Vegan meals based on plants from under the ground

[Admin]

Hi, someone sent us this mail today:

"hi
i am a chef from australia and i have a problem coming up next week,i have a person coming to us to stay and he is a vegan,but with a difference as he only eats vegetables from under the ground,can you assist me with some ideas on what to give him?
your assistance would be greatly appreciated
thanks"

Who wants to suggest something?

[funkyvixen]

Lol, woah, thats an interesting diet, doesn't seem like it could be very healthy!

Anyway, some musings:

Soups would be easy - based on onions, carrots, potatoes, beetroot, turnips, celeriac, parsnips, swede....wonder if this guy would allow use of oil for frying the onions, and would the contents of vegan stock be acceptable? You could always use water for both I guess, but it wouldn't be as nice. A stew would be similar (just keep the veg chunkier and don't whizz it).

Trying to think of something *interesting* to do with just root veg....lots of ways with potatoes of course....does rice count as over or underground, do you think, as its grown in paddies? Kinda halfway?

Roast (in fact any way) parsnips are gorgeous IMO. But again you'd ideally need oil or something to do anything more than boil or steam them.

Potato bakes - potato, onions - I would use soya dairy products to make a sauce though, and thats not underground veg.

Carrot & beetroot salad is nice (sliced beetroot and grated carrot). I would make a vinagrette though using oil & vinegar which don't come from under the ground. Celeriac is nice raw too.

Mashed carrot, swede & turnip is nice together.

This poor chef has to be the victim of a joke, right?

[Cloudy]

Lol, woah, thats an interesting diet, doesn't seem like it could be very healthy!


Haha aye, be good if the visitor was in fact a mole

[phillip888]

"Lol, woah, thats an interesting diet, doesn't seem like it could be very healthy!"

Well of course, you've never heard of it before!


Eh, There is a people in the andes that have lived entirely off of root vegetables for at least eight hundred years (and are generally very healthy). I'm guessing that they are used to very specific foods and will probably see anything made anywhere else as alien anyway, if that's where they're coming from. There are some people that live mostly off of root vegetables for health reasons. Root vegetables are generally very alkaline, have a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, and many are calorie dense (like most potatoes).

I can't think of a single dish of root vegetables that I don't top with avocado or seeds. I see why he's asking for help. I eat whole food a lot and can taste potatoes and such, maybe the guest would just like a variety of root vegetables steamed and raw? I couldn't say no to that. If they're as strict as the chef has been led to believe, spices are not necessary as the person in question also probably has functional taste buds.

That is a hard one.

[Kiva Dancer]

If I were in this situation, I would write the person back and say something to the lines of "would you mind awfully to send some of your favourite recipes so I know what you would like to eat while here?" Then, I would explain that I'm not very familliar with his diet, but would be more than happy to accomodate if given some guidlines and recipes.

[gertvegan]

I know this is an old thread, but I found 49 Indian Recipes - Root Vegetables / Curries (http://www.ivu.org/recipes/indian-root/) though all may not be vegan. ;)

[foxytina_69]

the link didnt work :(

[gertvegan]

Link works fine and I haven't even touched it.

[foxytina_69]

no, i meant when i clicked it, a page came up saying not available. but now when i click it it works :)

[Gorilla]

thanks for the link, gert. those recipes sound yummy. i love root vegetables :D