Vegetarian meals
The concept of ‘Meat-free Mondays’ was quite a buzz word a few years ago – all thanks to musician Paul McCartney and his daughters, Mary and Stella McCartney, who started this campaign during 2009 in the UK. This was before eating vegetarian meals was as popular as it is today. He was a big advocate for making better choices, both for one’s health and for the sake of the environment, even if it was only once a week.
Good for your heart and your wallet
Enjoying a vegetarian meal on a regular basis is a great way to ensure a healthy, balanced way of eating. Each plant-based source of protein also adds other important nutrients to our meals, like the fiber in grain and pulses, as well as lots of vitamins, minerals and other health aspects. Plant-based sources of protein are also budget-friendly and by including these proteins in your meals, you will already reduce the number of times you eat red meat or chicken in a week.
Plant-based sources of protein
The list of plant-based sources of protein to choose from is extensive – think of chickpeas, different types of lentils and beans, nuts and seeds. The healthy fats in nuts and seeds are perfect to include as part of a healthy way of eating. Small amounts of protein are even present in veggies like mushrooms, corn, spinach, broccoli and kale. Soy based products and nutritional yeast are also good sources of plant-based protein and very popular in vegetarian cooking. Remember that different sources of protein each provide different quantities of protein. Sometimes it may be necessary to include more than one source of plant-based protein in a meal, like nuts with lentils or seeds when having chickpeas to make sure that you still have enough protein in your meals. If you do eat vegetarian meals on a regular basis, Heleen recommends that you don’t rely too much on pre-prepared vegetarian foods. Many of these are highly processed and could contain more unhealthy fats, preservatives and salt than you may realise. This is especially true for foods that try to imitate meats, like soya beans shaped into a lamb chop, burger patty or chicken fillet. Rather search for good vegetarian recipes, to cook nutritious homemade meals.
Comforting meal in a bowl
This recipe by Heleen Meyer is a perfect example of a delicious homemade vegetarian dish. It’s ideal for a Meat-free Monday meal or when you feel like a delicious vegetarian winter meal. It’s an aromatic one-pot supper with chunks of veggies simmered in a creamy coconut sauce with chickpeas or beans to absorb all the flavours. There are enough starchy veggies in this recipe, so you don’t really need to serve this on another starch, like rice. If you want to enjoy it with rice, keep the portion small and rather opt for brown rice or brown basmati rice, than white rice. If the brinjal (also called an aubergine, or eggplant) in the recipe is not a veggie you enjoy, substitute it with cauliflower florets. It will absorb the flavours from the sauce beautifully. Do have a look at the tips below the recipe to see Heleen’s tip on how to make your own ‘coconut milk’ – much lower in fat, but just as flavourful.
Vegetarian hotpot
Recipe by Heleen Meyer
Serves 6
20 ml (4 tsp) olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
15 ml (1 tbsp) grated fresh ginger
1-2 small red chillies, whole or chopped (seeded if preferred)
2-3 medium carrots, halved and cut into thick diagonal slices
15 ml (1 tbsp) mild curry powder, or more to taste
20 ml (4 tsp) ground cumin
300 g (2 medium) sweet potatoes in the skin, cubed
300 g butternut, peeled and cubed
250 g button mushrooms, quartered
1-2 medium brinjals in the skin, cubed or 200 g cauliflower, cut into florets
375 ml (1½ cups) strong Rooibos tea or vegetable stock
juice and finely grated rind of 1 lemon
1 x 400 g tin chickpeas or butter beans with the liquid
½ x 400 ml tin coconut milk (see tips)
60 ml (¼ cup) coarsely chopped fresh coriander leaves
salt and pepper to taste
extra fresh coriander leaves to garnish
1. Preheat a large pot over medium heat and add the oil. Sauté onions, garlic, ginger and chillies for a few minutes. Add carrots, curry powder and cumin and sauté until aromatic.
2. Stir in sweet potatoes, butternut and mushrooms and sauté for a few minutes. Add brinjals or cauliflower with the liquid and lemon juice and rind.
3. Reduce the heat and simmer with a lid for 30-40 minutes or until the veggies are just tender, but not mushy.
4. Stir in the chickpeas or beans and coconut milk and allow to heat through for a few minutes.
5. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice, but remember that the liquid from the tin is also salty so taste the dish first. Serve in bowls as is, and garnish with extra coriander leaves.
Tips:
1. If you don’t have coconut milk, soak 60 ml (¼ cup) desiccated coconut in 200 ml milk for 30 minutes and use as above. The coconut will soften, so it’s not necessary to drain it from the milk first. This version will be much less rich than a tin of coconut milk, but still have the same flavour.
2. Coconut milk freezes very successfully and can be used in any recipe once thawed again.
Visit Heleen’s website (www.heleenmeyer.co.za) for more recipes like this.
Image by Adel Ferreira, for LiG Tydskrif