Vegetarian Food: Fun and Easy to cook

I've notice that most of the recipes that I have posted contain meat or poultry, but I have forgotten to include vegetarian recipes.

Today's posting is for my vegetarian readers or people who like to eat vegetables. I found several recipes that you will enjoy.

Cauliflower Purée

• 1 head of cauliflower, trimmed and broken into large florets.
• 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Salt

Place cauliflower in a large saucepan with 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium. Simmer, covered, until very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Then transfer cauliflower to a food processor; add Parmesan, butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Process until very smooth.

Zucchini ribbons with mint

1. Using a harp-shape vegetable peeler, peel 1 1/2 pounds (4 to 6) small zucchini lengthwise in ribbons. Transfer to a large bowl; toss with 1/2 teaspoon of coarse salt. Let sit until zucchini releases some of its liquids, about 10 minutes. Pour off accumulated liquid; blot zucchini dry with paper towels.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and 1 tablespoon olive oil; season with salt and ground pepper. Pour mixture over zuchinni. Add 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves and 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion; toss gently, and serve immediately.

Tomato-cucumber salad with basil dressing

• 3 beefsteak tomatoes, cored, each cut into 8 wedges
• 1 English cucumber, peeled, quartered lenghtwise
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Cut each tomato wedge into four pieces; cut cucumber into 3/4-inch chuncks. In a bowl, whisk vinegar with 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, oil, and basil. Add tomatoes and cucumber; toss gently.

Recipes taken from Food Every Day Magazine