One of my college friends was a committed vegetarian. She told me once, “You can be a good vegetarian or a bad vegetarian. A good vegetarian actually eats vegetables. A bad one eats grilled cheese and cereal.” So true, I thought.
I’m no vegetarian, much less a vegan. But we do eat limited amounts of meat and tend to only purchase grass-fed, organic, pasture-raised, free-range animal products. And on other days, we stick to our vegetables.
Recently I’ve been inspired to be more creative with vegetarian meals. I’m convinced that they don’t have to be boring or smothered in cheese. Furthermore, I often find myself hungry soon after a “vegetarian” meal (i.e., salad), so I’ve wanted to discover ways to create vegetarian meals that aren’t too low-cal.
One of the things I adore about cooking vegetarian is that it forces me to become more aware of what’s in season. Since we shop at the farmer’s market, we love discovering new ingredients we have yet to learn to use. In addition, I love Cookie and Kate’s monthly produce guides. Here’s her guide for November! (Hint: Broccoli is in season…)
Having become a bit more vegetable-savvy from reading Kate’s blog, I was able to throw this dish together quickly. We’ve been making our own hummus lately for parties and hosting, and I absolutely LOVE the taste of it. With a food processor or sturdy blender, you can make your own hummus as well! And it can be delicious on salads, pastas, and yes– pita chips.
Do YOU have a favorite vegetarian recipe to share with me? I’d love to hear about it!
Soba with Broccoli, Tofu and Avocado Hummus Sauce
Ingredients (makes 2 meal-sized servings):
- 1 avocado, ripened.
- 4 tablespoons hummus, or to taste.
- 2 bunches soba noodles (available in health food stores, Japanese markets or here)
- Florets from 1 broccoli stalk, chopped; reserve stem for other uses.
- 1/2 packaged tofu, cubed (optional).
- Salt and pepper, to taste.
- Olive oil, as needed.
Lay the broccoli florets on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil and salt. Roast the broccoli florets to desired degree of brownness. I roasted these at 425F for about 10 minutes.
In a pot over high heat, boil water for soba and cook according to instructions. While the soba cooks, mix the avocado and hummus in a bowl until combined. If necessary, add a bit of olive oil to make the sauce a bit more liquidy. Salt and pepper the sauce to taste.
Strain the soba and mix the noodles and sauce together. Serve in deep bowls, and top with tofu and broccoli. Enjoy!
You might also like:
We are vegetarians! (not super strict when we are out to eat or over at people’s houses) but I also cook meatless. And it’s so true–vegetarian can be a super healthy diet–if you aren’t filling your body with sugars, breads and cheeses! I have a few vegetarian recipes on my blog. You HAVE to try black bean burgers. SO filling!
Thanks Rachel!! A broccoli salad sounds delicious and I think bacon is a great addition. And I’ve been meaning to try spaghetti squash!! I’ve only ever had it at a restaurant and want to try making it at home 🙂
Yum, I love hummus! The broccoli reminds me of a broccoli salad someone once brought home after a potluck. It was delicious. Not vegetarian (bacon), but I wish I knew who made it so I could get the recipe. Something I love is spaghetti squash, with any kind of sauce on it.
Thanks so much Lubka! Oh wow, I don’t even like broccoli raw– good for you! It’s delicious with these other ingredients. Thank you for stopping by 🙂
It’s tough to be vegan and not go hungry if you ask me! 😉 I like to be creative with vegetable dishes so sometimes I pretend to be vegan!
Thank you Emily!! Haha it took a while to get into cooking but it’s so worth it! 🙂 So glad you found my blog, looking forward to reading yours!
Thank you so much! 🙂
Thanks Amy Ann! 🙂
It does take some work to make vegetarian dishes that are healthy and tasty. Thanks so much for reading, Marlen!
Thanks girl! I really appreciate you stopping by 🙂
Thanks Rachel! And I can relate– so many carbs dressed with cheese 😉 And that sounds delicious, I love putting cottage cheese in lasagne!!!
Thank you so much!! I really appreciate you stopping by 🙂
Aw thank you so much Mili!! And I do love mixed vegetables in garlic sauce– that’s a magical combo:)
Thank you Denise! Hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂 It was really delicious!!
Thanks Rachel! Oh, and that’s wise if you wanna avoid chicken feet (I’ve never understood the appeal…). And veggie fried rice is absolutely delicious!! I love getting good flavors out of vegetables; I rely so much on broth and meat flavors sometimes so cooking vegetarian is helping me expand my spice and herb repertoire!
Thanks Katherine!! Let me know if you enjoy it 🙂
Thanks Maggie! It’s tough to cut out meat but there are lots of great alternatives, I’m discovering!
Thanks so much Caitlin! Hope you enjoy it– let me know 🙂
Thank you Alice!! It’s helpful to have different healthy options up your sleeve 🙂 I really appreciate you stopping by!
