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Quick and Easy Low Calorie Vegetarian Recipes

The shops these days are full of all sorts of goodies suitable for the vegetarian. So longer do you have to satisfy yourself with an omelette or salad. And because there is such choice you can choose low calorie options.

Also there are now a number of meat substitutes if you wan to go that way. Vegetarian bacon – yes really – look in the frozen food cabinet – adds that something to lots of dishes and I frequently use it, even when cooking for omnivores.

Rice Salad

This has quite a long list of ingredients, but is still quick and easy.
I haven’t given amounts as you can alter them to suit what you have available and how many diners there are.

Cold cooked rice – a large cupful per person
Pineapple chunks
Vegetarian bacon, 3 rashers per person
A deseeded, finely sliced chilli
Some coriander or basil
A few salted cashews or dry roasted peanuts ( too many puts the calorie count up of course.)
Juice of lime or lemon
Crisply fried onion

Cooked vegetables such as sweet corn, peas, asparagus pieces and snowpeas.
Mix together the rice, chilli and pineapple. Fry the vegetarian bacon rashers in a non stick pan. They take only seconds so keep an eye on them. Either fry your onions, sliced thinly or reheat previously fried ones. Add the cooked vegetables and the nuts to the rice mixture. Add a squeeze of lemon or lime juice. Crumble the bacon rashers and mix in. Arrange on a plate. Decorate with the chopped herbs and the crispy onion pieces. Non vegetarians might want some prawns or cooked flaked fish in place of the bacon pieces.

No Oil Lemon and Parsley Salad Dressing

There isn’t much point in having a salad if you cover it in high fat dressing, but it does taste good. Well so does this and there is absolutely no guilt attached.

¾ cup water
2 Tablespoons o arrowroot powder
Juice of one lemon
¾ cup finely chopped parsley ( You may want to substitute cilantro or add a little tarragon)
pinch of salt

Either a deseeded chopped chilli (You could use dried flakes) or two teaspoons of finely chopped sweet/bell pepper.
Mix the water and arrowroot well and then cook until thickened. Allow to cool and then place all ingredients in a screw top jar. Replace lid tightly. Shake well. Will keep for a few days in the fridge.

Stuffed Squash

Butternut or acorn squash is what I generally have available, but the recipe can be used to stuff other vegetables such as bell peppers and eggplants ( aubergines).
Serves 8 as stuffing.

You need for each person ½ a squash or eggplant or a whole sweet bell pepper.
½ cup raisins , sultanas or chopped dried apricots
I cup vegetable stock
2 finely chopped onions

1 Garlic clove, crushed

2 Apples, peeled, cored & diced, about 1 1/2 Cup
I stick of celery diced

1 1/2 Cups crumbs from 7-grain bread or other whole grain bread, toasted slightly in
ungreased fry pan

2 teaspoons of salt

1 - 2 teaspoon of herbs – a mix of herbes de Provence is good

Grated peel of one lemon

If using squash halve and remove seeds. For peppers cut off and retain a cap and deseed. For egg plants remove stem piece and halve, making a slight hollow.
You may need to cut a small piece off the squashes and egg plants so that they will sit level in dish.

Bake the vegetables cut side down in a medium oven for 50 minutes on a lightly oiled baking tray. While this is going on heat up the stock and then use this to soak your dried fruit.

Saute the onion and celery for about 5 minutes and then add the apple pieces and the garlic for a further 3 or 4 minutes. Now place this mixture in a large bowl and combine with all the other stuffing ingredients. It should be quite moist. Use to stuff your vegetables. Return them to the oven and bake fro a further 15 minutes.

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