Nutlets: Nut and Vegetable Cups

Easy Vegetable Recipe - Nutlet Cups

Nut and  Vegetable Cups

This vegetarian recipe is a cross between a nut loaf and a nut cutlet. I wanted to make individual portions so came up with the idea of making these in muffin tins. Cooking like this makes them a little crunchier than an ordinary nut loaf. Then of course, I can make a batch and freeze them for later. These were a run-away success for friends - none left to freeze!

Easy Vegetarian Recipe: Tasty Quorn Casserole with Ginger, Coconut and Lemongrass

Pretend Chicken with Ginger, Coconut and Lemongrass:

 Easy Low-Fat Casserole Recipe

quorn casserole with broccoli and potatoes

This is a cheap and low-fat vegetarian recipe that is ready to eat in about 40 minutes. Quorn is high protein meat substitute that is healthier and cheaper than chicken. This whole dish cost me only £3 for 4 servings and at only 172 calories per portion, great for weight control. I use it often in my 5:2 diet regime. 

Cheap and Easy Vegetarian Recipe: Butternut Squash Soup

Tasty Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash Soup with Bread Roll

Homemade soups are superb value in so many ways, They are easy to make, they are cheap to make, they are full of nutritious goodness and you can vary them every time you make them.  This one for Butternut Squash is one of my favourites.  It cost me only £1.59 for a full pot to serve 4 people. At only 136 calories per portion this is another recipe ideal for your fasting days on the 5:2 diet. 

The Healthy Vegetarian: Why I became a Vegetarian

The Healthy Vegetarian

Why I became a vegetarian: 

Nothing with a face thank you

I'm squeamish. As a nurse I can deal with anything, the bloodier or pusier the better. When it comes to food, however; ask me to put something in my mouth that bleeds and I want to vomit. Even as a child, my mother had to disguise meat products, make them into mince or cut them up very small in soups and casseroles, that sort of thing. That was in the 1950s when being a vegetarian in a small Scottish community wasn't an option. That said, our diet was pretty much vegetarian because of the high cost of meat, poultry and fish right after the Second World War.

Living in Japan finished me completely. They have these grill restaurants where the chef stands in front of your and grills your food. The night I sat and watch a live prawn being put on the grill and a mesh cover put over it so it couldn't get away, was the night I gave up eating anything with a face, forever. My husband and I were entertaining his business bosses so when I up and left, I was none too popular.

We were living and travelling abroad extensively in those days, so it wasn't easy to be a veggie. We had to entertain a lot, and being the 'good wife', I continued to queasily cook meat and stuff for my husband and guests and cook something else for myself. I soon learned to cook multiple servings of my vegetarian dishes since everyone wanted to try them or to have them as compliments to their meal.

Even in England at that time it was difficult to get a vegetarian meal when you went out to eat. You would be offered a salad or an omelette and that was it. Being abroad though, was a nightmare. Living with a family in Albania, when I said I couldn't eat meat, she just served me up the same meal and took out the meat. This is a country where hospitality is important to them, and trying to explain that wouldn't work for me, left me feeling guilty and ungrateful. I did, however, manage to get by with a little humour and by offering to cook. They didn't mind my meals but 'there is something missing' and I'm pretty sure I saw them all rushing back to the kitchen to get their fix.

We told my mother-in-law I had become vegetarian before we visited, just to give it a chance to sink in. We arrived and I was presented with a plate of tongue salad - because she thought since I wasn't eating meat, a nice bit of tongue would be just right. Where she thought tongue came from I have no idea.

At the time I overheard my husband tell her it was a phase, I would get over it. Well the phase has lasted over 30 years and there is no sign of it abating. It is still difficult to be a vegetarian when you go out and eat. Friends panic when inviting you to dine and most restaurants have very few veggie options. However, I've found if you ask the chef what he could provide for you, they are mostly very willing to show their skill in turning out something delicious. Friends? I'm still working on that one.

Vegetarian Recipe: Squash, Courgette and Sweet Potato Casserole - Courgettes also known as Zucchini

Squash, Courgette and Sweet Potato Casserole

How to make a cheap and tasty vegetarian casserole with squash, courgette, sweet potato and red beans

I love casseroles, they are so easy to make, you can vary them every time, they are healthy and nutritous and really cheap to make. This one cost me 69p per serving. At 145 calories per portion it is also an ideal dish to use on your fasting days if you are doing the 5:2 diet.   I have to say it works for me and is now more a way of life than a diet as such.

This casserole uses a combination of squash, courgettes, sweet potato with red kidney beans added for protein. 

It is ideal for any meal. Serve with crusty bread or on a bed of pasta. 

Cooking Time for this vegetable casserole 

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 45 min

Ready in: 55 min

Yields: serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 medium courgettes/zucchini, cut into cubes
• 1 small butternut squash, cut into cubes
• 1 sweet pototo, cut into cubes
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 10 button mushrooms, cut in half or quarter
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree
• 1 small can red kidney beans, well rinsed
• 2 teaspoons mixed dried herbs
• black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a sausepan
2. Add onion and cook until tranparent or soft
3. Add garlic and herbs and cook for 1 minute only.
4. Add vegetables, mix well, cover with lid and 'sweat' for 5 minutes.
5. Add tomatoes and stock and beans
6. Bring to the boil
7. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes until veggies are soft
8. Serve on a bed of pasta or with garlic bread.

Nutrition and Cost 

this is packed full of goodness - and cost less than £1 per serving.

The values are approximated and the costs are what they cost me at my local Aldi store.

Ingredients	calories	fat	protein	carb	fibre	vits	cost
Sweet potato	112	0	3g	26g	3.9g	Vit A, Vit C,  calcium, iron, potassium,	25p
Courgette x 3	120	2.4g	10.8g	15g	5.4g	Vit A, Vit  C, Calcium , Iron, Potassium,	1.00
Button Mushrooms x 10	40	0	6g	6g	2g	Vit C, Iron,	25p
Can tomatoes	32	0	4g	10g	4.2g	Vit C, Vit A, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Vit B comlex, potassium	35p
Red Kidney Beans x 100g	110	0	7g	18g	5.9g	Vit C, Calcium, Iron,	39p
Squash	63	0.1g	1.4g	16g	2.8g	Vit A, Vit C, Calcium, Iron, Vits B complex, manganese, magnesium, potassium, Vit E	30p
Onion	67	0	1g	16g	2g	Vit C, Calcium, Iron	5p
Garlic	3	0	2g	1g	0	Vit A, Vit C, Calcium, Iron	5p
Stock Cube	34	0.6g	0.5g	2g	0.2g		14p
For  4	581						£2.78
Per serving	145						69p