roasted salad.

Sweet potato black bean burger

Even the most devout vegetarians just need a burger sometimes. While a ‘black bean burger’ might sound bland, the flavours and textures will make it a worthwhile cooking event. The ingredients are as follows:

2 cups mashed sweet potato (~2 large sweet potatoes – organic when possible)
1 cup cooked salted black beans, rinsed and well drained (if unsalted, add more salt to the burgers)
1 – 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice* (or sub cooked quinoa with varied results)
1/2 cup walnut or pecan meal (or very finely chopped)
1/2 cup finely diced green onion
2 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper (to taste)
1/4 tsp chipotle powder (optional)
1 Tbsp brown sugar (optional | for added sweetness)

For cooking instructions, scroll down on the Minimalist Baker’s page about the sweet potato black bean burger.

Mock tuna casserole

With this mock tuna casserole, the salty chickpea cake gives just the right consistency and taste to create this much-loved dish. Ingredients for the mock tuna and casserole are as follows:

Mock Tuna

½ cup chickpea or garbanzo flour
2 Tbs. nutritional yeast
¾ tsp. sea salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 tsp. lemon juice
½ cup cooked chickpeas

Casserole

2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. butter
2 cups coarsely chopped button or cremini mushrooms
1 red onion, chopped (1½ cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1¼ cups mushroom broth
¾ cup low-fat milk
4 oz. uncooked egg noodles
1 cup frozen peas
½ cup grated Cheddar cheese, plus more for top of casserole, optional

Read the cooking instructions on Vegetarian Times to create your own mock tuna casserole this winter.

Sweet potato bread pudding with crunchy cashews

Award-winning cookbook author Jenny McCoy’s has launched a dessert cookbook entitled Dessert for every season, which showcases how fruit can be used to create tasty deserts. This pastry chef’s sweet potato bread pudding is a must-try this winter. Ingredients for the dessert are:

1 kg sweet potatoes
1 cup whole milk, divided
4 large eggs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons whiskey
finely grated zest of 1/4 orange
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup heavy cream
6 cups soft white bread, cut into cubes
non-stick cooking spray
1/2 cup whole cashews, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Check out the cooking instructions on Food Republic to make this dessert.

Five cheeses brown butter chili mac and cheese

Honey and Figs Kitchen has come up with the perfect comfort food. This dish is dangerously good and gives you just the right amount of warm, creaminess that you need on a cold winter night. Ingredients are: