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Meatless Meals Made Easy Go vegetarian without sacrificing taste or satisfaction 
Thanks to its myriad health benefits, eating a balanced vegetarian diet based on whole grains, legumes, nuts, soy products, fruits and vegetables is becoming more and more mainstream. “Plant-based diets are generally lower in saturated fat and cholesterol as well as rich in health-promoting nutrients such as dietary fiber, vitamins A, C and E, folate, magnesium, potassium and various phytochemicals,” says Holley Johnson Grainger, nutrition editor for MyRecipes.com & CookingLight.com. As a result, vegetarians have been found to have lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, lower overall cancer rates and a lower body mass index (BMI), all of which helps protect against cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. However, largely in part to tired restaurant options like pasta primavera and plates of over-cooked veggies and rice, many people still seem to think meatless meals can only be bland, mushy or far from filling. In fact, “Top Chef” continues to use cooking for veggie celebrities as a sort of punishment contest. But if you’re willing to broaden your horizons just a little, forgoing the flesh really can be both interesting and filling. To spice things up, Grainger suggests exploring global cuisines at restaurants, particularly those in which vegetarian dishes are standard fare such as African, Caribbean, Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, Middle Eastern and Thai; adapting family-favorite recipes with meat-substitutes such as soy crumbles or veggie sausage; and experimenting with new meatless dishes found on food Web sites or in vegetarian cookbooks that can be found at the library. “Give meatless meals mass appeal by using favorite sauces on vegetables and plant-based proteins,” says Robin Robertson, author “1000 Vegan Recipes” (John Wiley & Sons, 2009). For example, pair a great barbeque or teriyaki sauce with grilled Portabellas, tofu or seitan [a low fat, high-protein, firm-textured meat substitute made from wheat gluten]; add pizzazz to skewered vegetables, seitan or tempeh [soybean cakes] with a jerk or Cajun spice rub; top pasta or polenta with a rich marinara that includes olives or capers, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes; use creative salsas, like mango or pineapple, in Mexican dishes; and serve “comfort food” like sautéed seitan and mashed potatoes with a brown gravy made with vegetable broth. “Proper seasoning has everything to do with great-tasting tofu and seitan,” Robertson says. They may be bland by nature, but this is their best feature since you can easily change up the flavor by adding herbs, spices and marinades. You can also bring out the vibrant natural flavor of plant-based ingredients from mushrooms, eggplant and onions, to tofu and seitan, by roasting, grilling and caramelizing. |
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