Superb Vegetarian Dishes...You Want Some?

I’ve met and talked with vegetarian people. They buy, eat or grow organic vegetables. Even one of my sisters is an advocate of this lifestyle. They believe that you can also get the necessary nutrients (vitamins & minerals) needed by our body by just eating vegetable produce and its products. So let’s try these vegan recipes, that I’m sure you’ll also like.

STEAMED TOGE WITH FRIED TOKWA TOPPINGS (Four servings)

Toge is sprouted mung or mongo beans while tokwa (in Tagalog but known as tofu in Chinese) is bean curd from soy or soya beans. Mongo beans when grown for three to five days will eliminate the seed coverings that is said to have high uric content which is bad for our health. Bean curd is also called “false meat” because it tastes like one. So enjoy this recipe with a simple preparation at hand: steaming and frying.

500 grams cleaned toge or sprouted mongo

500 grams tokwa, usually bought in small squares (250 grams each)

Salt & pepper to taste

In a medium steamer, steam the toge or sprouted mongo for 15 minutes. Meanwhile fry the tokwa or soy bean curd until crispy. The best technique is to wholly fry the curd square to avoid desintegration. You can slice it later if it becomes crisp.

Put the toge in a meal bowl, sprinkle some salt and people, mix then top with fried tokwa. Serve with rice or you can eat it as a complete meal.

GREEN PEAS in TOMATO SAUCE(Good for 6 servings)

Green peas, fresh or frozen is always available in the market. So, you can cook it almost everyday, if you want to.

1 kilograms fresh or frozen green peas (thawed)

1 can (12 oz or more) tomato sauce

Fresh dill weed, chopped

1 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped

1 bulb onion, chopped

Salt and pepper

Vegetable oil for sautéing

Sauté garlic and onion in a Teflon pan until translucent. Add the green peas and tomato sauce. Simmer for five minutes. Enhance the taste with salt and pepper. Serve 6. Enjoy the meal.

SPICED & MARINATED CARROTS

Actually, I combined the two recipes. So, you’ll enjoy doing it spiced or marinated. If you have lots of carrots, you can do these recipes in a jiffy.

For Spiced Carrots, we need:

1 bunch of young carrots, peeled and sliced thin

3 teaspoons orange juice

¼ teaspoon grated orange rind

2 Tablespoon vegetable oil

3 Tablespoon brown sugar

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon salt

Heat vegetable oil and combine other ingredients. Simmer for 3 minutes. Pour over sliced carrots and heat them in sauce, basting several times.

For Marinated Carrots:

2 bags (1 kilogram) of carrots, diced, cooked and drained. Salt to taste

Marinating mix: 1 can tomato soup

¾ cup red vinegar

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon prepared mustard

½ cup vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

1 medium onion, chopped fine

2 Tablespoons Tabasco sauce

Pour over carrots and chill overnight.

SKILLET CABBAGE

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

3 cups of finely shredded cabbage

1 cup celery, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Heat vegetable oil in skillet. Drop in vegetables; stir well.

With all these recipes, who needs meat, anyway? Enjoy eating! Bon A petit!!!

Vegetarianism may be adopted for ethical, health, environmental, religious, political, cultural, aesthetic, economic or other reasons. They exclude all meat and dairy products.

With the preservatives being injected on meat products to prolong its shelf life, more and more people (including me) are going back to basic eating habits: eating fresh fruits and vegetables. Yes, fellow hubbers; I can live without meats. I also eat fish and marine produce but most of the time these days, while doing these Hubbalicious hubs, I seldom eat meats.

Since the Philippines is an agricultural country, it boosts of many fresh agricultural produce (from grains, cereals and vegetables) that can provide nutrients needed by our body. But, you must be careful of eating it, too, because of the prevalence of modern pesticides that are being used by most farmers just to yield good harvest. So, you better grow your own vegetables using natural pesticides (like pepper and kakawate or madre de cacao).

I noted some of my fellow seafarers from Europe (the Greeks) and Asia (especially Indians) to cling more on vegetable dishes or vegan foods. When I asked why they didn't or seldom eat meats; their answers vary from religious aspects or health reasons. There are religions in India that are vegetarian advocates. People who suffers from diabetes mellitus may exclude meat foods on their diet.

As for me, I want to cleanse my body from any toxic residues from preserved meats that I eat, so I am following what most vegans do: eat more grains, vegetables and fruits everyday,

What about you? Have you been thinking the possibility of living longer...and cleaner?