We are all aware of the importance of healthy eating, and the need to include plenty of fresh fruit and veg in our diets, and vegetarian cooking is a great way to do this. Most veggie recipes are fairly healthy – just go easy on the cheese if any dish calls for it, as cheese is high in fat. Have fun experimenting – use a few basic guidelines to create your own family favourites, but go for choices that are low fat and make use of fresh food.
Start by adapting your favourites recipes – make meat-free lasagne or moussaka using roasted Mediterranean vegetables, like aubergine, courgette, peppers, garlic, mushrooms and tomatoes, either in slices or chopped quite small. Add plenty of herbs, seasoning and a dash of red wine.
Try adding peas and summer vegetables to pasta, stirring in crème fraiche, and finishing with hard boiled eggs, and a little grated parmesan. For pasta sauce, saute onions and garlic, add tomatoes, season and simmer for thirty minutes. Serve with mushrooms lightly sauteed or folded into the tomato sauce.
Replace meat with chickpeas in curry, or make curry dishes with lentils, cauliflower, spinach or mushrooms. Tofu can be excellent in Chinese and Asian dishes. Marinade it well to make sure it has lots of flavour using soy sauce or sweet chilli sauce. Tofu also works well with noodles and vegetable stir fries.
Pulses and lentils make great recipe choices as they are high in protein and fibre, but low in fat, and they have loads of flavour. Try red or Puy lentils. Prepare them as the packet directs you, then add to lightly fried onions, season, and cook for a further 20 minutes. Serve with a salad and a jacket potato.
Lentils and beans also make great casseroles – lightly fry an onion, and add in a couple of carrots, diced quite small. Add a large tin of lentils or haricot beans to the pan, followed by a tin of tomatoes or a dollop of tomato purée, then season with some dried or fresh herbs. Add a dash of red wine if you like, or water to cover. Simmer for half an hour, adding more liquid if necessary. Serve with a chunk of bread (home-made soda bread is easy and delicious with hearty dishes like this).
Other vegetarian cupboard staples include prepared tins of borlotti beans, cannellini beans, kidney beans and all kinds of dried lentils, peas and beans. Prepared beans can be warmed through and and used in all kinds of dishes, or eat them cold in salads when the weather warms up.
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