Requested: Some food ideas from vegetarians

Factual Questions
1

I’m trying to lose some weight. As such, I’m going to eat less meat and carbohydrates and more veggies. What I’d like is some recipe advice from the “professionals” :wink: Yeah, I know that there’re a billion vegetarian recipe sites out there, but it’s hard to seperate the wheat from the chaff. What I’d like is some recipes from people I know (and don’t even suggest that I ask my evil bitch cousin-in-law).

Couple of points:

  1. I’m allergic to beans and corn. Can’t eat 'em.
  2. I’m trying to also reduce some of the carbohydrates and fat I’m taking in. Mac and Cheese or Rice Pilaf dishes are out.

That said, any vegetarians have a favorite recipe or two that they can share?

Thanks!!

Fenris

2

I really like eating frittattas. They are very satisfying, and they can be made to be low in fat and calories. Here is how I make my “huevos rancheros” fritatta

You need to have a frying pan that can go into the oven.

Put the pan on the burner, and saute lots of vegetables in a little olive oil. You can use onions & garlic, green and red peppers, broccoli, diced tomato, mushrooms, or anything else you can think of.

While that is cooking, prepare your eggs. I like to use 2 whole eggs + 2 egg whites for this, but you can use a greater proportion of egg whites to keep the calories and fat down. (You may need more eggs if you are making a big frittata.) Scramble the eggs and add salt, pepper, cumin, and Tabasco sauce. The cumin is the key.

When the vegetables are done to your liking, pour the eggs over them, and put the pan with the vegetable/egg mixture in the oven at 400. (I usually put some grated sharp cheddar on top, but you can skip that)

When the fritatta is cooked through, maybe in a half-hour, take it out, slice it into wedges, and eat with lots of salsa. Yum.

This recipe is quite low in carbs, so you might want a tortilla on the side to round it out. The fritatta re-heats quite well in the microwave, and even tastes good cold.

Good luck. Hope you like it.

p.s. You can vary this recipe in any number of ways.

3

Is that all beans? How about other legumes? Will you still be eating eggs (whole or whites)? I’ll be back tomorrow with my cookbooks. Oh, I’m not a vegetarian, I hope that’s ok. Would you also like really lean meat recipes?

4

All beans (like pinto, white, kidney, and black) are out, but green beans and string bean types are fine. Corn is out (although, I love corn so I occasionally indulge…as long as I’m not doing anything the next day), peanuts are out too, but not peas. So it’s not letumes as such. Weird, ain’t it? (My problems seem to be with the cellophane-like stuff on the outside of some legumes)

Eggs, no prob, but I may substitute Egg Beaters™ or egg whites. Lean meat recipes would fine too, but I’m really interested in learning about (and getting suggestions for) meatless recipes.

Thanks!

Fenris

5

If you have a crockpot, you can make all kinds of great veggie stews. Here are overviews of some of my faves - you can pretty much wing them from recipes you find.

I love crock pots because you can set them up and let them cook all day while you are at work.

  • Veggie stew: Chop up a whole bunch of your favorite veggies, dump them in the crockpot, cover with a combination of water, tomato juice, and spices. Cook on low all day, or on high for a couple of hours. If you find a veggie stew recipe it will likely have bean or corn in it - don’t be afraid! Experiment by removing the beans and adding something else you like, e.g. more zucchini, eggplant, pumpkin chunks, etc.

  • Allium stew: Not for those afraid of onion breath.
    [ul][li]2 Med. onions, thinly sliced[]2 leeks, thin slices of the white part only.[]2 bunches chopped scallions[]2 (or 6 ;)) crushed garlic cloves[]2 tsp. minced fresh ginger (ginger powder will do if you must.)[]9 cups water[]1/4 cup soy sauce[]touch of ground cayenne[]ground black pepper to taste* chunks of two potatoes[/ul][/li]Sautee the onions, leeks, scallions, garlic, and ginger in 1 cup of water. Yes, you can sautee in water. Sautee for five minutes or so, the onions should start being translucent. Put everything into a stew pot and cook on low for about an hour. For a crockpot, cook for a couple of hours or even all day on low.

Also, lasagna is great. I usually make mine with black beans, but a friend who was allergic inspired me to try zucchini and it was great! The basic idea is to cook some lasagna noodles, then layer sauce, noodles, veggie sautee mix, sauce, noodles, etc. until you fill up a casserole dish. Bake until done (about an hour at 350.) Cover it to keep it from drying out. Sauce can be canned healthy spaghetti sauce (look for low or no fat. Trader Joe’s has some good ones.) Veggie mix can be sauteed anything, in small chunks. The recipe below makes sauce + veggies in one, but I find I run out of sauce with this recipe. Improvise.

Here is a recipe I used for my bean-sensitive friend. Instead of zucchini, I usually use black beans. NOTE: When I make this, I leave out the cheese and it works great! I don’t like to eat dairy, but feel free to include it. I’ve done half-cheesy half-not, and it’s all good, baby!

