Actually, as it turned out, it wasn’t that much of an adjustment, we had never been great meat eaters anyway, and had regularly replaced meat with a meat substitute or with lentils. We just cut out the last remnants of meat eating, done, we are vegetarians.
For me it has the added bonus of being an easy way of cutting out extra calories, as, after carrying two kids, I was a bit wider than I had been previously.
There are so many tasty and easy vegetarian recipes, I’m a big fan of the Gillian McKeith and Carol Vorderman detox books, not because we are detoxing, but because they have fantastic recipes.
I have also come across many thousands of recipes online, try some of the links that I have highlighted on ‘Pint-sized recipes online.’
Favourite recipes so far: nut burgers and quick pasta gratin, both from the Good Housekeeping ‘Cooking for vegetarian children’ cookbook. Quick, easy and the kids love them!
Nut burgers
Makes 8
50g (2oz) vegetable margarine or butter
2 onions, skinned and chopped
1 garlic clove, skinned and crushed
125g (4oz) mushrooms, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and grated
125g (4oz) cashew nuts, finely chopped
30ml (2 level tbsp) chopped fresh parsley, coriander or chives (optional)
175g (6oz) fresh breadcrumbs
15ml (1tbsp) light soy sauce
1 egg, beaten
Pepper
Vegetable oil for cooking
Heat the margarine or butter in a frying pan, add the onion, garlic, mushrooms and carrot, and cook over a low heat until softened. Add the remaining ingredients, except the oil.
Divide the mixture into 8 and shape each portion into a burger.
Heat a little oil in a frying pan and cook the burgers for 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Alternatively, brush the burgers with a little oil and cook under a hot grill.
Quick pasta gratin - use whatever vegetable you have to hand: sweet corn, peas, cherry tomatoes all work well.
Serves 2-3
225g (8oz) pasta shapes
Salt and pepper
½ orange, green or red pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
A few green beans or mangetouts
1-2 tomatoes, quartered
A handful of fresh spinach leaves, trimmed and washed
About 125g (4oz) cream cheese with garlic and herbs
60ml (4tbsp) milk
30ml (2tbsp) freshly grated Parmesan or vegetarian cheddar cheese
30ml (2tbsp) breadcrumbs
Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, adding the chopped pepper and green beans or mangetouts for at least 5 minutes. Drain thoroughly and tip back into the saucepan.
Quickly add the tomatoes, spinach, cream cheese and milk, and toss everything together, stirring until the cheese melts and the spinach wilts. If the cheese refuses to melt, turn the heat on low for a minute or so. It should just coat the pasta and vegetables. Season with salt and pepper.
Turn the mixture into a shallow heat proof dish and sprinkle with the Parmesan or cheddar cheese and the breadcrumbs. Cook under a hot grill until brown.
Good source of Vitamins A and C.
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