Easy Vegetarian Cooking with a month’s worth of quick dinner recipes based on Harvard Healthy Eating Plate Alexandra Beck Copyright © 2013 Alexandra Beck All Rights Reserved. Table of contents I. INTRODUCTION II. QUICK DINNER RECIPES S UNNY SIDE-UP EGG ON TOAST WITH SAUTÉED CHERRY TOMATOES & CORNSALAD Q UICK RISOTTO WITH ASPARAGUS AND ARUGULA S UN-KISSED VEGETABLE QUICHE P ASTA WITH SAUTÉED MUSHROOMS, CARROTS AND SCALLIONS O NION QUICHE A SIAN-STYLE GREEN BEANS WITH BELL PEPPERS AND RICE O MELET WITH VEGETABLES F RENCH RATATOUILLE WITH BAKED PARMESAN POLENTA M IXED GREEN SALAD WITH CREAM CHEESE CROSTINI T ORTILLA PIZZAS Z UCCHINI AND POTATO PATTIES WITH GREEN SALAD L AYERED VEGETABLE CAKE S ESAME TOFU STIR-FRY WITH GREEN VEGETABLES AND RICE G REEK SALAD WITH YOUNG POTATOES B ROCCOLI QUICHE T OFU, GREEN BEANS AND CARROT STIR FRY WITH BUCKWHEAT P ASTA SALAD WITH CARROTS AND BROCCOLI M OROCCAN-STYLE CARROTS WITH QUINOA P OTATO SALAD WITH GREEN PEAS, CARROTS AND APPLES S PINACH GRATIN WITH COUSCOUS M ULTIVITAMIN LENTIL SALAD B ROCCOLI AND CARROT GRATIN WITH QUINOA C HEESE-STUFFED TOMATOES WITH RICE T ABOULI WITH TOFU B ELL PEPPER AND MUSHROOM PIZZA S PICY GREEN BEANS WITH QUINOA P I OTATO AND LETTUCE SALAD WITH TALIAN VINAIGRETTE C HICKPEAS AND SWEET POTATO CURRY C HEESE-STUFFED BELL PEPPERS WITH SALAD AND SPAGHETTI III. YUMMY VEGETARIAN WRAPS W RAPPERS, “GLUES” AND WRAPPING TECHNIQUES W RAP RECIPES C URRIED EGG & SCALLION WRAP G UACAMOLE WRAP G RILLED VEGGIES WRAP Z UCCHINI & TOMATO WRAP M USHROOM & LEMON ZEST WRAP H UMMUS, CARROT & ZUCCHINI WRAP T OMATO OMELET WRAP B ROCCOLI & WALNUTS WRAP A IOLI, EGG & CUCUMBER WRAP A RUGULA & CREAM CHEESE WRAP H UMMUS & BROCCOLI WRAP P ESTO & ASPARAGUS WRAP R ICE, EGG & TARRAGON WRAP R OASTED SWEET POTATO WRAP P OTATO & GREEN PEA WRAP Q UINOA & CARROT WRAP T HANK YOU! E NDNOTES I. Introduction In June 2013, the Loma Linda University in California published the results of a large-scale study on vegetarian diet and longevity. From 2002 to 2007, the researchers mapped the diets of 73,308 Seventh Day Adventists and then looked at how many of these people had died by 31 December 2009. What they discovered was that vegetarians were 12 % less likely to die from any cause than meat eaters [1]. It cannot be excluded that this was a correlation rather than a cause-and-effect (in the unlikely event that all the vegetarians in the study happened to be non- smoking thin exercisers – while the meat-eaters were obese chain-smoking couch potatoes). But in any event, the results show that going veg is a pretty a good idea, all things considered. The findings of the Seventh Day Adventists study tally with earlier research linking daily consumption of red meat, especially processed meat, to an increased risk of diseases including: · heart disease · colorectal, ovarian, and breast cancers · diabetes · obesity · hypertension (high blood pressure) · age-related blindness. On the contrary, a diet rich in plant foods has been linked to improved health and quality of life in numerous studies (you can find specific references in the last chapter of my book “Smart Cooking for Busy People”). So, definitely, going veg is a great idea, whether you do it cold turkey, gradually, partially or intermittently. Which type of vegetarian is this cookbook for? Considering that there are several types of vegetarian diets, let’s be clear from the outset: this cookbook is primarily for the vegetarians who eat eggs and dairy products (lacto-ovo vegarians). It will also work well for intermittent vegetarians (omnivores who go meatless from time to time – hey, that’s me!) and for semi-vegetarians. Part of the meals and wraps are suitable for vegans. The lacto-ovo vegetarian diet is the easiest to manage for a time-pressed modern person, both when eating out and when cooking at home. Those on more restrictive vegetarian diets need to be better organized to get all the nutrients their body needs to function properly. Obvious