Being Vegetarian doesn't mean being just meat-free. I loathe menus that state they have Vegetarian options only to discover it's a meatless dish, with no excitement, personality or thought put into it.
To do Vegetarianism properly you need to follow these ideas to maximise your protein intake.
I became a Vegetarian when I was 15 years old. I tried it on my own for a while, then ended up sitting down with a Nutritionist to go through the details of being a GREAT Vegetarian. This meant getting enough protein each day, where meat-less dishes fail in this prospect entirely. Goodbye Meat-less food, hello creativity!
Say Hello to Vegetarian Food Combining.
Food combining means eating one food with another to maximise nutritional value.
A complete protein means the full spectrum of protein (amino acids) is reached.
Meat has the full spectrum of amino acids, it's a complete protein.
In the world of Grains and Pulses, Grains have some amino acids and Pulses or legumes have others. Its when they're eaten together that as a Veggie, you get your Complete Protein.
So;
Grain + Pulse = Complete Protein
What options does this give you?
13 Quick Ideas for Vegetarian Food Combining
- Hummus and Pita Flatbread (Turkey/ Middle East)
- Baked Beans on Sourdough Toast (UK)
- Mung Dhal and rice and Naan (Indian)
- Split Pea Dhal and rice and Paratha (Indian)
- Channa Dal (Chickpea Curry) and Rice and Paratha or Naan (Indian)
- Black Beans and rice (South America)
- Lentil Pie (Shepherd's/Cottage Style) (UK)
- Tofu & Veg Stir fry with Rice (Asia)
- Tempeh Tacos such as these from Live Eat Learn. (Mexico)
- Tempeh Dip and crackers
- The Classic Vegie Burger - chickpea or lentil patty on a bun with an egg such as this.
- Felafel and Hummus Kebab (Turkey)
- Freekeh & Lentil Salad like this one
I find ethnic food excellent inspiration for Vegetarians - think Indian, Asian, Brazil, Central Americas, Middle Eastern. Lots of colour, variety and personality - the all important ingredients of Vegetarian food, because we DON'T want it to be BORING!
Check out my other Vegetarian blog posts here:
