7 days of low-fat meals: a week's worth of work-saving, time-shaving vegetarian dinners

Vegetarian Times, Sept, 1998 by Lillian Kayte

A week's worth of work-saving, time-shaving vegetarian dinners.

Think vegetarian cooking is too time-consuming or difficult to fit into a hectic workday schedule? Not so. With a little forethought and legwork, you can enjoy great meatless meals virtually every day of the week.

A dinner of broiled steak, baked potatoes and green beans may be a snap to make, but a meal of baked potatoes topped with a spicy vegetable stew or an eggplant Provencale casserole is every bit as easy. Preparing a delicious and affordable vegetarian meal is really no more labor-intensive than preparing an omnivorous one. Just plan your meal ahead to cut back on the frustration level and ensure that your time and energies are spent wisely.

How often do you walk into the kitchen at 5 p.m. with no idea of what to fix for dinner? Think about how much time goes by while you decide what to cook, hunt for the right recipes, figure out a game plan and then work around missing ingredients. Twenty minutes might pass and you won't have even turned on a burner.

To make meal preparations easier, follow these simple steps.

1 Decide what to eat. Once each week or two, write down what you will have for dinner each night for that period.

2 Find the recipes. Locate each of the recipes you'll need for your menu plan and place them together in a handy spot.

3 Make a shopping list. Review each recipe or item in your menu plan and prepare a grocery list.

4 One-stop shopping. Make one trip to the grocery store and get all the ingredients you will need for the week.

Having done all this, you'll walk into the kitchen each night with confidence instead of dread, and spend your time cooking a healthful vegetarian meal rather than fumbling to make do. Once you've completed a couple of menu plans, begin recycling them to make the most of your efforts.

To help you get started, we devised a week's worth of tasty and nutritious dinner menus plus a shopping list. Use our plan as is, or modify it to suit your needs and watch your mealtimes become delicious--and manageable.

Mushroom Tortellini and Escarole Soup

6 SERVINGS OVO-LACTO 30

Don't be misled into thinking that a great-tasting homemade soup needs long, slow cooking--this satisfying soup is ready in just 15 minutes.

2 tsp. olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
(1/2 cup)
3 shiitake mushrooms, sliced (1/2 cup)
7 cups vegetable broth
5 cups chopped escarole
9-oz. pkg. mushroom tortellini or
tortelloni, cooked
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

IN LARGE POT, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add vegetable broth and heat through. Add escarole and cook 2 minutes. Add cooked tortellini and heat through. Serve with Parmesan cheese if desired.

PER SERVING: 134 CAL.; 7G PROT.; 4G TOTAL FAT (0 SAT. FAT); 24G CARB.; 14MG CHOL; 1,237MG SOD.; 6G FIBER.

Barbecued Tempeh with Bell Peppers

4 SERVINGS DAIRY-FREE

Marinated tempeh simmered with sweet bell peppers in a barbecue sauce makes a delicious weekday meal. Serve it over rice or as sandwiches on toasted multigrain rolls.

Marinade
1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce,
low-sodium if desired
2 Tbs. rice wine vinegar
4 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. honey

8-oz. pkg. tempeh
1 cup sliced onion
2 medium red or green bell peppers,
sliced in strips
1 tsp. minced garlic
cup water
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 to 2 Tbs. molasses
1 to 2 Tbs. dark brown sugar
2 tsp. prepared yellow mustard
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. chili powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
to taste

MARINADE: In small bowl, combine marinade ingredients and mix well.

Tempeh: Place tempeh in a shallow bowl and pour marinade over it. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight, turning occasionally. Drain tempeh and reserve marinade. Cut tempeh into 1/2-inch cubes.

Coat bottom of large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat until hot. Add onion and bell peppers and cook, stirring often, until just tender, about 5 minutes.

Add marinade and all remaining ingredients except salt and pepper to skillet. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until mixture thickens, mashing cubes of tempeh slightly with ia fork' Season with salt and pepper.

PER SERVING: 222 CAL.; 18G PROT.; 5G TOTAL FAT (1G SAT. FAT); 30G CARB.; 0 CHOL.; 2,215MG SOD.; 7G FIBER.

Farmers' Market Saute

4 SERVINGS DAIRY-FREE

The flavor of this dish depends on the quality of the vegetables you include. You can use just about any combination of fresh vegetables you like, just be sure to select the ingredients based on what looks best.

2 tsp. olive oil
1 lb. small red-skinned potatoes,
quartered
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 medium zucchini, coarsely chopped
1/2 lb. green beans, cut into 1-inch
lengths
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels
2 ripe medium tomatoes,
coarsely chopped
1 to 2 Tbs. chopped fresh herbs, such
as thyme, oregano or rosemary
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
to taste
1/2 cup crumbled cheese, such as feta,
goat or blue (optional)