If you're not trying to eat more meat-free meals, I highly recommend you start now. A diet that's filled with fruits and vegetables is not just better for our bodies, it's also better for the environment. Whether it's a resolution to eat vegetarian or an ongoing commitment to a cause like meat-free Mondays, we should all find a reason to eat more plants. To help you get started, I've rounded up 10 of our best vegetarian entrées. Click on for flavorful and satisfying inspiration!
If you're hosting a crowd and can't decide whether your guests would rather eat sweet or savory brunch, here's an idea: make it easy to serve both! Take an unconventional approach by serving Dutch baby pancakes — the famously puffy hotcakes baked in the pan — with toppings both sweet and savory.
Those looking for a sugar high will always appreciate the original, enjoyed with little more than sugar, butter, and a squeeze of lemon. For a heftier option, dot the eggy batter with slices of sautéed onion and crumbles of soft goat cheese, along with a balsamic vinegar reduction for drizzling. Very grown-up, indeed. For the breakfast dish that offers something for everyone, read more.
This past weekend, San Francisco experienced a couple of the hottest days of the year. After a blistering morning walk around the city with out-of-town visitors, I invited my friends over for lunch. To keep things appropriately light, I served wine spritzers and made fresh Vietnamese-style Spring rolls.
Although they may look and sound labor-intensive, non-fried Spring rolls — or Summer rolls, as they're sometimes called — can make for an incredibly speedy meal. While this recipe calls for deli roast beef (an unusual filling for Spring rolls), you can use any protein you like; I later made rolls with roasted turkey, which tasted great as well. The versatility of the filling is part of the beauty of the dish. Learn how to roll your own when you read more
When it comes to restaurant fare and processed food it seems sodium lurks in unexpected places and unexpected quantities. The theory is that salt makes everything taste better, so more salt means tastier food, right? Not really, but you wouldn’t know that after seeing the amounts of sodium used in some of the entrées at some popular food chains. Take a look and see what meals you should avoid, especially if high blood pressure is a health concern of yours. Just to remind you that the upper limit of daily sodium is 2,300 mg a day, which is equal to about one teaspoon.
Here's a list of the top saltiest dinners you can order.
To see the rest of this atrocious list read more
I recently tried a new flavor of the frozen entrées from Kashi (they're the company that makes those TLC Chewy Granola Bars I love). I loved the Pesto Pasta Primavera so much, and was excited to try another vegetarian option - Black Bean Mango.
As with all of Kashi's products, I was impressed that I could pronounce every ingredient on the list, and they were all things I've heard of like canola oil, ginger, cilantro, and garlic.
I wasn't expecting this entrée to be so deliciously flavorful. It was a combination of sweet from the mangos, and spicy from the jalapeño peppers. The texture was really satisfying too. There were many tender veggies like carrots and red peppers.
There were soft and sweet mangos, and another amazing thing - you could actually see the grill lines on the roasted green peppers and onions. I thought that was a nice touch.
The protein-filled black beans were surrounded not only by rice like you usually see, but also by other chewy whole grains like oats, rye, hard red winter wheat, buckwheat, barley, and sesame seeds.
For a frozen vegan meal, this was very tasty. It only has only 340 calories, 430mg sodium, and no cholesterol (obviously). It also has 430mg of potassium, 8g of protein, 7g of fiber, 150% of your daily vitamin A needs, and 100% of your daily vitamin C needs.
Want to see what it looks like when you heat it up? Then read more
I've just recently tried a new product from Kashi (the company who makes those chewy granola bars I love). They are broadening their scope and have just introduced some frozen entrées to their Kashi brand, look for them in the freezer at your local health food or grocery store.
I was very excited to try one because I already have the utmost respect for anything with the Kashi name. When I looked at the back of the Pesto Pasta Primavera package, the ingredients were just what I would use if I were to make it myself: whole wheat pasta, basil, Parmesan cheese, peas, yellow carrots (yup), sweet red peppers and garlic. There wasn't anything on that list I didn't recognize, and that made me feel good.
The serving size was very filling, but because there were so many veggies, it was only 330 calories for the entire meal. Speaking of the veggies - they were actually very fresh tasting and even had a little crisp to them, so I know they weren't overcooked.
For a pasta dish, I was surprised to find out it has 12 grams of protein. It also has 7g of fiber. Out of the 11g of fat, only 2g are saturated, and there are NO trans fats. The sodium level was a little high - 790mg - but not over the top high considering you can have 2,300mg a day.
Another great thing? Since it has as many veggies as noodles, I felt energized after eating it, not exhausted like you can get with most pasta dishes.
Want to see what it really looks like? Then read more
