Vegetarian Recipes

Over the years the Zen Center has received many requests for recipes. If you’re looking for a recipe that isn’t here, send an e-mail and we’ll add it to the page. Recipes were originally written to serve 25-55 people and have been cut down to a more manageable family size. ¡Buen provecho!

Squash Miso Soup
A Zen Center sesshin staple for decades. Even confirmed squash haters love this soup. It is wonderfully thick, comforting, nourishing, and with just enough sweetness and saltiness to satisfy both of those cravings. At sesshin, this is served with cottage cheese, which people plop in the center of their soup, and hearty whole wheat bread, to clean out the last traces from the bowl.

Gazpacho
A quick and simple cold tomato soup served at Workshops and sesshins during the all-too-brief warm weather season. This version has no raw onion or garlic as those vegetables are traditionally not served at Buddhist temples.

Barley Vegetable Soup
A fair amount of work, but worth the trouble. This is the soup we've been serving at Workshops since 1988.

Tofu with Tahini Sauce
Probably the most requested Zen Center recipe of all time.

Tofu Egg(less) Salad
This looks and tastes just like the real thing, but with much less cholesterol. For a vegan version, substitute egg-free mayonnaise.

Scrambled Tofu
Served whenever we have an excuse for a Sangha breakfast.

Spicy Braised Tofu
Another delicious tofu dish. This one is very quick and a kid-pleaser too.

Baked Tofu
Great hot, cold, or warm.

Bulgur and Butternut Squash Pilaf
First prepared for participants of the Art Course, this soon became a sesshin recipe by popular demand. Especially delicious when served with the herbed yogurt sauce.

Sweet and Sour Lentils
These lentils are way too good to be served only at sesshin. Enjoy them with crusty bread, salad, and a brightly colored vegetable. Served with cottage cheese during sesshin.

 

 

Thanksgiving desserts

 

 

Food prep in the kitchen