Fast and Easy Vegan Dishes

Every dish on the Thanksgiving table doesn’t have to involve hours of preparation. That’s why Well’s Vegetarian Thanksgiving series is offering four new vegan dishes that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less.

The vegan chef Lindsay S. Nixon is giving Well readers a sneak peek at her new cookbook, “Everyday Happy Herbivore: Over 175 Quick-and-Easy Fat-Free and Low-Fat Vegan Recipes,” to be published by BenBella Books in early December. All the dishes are simple enough for everyday eating, but they also pack enough color and flair for a festive holiday table.

Ms. Nixon said she wanted to create a cookbook for busy people like herself who need easy recipes that take little time to make.

“I find a lot of cookbooks have really long, complex recipes that take an hour or more to prepare, ” she said. “In my day-to-day life, I need dinner on the table in 20 minutes without much fuss.”

While many vegan recipes contain exotic ingredients, Ms. Nixon said she focused on dishes made with items that would be found in any pantry, or readily available. Some less common ingredients, like tofu or nutritional yeast, are easily found in many specialty markets and natural foods stores.

Three of the recipes — a tofu quiche packed with greens, pasta noodles coated in pumpkin and sage, and a Cajun cornbread casserole — are hearty enough to work as main courses for vegan diners. A rice and broccoli combination flavored with Dijon mustard can work as a vegan substitute for a more traditional stuffing.

You can find Chef Nixon’s recipes below. And visit the interactive recipe collection to see all the dishes in Well’s Vegetarian Thanksgiving so far; we will be adding new dishes daily.

Everyday Happy Herbivore’s
Quick Pumpkin-Sage Pasta
This is a great way to use up leftover pumpkin. It whips up as quickly as you can boil pasta and really captures the taste of autumn.

4 ounces whole-wheat pasta
3/4 cup vegetable broth
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 to 2 tablespoons minced fresh sage
1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Pinch of dried oregano
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Vegan Parmesan for garnish (optional)

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions.

2. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in a small saucepan and heat over low heat until thoroughly warm, about 5 minutes.

3. Taste, adding more sage if desired, plus salt and pepper to taste.

4. Cover and let sauce rest for 5 to 10 minutes, allowing the flavors to merge and sauce to thicken slightly.

5. Toss cooked pasta with pumpkin sauce and taste, adding more salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with vegan Parmesan if desired.

Chef’s note: For a one-pot meal, prepare sauce in the same pot used to cook pasta, setting the pasta aside as you make the sauce.

Yield: 2 servings.

Nutritional information per serving: 262 calories; 2.4 grams fat; 51 grams carbohydrates; 8.2 grams fiber; 5.3 grams sugars; 10 grams protein.

Everyday Happy Herbivore’s
Dijon Rice With Broccoli
Dijon mustard and broccoli complement each other beautifully and come together to jazz up a side of rice. Since all Dijon mustards and hot sauces are a little different, this recipe is very much “to taste.”

1 cup cooked brown rice
2 cups broccoli florets, fresh or frozen
2 to 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
Agave nectar or sugar, to taste (optional)

1. Steam broccoli or, if it is frozen, microwave as directed.

2. Meanwhile, whisk 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard, low-sodium soy sauce and hot sauce together.

3. Taste, adding more hot sauce and Dijon mustard if needed. (Chef Lindsay Nixon says she usually adds up to 1 1/2 teaspoons of hot sauce and 3 to 4 teaspoons of Dijon.) If the Dijon is too strong for your liking, add a few drops of agave nectar or a pinch of sugar to help cut the bite.

4. Mix with cooked rice (if using leftover rice, add a splash of broth or water before reheating it).

5. Then mix in cooked broccoli, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Yield: 2 servings.

Nutritional information per serving: 150 calories; 1.4 grams fat; 30.6 grams carbohydrates; 3.6 grams fiber; 1.7 grams sugars; 5.3 grams protein.

Everyday Happy Herbivore’s
Cajun Cornbread Casserole

This delicious and spicy cornbread-topped casserole is a complete meal, with grains, beans and vegetables all in one dish. Serve with hot sauce on the table.

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 small onion, diced
2 celery stalks, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning (commercial blend, or make your own)
1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 to 2 tablespoons raw sugar (optional)
3/4 cup nondairy milk
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan or casserole dish.

2. Drain tomato juices into a skillet, and chop tomatoes into smaller pieces. Set chopped tomatoes aside to use in Step 5.

3. Add water as necessary until a thin layer of liquid covers the skillet.

4. Sauté onion, celery, garlic and bell pepper over high heat until onion is translucent, bell pepper slices are tender and all of the water has evaporated, about 4 minutes.

5. Turn off heat, and mix in 1 to 2 tablespoons of Cajun seasoning, chopped tomatoes and kidney beans, stirring to combine. Set aside.

6. In a small mixing bowl, whisk cornmeal, baking powder, salt and, if desired, additional Cajun seasoning (several dashes, so the mix looks speckled when stirred). You can also add 1 to 2 teaspoons of sugar if you like a sweet cornbread topping. Then stir in nondairy milk and applesauce. It should be thick but spreadable, like hummus, and not dry.

7. Pour bean mixture into your baking dish, and pat down firmly with a spatula. Spread cornbread mixture on top, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cornbread is a deep golden, cracked and firm to the touch. Allow to sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Yield: 4 servings.

Nutritional information per serving: 269 calories; 1.9 grams fat; 54.3 grams carbohydrates; 10.9 grams fiber; 11.1 grams sugars; 11.6 grams protein.

Everyday Happy Herbivore’s
Greens Quiche
Chef Lindsay Nixon says she developed this recipe to save a bunch of greens that were languishing in her fridge. “It’ll work with any leafy greens you have on hand, particularly sturdy greens like kale, chard and collards,” she says. “And although it’s crustless, it firms up nicely so you can cut perfect pieces. Who knew wilty leftovers could taste so good?”

1 pound extra-firm tofu
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (often found in the bulk section of a natural foods store)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon onion powder (granulated)
1 teaspoon garlic powder (granulated)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 cups chopped greens

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grease a shallow 9-inch pie dish and set aside.

3. Combine all ingredients, except greens, in a food processor or blender and whiz until smooth and creamy, stopping to break up chunks and scrape the sides as necessary.

4. Mix in greens, and transfer batter to a pie dish.

5. Using a spatula, spread the mixture around so it’s even and tight.

6. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the top is golden and the center is firm (not mushy).

7. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing (serving at room temperature is best).

Make ahead: You can make and store the mixture in an airtight container until you’re ready to bake, or bake the quiche a day or two ahead of time and gently reheat in your oven on warm for 10 to 20 minutes.

Yield: 6 servings.

Nutritional information per serving: 84 calories; 1.2 grams fat; 10.7 grams carbohydrates; 2.4 grams fiber; 0.8 grams sugars; 9.2 grams protein.