Vegetarian - Transition to a Healthier Lifestyle With Vegetarian Recipes

When you're making food choices at the supermarket do you ever consider the consequences it will have on your well being and lifestyle? Have you really thought about it? Your quality of life in the future will depend on the choices you have made to-day.

All healthy diets are low fat, low cholesterol and high fiber - which makes a vegetarian diet an outstanding option for improving the health of your heart.

The well known saying "we become what we eat" is more than just words, as it has been proven over and over again, that healthy people eat healthy foods.

When we make the switch from eating meat to a vegetarian-based diet, our cholesterol improves, our body fat reduces, we are less prone to many types of cancers, the chances of contracting diabetes reduces, our blood pressure falls into the normal and generally, our overall health and fitness improves.

If you have a family history of high cholesterol or high blood pressure, then it's particularly incumbent on you to revise your eating habits. Moving towards a more vegetarian diet has been shown statistically to reduce the incidence of so many of the diseases of industrialized countries. Vegetarians are statistically healthier than omnivorous persons; they're leaner and live longer.

Vegetarians avoid fast foods at all costs. Have you ever seen an example of your blood plasma after eating a fast food hamburger? What was previously a clear liquid becomes cloudy with the fat and cholesterol that's absorbed from eating a high-fat hamburger.

It's time now for you to think about your health and your future. Do you want to be overweight, have less energy and simply feel sluggish and fat, or do you want to feel the way most vegetarians feel and look like with a longer anticipated lifespan? Isn't it time to think about what you want to be and to eat accordingly by starting to-day on a vegetarian diet.

It's never too late to change what you're eating and increase your chances for a longer, fitter life. "If it is to be - it is up to me."

Bill Hansen is a writer and researcher on vegetarian food and recipes To receive your instant access on various vegetarian food issues please visit http://www.aboutvegetarianrecipes.com

Vegetarian Recipe - Oatmeal Mushroom Steak

Vegetarian or not, come this way, this is so nummy. This recipe is vegetarian, so you meat eaters might want this with a beef, pork, or whatever meat steak. This is not a recipe for Vegans though, I have not gotten there yet unless I fill up on vegetables and fruit. Hey! what a concept, vegetables and fruit. One should always remember the basics if one wants to stay healthy right?

Years ago for about nine months I was a vegetarian. I bought a lot of veggie stuff.. veggie hot dogs, veggie patties, unknown what they were supposed to be really , anyway you get the picture right? I wanted to be a vegetarian for the animals. I felt to so guilty and I guess I still do, but I eat meat again and I guess close off that part of me that worries about it. Once in awhile I make this dish just because I love it. The consistency is very meaty actually. Try it, I think you will like it Micky!

"Oatmeal Mushroom Steak"

1 TBL. vegex (like a bouillon cube)

1/2 cup hot water

1 tsp. sea salt (yes if you are gonna be healthy make it sea salt, smile)

1/2 sage or poultry seasoning

1 onion chopped

3 TBL. Butter (I always use real butter, the flavor cannot be compared)

3 eggs well beaten

1 can cream of mushroom soup

2 soup cans - hot water

1 can mushrooms (I know, I can 'hear' you, canned stuff isn't all that healthy)

2 1/4 Cup uncooked old fashioned oatmeal

Saute the onions in the butter. Combine all except the mushroom soup, 2 cans of hot water and vegex. Mix well. Cover and let it stand for about 45 minutes. Mold the mixture into small meal size patties and fry in hot oil until golden brown. (Gads another unhealthy thing, stop thinking so loud! I can hear you all the way to Hawaii). Pour a little of the soup mixture (all the stuff you did not use to make the patties) in the bottom of a 9x12 baking dish to cover the bottom. Arrange patties on top of mixture and cover the rest with the soup mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Yay, you are almost done. Make a little salad and some fruit for dessert, set a lovely table. Yay!

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ABOUT Kathy Ostman-Magnusen

I paint and sculpt female fantasy art and map fairy tale adventures. I dream of beautiful women on canvas and art of exotic women.

I have illustrated for Hay House Inc.,"Women Who Do Too Much" CARDS taken from Anne Wilson Schaef's book. I also illustrated for Neil Davidson, who was considered for the Pulitzer Prize in feature writing, and several other publications. My paintings are collected worldwide.

