Vegetarianism A healthy approach

What is a vegetarian? A vegetarian is a person who does not eat meat. Although, not all vegetarians are the same, there are different types.

Lacto- vegetarian A Lacto- vegetarian does not eat any meat or eggs or fish, but they do eat dairy products.

Ovo-Vegetarian Ovo-vegetarians eat eggs but do not eat any dairy products or any meat. ‘Eggetarians’

Pescatarians Pescatarians are people who do not eat any meat except fish. Pescatarians would be recieving a lot of fatty acids and oils like omega 3. These oils are extremely good for you and especially good for your brain.

Health risks of becoming a veggie! Being a vegetarian is all good, but there are some health issues. Vegetarians are lacking in nutrients and vitamins which are vital! If they do not receive these vitamins and nutrients they will be un healthy. One of the most important vitamins they are lacking in is vitamin B 12....

Vitamin B 12 Vitamin B 12 is very important to the body and is especially important for GIRLS because it forms red blood cells which girls need a lot of, and if they do not have enough they could be at risk of getting a disease called Anaemia. Function: aids with the formation of red blood cells, maintains the neurological health balance, helps the blood carry oxygen around the body. Vitamin B12 should be taken as part of a B-complex supplement- always seek the advise of a nutritionist.

Vegetarian recipes Veggie Burgers Ingredients: 1 small onion chopped fine 1 small onion chopped fine 1 very small or half of a medium size bell pepper (green, red, yellow does not matter) 1 small shredded carrot 1 cup of cooked dark beans (drained can of kidney beans is fine) salt and pepper to taste. Method: Procedure: Place chopped onions, peppers and shredded carrots into a bowl and add the beans. Mash all of the ingredients together thoroughly. The beans will act as the base for the burger keeping all of the other ingredients together. Form into a burger. Dip the formed burger first into milk (vegans use soy milk) then into either cracker, corn flake or bread crumbs. In a skillet heat about one tablespoon of olive oil. Place the burger into the olive oil to fry. Brown it on both sides and serve on a bun with a slice of tomato and some lettuce. If you love onions place a thin slice of onion on it too. You can serve this with any kind of side dish you like along with a slice of pickle.

Vegetarian lasagne Vegetarian lasagne Ingredients: 2 medium onions, diced 1 clove garlic, minced 1 red pepper, chopped 2 cups firmly-packed baby spinach 1 tsp. kosher salt or sea salt 1/2 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper 2 eggs, lightly beaten 15 oz. part-skim ricotta cheese 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated 3-1/2 cups marinara sauce (homemade or your favourite brand) 9 no-boil lasagne noodles (such as Barilla) 2 cups pesto (homemade radish basil pestoor your favourite jarred pesto) 8 oz. part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated Method: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring. Reduce heat to medium low and allow onions to sweat, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. When onions start to brown, add garlic and red pepper and cook five more minutes. Don't let onions get too brown. If they start to burn, reduce the heat and add another teaspoon of olive oil. Add the spinach to the skillet and cook until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Season vegetable mixture with kosher salt and pepper. In a medium bowl, beat eggs, ricotta cheese and Parmesan cheese together. Set aside. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Place 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce in the bottom of the dish. Top with 3 lasagnenoodles. Spread half of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles. Top with half of the spinach-onion mixture. Top with 1 cup of the marinara sauce. Top with 3 more lasagne noodles. Spread the pesto over those noodles. Top with the remaining spinach mixture, then the last three noodles, the remaining ricotta mixture and the rest of the marinara sauce. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly on top. Cover and bake 45 minutes in preheated oven. Remove foil and bake 15 more minutes or until the cheese is browned and the lasagna is bubbly. This dish serves 10. Vegetarian lasagne

Lebanese Lentil Salad with Garlic, Cumin, Mint, and Parsley Ingredients: 1 C green lentils (or use brown lentils, which will cook a bit more quickly) 2 T + 2 T extra-virgin olive oil 10-12 cloves garlic, very finely minced (use more or less to taste and depending on the size of the garlic cloves) finely chopped fresh mint finely chopped fresh parsley (use about 1/2 to 1 cup fresh herbs, depending on availability and how much you like fresh herbs) 4 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 1/4 tsp. ground allspice salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste Method: Put lentils in small pan with 3 cups water, bring to a boil, then simmer gently until lentils are tender, about 25-30 minutes. (Actual cooking time will depend on the freshness of the lentils. Older lentils will take longer to cook.) While lentils cook, very finely minced 10-12 fresh garlic cloves. Heat 2 T olive oil in small frying pan, add garlic, and saute over very low heat until garlic is very fragrant but barely starting to get some color, about 7-8 minutes. Turn off heat. While garlic cooks, finely chop desired amount of fresh mint and parsley. Whisk together lemon juice, other 2 T olive oil, ground cumin and ground allspice. When lentils are tender, drain well and return to the pan. Turn heat back on under pan with the garlic, add lemon juice dressing mixture and heat about 1 minute. Pour heated dressing over the lentils, then gently stir to combine so all the lentils are well-coated with the dressing. Stir in fresh herbs, then season the salad well with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature. This salad will keep in the fridge for a day or two, but leftovers will taste best if you let them come to room temperature. You may want to add some fresh squeezed lemon juice to brighten the flavor when you eat it.

Penne with White Bean and Tomato Sauce Ingredients: 6 tomatoes, cut in quarters lengthwise 1/2 cup diced red onion 1/2 cup diced celery 1/2 cup diced carrot 2 T olive oil 2 cups homemade chicken stock (or 1 can chicken broth) 1 can white beans with juice 1 T chopped fresh rosemary (optional, next time I might add 2-3 T of hummus to the sauce) 3 cups (uncooked) Penne or other pasta of your choice 1/2 cup or more coarsely grated fresh Parmesan cheese Method: Preheat oven to 250 F. Cut tomatoes in fourths lengthwise, sprinkle with sea salt and roast 2 hours. While tomatoes are roasting, chop onion, celery, carrots, and rosemary. After tomatoes have been roasting for 1 1/2 hours, heat olive oil in heavy frying pan, add carrot and saute 3-4 minutes, then add onions and celery and saute about 5 minutes more, until vegetables are just starting to brown. Add chicken stock, canned beans, and chopped fresh rosemary to pan, turn heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes. (If using hummus, I would add it after about 10 minutes.) Liquid should be reduced by about 1/4, but mixture will still be fairly liquid. Turn off heat, add tomatoes. While sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta, and cook until al dente, Drain well. Place pasta in large bowl. Pour sauce mixture over and toss gently a few times. Grate parmesan cheese over pasta and serve hot!