Substitute Your Arab Meat Dishes with Delicious Meatless Options

posted on: Aug 11, 2020

By: Emily Devereaux/Arab America Contributing Writer

Why Eat Meatless? 

Today, there are many reasons to eat meatless! While you do not need to commit to a strictly meatless lifestyle, cutting down on meat reduces the risk of heart disease. However, many people may be seeking out more plant-based meals in order to lose weight, or perhaps to fight climate change in everyday life. Whatever your motivation is for seeking out meatless options, you have come to the right place! Below are just a few of the countless meatless Arab dishes that are guaranteed to become favorites.

Delicious, Meatless Arab Dishes 

Mujadara 

This traditionally Lebanese dish is a perfect balance of protein and carbs. There are countless variations of the dish and can be tailored to fit different tastes, depending on what you like. Maybe you want to add some heat with cayenne pepper or add garlic for more flavor. However, there are only three main ingredients: rice, lentils, and onions. You will need olive oil to cook the dish and add a little bit of flavor, but don’t be afraid to try out variations you think you may like!

Ingredients 

1 cup rice (whichever type of rice you prefer)

2.5 cups green or brown lentils

6 onions, 5 chopped and 1 sliced

1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Instructions 

1. Rinse the lentils. Strain and place the clean lentils in a large pot with 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer and cook until the lentils are tender, for about 15 minutes.
2. Rinse the rice, then transfer to the pot of lentils and season with salt. Add 2 cups of water, bring to a boil, and follow appropriate instructions for your selected type of rice.
3. Using a separate large pan, heat two tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat and fry the chopped onions until golden brown for about 10-15 minutes.
4. Transfer on top of the lentils and rice mixture, add cumin and toss to combine.
5. In the same large pan used to cook the onions, heat the remaining olive oil on medium heat and fry the sliced onions until golden brown and caramelized, which is about 15 minutes.
6. Top mujadara with the caramelized onions, and add desired accompaniments.

Maghmour

Maghmour is another traditionally Lebanese dish that was way ahead of its time with the vegan trend! This meatless stew uses eggplant and chickpeas as its main ingredients, which allows for this dish to be full of protein and flavor. With its smoky flavor, this stew dish is perfect for cold weather.

Ingredients 

2 large eggplants

3/4 cup dry chickpeas or 2 cups canned

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

Kosher salt, to taste

Two cups tomato

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground Cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried mint

1-2 cups water

Instructions 

1. Rinse the chickpeas under cold water. Place in a pot of about 4 cups water and soak overnight.
2. After soaking, drain and rinse the chickpeas. Add fresh water to the pot of chickpeas with about an inch of water above the surface of the chickpeas. Boil and reduce to a summer simmer until chickpeas are tender, for about 30 minutes. *Note if you are using canned chickpeas, this step can be skipped.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F/205 degrees C. While preheating, cut the eggplants into two-inch wide square cubes. Coat the cubed eggplant using 1/4 cup olive oil. Roast in the oven until brown and tender, for about 20-30 minutes.
4. In a separate pot, heat 1/4 cup olive oil. Add the diced onion and a pinch of Kosher salt. Saute until translucent, for about 15 minutes.
5. Add the garlic to this pot and cook until garlic is tender and fragrant.
6. Add tomato, tomato paste, paprika, roasted eggplant, drained chickpeas, and mint. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, allowing the flavors to blend. Add additional water if necessary to have a stew-like texture.

Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini

This roasted cauliflower with a delicious lemon tahini sauce is a perfect side dish to many meals and is a great plant-based option for you and your friends to share! However, it is important to note that cauliflower is not super high in protein, and therefore you should pair this dish with protein.

Ingredients 

1 medium head cauliflower (approx. 6-7 inches in diameter)

1/2 cup tahini (here is a homemade recipe!)