Giclee canvas art work, greeting cards & posters are available for sale on my website:

http://www.kathysart.com

Sign up for my mailing list FREE ART GIFTS: Drawings of whimsical angel pictures, legends of mermaids & fairies in art. Tiny angels & mermaids for shrink art, or coloring pages. Also a "Letter From the Tooth Fairy". Ya just never know when you might need one!

Check out my Squidoo about creativity: Unlock Creativity|Critical Thinking Creative Writing Active Reading=Great Art
http://www.squidoo.com/createart/

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Vegetarian Recipes

The art of cooking encompasses many different types of foods from a variety of countries. Each of these countries that you will find recipes for has an interesting way of cooking these foods. The numerous ways that you can cook vegetables will also be documented in the various vegetarian recipes that you can find.

These recipes will show you the different ingredients that you will need to make starters, appetizers, main course dishes, side dishes, salads, vegetarian pastas and lasagnas. You can also find many interesting desserts and drinks which are ideal for use in everyday living as well as for those of you who are on a diet.

When you look at these many vegetarian recipes you will see there are various vegetables that you can use. For the most part these items will not be too difficult or expensive to find. The kitchen implements can be ones that you already have. Here you may have to do some improvising to get the results that the vegetarian recipes indicate.

A few of the vegetarian recipes that you will find will help you to cut down on cholesterol producing meats by showing you vegetable alternates. These alternates will be used in some of the vegetarian recipes which are available.

You will also find great tasting vegetarian recipes which will show you some interesting various on the main dish of any meal. These will be ones that you have at some point heard of. You should see about trying ones of these just to see how the flavor explodes on your taste buds.

The internet will be a great source of vegetarian recipes that you can easily try out. The added advantage is that you will be able to look for these various recipes from a number of different countries. Your cook books and specialty vegetarian recipe cook books are another source that you can use to look for the different vegetarian recipes that you are planning on making.

To provide you with an idea of the different foods that you can find with regards to a vegetarian way of life here are a few recipe names. Bharta which is a smoked eggplant dish which originates in Punjab, India. Cabbage rolls are another interesting variation that you will find being translated into the vegetarian side of cooking.

Here the cabbages are stuffed with tasty vegetables of your choice rather than meat. Some of the vegetarian recipes that you will find will deal with providing you with ways of making lasagnas, pastas, pizzas and even mock meat dishes like vegetarian Shepherd's Pie.

As you look through the many pages of cook books you will see that going vegetarian does not mean that you are sacrificing tasty foods. On the contrary you will find that most of the vegetarian recipes are a source of filling foods that will make your taste buds desire more with each bite.

More Competent Info on Vegetarian Cooking visit us at http://www.vegetariancooking.extrafindouts.com

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Vegetarian Recipes - Almond Pancakes

After growing up eating my grandma's buttermilk pancakes, I am the last person you would think could be convinced that anything else even counts as pancakes. But this is not the case. Here is a genuinely competitive recipe for classic breakfast food with a super healthy twist. Try real maple syrup, agave nectar, natural strawberry jam or honey for a topping.

For a recipe yield of about 4 servings of Almond Pancakes (2 fairly large pancakes each), follow these instructions.

Ingredients for Making Almond Pancakes

3 Cups Westsoy Unsweetened Vanilla Soymilk

1/2 Cup Soaked and Re-hydrated Almonds

1-2 Teaspoons Canola Oil

4 Whole Medjool Dates

3 Teaspoons Agave Nectar

1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour

1/3 Cup Spelt Flour

2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

1 Whole Plum (Can Substitute an Apple or a Banana)

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla

1 Tablespoon Arrowhead Mills Organic Flax Seeds

Optional:

Blueberries, Mixed Berries or Banana

Earth Balance Natural Non-Hydrogenated Buttery Spread

First mix all of the powders (Flours and Baking Powder) in a large-sized mixing bowl, sift together and set aside.

Next, put the almonds, dates, oil, agave nectar, plum, vanilla, flax seeds and about 1/2 cup of soy milk into a food processor and blend until smooth. Adding less soy milk at this stage will help out the processor to chop the ingredients more smoothly.