[ul][li][sup]1[/sup]/[sub]4[/sub] cup nonfat veggie broth[]1 cup chopped onion[]3-12 cloves garlic, minced[]2 cups sliced mushrooms[]1 tsp oregano[]1 tsp basil[][sup]1[/sup]/[sub]4[/sub] cup chopped fresh parsley[][sup]1[/sup]/[sub]2[/sub] cup low-salt tomato juice[]1 cup zucchini (small chunks, pea to almond size)[]3 cups chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned, watch the salt)[]2 tbs tomato paste[]12-16 oz. lasagna noodles, cooked rinsed and drained[]3 cups nonfat ricotta cheese[][sup]1[/sup]/[sub]2[/sub] cup nonfat mozzarella, grated[][sup]1[/sup]/[sub]4[/sub] cup nonfat parmesan[/ul][/li]Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Heat broth in a skillet on medium. Add onions, garlic and mushrooms, sautee for 5 mins or so unil veggies are lightly browned. Add water if it dries out. Now, stir in oregano, basil, parsley. Add tomato juice, cook for 10 minutes. Add zukes, tomatoes, tomato paste, simmer for 15 mins.
Layer sauce, noodles, ricotta, mozzarella, repeat in a casserole dish. If you leave out the cheese, just layer sauce, noodles, sauce, noodles, etc. Top with parmesan.
Bake for 45 minutes or so, depending on how done you want it. Cover to keep it moist, or uncover it to dry it out. As it is cooking you can decide to add or remove an aluminum foil cover.

Enjoy!

These recipes are adaptations of recipes found in the following books:
Schlesinger, Sarah: 500 Fat-Free Recipes. 1994, Villard, New York.
McDougall, John M.D. & Mary: McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss. 1994, Dutton, New York.

The McDougall book is really helpful for starting to lose weight.

6

Cubed eggplant in a veggie stew or veggie chili dissolves and gives it a meaty body. Also look into something like textured soy protein. I put it in veggie chili to give it body and substance. It’s little bits of soy protein, pretty much flavorless, that have the textural effect of little bits of ground beef. Also, throw some rhubarb into veggie stew or chili: also dissolves and adds a nice smoky tartness. And roast some peppers before you put them in for a meatier flavor.

7

I love soups: french onion is really quick and easy; toss a slab of crunchy french bread and some shredded cheese [or use a nonfat cheese substitute] and let broil until slightly brown on top…

In fact, go to your nearest natural food store and pick up on “fake meat” substitutes - especially the sausages - to add a bit of meat taste to your soups. Great with Split Green Pea Soup. Also great with collards served over heavy peasant bread or corn bread.

Also you should find a couple of basic soup recipes which you can add different veggies etc so that you have variety.
Here’s a basic creole bouillabaisse that you can go veggie or seafood or mixed:

can of nonfat chicken broth in which you saute onions, green or red or yellow peppers, chopped celery and garlic [one clove] - everything else can be one cup. Saute until soft and slightly golden. Take veggies out.

Boil liquid down to about 1/2 cup then add 1/4 cup flour to make a roue. Slowly add 5 cups of water. Then add 1 pound chopped tomatoes [I use canned with cilantro and lime added for flavor], 1/2 cup of dry white wine [optional] 1 T lemon juice, 1 bay leave, 1/2t salt 1/4 saffron [optional] and 1/4t cayenne [optional]

Bring to boil, add your veggies/seafood/chicken, reduce to simmer

Add in whatever veggies you want, but be sure to adjust for cooking times since some cook faster than others.

For seafood: add in 1/2 pound of fish fillets for 20 minutes. I then add shrimp, crab, oysters, clams whatever is fresh and available. Cook until done.

Serve with french bread and green salad with your dressing of choice.

8

be sure to add the onions, garlic, celery back into the soup base along with your other veggies or sea food. Sorry about leaving that out in my earlier post.

9

One of my favorites is ratatouille:

2-3 T olive oil
1 small eggplant
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 red or green bell pepper (roasted, if desired)
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 roma (plum)tomatoes
1 t. fresh thyme
1 small sprig rosemary
some chopped parsley

chop up your vegetables, and in an oven-proof skillet, saute eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, bell pepper, and onion until just tender. Add chopped garlic, and toss for a minute, then add chopped tomatoes, herbs and cover with foil. Bake at 350° for about 20 minutes, pull from oven when veggies are tender but not mushy. Sprinkle with parsley. Especially good with a piece of broiled chicken breast or some lamb.

10

As a note…

I would be cautious about being totally vegetarian when you are allergic to most legumes, as they are a main source of vegetable protein–yes, I know there’s other things, such as soy–but do make sure you have some servings of lean meats to round out your diet.

11

No chance of me going totally vegetarian. :slight_smile: I like eating meat too much and I have no moral issues with it. I’m just going to do about 1/3 to 1/2 of my week meatless. I figure that it can’t possibly hurt and can only help to cut about 1/3 of the meat from my diet, and keep 90% of the remaining stuff lean.

Fenris

12

How about risotto? It takes some time, but you do get a nice result. You must have arborio rice (or any rice specifically sold for risotto) and strongly flavored vege stock. Briefly cook tyhe grains in a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, then gradually add the simmering stock a ladle at a time. For a vegetable risotto I recommend fennel, pumpkin, leek or mushroom. Any Italian cookbook will give you quantities and a detailed method.

Middle eastern food is also good for vegos, as long as you go easy on the tahini.

picmr

13

Oop. Sorry Fenris I missed the carbohydrates reference.