How to Cook Vegetarian the Lazy Way
According to the website of the American Dietetic Association, "Vegetarian diets are growing more and more common"--and with good reason. In an official statement, the ADA asserts that "appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases." Whether you're a full-time vegetarian or you just want to join in "Meatless Mondays," there are many ways to make vegetarian cooking quick and easy. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Freezer-safe storage containers
- Recipe binder
- Vegetarian cookbook (optional)
Instructions
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Double your recipes, or triple or quadruple them. Making extra portions for future meals saves you time down the road. If your family resists eating the same meal twice in one week, freeze the leftovers to enjoy weeks later.
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Prepare staples in bulk. Rice and beans are common staples of vegetarian cooking, but both can take an hour or more to prepare. Choose a prep day to cook up large batches of staples, such as brown rice and your favorite kind of beans, to eat throughout the week. A quick steam revives cooked rice and you can easily freeze extra beans to eat at your convenience--just be sure to freeze them in water (or cooking liquid) for optimal taste and texture.
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Stock your pantry, freezer and fridge with easy vegetarian options. In the pantry, canned beans (or rice-and-bean combos), tortilla shells, noodles, sauces and nut butters are all must-haves for vegetarians. A heated can of rice and beans, wrapped in a tortilla with your choice of salsa, sour cream, cheese and avocado, makes a five-minute meal the whole family will love. The freezer is your best friend for speedy vegetarian meals--fill it with veggie pizzas, burgers and hot dogs. Also, frozen edamame makes an easy snack and adds quick protein to salads and soups. Keep your fridge stocked with blocks of tofu and tempeh, snack veggies and dip, such as hummus, and flavoring ingredients, such as lemons, limes, sesame oil, miso paste, garlic and ginger. These foods last a long time and add zest to easy vegetarian stir-fries and noodle bowls.
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Reinvent your leftovers. Open your fridge, assess what needs eating and whip it into a yummy soup, salad or sandwich. If you have leftover rice and beans, just add some broth (veggie stock or miso), throw in some veggies and dinner is ready. If you have vegetables that need eating, dice them up on a bed of lettuce, add some canned chickpeas for protein and some hearty bread on the side for your grain. Or throw them in broth with some noodles and tofu for an easy noodle bowl. Use wraps or sandwiches to give leftover stir-fry a speedy makeover.
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Collect fast vegetarian recipes and store them in a binder. Think of all the easy meals you already know and love and put the list in your binder. Add any quick and easy recipes you see in magazines or search for recipes online and print them out. Similarly, buy a vegetarian cookbook with 15-minute meals and add some to your repertoire.
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Plan ahead. A meal plan may seem uptight, but the time it saves will make you feel carefree. Professional organizer Judith Kolberg and ADD clinician Kathleen Nadeau suggest creating a "weekday meal rotation" for Monday through Thursday, consisting of eight easy recipes. They explain that, "The meals repeat every two weeks, but there is enough variety that [no one tires] of them." With your meal plan in place, just declare Friday pizza night, and leave the weekends for vegetarian take out or dining out with friends.
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Tips & Warnings
Invest in a slow cooker and let your dinner cook while you're at work--or at play.
When choosing convenience foods, incorporate extra nutrients with a side salad or added vegetables, such as sprouts for your burger, diced tomato and onion for your hot dog, or extra mushrooms and peppers for your pizza.
Make sure you eat enough whole grains and leafy greens--both are full of nutrients that are especially helpful for vegetarians, such as B vitamins (in grains) and calcium and iron (in leafy greens).
References
Resources
- Photo Credit tortilla pizza image by Xavier MARCHANT from Fotolia.com
