Your vegetarian shopping at Spaghetti & Mandolino: dinner relax.

Third appointment with Nina's pantry, a young architect with a passion for vegetarian cooking rich in flavor and variety. We asked her a simple question: which vegetarian products do you buy online on Spaghetti&Mandolino? She has already talked to us about what she buys for her breakfast and what she prepares for lunch. This article is dedicated to dinner. But we know: there are dinners and dinners, even for vegetarians... 

 

Yes, even for vegetarians, as for everyone else, there are two types of dinner: the one you share with guests, where you try to give your best, presenting particular dishes and a well-orchestrated menu, and the one you prepare for yourself, perhaps at the end of a busy day, to enjoy in front of a movie or the latest episode of a series, to indulge a bit without having to prepare anything elaborate. Today I’m talking about this second category: the lazy vegan dinner! A concept that certainly all workers will know well, and which requires as main ingredients: a sofa, my favorite TV series, a bit of relaxation, and plenty of taste, of course vegan.

 

The star of many of my sofa evenings is the burger; this food is no longer synonymous with junk food, and I have become increasingly curious about the super easy recipes that can be made, even in a meat-free version. I love to prepare rather particular burgers for my quick dinner: soft sesame or plain bread, quinoa veg burger and vegetables ready in a few minutes (just add a bit of water to the mixture) to cook in a pan, a bit of fresh salad, finely chopped red onion, and a special sauce to accompany it all, like the Jerusalem artichoke cream. The Jerusalem artichoke has a taste that somewhat resembles artichoke, but is milder. The sensation is that of tasting a refined and rustic cream at the same time. A rarity I have never found at the supermarket. Voilà: here’s my homemade gourmet burger ready! 

 

Another quick and cozy-evening idea is quinoa with vegetables: tomatoes, zucchini, onion, eggplant, bell peppers, and green beans with chives. Or the mix of quinoa and brown rice; both are great bases for soups. I often add simple vegetable broth, some spices or herbs, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Nothing more than that.

Brown rice reminds me of a “nutty” flavor, which is why I appreciate both its taste and crunchiness, paired with that of quinoa. Moreover, it is rich in fiber and has a good energy contribution, with a significant amount of protein. It is digestible and certainly lighter than a dinner based on pasta! I have already talked about the nutritional benefits of quinoa: it’s exceptional. This superfood, which behaves like a grain but nourishes like a legume, is of Peruvian origin (and more generally from the whole South American region of the west and the Andean area) and comes to us in dried form, ready to be cooked and used as a protein alternative to foods like couscous and millet.