Consider this: until the most recent times, grains were the staple diet, while meat was a luxury reserved for the wealthy few. However, today, in our affluent society, we use grain to fatten the cattle stock! Many critics say this is a wasteful uses of resources, as it takes less grain to feed a person directly than it takes to fatten animals to feed that person. More and more of our population has become vegetarian not only for the reason mentioned above, the reason being that vegetarians are less likely to be obese or have heart or kidney disease and/or diabetes. it is a known fact that vegetarians have lower blood pressure, and much fewer incidents of digestive tract diseases. As well, vegetarians healthy recipes are a more economical use of the earth’s resources.

Consider this: on the whole Americans consume about twice the amount of protein required, and medical experts warn that we are paying for our high meat consumption, and animal fats as well, through record rates of strokes, heart disease and certain cancers and other disorders. Of course, there are many non-believers.

Healthy Vegetarian recipes must combine grains, seeds and legumes in order to get the amount of protein they need with all the essential amino acids. There are numerous amounts of healthy vegetarian recipes. Some examples of these are;

rice and beans, bean-vegetable chili served with tortillas, baked beans and corn bread, hummus, cheese rolled in chopped nuts, bread sticks with sesame seeds, macaroni and cheese, and split pea soup. These are complimentary proteins. A healthy vegetarian diet must contain enough iron as the iron from plant sources serves only 1/4 as much as meat does. Every healthy vegetarian recipe should include a high amount of Vitamin C as the Vitamin C helps the to promote iron absorption. Good food high in Vitamin C are citrus fruits, potatoes, cruciferous vegetables, peppers melons and strawberries. Vitamin D is needed for calcium absorption and is contained in the foods egg yolks, fortified milk and fatty fish. Also, exposure to sunlight enables the body to manufacture Vitamin D.

Healthy vegan or have a much more difficult time in consuming enough calories without supplements. Vegan and fruitarians must consume large amounts of nut butters, dried fruits and breads just to maintain their weight.

The facts remain – eating healthy vegetarian recipes has many health benefits, one of which being the avoidance of OBESITY – the reason being their healthy vegetarian recipes are bulky, filling, high in fiber, low in fat and therefore, low in calories. Studies have shown that a cholesterol free plant based diet is also low in saturated fats and can reduce the risk of atherosclerosis, heart disease and stroke. Healthy vegetarian recipes also have proved to show less osteoporosis, kidney stones, gallstones, and adult-onset diabetes.

Having read the above information, which would you choose? Healthy Vegetarian Recipes?

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Cabbage has been known throughout the ages, both for its nutritional values, and for its medicinal values. It has recently become recognized that it can reduce the risk of certain forms of cancer (such as colon cancer and breast cancer).

Nutritional Facts:

Following is a short listing of the nutritional facts of cabbage:

- Cabbage helps to promote weight loss in some people. This is because of its content of Vitamin C, which helps burn fat, as well as of Vitamin B, which increases metabolism and thereby helps the body burn off fat.

- If one is looking for ingredients of a low calorie diet, cabbage is at the top of the list. One cup of cabbage only holds about 15 calories. It is definitely a weight-loss food.

- Vitamin A Content: Cabbage is a source of Vitamin A which your body needs for healthy skin and eyes.

- Vitamin C Content: Due to its relatively high amount of Vitamin C, cabbage helps boost the Immune System, as well as assisting in removing toxics from the body, and playing a role in burning fat.

- Vitamin E Content: Vitamin E is known for keeping the skin healthy, as well as for assisting oxygen uptake of the blood cells. Having sufficient amounts of Vitamin E in one’s body helps to reduce acne.

- Vitamin B: An essential vitamin for your nerve system, also known to assist in reducing stress and in boosting metabolism.

- Drinking juiced cabbage is known to assist in curing stomach and intestinal ulcers.

- Cabbage is even known to help keep your skin in a healthy condition, due to its vitamin E content.

- It contains quantities of fiber and iron, which help to keep the digestive tract and colon in a healthy condition.

This is by no means a complete list of all the benefits of cabbage. It serves to give you a general outline.

In earlier times, the ashes of burnt cabbage leaves were a key ingredient in disinfectant ointments. These days, commercial disinfectants are widely available, so one need not go through motions of burning cabbage in order to disinfect a small cut. The primary benefit of cabbage in modern times comes when it is simply made part of one’s diet. Special diets exist which are based on cabbage.

There are many different varieties of cabbage. Green Cabbage and Red Cabbage are the most common, and are the types we are most familiar with.

Other types include Savoy Cabbage, Bok Choy cabbage, and Nappa cabbage (which are used in many Asian dishes, but are equally useful within other recipes).

Does this mean one should switch to a diet of eating only cabbage? Of course not. There are many more vegetables with equally important nutritional ingredients.

But it including cabbage in one’s diet on a regular basis can be beneficial health, weight loss, and well-being.

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The recipe for Turnip Tops and Nettles on Toast appeared in a book called â??Vegetarian Cookery by a Ladyâ?, published by Fred Pitman of London in 1866.   Fans of the current fashion for â??wildâ?? food may wish to give this recipe a try, but the less adventurous could still find plenty of things to tempt them in the book, like Onion and Sage Fritters or Baked Vegetable Marrow.

These were tough times for vegetarians though, facing scorn, and a general population with a dislike of vegetables!  There was also very little choice of ingredients available and some of the recipes contain cooking methods impossible to imagine today.  Many recipes though, seem surprisingly modern and can offer a simple, relaxed approach to appreciating the flavour of vegetarian food.

â??A brave, friendly, exhilarating foodâ?

In 1690, Thomas Tryon wrote â??Wisdoms Dictates, including Bill of Fare of 75 Dishesâ?, a tract which called for a vegetarian diet as the only sensible way to live healthily.  His approach is all about avoiding foods difficult to digest and several of his 75 recipes donâ??t much stretch the imagination; Number one in the list for instance is a recipe for Bread and Water!  He can also be somewhat puritanical even when suggesting tasty sounding recipes,  such as in Currans (sic) and Oatmeal:  â??You may add Butter as most good Housewives do; but I must tell them that it makes it heavy on the stomach, and apt to send fumes into the headâ?.

However, a good look through his Bill of Fare reveals an intriguing list of vegetables and herbs, that are well worth seeking out: smallage, sweet charwell, balm and colworts for example.  As for his recipes, you may wish to try â??One Egg broke into a Pint of good Ale and brewed wellâ?, but Iâ??d have reservations about serving Spinnage (sic), Endive and young Parsley, which â??cleanseth the Passages and loosens the Bellyâ?!

â??Procure a nice square loafâ?¦â?

Even though the recipes can seem overly simplistic to modern readers, such as the recipe for toast in â??Vegetarian Cookery by a Ladyâ?, which is one of the longest in her book.  They do also offer more creative combinations such as her Onion Pie, which is filled with a tasty mix of onions, apples and sage. 

Many of the recipes seem carbohydrate-rich to those of us more used to a Mediterranean style of vegetarian cookery, but there are pleasant surprises such as the Italian influence in Mary Popeâ??s recipes of 1893 for Polenta Cutlets and Rice Polpetti.

As with todayâ??s recipe books, many are laid out in chapters, and these in themselves can be illuminating – it would be pretty impossible now to imagine a whole chapter of 29 recipes devoted to â??Porridge, Gruel, etcâ?!  Mind you, the recipes themselves are often laced with sugar, dried fruit, molasses, nutmeg and lemon juice, so they offer more tempting ideas than it might first appear.

The more limited range of available ingredients did encourage lively invention.  How about Beetroot Fricassee and Curried Beetroot and Cucumber for example and Mrs Bowdich writing in â??New Vegetarian Dishesâ? in 1892, suggests Fried Beetroot as a breakfast dish!  The anonymous Lady also has a few surprises for the modern palette, with dishes like Stewed Watercress, Mushroom Tea, Fried Cucumbers and Crisped Parsley.

