Vegetarian and vegan recipes.
Vegetable frittata.
Cut up 4 cups of vegetables – zucchini, celery, cauliflower, pumpkin and a little corn are nice – any mix you like.
8 eggs – beaten.
¼ cup milk (optional) or add extra egg.
Salt, pepper to taste.
1 cup chopped shallots.
½ cup cheese – sheep’s is best. Optional – Only if you are not intolerant.
Note – After two weeks of no dairy, you can try sheep’s or goat cheese. You can buy Sheep’s cheese at Mick’s nuts on Boundary St, West End or Pennisi on Balaclava street. It is least allergenic of the dairy and tastes great – sprinkle ½ cup grated sheep’s cheese on top of shallots before putting in oven.
Place vegies in oven proof dish. Add eggs mixed with soy, salt and pepper. Sprinkle shallots evenly on top of mix. Bake in moderate oven for 45 minutes or till done. Serve with salad.
This may not sound very nice but it is. Everyone has liked it, especially little kids. Good source of vegetable protein.
Lentils and rice – you can use quinoa instead of rice – always wash quinoa well before cooking.
Soaking grains and rinsing makes them easier to digest and starts a sprouting process which makes them more nutritious.
1 cup of soaked lentils, ¼ cup brown rice and 1 onion, cook in 3 cups water till soft (keep an eye on the water – don’t let it dry). Add salt. Mash a little if you like or eat as is with salad (recipe below).
Salad – I like it chopped small – I think it tastes better
Sliced cucumber and celery, blanched snow peas, add lots of finely chopped parsley, coriander and mint, finely chopped onion, salad leaves or spinach leaves, lots of avocado and generous sprinkle of dried mint leaves. You can add toasted sunflower seeds to this which is very nice. Drizzle with dressing of choice or the one below which is very delicious on any salad.
You can vary ingredients in this salad – tomato (if you can eat it), grated zucchini, been sprouts, grated carrot and/or beetroot, peeled broccoli stalk sliced or grated etc.
Dressing
Vary amounts to your liking but not too much vinegar.
70ml olive oil
20ml apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1tsp raw honey – I use a heaped tsp and heaped of mustard as well – experiment.
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 clove crushed garlic
Put all ingredients in a jar and shake to mix well.
You can also have it with the salad below which is very delicious and popular with kids – that is if you can eat tomato.
2 Tomatoes – cut to size you like.
½ – 1 avocado.
2 or more tablespoons olive oil
1 heaped teaspoon (or more) dried mint flakes (supermarket). Sprinkle generously on any salads.
Salt and pepper.
Mix and serve.
Lentils and spinach
2 cups lentils – dried.
8 cups water.
3 tablespoons olive oil.
2 bunches English spinach, silver beet or mix of beetroot leaves and spinach – experiment
3 cloves garlic
1 or two onions
1 tsp ground coriander seeds
1 ½ tsp salt
Pepper
¼ cup lemon juice or more, as you like
Cook lentils in water till soft, skim the froth off the water as it forms and throw out.
Fry chopped onion and garlic in olive oil, add coriander powder, fry a minute more then add chopped, well washed spinach and cook till spinach wilts. Add this mix to the lentils and cook a further 15 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, salt and pepper
If you want meat then you can use lamb necks or shanks with this – very delicious. Fry meat and cook one hour before adding lentils or keep bones from roast lamb to cook with it..
Chickpeas can be used instead of lentils for the above recipe (I like the chickpea version better). They must be soaked overnight and take at least 2 hours of cooking or 30 minutes in a pressure cooker. Add the fried mixture to the cooked chickpeas and cook a further 15 minutes.