Vegetarian Meals
Three big reasons to eat vegetarian meals...1. Health Eating less animal-based foods and more plant-based foods lowers your cholesterol, and minimizes your risk of the three major killers Heart disease, Cancer, and Diabetes. Contrary to popular belief, vegetarian meals not only provide adequate protein, but they provide healthier protein options. Average North American (animal-based) protein intake is too high, leading to higher cholesterol; an indicator of more health problems to come. 2. Environmental Save more water by not eating a pound of beef than you do by not showering for an entire year! Food for a vegan can be produced on only 1/6 of an acre of land, while it takes 3 1/4 acres of land to produce food for a meat-eater.
3. Ethical One vegetarian saves more than 100 animals a year from being slaughtered inhumanely. If slaughterhouses had glass walls, the majority of people would be outraged and start putting more vegetarian meals on their plate!
Not to mention you get to try new gourmet flavors and put bright colors on your plate. Enjoy these free mouth-watering recipes! Vegetarian Meal Recipes
These vegetarian meals are not only delicious and perfected recipes, but also nutritionally balanced to get a good spectrum of different antioxidants. 
Quinoa salad
Quinoa is a very versatile grain that goes well with nearly anything. Eat this vegetarian meal on its own, or serve mixed with salad greens or your favorite beans. Also try topping with slivered almonds, slices of mango or avocado! - 1 ½ cups quinoa (boil in double the amount of water until you see the little tails and it becomes soft) - 2 cups your choice vegetables (chopped broccoli, tomatoes, carrot, peas, onion, celery, herbs, etc.) Dressing: - 3 tbsp virgin olive oil - 1 tbsp vinegar - 1 tsp honey - 1 tsp miso - Dash of cayenne pepper (optional) Drain and rinse the cooked quinoa, then let it cool. Mix in the diced vegetables and herbs. Whisk together the dressing and mix it into the quinoa. Serves 3-4.
- 1 cup wild rice (cook with double the amount of water until soft. Soak overnight for faster cooking) - 1 cup shelled green snow peas - 2 tbsp olive oil, flax or sunflower oil - Sea salt and pepper to taste Drain the rice after it has cooked. Add the fresh peas while it is still hot, to soften. Add the oil and seasoning, serve with salad.
Carrot Salad - 2 cups shredded carrot - ½ cup walnuts or hazelnuts - ¼ cup raisins - 2 tbsp sunflower oil - 1 tbsp honey or juice of ½ an orange - Sea salt or Himalayan rock salt to taste Combine the honey and oil in a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Red Lentil Stew
- 1 cup red lentils - 2 medium potatoes, cut into small cubes - 2 carrots, diced - 2 stalks of celery, diced - ¼ cup tomato sauce - 1 tbsp dried herbs such as oregano, basil, rosemary or thyme - Sea salt or Himalayan rock salt and pepper to taste Boil lentils and potatoes for 15-20 mins. Add carrots and celery and boil for another 5 min. Add tomato sauce, herbs, and seasoning to taste.
Green lentil soup - 1 cup green lentils - ½ cup peeled squash, finely cubed - ½ cup chopped parsnip - 1 inch piece of ginger, finely minced - 1 tomato, diced - 1 tsp cumin - Himalayan salt and pepper to taste
Crunchy sprout salad - 3 cups baby greens (spinach, mesclun or romaine, etc.) - 2 carrots, sliced into rounds or shredded - 1 cup sprouts (alfalfa, broccoli or clover, etc.) - 1 cup diced green beans - 3 tbsp olive oil - 2 tbsp lemon juice - Himalayan salt, to taste Mix together all the vegetables in a large bowl. Add olive oil, lemon juice and salt. You have yourself a super vegetarian meal. Sprouts are packed with protein.
Sunflower Grape Slaw - ½ cup of grapes - 1 cup shredded cabbage - ½ cup sunflower sprouts or seeds Dressing: - 2 tbsp cold pressed oil - 1 tsp Miso (or a pinch of salt) - 1 tbsp lemon juice - 1 tbsp minced ginger or 1 tsp ginger powder - 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley Whisk together the dressing ingredients with a fork. Add the sprouts, grapes and cabbage and mix well. Honey mustard dressing also goes well with this vegetarian meal.
Kale or Collard Wraps
- 3-6 large, flat kale or collard leaves with the stems removed - Chopped vegetables for filling: tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, sprouts, olives, etc. Sauce: - ½ cup soaked sunflower seeds, pine nuts or cashews - 1 tbsp lemon juice - 1 tsp nutritional yeast - 1 large slice of a yellow bell pepper - Pinch of salt, to taste Blend the sauce in a high powered blender. Lay the wraps out flat, and spread the sauce onto the middle. Scoop vegetables into each wrap, fold the sides in and roll (pin them with toothpicks if they don’t stay). If you don’t have time to make the sauce, you can use hummus or your favorite dip.
