Culture Tuesday is a weekly column in which Best of Vegan Editor Samantha Onyemenam explores different cultures’ cuisines across the globe through a plant-based and vegan lens. Before you start exploring vegan Levant recipes, you might want to click here to read her original column about Levantine cuisine.
This is a complementary piece to my article on Levant cuisine. This article is a compilation of 10 amazing dishes from various countries within the Levant region. Some of the recipes are globally popular, especially within the vegan community while others are dishes that might be new to people from other cultures. Either way, these vegan Levant recipes are easy to follow, made from a range of fresh and nutritious ingredients. I am sure you will love these dishes!
Bamia b’zeit by Zaatar and Zaytoun
Bamia b’zeit is a Lebanese stew made by cooking okra in a fresh tomato sauce. It is sweet, savory, and spicy from the use of pomegranate molasses, and green chillies in addition to the predominantly savory ingredients the dish consists of.
Click here or on the photo above for the full recipe.
Baklawa by Plant-Based Folk
Baklawa is a sweet dessert of South Turkish origin. It is made by filling layers of filo pastry with chopped nuts (usually pistachios or walnuts), sweetening them with syrup, and baking until golden.
Click here or on the photo above for the full recipe.
Atayef by Plant-Based Folk
Atayef is an Iraqi stuffed/loaded pancake dish in which pancakes are filled with a nut mixture, brushed with a simple syrup and baked till shiny and golden.
Click here or on the photo above for the full recipe.
Fasouliyeh by Demeals
Fasouliyeh is a bean stew most common in Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon. It is made with white and/or green beans, depending on the region, cooked in a herby and garlicky tomato sauce. For this recipe, Waseem makes homemade vegan meatballs to replace the dish commonly found in the more conventional/traditional version of this dish.
Click here or on the photo above for the full recipe.
Seitan Shawarma by One Arab Vegan
Shawarma is a Lebanese dish consisting of fresh vegetables, pickled vegetables, a tahini dressing, and strips of, in this case, meat substitutes, such as seitan, wrapped in a delicious flatbread. It truly is a beloved and popular dish.
Click here or on the photo above for the full recipe.
Fattoush by Jenan Zammar
Fattoush is a Lebanese Levant salad made with fried pieces of khubz (flatbread), a mixture of green leafy vegetables, as well as herbs, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and radishes. It could also include pomegranates, root vegetables, spices, and lemon juice for added flavor and a sweet element to the dish.
Click here or on the photo above for the full recipe.
Ades Bhamoud by Your Lebanon
Ades Bhamoud is a Lebanese lentil soup consisting of lentils and chard, as its name suggests, as well as herbs, spices, lemon juice, potatoes, and aromatic vegetables.
Click here or on the photo above for the full recipe.
Yalanji by Demeals
Yalanji is a Syrian dish made of seasoned rice and vegetables stuffed and rolled within grapevine leaves. It can also be made by stuffing other vegetables such as courgettes (zucchinis) and aubergines (eggplants) with the rice and vegetable mixture. The final dish is served as a cold appetizer.
Click here or on the photo above for the full recipe.
Musakhan by One Arab Vegan
Musakhan is a Palestinian Levant dish. Traditionally, it is not vegan. However, Nada has made a vegan version of it using cauliflower florets and chickpeas to replace the main non-vegan ingredient. The creamy tahini dressing also includes non-dairy yogurt to maintain the creamy deliciousness of it.
Click here or on the photo above for the full recipe.
Falafel by Zaatar and Zaytoun
Falafels are deep-fried bite-sized balls of a mixture of dried chickpeas, dried fava beans, herbs, and spices. It is one of the most popular, and loved, vegan-friendly Levant dishes found as a vegan option at both cultural and non-cultural food establishments in various countries.
Click here or on the photo above for the full recipe.
