10 Vegetarian Meals You'll Love | Nutrition & Dieting slideshows | Well Being center

Spinach Pizza

Spinach may have a bad reputation among kids, but this leafy green is full of goodness. There is plenty of vitamin A, C, B6, magnesium, calcium and iron. Spinach's subtle taste makes it a wonderful addition to a great many foods including salads, pasta, and Asian dishes. Have you tried it on pizza, too? Pizza in general makes a nice, versatile food for vegetarians. Make the dough yourself for the best possible pizza, and use wholewheat flour if you want a really nutritious dinner. Making your own tomato base isn't hard either, and you can then add whatever you want. You can use cheese if you are not a vegan, but pizza without cheese can be great too.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of lisatozzi by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/lisatozzi/4391447924/
www.tasteofhome.com/Top-10-Recipes/Top-10-Vegetarian-Dinners

Black Bean Veggie Burger

Black beans have been shown to support colon health, by promoting the action of bacteria in the gut. They lower colon cancer risk for this reason. Legumes in general should be a regular part of your diet — if you are a meat eater, but especially if you are a vegetarian. Chickpeas, soy beans, kidney beans, lentils... whatever legume you pick, it will be healthy and versatile. Black bean veggie burgers are especially tasty. Together with a wholewheat bread sanwhich and some salad, these burgers (which you can buy or make yourself) make a surprisingly filling meal that will continue giving you energy for a long time.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of Jean by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/jstove/4344782507/

Spinach And Artichoke Lasagna

Who doesn't love pasta? Lasagna offers special satisfaction and makes a wonderful meal for the whole family. The fact that you need to make a lot at once (whether you need it or not) also means that lasagna is the ideal food to serve to guests, or to take to work as lunch the next day. Spinach contains all kinds of vitamins and minerals — it's especially rich in iron and vitamin A. Artichokes are really tasty and will give you lots of potassium, vitamin C, and magnesium as well as plenty of dietary fiber. Of course, you can include cheese — or, if you are a vegan, bechamel sauce with soy milk — and any other veggies that you'd like. Lasagna is sometimes best enjoyed in a more simple form, though. Less can be more.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of Jon Sullivan by Wikimedia Commons : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lasagna.jpg

Veggie Macaroni And Cheese

Not all mac and cheese dishes were created equal. They actually range from the almost totally nutrition-devoid, highly-processed to healthy, responsible food. If you are a lacto-ovo veggie, it's not hard to find the latter. You can use wholewheat pasta for your mac and cheese, include the usual flour and milk (or soy milk), use olive oil or real butter, and add some greens like spinach or even something bolder, like raw rocket. You can also find yummy vegan versions of mac and cheese on the web, with soy products, rice flour and nutritional yeast (that one is important — your mac and cheese will not be tasty without it!).

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of esimpraim by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/dishingupdelights/3828764087/

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed peppers are a wonderful treat you can use for lunch or dinner, but they usually include some form of meat. Make full use of your creative license and stuff your peppers with rice or (much more nutritious) quinoa and all the veggies you like. Peas, mushroom, zucchini, carrot, onion, ginger, corn... as long as it's relatively small by itself or can be chopped into little bits, it goes. You can include soy sauce for an Asian feel or spicy peppers for a South American feel. You can also stuff zucchini (look for the round ones) for a variation on this popular dish.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of YoLaGringo by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/yolagringo/3802029296/

Tortellini With Tomato Sauce

Tortellini and ravioli are great pasta options for people who like to have a filling meal with a simple sauce. A nice tomato sauce is ideal for tortellini that is stuffed with spinach or rocket and ricotta cheese. You can easily make your own tomato sauce with a can of diced tomatoes, by frying it with onions, garlic, salt and pepper until you achieve the desired consistency. Add chopped olives and capers for a refreshing sour touch, and grate parmezan on top if you eat cheese. Melting mozzarella into your sauce is another tasty idea. If you're vegan, making your own tortellini is your best bet since most commercial options have some kind of cheese inside.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of Alpha by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/avlxyz/3146055955/

"Meat Loaf" Made Of Vegetables

"Meat loaf" doesn't have to contain meat — it really doesn't. If you are a new vegetarian, you may crave the dish you used to enjoy. Know that you can make a great veggie version of meat loaf with partially mashed lentils and oats, and you can spice it up with seasonings you know and love. Garlic, onion, basil, oregano and parsley are just among the obvious choices. Lentils are high in protein, and your veggie meat loaf certainly doesn't have to be a fat feast either. This can be a real "meat replacer" that's fairly easy to make too.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of jpellgen by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/jpellgen/1337238691/
www.cookinglight.com/food/top-rated-recipes/best-vegetarian-recipes-00412000076926/page7.html

Chili-Glazed Tofu over Asparagus and Rice

Tofu and asparagus make a wonderful combination — as a part of more complicated stir fries, but also by themselves with rice. Start by marinating thinly cut slices of tofu in a sauce of chilly oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, finely chopped scallions and ginger. If you like it really spicy, you can include chopped chilly peppers as well. Once your mixture has been standing for a few hours, fry your tofu slices while you boil your rice and steam your green asparagus. Pour the left-over sauce over your rice, tofu and asparagus and place some lemon slices and parsley on top for garnish.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of Matt McCants by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/96686150@N00/419366137/

Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant tastes best if you first remove its bitterness and most of its liquid by salting slices — remove it gently with a clean cloth before cooking. Make eggplant parmezan by dipping eggplant slices into an egg mixture and then immersing them in a bowl of bread crumbs. Place them into an oven dish with spaghetti sauce and cover it all with parmezan and mozzarella cheese. Bake it in the oven until the top is golden brown — it should take just over half an hour. Serve it with a simple salad to balance this heavy dish with something light.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of Bradley Huchteman by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/sypsyn/6229542638/

Squash, Blue Cheese And Sage Risotto

Some new vegetarians complain that vegetable-based dishes just don't fill them up like meat does. Risotto is the answer, and squash is an amazingly juicy, flavorful vegetable to make risotto with. Cube your squash and add sage and a blue cheese like Blue Stilton or Roquefort — combined with the compulsory dry white wine of course. Risotto is a bit of a hassle to cook because you have to stay with it the whole time, but the dish itself and the wine you'll have left over after you use the few cups you need for the risotto serve as a perfect reward for you and your partner.