Vegetarian

by WLR's Food Information Assistant, Tim Sharp

Cooking low fat, healthy vegetarian meals is a lot easier than you might think. Meat alternatives tend to be lower in fat and calories and more nutritionally complete than animal products.

By converting 3 recipes that traditionally use meat into great tasting vegetarian options you can make some quick and simple meals.

Our easy, meat free, vegetarian recipes are much lower in fat than the originals, so you get healthy vegetarian recipes to help with your weight loss goals.

Cooking low fat vegetarian is a lot easier than you might think. Meat alternatives tend to be lower in fat and calories and more nutritionally complete than the choice of the carnivore.

This month, we have converted 3 recipes that traditionally use meat into great tasting vegetarian options (which incidentally are much lower in fat than the originals)!

Veggie Cottage Pie

For a taste of some hearty home cooking, this dish is perfect. Serve with any amount of vegetables of your choice, and a little vegetarian gravy (Bisto now do vegetarian gravy granules).

Serves 4 | Prep 40min | Cooking 20min

305 calories per serving

Ingredients

• Vegetarian Mince, Realeat 300g
• Carrots, Young, Raw, Fresh 3 Med/183g
• Onions, Raw 1 Med/90g
• Sunflower Oil 1 Tbsp/15ml
• Gravy Granules, Vegetarian, Bisto 2 Servings/56g
• Potatoes, White, British 200g
• Margarine, Light, Flora 25g
• Milk, Semi Skimmed 30ml
• Garlic, Very Lazy, English Provinder Co 1 Tsp/3g
• Pepper, Black, Ground 2 Tsp/4g

Method

1. Peel potatoes and bring to boil in a pan of water.
2. Peel and dice carrots and onions into small pieces, heat oil in a pan and sauté gently for a few minutes.
3. Drain oil from pan and add veggiemince and water (as directed on packet) and place back on heat. Stir in a little garlic, and a pinch of pepper and let simmer.
4. Turn on oven to 190°C
5. When potatoes are nearly cooked for mashing, add 2 Tbsp. vegetarian gravy granules to mince and stir continuously for a few minutes while it thickens.
6. Drain potatoes. Add margarine and splash of milk and mash until very smooth and creamy!
7. Using an oven proof dish, empty mince into bottom and tap dish on side a few tomes to settle mixture.
8. Very gently, and not in large lumps as they will sink, using a spoon and fork spread your very creamy mash completely over surface.
9. Put pie into oven. Your pie shouldn't need very long... just until your wisps of mash start to brown slightly at the tips.
10. Serve and enjoy! I find this dish great with a selection of 2-3 steamed vegetables.

Vegetarian ‘Meat Feast’ Style Pizza

Making your own pizza is great fun! Serve with a plentiful bowl of salad, or some potato wedges (oven cooked, of course!)

Serves 2 | Prep 5-10min | Cooking 12-15min

387 calories per serving

Ingredients

• Pizza Base, Thin, Crispy, 9”, Sainsbury’s 1 Base/141g
• Cheese, Vegetarian, Italian, Medium Fat, Vegetalia 2oz/56g
• Sauce, Passata, Onion Garlic & Herbs, Safeway 90g
• Tomato Puree, Average 2 Tbsp/32g
• Peppers, Capsicum, Green, Raw 8 Sliced Rings/80g
• Sweetcorn, Green Giant 1oz/28g
• Quorn, Ham, Deli Style 1oz/28g
• Sausage Vegetarian, Garlic & Oregano, Cauldron Foods 1 Sausage/50g
• Pepper, Black, Ground 1 Tsp/2g
• Oregano, Dried, Ground 1 Tsp/1g

Method

1. Preheat oven for pizza as per instructions for pizza base.
2. Blend tomato puree into passata, adding in a pinch of black pepper.
3. Chop pepper into fine rings. Drain sweetcorn. Grate cheese if required.
4. Thinly slice sausage into about 12 pieces, dice ham.
5. Spread sauce mix onto pizza base, and sprinkle over cheese.
6. Arrange peppers, sausage pieces & ham bits on pizza, sprinkle sweetcorn over.
7. Garnish with a little oregano, and cook as per instructions on pizza base.

Quorn Veggie Bolognese

A great alternative to a traditional meat dish, serve with pasta or over a baked potato.

Serves 6 | Prep 20min | Cooking 40min

185 calories per serving

Ingredients

• Quorn Mince 1 Pack/350g
• Tomatoes, Chopped, Value, Tesco 2 Cans/800g
• Onions, Raw 1 Med/90g
• Carrots, Young, Raw, Fresh 1 Lge/61g
• Peppers, Capsicum, Red, Raw ½ Med Pepper/80g
• Peppers, Capsicum, Green, Raw 1 Pepper/120g
• Peppers, Capsicum, Yellow, Raw ½ Med Pepper/80g
• Celery, Raw 1 Lge Stalk/64g
• Mushrooms, Common, Raw 5 Mushrooms/50g
• Pasta Sauce, Original, Tesco 1 Jar/300g
• Tomato Puree, Average 2 Tbsp/32g
• Garlic, Puree 2 Tbsp/36g
• Oil, Olive 2 Tbsp/20g
• Pepper, Black, Ground 4 Tsp/8g

Method

1. Heat oil in a large pan, finely chop carrots, celery, onions, peppers & mushrooms. Add chopped vegetables to pan to soften.
2. After letting your veg saute for about 5 minutes, add in 2 cans of chopped tomatoes with all juices. Stir for a few minutes and squeeze in tomato and garlic puree while continuing to stir. Add in a little black pepper.
3. Add Quorn mince to pan and let simmer (add a little more water to pan if required).
4. Let this simmer for about 20 minutes, add in some 'Original' pasta sauce to thicken and bring to a slow simmer once more.
5. Serve over pasta or baked potatoes and enjoy!

This can be kept in a closed pan for a day or so, or frozen in small portions to enjoy any time.

*Some of these recipes may need small amounts of water, as mince substitutes etc. tend to soak up a lot of liquid during cooking.

Almost any recipe can become vegetarian with all of the different substitutes for meat there are on the supermarket shelves, from a Quorn korma to Bangers & Mash. Be creative and remember…you don’t have to be vegetarian to enjoy a meat free meal! All of the recipes above can be found in the WLR recipes section of www.weightlossresources.co.uk.