1/2 cup warm water

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/4 cup lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon harissa powder (optional)

Chopped parsley or cilantro (optional, for garnish)

Instructions 

1. Preheat the oven to 375F and wash the cauliflower. Trim the bottom stem and pat dry.
2. Whisk together the tahini, warm water, garlic, lemon juice, salt, paprika, and harissa, if using. This will yield about 1 1/3 cups tahini sauce. Put aside about 1/2 cup of the sauce, and use a brush or your hands to coat the cauliflower generously.
3. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment and place the cauliflower on top. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until tender and browning.
4. Cut cauliflower into six wedges. Serve with all of the remaining tahini sauce. Sprinkle with fresh herbs, if desired.

Foul Mudammas 

This dish is a classic Egyptian dish that is commonly eaten for breakfast. However, this bean-based dish is perfect for any meal of the day! This dish is packed with protein from beans but is also flavorful thanks to the lemon and garlic.

Ingredients 

1 can broad beans, with liquid

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup water

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 small tomato, diced

1/2 small onion

4 tablespoons minced parsley leaves

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 lemon, wedged

Instructions

1. Combine the broad beans (with liquid), chickpeas, and water in a pot and to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off heat and use the back of a spoon to mash some of the beans (about ½ cup) against the side of the pot.
2. Stir in the garlic, lemon juice, cumin, and black pepper.
3. Transfer the beans to 1 large or 4 small serving dishes; drizzle on the olive oil and add the tomato, onion, and parsley on top.
4. Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze on top.

Okra 

This meatless dish is low calorie, but high in fiber! Okra would make an excellent side dish or accompaniment to a protein dish, thanks to its flavor. The secret of okra’s flavor comes from its use of garlic, which is widely used in the Arab world as an essential ingredient.

Ingredients

2 lbs. okra

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, minced

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 teaspoon salt (to taste)

1 teaspoon smoked paprika or regular paprika

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon cayenne (to taste)

Instructions 

1. Rinse the okra clean, and slice off the top and bottom tips of each piece.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saute pan over medium. Add the minced onion and saute, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes until softened and starting to caramelize.
3. When the onions are cooked, add the minced garlic to the pan and saute for another minute until fragrant. Add the okra to the pan and stir. Soon, the okra will shrink and soften.
4. Whisk together 1 1/2 cups of hot water, 1/4 cup of tomato paste, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne.
5. Pour the tomato liquid over the top of the okra. Bring to a boil.
6. cover the saute pan with a lid, vented at the edge. Reduce heat to a simmer. Let the okra cook for about 20-30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so, until the largest pieces of okra have softened.
7. For a more substantial meal, serve over rice, quinoa, or couscous.

Hindbeh

Hindbeh is an excellent meatless taste of spring and summer, which is when dandelion greens typically bloom. This dish can be enjoyed as a side dish on its own, or as a main dish in some delicious Arabic break of your choosing. Tip: Boiling the dandelions removes the bitterness and tenderizes the plant!

Ingredients 

8 cups of water

Sea salt

2 bunches fresh dandelion greens, thoroughly washed, stemmed, and chopped into pieces approximately 2 inches

About 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 large Vidalia onion, thinly sliced in semicircles

Ice cubes

Instructions 

1. In a large pot, bring water and ½ tablespoon sea salt to a boil. Add the chopped greens to the boiling water and fully submerge.
2. Boil the greens, uncovered, for 15–20 minutes. Periodically stir so they blanch evenly.
3. In the meantime, fill a large mixing bowl with ice cubes and cold water. After about 15–20 minutes, test the tenderness of the greens by rubbing a stem or two between your fingers. If they are slightly squishy, then they are cooked.
4. Immediately remove the greens from the heat, drain, and transfer to the ice-water bath to stop the cooking process and set the color.
5. While the greens are cooling, combine the 1⁄3 cup of the olive oil and onion slices in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and sauté and stir occasionally, until caramelized to a golden-brown color, for 10–12 minutes.
6. When the onions have caramelized, reduce the heat to low. Drain the cooled greens in a colander, and squeeze as much excess water as possible with your hands.
7. Add the blanched greens to the sauté pan, pulling apart the small clumps with your hands. Stir into the caramelized onions to combine, season with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and sauté until the greens are heated through. Taste, and add additional seasonings as needed.
8. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and serve warm at room temperature or cold.

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