Vegetarian Tagine (Essential) Cooking Tips & Recipes
If you have arrived at this page, it may be because you know about the benefits of vegetarian cooking and have heard about the traditional tagine pot, and perhaps want to try one for your vegetarian meals!?
What is a Tagine:
A tagine is a shallow pan that comes with a conical lid. The shape of the lid enables better steam retention and keeps food flavorful and nutritious. It originates from Morrocco and is popular in the Mediterranean cuisine. It is now an internationally recognized cookware design for its ability to cook, retaining so much moisture and flavor in the food. An authentic tagine is made from natural clay, and if you want the same benefits the original ones offer, then you need a truly authentic tagine:
Essential Tips while Selecting and Getting the Right Tagine
Choose a tagine made from non-toxic raw material
The quality of a tagine pot depends on the raw material it is made from, which is either ceramic or clay. While ceramics raise health concerns because of extensive use of chemical glazes, unglazed pure clay is a far healthier option.
Miriams Earthen Cookware (MEC) is a US-based company that makes ergonomically designed tagines from lab-tested primary clay without glazes or additives. MEC tagines are better than conventional in many ways.
Unlike conventional clay pots made from secondary or tertiary clay, MEC tagines are made from the purest quality of clay– 100% primary clay. With the pure raw material and the fact that they don’t use any additives during the making, finishing, or firing — their products are guaranteed to be inert or non-reactive.
This means there is no leaching of the glaze’s ingredients, toxins etc., while cooking.
No Chemicals or Glazes is the way to go
By not using glazes or additives, MEC retains the non-reactive property of pure clay and adopts a unique hand-finishing that keeps the tagine breathable (semi-porous). This allows for better air circulation and evaporation of excess water, making your vegetarian recipes moist, tasty, and aromatic.
The earthen far-infrared heat radiating from the walls of these pans cook food thoroughly from inside out. This type of heat cooks your food, but without causing damage to even delicate nutritional cells, similar to the heat that the ‘earth’ radiates that sustains life. This way of cooking keeps your vegetables and other vegetarian ingredients like lentils, beans, spices and herbs tender and perfectly cooked.
Pay attention to the design
Although all tagines seem to follow the same basic design, small improvements under the hood can go a long way in getting the most out of your tagine. MEC’s ergonomically designed tagine and lid allows for natural steam condensation of their cooler inner lid surface.
This means the water-soluble nutrients – steam – are retained inside rather than being released through the vents, like in the more “modern” tagine designs.
Being a Vegan Product is a great added benefit
The making of MEC tagines causes no harm to animals or the environment in general. There is no chemical waste or pollutants released in the manufacturing process.
These tagines are handmade and hand-finished using all-natural material while using nothing that comes from animals and, therefore, is 100% vegan. It is made in the USA, so sea life is spared of the agony freight ships cause bringing things into the country from far away. We do ship internationally, but they travel via air and travel carbon-neutral, i.e. carbon emissions because of their transportation is offset by programs we pay for – at no additional cost to you – to plant trees around the world to offset the carbon footprint of the shipment.
Other Healthy Cooking Features can be a Great Bonus
This design also makes it possible to cook a vast variety of foods in your tagine besides tagine recipe – from steaming veggies to Dutch oven recipes, you got it all covered.
Moreover, you can use this tagine on multiple heat sources – gas, electric, glass cooktop and in the oven. A multi-functional and versatile tagine that cooks healthily – what more one can ask for.
Made up your mind about choosing MEC’s healthy and non-toxic tagine for your vegetarian recipes? Head over to our online store and order a MEC pot today! Keep reading to check out 4 great recipes to try in your new tagine.
4 Vegetable Tagine Recipes to get you started
It is a great recipe to start with because all the ingredients are easily available, and you can add more vegetables and herbs like fresh cilantro.
This Moroccan vegetable tagine recipe utilizes sweet potatoes and russet potatoes combined with a sauce made from chopped tomatoes and warm spices like harissa, ground coriander, cinnamon, and turmeric in extra virgin olive oil.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Butternut squash tagine with almond and chickpea couscous
A root vegetable with amazing taste, butternut squash combined with nice and hearty eggplant served over a protein-rich toasted almonds and chickpeas couscous spiced with harissa.
Sounds delicious, doesn’t it?
Throw chickpeas and zucchini in your tagine and cook with dried apricots and cinnamon to bring a surprising layer of sweetness. You can also add garlic and other fresh herbs of your choice to enhance its wonderful flavors. Add spices: chili powder, black pepper, and a few drops of lemon juice. This dish takes under 30 minutes.
People Also Ask:
Are tagines healthy?
Tagines are healthier when they are made from a non-toxic raw material like MEC’s clay. They retain steam (water-soluble nutrients) better and, therefore, cook more nutritious food that tastes and smells better.
0 Comments
Write a Comment