In their choice of ingredients, the writers display a spirit of using whatever is available in the land around them and not letting anything go to waste.  Hence those turnip tops and nettles, which turn up as ingredients in several books, and also making an appearance are hop tops and sorrel, a hedgerow herb often ingnored by modern retailers.

Our notions of sweet and savoury can be surprisingly overturned.  Savoury Semolina never turned up on the school dinner menu, and Moulded Lentils from the anonymous â??Penny Vegetarian Cookeryâ? of 1885, is actually a sweet dish!  Lentil flour is cooked with water, lemon flavouring and sugar, poured into a mould and when cold served with stewed or preserved fruit.

â??Shape as much as possible like a fowlâ?

We might see it as a modern trend to create vegetarian versions of meat products like bacon and turkey-style Christmas roasts, but in fact, this seemed to be something of a trend by the end of the 19th Century.  Florence George, a cookery teacher in Birmingham, UK published â??Vegetarian Cookeryâ? in 1908, and included recipes for a stuffed Roast Chicken made from butter beans and Roast Goose made from lentils.  A woman surely well ahead of her time!

Mrs Bowdich also got in on the act and her book contains seven different recipes for sausages, with ingredients ranging from lentils to cabbage; Sausages in Batter and Sausages with Curry Flavour for example.  Thereâ??s also Savoury Rissoles and burger-style Lentil Cakes, made from lentils, mixed vegetables, flour, baking powder and butter, then rolled and stamped out with a pastry cutter before frying.

â??Noble Dishes of Excellent Foodâ?¦â?

While heavy use is made in the majority of the recipes of eggs, cheese and milk, vegans arenâ??t entirely left out.  The case for excluding all animal products seems to be recognised only in terms of easy digestion, but certainly by 1908, Florence George lists such an exclusion as one of the forms of vegetarianism.  Many of the recipes are made simply with vegetables, such as Spinach with Peas and Tomatoes, or vegetables served with bread in the form of toast or crumbs, such as Herb Soup thickened with breadcrumbs.  Special efforts are made, such as an Omelet without Eggs or Butter, a mould made with macaroni, and by the turn of the 20th century vegan butter substitutes appear in the recipes, as do various brands of â??nut meatâ??.

â??â?¦Affording a good clean nourishmentâ?

The inspiration for these early writers appears as varied as the reasons for turning vegetarian today.  As well as those seeking a healthier, kinder diet, other titles hint at a prophetic realisation that vegetarianism offered better, cheaper nutrition for greater numbers of the population; books like Eleanor E. Orlebarâ??s â??Food for the Peopleâ? and Job Caudwellâ??s â??Vegetarian Cookery for the Millionâ? for example.

But whatever their individual reasons, it would be hard to imagine todayâ??s explosion in vegetarian ingredients, ready meals and restaurant options without these inspirational writers.  And with our increased awareness of issues such as â??food milesâ? and a need for more locally produced, freshly prepared food, maybe now is a good time to reconsider such â??traditionalâ? cooking and ensure we keep it as part of our repertoire.

Rice Polpetti – Mary Pope, â??Novel Dishes for Vegetarian Householdsâ?

6oz rice

3oz grated wheatmeal bread

1 clove garlic chopped

1 handful of parsley chopped

1 tblsp lemon juice

1 tsp finely rubbed basil and thyme

Pepper and salt to taste

1pt water

3oz butter

Wash the rice and put it to boil with all the other ingredients except the butter.  When the rice begins to swell add the butter and cook until all the water is absorbed and the rice quite soft.  Turn out into a shallow pie dish to get cold and stiff.  Cut into slices not more than half an inch thick, and cut the slices into triangles.  Egg and crumb these and fry in hot fat.  Serve with a thick brown sauce and grated cheese in a separate dish.

Zwiebel Sauce â?? Mary Pope

Cut one large onion very fine and one tart apple; fry them in oil or butter quite brown; dredge in flour until it forms a thick paste and allow the flour to brown; thin it down with water; add salt and pepper to taste and a tablespoonful of lemon juice.