examples are protein, calcium and Vitamin B-12. Lacto-ovo vegetarians can easily get them from eggs and dairy products, while vegans would have to work harder or supplement to get sufficient amounts. Just to be sure we are on the same page, here is a quick recap of the main types of vegetarian diets: a) Lacto-vegetarian Lacto-vegetarians eat plant foods and dairy products. In other words, the lacto- vegetarian diet allows no meat, fish, poultry or eggs – but milk, cheese and yogurt and OK. b) Lacto-ovo vegetarian Lacto-ovo vegetarians eat plant foods, dairy products and eggs. That is to say, the lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet allows no meat, fish or poultry – but milk, cheese, yogurt and eggs are OK. c) Ovo-vegetarian The ovo-vegetarian diet allows no meat, poultry, fish or dairy – but eggs are OK. d) Vegan The vegan diet is the strictest type – it doesn’t tolerate any animal product. This means that no meat, poultry, fish, eggs or dairy products are allowed on this diet. e) Semi-vegetarian Finally, there’s an intermediate diet called ‘semi-vegetarian’ that to some means excluding only red meat from their diet, and to others – both red meat and poultry. Seafood, dairy products and eggs are allowed on a semi-vegetarian diet. Key nutrients Being a vegetarian, you’ve probably done your homework on the alternative sources of key nutrients that otherwise come from meat products. Here is a little prompt, just in case: - You can get sufficient protein indispensable for your tissues from eggs and dairy products. Good plant sources of protein are soy products, beans, lentils, peas, nuts, seeds and whole grains. - Chances are the main source of calcium in your diet is dairy products. Dark green leafy vegetables such as kale and broccoli are also rich in calcium, as they are in Vitamin C and a bunch of other healthy compounds. Incidentally, calcium from the leafy greens is very well absorbed, perhaps even better than calcium from cow’s milk. - Dairy products and eggs are a good source of Vitamin B-12 that feeds the red blood cells and helps maintain normal nerve function. - Eggs are a decent source of heme iron that your body absorbs easily. Plant sources of iron are dark green vegetables (e.g. spinach and broccoli), dried fruits, prune juice and seeds. They need to be eaten together with foods rich in Vitamin C to help your body absorb their non-heme iron. Another good albeit unexpected source of iron is the iron pots and pans that leak iron into your food! - Cheese delivers some valuable zinc that’s better absorbed than zinc from plant sources. - Iodine, omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin D should be supplemented (skip Vitamin D supplements in summer or if you live in a tropical region). - As for other important nutrients and antioxidants such as Vitamins A, B, C, E and K, fiber and polyphenols, vegetarians typically get plenty… unless they are on a diet of bread, doughnuts and muffins. Vegetarian Food Pyramids vs. Harvard Healthy Eating Pyramid A “food pyramid” is an infographic representing different food groups and recommending how much you should eat from each. The best known Food Pyramid is probably the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Guide Pyramid revamped into MyPlate[2] in 2011. For vegetarians, there exists a host of specialized Pyramids and “plates” that can easily be found through a simple Google search. Arizona State University’s vegetarian pyramid presented below is a typical example. The common feature of most vegetarian Food Pyramids is that they place grains at the base, making them the largest food group to be eaten every day. In the example above, the foundation of the pyramid is composed of breads, cereals, pasta and rice, of which vegetarians are advised to eat up to 10 servings per day. Even the highly influential Mayo Clinic’s Vegetarian Food Guide Pyramid recommends 6 servings of grains compared to only 2 servings of fruits per day[3].