A vegetarian’s coming to dinner

If all else fails you can always rustle up a salad

For some people hearing that a dinner/house guest is a vegetarian can be a worry. What can you give them to eat that will be quick and easy to make? And, just as important, what shouldn’t you give them to eat?

Bears eat fish, vegetarians don't

Here are some pointers:

What NOT to make –

·         Fish. Vegetarians do NOT eat animal flesh.

·         Poultry like chicken or turkey for the same reason as the one given above.

·         Anything containing meat, fish or poultry products. Vegetarians don’t eat any meat or anything derived from meat such as stew made with meat stock or soup made using a bone.

·         If you’re making dessert, strictly nothing containing jelly. Jelly contains gelatine (also spelt gelatine),which is basically grund down animal bones and muscle. You can get a gelatine-free version of jelly.

What TO make -

·         Omelettes are nice and easy, but if you’re making them an omelette, do it with free-range eggs. Many vegetarians will only eat free-range eggs. You can add things like mushrooms and tomatoes. Ask your visitor what they prefer.

·         Vegetarian sausages and mashed potato (called sausages and mash in the UK). Delicious and easy. Tastes amazing with a thick onion gravy and swede (turnip) and sweet potato mash.

·         Pasta is one of those dishes that most people like. If you can pop some garlic bread in the oven to have with it all the better.

·     Vegetarian  pizza. Easy to make and quick. Cheese and tomato is simple and tasty, but do make sure your guest isn't vegan as cheese isn't suitable for vegans unless it's specifically vegan cheese (available from health food stores).

·         Vegetarian hot dogs. There are so many different brands available and many of my non-vegetarian friends have said that they prefer the veggie versions to the meat ones they usually have.

·         Shepherd’s pie with either Soya, TVP textured vegetable protein or Quorn mince.

·         Noodles. Just a plain plate of noodles with Soya sauce can be tasty.

·         A stir fry. This is ideal because you can make it out of whatever vegetables you have in the fridge and any noodles you have.

Note - all pictures are free images from www.kozzi.com. Why not give them a go?

How replacing meat in dishes can help you slim

These days, people are being warned to cut down on their meat consumption for health reasons.

Those who eat meat are more likely to –

• Develop heart disease (meat is full of fat that hardens the arteries)
• Be obese as many types of meat are high in calories
• Get bowel cancer – the long time it takes for meat to digest has been blamed for this

If you’re looking to lose some weight and get healthier, replacing meat in recipes with some vegetarian substitutes can really help.

Soya mince is ideal for shepherd’s pie and is much lower in calories than the beef that’s usually used as mince. Soya chunks can also be used in casseroles.

You can get Quorn in a number of different foods including sausages (why not have them with your sausage and mash), mince, sausage rolls, fillets and meat balls. Like Soya, it’s also lower in calories than its meaty equivalents. It also contains no cholesterol. Quorn is one of the tastiest vegetarian foods that there is.

As it contains egg, it is not suitable for vegans.

Click on the picture to find out more -

To see how many less calories you’ll consume if you use Quorn in certain dishes instead of meat click here
http://blog.quorn.co.uk/2011/01/calculate-the-benefits-of-cooking-with-quorn-ingredients

Example, if you use Quorn instead of beef to make spaghetti bolognaise, you will save almost 100 calories.

If you live in the UK, why not have a Celebration Roast from Redwood Foods instead of your normal roast? It’s made from wheat protein and in the package you get a meat free turkey roast, and sausages wrapped on vegetarian ham. And, don't forget the gravy and roasted potatoes!

Click on the picture for more details -

Why not ditch the chicken and ham slices for the companies tasty Cheatin' Range? They have ham style, pepperoni style, chicken style, beef style and garlic sausage style and they are all lower in calories than their meat alternatives!

Note - all of Redwood's range contain NO egg, no GMO, no artificial flavorings and colorings and NO cholesterol. They're suitable for vegans. If you live in the USA or Canada, you can buy similar products that contain wheat protein.