Thank you so much Maggie! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Thanks Nina! 🙂 I really appreciate you stopping by 🙂
Thanks Helen! I really appreciate you stopping by 🙂
Thanks girl! And yes, that would be really delicious! I love adding hummus to sandwiches as a mayonnaise alternative!
Hope you love it Marta! Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂
Thanks Ash! 🙂
Thank you Tamara! It’s hard to get in the habit of cooking at home but it’s a much better decision!! Hope you enjoy this recipe 🙂
Thanks so much Miriam! Ooh I can’t wait to see your red pepper hummus recipe. That sounds delicious 🙂
Thanks girl! Oh you should definitely try making your own hummus. I don’t actually like store-bought hummus, but this stuff is amazing!
Thanks Kiki! Hope you’re having a good one as well 🙂
Thank you Hannah! It really is expensive to go with ethically raised meat and products, but it is really helpful to force us to eat more plant-based foods 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by!
Thank you so much Deniz! Aw, I used to be a broccoli hater too. Have you tried roasting it with salt? Once it gets a bit crunchy it tastes much better.
Ooh yes, hummus and feta are a great combo. And that’s true– eating in season helps me be sure to actually try new things (otherwise I’d probably just eat kale and apples…)
That’s great Elmira! Hope you enjoy the recipe, and thank you so much for stopping by 🙂
Looks so yummy!
I love broccoli in any shape or form – from raw, through steam to roasted… I’m sure it would be really nice mixed with avocado and hummus.
Lu | http://www.balgarka.co.uk
Oh my, wish am having that right now for dinner. Being trying to go a little vegan but it does leave you hungry still. I thought I was just screwed or something.
http://thinkworkandgo.blogspot.com/
Oh my! This looks amazing! I don’t have one cooking bone in my body– Im jealous of your skills! So glad I found your blog on Lucky!
http://www.flowersinemilyshair.blogspot.com
Oh that’s smart! A vegetarian week would definitely force me to cook more vegetarian dishes. Eggplant parm is super delicious. Can’t wait to see it on your blog!
Thanks Charity! Oh, flexatarians– nice term! I’ll be using that from now on 🙂 And thanks for sharing these recipes– I’ll check them out! Have a great weekend, Charity!
Thank you so much Zoe! Let me know if you come up with any veggie recipes that I should try! And you are so sweet, thank you so much 🙂
Thank you so much 🙂
Thank you Chelsea!!
Thanks so much Nicole! I’ll definitely stop by your blog 🙂
That’s true! And yes I’ve yet to expand my cooking repertoire to Indian food, but it’s such a good idea. Thanks for stopping by Yvonne! 🙂
Thanks Audrey! Let me know if you make it! 🙂
This looks so yummy and healthy !
http://www.pardonmyobsession.com/
I wish I was having this for lunch. Sounds great! Thanks so much for stopping by.
xo, Amy Ann
The Real Arnolds
Ahh so true what your friend said! I tried being a vegetarian for six months and on lazy days I definitely just ate the grilled cheese sammies. Tisk tisk on me. It *is* sometimes hard to make a vegetarian meal tasty, but that’s only because it takes a bit of prep work. I’m very curious about this recipe you shared with us, I definitely want to try it. Especially with that avocado hummus!
xo marlen
Messages on a Napkin
I love avocado hummus! This recipe sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Jill
http://www.dousedinpink.com
This looks so yummy and healthy. I think a ‘bad vegetarian’ pretty much sums up my diet during my teen years haha- waaay too much cheese! My fave vegetarian recipe has to be my dads vegetarian lasagne- he uses cottage cheese (see, I LOVE cheese) and it’s so amazing 🙂
Rachel xx
http://www.thedailyluxe.net
Wow…lovely receipt….look so yummi…I should try to make it….
P.S Thanks a lot for lovely comments on my blog…new post is live + giveaway
http://www.fashionpumpkin.com
The avocado hummus sauce sounds like an interesting combination. Hummus is delish, avocados are delish, so the combo should be delish too 🙂 One of my absolute favorite vegetable recipes to make is mixed vegetables stir fry in garlic sauce. So freakin good!
Mili
Girl, this looks delicious! I love finding recipes without meat and this looks super healthy! It also looks fairly easy to make and cook (at least I hope so). I hope it was as delicious as it looks.
Denise
http://www.fashionloveletters.com
Looks delicious, especially with the avocado added (I’m a big fan of avocado!) I’m not a vegetarian, but I often tell people here that I “prefer to eat only vegetables” or “I really like vegetables” as a way of politely not eating the too-creative meat dishes we are served sometimes. 🙂 My favorite vegetarian recipes I make are veggie fried rice and a spicy veggie soup which basically just consisted of chopping up about a dozen different kinds of veggies and throwing in pepper and garlic, there’s so much flavor it doesn’t need chicken broth, that’s for sure!