Brussels Sprouts Sausages -  Mrs Bowdich, â??New Vegetarian Dishesâ?

4 oz cooked sprouts

2 oz mashed potatoes

2 oz bread crumbs

1 oz butter

1 tsp sage

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 egg and bread crumbs

Mix the vegetables, bread crumbs and flavouring together, moisten with half the egg, form into sausages, roll in other half egg and bread crumbs, and fry in the one ounce of butter or boiling oil.

Thomas Tryon, â??Bill of Fare of 75 Dishesâ?

Take Raisins, Currans (sic) and a few Pruans (sic), boil them in good water, when near done, thicken it with White Bread, adding Spice, Sugar, Butter and Salt; This is a rich Pottage, affording a great nourishment, and therefore it must be eaten more sparingly.

Plum Pudding â?? Anon â??The Penny Vegetarian Cookeryâ?

Half a pound of flour, half a pound of currants, half a pound of grated carrots, half a pound of grated potatoes, quarter of a pound of butter and two ounces of sugar,  Mix all together, adding a little salt, and any other approved seasoning.  Boil in a buttered dish, an hour and a half, and serve with sweet sauce.  A large spoonful of treacle is an agreeable addition.

More of these recipes can be found in â??Early Vegetarian Recipesâ?? by Anne Oâ??Connell http://www.offmotorway.co.uk

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Aside from simple and delicious recipes, Healthy Cooking Tips will help you set up a healthy pantry, make your kitchen more earth-friendly, plan meals, and much more. Vegetarian Nutrition provides info on protein, fiber, fats, calcium, and lots more need-to know topics to live a healthy veg lifestyle.

Sometimes being a vegetarian seems no fun at all, especially on the weekend barbeque where everyone else is enjoying grilled sticks and many other grilled delicacies.

But no more, before this weekend get yourself a new vegetarian cook book full of vegetarian recipes and enjoy as others are doing. Vegetarian cook books are a great way to enjoy vegetarian dishes which you never know existed.

Vegetarian cook books are in general helpful for beginners who want to experiment with the vegetarian culinary but never know how to start with that. Now get mouth watering dishes right out of your kitchen and set the mood of parties and weekends.

Before starting to purchase a vegetarian cook book understand what suits your taste buds as there are lot many vegetarian recipes which you could ever imagine. If beginner it is always better to start with the simple recipes than experimenting much with the culinary.The best way out is to understand your taste first and shortlist a few recipe cook books.

It helps a lot to read the reviews and excerpts of such recipe cook books to make a choice.To start with cook book recipe experience we will share on recipe with the courtesy of cookbookclub.

Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe

Lasagna Noodles

10 ounce frozen chopped Broccoli

14 1/2 ounce Can Tomatoes

15 ounce Can Tomato Sauce

1 cup Chopped Celery

1 cup Chopped Onion

1 cup Chopped Grn/Sweet Red Pepper

1 1/2 teaspoon Dried Basil crushed *

Bay leaves

Clove garlic minnced

Beaten Egg

2 cup Lo-fat Ricotta or Cottage Ch

1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

* or substitute 1/2 t dried Oregano for 1/2 t of the dried Basil Cook noodles and broccoli separately according to their package directions; drain well. Set aside.

For sauce, cut up canned tomatoes. In a large saucepan stir together undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, celery, green or sweet red pepper, basil, bay leaves, and garlic. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncover, 20-25 minutes or till sauce is thick, stirring occasionally.

Remove bay leaves.

Meanwhile, in a bowl stir together egg, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and 1/4 t pepper.Stir in broccoli. Spread about 1/2 cup of the sauce in a 13x9x2″” baking dish. Top with half the noodles, half of the broccoli mixture, and half of the remaining sauce.

Repeat layers, ending with the sauce.Bake, uncovered, in a 350 deg F oven for 25 minutes; sprinkle with Mozzarella.Bake 5 minutes more or till heated through. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

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