Mix the wet and dry ingredients together in the large bowl, turning until the pancake batter reaches a consistent, uniform texture and viscosity. Add in approximately 1 to 1 1/2 cups of soy milk, stirring until evenly integrated. Add enough soy milk until the batter reaches your desired consistency.

Heat a pan over medium heat, and coat the bottom of the pan lightly with Canola oil. Add a handful or two of blueberries, bananas or mixed berries (to taste) to the batter before scooping out into the pan for cooking. For an added twist, add frozen blueberries to the mix, which will heat up and cook properly, but maintain their integrity in the pancake.

Cook in the pan until golden brown, or until pancakes are to your liking; flip once after the top side bubbles, and cook evenly on the second side. Serve with the recommended ingredients to complete the healthy meal. Use a pad of buttery spread for even more flavor.

Matty Byloos and Brooklin Rogers

Matty Byloos writes and manages the Green Blog known as: Easy Ways to Go Green, as well as the Organic Food Blog: Organic Eating Daily

Vegetarian Recipes - Vietnamese Pho For Two

Perfect as any hearty soup in cold weather, this Vietnamese-style Pho soup is also light enough to stand in for a perfect warm weather meal. Made with fresh organic vegetables and vegetable broth, it's simple to put together, and can work in a pinch when you are entertaining guests or after work when you want to throw together a quick, complete meal in less than a half hour.

For a recipe yield of about 2-3 complete servings of Vietnamese Pho (fairly large bowls), follow these instructions.

Ingredients for Making Vietnamese Pho Broth

1 (32-ounce) box of organic vegetable broth

2-3 Whole organic garlic cloves

3 Tbsp of organic Shoyu (Japanese soy sauce)

3 Organic Ginger coins

1/2 Tsp ground black pepper

1 Tbsp organic rice wine vinegar

1 Cinnamon stick

2 Tbsp Sriracha Brand Hot chili sauce

1 Half of an organic yellow onion

Other Ingredients for Making Vietnamese Pho

2 Organic green onions, chopped

1/2 Pack of rice noodles (Soba will also substitute fine)

1 Square of Thai flavor baked tofu (sliced)

1/2 Cup of mushrooms (Shiitake are nice)

1 Head of organic bok choy

1 Cup of organic red cabbage, cut into small, salad-sized pieces

Ingredients for Making Vietnamese Pho Garnish

4-6 Fresh organic basil leaves

4-6 Fresh organic cilantro stems & leaves

1 Organic lime cut in 1/2

1/2 Cup of organic soybean sprouts

Directions for Making Vietnamese Pho for Two

1. First make the broth: Place all broth ingredients listed above in a large pot; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Let simmer for about 20 minutes.

2. In the meantime, cut up your vegetables. Bring water to boil in a separate pot and cook your noodles during this time, as well.

3. Next, drain the broth of its contents, removing the whole garlic cloves, ginger coins, cinnamon stick and chunk of onion. Return the broth to its original pot and add all vegetables. Cook on low heat for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are at their desired tenderness.

4. Add noodles to the soup, serve with garnish on top (to be stirred into the soup) and enjoy.

Matty Byloos and Brooklin Rogers

Matty Byloos writes and manages the Green Blog known as: Easy Ways to Go Green, as well as the Organic Food Blog: Organic Eating Daily

Vegetarian Recipes - 3 Delicious Asian Vegetarian Recipes

While some people may think that being a vegetarian seriously limits your options for dinner, that's not the case at all! Vegetarians have just as many options for good tasting, healthful dinners as anyone else. For the vegetarian looking to introduce some Asian flare into their kitchen, some popular vegetarian recipes follow.

Spicy Confetti Noodles

3 mdm green onions, cut into thin strips

2 mdm bell peppers, cut into thin strips

2 medium carrots, cut into thin strips

2 packages (10 oz. total) Japanese curly noodles or uncooked spaghetti

1/3 cup water

1 tb finely chopped gingerroot

2 tsp sesame oil

1/4 cup dry sherry (Water can be substituted)

1/2 tsp chicken bouillon granules

2 tb soy sauce

1 tsp curry powder

1/4 tsp sugar

1 tb chili puree with garlic

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

- Cook noodles as specified on package. Toss the noodles and the oil in a large bowl, then stir in the onions, peppers, and carrots.

