Hints & Tips for a Healthy and Delicious Vegetarian Diet

Tips on Substituting Meat in your favourite Dishes

• Turning a traditional meat dish into a veggie delight is easy. As a quick useful guide try substituting:
  
  
  
  • lentils or mushrooms for beef
  • chickpeas or potatoes for lamb
  • tofu or potatoes for chicken and fish

  
  
  Of course this is just a general guideline and you are truly limited only by your imagination.

• Lentils make a fantastic substitute for beef mince in favourites like lasagne and spaghetti bolognaise; often people are not able to tell the difference!!

• As a great way to prepare lentils before using in salads or vegetable dishes try the following:

“Rinse lentils well until water runs clear. Bring ¾ cups of lentils and 2 ½ cups of water to the boil; add ½ a brown onion, 2 whole cloves of garlic and a couple of bay leaves and whole peppercorns. Simmer for 15-25mins (depending on the type of lentil). Drain and rinse well; remove the onion, garlic, bay leaves and peppercorns. Use the cooked lentils in salads, vegetable dishes or serve as a side dish.”

• Tofu is a fantastic base for flavour and can be adapted to a huge range of dishes. Try the following quick recipe:

“In a large bowl soak cubes of tofu in your favourite stock for 30mins, strain and absorb excess water by placing the cubes on towelling paper in a colander and weigh down by a plate. Coat in tapioca or another flour or sesame seeds, dried chilli flakes or spices and fry till crisp and golden. This is a fantastic and delicious substitute for chicken and fish in a huge variety of dishes or great on its own with a little squeeze of lemon.”

Sandwiches and other ideas for Lunch

• If you’re looking for something a little more than just plain salads on your lunchtime sandwich try:
  
  
  
  • thick wedges of cold hard pressed tofu with tomato, lettuce, cucumber and sprouts
  • mashed or sliced avocado, tomato, alfalfa sprouts, fresh baby spinach and red onion
  • natural yoghurt, baby lettuce mix, cherry tomatoes, Greek fetta and coriander
  • quick fried mushrooms with hummus on toasted bread
  • leftover roast vegetables with chutney
  • or add capers, sundried tomatoes, sliced olives, pineapple or pickled beetroot to salad
  • sliced marinated tofu with your favourite salad ingredients

• Also try experimenting with different types of bread. Flat breads like pocket and lavish bread are light and healthy and can be adapted in so many exciting ways. Or try pumpernickel, dark rye, bagels, toasted Panini or foccacia to spice up your average sandwich at lunch time.

• One of my favourite sandwich ideas is to make healthy and filling Open Sandwiches. Toast two slices of bread, spreading them with hummus, avocado or natural yoghurt and then top with your favourite salad ingredients and some tinned chickpeas or mixed beans, as well as alfalfa and dress with a light vinaigrette. These sandwiches are only limited by your inventiveness and a delicious way to include extra protein and vitamins in your diet.

• Sushi of nori rolls are also great for lunch, full of protein from the rice and other nutrients they are low in fat and very filling and delicious. Easy to make at home with just a little time and effort they keep for a day or two in the fridge.

• A big hearty salad is great for lunch; try mixing your favourite salad ingredients with cubes of toasted bread, some seeds or nuts and a light dressing. Check out some of veggie num num’s salad recipes for inspiration.

• A good lunch to pack for work or for school lunch boxes is sliced vegetable sticks like carrot, cucumber and capsicum; with cubes of tofu or vegetarian cheese, button mushrooms and cherry tomatoes a small container of hummus for dipping and some torn flat bread. Full of healthy vitamins and protein it is a great lunch for busy people or active kids.

• Another great idea for a work or school lunch is couscous salad. You can make a batch at the beginning of the week and take portions to work for lunch during the week.