Going veg for your New Year's resolution? Part 1: 3 must-try recipes

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Ashley See

There's no surprise that many New Year's resolutions include becoming healthier. Gyms are more packed than any other time of the year; spinning classes are filled with new faces, and treadmills are lined from wall-to-wall with folks sweating away those holiday pounds.

women on the treadmill

As we've heard time and time again though, becoming healthy isn't just about exercise, it's also about what we eat. Given the abundance of fabulous articles about how eliminating meat (see Mark Bittman's "No Meat, No Dairy, No Problem"), even on a part-time basis, does the body good, it's no wonder that many health resolvers are testing the waters of vegetarianism to purify their bodies.

I'm all for helping people eat vegetarian, whether it's part-time or full-time, which is why a recent email from a friend has inspired me to share my main tips about transitioning to a vegetarian diet over the next few weeks. 

Today, I want to share my top three vegetarian recipes that are absolute crowd pleasers, and can also be made with any budget:

1. Shurbat Addes (Syrian Red Lentil Soup): this is a soup that will convince anyone you're a culinary whiz even though it's jaw-droppingly easy. Seriously! It's rare to find a recipe that's this easy and this tasty, and considering it only requires five ingredients, you have no excuse to not go invade your pantry right now and eat it within the hour.

Serve it with a green salad and you've got yourself a balance meal. The recipe requires a mortar and pestle to grind the spices, but if you don't already have one, then one can easily be found secondhand, or at Ikea for under $10. I got mine at Sur La Table for $15. Bonus points: this soup is easy to make and ready to eat in 40 minutes.

 

2. Vegetarian Split Pea Soup: soup is the best, as it whips up quite quickly and always hits the spot. This is another recipe I enjoy because it's incredibly easy, dirt cheap to make and is down right delicious. The See clan doesn't consider split pea a real dish unless it has ham in it, yet when I made them this version, they demanded thirds! 

Serve a bowl of this magic with with a slice of homemade bread, or again, with a fresh green salad and you're done. Note: a blender makes this soup far easier to gulp down. If you don't have one, reconsider making this recipe, as the unblended split peas will make it incredibly thick.
 

3. Warm Butternut Squash and Chickpea Salad: there hasn't been a time where I've made this recipe and it wasn't gobbled up. It's good warm, it's good cold...it's even good half made. How you best enjoy this dish is up to you. I have made this as a main and as a side. I reckon if you're going to cook it as a main, you could serve it on a bed of peppery greens (like arugula, mache, etc.) and it would be scrumptious. If serving it as a side, make sure your main attraction isn't too hearty, perhaps a brothy soup, as this salad is surprisingly filling. 

For further tips on transitioning to a vegetarian diet, please see my post, "Six steps to going meatless". And stay tuned over the next few weeks, as I will be posting more recipes for transitioning vegetarians, my favorite vegetarian blogs and cookbooks, as well as general health tips to keep in mind when going veg.

Oh yes, and happy 2012!

NYE at Caravan of Dreams w Anika

(I spent New Years Eve with some new friends at Caravan of Dreams, one of my favorite vegan restaurants in New York City!)

 
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Fruity sesame porridge

Posted on March 11, 2010 by Ashley See

Goldilocks had it right, a bowl of porridge is hard to come by - not too hot, not too cold and not too much.

Within the last week, I've been working my weekend pleasure (porridge with dried fruit) into my weekly routine and it's proving worthwhile. Lately I can't handle the acidity in coffee to start my day, so a solid breakfast and a cup of tea are necessary to an energetic morning.

After tweaking a Nicola Graimes's already easy-peasy recipe in Vegetarian: Over 300 Healthy and Wholesome Recipes Chosen From Around the World, I finally found porridge that is worthy even of Goldilocks.


Close-up of steaming porridge

 

Fruity Sesame Porridge

Yields 1 serving

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup rolled oats
  • 3/4 cup whole milk (Ashley's note: original recipe calls for 1 cup skim milk, but this is too much thickness for my liking, as I only like to use whole milk)
  • 1/2 cup mixed dried fruits, chopped (Ashley's note: I use bing cherries and golden raisins) 
  • 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds, toasted (Ashley's note: when short time, raw ones work)

Directions

1. Put the oats, milk and chopped dried fruit in a nonstick saucepan.

2. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Sprinkle some sesame seeds atop mixture upon serving.

The book recommends adding a teaspoon full of maple syrup, not sugar, if you prefer a dose of something sweeter.
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Basic bran muffins

Posted on January 21, 2010 by Ashley See

Close-up of a bran muffinAnyone who loves breakfast knows what a shame it is to rush through their favorite meal. Remove eggs, flaky sweets and some freshly squeezed o.j. from any breakfast fiend's diet and they're destined to wake up on the wrong side of the bed.

This is why I have resorted to pre-cooking and baking my needs for the week on Sundays. Despite my preference, an apathetic gym schedule doesn't justify cinnamon rolls each morning; however, I have found that a daily bran muffin accompanies my morning coffee nicely. It's also handy for a bite en route.

Summed up into minis or jumbos, these muffins are a weekday must.

Some prefer their bran muffins to be filled with raisins, carrots or other morning glory goods, but I like my morning usual stripped down and delicious, hence why I recommend Erin Cooks, Basic Bran Muffin recipe:


Sour Cream Bran Muffins
Yields 12 muffins

Ingredients:

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, beaten lightly
1 cup sour cream (Ashley's note: I substitute Mountain High plain yogurt)
1/4 cup dark molasses
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup miller’s bran (Ashley’s note: I like to use Bob's Red Mill wheat bran)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the butter and the brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, beat in the egg, the sour cream (or plain yogurt), and the molasses.
  3. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and bran. Once mixed, add the mixture to the butter mixture, and stir the batter until it is just combined--lumps are OK!
  4. Spoon the batter into 12 well-buttered 1/3-cup muffin tins and bake the muffins in the middle of the oven for 15-20 minutes (Ashley's note: mine have always taken 15), or until they are golden brown and springy to the touch.
  5. Turn the muffins out onto a rack and let them cool.

The muffins cool quickly and will keep nicely in the fridge. When reheated, anything from a mountain of strawberry preserves to a tinge of lemon curd tastes lovely.

Update:

If you like this recipe, you might also like Savory Sweet Life's Bran Muffins and the Minimalist's whole wheat muffins
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