Vegetarian Information

Recipe: Warming Autumn Soup

1/2 pumpkin, cubed

1 carrot, sliced

2 sticks celery (celeriac), sliced

1 onion, chopped

1 potato, chopped

4 cloves garlic (minced)

salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp fresh coriander or chives, chopped

1 litre vegetable stock (1.8 pints, 4.2 cups)

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and fry the pumpkin, carrot, celery, onion and potato
for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for another 2 minutes. Add the
stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables
are tender. Season to taste. Transer to a blender or food processor and process
until smooth. Serve with freshly chopped coriander or chives.

Serving Tip: Serve the soup on Halloween - 31st October. The vegetables can
be altered depending on the ingredients available. This soup is an ideal way of using
up left over vegetables. For example, the celery could be replaced by one leek.

Pumpkin and Butternut Squash - The pumpkin is a variety of squash and is
cooked in the same way as butternut squash. To prepare; cut in half, scoop
out the seeds, peel or scoop out the flesh. Cut into cubes and boil, braise or
roast in the oven with a little olive oil sprinkled on top. If the butternut
squash is not too big, simply cut it in half and place in a preheated oven,
450F, skin side up and bake for 1 hour.

Pumpkins are often associated with Halloween. The are hollowed out and cut to
resemble faces. A candle is placed inside to light them up and they are then
used as decorations or for trick or treating.

Rona Hamilton is the writer and creator of Vegetarian Recipes Collection. To view
more warming soup recipes and vegetarian recipe ideas please visit
http://www.vegetarian-recipes-collection.com/index.html

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You will often here parents who are vegetarians ask the question, what effect will a vegetarian diet have on my child.

If you consider that as children grow the body is preparing itself for future life, bones and tissues are been formed, the brain is developing rapidly then it is easy to understand that the nutritional needs of a child will be much greater than the needs of adults.

Parents who choose to bring up their children as vegetarians are actively helping them grow not just physically but also morally. Nutritional research ha shown that a vegetarian diet can provide all the nutrients necessary for the development of a healthy child.

I want to focus in on the very young child, those in the 1 - 5 age bracket. At this point in its life the young child is completely dependant upon others, mainly its parents, for food.

Care must be taken to ensure that the child’s diet as regards choice is as wide as possible.

Just as with non-vegetarians there is a risk that adults will insist that children should eat this or that food. Remember children at this age can be very fussy and if they are determined to refuse a particular food they should not be forced to eat it.

Whether vegetarian or not, it is vital that children have a well balanced diet. This is particularly important during the pre-school years, as this is a time of rapid growth and development. The nutrients to particularly watch are calcium, iron, zinc, protein, vitamin B12 and vitamin D.

An advantage of starting your child off early on a vegetarian diet is that it helps form good eating habits, as likes and dislikes are formed in these early years.

As adults we aim for a diet high in fiber and low in fats but that is not what a child’s body demands Pre-school childrengrow very rapidly, they need lots calories (dietary energy). Diets too high in fiber or very low in fat will not provide them with sufficient concentrated energy or nutrients.

Young children should have frequent meals containing food of relatively high nutrient and energy density, although common sense must be used as children’s appetites will fluctuate on a regular basis.

Keep a ready supply of fruit, home made cake and scones within reach. It is difficult to do but try and avoid shop-bought sweets and salty snacks such as crisps.

If the child is not prone to being overweight then there are other steps you can take to increase the energy density of their food. Add vegetable oil to foods like mashed lentils or beans. Always have some fresh or frozen fruit juice or vegetable juice at hand.

Try to include as wide a variety of foods as possible, bearing in mind that children may be fussy or find some foods too strong in taste. Offer nut and seed pur

Tags: children, diet, fruit, nuts, pulses, vegetables, vegetarianchildren, diet, fruit, nuts, pulses, vegetables, vegetarian

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A flavorful, mild curry powder or curry paste, or a bottled curry sauce, makes just about any combination of vegetables into a gourmet meal. Try these recipes and then experiment with your own favorite vegetables, whole grains and beans. Serve the curry over cooked whole grains. If you like, serve the curry with small dishes of your choice of — mango chutney, hot lime pickle, chopped salted peanuts (or my favorite, the small Spanish peanuts), lime wedges, shredded coconut, sliced bananas, chopped cucumber, plain yogurt. Each diner can dress up the curry with their own selection of condiments.

Green Bean-Potato Curry
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons curry powder
pinch cayenne, or to taste
3 cups bouillon
6 medium potatoes, cut in bite-size pieces
1 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, chopped
3 cups green beans (fresh or frozen) in 1″ pieces
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Cooked brown rice, barley or other whole grains of your choice

Bring the onion, garlic, spices, bouillon and potatoes to a boil and simmer 30-40 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Add the tomatoes, beans and spring onions and cook 5-10 minutes more, or until the beans are just crisp-tender. Serve over cooked whole grains.

4-6 servings

Mushroom Mix Curry
4 medium red potatoes, cut in chunks
2 cups bouillon
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon mild curry powder
1 teaspoon grated fresh gingerroot
pinch cayenne, to taste
1 16-ounce bag frozen pepper-onion mix
1 16-ounce bag frozen corn-black bean mix
1/2 pound button mushrooms, quartered if large
1/2 pound portobello mushrooms, cut in chunks
Cooked brown rice, barley or other whole grains of your choice

Cooked barley or other whole grains of your choice Bring the potatoes, bouillon and seasonings to a boil in a large pot. Reduce the heat and simmer 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are just tender. Add the frozen vegetables and mushrooms; return to boiling, then reduce the heat and simmer 5-10 minutes. Add more bouillon if the mixture seems too dry. Serve over cooked whole grains.

4-6 servings

Any Vegetable Curry
2 onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 cup bouillon
1 tablespoon curry powder
pinch cayenne, to taste
6-8 cups vegetables (choose at least two and as many as you like, such as potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, zucchini, yellow squash, etc.), cut in bite-size pieces
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 can chick peas, undrained
1 cup yogurt
Cooked brown rice, barley or other whole grains of your choice
Lime wedges
Bottled mango chutney

Cook onions, green pepper and spices in the bouillon to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the longer-cooking vegetables (potatoes, carrots, etc.), return the pot to boiling, reduce the heat and simmer 10-15 minutes. Add the shorter-cooking vegetables, raisins and chickpeas and cook 5-10 minutes more, or until all the vegetables are tender. Just before serving, stir in the yogurt. Serve over whole grains, accompanied by the lime wedges and chutney.

6-8 servings

Read my Good Food Book FREE, with 100 healthful recipes.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com

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Tags: curries, curry, diet, nutrition, recipe, recipes, vegetables, vegetarian, whole grainscurries, curry, diet, nutrition, recipe, recipes, vegetables, vegetarian, whole grains

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