Vegetarian Meals

People living across the globe are becoming aware of the various health benefits as well as the environmental and economical benefits that are associated with eating more vegetarian foods. Recent studies have shown that around 70% of the people who live in the United States of America suffer from unhealthy eating habits, which is one of the leading causes for several health conditions like obesity, heart diseases, blood pressure problems, diabetes, strokes and digestive problems, to name a few. While a few experts do argue that some amounts of lean meat and fish are very important for a person, various studies confirm that it is quite possible for an individual to get all the nutrients that are necessary for an average person, through the consumption of exclusively vegetarian foods, which include fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, soy, whole grain and pulses. Moreover, as more people cut down on their consumption of meat, it will be possible to protect animal right and preserve the environment, in a more effective manner. This is why several people are now switching over to vegetarianism, by increasing their intake of healthy vegetarian food.

A vegetarian diet is one that does not contain meat, or any form of animal product.

Healthy Vegan Meals

Most meat lovers usually shirk vegetarian meals, even occasionally, as they believe that most vegetarian recipes are bland and tasteless. However that is not necessarily true. There are several healthy vegetarian meals that can appeal to the palettes of even the most staunch meat eaters. Moreover, almost every known meat product available has vegetarian substitutes that are easy to find, are just as tasty, but are much healthier. Foods made from either soy or gluten, are made to taste just like burgers, hot dogs or mince meat. Apart from these options there are thousands of options easy vegetarian meals that are easily available through books and online resources.

Given below are a few recipes, for vegetarian meals that are nutritious and wholesome but are tasty, as well:

Nut Burgers

Ingredients:

Toasted wheat germ or cooked rice - 1 cup

Eggs - 2

Cheddar cheese, shredded - 1 cup

Onion, minced - 1

Walnuts, finely chopped - 1 cup

Green or red pepper, chopped - 1

Burger bun - 1

Celery, minced - 3 stalks

Parsley, finely chopped - 1 cup

Basil - 1 tablespoon

Curry powder - 2 teaspoons

Oil - For frying

Salt - To taste

Method:

Take a large mixing bowl and mix all the ingredients, except the oil and the burger bun, in it.
Heat the oil in a skillet and in the meantime, make burger shaped patties, using your hands.
Drop the patties into the hot oil and cook each side, until it is golden brown.
Serve the cooked patty on a burger bun, just like a normal hamburger.
You could add sliced onions, tomatoes and lettuce to the burger, as well as a side serving of Cole slaw.

Bean and Pasta Stew

Ingredients:

Pinto beans, rinsed - 1 can

Kidney beans, rinsed - 1 can

Black beans, rinsed - 1 can

Shell macaroni - 4 ounces

Salsa - 3 to 4 ounces

Diced tomatoes - 1 can

Olive oil - 3 teaspoons

Green pepper, chopped - ½ cup

Onions, chopped - 1 cup

Basil - ½ teaspoon

Oregano - 1 teaspoon

Pepper - A pinch

Water - 3 cups

Method:

In a large cooking pot, heat some olive oil and sauté the chopped onions and green pepper in it.
Add the tomatoes, beans and water to the pot and bring them to a boil.
Add the pasta, basil, oregano and pepper and cook the beans further for 10 minutes.
Add the salsa to the stew and cook it till it is warm.

Submitted on September 8, 2011