YUM!! This sounds absolutely delicious!! I’ve been eating lots of veggies lately (or at least I try to) and this sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Katherine Lou
http://www.wanderhour.com
YUM!! I have been trying to cut meat from my diet and I love this recipe idea! It makes it that much easier and healthy!
Maggie
http://www.PolishedClosets.com
This looks so delicious! I’m always on the look-out for new vegan recipes. I can’t wait to try this 🙂
This looks soo yummy! I really need to become more adventurous and healthier with what I eat, may give this a go!
The
Velvet Black // UK Style & Beauty Blog
Hi sweetie
this recipe is amazing. I’ve to try it
kisses
Maggie Dallospedale Fashion diary – Fashion blog
Looks delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe. xx
http://ninasstyleblog.blogspot.com/2014/10/find-your-gorgeous-aviva-dress.html
Looks delicious, thanks for sharing <3
I have a new post up on the blog, would love to know your thoughts:
http://electricsunrise.blogspot.co.uk/
x
Yum. I could imagine the avocado & hummus spread would be great on sandwiches!
Wow, I LOVE avocados in anything & hummus too! This looks so yummy, thanks for sharing:)
Marta
http://www.sweatersstripesandsweets.com
Mmmmm….I love anything with avocados!
This looks really good, Daisy! I’ve been trying to eat healthier and do more cooking at home. Over the last few months my husband and I have been guilty of eating out way too much and unfortunately that includes fast food, which left me feeling so run down and just gross! I love any kind of vegetable though, so I will have to give this recipe a try :).
Tamara
http://www.trulytamara.com
MMMM looks delicious! I love humus. I was thinking of making roaster red pepper humus and write up about it on my blog this weekend!
DiscoverMe
This looks amazing. I haven’t made my own hummus yet, but really should since I buy it so often. I love broccoli so I’m sure I would love this dish!
lovejoanna.com
Oh now I’m hungry! Have a great weekend Daisy!
http://accordingtokiki123.blogspot.com
This is awesome. Especially when you try to go grass-fed and organic, meat is SO expensive! Thanks for the ideas for when I’m out on my own and on a tight budget … but trying to still eat healthy 🙂
dance a real
This looks so yummy. It’s funny actually, I love love love all vegetables – except for broccoli! I have been trying to incorporate more of it into my meals though since I know how nutritious it is (:
– Deniz
http://www.dressedupdeniz.com
I love making our own hummus! It’s so good with just a little feta cheese. And I have to say, I’m that person who never has any idea what’s “in season” because everything’s always available at the supermarkets.
I love vegetarian dishes so much that I try to cook for myself and my husband at least twice a week but different dish for kids. I don’t follow any recipe though just what I feel like that day and mostly it is soup with lots of vegetable. Your recipe is very tempting. I will try:)
xo
Elmira
http://www.wellputtogetherstylebyelmira.com
I try to do a vegetarian week each month (I wanted to try to become vegetarian but, as a huge carnivore, I have to start very slow!) and this week I made eggplant parmesan with spaghetti. I’ll post the recipe on my blog soon but it was very, very satisfying!
thesundaywardrobe.blogspot.com
Yum! We’re on the same page as you in regards to meat. My husband & I call ourselves Flexatarians!!!! Sometimes we eat meat and sometimes we don’t. We do need to incorporate more veggies in our diet and here is a link to a non-dairy broccoli soup that I made http://www.lifeafterbaseball.net/2014/09/try-it-tuesday_30.html & kale pasta http://www.lifeafterbaseball.net/2013/09/try-it-tuesday-with-kale.html Both of my kiddos love these recipes as well 😉 Looking forward to making this and TGIF!
Delicius! Look so good.
Kisses from:
http://bookletglory.wix.com/booklet#!Carmesí-Shoes/czlr/C34DAA48-D7BB-42CE-B4EB-248A6B2DD735
This looks so delicious! I’ll have to whip some up this weekend. I’m not a vegetarian or vegan by any means, but like you, I enjoy cooking vegetarian sometimes to get in some extra veggies. Thank you so much for sharing! I’m drooling.
And thank you as well for stopping by my blog to leave some sweet words. They completely made my day! I love your blog and can’t wait to read more!
The What’s In Between
This looks so good!
This looks sooo tasty, gotta try this!!
Oh dear, your blog is quite amazing!
I would really appreciated, if we could follow each other on BL and GFC, so that we can keep in touch!
Just started following you, Waiting for you to follow back 🙂
xoxo Colli // http://tobeyoutiful.blogspot.de/ // http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/12580711
That’s funny, even though it is summer in Australia now, broccoli is also in season!
I found Indian cuisine offers quite a lot of yummy vegetarian choices.
xx
Yvonne
http://tellmeyblog.com
What a healthy, yummy recipe! Anything with avocado and I’m sold!
Audrey
http://www.lululinden.com