Take Your Traditional Dishes To The Next Level With These 11 Ideas

Sometimes the difference between the “usual” dish and a “gourmet” one is in a simple change of cooking method, spices or presentation.

Many times we get bored of the same dishes that we have learned to cook and everything that comes out of there seems to us to invest a time that we do not have in learning new things. However, with a few simple modifications we can go from the traditional dish to a completely new and exquisite preparation, without having to eat our heads looking for new ideas.

In today’s article I explain how to transform some very basic dishes so that you can see that providing variety is easier than it seems. Feel free to make your own modifications based on your tastes and what you have in the pantry.

1. From lentils with rice to… risotto with lentils

Use a rice for risotto (arborio, carnaroli, etc.) and lentils already cooked and drained. Sauté the lentils before adding the rice and continue as a normal risotto. Add fresh herbs if you have. For example, basil, parsley, or chives.

2. From spinach with chickpeas to… Chana saag

Chana saag is a spinach curry with chickpeas. Instead of making the classic stew, make a sauce with onion, ginger and garlic and add turmeric, cumin and curry or garam masala.

Add some diced tomatoes, and when they are very soft, spinach (they can be frozen, in portions) and the already cooked chickpeas. Pour in enough water to cover everything and let it cook until it thickens. If you have soaked chickpeas do the same but in the pressure cooker. Add more water, close it and cook it all together for about 20 minutes, as you normally would.

Serve hot with chopped cilantro on top.

3. From bean stew to … bean curry

It can be made in a similar way to spinach with chickpeas but with beans and the vegetables you prefer. Remember that the base has to be an abundant sauce that thickens the broth well, and spices such as ready-made curry, garam masala, panch puran, ginger, turmeric, etc.

To give more consistency to the dish, also add a couple of diced potatoes or medium pieces, a handful of cabbage or finely chopped cabbage and, if you want, vegan chorizo ​​(or just the flavor, with smoked paprika).

Serve with a cooked brown rice or quinoa.

4. From rice and kale to… rice casserole and baked kale

Instead of sautéing both together and serving, brown the kale with a little garlic and olive oil and mix it with the rice. Chop an onion and brown it in the pan as well. Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Mix the rice and kale in a baking dish, and top with the golden onion.

Add a few tablespoons of coconut milk (canned), covering almost the entire surface, and roast for 20 minutes at 200ºC or until lightly browned.

Serve hot.

5. From couscous with vegetables to… couscous salad with grilled tofu

Make your normal couscous and brown a few vegetables in the pan, cut into cubes (carrot, onion, bell pepper, zucchini, garlic, peppers, etc., whatever you have). Mix it all up by adding ½ teaspoon ras-el-hanout.

In a grill pan, brown some slices of hard tofu, just enough to mark them. At the end, add a splash of soy sauce on top of them and turn off the heat. Serve the couscous in a bowl or platter with the tofu on top.

If you prefer, you can also grill or steam the vegetables, whichever you like best.

6. From macaroni bolognese to … pasta bolognese casserole

Instead of serving the macaroni with the bolognese sauce, make a casserole that will last you for several meals. Cook more pasta than you intended (and preferably whole grain) and make more textured soy bolognese as well.

Take advantage and prepare it with a base of stir-fry with more vegetables (onion, garlic, peppers, carrot, finely chopped kale, peas, chopped green beans, leek, celery, cabbage, cherry tomatoes, etc.). Preheat the oven to 200ºC.

Mix everything in a large baking dish. You can put on top, if you want, brewer’s yeast, some vegan cheese, soy cream for cooking, etc.

Bake for 20 minutes or until surface is lightly browned.

7. From green beans with potatoes to… potato pie and green beans

Instead of sautéing or boiling the green beans, blanch and brown them in the pan, cut into smaller pieces. Make more potatoes steamed or boiled until soft.

Smash the potatoes with a little salt and olive oil and a splash of soy drink (no sugars or flavors). Mix the green beans with the mashed potatoes and also add a few tablespoons of green peas, corn, carrot in strips, diced avocado and finely chopped spring onion.

Put it in a mold or a dish in which everything fits and squash it to shape. If you want you can gratin it for a few minutes for a delicious presentation.

8. From pisto to … tempeh to pisto

We can make more quantity of vegetable ratatouille to store but instead of serving it alone, use it as a base for other dishes. For example this.

Brown a few cubes of tempeh in the pan with olive oil and garlic. Pour a splash of soy sauce on top, stir well, and add the ratatouille. If you want it with sauce for dipping, simply add a little water, stir it well and let it heat all together.

It looks even better from one day to the next (always keep it in the fridge).

9. From Russian salad to… Russian hummus salad with vegetables

This change is very simple. Make your normal Russian salad but instead of vegetable mayonnaise use hummus.

To make it taste more like the traditional one, you can mix a couple of tablespoons of vegetable mayonnaise with the hummus or add a little more lemon juice and a splash of soy drink (without sugar and without flavors).

Serve cool.

10. From potatoes a la Riojana to… dauphinoise with vegan chorizo

Cut the potatoes into slices instead of chunks. The vegan chorizo ​​is the same. The onion can be chopped or grated. Garlic, better crushed.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

Put the potatoes in a baking dish interspersed with slices of vegan chorizo. Top with garlic, onion and salt. Pour in a good squirt of soy drink (unsweetened and
flavourless) and sprinkle with sweet and smoked paprika.

Bake 40 minutes or until potatoes are well done and lightly browned on top.

11. From potato salad to … salad wraps with seitan

Instead of serving the potato salad as is, lightly mash it with a fork and add diced browned seitan. Spread a moderate amount on wheat tortillas, put a handful of cut lettuce (or bag salad) and roll it up.

If you want you can also put some homemade sauce (tomato, vegetable mayonnaise, vegan pesto, etc).