Savory Buckwheat - 1 cup toasted buckwheat - 1 tbsp olive oil - Himalayan Salt to taste Boil the buckwheat in a pot with twice the amount of water. It cooks like rice, so turn the heat down when it starts to boil and let it simmer for about 20 min. When cooked and cooled, add the olive oil and salt. Tasty additions to this vegetarian meal are some fresh herbs, chopped veggies or olives. You can even try serving it with beans to get all your amino acids.
Sweet Potatoes with watercress - 3 sweet potatoes (peeling is optional) - 3-4 parsnips, or other root vegetable - ½ bunch watercress, chopped - Olive oil and seasoning to taste Cube the sweet potatoes and vegetables. Place them in an oven dish and cover. Bake at 400 F for at least 30 minutes, until tender. Add the chopped water cress, oil, seasoning and mix gently.
Pasta Primavera
- 2 cups cooked pasta (I like whole grain like spelt or brown rice) - 3 chopped green/spring onions - ¼ cup chopped snap peas - ¼ cup diced red or yellow pepper - ¼ cup grated or julienned carrot - 1 large tomato - 3 tbsp minced basil - ¼ parmesan or Romano cheese (optional) - 3 tbsp virgin olive oil - Cracked pepper to taste Finely chop all the vegetables. Steam the vegetables (except the basil and tomatoes) in a steamer or a deep pan with a touch of water. Add the steamed veggies to the cooked pasta, stir with olive oil, basil, chpped tomato, cheese and pepper. Serve immediately.
Cabbage Salad - ½ head of a small cabbage (or ¼ of a large cabbage) - 3 carrots - 3 tbsp lemon juice - 3 tbsp cold pressed oil - Sea salt or Himalayan Rock Salt to taste Shred the cabbage and the carrots on a grater, or in a food processor. Mix with the lemon juice and oil. This vegetarian meal is so simple, and so delicious!
Fresh Bruschetta - 1 small loaf of artisan whole-grain bread - 3 ripe tomatoes - 1 clove of garlic, crushed - 5 olives, finely chopped - 3 tbsp basil, finely minced - 2 tbsp virgin olive oil - 3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese (optional) Mix the tomatoes, chopped olives, garlic, basil, oil and olives in a bowl. Spread the mixture and cheese onto the bread, then bake or put in the toaster oven for 5-10 minutes.
Thai Salad - ½ package kelp noodles (about 2 cups), soaked in water for at least ½ hour - 1 carrot, grated or julienned - 1/3 bunch cilantro or watercress, finely chopped - 3 tbsp sesame seeds Sauce: - 2 tbsp lime juice - 2 tbsp almond butter or tahini - 2 tsp Miso (if you don't have this, use 1 tsp soy sauce) - 2 tsp honey - ¼ tsp cayenne pepper Remove the kelp noodles from the water, and chop coarsely. Mix the sauce in a large bowl. Add the kelp noodles, carrots and cilantro or watercress and stir. Let it absorb the flavours for at least 20 minutes. Serve as is or gently warm.
Asian-inspired Stir Fry - ½ package brown rice noodles - ½ cup chopped bok choy - 1/2 cup bean sprouts - handful of baby corns - ½ carrot, grated - 1 inch chunk of ginger, crushed in a garlic press or finely minced - 1 tbsp soy sauce or Braggs Soy Seasoning - 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil Cook the brown rice noodles covered in boiling water for 3 minutes (or according to package instructions). In a frying pan, heat the sesame oil on medium, toss in the ginger. After 1 minute or so, toss in the vegetables and turn the heat down to low. Cook covered, until the vegetables are tender but still bright colored. Add the noodles and soy sauce and mix well. Sprinkle with black or white sesame seeds and serve.
Vegetarian Meal Recipes for One (modified) from The Single Vegetarian
b>Grain Salad
- 3 oz pearl barley, rye or oat groats - 1 tomato - 1 pickle or small cucumber - 1 small onion - 5 radishes - 1 bunch chives Dressing - 2 tsp cold pressed sunflower oil - Juice of half a lemon - Sea salt or Himalayan rock salt - 1 tsp mustard - ½ tsp honey - 1 clove garlic, crushed Cook the grains and let cool. Dice the tomato, pickle, onion and radishes. Mix the dressing and mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.
Beet with Onions - 1 beet - 1 medium onion - ½ dry red wine or vegetable stock - 2 tsp lemon juice - 1 tsp mustard seeds - Sea salt or Himalayan rock salt - 1 tsp virgin olive oil Peel the beet and onion and slice thinly. Cook in the wine or vegetable stock with the lemon juice and mustard seeds for about 20 min. Season to taste with salt and oil.
Chanterelles with Parsley and Garlic - 2 shallots - 1 cup fresh chanterelle mushrooms - 1 tbsp grapeseed oil - 1 clove garlic, crushed - ½ bunch parsley - Sea salt and white pepper to taste Peel and slice the shallots, wash the chanterelles. Heat the oil and sweat the shallots gently. Add the chanterelles, season with salt and pepper and stir in the garlic. Add 2 tsps of water and cook on low for about 15 min. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with cooked millet, quinoa, or mashed potatoes.
Have vegetarian recipes on hand with two great books:
<- To How to Cook Vegetables from Vegetarian Meals
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