Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce Recipe

I was really craving a hearty bolognese sauce the other night, so I made this vegetarian variety, which is so easy:

Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce

1 clove garlic

1/2 onion

1 pack Quorn mince (or other vegetarian red meat substitute)

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 tsp oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil

Instructions:

Heat olive oil in a fry pan and cook the chopped garlic and onion until soft and a bit brown.

Add Quorn, tomatoes, and seasoning.  Simmer on a medium heat for 15 minutes.

If the mixture gets dry, you can add a bit of water.  For extra tomato flavor, add some tomato paste.  And for spiciness add some chili!

I actually added butter beans, chopped cabbage, and zucchini to my sauce for more of a chili and then served it on top of brown rice.  This is such a yummy dish and adding those vegetables gives you the extra nutrition. 

I believe Quorn products are available in most places now, but if you can’t find that, just look in your ‘vegetarian’ freezer section and see what substitute is available.

One other tip is to use an extra-virgin olive oil, as this is a better quality to cook with.

This dish can be used as part of a natural weight loss plan (but it doesn’t feel like a ‘healthy’ dish!)

To your health,

Kimberly

Dad’s awesome (and easy) Vegetarian Chili

Ingredients:

2 cans kidney beans

2 cans chopped tomatoes (or do fresh tomatoes)

1/2 can tomato paste

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1 clove garlic

chopped jalapenos (to taste, optional)

1 sachet chili seasoning (reduced sodium if available, there are also mild or hot varieties depending on how much spice you like)

1 tsp cumin

1tbsp olive oil

What to do:

1. Saute onions, garlic, and red bell peppers in the olive oil until soft

2. Add all other ingredients and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.

3. Check consistency of chili.  You can add a little bit of water or a little bit of tomato paste to either thin or thicken the consistency of the chili.

4. Cook for a further 10 minutes over a lower heat.

5. Serve with brown rice, quinoa, or toasted whole grain bread.

Variations:

Add different kinds of beans to change the flavor.  Or just add more beans to increase the fiber and protein content of the meal.

Increase or decrease the seasoning to change the “hot” factor.

Top with a little bit of shredded cheese or a dollop of sour cream.

Use leftovers to make yummy vegetarian tacos the next day.  Just heat some corn tortillas, reheat the chili, and you’ve got another meal.

To your health,

Kimberly

Fantastic Vegetarian Quesadilla Recipe

Here is a recipe by Jill Dupliex.  I got it from Love Food Hate Waste.  If you haven’t heard of it, Love Food Hate Waste is a campaign to help all of us reduce our waste.  I absolutely love it!  They have got a fantastic website with tons more recipes, tips, and ideas to help you reduce your waste, which in turn helps the environment.

This recipe aims to use up “leftover cheeses.”  Quick point: If you are on a weight loss plan, just increase the vegetable portion and reduce the amount of cheese you use.

Anything-goes Quesadilla

Ingredients:

8 wheat flour tortillas

500g cooked sweet potato or butternut squash, lightly crushed

100g leftover cheeses, grated

200g fresh mozzarella

Sea salt, pepper, and basil leaves to season

Preparation:

1. Place a flour tortilla in a dry, non-stick frying pan and lavishly spread with the crushed vegetables, right to the edges.

2. Season with salt and pepper and scatter the cheese and basil over the top of the vegetables. Place another tortilla on top and cook over a medium heath until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.

3. Turn once, and cook the other side until lightly browned and the cheese has melted.

4. Transfer to a board, and keep warm, while you make the others.  Cut into halves or quarters to serve.

This is so simple!  A slight variation on this might be using 100% corn tortillas, which is great for those who have gluten/wheat allergies.  And you can use different vegetables if you’ve got things you need to use up.  Spinach is delicious in quesadillas.

For this and other recipes, visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.com.   It is a great site with a great purpose.

To your health,

Kimberly

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