- Mix the remaining ingredients in a wok or 10-inch skillet and bring to boil over medium heat stirring regularly. Mix in the noodles and toss with the soy sauce; heat through, stirring occasionally.

Indian Lentils & Rice

8 mdm green onions, chopped

1 tb gingerroot, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper

1 1/2 cups (12 oz.) dried lentils, sorted and rinsed

1 tsp turmeric, ground

1 large tomato, chopped

5 1/4 cups vegetable broth

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup coconut, shredded

2 tb fresh mint leaves, chopped or 2 tsp dried mint leaves

1 1/2 cups plain, fat-free yogurt

3 cups cooked rice

- Spray a saucepan with cooking spray and cook the onions, red pepper, gingerroot, and garlic over medium heat for 3-5 minutes; stir regularly until onions are tender.

- Add 5 cups of broth, the lentils, salt, and turmeric, and bring to a boil. Reduce and cover. Simmer 25-30 minutes, until lentils are tender. Add the remaining broth if needed.

- Add the tomato, coconut and mint and serve over rice with the yogurt.

Indian Split Peas and Vegetables

2 tsp vegetable oil

1/2 tsp cumin seed or 1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp turmeric, ground

2 jalapeeo chilies, seeded and finely chopped

1 lb cauliflower florets

2 cups yellow split peas, cooked

1/4 cup vegetable broth

2 cups frozen sweet peas, thawed or 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed

- Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the cumin, chilies, and turmeric for two minutes, stirring occasionally.

- Stir in the cauliflower and broth and cook covered for 3-4 minutes or until cauliflower is tender.

- Add the remaining ingredients and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly until heated through.

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Vegetarian Recipes - Cayenne Lentil Roll

As a lifelong vegetarian and seeker of flavorful and easy recipes, I know the power of lentils and have embraced the versatility this little bean packs in many vegetarian recipes. From the beginning of time, humans have consumed this protein packed legume (bean) in all its colorful glory. Whether it hits your plate in shades of red, yellow, white, brown, green, black or orange, you can be assured that this will satisfy your hunger due to its 25% of protein content! Plus, these little vibrant jewels welcome an array of spices and flavors so that you can travel the world through your mouth, bite by bite.

Lentils are incredibly versatile. You can use them in stews, soups, fillings, and pies. Or, they can be mashed, boiled, sautéed, blended, and purred into your preferred vegetarian recipes. One of my favorite ways to enjoy the power protein punch of lentils is in a Cayenne Lentil Roll.

I created this dish after my first trip to Texas. There was something about cowboy hats, country music and that overall southern feel that brought out this bold and spicy dish loaded full of lentils. After all, they say everything is bigger in Texas, so why not apply that to little lentils too!

Cayenne Lentil Roll

Ingredients:

1 tbsp of olive oil

3 medium carrots, diced

1 medium white onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

½ green pepper, diced

1 cup red lentils (or any other color)

2 ½ cup water

2 large garlic cloves, slightly crushed

2 bay leaves

½ tsp Cayenne Pepper, adjust to taste

3 tbsp Nutritional Yeast

2 tbsp Liquid Amino Acids (Mrs. Braggs)

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 Hass avocados , sliced

5 Whole Wheat Tortillas

Sautee carrots, peppers and onion in olive oil over medium heat for 3 minutes.

Add lentils, water, garlic, bay leaves.

Cover and simmer until lentils are tender, approx. 20 min.

Stir occasionally.

Take off heat and stir in cayenne pepper, nutritional yeast, liquid amino acids, salt and pepper.

Divide mixture and place in tortillas.

Top with sliced avocado and roll tortilla.

This mixture would also be fantastic as a side dish next to a Cajun style portabella burger

or other a like recipes! Lentils can be a vegetarian's best friend as they provide tons of protein

and B vitamins in every vegetarian recipe it stars in. Start experimenting with them

in all of your vegetarian recipes and enjoy!

Sarah Knudson, owner of TalkVegetarian.com is a lifetime vegetarian who has mastered self-created techniques to overcome society's resistance to the vegetarian lifestyle [http://www.talkvegetariansecrets.com] and yummo vegetarian recipes. For more free vegetarian recipes and tips, sign up for her newsletter at: [http://www.talkvegetariansecrets.com]